Hello everyone!

 

Eleanor is getting her kit off (oh dear...) and her wetsuit on (phew!) in aid of Cancer Research UK.

 

In September 2010, my mother, Lesley, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and most aggressive type of primary brain tumor. Despite being the most prevalent form of primary brain tumor, GBMs occur in only 2–3 cases per 100,000 people in Europe and North America. My beautiful and awesome mother passed away in March 2011 at the age of 52.

 

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research into the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. They fund and support the work of research scientists, healthcare professionals, and public policy makers, and provide information and support to those affected by cancer. Cancer Research UK's work is entirely funded by the public.

 

On June 17th and June 19th 2011, I'm going to be taking part in The Great North Swim in Lake Windermere, the UK's biggest outdoor swimming event. On 17th, I'll be competing in the longest race of the event, the demanding 2 Mile Wave. Two miles is equivalent is 129 lengths of a standard swimming pool, which perhaps doesn't sound like a massive challenge, but remember that it'll be bloody freezing, and that there'll be ducks and fish and sharks (maybe). On 19th, I'll be competing in the Sub-40 Minute Mile Wave, a race for those who can swim a mile in under 40 minutes. As you might know, my mother was the star of the Welsh National swimming team when she was younger, having been selected for the Senior squad when she was still only a Junior. For many years, she represented Wales in international competitions, including Eight Nations Championships and European Swimming Championships, and, up until her illness, could still kick my ass in the pool without breaking a sweat. So, this seems a fitting way to raise money in her memory, and I'm sure she'll be with me (or out in front!) all the way.

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

 

All donations, large or small, will be gratefully received and greatly appreciated by our family and by Cancer Research UK.

 

Thank you for taking the time to visit my page.

 

Eleanor

 

Training Updates:

 

26/03/2011 - I managed to swim 1 mile (80 lengths of a 20 metre pool) in just over 50 minutes today. I'm aiming to get this down to nearer 40 minutes over the next few weeks. The pool was lovely and warm; I'm not quite brave (or foolhardy!) enough to train outdoors yet!

09/04/2011 - Armed (or eared?) with my new waterproof Mp3 player (what will they think of next?) I managed to swim 1 mile in just under 50 minutes earlier today. Nothing like a bit of Noah and the Whale to keep you moving, though I might try something a bit more up-tempo next time! I've still got over two months of training left, so If I can keep shaving a few minutes off my mile every two weeks I should be OK! A MASSIVE 'thank you' to everyone who has sponsored me so far - your support and generosity in memory of my Ma means such a lot to me and my family. And despite popular (!?!?) demand, there will be no photos of me in my wetsuit. Unless I hit £3000 before the 17th June. Ha!

26/04/2011 - 37 minute mile this afternoon! BOOSH! Hadn't trained since last Tuesday because the pool was closed over the Bank Holidays, but obviously all the chocolate I scoffed over Easter has given me super swimming powers...

03/05/2011 - I don't like to do things by halves, so, because I've managed to get my mile time down to 35 minutes, I've just entered the elite bit of the Great North Swim for those who can swim a mile in under 40 minutes. So, now I'm doing the 2 Mile Wave on Friday afternoon, getting out, drying off, crashing out, then getting back in to swim the elite sub-40 minute 1 Mile Wave on Sunday afternoon. Phew! Thanks again for your support and sponsorship - please keep telling your friends and publicising this page: www.justgiving.com/eleanor-spencer

12/05/2011 - I swam my two miles continuously for the first time last night, and managed to do it in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The GNS suggest that 1 hour and 45 minutes is an acceptable time for the 2 Mile wave, so I'm well inside that. That said, I can barely move this morning! Would someone like to bring me a bowl of Cheerios, a cup of tea, and a painkiller? Anyone?

18/05/2011 - Managed to get my mile time down to 34 minutes last night! Watched the Great Salford Swim on BBC1 on Saturday - it looked bloody cold! Am ordering up my wetsuit this week, and have treated myself to a shiny new mirror-lensed racing visor, which has already proved to be particularly handy for freaking out small, splashy children who stray into my lane in the pool! Once again, a HUGE 'thank you' to everyone who has supported me so far. You're all lovely, and it really means a lot to us all that you've donated so generously in memory of my Ma. XxX

08/06/2011 - Just over a week to go! For about a month now, my mile time has stayed put at 34 minutes, so that's as good as it's going to get, I think (unless anyone comes up with an ingenious way for me to hide an outboard motor in my wetsuit!) Have managed to get my 2 mile time down to 72 minutes, though, which is well inside the recommended time of 105 minutes. Have started my 'acclimatization', which basically involves me sitting like a idiot in my wetsuit in very cold water for as long as I can stand. Lovely. My wetsuit was getting a bit roomy, so am wolfing desert after every meal and swigging KFC Krushems (the Malteaser one is the best) to keep my weight up; I could get used to this! Thanks again to everyone who has sponsored me. Your money will help Cancer Research UK continue the vital research they're doing into cancer prevention and treatment.

19/06/2011 -  Phew! Glad that's over with! I did the 2 Mile on Friday in 1 hour, 37 minutes, 3 seconds, which was alright, considering that it was my first time swimming that distance in open water, and that the lake was horribly choppy. Today I swam the 1 Mile in 38 minutes, 22 seconds, which I was pretty darn chuffed with, actually! Things I have learnt during this weekend include: 1 - it's really annoying being mistaken for a man when you're in your wetsuit, hat and goggles. It's even more annoying when it happens several times (note to self - investigate possibility of wetsuit with built-in Wonderbra); 2 - Lake Windermere is even colder than it looks, if that's even possible; and 3 - nothing tastes better than a bag of chips when you've been in the water for an hour and a half. But, the really important part is that I've now raised over my £2750 target for Cancer Research UK. Thank you all so, so, SO much for sponsoring me so generously. You're all lovely, and my family and I really appreciate it. Right, I'm off to occupy the sofa with my new best friends, Neurofen and Ibuleve.

20/06/2011 - As of this morning, I've raised £2850 (thank you SO much, everyone!), so I thought I'd tell you a bit more about what the lovely people at Cancer Research UK might do with that money.

 

• £61 could buy 500 petri dishes. Sterile dishes are used to grow cultures of cells for experiments.
• £120 could buy around 40 thermometers (range -10°C to 110°C). These are indispensible for many experiments that need to be performed at very precise temperatures.
• £300 could buy a water bath, a heatable tank of water which scientists use on a daily basis. Some reactions need to happen at particular temperatures. The thermostat on a bath can help maintain this from room temperature anywhere up to 95°C.
• £550 could cover around a month’s running expenses for a clinical trial investigating a new way of giving hormone therapy to improve the treatment of prostate cancer.
• £900 could pay for around one week’s supply of the drug pravastatin for the LungStar clinical trial. This trial aims to discover whether adding pravastatin to chemotherapy is beneficial for people with small cell lung cancer.
• £2,600 could buy 10 sophisticated microarrays. These help scientists scrutinise thousands of genes in a single experiment. Microarrays are a powerful piece of gene technology which allow researchers to compare how active different genes are in cancer cells and healthy cells.  
• £4,000 could buy a -80°C freezer for long-term storage of biological samples.

 

So, your generous donations would buy (if my maths is correct?!) 23,360 petri dishes (that's a lot of dishes!), 950 thermometers, 9 water baths, 5 months worth of expenses for a clinical trial, or 11 microarrays (no flippin' clue what a microarray is, but it sounds all fandangled and impressive, doesn't it?).