Over £1,000 raised

I've raised over £900 plus at least £140 gift aid. So that's over £1,000.

I'm really pleased with this.

Thanks very much to EVERYONE who has supported me.

And a special thanks to Ben, Charlie and their friend Sarah for coming to support me. Also BIG BIG one for Val. And thanks to Maria for being so very generous.

Chester Marathon

I've now run the Great North Run and Chester Marathon and achieved my fundraising target - but I am still accepting sponsorship! The more we can support BCRT the better!

Enjoyed the first 20 miles of the Chester Marathon but then had cramp and pain in my right leg. But I kept going and finished in 5 hrs 23 mins 59 secs.

Many many thanks to everyone who has supported me.

Click on the link below for stats on my Great North Run

Great North Run by cooliceblue at Garmin Connect - Details

Great North Run

I came in at 20,752nd out of around 54,000 runners. Time 2:14:18. Please sponsor me at http://www.justgiving.com/RememberingMartin.

2 days to go to the Great North Run

Only two days to go to the Great North Run! Oh dear!

Been taking it steady recently as still got some pain in my Achilles. However managed a slow ParkRun and a 16 mile run / walk at the weekend.

lumpy insole

I've been to a podiatrist because of pain in my achilles - particularly in the morning. As a result I now have insoles in my running shoes that are to correct the way that I run and walk. My shoes already correct to some extent but maybe not as much as I need.

So I've been walking about with lumpy insoles. It's a bit uncomfortable to start with but then I forget about it.

Stats

You can see how I've been building up the distance. Not doing quite so well this month (which is in blue) but I haven't logged my last run (5 miles) and there is still tomorrow if I get up early!

late snack

A run around Merstham including down by the lake this evening reminded me why I prefer to run in the morning.

I don't like eating flies.

5.07 miles in 48 minutes.

Set up JustGiving site

I had problems setting up a VirginGiving page. Wrote the text and included photos and links and saved it. Got a message that it may take 30 minutes before I could see the page. A day later - nothing. So I've gone back to JustGiving.

So - IF YOU WANT TO SPONSOR ME for the Great North Run and Chester marathon then go to the link on the right.

Thanks very much.

Longest run so far

Ran over 22 miles last Sunday. My longest run so far. 4 minutes running followed by 1 minute walking at repeat. Ran a circuit around Merstham then along the A23 to banstead Wood, a run in the wood, then back to Merstham via Starbucks. The Starbucks was for a flat white which seemed to speed me up for the last stretch! 

Was that cheating.

Monday was a 4 mile run from the office. Took it steady after yesterday.

Next run was Banstead Wood ParkRun 5k on Saturday.

Raising money for a half marathon and a full marathon

I'm just setting up a virgin giving page for the Great North Run in September and the Chester Marathon in October.
The Great North Run takes place in Newcastle and is the biggest half marathon. Chester will be my first full marathon.

Ran my fastest 5k ever

Today I ran my fastest ever ParkRun 5k. 24 minutes and 32 seconds. Knocked 2 seconds off my previous best. I was rather surprised because I had slept so badly last night.

Just ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon

Just got home from running the Royal Parks Half Marathon. Was quite an emotional experience again.

First half went really well. Under an hour. But then I started to struggle and slowed down. Too hot! Finished in just under 2hrs 10mins.

Not doing too bad on sponsorship. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me. But still need to raise a bit more.

Will right a longer report soon but need a nap now!

tomorrow is the big day

Last Saturday I ran a gentle 5k at Banstead Wood and today I ran 5k around Water Colour (near home). I've done a little bit of cycling and walking too but not a hard run. Hoping the rest and cross training will mean I can do well tomorrow. However the forecast is for warm weather and I'm not so good when it is not cold.

Hoping I can run the Royal Parks tomorrow at a time of 2 hours.

Beryl now has £110 of sponsorship from her neighbours which means we have raised £350 so far.

Thanks to Ant and Rach, Pam, Graham and Bridget, Ole (from Denmark), Louis, Tyron, John and Karl for your support. Very much appreciated guys.

Thanks also to Alison, Sue and Rosie and Pete who have all promised to sponsor me.

Thanks to Beryl's neighbours ...

... who have given Beryl £45 in sponsorship. Thanks everyone.

Running in memory of Martin and for bone cancer research (Run to the Beat 2010)

Running in memory of Martin and for bone cancer research (Run to the Beat 2010), originally uploaded by cooliceblue.

I now need to get on with raising some money. So I've written the following text for Facebook and elsewhere:

My youngest son Martin died of bone cancer at the age of 17. He had cancer for at least two years but was not diagnosed until a year before his death.

Martin was a great son and we had some fantastic times. In his last year while having chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he kept going to school and college, did well in his exams, formed a band called White Noise, created some beautiful music and took a leading role in organising band nights. And he partied in Newquay, at Reading Festival, in the woods, in the park, ...

