This post is mostly an update on the state of my vision... the progression of my macular degeneration. But as the blog is fundamentally a platform for my running and fundraising activities, I'll start with an update on my '(Unfortunately-Not-Now-in) 2020 Spring Marathon-A-Thon'...
As Spring 20…
Haha, well that's the plan!
With the postponement and possible cancellation of the 2020 London Marathon due to the Coronavirus lock-down, charities will lose out on millions of pounds in essential funding. Last year the race raised a staggering £66.4 million across the board.
To help compens…
...or Living to Fight Another Day!
Just a brief update on my ill-fated 2020 Spring Marathon-A-Thon...
Well the good news is, the ducks are trying to get themselves in a row and it's looking like I may yet be on for a 2021 Spring Marathon-A-Thon:
Today, I was due to visit the Macular Disease Eye Clinic at my local hospital for my monthly check-up and injection (if necessary). It's a bright and sunny (if unseasonably cold!) day here in Bridlington so I set off early to walk the mile and a half to the hospital. However, before I'd got 10 yards…
This post will be brief...
Since Christmas I've been struggling with pain in my heels. The running community being what it is, I've had lots of diagnoses and tips for getting 'right', all well-meaning of course; but last week I finally bit the bullet and went to see my doctor.
She diagnosed A…
This week saw the dawn of a new decade, the eighth one of my lifetime... although I don't actually remember much about January 1st, 1950 as I was only 2 years old!
20/20 is also what most people regard as perfect vision, although this is not exactly true. According to the American Optometric A…
On Friday I was honoured by our local shopping centre, The Promenades, being voted Charity Fundraiser of the Year at their 2019 Extraordinary People Awards evening, held at the prestigious Bridlington Spa. (As an interesting aside, I first saw the Rolling Stones perform on the same stage there, ci…
Last week the Macular Society and I said “Thank You” to the media for their help in my 2019 London Marathon Fundraiser. Without the coverage in my local paper, the Bridlington Free Press my story would not have been picked up by BBC Radio Humberside and by Look North (East Riding and Lincolns…
Well, it's almost a week, now, since I ran the London Marathon, and apart from being treated like a celebrity at my local (Sewerby) parkrun, this morning, I think I'm gradually coming back down to earth. But what an experience! I've titled this post, "We Did It", because although I ran the 26.2 mile…
This morning a film crew from BBC Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire) came to Bridlington to interview and film me for a London Marathon story to be aired later this week. The segment will include three local runners who will be competing in the London Marathon and who are raising money for…
Three weeks ago I managed a Personal Best (PB) at the Bath Half Marathon, which I must say came as a bit of a surprise. But in so doing, I sustained some sort of ‘overuse’ strain—hot on the heels of which came a nasty head cold. Together, these gremlins set my training back by almost two weeks… whic…
Last weekend my partner and I made the long journey to Bath, in Somerset, to join up with a Macular Society team competing in the Bath Half Marathon. Most of my communications with the Society during my London Marathon Fund Raising Appeal have been through Challenge Events Fundraiser, Kathy King, so…
UPDATE
The Fun Run and Easter Egg Hunt was held on Sunday, April 14th at the Ship Inn at Sewerby, just a mile or so up the coast from Bridlington. There was a small but "Quality" turnout, most participants being members of local running clubs and their children.
I'd spent the previous evening …
After the beautiful Spring-like weather of a couple of weeks ago, we've been unceremoniously plunged back into Winter. Yesterday's Sewerby parkrun was a wet and windy affair, with gale-force winds along the cliff tops. And today was no better, with reports of snow falling, just 5 or 10 miles down th…
Yesterday, Sunday February 24th, was my first open race of the year. This was the 10-mile Snake Lane 10 held in the East Yorkshire countryside around Pocklington, and organized by local club, Pocklington Runners. The weather was perfect, crisp and sunny with very little wind, and the course was as a…
It's been a busy few days here at Fundraising Central. On Friday we were having lunch at one of our favourite pubs, the Ship Inn at Sewerby, and got into conversation with landlord, Charlie Kilburn. Charlie is a fellow member of Bridlington Road Runners and kindly offered to help me with a fundraisi…
As you may know if you've read my other blog posts, I am following a professional training plan for my assault on April's London Marathon. This is a bit of a departure for me, because I've played it pretty much by ear for my three previous marathons (and for any other races I've taken part in, come …
Today was the Chichester 10K in West Sussex. It was the final opportunity to secure a place in the England Athletics Masters Age-Related Team for the Birmingham 10K to be held in May. I ran--not very well--in the team last year, and had been hoping to redeem myself, this year. The first two qualifye…
Today I want to say a big 'Thank You' to the Bridlington Free Press (still only £1.05!) and to Senior Reporter, John Edwards. John is always supportive of charity fundraisers and local causes, but this week he and my local paper surpassed themselves in my eyes by giving me a call-out on the front pa…
I've been having a bit of a problem with my eyes this past few months... strange objects like bright cog wheels floating across my field of vision. The wonderful doctors at the Bridlington Hospital Eye Clinic have checked it out and they tell me it's nothing to worry about... just the vitreous movin…