Powered by vitriol

Got out there. Jogged 1.6 miles in 18 minutes and feel, frankly, miserable, a bit angry and not very healthy at all.

I am therefore giving science the finger as this stuff about endorphins is clearly codswallop. I'm feeling angrier now than I did before heading out and that's saying something given the whole endeavour was powered by a doozy of a tantrum.

My whole right leg is a series of niggles now - one in the inside of my ankle, then the outside of my knee and the familiar pain in the lower right of my back. Further convincing me I have one leg shorter than the other or (new option) they unbalanced my core by removing the left hand side of my reproductive system.

Anyway. I did it. I got out there and did my first training in 16 days. Now sponsor me. Please.

S C-P x

On your marks....

So, here we go again.

I am not sure what magic is at work but each January when the registration opens for Race For Life the unwavering belief I can run (yes, run) easily, happily and fast by July takes me over.

Consequently, having overcome the challenge of completing 5km at Holme Pierrepont in 2009 with swine 'flu and a chest infection raging through my system this year I've registered for the 10km.

Yes, 10km. Which I am convinced I am going to run with the carefree smile and graceful gait. The image in my head looks like a BodyForm advert - the sun is shining and I am laughing, barely noticing that I am running at speed. Sweat, wheezing and moaning doesn't come in to it. Neither does the inevitable crying when I finish slower than the rest of the team.

Right now I am uninterested in the reality of what 18 July 2010 will bring. I am signed up and ready to become S Champagne-Perspiration again. I fully intend to get further along my training plan than merely printing it off this year.

So, yeah, 10km. Bring it on.

And if you could sponsor me that would be awesome: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/sarahlay

The rest of the team are also ready to go again - I've already had news that superspeedy Fat Girls of 2009 Vena and Lauren will be taking on the 10km, as will self-confessed lazy arse Kelly Race while Sarah Hutchinson heads to Nottingham again to take on the 5km.

I am sure news of what the other Fat Girls are doing will feed through soon. So watch this space (and the roads of Derbyshire as I get training!)

S C-P xxx

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!

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

Slight return

A bad workman blames his tool and a bad athlete blames her sports bra. And her stupidly thermal jogging bottoms. And possibly the contents of my Shuffle too.
But these are but excuses and things that I mutter about, barely keeping my angry ramblings out of ear shot of other gym goers. The truth is, and this I must face, is that I was not born to run. I'm not even sure I was born to jog. I may be destined for more of a stumbling pace and gait.
I've not trained since Lauren and I (with honourary Fat Boy Michael and the toddler) braced ourselves against the elements of HellFire around a month ago. Life has conspired to make it far to easy for me to find a reason to duck out.
This morning though I forced my Fat Girl ass out of the house, through the sunshine and into the artificial ambiance of the gym.
I then proceeded to walk / run / jog / wheeze for 15 minutes in which I completed a paltry 1.6km. Using my (shaky at best) mathematical skill I calculate that this still brings me in around the 50 minute mark for the full 5km (ok, you got me, I didn't calculate that at all I guessed). I rate myself Poor to Lame.
Race day is eight weeks today (which means I hit the big 3-0 nine weeks today - there is nothing positive about this post). I'm not sure how I will manage to get any faster or any more stamina but I'll give it my best.
If you sponsor me I will try to be better than my best.

Support Katie's Midnight Walk!

All our Fat Girl followers have been very generous in supporting us as we undertake Race for Life but we also want to remind you we are supporting Katie's Midnight Walk.
The walk takes place on Saturday 20 June in Somercotes, Derbyshire and is memory of Katie Taylor and raises funds for research into Malignant Melanoma.
Katie was my husband's cousin and died last June from this form of skin cancer. She was 15 years old.
Research now shows that one in 50 people will contract a melonoma during their lifetime and so this research and quest for a cure is invaluable. It may one day help you or someone you love.
If you'd like to join us on the walk we'd love to see you there! It starts at midnight (you might have guessed from the name ;-D ) from St Thomas Centre in Somercotes. If you're unsure then get in touch and meet up with the Fat Girls first (our team theme is neon so we're easy to spot wombling about in the dark).
Or, even if you can't join the walk, please consider making a donation. You can do this online through the Katie's Midnight Walk Just Giving page.
You can read Katie's story, and the story of her family, on the website they set up.
Cheers muchly,
S-CP x

