23rd November

Right, about ten days after the Bexhill-on-Sea, Poppy Day Half Marathon, so how did Johnson's old legs fare on the sea front? Pretty well as it happens - still didn't break the mythical two hours, probably due to poor nutrition as energy depletion struck at about ten miles, and I came in at about two hours fourteen minutes. But, and it's a big but, I did finish, coming away with a valuable lesson, which is that this half marathon lark needs some planning - it's not sufficient to just pull on the trainers and go any more, I need to think about meal planning, en route sustenance etc. Roll on 2012....

The run itself was just fabulous. Remembrance Sunday dawned stunning on the south coast, so me and the missus headed to Bexhill in time to watch the parade and little service at the sea front cenotaph. Whitehall it might not be, but touching and sincerely meant it was, and we were proud to be part of it. Sauntering along the sea front afterwards, we found the registration tent and I pulled on my Poppy tea shirt for the run. Feeling good already, this run only has 750 participants, so it would be blissful to have so much open road. For those of you considering it for next year, a lot of the people taking part are what I'd call serious runners (i.e. all I saw was the smoke in their wake...), so as they legged it past me, I set my own pace and caught some rays from the November sun.

The route is four laps, mostly sea front, and idyllic on a nice day. A cold, wet day would be an altogether different experience, but thankfully that is for another year. As I've said, the last few miles were more tricky, but I knew I'd get there and didn't sweat on the fact that my pace was slow - I'm becoming an old hand at this, you see! Anyway, another one to tick off, and it's been a healthy pleasure to help Raye to raise some cash for this fantastic cause. I think we've done very well, and as I write this, we've reached 82% of what was always an ambitious target. We'll carry on, and schedule some runs for early 2012. In the meantime, I'm going to pawn the wife's jewellery, and I'm setting my mother to do some busking outside the Northwich multiplex cinema in Cheshire - that raise something (laughs if nothing else....)

Couple of new photos on the site, just to prove that at Bexhill (i) I did run; and (ii) it was sunny!

DJ

5th November 2011

OK, so it's a week after the Great South Run, we're now above the 50% mark for the collection target, and it's high time I got to the keyboard and added my bit. It was a fab event, and the pictures that Raye and I have added give you the general flavour of proceedings. This is a top run, and if you feel like taking on one of these events with plenty to look at whilst you're running, this could be the one for you next year - plus it's only ten miles....

Raye has told you all about the event with great wit and enthusiasm, so I won't cover the same ground, but a couple of things should be noted: (i) if you buy a cheap, pink wig off the internet, it will itch, you will look like a cross between Vera Duckworth and Kenny Everett's Cupid Stunt (careful there...), and you will get unwanted attention from both women and men en route who obviously have minor to moderate mental health issues; and (ii) if you buy pink rugby socks, again off the net, they are not fit for playing rugby in. Take a look at the picture of Raye and I atop the large cannon/gun, and you'll see that after only a few minutes of wearing, the socks lose traction at the top and I look like I have a couple of crow's nests strapped to my legs. Whilst you're looking at the photos, notice the one of the women who stole into shot and happily posed for my wife, obliterating Raye and I - who the hell is she? Bugger only knows.

The Run went really well, and people kindly contributed their pennies where they were able, grabbing our collecting tins as we sauntered past. One bloke tried to grab more than the tin, but worry not, he's now in Rampton... We were hampered slightly near the start as one poor chap took it upon himself to hurl what appeared to be his last three days' food intake into our path - near miss that one! Raye seemed very concerned that she was "holding me back", and that I was running a forced, slow pace - I can now admit, far from it! It was a delight to make the most of interacting with other participants and spectators en route, apart of course from the Mr Man character who appeared to have a personality bypass and really does have a large ass for one so young - shame!

Raye's passion and enthusiasm for the event were as ever infectious, and particularly loud shrieks at one point made me realise she had seen someone she knew. As the poor man emerged from under Raye's feather boa and her star-shaped embrace of him, I realised to my horror that it was Hugh Dennis, who looked shell-shocked - I could just imagine the court case and the headlines as Hugh Dennis is stalked by a scantily clad runner and a bloke in a pink wig. Can I be struck off from being a chartered accountant for wearing a pink wig, I wonder? Suffice to say, Hugh was such a good sport, and happily posed with us (as you'll see) without worrying about his picture appearing in the Daily Mail under the caption of "Hugh relaxing with close friends last weekend" or "Hugh does his bit for care in the community". Bless him, I commend that man to you all!

Anyway, as Portsmouth becomes a memory, what next? All being well (no coughs, colds or back ache yet...), on November 13th I'll be tackling the Poppy Day Half Marathon at Bexhill-on-Sea (what is it about seaside towns in late autumn? Am I addicted to cold sea spray?), and for those of you who have not sponsored us yet, here is your chance to do so. I am sure if you look carefully, you can find a couple of quid down the back of the settee, for which we would be eternally grateful. My blatant exhibitionism doesn't really extend to very cold weather, so I'd really like to be able to reach our target before Christmas and the onset of snow and ice. If we don't, I'll have to make up the difference by raiding my old mother's winter fuel allowance, and you wouldn't want that, would you???