Bone cancer mainly affects teenagers. The average age of diagnosis is 15. This form of cancer kills more teenagers than any other illness though many people don’t even know it exists. We didn’t until Martin was diagnosed. But being a childhood cancer it is relatively rare compared to those that affect adults so the funding for research is a drop in the ocean compared to what is spent on adult cancers such as breast or bowel cancer. The drug companies aren’t interested because there is not enough potential profit.

There are not many diseases that kill teenagers but primary bone cancer does and the longer it goes undiagnosed the more chance of it spreading and being more likely to kill. I’m raising money for Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT) as money raised for them goes into research projects to find new and better treatments and into awareness - raising. Val is now involved in the charity’s information work and a new website will soon be launched with a focus on information on the cancer, its treatment and research alongside a push to give both GPs and the general public more specific information about symptoms so that they can make earlier diagnoses.

Until the last few of years I've never really been a runner so doing two half-marathons in two weeks is a real challenge. I ran Run To The Beat yesterday AND I plan to run the Royal Parks Half Marathon on the 10th October. This will be the second time I've done this double half-marathon.

Yesterday’s half marathon was a personal best of 2 hours and 5 minutes. Here are a few photos – taken at 1 mile, 13 miles and after the run.

You can sponsor me at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MalcolmMatthews. Donations will be quickly processed and passed to the Bone Cancer Research Trust. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on the charity's behalf if you are eligible for this.

If you want to read Martin's story go http://www.bonecancerresearch.org.uk/Stories_martinmatthews.shtml

If you want to visit my running blog go to http://run4martin.blogspot.com/

I really appreciate all your support and thank you for any donations.

Run To The Beat

Sunday 26th September

Ran the Run To The Beat half marathon.

The start was delayed because of problems with public transport.

I was worried this was going to be a VERY difficult run because my stomach is bad. Had to queue three times for the toilet before the race.

Then had a wait in Pen 4 for about an hour before we got moving. It was very cold so I kept my jacket on.

Crossed the start line about 30 minutes after the race had started.

Val was waiting for me just before the mile marker so I could dump my jacket. Was good to see her. She got a photo of me too.

My plan was to take it easy and run at a pace of between 9 and 10 minutes per mile. This proved easy! There's a part of the route that is pretty hilly. When I'd gone up the last hill - at around mile 6 - I was still feeling good so decided to stop holding myself back but to go for it. So I ran fast for the next 3 miles - fantastic. Then my knee started to hurt and a slowed down for a mile. Checking my time I realised I was in line for a personal best if I could maintain 9 minute miles. So the last 3 miles I upped the pace a bit and tried to ignore my knee.

Finished at 2 hours 5 minutes. About 20 minutes faster than Run To The Beat last year and 3 minutes faster than my previous personal best on a half marathon.

run in Ireland

Wednesday 22nd September

I'm in Ireland!

Had a morning run along the beach. Sun was shining. Raining too. A beautiful double rainbow.

Ran for about 50 minutes.

run AND training

Saturday 18th September.

I haven't managed to get out during the week. However today I ran 5k at ParkRun at Banstead Wood in great conditions - cold and sunny - a really beautiful morning - followed by going in to London for a 3 hour training session with the Royal Parks Half Marathon and British Military Fitness!

It was well worth going. We had a physio session, warm up instructions, use of a foam roller, stretching, as well as a couple of short runs and advice on improving performance.

stumble no. 2

Sunday 12th September

Up early for breakfast and to leave a 2 hour gap before running. Today was the longest of my training runs, 11.7 miles. Quite sunny and warm so not ideal conditions for me for running but lovely to be outside. Aim was just to run slowly and complete the distance. Unfortunately after about 2 miles I tripped. Didn't hit the ground but my knee started hurting. Difficult to decide whether to keep going or to stop. Kept going.

Really ached for the rest of the day but knee didn't feel too bad after stretching.

an enjoyable run

Saturday 11th September

Tired this morning. Nearly didn't go for a run but in the end summoned up the energy to get sorted and off in the car to Banstead Wood. Arrived just as the run was starting. So I started right at the back. Which meant I overtook lots of people. Enjoyed that. Enjoyed the whole run. Glad I went.

Need to do something about raising some money for Bone Cancer Research Trust.

stumble no. 1

Sunday 5th September

Had a lie in followed by a long run. I gave up on running my normal route on mainly cycle paths around Merstham because of the number of dogs not on leads. Instead I ran to Redhill then Reigate then back to Merstham. A hillier route than I'd expected. Travelling by car gives you a false impression of the inclines and descents that make a real difference when you are running. Anyway I stumbled after a few miles but seemed ok so kept on running. After about 8 miles my right knee started to hurt slightly. Anyway I kept running for a distance of 10.7 miles. This had taken 2 hours. Slower than expected but I think that was because of my knee. Just have to hope I haven't got an injury that will stop me running. Only 3 weeks to the first half marathon.

