Day 336 goodbye mr mo

So we are officially into December which means a lot of things but at this early stage means the end if Movember and time to get rid of the tashe. This means my upper lip will be a little cold now...

Day 324 Movember update

So November is in it's last 10 days so here's an update on how my succulent tashe is looking. Ginger may not like it but I do. Please feel free to donate to this very worth cause right here. Or read up More on Movember here.

The Spinathon - Days 320-321

The last couple if days have been taken up by a spinathon by charity. Never heard if a spinathon? Basically it entails spin bikes and keeping them spinning for a period of time. This one was a 12 hour spinathon so that meant from 7am in the morning at least one of the spin bikes had to keep spinning at all times until 7pm in the evening. All this in the name if children in need.

                           

We decided we'd do this at work last week and so I then decided it on myself to do the whole thing, yes the whole 12 hours! After I decided this, Gertie (my OH) also decided that she wanted to do this. To help us other members of staff and members at our gym helped keep us motivated by signing up for guest slots.

The day started well and full if energy, also started with a macdonalds breakfast to help keep us spurred on, this was tactic borrowed from our great north run earlier in the year. All 5 bikes were full a spinning and people full of optimism in the task ahead. The wheels kept turning and members start kindly donating which was the main thing as the sun rose over the building.

                                    

 

The first 3 hours went by quite quickly as a quarter of our deficit passed, the buckets were getting regular do stop s and the next 9 hours if the last 3 were to judge wouldn't be an issue. Slowly the first people who signed up to help motivate left one by one and we were joined by new people who replaced them each adding their fresh enthusiasm for the hours ahead.

Before we knew it we were over halfway there. More money had been donated staff had gathered around to watch and encourage and many more people had helped with guest slots some taking it serious and some there to provide laughs but the main thing I can remember is that between the 3 and 6 hour point my bum started hurting real bad, being sat in what can be kindly described as an uncomfortable saddle for this time wasn't good.

After the 6 hour mark just before the 9 hour mark cramp started in my left knewe, this now meant the transition from being seated for 5-10minutes to being standing for 5-10minutes to relieve the pain being sat was know being joined by pain being stood. Nevertheless after occasional stopping of the left leg (while the right leg kept spinning) and stretching on the bike it helped make it a little bearable, albeit through gritted teeth.

Oranges were given to keep the spirits up and proved a welcome help. More friends and members came on to help, while members kept donating. Gertie was doing great and at many times seemed like she was dealing with it a lot better than me. She didn't seem to feel and pain in her knees just in her bum being sat in the saddle. She seemed to be able to keep going and going just on the few cups of tea and bottle if Ribena she'd had during the event.

                                    

All the seconds,minutes and hours crept down to finally we were in the last half hour, the Ricky soundtrack was on the music system to spur us through, you couldn't help but look at the clock wishing each luck had miraculously ticked down to the last minute, then it came 7pm it was over, done, finito, 12 hours non stop cycling was done. After a stretch off it was home to shower and bed a hope we weren't too sore the next day.

We had raised just over £400 for children in need which is fantastic. Thank you to everyone who donated. A big thank you to everyone who helped motivate and encourage us but most importantly thank you to Gertie who was there all the way, you did great.

 

Day 312 - Taschetacular

Movember is well and truly under way. All around the nation moustaches are springing up gloriously. So here is a few examples from our work...

Day 288 Moustaches

Both daughters today have been sporting moustaches, soon I will be growing moustache for charity for Movember, which you can read about here. I will blog about this next month, with regular updates, but I just hope I can grow one as good as these...

The Great North Run

The great north run, 13.1 miles, a run on a road linking newcastle to south shields. This has always been an event I've been interested in doing. I've helped officiate the run in 2002, and the year after I was signed up to do the run with my friends, only to pull out as I went in holiday instead.

Fast forward the clock 8 years and I still hadn't complete the run. In 2007 I had made a list of things I wanted to do and wanted to achieve by the time I turned 30. I'm not sure where this list is nowadays but I remember a few things on the list and doing the great north run was one.

The OH decided that this year she wanted to tackle the 13.1 mile route. She'd never done anything like this before and wanted to run the course to raise money for mind, a charity close to her heart. I decided I'd run it with her for morale support and also to get this off my list. I decided to run for prostate cancer UK.

After months if thinking I need to start training before I knew it the dag was here. OH had done a lot more training than I had but I strangely didn't feel too worried, I knew I'd be able to do the course. The day arrived and we were on the start line, I have to say that on the start line was the point where I lost my patience and got most annoyed. I mean it took an hour to get to the actual start line once the race had begun, by which point the race had already been won in south shields( not that I had any ambition of winning) put into the mix the fact it was raining and a cold wind blew and we were standing waiting to run made it seem more miserable, although I knew full well that once I started running I'd be grateful for the wind and a slight rain.

Once we were under way the mood changed dramatically into a one of awe, there was this bad weather yet thousands of people lined the streets cheering your name and encouraging you on and clapping you. It was incredible. Myself and my OH ran together the whole distance. We'd been for a few runs together before and so paced ourselves accordingly, and we found we could just keep running and running, we set little targets first to run to 3miles, then 5miles,then6,7 until before we knew it we were at mile 8 and hadn't stopped at all. We had to stop at this point for a toilet break, which lead to a real difficult restart, which took more affect on me at 10miles as I felt my knee start to ache.

Again banks and lines of people kept cheering you on and there was no question of not finishing. We kept running until you could see the sea, and with it thousands of more people shouting, clapping, cheering telling you you've got 1 more mile. At this point you run on pure adrenaline, you don't notice and aches, you see the finish line and know you'll be crossing it in a matter of minutes.

