Neither by snow nor rain nor heat....

We can thank Herodotus for many true phrases but none come more to mind than his quote made famous by the US postal system. He may have been hailing the first known couriers for their determination to get to their “appointed course with all speed” but little did he know it, Herodotus’ phrase has served to inspire me time and time again.

I can’t believe that when my parents settled in blighty all those years ago they were truly aware of just how tumultuous our seasons are. Surely they would not have made the journey simply to be welcomed by sludge? Either way 2012 has truly ensured that we runners have braved all elements. Just when I had got used to running in the rain out came the sun and not only dried up all the rain, it basically baked it.  

As pleasant as it may be to lie in the sun and enjoy the odd BBQ there are aspects of London life which are simply not up to 30 degree heat. Tube travel and any exercise other than swimming come to mind. Summer in London can be bliss. Londoners flock to the parks to soak up the rare sunshine, we expose our pasty white skin lathered in little sun cream and grab hold of all the pimms Tesco has to offer.  During the week however we cram onto London’s finest and sweat through our suits, gently melting away as we are nestled into someone else’s armpit.  

Similarly unpleasant is a Londoner attempting to run in this heat. Or more specifically, this Londoner attempting to run in this heat. Unaccustomed as we are to tropical climates I tried desperately to stick to the routine. 3-4 runs per week, no cutting corners. So there I was, 8am on Sunday morning in full lycra raring to go. There is probably no need to go into the full details or the ordeal but suffices to say I made it all the way down to the end of the road before I gave up and returned home to share my war story with my amused husband.

Luckily true to form England’s deep heat has subsided and we are back to the safety of autumnal weather. A slow 4k run Monday morning was a great precursor to my 9k run to Westminster last night. With only 5 weeks to go I think I may be finally back in the running saddle.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t start snowing next week.

www.virginmoneygiving.com/AmyWoolf
http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/lung-cancer/

Fact of the blog... In most people, lung cancer is related to cigarette smoking. Although some people who have never smoked get lung cancer, smoking causes more than 8 out of 10 cases (83%).

Running on Empty

I started with Great Expectation but sadly my blog has not exactly felt the big "MO-Mentum" famous during London 2012. Against all odds my training schedule went off with a bang. I reformed my no running ways  and managed to build up to a cool 14km. Pretty impressive for a 5ft red head with chicken legs, if I do say so myself. I felt the burn of an injury and powered through. I tackled the suburban hills to reach dizzying heights. I even purchased a running bum bag.

As we entered into July my Mom went into hospital for a procedure to drain fluid from her lungs. As with all her procedures and all of her treatment she kept calm and never let us know just how scared she was. Unfortunately she never quite recovered from her operation. She made it home after a week in hospital, a little bit weaker than before. Pumped up on pain killers she tried her best to fight her pain and recover at home.

Three days later she was back in hospital, in an immense amount of pain and extremely breathless.  Over the course of the month of July she bravely fought everything Cancer threw her way. Amidst the bright lights of Baker Street her wounds healed and we thought it would be a matter of time before she was home and kicking on the cruel door of chemo.

Things went from bad to worse as her breathing wasn’t improving. She was taken off her cancer combating drugs and put on steroids. Just as things were getting a little better she caught an infection and before we knew it the cancer had spread too far. She could have tried chemo but we were told there was only 1/5 chance that would work. So on Tuesday July 24^th we brought my Mom home after a hideously long and harsh 11 month battle. She fought on through the day to wait for her nieces to arrive from Israel to say goodbye and passed away on Wednesday, 25^th July shortly before 10.30am.

My mother’s spirit and determination have continually amazed me. She was without a doubt one of the most generous, enigmatic and kind people I have been privileged enough to know. We are devastated by her loss but inspired by her memory.

I may have taken my foot off the gas over the past month but I am now raring to go once more. Last night I reignited my training schedule with a (slow) run from Canary Wharf to London Bridge and tomorrow night I will be going that much further to make it to Waterloo. In the meantime, just call me Forest because I am all about the running.

www.virginmoneygiving.com/AmyWoolf
http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/lung-cancer/

Fact of the blog...  Around 18,400 women were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK in 2009, making it the third most common cancer in women after breast and bowel cancer.