Gavin & Alexandra Farmer
Alexandra's page
Fundraising for Breast Cancer Now
Story
Updated on Nov 30th 2012 at 2:25 PM from the JustGiving API
I completed the jersey marathon in 4 hours and 4 mins, it was a great experience, I did my second half marathon last week 8 mins quicker than last time. I now have London 2013 in my sights! Thanks for all the donations and support... Keep it coming!! Xxxx
Last October I popped out to the shops, it was a very warm day and it just happened to be the day of the Jersey Marathon. As I waited at a road closure as runners of all ages went by with supporters cheering them on I thought to myself “next year I will do this!” (i have never been a runner before this but completing a marathon was always on my "to do list!") I carried on with my day and didn’t give it another thought. Just after Christmas my campaign to get fit and lose weight started, Every Tuesday I would wrap Daisy so she was dressed for arctic conditions, bundle her into the pram, throw on my pair of trainers and meet my friend Tania with her baby girl Bella. We started power walking with the prams, over the weeks this became a combination of running and walking until one day we realised we had not walked at all. On one of these walks I told Tania my plan to run a marathon. Tan has already completed a marathon so she said she would do it with me, and so the training started…
Sunday mornings have never been the same since, we started by running 5 miles and I couldn’t walk for a week, but strangely I had the bug (runners will know what I mean), and I was told I was a natural as we soon progressed onto running 10 miles+, I would run 2-3 times during the week, sometimes with Daisy sometimes without. Another friend of mine Corrina joined us and she suggested we do a half marathon. I agreed but wasn’t thrilled at the idea, I had a fear that I would find it really hard and it would scare me out of doing the full one, which ultimately is my goal but everyone said to do it so we did. I am so pleased that we did as I loved it, I smashed my target time of 2hr 10 mins and got a time of 1 hr 56 mins coming 27 in my category, but could I imagine doing another 13.5 miles… NO!
Running has now become part of my weekly routine. I’ve lost 2 stone in weight, lost 2 toe nails, sacrificed nights out with the girls, and meals out with my hubby, all so I can feel fresh in the morning for my run. Dedication? I think so! I have run in the ice, sleet, hail, gale force winds, torrential rain (too many times), hot midday sun and in fog so thick I couldn’t see where I was going. I have run in the dark late at night and the dark early in the morning. I’ve seen the seasons change. We have laughed so hard we have cried and I have been in so much pain and so tired that I’ve cried. I love running but there have been many times where I would much rather of been doing something else, but I want to do a marathon and for those of you who know me, you will know that if I do something I want to do it properly and I want to do it well!
So now it’s July and marathon training has intensified. I have a grueling training schedule that includes weekly runs of 20 miles+, tempo runs that get more uncomfortable by the week and sprint sessions that basically make me want to throw up (sorry!!) so I thought this would be a good time to start asking for your help, so I’m running for a reason. Just to make things a little harder on myself I’m going to run the London Marathon in 2013 so as soon as the Jersey Marathon is over I will have to start immediate training for London.
I have chosen the charity “Breakthrough Breast cancer” as this is a cause that is close to my heart, I have had family members and close friends that have been affected by the disease so have seen first hand what effects it has on their life. The statistics are scary,
.Over 48,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK
.Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK.
.1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.
.Around 1,000 women die of breast cancer every month in the UK
.Around 350 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK
But
More women than ever in the UK are surviving breast cancer thanks to better awareness, better screening and better treatments.
With fundraising Breakthrough breast cancer can continue with their research and they believe that people who have had breast cancer will live longer and healthier lives. However, significant challenges need to be overcome before they can reach their goal as today around 1,000 women a month die of breast cancer in the UK. Break through breast cancer has long term goals that cannot be achieved without fundraising; I want to help raise money to achieve this.
Here's a snapshot of what BTBC hope to achieve if they raise the funds required:
Breast cancer will no longer be life threatening for many patients. We hope it will increasingly be a long-term manageable disease thanks to more targeted treatments. People with breast cancer will live longer and healthier lives thanks to new and better targeted treatments. We will find ways to prevent the return of breast cancer. New tests will enable us to tell if a patient's cancer is likely to return - and we'll have treatments to prevent this.We will know who is at high risk of developing breast cancer, give them health advice or preventative treatments to prevent it, and change the future for thousands of women.
As you can see this is fabulous charity. I will find my inner strength and complete this challenge/challenges and your help and support will make me more determined than ever! Just before I finish my plea I’d like to say a couple of thank you’s…
To Tania, my running buddy, route planner, and overall supportive friend, Thank you for everything, I will do this and wouldn’t be where I am today with out your help.
To Daisy, my little girl who willingly sat in her pram all those months ago when it all started
To Oscar, my little boy, knowing I am coming home to you makes me run that bit faster
And finally!
To my wonderful husband Gavin, he has juggled work to let me run, taken on more tasks at home whilst I have been pounding the streets for hours on end and always been ready and waiting at home on my return with a hug, bath and glass of wine waiting with the promise of a massage on my aching joints!
Thank you all. X
So please dig deep and make it count.
Alex