Fundraising UPDATE

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

I have a bunch of events planned out to help raise money for Cancer Research. I am planning to hold a bag pack and street collection early on in the New Year, I am also hoping to hold a raffle for a prize (which I’m planning on being amazing) and my justgiving page is up and running with text donation available (You can text “VICM95 £1” to 70070 if you’re interested in donating).

My marathon training will begin properly in the New Year as I am suffering health wise at the moment, but that still leaves me five months so I am sure I will be fine with that long to train. This appeal is really important to me and I plan to put my all into it, even if it means a few sleepless nights planning.

Thanks!

Update: Marathon training

I realise that the last couple of posts haven’t been about my training at all, and that simple is because I haven’t been able to. My health is suffering quite badly from a number of things so I believe it to be best to leave proper training out for a while until I am recovered (which I am hoping will be soon as I’m actually starting to miss it).

In the mean time I am trying to go to the gym when I feel able but I don’t push myself terribly hard and it’s more just for the enjoyment factor right now rather than actually working out. Training aside I am in talks with cancer research about fundraising ideas and how to raise as much money as I possibly can for the cause through doing the marathon and am hoping to organise a bag pack in the near future. So watch this space!

Thanks!

Live life the way they did.

Rather morbid title, but it’s going to be a rather morbid topic. Death. It happens. Everyone’s going to experience it at some point. I’ve been lucky enough up until this July to never really experience a death which particularly affected me, which as a nineteen year old is pretty good. On 12th July my granny sadly died, a rather amusing date for those who live in Northern Ireland as she was indeed Protestant and there was a few jokes about chasing Popes out of heaven made at the wake and funeral. This death was the first I felt where I was truly upset, it still upsets me months on and I doubt it’ll ever not upset me that I lost such an influence on my life. Just about ten minutes ago I was getting out the Christmas cards I snatched from Granny’s house when we were clearing it out and I found lists of things she needed to do for Christmas in the box and it had me a little weepy, which is why I’m writing this right now.

The funeral was probably the best funeral I’ve ever been to (rate it 10/10 would attend again #FUNinfuneral), it was a celebration of the life of a truly amazing woman and very little about pushing religion on non-religious folk, which I have heard about being quite common in some churches. Towards the end when the funeral was over and we were about to go down to the hall to talk with everyone (or in my case stuff my face with food until I felt a little bit sick and no longer completely fitted into my size 4 dress) the minister said something to me which really left a profound impact on me “Live life the way she did”, this surprised me because 1. I have never really heard this minister say anything quite as deep as that and have heard him make a total of six jelly jokes and 2. It was completely unexpected and I wasn’t actually talking to him, but nevertheless I appreciated it and it really got me thinking (while stuffing my face of course). My granny never liked people taking pictures of her, which I thought was really sad because there is very little solid proof to remember that she existed. Then I thought about all the amazing things she had done throughout her life. She was supportive, kind, helped out everyone and anyone in need and was always proud of her family no matter what choices they made. She made dish clothes (lots and lots of dish clothes) to send away to people in foreign country’s as part of little packages and as gifts for people (I was nearly forced out the door with one every time I went over to her house, which while I wish I went more often I went often enough that we have a pretty sizable collection)

This is what has made me want to help people out more and raise money and awareness for charities (I hope you all appreciate the nice segway into a topic more related to this blog). And related to that I am doing a 10k run tomorrow (which will be a miracle if I complete as I have the worst chesty coughy thing but I’ll give it my best shot) for the Mark Pollock Trust (which I suggest you all check out as it is an amazing charity) and I have received my little marathon pack from Cancer Research with a snazzy t-shirt included. I’m under no illusion that this makes me the Mother Teresa of donating to charity as realistically I love running, I am passionate about these charities and in a way helping keep my granny’s memory alive by doing these things. Although I will admit that I am proud of myself for doing them and I truly do believe I am living the life the way she did.

Thanks!

I made a big decision.

This morning (literally about an hour ago) I made the huge decision that next May I will be running the full Belfast City Marathon. 26.2 miles. While I have thought long and hard about this decision I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet, and I am still recovering from an injury I received doing the Belfast Half Marathon six days ago. Never the less I am determined to do this race and have emailed Cancer Research looking to run for the charity again. I am hoping to raise a huge sum of money for them, and as I have a long time to plan I think it is achievable.

This is just a little unplanned update on the decision I made today. A new blog post should be up soon. Thanks!

Half Marathon Complete!

I finished the Belfast half marathon! It was tiring and painful but so so so rewarding! I am so glad I did it and would absolutely love to do another one. However, I will say against running for such a long distance: I AM SORE. My legs, back and even my arms hurt from running but despite this I still wouldn’t change it for the world because the feeling of crossing that finish line is hard to beat and I can’t wait to keep testing my fitness to the extreme and, hopefully, raise loads of money for charities I am passionate about along the way.

(A rather strange looking photo of me after I finished the half marathon. Not entirely sure why I pulled that face and I was far too tired afterwards to take anymore photos)

That’s all I really have to say about the experience! Thanks for reading!

Update: One Week To Go!

Only one week to go until I do my  half marathon and, I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit nervous. I have recently caught a really bad cold which has effected my chest so obviously I can’t run as fast as I normally could, which is a tad worrying. However I’m still working out as much as I can and have changed my workouts to running every day with some muscle workouts afterwards,minus today as I’ve decided to take my rest day early to try and cure this cold or at least ease it, but this rest only comes with the promise that I will work so much harder over the next week. I have planned out all my jogging routes for over the next week and I’ve also found a HIIT workout online which I’m finding really helpful.

