On the 7th of September, I got home, opened my letter box and found a Jiffy bag from Blighty waiting for me. Many of you know that I live in the Languedoc, so although anything in a Jiffy bag is deemed exciting simply because it is not a bill, Jiffy bags from home make my heart skip a beat.
On that particular day, my heart was in my boots. I was dressed in black from head to toe and my eyes were redder than a baboon's bum, having spent the morning at a funeral. The previous two weeks had been trying, with days spent at the hospital supporting an old lady whose big brother was not going to wake up. By the time the funeral came round, I'd been wearing my big girl kecks for way too long, and they were pulled up so high that I had an emotional wedgie. Luckily, the vicar's CD got jammed in the village church, making for an impromptu DJ moment that lightened my mood slightly.
When I opened the envelope and I found my own personalised HM medal made by aliboo70 , the tears welled up again, but this time it was different. I realised that after nearly three years on the forum, I had made friends whom I had never met, but who were prepared to spend time and effort making something to make me happy after I had griped about not having a medal for my first HM - French races rarely involve bling, which is mainly attributed for marathons. As I stroked my medal, I realised that although kindness and support between strangers is increasingly rare in this day and age, it is omnipresent on this forum, and shows how a simple platform where people can meet can work wonders.
What particularly impressed me was the amount of thought that had gone into it. On the photo, you can see Mrs Playmo and her sexy playmo trainer. Mrs P has been my right-hand woman for years now - I take her everywhere with me. She is addicted to rosé wine and Tupperware parties, pole-dances at a local Playmo club, and is the vicar's wife. She decided that she wanted to run a half marathon, and signed me up before running me through my paces for six months and getting me to raise money for an association supporting children who are undergoing cancer treatment.
On the big day, Mrs P dressed up in her black lycra and 'ran' in my armband with her own bib number 261, because she considered that she would be the first female Playmo to complete a half marathon: the self-proclaimed Kathrine Switzer of the Playmobil world. She was as proud as I was to have finished, and is now standing proudly beside our own special edition Aliboo medal on my desk. And of course, she has signed me up for another HM, but this time in London.
Our training for the London Big Half is now going to start in earnest, with a special thought for the fantastic support and friendship on this forum, which has got me into my trainers and believing in myself so many times. Thank you, Ali, for my wonderful medal - I cherish it. And thank you, forum-dwellers, for the magic you all work for each other.
Written by
mfamilias
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What a stunning and thoughtful gift from the always lovely aliboo70 ! So well deserved and as you say, so representative of the support on this forum. Ali, we salute you! MFam, wear with pride!😀🥇
I think Ali was already on the forum when I first started running in 2015. It's reassuring to know that there are people you have 'known' for so long despite never having met
Brilliant medal what a wonderful thought and how nice of you to share the karma with us. When are you doing the London HM? Not sure but possibility I may be in town....
Aliboo is a diamond. I only have one piece of bling from France. I have had bling in the form of bottles of wine and bubbly though - a bit heavy to carry around your neck, but a nice alternative.
It's true that it is very frustrating not to have a symbol of your success to take home. I wear the T-shirt, and I'm proud of it, but my medal collection is meagre because they don't give any. I'm now thinking about getting a C25K rap together so that I can earn an extra euro or two before to pay for stuff from the running sales
Maybe I should enroll Ali French runners know no different, Ian - my running pal Starman laughed at me and told me I should grow up when I grumbled about the lack of medals. His kids, however, wheedled a kid's race medal out of the organizers with a brazen lie about the youngest sibling having lost his, and they put it over my head as soon as we were a respectable distance from the finishing line. How nice?
This place is incredible. It was about time I posted about it - I've only just got back to some kind of "stable'" where I can get out running and reading the forum again.
Aaah only just spotted this mfam! What a lovely post! I did enjoy the challenge of this one and I know after doing my 1st HM that the thought of no medal would have been gutting 😆 Glad its happily got a new home,arrived without breaking and installed on your desk ✔🏃🏃🏃
This is beautiful. In a world that has Donald Trump and Kim Jong-in in it, it is fabulous to hear of aliboo70 's kindness and the way in which 'virtual' friends can be so amazing (tear in eye) x
Definitely. that medal got me into my trainers yesterday when Gary the Gremlin was on the road to success. And today, looking at it reminds me that random acts of kindness and contact with others will always outweigh all the crap that's happening around the world.
Sorry for the stalking but are you anywhere near Aimargues/St Just? I’m a Brit working over here during the week (and weekends when Easyjet fubards the returns to LGW)
This forum has always been a source of reassurance for me, where humanity shows what it can achieve when people put their minds to helping others rather than putting them down. Social networks can be nasty places, but here magic of the best sort happens.
An amazing medal, made by awesome aliboo70 for the all-conquering Mrs. Playmo and MFam! Truly, that is a demonstration of the spirit of this forum - not just a medal, but one so appropriate and made with loving kindness. Wonderful.
Lovely post mfamilias , I'm not much of a writer, & still an "early days" runner, but I do really agree that this group is so wonderful!... That medal you made, aliboo70 , is amazing, but more important, is the thought behind it... I won't be nearly ready to run the London HM, but would love to come along & meet & support those of you who do run it... might even get a C25K t-shirt made for the day...
Thank you, Suzy! We'll have to MP closer to the date to fix a meeting point - I'm thinking in terms of anyone who is interested meeting at the pub together
She's a diamond. She even got the right colour for the 261 bib number. Amazing! I'll be needing the luck for the neck one, all donations of good vibes gratefully accepted
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