Race for Life 2009: Done!

Yesterday Team Run, Fat Girl, Run gathered at Holme Pierrepont near Nottingham and took part in the five kilometre Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research UK.
The team was down to seven members on the day and one of them was in the early stages of recovering from swine flu so wasn't really any use!
However, the girls gathered and we all tackled the course at our own pace. Lauren and Vena were speedy superstars and completed in less than 30 minutes, followed by Kelly, Sarah B and Toni with Sarah H and myself bringing up the rear. The whole team finished in under an hour and all the girls should be very proud of themselves for taking part!
And our sponsors should be very proud of themselves too. The team are still totting up how much cash we got but the total stands at over £1000 already! If you didn't manage to sponsor us before race day there is still time - links are on the right of the page, just pick your favourite Fat Girl and off you go!
Now all we have to decide is what our next challenge will be!

T-19.5 hours

Image by deadheaduk via Flickr

Last year I earned myself the nickname Champagne Perspiration for running (OK, walking) the Race for Life mere hours after stepping off a wedding dance floor.
This year I will be running (OK, walking) mere hours (alright, a day) after rising from my sick bed having succumbed to the disease de rigeur, swine flu. I'm still a bit sniffly but most definitely not contagious. This will not stop me from joining my band of Fat Girls and getting our active on for 5km in order to earn the money people have so generously donated via us to Cancer Research UK.
As an overweight asthmatic (and a great self-promoter I am sure you will agree) undertaking five km isn't as easy as it sounds. But that is part of the ethos of Team Run, Fat Girl, Run - to do it even though we know we aren't super-honed athletes!
I've been pretty ill for a week...more ill than I have been in a very long time. But that is nothing compared to the fight people put up against cancer every single day. By supporting causes like Cancer Research UK we can help more of them win.
I'm already feeling emotional about tomorrow. That may partly be down to it being the first time I will have left the house in a week. But mainly it is because, and get ready for the cheese, the hero that is every woman taking part tomorrow and the heroes whose stories are told on the dedications on their backs.
Thanks again to everyone who has supported a Fat Girl so far - the team total is now nearing £1000. And that makes all of you Big Damn Heroes too.

The race is...on?

Image via Wikipedia

Ok - so it is T-4 days now until Race for Life 2009 (I think). I sort of lost count as I've been hit with swine flu (second team member to contract after Sarah B) and to be honest I have doubted I would make it *to* the Bowl of Hellfire nevermind round it.
But, despite my melodramatic proclamations to my darling husband last night that I was soon to be carried off by the pig flu I am feeling marginally better this morning. Well enough that I can believe a few more doses of Tamiflu and some rest and good food and I will be non-contagious and at least able to limp round.
It means the training I've put in over the last few months is all but worthless. Yes, that's right, I am holding swine flu responsible for a poor performance now - not my laziness and general un-fitness! But I am still gonna do it! Well, probably.
So -I'm taking the actual decision on whether to race or not up to the line. I clearly won't be there if there is any doubt that I am still infectious. I may not be able to run/walk/stumble if I can't get my lungs to work better than they do right now. What I can definitely do is support the girls who are going to be there for sure - and will my immune system to keep fighting so I can be with them come Sunday!
Watch this space...
S C-P
News Just In: We're another team member down - Ace can't make the race :( Hopefully she will be able to transfer to another event as she still really wants to take part. We'll miss you on the day Ace!

Race For Life: T-6

Righto then, it's 6 days till Race For Life 2009. Im so proud of all our friends and family for really stepping up to the mark these last few weeks and digging deep to sponsor us all! Late minutes sponsorship is more than welcome as we need a last burst of encouragement as race day literally races towards us! If you want to support us and help beat cancer follow the links on the right of this blog and donate to your fav Fat Girl. No matter what you can afford it all goes to an amazing cause, see what Cancer Research UK do with your money.

I've done NO training since my last post, and i've no time for any training till 'Race For Life: T-1' aka Saturday, which is taking shape as a fun filled afternoon of poolside chitchat and munchies with TT dvds in the evening at Mrs Sarahs house. We'll be working out those core muscles through a strict schedule of belly laughing till it hurts and dancing our carbs off to our boys! It's exhausting training but we're dedicated! You'll have to wait to hear if we're sweating alcohol like the Sarahs valiant effort last year!

