The kindness of strangers

It is the day before my 10k event, a charity fun run fundraising for the only Children's Hospice in West Sussex. Despite it being a FUN run, typically for me I have piled the pressure on myself to run my best, and to go for a PB. In chip timing this means coming in under 1hr 11minutes, but having run from Lancing - Worthing in 58minutes, I really want to beat this time. The high expectations I have placed upon myself has unsurprisingly made me feel quite nervous all day. I have also been feeling reflective, and I have been thinking of the last six months and the highlights so far.

The Boss manages a local running shop, which is both popular and highly regarded by the local running community, so is usually quite busy. While there during the summer holidays, I had the privilege of chatting to a lovely lady who had run Brighton Marathon last year. She had run in celebration of beating Cancer, and was supported by the gentleman who was also in the shop with her. I was in awe of her strength and determination, and took on board her words of advice about getting around the marathon course. The conversation naturally led to my motivation, and my plan to run 100 miles for GOSH. The next thing she did totally backfooted me. This amazing lady, who had not only come through Cancer and all of the ruthless treatments that it entails, who had run a marathon in a very respectable time, was giving me money for my fundraising, and telling me that she was in awe of me. How could she be with her own incredible success story?! I didn't know how to accept, or how I could ever thank her enough, but she was insistent. If that lovely lady ever reads this - thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the first to sponsor me. You are truly inspirational, and I hope your good health continues for a very long time.

I rely heavily on social networking to have regular contact with friends, and family who are 3 hours away. I have used an online group for support once before, but I've never been one to make online friends. I generally prefer those who I can see for coffee and cakes! Through Facebook (love it or hate it, it does have its uses!) I have become part of a group called Run Mummy Run. I watched with caution for a while, but the group has turned out to be excellent. The ladies on there are supportive and understanding. Women post with real issues that affect their daily lives, and their running. From injuries to sensitive bladders, anything goes. Coming from a Nursing background where I am used to discussing pretty much anything and everything, I have found it really refreshing to see people talking openly about their bodies. It creates a safe environment for questions to be asked and discussion to be had. Many women in the group are running for charities close to their hearts, writing blogs, and training hard for their planned events. Some are running for weight loss purposes, to improve fitness, or just because they can. I am yet to see anything but positive support and care on this group - quite remarkable for a group with over 5,200 members. The kindness of strangers shines in this collection of runners, and I am grateful to the ladies who have sponsored me. 

I am aware that I have spoken about my coach in previous posts, but he slots nicely into this blog as only a few months ago he was also a stranger. I was talking to my husband earlier today about how overwhelming my emotions have been in the last 6 months. I've never taken compliments easily, and I've often had a bit of a pessimistic 'Why me?' reaction to people who I don't know well being nice to me. I guess I have to work on my self worth! Accepting The Boss' time has been a difficult process for me, and I have had to work on not feeling guilty for bothering him with my novice questions and worries. As I say, my emotions have been running high, which makes the more negative feelings like guilt difficult to manage. He works with real athletes - I am overly aware of my status as a novice and that I am never going to be a champion runner like some of the people he coaches. I have to be reminded by my lovely husband that not being as good as a real athlete does not make me less important. I can only aspire to improve my mental fitness as my physical fitness develops. The time The Boss has invested into improving my training plans, developing my strength and fitness is also an investment into the charity to make sure I stay fit for the next year to complete the challenge. I don't know if he will read this blog or not, but if he does then I hope he sees how important he has become to me, and how much I appreciate all he has done so far. 

Once the 100 Mile Running Challenge is over, I would love to present the money to GOSH in person. This way I can make sure the kindness of my strangers is shown to them in the true glory they deserve.