Skip to main content

255 Miles

On Sunday, all being well, I’ll be lining up with some 25,000 entrants to run my sixth Cardiff Half Marathon, my eleventh half marathon in total. All those miles - just by putting one foot in front of the other - which started when my dear friend Ann joined a ladies running club, Epsom Allsorts, and encouraged me to go along.

In what’s been a particularly wet and gloomy West Wales summer, I’ve worked really hard for this race. With support from Tom and my good friend and fellow runner Helen, I’ve run 255 miles which have taken me three times across Poppit Sands (and up to my thighs in a stream) for the 5k race series, all round Tenby in a hot 10k and on a tough, wet, hilly 10k race round Newcastle Emlyn where I managed to get lost. Not en route, but at the very end when I could see the finish line, but didn’t have the faintest idea of how to reach it!


A hot 10k in Tenby

Which way to the finish? Soaked to the skin in Newcastle Emlyn.

Training wasn’t my only goal. After thinking long and hard about it, I opened a new JustGiving Page and asked people to dig deep once again for Pancreatic Cancer UK because 9600 people and their loved ones will face a pancreatic cancer diagnosis this year. I’ll never forget hearing the words, ‘I think we’re looking at pancreatic cancer’ when Dad was admitted to A&E and how our whole world fell apart. The money you have generously donated over the three years I’ve asked for support will make a genuine difference to the progress being made. Early diagnosis will help to save lives so I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of you for helping to spare other families the heartbreak this awful disease brings. I’m truly grateful for your kindness and generosity.



Comments

Joy Lennick said…
My offering will be chaste....(unlike you who sometimes gets chased but by bulls and suchlike?!)
I am a devoted fan and follower of your running progress, Chris, as well you know! You should be very proud of yourself and all you do for cancer. Onwards and upwards. You're special!
Love Joy xx
27 September 2017 at 07:31
Chris Stovell said…
Oh, Joy! You are kind! Thank you so much for all the encouragement and support, Cxx
27 September 2017 at 07:45
Patsy said…
I hope you've recovered by now!
2 October 2017 at 08:56
Blogger said…
QUANTUM BINARY SIGNALS

Professional trading signals sent to your cell phone daily.

Follow our signals NOW and earn up to 270% per day.
30 October 2017 at 10:09
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My First Book Signing!

It’s a fine, dry day and there’s an Italian market in the square outside Waterstone’s. Good for a book signing? ‘Bad,’ says Tim. The stalls are blocking the view of the shop and the fine weather’s keeping everyone outdoors. Hmm, that must be why they’ve only put one small poster up for my event, I mean why waste the Blu Tack? Tim demonstrates handing off the marauding hordes After much refolding of a black tablecloth and a rummage around for some books, I’m invited to take up my position at the author table somewhere between ‘fantasy and horror’, children’s books and a poster of the next author, Bobby ‘Iron Duke’ Windsor who’s signing on Monday. Once Tom, Lily, my lovely daughter, and her partner, Russ, are all sure I’m not going to run away, they leave me to it, taking it in turns to make sure I’m all right and bring me tea. Very soon, I notice a small boy watching me. When he returns with his family I learn that he would like to be a writer. His method, he tells me, is to rewr...
42 comments
Read more

Since You've Been Gone

Well, Ma Mère, There have been so many times when I’ve gathered up all the little shiny moments I’ve collected during the day, ready to present to you in our evening phone call and then I remember all over again that you’re not there. But, Mum, so much has happened since you’ve gone - maybe you know, maybe you don’t - that I’ve decided to write to you instead.  A few days after you died, we sold our house! After all those months! We even joked about you rattling cages somewhere. At first, nothing happened and then suddenly everything happened at a breathless pace and the next thing I knew I found myself driving (yes, me, driving!) along the M4 to Bridgend and the Time Capsule House, the one you said you and Dad would have bought. I remarked, when we first viewed it that if it was meant for us, it would come to us. Over a year later, when it had been under offer twice, we moved in. Oh, Mum, you and Dad would have loved this house; it’s peak Seventies and the decor - the pampas ensu...
6 comments
Read more

Forever Young

Looking at the blurb for my new Lacura WrinkleStop from Aldi, I see that its active ingredient has been ‘proven to help • Reduce forehead wrinkles by 52% • Reduce crow’s feet by 24% • Restrict 82% of wrinkle muscle activity’ That’s quite a claim, isn’t it? Frankly, after years when my face looked like a lunar landscape thanks to the joys of acne, these days I’m just grateful to see a fairly blemish-free skin. Part of me wants to believe that the wonder cream’s making everything looking a bit smoother and tidier, but, hey, there’s also a lot of ‘aqua’ and ‘glycerin’ in the stuff, too. Besides, I could tamper with my skin as much as I like (and I don’t), but I’ve only got to stand next to my beautiful daughters to see the difference. Ma has wonderful skin, so the chances are there are some helpful genes in the mix, but my dad died far too young of cancer, so it’s not all good news. My dad was a carpenter. ‘You can’t get age from a tin, Miss Chris,’ he’d say when rubbing his hands o...
26 comments
Read more