My diet has been solely focused on healthy eating and energy building foods. For example I have been having porridge and fruit for breakfast as a pre-workout meal, followed by some healthy pancakes (made from a cup of oats, 2 eggs and a banana) as a post-workout meal so I don’t just crash and fall asleep afterwards. I have to admit, despite the cold, I am feeling rather healthy and more alert which I’m going to assume is from the diet (I don’t really like calling it a diet as I’m not cutting out anything I’m just eating healthier but I can’t think of a better word at this precise moment).

That’s all I have to update you on! Thanks!

Night in for Cancer Research and Marie Curie!

On Tuesday the 8th I held my night in for Cancer Research and Marie Curie to help bring up the donations I am hoping to raise for doing the Belfast half-marathon on the 20th September.

The night involved food, drink and hanging out with food friends! It’s definitely the most fun I’ve had fundraising ever and I would highly recommend this to anyone who was looking for a way to raise funds for a charity. Some of us swapped stories about family members and friends who have had/have cancer and it really motivated me for this run as I know how important it is to so many people, not that I wasn’t aware of that fact before it’s just feels more important now that I know people’s stories about it. I don’t really have much else to say on this subject other than that it was so much fun and I really want to do it again.

If anyone else wants to donate here’s the link to my fundraising page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=VICTORIAMURRAY

Thanks!

Update – I’ve been busy.

Sorry about the lack of blog posts as of recent! I’ve been busy moving into my new student house for my second year of university and have been working a lot to gather some cash up so I can decorate the house nicely and have some spare money for uni text books etc.

It’s less than a month away until I do my half marathon and I’m a bit nervous as my health hasn’t been too great recently and I haven’t been able to train as often as I like, I have no doubt I’ll be able to complete the run (sorry if that sounds a bit boastful) but I don’t know if I’ll do it in as fast a time as I would like. I’m planning to have my night in for Cancer Research/Marie Curie to raise funds for my run as soon as I’m all moved into the new house,  I’m really excited about it and am hoping to raise quite a bit as they are both such amazing charities which I am passionate about. If any of you feel particularly charitable here is the link to my little donation page:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=VICTORIAMURRAY

There’s not much in it because most fundraising is being done offline but every little counts from every resource. Also while I’m on the subject of fundraising and cancer research they have these adorable little charm bracelets which they sell on their website: 

It’s so pretty and it helps a good cause! What could be better? Here’s the link to the bracelet: http://giftshop.cancerresearchuk.org/cruk-branded/beads-of-hope.html They also have so many other awesome products, it’s really worth checking out!

That’s all I have to say in this post, I’m going to try and update this blog more frequently as the run is getting really close! Thanks!

Spinning!

I used to constantly chop and change my workout routines, boredom came easily to me and I never seemed to stick to one exercise. That is until, at long last, I found exercises I enjoyed! The one I’m going to talk about today is: spin class. I cannot rate this workout enough, it is amazing and I’m so glad I went along to a class, well dragged along would be the more appropriate term.

For people who think spin classes are easy and just work on your legs, you could not be more wrong! Spinning is hard work, you sweat, you groan and you swear (well I do)! However, I feel so unbelievably satisfied when I’m finished it is worth every bit of pain.

Here are some of the glorious benefits of spinning:

1. It really is an all over body workout: your legs, arms, back and torso will be pushed to their limit so you’ll be toned all over after a couple of months!
2. You’re encouraged to do more in a class: With an instructor shouting at you and 10 other budding spinners in the room you definitely will strive to do your best. If you’re competitive like I am you’ll even try to compete with your fellow spinners to try and go faster than them.
3. The butt pain doesn’t last too long: While your first couple of classes will be hell you will get used to it, or if you want to cheat that you could invest in a padded cycling seat, they are a god sent, especially if you do it multiple times a week.
4. It burns a lot of calories: After you’ve been to your first spin class this probably won’t surprise you but a 45 minute spin class can burn about 500 calories on average!
5. It’s a lot of fun: Pedaling to great upbeat music and laughing along with the others in the class is great to boost your mood, I’ve went into a spin class feeling grumpy as hell and came out feeling amazing, the euphoric feeling afterwards is hard to beat!

And that’s my opinion on spin classes, if you haven’t tried it I would definitely recommend it and I will let you know in other posts about other workouts I’m loving. Thanks!

Mental benefits of exercise.

Due to illness followed by a death in my family my exercise regime has gone down hill quite a bit in the last week, however I am still trying to do little bits when I feel up to it. As I am someone who has suffered from low moods for long periods of time I am no stranger to the fact that exercise does indeed help improve your mentality towards life even if it is slight.

The important thing about exercise when you’re feeling down is that you don’t pressure yourself to do too much, as that will just stress you out more. Simply try and do little things, for example I took my aunt’s dogs for a short walk as they were barking around the deceased family members house and just being a general nuisance. I didn’t go too far as it was with four dogs and the workout on my arms was pretty intense even with it being a short walk. If the dogs aren’t being an issue I’ve made a plan for myself to try and do just 10-20 minutes on the treadmill a day and some muscle workouts until I’m feeling better.

Even though I am not doing too much exercise the fact that I am doing some is helping me sleep a little better, giving me something to do to take my mind off things and I generally feel accomplished after I have done it. I am also hoping, that my short bursts of exercise will cause my appetite to resurface, which sounds logical that it would.

To anyone going through a tough time I would honestly advise doing a little bit of exercise, try to even make it fun (I’ve been loving playing on my Just Dance for the Wii recently, which is a great workout). But only if you are feeling up to it, and do not pressure yourself or make yourself feel bad if you don’t.

Thanks!