It's getting to the crunch time now- 6-ish weeks to go, perhaps the final steady uphill push at the 17 - 20 mile marker section of the course. You're (I'm) feeling tired, heavy-legged, but still excited enough to keep pushing and keep on track. The niggles are appearing and the colds are lingering, of course, not to be blamed for slacking on the foam-roller and stretching front... yes, that is a bit of a confession. Top Tip: Keep your eye on the prize and stay focused if you are really going to make it happen... for razor sharp performance, you need dedicated training in all complimentary areas.
What's keeping me motivated (other than a new green sweatband to match my Oxfam shirts)? Unsurprisingly, the challenge of the challenge is the main driver- to be attributed to my competitive and achiever traits. However, two other main motivators have been the commitment to the people I am doing the challenge with and a packed-full fundraising calendar. Islands of fun to tick-off along the way and having some group support- perhaps two of the most widely repeated tid-bits of wisdom when it comes to making a behaviour change or commitment to a goal, but entirely true to this cause.
So what have we been/ are we getting up to in order to "earn" our place with Oxfam?
In taking the "why change a winning formula" approach, our running team hosted another successful Soup Sale in February to raise another 200£ towards Oxfam (the full team is now 22% of the way to our 22, 000£ total). On the menu again, and first to sell out was the (ingredients out) soup-er Sweet Potato and Chorizo option from our first sale. Additionally, a seemingly bottomless pot of Hearty Tomato, one Roast Garlic option, and one Cauliflower option accompanied by New Zealand inspired melted cheesy bread rolls AND a fresh baked-on-site German Bread contribution.
Coming up next we have a list of different events and challenges in the diary to look forward to. I'll keep this entry short and sweet to bring you up to date with our calendar of events and post short updates as we complete them. So, what's next, you ask?
Well, one full weekend of fun March 20 - 22nd, including:
1) Friday= Bournville Pancake Breakfast- because who doesn't love pancakes for breakfast?! I've totally pinched this idea from similar successful sales that our schools/ churches used to hold in Canada. And yes, these will be of the fluffy, maple syrup variety. Fingers crossed that this idea will be at least as successful as our Soup Sales to date and post-event pictures to come.
2) Saturday= Stationary Cycle Duel at Cadbury World. A colleague of ours gifted this idea to us where he set up a stationary bike in a public location and asked for donations from passers-by. Our intention is to cycle continuously against each other for most of the opening hours. We will take it as a bit of a relay (hopefully with some public goading at times) and whilst the other team members aren't cycling, they can be rallying up attention (and donations) from people coming to view the exhibition.
3) Sunday= Warwick Half Marathon. It's good training for a half marathon to cycle for hours on end the day before, right? Only if you have pancakes for breakfast the day before that, I heard- or at least, keep telling myself. This is the last training event before "the big day" and I'm in two minds if I try and blast it or try and keep to pace. Alluding to my aforementioned characteristics, I will probably end up blasting it- so hills permitting, I'd like to try and tempt my 1:42 Oxford PB.
After that, we have two more independent events in the calendar: an Easter Bake-off and some yet-to-be-decided pre-race stunt event. Ideas are very much welcome for the latter! Oh yes, and of course the last 6-weeks of training, and our proper jobs, and getting on with life, etc. But hey, the days are getting longer now, so that Tuesday night run is just about starting in the daylight again.
On that note, if you like the sound of the upcoming events, like to watch me work hard, and are feeling inspired, I'd ask that you please fuel the fire and donate to the cause to help the team reach their total target. And of course, I will keep you updated on our progress as we tick off another challenge from the list.
Here’s the link to my fundraising page:
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