Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olympics. Show all posts
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
The One Where I Accidently Run 5 Miles for Charity
If you follow me on Twitter then you'll know I love entering Twitter comps.. well this one day back in May... I was out shopping (just checking Twitter as you do) when I saw a RT competition being hosted by The National Lottery on Twitter. Without even looking what the prize was I immediately re-tweeted as well as copying and retweeting again on my own feed, then I carried on with the rest of my day.
Later that night the competition popped in to my head and I realised I didn't even know what the prize was! I thought I'd have a look - honestly thinking it would be to win scratch cards or something like that - but to my horror I saw that the prize was a place in a run... yes you heard right... the prize was a 5 mile run!!! Errr no... what the hell?!... I immediately deleted both tweets and wiped the sweat from my brow - phew - imagine if I'd won that - no thanks!!!
The next day my phone bleeped... oooh a Twitter mention *checks phone* - you'll never believe it....
I'd won!! I know... even though I'd DELETED my tweets I'd still won (don't tell Di Coke)!!! It was only then that I looked at what the run entailed... it was 5 miles, yes (nightmare) but it was around the Olympic Park and guess where the finish line was? In the Olympic Stadium!!! The actual finish line that was crossed my hundreds of athletes in last years Olympic and Paralympic games. EPIC.
I'm a big believer in 'everything happens for a reason' so despite my initial shock I decided to embrace it and soon I started heading out for little runs. I downloaded the Couch to 5k app and began to prep. My family was so supportive and soon I actually began to enjoy running. The run was in July so I had a couple of months to train.
In fact, as part of my training, I entered my first ever run - the Liverpool 5k Race for Life. I ran it in 36 minutes and I was ecstatic. I started to believe that I could really do it! Not only that but I could feel myself getting fitter which The days flew by and on 21st July the big day arrived. I was so nervous. 5 miles is so so far when you've never really run before and especially when you've hated running all of your life!
We got up super early and travelled to the Olympic park by bus. Before I knew it I was walking towards the start line and waiting for Sir Chris Hoy to sound the horn for the final wave of runners.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK
I was off, a few weeks of training and here I was running against Paula Radcliffe, Sporty Spice Mel C and Victoria Pendleton!!
The route was immense...
It took us right around the Olympic Park, around the velodrome, past the copper box, past the orbit and the best bit of all the finishing line inside the stadium.
The last few hundred metres entering the stadium was so amazing. As I run underneath the stadium through the tunnel they were playing Chariots of Fire and soon I could see the light from sky and the inside of the stadium. As I ran out on to the track I was completely overwhelmed and tears streamed down my face! The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I began to run the last 200 metres towards the finish line.
After an hour and 2 minutes I finally made it. I crossed the same finish line as all of the wonderful Olympic athletes including Usain Bolt!!
I'm not going to lie... it was tough... but I am so so pleased to say that I managed it in just over an hour and I did it all to raise money for Cancer Research.
Here's my official pics...
And it's not too late to sponsor me either - I didn't make it to my target yet :( Just click through to my JustGiving page to donate.
Monday, 18 June 2012
Olympic Meme
Ooooh - I just got tagged by Kate over at Another Goldfish in her 2012 Olympic meme. It involves me answering 9 Olympic related questions (originally started by Lou from Bloggomy) so here goes...
1. If every day tasks were Olympic events what would you get a gold medal in?
Hmmm, washing without ironing (where possible). I'm sure you all do it - but if I put a clothing wash on, I hover nervously around the machine until the door clicks open and drag the clothes out as fast as I possibly can to avoid creases - if you hang them/tumble them in time then no iron is required. It's a fine art!
2. As a child (or now even) did you excel at a particular sport and if so which one?
Er... no... not unless the sack race is a world recognised sport! In fact I was probably the worst in my year at any kind of track event - I remember my PE teacher saying I had a good arm for javelin once but that was a one off lesson! Maybe I could have made it if me and my arm had been nurtured.
3. Michael Phelps (swimmer) or Michael Johnson (runner) – which sport appeals to you more? Ooooh tough one, swimming is fun and the spinny thing they do in the water to turn (my knowledge of swimming as a sport is immense - can't you tell) has always fascinated me but for me it has to be track events. When I was about 10 years old one of my favourite things to do was run as fast as I could for 10 seconds and pretend I was winning the 100m. i love watching runners and I love the nervous feeling I get when Im watching the relay - eeek - dont drop the baton!!
4. How fast can you get out of bed and ready to go out the door if miss the alarm and sleep in?
Unfortunately this is becoming a regular thing - but I can be out within 13 minutes provided the 'non-iron' event in question 1 has worked and I don't have a non-iron failure.
5. What fantasy sport would you like to see made into an Olympic event?
Oooh - getting the kids up and dressed in the morning - I train every day for this event - Im ready to win gold!
6. Claim to fame time – Have you ever met an Olympian and who was it?
Hmmm, I saw Kriss Akabusi once at Manchester Airport in 1999 - does that count?
7. What event in past Olympics can you remember most vividly?
Barcelona!
I'm pretty sure I watched the whole of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics - I was 10, I'd race home from school and turn the TV on. I remember Sally Gunnell being my ultimate heroine when she won Gold in the hurdles and then she and the GBR team won bronze in the 4x400m relay. The men won bronze too - cue huge crush on Roger Black! Kriss Akabussi (my mate from the airport) won bronze in the hurdles and Linford Christie - well he won gold in the 100m!! Oooh and Chris Boardman won gold with that strange pointy helmet and Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pincent won the rowing. Amazing - I don't think we've ever done that well since! 8. Tuning in at home, not for me or tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms?
At home at the moment - living so far from the big smoke meant we couldn't afford it. I did try and get tickets but missed out (lucky really considering I proabbly wouldn't have been able to pay the mortgage if Id been successful!)
9. Who do you think most deserves a gold medal (any walk of life not just Olympians)?
Parents - because we all have it tough and we plod on no matter how bad life gets. No matter how we feel we keep calm and carry on- because we know that our little people need us.
Now it's time to pass the Olympic torch on to another five bloggers:
(which I will do tomorrow because it's sooooooo late)
Night night x
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