On May 21st 2006, I ran my first long-distance timed-event, the BUPA Manchester Great Run, in typical Mancunian weather (rain!). When I signed up for the event in January, I’d never run more than 2k, and that was all on the treadmill, but I thought I’d treat myself on the first anniversary of coming to Manchester (yes, I moved up 21st May 2005)! I aimed to complete it in under 1.5 hours…
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Used to think this film was a hoot, so this 4 mile race, on behalf of Barnardos, caught my eye.
After my chest infection (started in Rome on the Europe Tour, June 2008 - well, at least it was somewhere exotic), my fitness has deteriorated massively, so in November I was prescribed “exercise” (I asked if it was possible, give me that little push back to the gym that I used to love going to!), so I have been making it down twice a week, excepting skiing/cold/snowbound over the last 3 weeks. 
Back in today (I walked, my car is snowed in again!), met with GP-Referral lovely Lydia, and said I’d been trying to run again, but that about 1.5 minutes was my limit… so she ‘prescribed’ trying a slower speed (7.5, rather than 9.5, I used to get up to 11.5) for 2 mins, then walk for 1-2 - and with that I managed 6 minutes + the intervals, and then decided I needed a target to aim for! Karen gave me this book for my birthday last year, as she knows I have run before (and we did the Moonwalk together) and once I’m out there, find it really helps my mindset!
So, there we are, 2nd May 2010, I shall be running 4 miles around London dressed as a nun (so that’s going to be an early start for me too!) - apparently Barnardos are likely to be in touch re-fund-raising, but I’d love your encouragement 🙂
Finished in 1 hour, 6 minutes, which was 2.5 minutes faster than the Manchester 10k (and I only had a week’s prep this time!).
Setting off:
Heading towards the finish line:
Made it:
