Most sport and fitness clubs and groups wouldn't be able to function without volunteers like these. Their get-up-and-go helps others stay healthy, make friends, enter competitions and more. Read on to find out what inspires them to make it happen for others.

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Wednesday Sep 26, 2007

Pretty in pink

During the summer months my son Callum has not attended swimming at all. He has had an extremely busy social life. This week was our first proper week back!

As soon as I arrived at the pool I was accosted by the volunteer in the baby pool. The other person who usually works with her was on holiday. It was a full group as they had just recently recruited some new swimmers.

With my bare feet and rolled up jeans I went to join them. The group were casually swimming up and down with their floats and I was assigned half of them. When they realised it was someone new to them all the little tricks came out, "miss my toe hurts", "miss my goggles hurt", "miss, can I go to the toilet, miss." They started slowing down and I saw lots of little blue lips and shivering bodies. It was very hard trying to keep a straight face and keep them motivated.

The group were then asked to put their floats up. My half unfortunately at this point started lacking in confidence. "I cant do that", "I can't swim!" They kept with their floats and amazingly at play time suddenly dropped them like hot cakes. How unusual!?

At the end of the session one of the girls in the group noticed my toenails which are currently painted fuschia pink. I had earlier in the evening witnessed her mother telling her that "no, she could not have the pink goggles" "she didn't care if it waas her favourite colour." I asked her if she liked my nails and she beamed at me and nodded. Maybe next session I will bring the polish along with me.

Posted by Louise ( 7:52 AM )
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Sunday Sep 16, 2007

Photos from today

During the warm-up, run off the main stage by adidas.

Just heading up to the 2km mark!

Me with my stopwatch and my medal.  I look rather hot and bedraggled.  Unsurprisingly so.

Just in case you didn't believe me!

Posted by Carrie ( 6:59 PM )
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I did it!

It was a gorgeous sunny day in Hyde Park as I wended my way through Knightsbridge for the start of the Hydro Active Women's Challenge.  I got there bright and early to give me time to wander around, settle myself and drink lots of water.

As I said in my blogs earlier this week, I was worried about my right calf and ankle hurting me during the race, and managed to get myself all upset about it on Saturday night.  I was reassured by my friends and my sister, who told me that people wouldn't care if I just walked it, as long as I finished.

With that in mind, I lined up for the start near the flag marking out where those runners expecting to run slower than 35 minutes should assemble.  After my personal training sessions with Laura, she'd marked out 40 minutes as a decent time if I jogged the entire route; and although I would have been more than happy if I'd just made it round the course inside an hour, I had my eye on 45 minutes as my marker.

Well, it was hard work, but I did it, with a combination of jogging (most of the way), brisk walking (the uphill bits and the fourth kilometre), and running (the first and last stretches), coming in at 38 minutes and 54 seconds, which was only ten minutes slower than Great Britain heptathlete Jessica Ennis. 

I picked up my finisher's bag and have proudly worn my medal all day so far, and will probably do so for the rest of the week.

I'd like to say a really big thank you to everyone who's sponsored me so far (and everyone who's going to sponsor me now they have evidence that I've finished), to everyone who's supported me through me training (including personal trainer Laura Williams, Puma, Yazoo and Sport Beans) and of course to my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my boyfriend, who came to cheer me on today.

It's been a blast.  But don't expect me to be filling in those marathon entry forms.  Not yet, anyway.

Posted by Carrie ( 6:36 PM )
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Friday Sep 14, 2007

Friday

Friday

Training: Nothing in the gym, just the usual walking.

Money raised: £846.

Notes: I've bumped up my fundraising target in the hope of getting an extra £154 from somewhere.  A couple of the chaps I work with have told me they'll sponsor me once they have proof that I made it round the course, bruised and grazed knees from tripping up notwithstanding, which is fair enough.

Posted by Carrie ( 6:10 PM )
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Thursday Sep 13, 2007

Thursday

Friday

Training: At last, a gym session. 10 mins jogging, 10 mins cross-trainer, 10 more mins jogging.  I'm still a bit worried my right leg will give out on Sunday; when I run, I'm not out of breath or anything but my right calf is uncomfortable and tight.  Ah well.

Money raised: £789.00

Posted by Carrie ( 8:33 PM )
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Wednesday Sep 12, 2007

Wednesday

Wednesday

Training: Nothing at the gym.  Again.  But again I did a fair bit of walking, and it's been warm and sunny today, so that makes it even harder.

