Katie's Midnight Walk II

Last night member's of Team Run, Fat Girl, Run gathered in Somercotes to take part in Katie's Midnight Walk.
If you've seen previous posts you'll know this is a walk organised by my husband's aunt, uncle and cousin in memory of their daughter (sister), Katie Taylor. Katie contracted malignant melanoma and died days before the first walk, aged 15, on 17 June 2008.
The walk is intended to highlight the dangers of skin cancer and raise money for research into treatment and ultimately a cure.
By walking at midnight it matches the theme of Melanoma Awareness Week - walking from darkness into light.
There was a small number of people who gathered and, led by Katie's father Wayne, completed the five mile circuit around the area where Katie lived in just under two hours.
The Fat Girl's don't just turn out for anything and when we do we always think of safety and style (not necessarily in that order) so last night we turned out in neon. Sarah, Lauren and Sarah neoned up with added glo-sticks and got their walk on.
As the walkers returned to cups of tea and sausage cobs the total raised (so far) was revealed - more than £4,000 - which will go directly to Dr Patel at Nottingham Hospital. He was the doctor who treated Katie and by funding his research there is a better chance of a cure being found and this disease which affects one in 50 and kills one in four will be eradicated.
If you haven't given and would like to do so you can still make a donation online here: http://www.justgiving.com/katiesmidnightwalk/
The Fat Girl's would like to thank everyone who supported them - thank you!
S C-P x

Katharine Alison Taylor 1992-2008

This post is in memory of Katherine Alison Taylor, or Katie as I knew her, my husband's cousin who died a year ago today, aged 15, from malignant melanoma.

To be honest, I don't really know how to write this post. And if I don't know how to write it with the distance of 365 days and of only knowing Katie briefly and mostly through family gatherings I can't imagine how those closer to her feel today.

I wish more than anything I didn't have to write this post. That Katie was about to complete her GCSEs and dreaming of what the future might hold for her. That her adventure was just getting underway. That today was just another day in the year. But it's not, so I do have to write.

Let me start with telling you what I know: Katie was a beautiful, brave young woman, who inspired me with her attitude to life well before and of the bad stuff hit, and even more so after it did.

Perhaps you feel you've heard all about the brave fight and the tragic ending before, about people who have contracted terrible diseases and fought long and hard against them? Maybe, but I truly believe with Katie it was never a truer word.

She was not a sunbather or reckless tanner. She was outdoorsy but never careless about looking after her skin. She lived in a quiet part of Derbyshire not in the glare of the desert sun. But she still contracted skin cancer.

She was treated quickly and expertly but despite valiently fighting with a smile on her face and compassion for those around her she didn't survive.

I feel honoured to have know Katie through my husband. Even though I didn't know her well I feel blessed that she touched my life and proud that she obvisouly touched the lives of so many others. She was wonderful to be around. She was happy, she was kind, she was positive, cheeky and full of personality and dreams.

There is no way to justify this loss. Katie being gone is indeed senseless. But if there is one good thing to come out of Katie's death it has to be raising awareness of this disease (which now strikes one in 50 people and one in four will die as a result) and the funds they (you) donate help to pay for prevention and research into a cure.

So, I am going to tell you should now do. I want you do to at least the first if not both of the following:

• Give your money to Katie's fund. This goes toward vital research into malignant melanoma being undertaken at Nottingham, where Katie was treated. Every penny counts in stopping more lights like Katie going out and more families and friends having a big hole in their hearts and lives where a loved one used to be: you can give your donation online on the Just Giving website.
• If you are around the East Midlands area and at a loss for how to entertain yourself at midnight this Saturday (20 June 200) come and join the second Katie's Midnight Walk. The first took place days after Katie died and we want to do her proud this year. It takes place in Somercotes near Alfreton and is five miles long. All are welcome to join in and there will be early morning refreshments for walkers at the pub afterwards. Message me on Twitter or comment here if you want more info.
  

And if you're still wondering why this is so important to me, and the other Fat Girls, read the honest account of this brutal disease written by Katie's family on the Katie's Midnight Walk

Thanks for taking the time to read this, for sharing in Katie's memory, and on the assumption you will donate thank you for that too. S C-P x

Katherine Alison Taylor - 1992-2008 - Per aspera ad astra

Fat Girl goes public!

