The Royal Parks Half Marathon

I did it! I can’t quite believe it, but I really did it!

My time wasn’t on target, but when the time came I decided to take part against medical advice, so I was just pleased to cross the finishing line at all.

The Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon is a really fun run in many ways; it passes through some of my favourite parts of London and the atmosphere is incredible. Supporters from all the charities stand and cheer everyone passing, and if they see a name on a shirt they give that person a particular cheer. Volunteers from the major charities represented (including Mind and Help a Capital Child) staff the water / Lucozade stations, and this year at around the 9th and 10th miles there were even some wise people offering sugar in the form of jelly sweets.

It really was the perfect first half marathon in many ways; more-or-less flat, good road surfaces, genuinely enthusiastic marshals and supporters, and a really gorgeous time of year. The day was warm enough that it felt hot to run in, but the leaf-fall and cool wind were refreshing.

I was exhausted by the end, but the support from everyone who has sponsored me, and the YouthNet volunteers, staff and service users who cheered me on before and during the race. YouthNet do sterling work, and have done for sixteen years. If running until my whole body aches is what it takes to keep them going, then so be it.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll do it again one day.

Pall Mall, nearly 6 miles in

Why I’m running 13.1 miles for YouthNet

On the 9th October, I’m running the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon for young people’s charity YouthNet. It’s been a really difficult period of training – recently interrupted for weeks at a time by ill health – and I’m working really hard to do this. 

In the grand scheme of things, I suppose not many people have heard of YouthNet, the charity that runs TheSite and Do-It, but they have an enormous, unseen impact. I started as a service user on TheSite ten years ago, so I feel like they’ve seen me through my awkward adolescence and out the other side.

I’m not going to claim to have had a terribly difficult life; I had a rough time with mental health difficulties as a teenager, which manifested in a number of different ways, but generally my family were supportive. I still needed somewhere more private and anonymous to talk and be listened to. A non-judgemental outlet is one of the most helpful things you can give to young people in these circumstances, and that is a huge part of the ethos of TheSite. The fact sheets present information without judgement, and the message board and live chat user communities provide a peer-support system that allows people to be anonymous and therefore more open than they would be among friends and family.

Back in 1996, when the charity was first forming, it was very difficult to find funding. The idea of a charity offering services entirely online seemed somewhat limited in the days of dial-up, and there were concerns about the sort of information children and young people might be able to access (predictably, early on the non-judgemental nature of the information TheSite.org provides has in the past riled the Daily Mail). Now, we can hardly imagine the world without the internet, and it seems obvious to me that young people who find it difficult to access support services turn to the internet for help. Indeed, TheSite.org appears in the top results on Google for issues such as unplanned pregnancy and self-harm. Online support isn’t the be-all and end-all for big issues but it can be very helpful in sign-posting people to local services, and persuading them to seek help.

I’m hoping to start training as a chat moderator in the next few weeks, to help facilitate the live chats. These days, a lot of people come to the community through the live chats and it’s inspiring to see how uplifting the community can be for people who are in real distress.

YouthNet makes a crucial difference, but as an online charity they go largely unnoticed by the wider community. As they celebrate their 16th birthday next month, they deserve wider recognition and I’m running all 13.1 miles of the Royal Parks Half Marathon for all the young people who need their support.

Please sponsor me £2 if you can!

Running update: 6 months to go!

So I’m just finishing the fourth week of training now and I’m not doing too badly.

I’m working on an intervals plan at the moment (based on Couch to 5k in 6 weeks), but the intervals are huge. (This week; 5 mins walk, 18 mins run, 2 mins walk, 18 mins run, 2 mins walk.) I’m doing well at it but unfortunately, the programme I’m working from now (the Fun Run app for BlackBerry) only goes up to 5k. I’m going to pick up the 10k plan from Running Made Easy,  which uses much shorter intervals. I’ll let you know how I get on with that.

At the end of week 4 I’m up to 3.6 miles (5.8km) and seriously considering entering the Penn Seven this year for Iain Rennie Hospice at Home.

