Shine Manchester 2010 – This SATURDAY! April 13, 2010

Well, its walking week! I cant believe how fast this date has come round, in fact this whole year appears to be flying by!

I am now making a few last minute arrangements and hoping that everything will go smoothly on the night! The hotel is booked, although we havent managed to secure a late checkout yet – the room has to be vacated by 11am, so im hoping that I dont take more than 13 hours to complete the marathon otherwise im not quite sure what will happen to all my stuff!! lol   Fingers crossed we will get back more like 7 / 8am, which means we may even have time for a quick power nap before checkout!

I have checked out the spa facilities at the hotel and it looks gorgeous, so definately planning on packing the ol’ bikini for a bit of a soak and chillout after the walk is finished.

I havent done much walking this week at all, in fact none yet – but im planning on doing an easy 3 miles tomorrow. Then it will be packing my rucksack with all the necessities, including blister plasters, spare socks, sugary snacks, and my waterproof jacket. The weather forecast for manchester is actually looking quite good so far, so hopefully we will get to see a beautiful sunrise on the sunday morning!

My sponsorship is now approaching the £400 mark so I am really pleased that I have managed to raise a fair bit for the charity in the process. This is definately going to be one of the biggest fundraising challenges I have ever taken part in, and I cant wait to share all the photos of the night! I picked up my new camera last week which has a high ISO rating (whatever that means!) lol - which should mean that the quality of the pictures in low light should still be good – we will see I guess!

I will also be tweeting on the night (as will Angela) about our progress – you can follow our updates by following me on twitter (@loosea).

Its not too late to sponsor me if you havent already  – my page is www.sponsormetoshine.org 

Some of my other twitter friends taking part of volunteering on the night (if you want to follow them too!) are

@CRUKWalton  – doing the 26m with her husband

@Surzy – volunteering on the night in Manchester

@thornykate -  doing full marathon (I think!)

@mik_126 – doing full marathon

@Jay_Carv – doing full marathon (I think!)

@andywilliamson1 – doing the 13 miles / half marathon with his wife

Wish me luck!!!

Lucy x

Shine Manchester 2010 – 1 week to go! April 10, 2010

I cant believe that this time next week I will be at the registration desk and collecting my glow balloon ready to begin Shine 2010. I must admit, I am now starting to feel a little nervous, particuarly after todays pretty poor attempt at a walk!! We will be heading to Manchester around midday next saturday, checking into the hotel and then attempting to sleep as much as possible in our room before going to register around 8.30 ready for the walk to begin at 10pm.

I am really looking forward to meeting some of my new friends from twitter, particuarly Nancy from Walton on Thames – a fellow Cancer Research UK volunteer @CRUKWalton with whom I have been chatting on twitter since around December time. She is staying in the same hotel as us, and has arranged a “tweet up” with a few of the other fundraisers taking part on the day. Her and her husband are doing the walk together and have raised an amazing £700 in sponsorship! We have both (wisely i hope) decided to splash out and stay at the Radisson, largely because of the inhouse spa – hopefully we can treat ourselves to a jacuzzi or foot massage when we make it back to our rooms!

Todays walk didnt go quite according to plan. For a start, the weather was AMAZING! Whats wrong with that?!, you may wonder? Normally I am a definate sun worshiper, and usually cant wait to get out into the sunshine but today was a little different. After about 5 miles, I started to feel majorly hot, despite only wearing a vest top and lightweight jogging bottoms, and the midday sun was really coming down strong. We werent planning on walking for very long (which in hindsight was probably for the best), as after only 8 miles, my feet were really starting to hurt! For some reason my toes were clenching up again as if they were trying to scrunch into balls, and the only reason I can think of for this happening is that my feet were swelling because they were hot.

Struggling with 8 miles so close to the big day really doesnt fill me with confidence for the event itself, but having popped to Blacks on the way home and by picking up some more lightweight socks, I am hoping that 2moros attempt will go a lot better than todays! The weather forecast is warm again, so out will come the suntan lotion and I will try and be a bit more confident in my ability!

