Neglect - On So Many Levels

I'm sorry, I really am. I've been a thoroughly rubbish blogger over the past week or so. Sorry. Etc.

Well, snow, eh?! What about that, then. Well, I'll tell you what - it's brought my training to a halt, that's what. I did consider going out for a run - for all of about ten seconds. Then my "sensible" gland kicked in and told me "Don't be stupid, that would be foolish, you'll fall over and break/twist/rupture something". Thankfully, for once, I listened to my sensible gland. Frankly, it seems to be becoming somewhat over-developed nowadays.

So, whilst watching the snow fall and the pavements ice up, I have been consoling myself with the thought that it doesn't really matter how long it takes me to get around London, as long as I get round. And slipping over on black ice would seriously jeapordise that.

Fundraising - we're now up over the £400 mark, thanks to my incredibly daft but lovely husband. Thank you all!

In other news, I have my running jacket now. I still hadn't heard anything six days after placing the order (estimated shipping time - 2-3 days), and neither had any money left my bank account, so I dropped them a little email enquiring as to my jacket's whereabouts.

Roughly 30 minutes later, I received the following response:



Hmm, anyone else thinking that's an "Oooops, we forgot that one"-kind-of-email?!






Anyway, it duely arrived the next morning. Opened it and proudly brandished it to show Mr Steve.

"Hmmm...," quoth he. "That's......bright".

Somewhere, I think he's missed the point a bit...

(Attractive photo of me wearing the new bright jacket with my suit. Do you think it's a fashion that'll catch on?!)

Week 4, Day 1

No dayglo-yellow jacket yet. Hurry up, Parcel Farce.

4 easy miles on Saturday. Having a break tonight - going to do a 6-miler tomorrow.

Oh, current fundraising total = £115 - marvellous!

Week 3, Day 5 - The Things I Do For Asthma UK

So, today is a rest day - I've turned my thoughts to fundraising.

I've accepted what is known as a "Golden Bond" place in the FLM for Asthma UK. Basically, charities "buy" places from the FLM organisers, in order to pass them on to people who will (hopefully) raise a decent amount of mulah for them. Being as I've accepted one of their places, and paid the entry fee, I need to raise at least £1,500 for AUK. And, being a bit ambitious, I'm really hoping to raise £2,000.

Obviously, this kind of money is not going to just drop into my lap. In previous years, when I've poked/prodded/bribed people into running the AUK 10K in Windsor, we've managed to raise a decent amount of sponsorship between the team* simply by the traditional badgering-people-method, with an online sponsor page at Just Giving. This time, though, I think I'm going to need a bit more than that.

I'm just about to email a lady who works for Virgin Vie, Mr Branson's cosmetics company, to ask if she's still happy to do a "party" for me at some point next month. She's done a couple for my friend in order to raise funds for an animal charity, and I had a word with her at the last one regarding holding another party for my marathon attempt. Hope this one comes up trumps!

I'm in the process** - as I type - of printing out some business-style cards with my Just Giving address on. I'm hoping to hand these out to people so they can take them away and give due consideration to sponsoring me, without me pressuring them on the spot!

Other thoughts that have crossed my mind: bag-packing, a dance/disco, mass emailing (working on this one)...the Facebook option is already active, and any other ideas are welcome.

Right, off to calm down the husband, who's screaming at the printer. Laters, folks.


*Not meaning to blow our own trumpets, or anything, you know, but as a team we were one of AUK's top three fundraisers for the 10K in 2008 - I estimate in the end we raised about £2K.

**Well, I've done all the design work, but now the printer's playing up, so Steve's sorting that bit out :-)