Yours

David J

Monday, 31st October 2011

Just arrived home after doing the Great South Run in Portsmouth yesterday - 10 miles - and don't I know it! I've been walking like John Wayne ever since!

We were up at the crack of dawn and left David's house in Sussex at 6.30am. There was an owl still hooting in the garden so he, like me, obviously thought it was still the middle of the night too.

We had planned to drive to Worthing, leave the car there and catch a train straight to Portsmouth. Oh, the best laid plans! When we arrived at Worthing railway station we were greeted by the sight of two double decker buses and hastily informed that we would be bused to Littlehampton where we would be able to catch a train to Portsmouth. When we enquired why we had to go by bus we were told that there was no railway track, which I imagine is a bit of a bummer, but why they couldn't have told us that on the website, I don't suppose we'll ever know!

We obediently got on the bus and found seats right at the front on the top deck - it was like school days again! Outside it was drizzling, dank and very dull but very soon all the bus windows had steamed up so we couldn't see out anyway! We had a 15 minute wait at Littlehampton til the train arrived then were told we would have to get off at Barnum and catch a different one to Portsmouth. When we arrived at Barnum the one we needed to catch to Portsmouth was already sitting there hissing and ready to go so we had to do a 200 metre sprint in the pouring rain to catch it which wasn't pretty! 

Eventually we arrived in Portsmouth and joined the throng of runners snaking towards the Pier and Pyramids in the distance. After a good old walk, near on 2 miles we reckoned, we arrived at the changing area, donned our pink outfits and race numbers and emerged into the drizzle eager to get started. The atmosphere was fantastic and as we made our way to the start we forgot about the weather, were buzzing with excitement and raring to go.

We got chatting to the runners around us and made friends with 3 ladies and a chap from Oxford and a gorilla brandishing a very big banana. After taking a few more photos we were all encouraged to take part in the warm up but it wasn't a patch on the one they do at the Great North Run.  It got the blood circulating though, and then we were OFF!

The crowds along the route were marvellous and we were particulary touched by an elderly chap who stepped out of a group of onlookers and purposefully came over to us to put a tidy sum in the collecting box despite looking like he could ill afford it.

Dave's pink wig was a big hit, especially with the children, and his 'Desperate Dan does Pink' look certainly attracted a lot of attention, not least from a fireman running alongside us who said to Dave "You know what you need mate - a bit more pink!"

I fell out with a big blue Mister Man ('Mister Grumpy', I think) on the way round who had obviously had a sense of humour bypass. In an attempt to keep up morale and chivvy him on a bit as I ran past  (as you do!) I yelled "I bet you're a bit hot in there, aren't you", to which he replied "Oh,state the bloody obvious why don't you - and you'd be a natural blonde of course, wouldn't you!" Lol! He certainly did a good impression of Mr Grumpy! David ran past him a mile or so later and made a derisory comment about the size of his derrier which probably made him even more grumpy.

We ran past HMS Victory and saw the Spinnaker and the Marina full of yachts in the distance. We saw the Isle of Wight Ferry come in and a big cross channel ferry go out of the harbour - all whilst running - which made it a really interesting route.

Along the way we were offered high fives by little kids, jelly babies from race marshalls, sweets from homeowners at the ends of their gardens - even homemade cakes! The cakes appeared when we passed a stall raising money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer outside a house on the route and this lovely little girl saw our pink outfits and ran across to offer us each a halloween themed cupcake. We both took one and managed to devour them whilst running and without choking which was a feat in itself.

The final 2 miles was along the front and into a strong head wind and driving drizzle. But a miraculous thing happened! Out of the sea spray I saw a vision. As we got closer a man's face became visible and it was the face of a comedic genius who also happens top be a very good runner - it was Hugh Dennis! This was the icing on the cake for me! The perfect way to end the day! Destiny! I raced over and flung my arms around him and, fair play, he didn't run a mile or even grimace - he was utterly charming. We asked how he'd go on and he said he'd finished the race in a time of 1 hour 21 mins (which is dead good!) He was now making his way along the sea front back to his car in Eastney. 'Outnumbered' is one of my favourite TV programmes and I have watched the DVDs over and over again, so I couldn't believe our luck. I asked 'Hugh' if he'd mind us taking a photo and as he was graciously agreeing I commandeered a Bobby on a Bike to come and take one of the three of us together, which he duly did. We thanked the bobby and waved goodbye to Mr Dennis then chugged on over the last mile or so with huge grins on our faces, crossing the Finish Line happy as kings.

We caught the train and then a bus again back to Worthing and after finding ourselves locked in an NCP car park (David can tell you all about this!) arrived back at Dave and Maria's in one piece after a most eventful and rewarding day.

A massive thank you to everyone who's already sponsored us online and also to those of you who have said you will be doing over the coming days. You are all wonderful!