Tomorrow I am hoping for another half marathon at least, and although its  disappointing that i havent been able to find time to do any further than this, I guess every bit of training helps!

I have now raised over £300 towards the event, and I am really pleased. If you havent already and you would like to sponsor me – please check out my fundraising page www.sponsormetoshine.org/loosea.

Thanks

Lucy

Gadget Show CRUK Collections & Relay for Life

On Thursday I spent the day volunteering at a Cancer Research UK stand at the Gadget Show with Lynne (an Area Volunteer Manager for Cancer Research UK) and two other members of the Midlands Action Team.

Our role was to manage the Cancer Research UK stand, which was located over by the test track, collecting donations in our buckets and raising awareness of the charity’s Relay for Life Event.

Many people have heard of the Race for  Life, largely down to its support by Tesco and Nivea, and the television advertising that has been shown around the UK. The Race for Life brings in around £60m for the charity every year.

The Relay for Life on the other hand, although it has been around in the UK since 2004, is less widely known and our aim is to increase the awareness and knowledge of this event.

Relays for Life take place all around the UK, and are usually a 12 or 24 hour event that the whole family can be involved in: male and female, adults and children alike. The charity asks people to register a team of between 8 and 15 people who fundraise before the event, and then come on the day as a celebration of the money they have raised throughout the year. The day usually starts with a lap of honour from cancer survivors, followed by theme laps and a carnival atmosphere. When it gets dark, usually at midnight, a candle of hope cermony takes place where people light candles with messages to loved ones they have lost, and a message of hope is spelled out. One person from each team should be walking the relay track at all times. Members of the public are also invited along to share the  fun of the day and raise additional funds where possible.

Myself and Sarah Foster visited a Relay for Life in Swanwick in 2008, and it was an amazing day. The event raised almost £30k for the charity and the candle of hope ceremony was something I will definately remember for many years to come. It was great to see so many people taking part, people of all ages and backgrounds. One team of 15 friends were walking in memory of their best  friend – a 15 year old boy who had died of cancer earlier that year. Although emotional for them, they were really giving their all on the day in memory of their friend.

Our day at the Gadget Show went well, and in my bucket alone I managed to collect just short of £50 for Cancer Research UK, and was able to talk to lots of families  about the Relay for Life Event. Hopefully some of these people will go home and check out the details on the Cancer  Research UK website here http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/relay/ 

Here are some photos of our day at the Gadget Show - with a little fun on the way

PS – My feet now hurt from standing in one place for 9 hours – ouchy ouchy ouch!

Shine Training – 2nd Half Marathon April 2, 2010

Today, Angela, Cheney and I completed our second long training walk for Shine 2010. Shine is an overnight 26.2 mile walkathon to raise money for Cancer Research UK and is taking place on Saturday 17th April, around the streets of central Manchester. This is the first event of its kind, and as the days pass, I am getting quite excited!! With only 2 weeks to go, we have really been trying to ramp up the amount of walking we do, and I have been walking at least 3 miles every day.

Today, we decided to try and do another long walk, following on from what we thought was about 14/15 miles last weekend. Despite being a easter bank holiday and potentially the first lie in for a while, and despite rolling in at 1am last night following pre birthday drinks with work mates, myself and Angela were up and wide awake and knocking at Cheney’s door at quarter past 8 this morning!! (Thats commitment for you eh!?!)

The weather forecast was not good!! Over the last few days I had been checking the forecast on the met office every day, hoping that we would manage to avoid the rain, but clearly it wasnt going to happen!

Forecast!

We started the walk at 8.30 and having a quick glance at the canal it soon become clear that there was no way we were going to be able to follow the toepath on the same route as last week. It was already raining, and the heavy rain from the last few days had made the ground  incredibly muddy – so we made a decision to stick to the main roads this time, but still with the same aim of getting to Hatton. 

I had taken my nike plus with me, in the hope that I’d track our distance accurately, however after about ten minutes it went and turned itself off, so I gave up! As we were taking the roads this time, it was a lot easier for us to measure our distance, so I let it go, reluctantly(!) and put the iPhone away!