Run, run, run….

So, here’s a silly thing I did.

I have signed up to run* the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October for the fabulous YouthNet. They’ve been online since 1997 offering impartial advice and support to young people in Britain (primarily) and worldwide. I’ve made some good friends through volunteering for the Respect? campaign run with the British Youth Council and within the community of service users.

I wanted to run in the Penn 7 last year for the Ian Rennie Hospice at Home, and I would still like to raise funds for them in the future, but I wasn’t well for a time and wasn’t able to train for it.

There will be a team of us going – not all running for the same charity – and although I don’t expect us to keep up the same pace all the way it will be nice to have people at the starting line.

I went for my first run this morning and whilst it was not great, I haven’t run properly for about 2 years so I’m not despairing just yet. I plan to run at least 3 times a week during Lent – more if I can, as it’s also the Easter vac – and keep working slowly up to my goal. It won’t be easy, but I know running does my brain and body good and I do love a challenge!

Here is my fundraising page on JustGiving, I have pledged to raise £500 for YouthNet. If 200 people sponsor me £2.50, I’ll get there.

*Or at least complete!

Ash Wednesday

I don’t usually feel challenged by Ash Wednesday. Some years, I think I’ve let it go by with no more than a fifteen minute stop in at church and intense cravings for whatever I’ve given up for Lent!

This year has been somewhat different. It is probably partly the environment we’re in here, constantly focussed on the church calendar and the rhythm of community. Whatever it is, I am beginning to realise that I have in my life oversimplified the idea of preparation for festivals, and seasons like Lent and Advent.

If I do one thing differently this year, it will be to listen to the wisdom around me and to try and intentionally experience Lent. I am also intending to run before Mass at least three times a week and to be in touch with my body as with as my spiritual needs.

I hope your Lenten journey is a fulfilling one.

Canals

Dad at the Thames with Andante, enjoying the sunshine.


I don’t know what it is about canals, but I really love them. I think it’s something to do with the fact that they are such an important part of the cityscape in Britain. In London especially, you can walk along the canal for a while and forget where you are. It’s a different way to see the architecture and you get a real sense of what it was like when the city centred around the waterways and the warehouses. There’s something creepy about all the abandoned warehouses, particularly around Camden, but they’re also really picturesque and imposing.

I also love looking at boat names. Mum and Dad’s is called Andante (‘walking’ in Italian, musical term for ‘walking pace’), because that’s the name they inherited but Mum wants to call it Moby Duck. Then there’s all the retirement boats called things like Dunworkin’, the boats named after poems (we once took a boat out for a weekend called Macavity), or those that seem to be named after family members.

I went for my first run in my bid to do 7 miles for Iain Rennie Hospice at Home on the 20th June (Fathers’ Day), and managed about 4km in 30 minutes, which isn’t too bad. I ran along from Thornhill Road near Kings Cross past St. Pancras and up to Camden Road. I haven’t run properly since October but I need to get back into doing intervals and increasing daily until I’m ready. According to a training guide Mum has, I should have plenty of time to get to the point I can run 10km (which is ≈ 7 miles).

I think I might start walking to church that way, it’s really not far and I’ll take some photos to plague you all with.

Run, Rowley, run, Rowley, run, run, run….

Right, I have a Cunning Plan. As many of you know, my Grandad sadly died on Valentine’s Day this year. He had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis for a couple of years and in the last 5-6 months he and Grandma were lucky to have excellent support from Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, who provided a hospital bed, nursing care and emergency doctors if needed. Three of the nurses then came to the funeral, and were kind enough to tell us that they had enjoyed Grandad’s company.

We were so lucky that Grandad had all that support without needing to leave Grandma and their home, so I’ve decided to do something for them and I will commit to at least enter the Penn and Tylers Green Fun Run (3.5 miles), but aim to enter the Penn 7 (7 miles), both of which are held on Father’s Day each year in aid of Iain Rennie.

I will be starting with a run tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!