REMEMBER you can not only support us with money but with your presence at The Bowl of Hellfire on SUNDAY 26th JULY. The Race starts at 11am and as we found out last year the traffic gets worse the later you leave it so pack a drink and some suntan lotion and get there early, we'll be limbering up from about 10am so come give the Fat Girls a wave!!

Photos will be posted here and on our Facebook group so check back for those on Monday!!!
Do i sound more jovial about race day? It's a lie, im bricking it!

Race For Life: T-13

So it's less than a fortnight till Team Run Fat Girl Run will be limbering up and taking their place at the start of the Race For Life. Granted we wont be first out the blocks when the whistle goes but we've all got our own goals for how we'd like to complete the race. I have my own challenge, set down by Nick who knows my stubbon and competitive side only too well. If i do it in under 34:01 minutes (his time doing 5k/3.1miles with injury) then he'll give me a considerable donation. Now this seemed ridiculous at first thought because last year we did it in over AN HOUR! So i'd need to cut that in half to be able to stick two fingers up at Nick. So i was thinking, can i do it? Will the smug satisfaction of getting under that time push me round the course; will the blood, sweat, tears and lung collapse be worth that...... bloody darn right it will! So that's the target, i'll fight hard for that time. If i dont do it fair enough, it's a pretty high bar for me to reach but i'll give it a bloody good go, all in the name of raising more money for charity (and in no way just to stick two fingers up at Nick.... you reckon?)

For the last few weeks i've been down the gym quite regular. Dont misconstrew this as enthusiasm or dedicated training... its been purely to balance out the fact i've been eating like a horse and smoking like a trooper. OK so i've resembled a lame asthmatic donkey whos left her artillary and marbles back at base. But i have been jogging a mile a time and doing it in a smudge under 10 minutes. It hurts but it's possible now without too much loss of vision and coughing up blood. So if i can keep this pace up for 3 miles i might just make it under 34:01 minutes. So THE Plan has been revised and crammed into 2 weeks of panic training. 1 mile in 10 minutes is achievable. This weeks phase will be to jog 2 miles in 20 minutes and then final weeks phase will be 3 miles in 30 minutes.

Hang on. Reality check! This reminds me of something.. oh yes.. this reminds me of THE Plan i had when i signed up for the race, the first time and the second time. I had a plan to increase my fitness slowly over the year so it wasnt such a panic in the first few weeks before race day. Which, I believe, is exactly where i find myself now and i suddenly feel a little reflective...

Oh how we had such enthusiasm, we were driven, we were determined..... ''we'll do the race again but this time we'll write a blog, have a plan, stick to it, i know we said that last year but this time it'll work, come rain or shine we'll train hard, we'll get fit, we'll do it proper, we wont leave it all till the last fortnight...''

So when im sat there after the race next Sunday, with my heart hammering through my chest, sweat pouring down my back, lungs bleeding trying to smoke a fag and choke down a greasy burger with my final breaths...... PLEASE stop me. Stop me, Stop me, Stop me. And i dont mean the burger or the fag but from repeating all this again! The Plan didnt work, it failed, again. Im not race fit, im terribly unprepared, and im actually going to attampt 5k in 30 minutes! Im a Fat Girl in a two week training panic! AGAIN! So remind me after the race it's just adrenaline making me feel good, explain to me this is a near death experience and my body is in shock, it is not feeling good it is in shock, it doesnt want to do it again and it will hate you for it. Dont let me sing the praises of The Plan and suggest all this again in 2010. DO NOT LET ME SAY THIRD TIME LUCKY! And never never let me talk to Nick again!

Final countdown

Blogging has been kind of slack of late, I know. We now have two weeks to go until Race (for Life) Day so expect a flurry of posts about training (right girls?).
My own training has taken a back seat for a while but kicks off again this weekend with practice runs and gym sessions pencilled in. I'm counting much walking, dancing and moshing (thanks to Take That and Blur on their support on this) over recent weekends as training though!
As for the rest of the team - well, we have one member down with swine flu. Sarah Barker has succumbed to the virus but is fighting a good fight against it so should be race fit :)
Keep an eye on the blog for more news and don't forget you can still sponsor a Fat Girl through the links over there --->
Mucho love, S C-P (not in anyway consuming chips while writing this) xxx