About half an hour in and the heavens truely opened, so much so that my hands were freezing and bright red, and I had water running down my forehead, but still we carried on, as I’ve said before, we have to get used to the idea that it might rain on the actual event, so we cant let a little moisture put us off!!

We headed off down the main warwick road to Knowle. The Warwick Road has to be one of the longest roads ever (lol) – so it felt like a very long straight run for a while. When we finally reached knowle we walked past a traditional sweet shop which I didnt even know was there! About 7 years ago I used to work in Knowle Centre on my placement year, and the shop had been something different then. I made a mental note to go and pay that shop a visit on a later date!! It had loads of jars of sweets lined up in the window, just like they used to have in Morgam News when I was little! Me and my sister always used to pop up and get a quarter of midget gems or sherbet pips! At that age, I wasnt entirely sure what a quarter even was, but it kept me quiet for a little while at least!!

By the time we reached the Herons Nest (which is where I had to stop for a wee last week!), the rain had thankfully stopped, and we were getting our stride back!

After knowle we continued on through Chadwick End, which is a very lovely little town, with beautiful houses. We passed the Orange Tree pub which is one of my favourite places to eat, and the little row of houses called Bakers Mews – me and my boyfriend had looked at one of those houses when we first moved in together in Solihull, but it was a little far out for what we wanted.

On we continued, following the roads and having to change to different sides of the road every so often (I never really understand why that happens but I find it very annoying!) lol  The sun tried to come out and it started to feel a little bit warmer. Spring is definately on its way, despite what the rain might be telling us.  There were lots of baby lambs in the fields and the daphodils are starting to pop out all over the place. They added a little sunshine to an otherwise dreary day!!

We then walked on through Wroxall, and past a town called Hazeley Knob (dont ask!) and  by this point, myself and Cheney had a feeling that we were making a lot better time than before. Not being on the toe path, it was quite hard to find our bearings, but we soon started to see signs for Rowington, and started to feel a little hopeful.

The weather started to change again and started to go colder as we headed off through shrewley towards Hatton. At one point I turned round to  check if Ang was ok and she had pulled her hood up so tightly round her face that she looked  like Kenny from South Park!!

Amazingly before we knew it, we had reached the Falcon Pub in Hatton, and were amazed at how quickly we had got there!! Cheney wasnt convinced that we had quite done the half marathon and being the stubborn souls that we are, we decided to have a quick pit stop toilet break and then carried on for another mile before turning back on ourselves and heading back to the pub for a drink and a bite to eat. 

The food at the Falcon was amazing, and I dont think thats just because I was starving. On the menu this was listed as

“Probably the Best Chicken Pie” and it actually was!! I dont think Ive ever eaten anything so fast, it was presented beautifully, and tasted amazing! Will definately going back to that restaurant again, so if ever dan decides to treat me to a nice lunch, Im glad iv found a nice little eatery on my travels!!

So the Verdict Overall?

Time taken  – started at 8.30am – finished at 12.15 – 3 hours 45 mintes.

Either this was a shorter work than the one we did last week or this week we walked a lot faster. To be fair, the ground was easier this time round, being mainly road based, so maybe the muddy paths last week did slow us down.

I feel good after this walk! I felt a lot more comfortable this time round, my feet didnt hurt really at all,other than just feeling like I had been walking for quite a long time and one very tiny weeny start of a blister on my baby toe but nothing to write home about. My legs dont ache and I had an ever so slight twinge on the left side of my back but otherwise I am feeling fine, if not just a little tired.

What I am most pleased about is that I did feel like I could have actually carried on, and if we had eaten whilst walking instead (something lighter and probably a lot less enjoyable mind) I think I could definatley have walked at least another 4 miles completely comfortably. This makes me feel a lot happier as although i know the full 26 miles is going to be a killer, the fact that i can now do a half relatively comfortably has got to help! I am glad that I have put in the practise, and feel like some of the hard work is finally starting to pay off at last!!