Playing around with training

"We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing"
Someone much wiser than me said this, I can't recall who, but I think there is more than a grain of truth in it.
I'm supposedly resting this week and not really supposed to be doing any exercise (part of an experiment which is too dull to go into) but that's left me feeling kinda fidgety.
So it was good that the sun shone this weekend and I could use my toddler as an excuse to do pseudo-exercise on play equipment around Derbyshire. This weekend I have mainly been sailing on a large wooden pirate ship in Matlock Bath and monkeying around in a frankly amazing adventure playground at Chatsworth. My toddler enjoyed it too.
Technically then, no further training to report. But I am really great at slides and wobbly walkways so if they throw any of these in as a surprise on race day I am well prepared.
Back to the bowl of hellfire this week with Fat Boy Michael and Fat Girl Lauren (plus motivational coaching from P in his pushchair - nothing like a screaming child to make you want to get finihsed and go home)- anyone else want to take on the course???
And thanks to recent sponsors too - the team is now just shy of £300 in all which is a great amount. However, I think we can do better. We've just under 13 weeks to go until race day so get your fundraising on girls! Let's break last year's £800 total!!!
Keep runnin' (and raisin')
S C-P xxx

Katie's Midnight Walk - 20 June 2009

A little reminder about the other event the team is taking part in - Katie's Midnight Walk II.

Katie Taylor died in June 2008 from malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer. She was just 15 years old.

She and her family and friends were already campaigning to raise awareness and fund research into the disease when she died and the first midnight walk took place just days after her death. More than 200 people took part and raised a phenomenal amount - more than £8,000. This is an important cause to the whole team but particularly to me (S-CP) as Katie was my husband's cousin.

This year the walk will be held again on Saturday 20 June - the first week of Melanoma Awareness Week and a few days after the first anniversary of Katie's death. Many of Team Run, Fat Girl, Run will be taking part and we'd encourage you all to come and join us if you can or consider making a donation.

The five-mile walk is in Somercoates in Derbyshire and begins at midnight - to follow the theme of melanoma awareness of going from dark into light.

Please take a moment to read Katie's story and find out more about the walk and how you can support it on Katie's website.

If you'd like to come and join us on the night walkers meet at St Thomas Hall, Somercoates at 11pm with the walk getting underway at 12 midnight. Team Run, Fat Girl, Run will be rocking a neon theme so we can be safe while walking about in the dark so feel free to neon-up and join our gang. We hope to see you there!

You can also join the Facebook group if you want to show support and get hold of a paper sponsorship form!

S-CPx

Practice Run

A depleted Team gathered this morning at Holme Pierrepont for the Easter Sunday practice run.
No longer the bowl of hellfire, the watersports centre was overcast and damp as Vena, Sarah L and Sarah B crossed the start line and 58 minutes later crossed it again, knocking a full seven minutes off last year's Race for Life time.
The drab weather and missing team members did nothing to dampen spirits though and motivational talk covered last night's Dizzee / Prodigy rave; Manchester apartments and TT; the weirdness of boys and individual race training plans and progress. Oh, and shoes, obviously!
So the time may not have been world record breaking but at this point in our training and after raving for a full three hours (in this style - see from 1'43" for our dance inspiration) not long before we were pretty pleased with ourselves. We feel sure we can knock more minutes off when race day does appear on 26 July.
One thing which will surely spur us on to speediness is more sponsorship. Please use the links over in the side panel to support a fat girl - Sarah B; Vena; Sarah L; Lauren; Toni-Anne; Ace; Sarah H or Kelly. Every person which sponsors us is entitled to wear the badge of honour, which is, in fact, a Fat Girl badge.
We'll probably head over to Holme Pierrepont again at the start of June to have another practice run. If not, next on the Fat Girl calendar is 'tactical' training on 23 May and then Katie's Midnight Walk on 20 June.
'til then - keep running.
S-CP x

Fat Girls get thanks

Looking back for a moment Aspire have been in touch to thank everyone who took part in the Channel Swim in 2008, including Team Run, Fat Girl, Run!
The Team completed the 22-mile swim between September and December last year to help raise funds for the spinal injuries charity.
Altogether more than £400,000 was raised for Aspire and they say: "The vital funds you worked so hard to raise have already been put to good use throughout our projects. Some of these projects include our Human Needs Fund which provides grants for people to buy specialist equipment and our specially adapted short term housing for patients newly discharged from hospital.
"Aspire also have Independent Living Advisors and Assistive Technology facilities at Spinal Injury Centres across the UK providing practical support and advice. The Aspire National Training Centre in Stanmore is the first fully integrated leisure centre leading the way in accessible and inclusive fitness training and sporting activities."
Thanks to everyone who sponsored us for this event - and well done girls!