Raye xxxx

Rachel here!  Well, as many of you know, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in September 2009, five days after completing the Great North Run. I had done the Gt North Run three years running (pardon the pun!) and shaved 5 mins off each one, so my 2009 time was 2 hours 15mins. Though in no danger of breaking any world records, I was delighted with the small but steady improvement and was enjoying my running very much indeed, especially the training runs around Stoke Golding with Sadie, Di and Cathy.  I hadn't felt so fit in years - yet, unbeknown to me, this pesky disease was festeriing in my right boob. I knew there was a lump there - I'd had it checked out every 6 months since I discovered it back in April 2008. I was told on my first visit to George Eliot Hospital that it was a fibrous lump and to keep an eye on it. It was - and I did. However, in August 2009 my wonderful GP, Dr. Dockrell, said he thought it best to refer me to get a biopsy done on it just for peace of mind. It was a godsend that he did, as it turned out the lump had changed and was now cancerous.

The consultant delivered the news like a car mechanic informing you that one of your wheels would have to come off and be replaced at a later date. He didn't look me in the eye once - just stared at the notes in my file in front of him. He said I would need a mastectomy and, at some later date, a reconstruction if I wanted . . . . .  I felt that the world had crumbled around me - an overwhelming sense that life would never be the same again and the sudden, stark realisation that I may not live to a ripe old age like the rest of my family - I may not live long at all. It was like a blow to the head and I was utterly shell shocked.

I was led away to another room by a Breast Nurse who gave me pages and pages of information, my own little 'breast' book to make notes in and a pile of phone numbers I might need. I hardly took in a word she was saying. It felt surreal. Perhaps I was dreaming and I'd wake up soon. She said she would contact me on Monday when she would know the date of my scan. Somehow I managed to find my way back to the car park and sat in my car for ages in a complete daze.

Eventually, I managed to pull myself together and drive home on auto pilot. I rang a few friends who knew that I was going for the biopsy and told them the news,  putting on a stoic show for everyone, especially Sarah and Jennie. Then, I did what I always do in a crisis - went into project management mode and made a list of the friends I knew who could help me make the right choices over the coming days.

I rang my lovely friend Jill Ryder who had gone through Breast Cancer herself the year before and was also a qualified Doctor and she talked me through the options and gave welcome advice based on her recent experiences.

I then phoned John Harrison who had done the Great North Run with me in 2007. As a trusted friend, and GP, I listened intently as he told me of a great friend of his from medical school in Edinburgh, who was now considered one of the best breast surgeons in the world,  Professor Mike Dixon. John said if I was happy to travel up to Edinburgh for my treatment he'd contact Mike to see if he would 'take me on'. He rang me back soon afterwards to say that Mike would talk to me when he had finished in theatre that morning and gave me his mobile number. I can never thank John enough, as Mike is  . . . well, a legend!

To cut a very long story short (you'll be pleased to hear!)  I really was in expert hands and had a six hour mastectomy and reconstruction operation in the Edinburgh Breast Unit, performed by the one and only Mike Dixon expertly assisted by Cameron Raine, Consultant Plastic Surgeon.

What they accomplished was remarkable - my new boob is absolutely fantastic and what's more I was treated with incomparable warmth and understanding throughout the whole process. Mike explained everything to me, every step of the way and genuinely cares as much about the emotional wellbeing of all his patients as their physical condition. He said to me "The first job is to get you well but then to help you to feel good about yourself again", thus addressing the situation from a holistic, rather than a fragmented standpoint.

Mike is also the Clinical Director of Breakthrough Breast Cancer's Research Lab above the Breast Unit in Edinburgh's Western General Hospital. Cells removed from the operating theatres below are whisked upstairs and analysed minutes later in the lab. Incredible research is being carried out there. The goal is to further understand the different types of Breast Cancer so that even more effective drugs can be developed to improve survival rates and, hopefully in our lifetime, eradicate this dreadful disease completely. Interestingly, much of the research conducted by Breakthrough is proving invaluable in the fight against other types of cancer too.

So here I am, just trying to give something back and raise a bit of money to help keep Breakthrough's pioneering work moving in the right direction. Please give whatever you can, especially for all the women in your lives . . .  and their daughters too.

Thank you so much

Rachel (Raye)  xxx 

Hi from DJ - Just to let you all know, I'm David Johnson and as a lifelong friend, I'm now determined to help Raye raise a bit of cash for this fabulous cause. Raye it was who encouraged me back into doing some running a few years ago, and despite the usual creaks and groans that accompany middle age, I haven't looked back since.

I completed my third Great North Run in September 2011, and now Raye and I are taking on the challenge of the Great South Run around Portsmouth on October 30th. If you can't come along and cheer us on in person (go on, the sea air is bracing in October...), please spare us whatever you can, pence as well as pounds welcomed, to spur us on.

As if that wasn't enough, I've now signed up too for the Remembrance Sunday, Poppy Half Marathon in Bexhill on November 13th. There'll only be 750 of us, so if you want to come and throw something at me (preferably a fifty quid note...), I'll be the old, limping one with a grimace. Check out the photos we've just loaded up of the Edinburgh Run from the winter, and a couple of me at the end of the GR8 North Run, just before I keeled over and had to be revived with splashes of rose water (only joking...).

Updates to come after Portsmouth!!!

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