On Monday, our plan is to try and do the journey in reverse and make it ever so slightly longer. We have decided to get dropped of in Warwick, which is 5 miles further out, and do the journey back to Solihull. That way, we will know where we are headed, and have a better idea of when we are reaching our destination!! Nothing like a bit of change to keep us motivated as well!

Right, now if you will excuse me, I think Im off for a well deserved nap!!

If youd like to support me in my marathon walk for CRUK please see my sponsorship page here – www.sponsormetoshine.org/loosea

Lucy xxx

Shine Manchester 2010 – Training CRUK March 29, 2010

3 weeks to go until Shine Manchester 2010 for Cancer Research UK, and finally the long walk training has begun.

What is Shine?

Shine is a 26.2 mile walkathon through the streets of Manchester starting at 10pm, to raise money for Cancer Research UK. This takes place on the 17th April, and it is the first time I have taken part in this kind of event.

Training

Well, Sunday was the first “big” walk day, and the longest time period I have spent walking since I can remember! I met Cheney at 9am (on the day the clocks had gone forward) which meant that my body was telling me that I was getting up at 8am on a Sunday! Although part of me was thinking “I must be mad”, anther part was quite looking forward to getting out in the fresh air, and seeing how manageable this marathon  malarkey really was!

We aimed to do around 15 miles, but stupidly, we didn’t take anything with us that accurately measured the distance. Having walked along rhe towpath of the Grand Union Canal, I havent been able to accurately pinpoint how far we went, however we estimated that it was somewhere between 13 and 15 miles. I hope that its closer to the latter! We are aiming to do the same walk again on Friday, so I will let you know for certain later in the week!

We started off in Solihull and headed straight down to the canal. As it had been raining heavily the days before, it was fairly muddy in parts, but at least it wasnt still pouring, the day turned out to be quite lovely, with the sun shining fairly consistently throughout the day. I’d packed a little rucksack with some of the things that I thought I may need, including an icotonic drink, a bottle of coke (for the caffeine *cringe*), some fruit flakes (fruit pieces covered in yoghurt for sugar), and Cheney had made some  home-made banana cake for sustenance! I wore my trainers and joggers with a t-shirt and my new “mac in a bag” which is a great way of carrying a waterproof jacket round in the smallest size possible. Although I didn’t need it for any rain, it was a useful jacket for keeping the wind chill away.

We followed the Grand Union Canal heading towards Hatton. About an hour in, I started to need the loo - typical with me, I either drink too much water or not enough. Thankfully when we reached Knowle, we stopped at the Herons Nest for a quick toilet break before continuing on through Lapworth and Chadwick End.

 We met lots of people on the way, many of those on the canals boats waved and said hello, and there were lots of fishermen out, set up with their bait and kit as if they were set for the day. We also met lots of dog walkers, cyclists, fellow walkers and these little fellas.

After Chadwick End we continued on to a village called Rowington – by this point my geography skills had failed me and I had no idea where I was – thankfully, Cheney at least appeared to know where she was going, so we continued on, breaking out a packet of fruit flakes as a quick snack.

The furthest I had walked before this Training walk was 9 miles, and overall I had found that distance not too bad, at this point in the walk I was feeling fine, my trainers were still comfortable and apart from having to put the mac on/off, on/off due to the changes in weather and temperature, I felt that we were doing well.

Shortly after Rowintgon we arrived at the dreaded Tunnel. Being slightly claustrophobic I was a little nervous about going in, we couldn’t even see where it ended, it was quite low about our heads, and the path inside had a steep incline upwards!! It killed our legs but we finally made it out the other end, and arrived in the village of Shrewley.

(left) – This is the view looking back down the tunnel – the picture quality on my iPhone is poor, but if you look closely you can just see the downward incline of the path and where it narrows at the bottom on the entrance. I was glad it wasnt any longer!!

When we reached Shrewley, we got a little confused and weren’t quite sure if we were on the right track, but we carried on walking, running into a dog called Alfie, who really wanted us to play and throw a stick for him. We said hello but were worried that if we threw the stick, he might jump in the canal, and didn’t want that on our conscience! He lived on a canal boat with his owner, who eventually distracted him whilst we walked away!