It's all about feet

We're all trying in our own ways to get ready for the walk and race but for some it seems the deck is stacked against them? What hope, really, when even stationery attacks?

I speak of course of the freakish, and yet squimish, accident befalling Sarah H. I can't tell you the full story but I can tell you what I know and what I know is this: Sarah H was stabbed in the foot by a Biro.

I don't know if the Biro is magical and did it of it's own free will (and if so whether the attack was premeditated or provoked) or if someone else, or Sarah herself, was wielding the brand-name-writing implement at the time.

Who can say for sure? Well, probably Sarah H. She was there at the time afterall.

Anyway, I am certain that this picture doesn't do justice to the pain that Sarah H is surely in. I am also certain that if our fundraising total shot up (find the links in the side panel) it would mystically swiften the healing process allowing her to to get back to training asap while we all bask in the warm fuzzy of do-gooding.

What news of other Fat Girl feet? Well, the most comments on our tactical training night out were about the wonderous shoes we adorned our tootsies with. There were high heels, mid heels, sparkly heels, animal print heels but all very cute.

We strutted and danced in them and then we wobbled slowly away into the night. But if there is one thing a Fat Girl loves, it's a good pair of shoes.

If you don't want to donate because you think we are awesome for putting ourselves through 5k for Cancer Research UK then do it in honour of our footwear.

And in non-foot news: the practice run (or possibly walk) will take place on the afternoon of Easter Sunday (12 April) at the Bowl of Hellfire. Please feel free to come along and cheer us on or burn off some of those delicious Easter egg calories while keeping pace with us and providing motivation, water and quite possibly medical support.

The next 'tactical' meeting is lightly pencilled in the for end of May and there are high hopes that all eight team members will make it. Fabulous shoes are guaranteed.

Total currently stands at £154 but we need more folks. If you haven't sponsored us yet please take the time to click a link on the left - you can donate as little as £2 online, make a Gift Aid donation (if you're a UK taxpayer) and know you've made the Fat Girls and Cancer Research UK happy.

Keep runnin' - S-CP x

Team meet

The first 'tactical' training session of Team Run, Fat Girl, Run has been held for 2009.
I'd love to say we talked tactics and got a plan underway but in reality we had fun with the badges, relived last year's stagger around the Bowl of Hellfire, and then got down to the serious business of pulling shapes. All while wearing fantastic, beautiful shoes - which hopefully has helped to tone our leg muscles.
We blessed the, er, Bless with our hospitality but after losing out to Noel Edmonds on the quiz machine headed off to Mosh to pull some shapes. And what shapes they were! Some frankly stunning synchronized dance routines reminiscent of The Supremes (but with better shoes and adorned with Fat Girl badges) stunned the other punters.
I'm convinced that the effort it takes to perform such a technically demanding creative flow of dance moves counts as training, especially when heel height is taken into account.
Unfortunately, the effort was detrimental to some as early doors were called for the team when Sarah B's back problems of last year threatened a painful reoccurrence.
Thanks must be given to the Street Pastors who complimented our footwear before fulfilling the role of team support with the handing out of free flip flops; much needed by the team at this point.
A few pictures are available in the Facebook Fat Girl group so get over there and check them out. Hopefully a few more will be added in the next few days.
And so with Lauren strutting away to home Fat Girl Cabs (as driven by Sarah C-P) called through the all-night Maccy D's and delivered fat girl's back to their beds. Excellent meeting and we can't wait for the inevitable frolics to be had when all eight of us manage to get together in one place!

Which brings us nicely to a quick round-up of team members:

• Sarah C-P is 10lbs down and has had a couple of week's off training but made a return with Body Pump today - whatever wasn't hurting from dancing in six inch stilettos last night is definitely feeling the burn now;
  
• Sarah Barker was making excellent progress with her running but will now be resting her back for a few days / weeks / hopefully not long;
• Lauren is still battling the treadmill for superiority, and starting to win;
• Vena plans to begin training on 1 April and is spreading the sponsorship word;
• Sarah H was training hard but now will be limited by a foot injury;
• Ace is showing dedication to the cause with plenty of training in Londinium and living healthy too;
• Toni is in training and hoping the foot pain of last year stays in the past;
• Last but not least is Kelly, currently at SXSW in Texas most recently understood to have had a chat with Graham Coxon about Sarah C-P wanting to kidnap him. Sorry about that Graham.
  

