Hi guys, I’ll keep it brief, but I would appreciate some help please.
I have 40km to go on my Run the Year Alzheimer’s Challenge.
I asked on here for suggestions for my last run on Christmas Eve, but I’m snaggled in a dilemma. Alzheimer’s Research have asked me to run with them on Monday at Regent’s Park, so they can take pics/a video and use for their future fundraising. But I’d promised here that I’d do the Royal Parks in London as my last run on Christmas Eve. I haven’t really got enough kms left in my challenge to do all the Royal Parks run as my last run now (I never ever thought I’d be able to say that...).
I don’t know what to do, as I don’t want to break a promise I made on here ... any ideas?
I plan to run tomorrow, Monday, Wednesday and Christmas Eve.
I would go for the Regents Park option as not only will you be getting your final kms under your belt, raising money for the cause , you’ll also be helping with their awareness raising and spurring others on in their fund raising endeavours.
I am so proud of you, you’ve done incredibly well and it was lovely seeing the piece in the Parkrun email this week.
Thanks Gill, I didn’t really expect it to work out this way, I thought Alzheimer’s Research would not be interested once I was towards the end, so it was a real issue for me wondering what to do. I think you’re right - I can do Regent’s Park for them and the shoot and I can ‘mop up’ Hyde Park, St James Park, Kensington Gardens and Green Park by going there for Christmas Eve...
Sorry been utterly blitzed here, - PCT in the New Year???
Thanks - I met up with the AR lady this morning and she ran 7kms with me... she’s going to do a social media splurge and has some ideas for my final run too...
Sorry Gill - was up seeing my dad. Christmas Eve - St James’s Park - Start at Buck Palace entrance I was thinking 10 am.... I’d love your company if you’re up for a gentle 5k...
Hi Hidden ....not knowing London much, my mojo knows it better than me!! Whatever you decide to do you will continue your challenge in fabulous style...def do the regents park run, what a way to finish this journey?? Something that will continue raising awareness when its complete forever,, hopefully...you have just GOT to run passed Buckingham palace because you are the queen of running this year as we all know...so, am i right in thinking that St James' park is where Buck house is?? If so, you will just have to do that...and i want you to play 'Queen of the new year' Deacon blue while you're running xxxxxxxxx
Hi Bev, so I saw the AR lady this morning at Regents Park and we ran 7km together, then I ran home, and that run got me over the 2000km mark, so only 2 more runs to go and I’m done. I think St James’s Park may not be a bad idea and I have to get Deacon Blue downloaded so I can run to that...
Brilliant...I’m so proud of you...I am DEFINITELY cracking the fizz open for you when your brilliant achievement comes to an end...I’m looking out for the post xxxxxxx
You’re doing this for AR, not for us: I’d make their run the priority. The pics of you may encourage others to join in too. You can still do the Christmas Eve run for yourself ! Whatever you decide, well done for your hard work and commitment. Happy running x
Thanks what a lovely thing to say, I saw the AR lady this morning and we ran around Regents Park together and. think the last time I was there was during the Beast from the East, so it was lovely to see it without snow but still with a gorgeous blue sky. Happy running to you too....Merry Christmas
Thanks - you’ve never seen my running style ... I thought gazelle like then I saw the video - more like Mr Twig... But I saw the AR lady and we ran together around Regents Park so all good...
Thanks a lot Irishprincess - I did the run with the AR lady this morning and have now broken the 2000km mark for the year, so chuffed I never ever imagined I’d get that far. She’s given me a little idea for Christmas Eve - and I’m thinking of doing one final ‘appeal’ and that’s for runners to join me on my last leg and run with mean Christmas Eve... We’ll see how that goes. Really appreciate all your support
Whoop whoop! That's brilliant Jan, what a fabulous experience for her and for you. Great idea about getting others to run with you on Christmas Eve xxx
I don't know if this is helpful to you Jan in settling your anxiety one way or the other but in my book the cause is more important than the geography of a run.
Best wishes you wonderful lady. My Dad had two deaths - the seven year slow and abominable one that was his Alzheimer's and the merciful release that was the physical one.
My heart goes out to you and the family and friends of your father in law Molly. I take some comfort from understanding that after a certain point, my Dad did not know his situation so in a very pragmatic way it was only me going through the hard time. People like Jan give hope for the future now also. My best wishes to you and yours.
Thanks molly1973 - what I found amazing was the researchers who despite the odds, are just so focussed on a fix, that I feel inspired whenever I think of them. Good luck for you and your family, it’s tough and Irish-John is so right, there comes a point when the hard time is on others and not the sufferer.
JCR I am inspired by you to try a ‘run the year’ plan: probably not the mileage you’ve achieved, though, by the sounds of it! I need the focus for when I’ve finished C25K (New Year-ish) and I hope to split any sponsorship between Alzheimer’s Pancreatic cancer Research charities. My brother died of pancreatic cancer nearly 5 years ago x
Hi Molly - what a fab idea you have, and to split the money is also a nice thing to do, so many causes require so much help, and I can't tell you exactly how much the moral support and also the cash that my running friends on here have contributed, helps. One of the things I found when deciding on my challenge (although I was slightly crackers when I thought of it) was that Map My Run do a run the year challenge which was 1018kms, and it was just me being slightly daft when I thought that didn't sound hard enough for me, as I was almost running 20kms a week anyway, so I increased my target.
But the number you choose is your ’stretch’, and only you know what that is. What I can say is (other than one friend in Italy who said it wasn’t much of an effort!!!!) all my friends and family and C25K buddies, have been such great support and I feel proud that they helped me through the year and yours will too
My friend’s mum died of pancreatic cancer more or less a year ago today and I know how devastating a disease that is, so you’re choosing a very worthwhile cause.
Best of luck with your RTY challenge and if you need any tips/hints/encouragement, you know where I am.
Hi Irish-John - thanks so much for a great reply, you’re right of course - geography is just that and so this morning I did run with the AR lady - we did 7km around Regents Park and then I ran home (after a restorative coffee!). She’s taken a video (embarrassing and asked me to say a message - even more cringey!), but I hope that it helps other people think what they can do when they put their minds to it. My dad I think is in his final stages of the abominable, and my one hope is that my run this year, makes just a small difference to the research effort, because it’s only that which can consign ‘abominable’ into the history books. Much love and hugs
Hi Anniemurph thanks for the support. I did the AR run this morning with the AR lady and she accompanied me for 7kms at Regent’s Park and then a coffee. She was a really lovely person as so many charity staff are. I hope I inspire others to have a go, because frankly it was this lovely place that inspired me to run and to keep running. Merry Christmas
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