ParkRun 5k

Didn't feel like going out at all this morning so please with a time of under 26 minutes for Banstead Wood ParkRun.

Tomorrow I need to run 11 miles but at a gentle pace. Will try and get up early so I can run while it is less hot.

Going that extra mile

Today my target was 9 miles but I ran 10 miles. Wore my new shoes. No problems.

Slowest ParkRun Ever - 28th August 2010

ParkRun 28th August 2010, originally uploaded by cooliceblue.

photo by Nicki Clark

5k ParkRun at Banstead Wood yesterday. My slowest time ever! Which is perhaps not surprising because following yesterday's run this was meant to be a gentle recovery run.

Tomorrow my target is 9 miles.

Support from Rome

Thanks to sunshinecity (AKA Alex) from Rome for her support. Thanks to her we have broken the £100 barrier. And I have my first sponsor from outside the UK.

Today was my long run. Last Friday I ran 7 miles and struggled a bit. I added the requisite 1 mile per week today so today's run was 8 miles. Surprisingly it was not so hard!

Maybe this was because I set myself a target to run all the time, even when on downhill stretches, at the rather slow pace of 10 minutes per mile. So I didn't slow down much for the last few miles and could have kept going at the finish. Completed the 8 miles in 82 minutes. Slower than my target but it is the distance and endurance that I am focusing on.

I also consumed a carbohydrate energy gel at the 4 mile mark. This is a tube of sticky orange gel that provides glucose and salts to keep you going. It's rather hard to eat while running ... even if it is a gel ... so I have to work at consuming this stuff. Still it may have done the trick.

Two more supporters

Thanks to my Mum and Anonymous for your donations. Very much appreciated. Nearly reached £100 now. That's great.

What happened to Martin?

Those of you who know about this, please ignore this post. Also, the text is the same as on my Virgin Giving Page.

My youngest son Martin died of bone cancer at the age of 17. He had cancer for at least two years but was not diagnosed until a year before his death.

Bone cancer mainly affects teenagers. The average age of diagnosis is 15. There is a poor prognosis so this form of cancer kills more teenagers than any other illness.

Martin was a great son and we had some fantastic times. In his last year he kept going to school and college, did well in his exams, formed a band called White Noise, and took a leading role in organising band nights.

Until the last couple of years I've never really been a runner so doing two half-marathons in two weeks is a real challenge. I'm running Run To The Beat in September AND the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October. This will be the second time I've done this double half-marathon.

Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and donations will be quickly processed and passed to the Bone Cancer Research Trust. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on the charity's behalf where the donor is eligible for this. I really appreciate all your support and thank you for any donations.

If you want to read Martin's story go to the Bone Cancer Research Trust website

Thanks to Beryl and Charlie

Yesterday my Mother-in-Law sponsored me. Thanks Beryl.

Today I met up with Charlie and Ben for coffee ... and Charlie has now sponsored me too ... as well as becoming the first follower of this blog.

Many thanks guys and happy reading Charlie!!

finished in 100th place

Started the day as I do most Saturday's when I am not at work or away ... with a parkrun at Banstead Wood. See parkrun.com/home.aspx for more info on parkrun.

Around 150 people meet up in Banstead Wood each Saturday at 9 am for a 5k timed run. And it's free. Today was my 37th parkrun. I came in at position 100 out of 147 at a time of 27min 50 sec. Pretty slow for me but I was taking it easy after yesterday's run. Also it was a warm morning and I tend to overheat when it's warm.

Some more stats. According to my Garmin (timer and heart rate monitor) my maximum heart rate was 159bpm. Maximum speed around 9mph ... Can that be right? Maximum pace around 7 min/mile. Of course most of the time I was slower ... especially up the hill!

today's run

Managed the 7 miles, which is very good as I haven't been well recently. Slow time of 1 hour 20 minutes but I was taking it easy.

Took my camera with me and took a few shots of my usual route. I expect they will be blurred as I kept running most of the time.

Time for a training run

Last weekend I ran 3 miles on Saturday and 6 miles on Sunday. Target for today is to run one mile more i.e. 7 miles. Each weekend I want to add 1 mile to my longest run ... without pushing it too much.

As I'm going to be away on Sunday I'm going for my 7 mile run today. Ate porridge about an hour ago. Drank a pint of liquid. I'm about ready.

It's quite dull out but warm. I don't like warm for running as I heat up so much. Will need to take it steady.

first donation

Just received my first sponsorship from my old friend from Sense, Bob Snow. Thanks Bob. And thanks for getting the ball rolling.

run4Martin

I plan to run two half-Marathon's to raise money for Bone Cancer Research Trust. The first will be Run To The Beat on 26th September. 39 days to go. The second will be the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 10th October 2010.

This blog is to keep up with my training and the runs themselves.

I'll also post a bit about why I support the Bone Cancer Research Trust.

If you want to sponsor me then go to my Virgin Money Giving Page.