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| Still on my journey – this was the start of my 12km walk from Brighton to Dolls Point and back on 14th January 2012 |
Excuse the French in this post title, but I am going to Paris and as I’ll explain, a bit of French was necessary here.
I know “CANCER SUCKS” because I’ve experienced the dreaded thing first hand! Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve also had to get my head around devastating news in regards to some amazing breast cancer survivors I know.
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There have been many a “January” I’ve started the new year committed to exercising more. But never have I had to contend with grave consequences if I didn’t keep it up. This year however, I’m participating in the Marathon de Paris in April. YEP, I’M RUNNING A MARATHON….AAARRGH!!! I have no choice but to keep up with my training!
Things had been going fairly smoothly with my training up until a few weeks before Christmas. I suddenly found myself struggling with my distances. I was up to walking 12 kilometres each day, 5 days a week. But on some days, I felt as though I could just fall in a heap on the side of the road, but I had to conjure up all the will power I could muster to push on – one foot in front of the other until I got back home.
I started asking questions. Why was I feeling so fatigued? I’ve had the pleasure of meeting a few fellow marathon runners over the past few weeks and was able to pick their brains about what I might have been doing wrong. Believe it or not, I discovered that I’ve been doing TOO MUCH! Wow, that’s never happened before. I’ve never been one to do too much exercise. I was usually doing not enough! But there you have it. I’ve had to cut back on my training.
After being referred to marathon guru Hal Higdon’s website, I’ve embarked on a brand new 14 week training schedule, which will take me right up to the big day. Wish me well!
Hello 2012!
It’s at the beginning of each new year, that most people start making lists of all the things they want to change in their life. Lose weight, save more money, be nicer, smile more, and so on.
I love the Sound of Music. It brings back great childhood memories, sitting with my Mum and Dad and some of my siblings, entertained for hours by this feel-good family movie. So many things inspire me to live a good life…movies, people, images, words. I came across a fabulous image of Paris a few days ago on Pinterest, which inspired me to wonder if this is how I’ll see the Eiffel Tower in a few short months as I walk the Marathon de Paris for the National Breast Cancer Foundation…
One thing I’ve noticed about walking for hours every day is the great physical fitness that seems to be building up fairly quickly. My body shape is starting to change as well, and I’m excited about fitting into some of my clothes that hadn’t fit before.
What I’m not enjoying though is all the blisters I’m getting on my feet. Not only are blisters painful, but they’ve started to turn into calluses, which are not real pretty! If you’ve got a weak stomach, then you should probably close your eyes now. But for those of you who have iron cast stomachs like me, here is a photo of one of my blisters-turned-callus!
What an honour and a privilege it was to be “talking it up” with Aaron & Erin at Sydney’s Hope 103.2FM Breakfast Show this morning!
The thing is I had to be at the Seven Hills Radio Station at 7am in Sydney traffic…and anyone who knows Sydney traffic can sympathise with me 🙂
It never ceases to amaze me how generous and wonderful the human spirit is!
Since announcing My Road to Paris Marathon 2012 Challenge for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, so many people have not only been generous with donations, but their kind words have spurred me on and confirmed that I’ve made the right decision!
The other night, my sister-in-law held a candle party, which she’d had planned long before my announcement. But at the last minute, she and Wendy the Candle Lady decided to turn it into a mini fundraiser for me. I felt so honoured. I met some gorgeous women that night and was able to share the story of my breast cancer journey with them and why participating in this fundraising challenge means so much to me.
So I now have even more friends to cheer me on, which further builds all the excitement and motivation within me to keep running the race and to stay focused on this challenge for a cause I’m truly passionate about!
My gorgeous sister-in-law provided a beautiful dinner and dessert for all of us that night…but just check out these delicious cupcakes that I didn’t get to indulge in 🙁
And why couldn’t I indulge in the cupcakes? Well, I’m in training for my marathon of course!
Of course there are sacrifices to be made, but this is true of anything in life that involves commitment and hard work in order to achieve success. If I’m determined to cross that finish line, there are things that have to be done, deadlines that have to be met, priorities that have to be made…and cupcakes that have to be missed out on 🙂
But when I think of the goal of the National Breast Cancer Foundation…NO MORE BREAST CANCER DEATHS BY 2030…I can almost taste that finish line!
When I hear or read about yet another life that has been taken by this dreaded disease, or yet another person who has begun their battle, the sadness stirred in my heart turns to urgency – urgency to do something. So this is what I’m doing. It’s the only thing I can think of doing that can actually make a difference. It’s the very thing that is dragging me out of bed each morning at 5.45am, to walk my 10 kilometres 5 days a week. And I’ve got to keep building on that 10 kilometres, so that by the time I get to Paris, 42 kilometres is going to be like a walk in the park (I hope!) But it’s what I have committed to do to help bring researchers ever closer to their finish line of “NO MORE BREAST CANCER DEATHS BY 2030”!
Please check out my Everyday Hero Fundraising Page, to see that I can’t do this alone. In fact, we’re all in it together. My tally is already at $1610.00! That makes my $10,000 goal seem not so huge after all. I’ve secured the support of a number of Corporate Sponsors already as well, including PANDORA (whom we all adore)! It’s the generosity and kindness of the human spirit, and the individuals and businesses saying “yes” to backing me up, that is going to get me to that finish line 🙂
So what’s next on the training schedule?
My first official fundraising event – a Movie Night on Thursday, 15th December 2011 at Palace Cinema Leichardt!
And you’re all invited!
Please check out my Fundraising Event Page for all the details. If you’re in Sydney on that date, hope you can make it to this fun night for a great cause!
Obviously from my last post, you can probably tell that a whole lot has been happening in the Reid household since we got back from our dream holiday.
In case you missed it, I announced here that I’ve committed to participating in a marathon next year, to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation! Yes, a 42 kilometre marathon!
What was that? You think I’m crazy? Well, I must admit I’ve had days when I’ve thought the same thing. “Am I crazy??”
To be honest, when you’re busy training for a 42 km marathon, you don’t have too much time for negative thoughts. All my energy needs to be focused on staying positive and staying in the “zone”! I’ve been reading a book on marathon running, which has been very informative, but the thing is, I’m not going to be running because of my ankle and back injury. I’ll actually be walking. But the principle and main aim remains the same – to cross that finish line for a cause I believe in, and to prove to myself that I can do it!
I find it quite amazing that God has created the human body in such a way that it can go from this…
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| Me around my 40th Birthday in November 2009 |
In April 2012, I will be embarking on an epic fundraising adventure – Marathon de Paris. This challenge is on behalf of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, an organisation that works to raise funds for breast cancer research. The reason I have chosen to undertake this challenge is that being a breast cancer survivor myself, it is research that gives me hope for the future.
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| Suzy Balogh, at Michel’s Patisserie Wattle Grove |
Just before departing for the 2004 Athens Olympics, Suzy Balogh was at the pinnacle of her trap shooting career. She couldn’t wait to get home to share the news with her family that she’d made the Olympic team, a dream she had been working towards for many years.