Just thought i should update the Fat Girl blog with some exciting news. I awoke on Saturday morning with a bad case of dieters guilt brought on by late night munchies of the flapjack/supping vino variety! Thinking something must be done to quell the guilt and reduce the monsterous effects of a whole night of binge eating, i adorned my leggings, popped on the mp3, laced up my trainers, waved good bye to a open mouthed dad and started my morning jog! Yes that is right TRFGR followers, i took my jogging public! Granted it was 8am on a saturday and Folkestone is quite sleepy at this time but there were people in cars who passed me and im proud to say i wasn't spectacle enough to cause any traffic accidents. And in a town recently famous for earthquakes i didnt even make the local news with a tremor!!

I do have to admit that I purposefully didnt check the time when i left, i decided the sweat produced was a greater measure of the activity than the time it took. And sweat i certainly did, it was a struggle the entire way! To start my leggings disagreed with their position and fought to be in the more favourable location near my ankles. I took a break from cursing my leg wear to complain loudly (in a language constructed from painful wheezing) about the stupid stupid nature of hills. I strongly dislike the UP part of any hill. Unfortunatly i started half way up a hill and in my enthusiasm to tackle the jog i'd confidently started the jog heading UP. This proved unwise as half way round the block i realised i'd be finishing the gruelling jog in the same stupid stupid direction. I greatly enjoyed the DOWN part of the jog, wind in my hair, air forced into my collapsed lungs, what could be better. Then with heavy legs and a drastic change in pace i hit the UP section again, but dispite my complaining and cursing i did it all again.

So i went round the block twice! In my defence it is a big block and the UP is significantly UP. I finished it still jogging and as im measuring its success in sweat and not time i can report that i did very very well! So yey for this Fat Girl who took her jogging public and lived to tell the tale. So far i haven't seen any clips of it on YouTube so mission successful. But don't think for one minute this means im going to start jogging on the streets of Derby! Oh no! I have to actually live in Derby, so now it's back to the air conditioned gym for a nice secluded jog :)

Is Facebook trying to tell me something.....

I just uploaded my latest blog entry ':Confessions of a Fat Girl' and as usual i added the link to my Facebook profile so all my friends can read and laugh along with/at me!! And what should the security check words be.......

I kid you not. it asked me to type in THINKING BLUBBER!!!! Uploading to Run FAT GIRL Run and it asked me to think blubber! I swear on all that is true and dear to me that this is no word of a lie! Im outraged with Facebook, i need no more proof that it is evil and against me!!!

Confession of a Fat Girl

I meant to go out jogging ...... i had a whole evening set aside for Fat Girl training, i was going to the Bowl of Hellfire!! I had a bagged packed up with jogging clobber, a fully charged MP3 and TWO bottles of water! Sounds good so far doesn't it? Well, dont get too excited. I'm not sure if you remember what the weather was like on monday but it was blazingly hot..... BLAZINGLY HOT! And with memories of the skin blisters i got after burning at RFL2008 i hung my head in disappointment and wimped out of the run. In my defense i didnt have sun cream and what with Katie's Midnight Walk II only a few weeks away i thought it foolish to risk it.

The guilt at maybe using malignant melanoma as an excuse to avoid going jogging has led me to hit the gym three times this week already. OK so i'm not exactly doing much whilst i'm there but it all counts. I've even developed the confidence to really jog on the treadmill.... even when other people are present! I know!!! Progress or what!

So i've jogged about 1 mile in 10 minutes each day as well as using the bikes and rowing machine to combat those calories (kitkat craving is back, bad times). I really need to increase my time and pace on the treadmill but it's so hard, my stamina is poor and my knees burn almost as much as my dirty smokers lungs!

What's a Fat Girl to do?? Perhaps organise another training session...?? Well low and behold it's only my ruddy birthday soon and i think it only right to celebrate it in true TRFGR style....... DANCING! So grab your gladrags Fat Girls and our beautiful supporters, it's your duty to come train with me....... :D

Oh and there's a theme, and it's electric blue. Be it a bangle, belt or bow i want you all wearing it and being Eclectic in Electric!!!!