Money raised: £739.

Notes: I've booked a massage for tomorrow morning to see if that helps my poor achey right calf.

Posted by Carrie ( 12:00 AM )
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Tuesday Sep 11, 2007

Tuesday

Tuesday

Training: Rest day.  Well, I say a rest day, I was running round like a mad thing - it was a very busy day.  But I didn't go to the gym.  Lots of walking, though.

Money raised: £709.

Notes: Laura says to cut down on the uphill walking and see if that helps my poor right calf.

Posted by Carrie ( 12:00 AM )
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Monday Sep 10, 2007

Update - Monday

Monday

Gym work - 20 minutes on the bike, 12 minutes uphill walking, 8 minutes cross-trainer. 

Money raised - £707.00.

Notes - My right calf REALLY HURTS.

Posted by Carrie ( 12:00 AM )
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Sunday Sep 09, 2007

Seven days to go

 

In one week, I'll be sitting here, possibly aching, possibly bruised, but definitely feeling a sense of accomplishment after having finished the Hydro Active Women's Challenge.

For the rest of the week, I'm going to try to do a daily update of what I've been doing, running like this:

Sunday

Gym work - 20 minutes on the bike, 10 minutes on the cross-trainer, and 10 minutes on the stepper = 40 minutes of cardio.

Money raised - I've now raised nearly £700, which is fantastic.

Notes - I bought some new running leggings (shorts?  trousers?  whatever.  They're navy blue, and sort of Lycra, but not quite), a Lycra crop-top and a purple fleece, which I love more than is healthy.  Oh, and some more socks.  You can never have too many running socks.

 

Posted by Carrie ( 11:00 PM )
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Tuesday Sep 04, 2007

People are nice

 

I know I'm in a privileged position as a journalist training for a run, so I've got all sorts of access to people and goods that perhaps the ordinary entrant wouldn't.

That said, it was lovely of the girls at Mercieca (who handle the PR for Puma, who've provided my running shoes, and Yazoo, which are now my new training drink along with the obligatory Lucozade HydroActive) to send me a Good Luck card today.

They've also passed on these tips from Hayley Yelling to help me prepare for the 5k, which I'll do my best to follow, and which you might find helpful if you're also running -

1)  Make sure your training sessions cover at least one under-race distance (say 3k) , one exactly race distance (5k) and one over distance, between 6k and 10k.  Make sure you change the pace of these i.e. the under distance is quicker than race pace, the race distance is done at race pace and the over distance will be done at a slower pace.  You can do these as a run or as intervals.

A good speed session under distance could be 2 sets of 5 x 300m with 90 seconds rest and 2.5 mins between sets. A good race distance session could be 1k, 400m, 1k, 400m, 1k, 200m, 1k with 1min rest throughout.  A good over distance session could be, 800m, 1k, 1200m, 2k, 1200m, 1k, 800m, with the recoveries changing as the distance increases say, 1.5min, 2min, 2.5min, 2.5min, 2min, 1.5min.  Depending on your starting fitness level you may have to build up to these sessions.

2) Run on all types of terrain, road, grass and track.  Just because you’re doing a road 5k everything doesn’t have to be done on the road.  Mix it up - it makes it more exciting and fewer injuries are likely to occur.

Session work needs to be done on good surface i.e. the track, flat short grass (a cricket, polo or football field – just make sure you’re not in the way!).  If on the road make sure is a safe, quiet road with no junctions you have to sprint across.

3) The toughest part of a 5k I find is the fourth km.  Without even realising it I think I am going at the same pace but in fact I have slowed down.  Really make a conscious effort to speed up in the fourth Km as the last Km will be easy!

4) On race day plan your warm-up.  Give yourself enough time to visit the toilet ( a few times!) Adapt your warm-up depending on the weather. If you jog for a set amount of time you don’t need to do that if its boiling hot, or if it’s freezing you might like to do a little more.

5) Pack your kit bag the night before and decide what kit you will race in.  This saves time worrying on race day, and it's amazing how indecisive nerves make you!  Make sure you pack enough fluids, something to eat for after the race, a change of clothes, a towel and a black bin liner always comes in handy if its pouring with rain either to keep your kit dry or you!

6) Most importantly be excited about your race, enjoy it and have fun!  Good luck!

Posted by Carrie ( 5:00 PM )
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