Run, Iceni, Run: The Challenge
In the run up to Christmas (and my big birthday… I won’t mention the number!)
I was still going strong and decided to set myself a challenge. Stupidly, I told others that my aim (no time scale) was to run a marathon.
As my birthday neared, my partner made it clear she had some surprises for me and I expected entry to a marathon as I unwrapped a present wrapped inside an envelope. I was wrong (and slightly disappointed!). That was in fact tickets for the Specials in concert in London. However, my disappointment waned when I unwrapped my main present, a Garmin watch (more on this in a future blog)! I’d been using my phone and a variety of different apps to keep a track of my runs. However, not so much a maverick runner any longer, I read advice about the accuracy of these GPS watches and decided I would save up for one in the future.
Four days later and it was Christmas day. In the chaos that was trying to cope with five Santa-crazy, sweet-fuelled kids, I had almost forgotten that I too ought to be receiving some presents. Sweets from my offspring are always welcome, but I did have my fingers crossed for something a little more joyous. My partner bought me some socks with her face plastered all over them… maybe I wished too hard! They’re still in the packet somewhere in my underwear drawer. Finally, I unwrapped the envelope to discover that I had, in fact, just as I had secretly hoped for, been entered into a marathon: the Yorkshire Marathon. My supposed joy turned almost immediately to panic. The thought of failing sends me into a cold sweat. What if I couldn’t manage the distance? What if I injured myself training? Everything in life can be thrown into a sea of doubt if we allow the ‘what if’ questions to turn negative. So, I smiled and said thank you instead of allowing my fear to take hold.
Pictured (left) Alex Wiseman and Colin Jeffery (right) sporting their Benjamin Foundation running vests – image Credit (The Benjamin Foundation)
A few months later, during a conversation with Chris Elliott (The Benjamin Foundation), I let slip that I had been signed up to a marathon. Within minutes, I was agreeing to run for them as they mean a lot to me. I have supported them in the past by taking part in several of the Sleep Out events and also feature them monthly within Iceni Magazine. Not long after that, Alex Wiseman (Indigo Swan) and I were presented with our wonderful Benjamin Foundation vests and it all became that little bit more real. I am, of course, excited about being able to say that I have a marathon under my belt, but also daunted by that fact too.
Current status: excited, but also quietly apprehensive
Blog by Colin Jeffery (Owner/Director of Iceni Magazine)