We then headed on towards Hatton, and eventually reached a cafe where we were able to stop again for another toilet break. I have never been so grateful to see this sign before !! 

We were now very nearly at the end of our walk, the final bit was the short amble to the Hatton Locks, and then we crossed over the bridge and stopped at the Waterman pub for a light lunch and a well-earned pint of Diet Coke  . My feet were starting to hurt a little by the end of the walk, the arches of my feet were starting to become sore, and my toes had begun crunching up to compensate – I was having to make a real effort to keep my feet flat whilst taking the final few steps up the slope to the pub.

Overall we were walking for around 4.5 hours, and we estimate that the length of the walk was around 14 miles. My normal walking pace has been around 3 miles an hour, and I actually felt that id gone a lot faster than that, partly because Cheney is a lot taller than me, so I upped the pace to keep up with her longer stride length! I hope therefore that this walk is more than that, although I guess we wont know for certain until Friday when we try to complete it again. On easter friday we are likely to be joined by lots of other walkers (weather permitting of course!)

So, at least I now know I can complete a half marathon without collapsing through tiredness, 3 weeks to go till the evening of the full 26.2 miles, and I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable about completing it. I still have a long way to go, but at least im now putting in the effort!! Wish me luck all!!

If you would like to help with my fundraising for Cancer Research UK, please see my sponsorship page here:

https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/loosea

Cancer Research UK – Birmingham Lab Tour March 22, 2010

Cancer Research Institute

 The Lab Tour  

On the 6th March 2010, I went along to the Cancer Research UK Institute at the University of Birmingham for their annual open day and Lab Tour. Not only was the day a great  opportunity to meet other supporters and volunteers, but also included a scientific update from Professor Paul Moss (Head of the Cancer Research UK’s Birmingham Centre), a tour of the laboratories, and a chance to meet and chat with some of the researchers. It was great to learn more about what cancer is, what Cancer Research UK is doing to combat the disease and where some of the money that Talis has raised so far has been used. Below I will share some of information I picked up on the day, which I hope you will find useful!   

Professor Paul Moss – Head of Cancer Research UK Centre  

To start the day, Prof. Paul Moss started with some context about what cancer is and how it is caused. Some amazing facts here which I wanted to share.  

What is Cancer?  

Cancer is to put it simply, a disease of the cells. We have 10 to the power of 14 cells in our body which divide all the time. Cells multiply using cell division which is needed for growth, healing, replacing old cells etc.  

In the time it  has taken you to read to this point in the blog, your body will have made 300 million new red blood cells, 12000 million new gut cells and 40000 million new skin cells. (Quite shocking!!)  

Cell division is normally very tightly controlled by your brain – with signals to divide and signals to stop. In cancer, this goes WRONG, and the cell receives too many signals to divide and not enough to stop.  

Just one of those 10 to the power of 14 cells can cause cancer. Cancer currently affects one in 3 of us.  

Why do we get cancer?  

Cancer is caused by DNA faults, which can occur because of inherited DNA, natural cell processes, environmental carcinogens e.g. tobacco, UV light etc.  

What determines if someone will develop cancer?  

Chance – combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. Some people carry predisposed genes that make them more likely (defective genes).  Cancer is also a disease of aging – the chance of getting cancer increases as you get  older. Colon cancer, for example, when plotted on a graph, has a virtually straight line with rates increasing against age. In 2010, people are living longer, hence why we are having to learn to deal with cancer more in modern society.  

How come its not cured yet?  

A lot of people forget that cancer isn’t just one disease. There are actually over 200 types of cancer. The number of people getting cancer is increasing, however this is largely due to the fact that people are living longer. The number of people surviving cancer however is improving, with mortality rates going down. The survival rates have almost doubled over the last 30 years.  This is down to improved treatment, reasearch into prevention and early diagnosis. 19 out of 20 drugs used to treat cancer have had Cancer Research UK at the heart of them.  

   

What’s happening in Birmingham?  

