I had some good news from my recent webinar with the crew and participants for the run in June. The longest day is shorter than I thought! 40 miles rather than 44. That will make a huge difference. That made me smile. Also, I'm not sure whether this is good news or not, but with all the mileage I'm doing, everything else but my knee hurts! How to prevent injuries and treat anything that does occur has been part of my learning. With this in mind, a while ago I had a chat with Chris Finill (thanks for the introduction Graham). Google 'The 3000 mile men' and watch on youtube. 'Wow' is all I could say. He got me to read James Shapiro - Meditations from the Breakdown Lane: Running Across America - the book that inspired Chris to run across USA in 2011. 3100 miles in just under 80 days. Not that this is Chris's only achievement. He is no ordinary runner. He's the Guinness World Record holder for consecutive sub 3 ho...
So what's that other charity I'll be fundraising for?
I find it difficult to write about this. It is something I've hidden for many years. I had severe ulcerative colitis in my mid 20's and needed my large bowel (or colon) removing. I had a replumbing operation 6 months later called an ileoanal pouch. Only my nearest and dearest or those that knew me at the time when it all happened know.
It was when I was making the decision whether to do the LEJOG run that I had a light bulb moment. It was this that was stopping me. Not the physical challenge itself (although daunting). My catastrophising mind asks how could I share a room with someone I don't know for 5 weeks, with my frequent and explosive ablutions, knowing that if I can't relax, the converse happens and I become a one man abdominal pressure cooker/washing machine, ready to blow? How can I manage to fuel myself during my run, knowing that if I eat anything it immediately makes me want to go to the loo and can be excruciatingly painful with all that jiggling up and down? How can I can stay hydrated when exerting myself for so long when the very thing that reabsorbs all the fluid in my gut is missing?
It is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of and what better way of banishing it as a barrier than outing it and normalising it and giving hope and inspiration to others who have a pouch or are about to go through the operation. Life goes on. So that is why I've linked up with the Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association. We're going to be working on some projects over the months to raise awareness, funds and hope.
Don't get me wrong, it's all been fine and I will cope. The barriers I describe are real but blown out of proportion in my mind - but when something is stopping you doing things you want to do, it's time to address it.
I've probably overshared, not just on this post but throughout my blog, for which I was going to apologise. But I'm not. I'm not sorry at all.
If you feel inspired, please donate to IA (Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association), the national charity whose primary aim is to support people who need surgery for an ileostomy or internal pouch. IA provides specialist support and guidance through its trained volunteers, telephone helpline, extensive range of literature, and social media.
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