So the summer is drawing to a close here in jolly England, and looking back over the past few months what a summer it’s been!
I started it off running, literally with the race for life. Like a mad dog and an Englishman I went for a run in the middle of what felt like the hottest day in history! But nevertheless I did it and i did myself proud.
On the afternoon of the event I rocked up looking like a sore thumb in my brightly coloured fruity t-shirt in the middle of an ocean of pink! If you’ve not heard much about the race for life you’re meant to wear something pink to be united as women against Cancer.
However as I have stated before I am tired of our community giving cancer such power and energy. As a throwback I thought I would show, by being the odd one out, that I am taking responsibility for my own health. I do this by eating micro nutrient rich foods and by keeping fit, for most people just these things will help you stay clear of most diseases.
It worked as many people asked me why I wasn’t wearing pink; the question gave me the perfect platform to tell them about getting healthy and taking preventative action against disease.
Disease cannot live in a body that is at ease!
I also thought that being the odd one out is a good analogy for an individual trying to be healthy whilst being surrounded with people who just go along with the crowd and are happy to just blend in and go with the flow. But by going with the flow you are putting your self at risk of countless things, putting your faith and trust into food companies doesn’t work as we have been brainwashed into believing things that just aren’t true!
Sometimes I feel like I am drowning in a sea of sugar, E numbers and a tide of gullible ignorant people who believe that it doesn’t really matter what you eat.
So regardless of my beliefs and opinions of the race, it was about getting people together to support those who have been effected by the disease one way or another.
It was very emotional and beautiful to see, it’s very rare to see people to come together and have such love and compassion for each other. There were of stories of love ones lost, inspirational talks by people who have regained their health and who are leading stronger and healthier lives! It was very powerful experience, and very emotional, so emotional that there were tissues being passed around like hot cakes!
Saying that though I was weeping for what felt like most of the day! For starters I’d realized on the morning of the race that I had tripled the target I had set for my self and raised a total of £325! I was so excited that so many people had believed in me and had donated so much money. I would like to take a moment to thank all of those fantastic people who donated their hard earn money for me and remind them how much their support helped me on all of my training runs and on the day.
THANK YOU!
All of this gratitude and heart swelling happiness is pretty overwhelming so a few tears were shed before the race even began!
I also blame the fact that I chose to do the afternoon race and not the morning one which appears to be the more sensible option as I worried my self into nervous wreck, and spent most of the morning pacing. But nevertheless! When the time came I found my self in the middle of an ocean of pink ladies and a horn blew and we were off.
As I have never voluntarily signed my self up for any kind of physical test or race, so this was a pretty big deal for me, so I as that horn resounded in my head, my heart pounded in my chest and my legs just took me forward.
The runners are separated into three sections, the runners, joggers and walkers. I didn’t want to disappoint myself so I started with the joggers, although those first few minutes I found myself running an obstacle course of people, all I remember is a blur of pink for the first ten minutes, and me darting around say ‘sorry’ ‘excuse me’, it was so strange to be running with people so close around me.
I’m not the kind of person that goes running with friends and has a jolly, when I run it’s a solitary escape, a space and time for myself, just my feet, heart and mind in sequence. So those first few moment felt very strange, but as I kept running the obstacle course it started to thin and there were less people and I felt propelled by a force of love and support from the incredible people who donated money and who believed in me. I was pushed on by the crowds of people who lined the edges of the course, and by my own head, I just kept saying to myself I as ran towards the end, towards my family who were waiting for me
‘I will NOT stop, KEEP GOING! YOU CAN DO THIS!
Sure enough as the sun beat down on me the last final stretch appeared and I felt like the terminator, like I had bionic legs. A new focus came over me and I ran like Forest Gump! When I finally reached the finish line the crowd cheered, I saw my family and burst into joyful tears.
I had done it! The girl who had been told that I would never amount to anything, the girl who had once weighed over 18 stone and could hardly walk, I ran a race! I started with the joggers and finished with the runners at 30 minutes and 28 seconds!
It’s bin done faster, but never by me!
I showed myself that regardless of how scared I am and how much I think I can’t do something, the chances are I can, and I will do it better than most people, because I will put my mind to it! And I will give it ago, no matter what people think. I hope I have shown people not to just be all talk but to live a life full of action, just go and make it happen!