In February 2009, Birmingham had the first CRUK Centre of Excellence in the UK. This has allowed Cancer Reasearch UK to improve the level of reasearch across the University of Birmingham, University Hospitals, Birmingham NHS Trusts and QE clinical practice.  

Scientists and Researchers in Birmingham work on 7 major themes:  

• Epidemiology – why people get cancer? Predispositions, Smoking and Alcohol causes
• Genetics – DNA damage, types of genetic damage and how can use to develop treatments.
• Cell Biology – and cell divisions
• Viruses & Cancer – infections
• Immune / Gene Therapy – using white cells to fight cancer
• Biomarkers
• Clinical Trials – biggest facility in the country for testing new drugs and therapies.

   

Karen Doyle – CRUK Senior Nurse Birmingham and Deborah Stocken - Biostatistics Lead, Clinical Trials Unit  

Next we heard from Karen Doyle, a senior nurse in Birmingham who allocated 1-2 days a week for Cancer Reasearch UK. She shared with us information about the clinical trials process and how clinical trials are used to identify whether drugs are safe, any side effects that might occur and whether a new drug works better than already existing treatments. I learnt that drugs can take 10 -12 years to come to market, largely due to safety elements. She had been told that if the paperwork involved from having a molecule in a lab to getting the drug released on the general market was piled up, it would reach the height of the Eiffel Tower.  

The average cost of a new drug is £350 million and only 1 in 7 drugs actually get to market. Those that dont, are built upon and reconsidered for other treatments.  

Birmingham has one of the UK’s biggest Cancer Research Trials Units.  

Deborah Stocken, Biostatistics Lead was able to share information about her role as Biostatician in the analysis and publication of trial results. She was able to provide an example of a recent trial which spanned 12 years to help treat pancreatic cancer. This is the 8th most common cause of cancer deaths, with 85% of patients diagnosed too late for surgery. This trial, which had international collaboration via the ESPAC (European Study for Pancreatic Cancer) was able establish that having chemotherapy after treatment increased the survival rate by 10%, leading to a change in patient care.  

The final message before the actual tour was a video about Cancer Research UK’s successes to date. This was quite an emotional video with some amazing facts to take away.  

• 30 Years Ago, 70% of people diagnosed with Cancer died within 3 years.
• In 1971 Bob Marley was diagnosed with cancer, and died 18 months later.
• In 1979, Steve McQueen was diagnosed with lung cancer, and died 18 months later.
• in 1982, Diana Dors was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and died 2 years later.
• in 1991, Bobby Moore was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer and died 18 months later.
• Today, 1 in 3 people develop cancer.
• In 1996, Lance Armstrong was diagnosed with Testicular Cancer. In 2005, he won his 7th Tour de France. Lance beat cancer!
• In 2005, Kylie was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Kylie beat cancer.
• The Bobby Moore fund has continued to raise money for bowel cancer, and rates have reduced by 38% over the last 30 years.

The Tour  

The lab tour was part of the day I was really looking forward to, despite having almost passed out the last time I went to one! In 2008, when I attended this part of the day, I found it quite emotional and started to feel a little light headed during the tour! This time, thankfully, I didn’t have that problem!  

Firstly we went into the labs to see where some work was being done on Hodgkins Lymphoma Disease, by working with red and white blood cells. The pure amount of equipment needed in the labs was amazing, including anti radiation screens that cost £6k each, used to protect those that are working in the labs. Large refrigerators and heaters were used to emulate perfect conditions for cell division including a unit which was constantly kept at body temperature. Whilst in the labs, we were able to look down the microscope at some of the cells and see the difference between those that were healthy and those that were cancerous.  

During the 2nd part of the lab tour we spent some time with another Researcher who was able to explain to us some of the work he does on DNA – looking for faults in DNA and missing proteins that can lead to cancer. One vital piece of equipment that he used was a DNA sequencer, that continually plotted charts and pictures of the DNA structure. This device alone cost over £100,000.  

Overall, the day was a really informative and useful day, and it was great to learn more about all of the work that is going into combating Cancer. If anyone would be interested in attending the next lab tour (likely to be in October time), please contact me and I can put you in touch with our Area Volunteer Manager for Cancer Research UK.  

