I hate running.  Now get me to run after a football, rugby ball, tennis ball and I would do it for hours on end.  But road running.  Nah.  How boring.  Therefore when the challenge was put to me to run 1000 miles in a year, for me that really was a challenge as it didn’t sound too enjoyable.

At the back end of 2011 I was really keen to get fit again, having hung the boots up a few years earlier and with a young family I found it hard to get time to fit some sport in.  The guy who came up with this idea, the awesome Mr Jonny Farrell had been inspiring me in 2011 as he only drank water for the whole year to raise money to make water filters for a brilliant charity called ‘Stand By Me’.  So inspired by him, wanting to raise money for a brilliant work and desperate to get fit and needing something to motivate me to do it, on January 1 2012 I took up the tonne run challenge.

In my head I thought I would run around 3 miles per day, which would leave around 30 days in the year when I didn’t have to run.  So in and around 20 miles per week would nail this thing.  I will never forget that first run.  My ‘round the block’ route would cover 3.58 miles according to runkeeper.  I remember running up Victoria Road thinking my legs are on fire! As I got close to the top of Victoria Road (near the end of my run) this car slowed up beside me and after a while I realised they were looking for directions on their New Years Day trip to some family or friends house.  Like I was stopping!  Could they not see the pain on my face? I just pretended to be in my own wee world listening to music and I kept heading on up the road.  Hopefully they found where they needed to go.

I did the same run for 12 days in a row.  I never thought I would run further than the 3.58 miles but on day 13 I did.  I surprised myself but was loving it.  After 15 days of running I had my first rest day and it was bliss. My legs were like bricks! Concrete calf muscles and all that.  As I headed back out on day 17 I realised that rest days were a good idea and as the year went on I began to understand a little bit more of what my body was telling me.  My body also told me that running in £6 running shoes wasn’t the best idea so in February I purchased a wee pair of Asics, on sale from Sports Direct, and immediately the pain in my foot went away.  Still gutted me and the £6 specials didn’t last the year.

I have many memories from the tonne run.  Many a time I have wanted to bust out into some serious dance moves down the North Road or along the Marine Highway as David Guetta or Example starts blasting in my ears.  I think I just restricted myself to some wee hand moves!  One night some kid decided it would be funny to ride alongside me from Barn Utd football club to the top of the North Road.  You have no idea how many times I wanted to shove him into a bush or the wall of someone’s house and see him disappear into their garden!  I will also never forget the first run I did while we were on holiday this summer.  Portrush to Portballintrae.  The scenery was beautiful but the wind! Those first 3.5 miles I literally did feel like I wasn’t going anywhere!  Was so thankful to turn around and run with the wind behind me!

So do I still hate running?  Hmm.  Obviously the more you do it the fitter you get and it becomes a lot easier, especially when you don’t want to push yourself really hard each time you are out there.  So now I wouldn’t say I hate it, but I wouldn’t push myself as far to say I enjoy it.

2012 is certainly a year I wont forget but I’m so glad I took up the tonne run challenge.  As well as getting fit, getting out running has given me the chance to find some space to think, which most of the time has been a good thing (though sometimes you start to get inside your own head and believe me that's not good).  As I’ve been pounding the roads I’ve spent a lot of time listening to music, which has been great, but I’ve also been praying and chatting to God, praying for myself and others, and it has enabled me to look at and ponder over life more, and realise what is important.  I love that I’ve been raising money for ‘Stand By Me’ as in the last few months especially I’ve truly seen what it is to Stand By someone.  I am honoured and privileged to have such amazing people in my life, both family and friends, who have taught me so much as my legs have begun to buckle.

So as others stand by me, I hope I can stand by others, and I love that the money raised through the tonne run will bring life and hope to many beautiful people in Ethiopia.

As I have been running I’ve been thinking a lot about life, and dreaming of living a life in all its fullness.  I believe we get this abundant life in ways we may not have counted on.  We get it by investing in others, by taking courageous stands for justice, by ministering to the weak and the needy and by pursuing God and not self.

Hopefully this is just the beginning of an adventure for me to stand by others.

So please dig deep and donate now.