The great north run was an amazing experience and one I will always fondly look back on in my life. My time of 2:27 was good, but I know I can do better so now it's been complete the next step is to run it again and better myself. The next day at work a colleague told me he was planning on running it next year to raise money for his son who was ill, even though I was suffering from a bad knee I immediately said I'd run it with him. I'm looking forward to trying to beat my time.

As I crossed the finish line on Sunday, I reverted back to my mental list of things to do before I turn 30, on that list, underneath complete the great north run was to complete a full marathon. As I crossed the finish line it dawned on me, that crossing that point on south shields would only be halfway in a full marathon, I'm sure my body would be up to the challenge.

If you like to sponsor me for. Implying this years run you can do here, all money will be going to Prostate Cancer UK, who you can read about here...

If you'd like to sponsor my OH for completing the great north run please go here, she was running on behalf of Mind, you can read about them here.

Day 260 The run

Today was the great north run. Myself and my partner managed to complete the 13.1 mile course in 2hours 27minutes. Id love to tackle it again next year and beat my time. It was one of the hardest but most rewarding things I've done and if you ever get the chance do it. Credit has to go to all the runners but also the spectators who cheer you along the course...

You can still sponsor me here at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=CraigDaley

Day 231 Keep on running

Training for the great north run is going, well, ok. I only seriously started training 2 weeks ago, and even then haven't seriously trained. So tonight u went for a run. I ran 10.6k which is 6.59 miles. I was quite pleased as this is around half the distance of the great north run, and as I finished I didn't feel knackered I felt I could of gone for more.

However there was a slight snag, 3 miles into my run I noticed my shoes had a serious malfunction, never mind I continued on the beaten track, I'll have to get some new ones...

Day 83 Sport Relief

At work we've been having a bit of fun today. We participated in the sport relief day holding activities for our members, and trying to raise as much money as possible. We ran events like run a mile, a 12hour spinathon and a 4 hour puma faas class.

As staff it also gave us the chance to dress up in sporting themes, Jono decided to do. His wrestling gear....

But unfortunately he got body slammed I to submission by me....

Have a great sport relief and please donate to this very worthy cause.

Movember

It is now 8 days into the month formally known as November, for those of you questioning what has happened to November, it's name has changed to Movember. You may have thought the world has gone crazy if you've stepped out your house and noticed many men sporting a furry upper lip. This is what Movember has done, it's a way for men to help make more men aware of male illness's and cancers such as prostate and testicular, cancers which kill so many men, yet in most cases are easily curable. Check the Movember website out here for more details and you can donate here

It's been shown in recent years that promoting awareness helps, look at what women do with the run for life where women run 10k to raise breast cancer awareness or the tinkled pink promotion where they ask people to wear pink etc. For men it's simple the whole month of November you grow a Mo, a moustache. Simple, start 1st Movember freshly shaven and then let everyone see that you can grow facial hair, that you are a man! Women can also bet involved, by supporting men, drawing a moustache on at events etc, as men who participate are called Mo Bro's, women are called Mo' Sisters. Obviously different peoples ability to grow facial hair dictates on there success/humiliation factor, but at the end of the day they are trying, are you? Well heres my effort so far.....

Movember is there to raise money for research into Men's cancers and to, maybe most importantly to encourage men to go see there doctors for a simple check up. Men statistically fail to do this, as men we often notice something may not be right with our health and shy away and neglect it, hoping that if we forget about it then it'll go away, but you know what guys, this is down right stupid, we can't do this, this is playing with your own life, your own health, probably both physically and mentally.

Let me give you an example. When I was around 15, I noticed a lump. Now being that age, I was scared, even more so because it was on one of my testicles. I wasn't sure what to do, so I ignored it, I didn't tell anyone, I didn't try to speak to my doctor, I was defiantly not going to speak to my parents or my friends. At 15 I thought the best thing to do was try forget about it, surely it was nothing and after a couple of days it would go away, life would go on as usual and I'd carry on like nothing ever happened. But guess what, it didn't go away, I would often think and worry about it thinking that something was wrong with me, it was my fault this had happened, it was something I had done or I was weird and if anyone found out they would laugh at me.

I let this go on for 3 years, Knowing full well that this could be something serious, that it could possibly be the Big C. After 3 years I'd decided enough was enough, I'm being stupid and playing Russian roulette with my own life not knowing, and knew that there was only one thing to do. So I made an appointment with my Doctor, within 5 minutes of breaking down to the doctor and being checked I was assured that it wasn't cancerous and more that likely a simple Cyst that wouldn't affect me. They did thorough testing and within the week the results came back as clear. Overnight relief for something I had worried about for over 3 years, so how stupid had I been.

I often think that them 3 years of my life, the sleepless nights, the anxiety, the worry could've been easily avoided had I simply seen my doctor. After all they are qualified to help, they are professional people who won't laugh at me, snigger behind my back, or tell the whole town about me. But you know what the worst thing was, having to tell my own mother that for 3 years I had been so stupid with my health, having to tell my family who only care and want the best for me that something so simple could've been put to bed so easily. That even if the lump was cancerous that chances are early detection would've been successful and that by me putting it off I risked that success rate.

I could never imagine putting my loved ones through that again and so every Movember, I pledge to grow a Mo, raise some money, make men more aware of their health and most importantly get myself a check up, and if in the rest of the year I notice something is wrong, I'll be making an appointment straight away.

So this is why Movember means a lot to me, I support any charity that supports men's health because although I have been incredibly lucky in my story that unfortunately somewhere another guy is doing exactly what I did all those years ago, and risking his life and being stupid and foolish. Guys if you notice something is wrong go see your Doctor. Get a check up every year, it doesn't take long, because if you don't you might be playing Russian Roulette with your own life.

So once again please donate to help raise awareness and help to find treatments. You can donate here
Thank you.