Outside the Institute

Cancer Research UK Shine 2010 March 15, 2010

On Saturday 17th April 2010, I will be taking part in Cancer Research UK’s first ever over night marathon walk in Manchester.  Thats 26.2 miles around the streets of Manchester during the hours which I would normally be safely tucked up in my bed!

This is the first time I have ever done anything like this and it will be a great challenge to say the least! I appreciate that some people will think “hey its only walking” but despite being relatively fit, I think that walking for 7-8 hours has got to be a challenge for anyone! I read that a walkathon burns off over 3300 calories! Bearing in mind that the average calorie intake for a woman is around the 2000 mark thats one hell of a lot of a calories to burn off in one go!

For me, I think the hardest part will be staying up all night, and 2nd hardest element will be standing up and moving for that amount of time! My job is fairly sedentary, spending the majority of my day sat at my desk, and gone are the days where I can stand up for hours and hours without my back starting to hurt. I havent done a great deal of training… in fact the furthest I have walked so far is 9 miles. I guess that is a little worrying but there is still time!!

I have been to the outdoors shop in Solihull and invested in some special double layer socks – these guarentee 1000 miles with no blisters and I certainly hope that they work! The last thing I want is a blister at mile 1 that hurts like mad the whole way round! Ive got my trusty Nike Plus trainers, which are very comfortable, so lets hope they protect my feet enough to not have too many ailments when I finally cross the finish line! Im also going to invest in some comfy jogging bottoms and perhaps a new jacket… any excuse to shop right?

I have decided to do the walk for Cervical Cancer specifically, mainly because of my own personal experiences, but also because this is one cancer where screening really can make a difference and save lives. This process is expensive, but the sooner changes can be detected the sooner preventative action can be taken. If the Cervical Cancer jab had been around when I was at school, I certainly would have taken it!

I will of course update you with my progress, and I am hoping to be able to tweet (loosea) on the way around to record when I reach key milestones during the night! This next month is where the heavy training begins! I am stubborn and although I have the option to cut back down to the 13 miler if im struggling, I would see that as admitting defeat! So I WILL cross the finish line, even if I cant walk for three days afterwards

If you would like to help by sponsoring me whatever you can I would be extremely grateful. No matter how big or small, any donation is grately recieved! If you do sponsor me, dont forget to tick the gift aid button, allowing CRUK to gain an additional 28% on your donation, without costing you a penny!

https://www.sponsormetoshine.org/loosea

Thanks

Lucy

Non Smoking Day – The Collections March 11, 2010

The Jar of Tar

Yesterday was non smoking day, and I joined members of the NHS Smoke Free group and other CRUK volunteers to do a collection in Touchwood, Solihull. It was great to see so many teenagers coming to find out more about smoking and what it did to your body.

There were some great resources and leaflets on display, aiming to educate people on the effects of smoking as well as helping those who wanted support and advise on quitting. The jar of tar particarly seemed to hit home with a few individuals just how harmful tobacco can be to your lungs – the jar represented how much tar entered the lungs of a person who smoked 20 cigarettes a day. It was quite shocking to look at!

Listening to the NHS staff talking about the carbon monoxide breathaliser was really informative. This was a small device which individuals were asked to breathe into, to measure how much carbon monoxide was registering in their breath. For a non smoker, the level should be between 0-3, and one student (around 17 years old) measured 14 on the breathaliser having just had a cigarette. I got chatting to him about his reasons for starting, and sadly he confirmed this was just because all his friends were doing it and he is now simply addicted. His face when he saw the result on the scale showed that he was a little scared by this, so I hope he goes away and thinks about the next steps he can take in order to quit. If we helped at least one person kick the habit I will be proud of the achievement, hopefully we have also raised some well needed funds in the process! :)

Here are some photos from the day:

   

Advise Point

Non Smoking Day 2010 March 8, 2010

Wednesday 10th March is No Smoking Day – a day where smokers are asked to break free and give up smoking!

Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer in the world and accounts for 1 in 4 deaths. Smoking causes 9 out of 10 deaths from Lung Cancer.