See the pain that we go through - the least you can do is donate a few pennies :-) I am sure both injured Sarah's would welcome the healing power that comes from people sponsoring us (see side panel for links to online sponsorship sites).

In other news:

• Badges (not badgers - there has been some confusion) have arrived and will be passed out / sent to all those who have sponsored us so far. Please model your badge in a way you feel is a fitting tribute to the team and post pic to the Facebook group - there may even be a small token of recognition for the one that pleases / shocks us the most! Big thanks to Badges for Bands for making our buttons a reality.
• The total raised by the band so far stands at £149. A Blue Peter-style totaliser is over in the side panel for your pleasure.
  

Next team meets are a practice run around Holme Pierrepont over the Easter weekend and a 'tactical' meeting in May, possibly at St Pancras Champagne Bar (if V gets us all on the train for cheap!) or Derby / Notts way.
For now...keep runnin'
S C-P (hoping that injuries to Fat Girls called Sarah don't come in threes)
xxx

Stage one of sponsorhip: complete!

I'm very pleased to announce that thanks to the generosity of those who have already sponsored us the Team has now raised more than £100! This is already one eighth of our target stats fans!!!

So let's start the week with a woop woop for our sponsors. Woop Woop!

We've had a little gift made for everyone kind enough to show us the money. We like to think of it as a medal awarded for kindness. And it's completely secondary that by wearing the 'medal' the Fat Girl word will be spread and potentially garner more money!

But it is for a very worthy cause - vital funding for Cancer Research UK’s life-saving work into preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. By sponsoring the team now you can help more people survive cancer.

You can find links in the sidebar to the online sponsorship pages for the team which are up and running. Pick a girl and within minutes you will have joined the fight against cancer!

S-CP x

PS - check it out >>>> you can now choose to sponsor seven out of the eight Fat Girls! Vena just opened her page and would gladly be the conduit for donations to the cause!

Running on the spot

And I was doing so well! Alas, my training needs to be cut back for a couple of weeks due a totally forseeable circumstance which I did not factor in. My bad...
Anyway, while my training turns light and frequent I may as well get my Statto kicks elsewhere by bringing you a round up of our current total.
This total is only from online sponsorship and is calculated by my not-completly- foolproof method of visiting each girl's site.
So - from the six site's currently available we have raised a total of £97!!! Round of applause please...
BUT this is nowhere near enough! Thankfully there is still 19 weeks left until race day so lots of opportunity for more people to show their support for the Fat Girls while getting the warm fuzzy glow that comes from joining the fight against cancer.
Many thanks to those who have already given us cash...the free gift I promised to all supporters will be with you, sometime...possibly even before race day!!! Now I'm not pitched in a battle of wills against a treadmill (and the music policy person of my gym) I can get on with the Fat Girl merch! Swings and roundabouts you see...
S-ChampPersp x

JUST ADDDED: A little sneaky peak of one of the designs for the free gift soon to be adorning our kind supporters. Whaddya thinks?

Sponsorship begins...

Just a quick note to give some kudos to our first sponsors - Michael Reek and David Bull pledged support to Sarah Reek-Lay and Vicki and Pete showed Lauren Noakes the money. Team total already stands at £55!!!

Obviously thrilled by the news that Team RFGR will run again they were quick to pledge their monetary support as soon as sponsorship opened.

Don't get left behind - sponsor a Fat Girl NOW!!!

S-ChampPersp

(links in side bar to sponsorship sites which are now open)

On your marks...

As the poignant strains of M People's What Have You Done Today echo through the minds of all team members we can inform you we are officially registered for Race for Life 2009.

The training and the fundraising begins here (no more chewwy cornflake tart goodness for me for a while) so get ready to get your support on.

Two team members streak into an early online-fundraising lead with their sites already open for business.

• Sponsor Sarah Lay (or Sarah Reek as she is sometimes known)
• Sponsor Sarah Barker

Other team members will surely be on hot on their heels with online sponsorship so pick a girl and give us your money (or if you can't pick a favourite Fat Girl then just give us all some cash)!!!

S-ChampPersp x

PS - Five months until race day!!!