When I was a girl, my father smoked 20 a day, it was a common occurance, watching my dad puff away round the dinner table, and stopping at the local out door to get my packet of roysters and my dads hamlet cigars. Thankfully, my dad evenually decided enough was enough and manged to quit.   Hed tried a few things before, and had successfully quit for a year using patches, until the day that my grandad said “go on, one wont hurt” , and next thing he was back to being a smoker again. He has now been smoke free for 15 years. It wasnt easy for him at all, he was well and truely addicted but his will power was strong, and my sister saying “daddy I dont want you to  die” was enough to make him bite the bullet and go and get hypnotherapy.  

I couldnt have been happier when the no smoking legislation came in to force in the UK. To be able to go out on a night out with friends and not come back with my clothes smelling like an ashtray was a welcome change. However, judging by the crowds outside my local pub on a saturday night, it doesnt appear to have actually stopped people from smoking, just sent them out in the cold instead.

Yesterday I went to my local shops and saw a group of kids outside Mills no older than 10, passing a cigarette between them and it just broke my heart. Despite various attempts by the media, children are still seeing smoking as cool. I really hope that changes sometime soon.

The No Smoking Day website has some great material to support those who want help to quit.  http://www.nosmokingday.org.uk/smokers/nosmokingday.htm . They appreciate the fact that not everyone quits first time, but DONT GIVE UP!

The health reasons for not smoking are obvious and often smokers are hit with this information so much they become numb to it – for example my sister no longer pays attention to the health warnings on the packet. However, the NHS quit kits include a savings calculator, which allows you to see how much money you can save by quitting. A handy little device that may shock a smoker into realising just how quickly they could afford a holiday instead!! Of course will power is still required, but it might just be that extra little bit of inspiration they need!!

Stop Smoking Wheel

To get your quit kit – register online here http://smokefree.nhs.uk/quit-tools/quit-kit/.

On wednesday I am helping Cancer Research UK with donation collections in Touchwood Solihull. If you’re in the area, look out for the blue cancer research shirts, and come and say hello!

Lucy x

Cancer Research UK Race for Life March 2, 2010

My Race for Life Pack

Today I came home to my Race For Life Pack from Cancer Research UK!

This will be the 6th Year in a row that I have taken part in the Race for Life and as ever I have an early running number due to being ultra keen and registering early!

Race for Life is one of Cancer Research UK’s flagship events and is the largest women’s only fundraising event to be held in the UK. The aim is simple – whether you go alone, or with a group of friends, you head to one of the 230 Race for Life Events held around the UK, and walk, jog, run or even hobble round the 5k track, and ask to be sponsored for doing so. 

This year I am taking part in the event in Solihull on the 27th June 2010. This is the first time an event has been held at Malvern Park in Solihull, and I am looking forward to a slightly more rural setting to my run this year. I have ran at a few different locations, including Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham and around the grounds of Birmingham’s NEC, and I have to say I always prefer the more scenic routes, despite finding it easier to run on road than grass.

I am by no means a runner, with 5k being about my optimum length run, but I do enjoy training and working towards a goal, and being quite competitive, I will of course be aiming to beat my previous time of 32 minutes. Better get started on the training then! The race for life website has lots of useful training plans http://www.raceforlife.org/Health-and-training.aspx aimed at helping everyone from beginners to experts prepare for the event.

What I enjoy most about these runs is the real community feel. Women come together for a common purpose and celebrate survivial or run in memory of those they have loved and lost. Some of the in memory pledges are quite emotional, with some people coming to terms with very recent losses or celebrating going into remission. But most importantly, everyone looks out for each other and is willing to support you. From the spectators cheering you on, or the marshals clapping and encouraging you at every km mark, all these women are proud of each other, and will each other to reach their goal!

As a final comment, if you havent already done the race for life, ask yourself why not?! You’ re missing out on a fantastic experience! 

To see where your local Race for Life event is, and to find out more, please check out the Race for Life page here…http://www.raceforlife.org/default.aspx

Race for Life 2009

Race for Life 2008