365'er

My new challenge ... and the JustGiving Awards

2010-02-07T20:58:00.004Z

It's been a little while since I've written anything here, so I'd forgive you all for thinking I'd given up ... but trust me, I've been more than busy with the 365challenge over the past couple of months!

I'd been missing having a fitness goal of my own, since I finished my original 365challenge in September 2009, so on January 1st 20010, I launched a new 365challenge for CRUK - which will see me covering the distance of 36.5 marathons across the year ... that's 956 miles of running, so just a little something to keep me going, eh?

Well, I started off okay and completed the first of these within the first part of January, but then managed to develop an injury, which has put me behind already! I was getting some pain in my shins from my longer runs (I'd got up to a few 6 or 7 mile runs), and discovered that I was at risk of developing shin splints, which can be very painful. it seems I had developed very tight calf muscles, possibly due to increasing my mileage so rapidly for the challenge, and this was causing the problem. Luckily it is treatable, and I am undergoing some physiotherapy for this, having my calves torn apart and rebuilt (well that's what it feels like anyway!). But I can't run again just yet, so I am going to have my work cut out for me when I can start again (hopefully soon!). And I've got a the Wilmslow Half Marathon coming up on March 28th ... gulp! Mark, my physio, from Harris and Ross, reckons he'll get me running again and that he'll make sure I complete my challenge in good health, so I must place my fate in his hands!

But as well as giving myself a new 365challenge, I've continued to support other 365ers, help new 365ers launch their new challenges, and keep my dialogue with CRUK going as I persevere in my efforts to have the charity adopt this concept as a national campaign (it's progressing, slowly, but it IS progressing)! I'm delighted to report also that so far, overall, the 365challenge has raised over £26,000 for Cancer Research UK, and with around 30 people on board, and new people coming up, this figure will only grow.

The biggest news of the month, however, was the call I got from JustGiving, the company who run the website that manage donations for over a million fundraisers (and of course, my page http://www.justgiving.com/365challenge), to tell me that I'd been nominated for an award at their Inaugural JustGiving Awards in the category "Most innovative Fundraiser", and inviting Donna (Mrs 365er) and me to join them for the award ceremony on February 3rd in London.

WOW! What an honour: to be selected as one of just three nominees in this category from the huge number of possible candidates for something like this! My fellow nominees were Tracy and Jon Morter, the couple behind the Rage Against the Machine for Xmas No 1 Facebook campaign, who had tied this into a fundraising page on JustGiving for the charity Shelter, raising over £100K in the process, and Simon Painter and "Big Dave" who completed a very impressive Jailbreak for the charity KidsCan, a children's cancer research charity.

Of course we went along to the ceremony, and had an amazing night, meeting some very inspirational fundraisers, including the founders of JustGiving, Zarine and Anne-Marie, two very impressive ladies, and Major Phil Packer, of Help for Heroes fame, whose achievements and own battle just cause my jaw to drop; he is truly inspirational and I hope to link up with him again after speaking with him on the night about some ideas.

In the end, I didn't win, sadly, but I was happy to cheer on Simon and Big Dave as they collected their award, as they are a couple of great guys, and again, I hope to link up with them in the future.

But I came away fired up to work even more on taking the 365challenge to the next level. I was also delighted to win a donation of £250 to my page from JustGiving as acknowledgement of my innovative fundraising concept, so that recognition was a huge boost for me. As you can see, the 365challenge isn't going away ... there are other developments on the horizon, which I'll tell you about next time, I hope ...

Pure Gold ... Beverley Knight blows me away ...

2009-11-11T19:48:00.011Z

If you visit here now and again, you'll know that I'm a bit of an advocate for Twitter - it's such a great way to connect with people and I've made lots of friends for the 365challenge through my tweets.

Well, one of the friends I've connected with is the soul singer, Beverley Knight. Through tweets of friends of friends, over time, she'd heard about my 365challenge and been kind enough to pass my message on to others on Twitter through what we call Re-Tweets ... listen, if you're not into it, don't worry, it just is what it is, and as a communication tool, it is great fun ... so anyway, I'd tweet about something in response to a comment Beverley might make, or she'd respond to one of mine - one time, I think she was at a function and her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers were playing a crucial game, so I and a couple of others kept her in the loop over how the game was going (they won and got promoted), and she was quite happy about that! It's that kind of place!

When she started tweeting about her up-coming tour, I decided that as she was coming to Liverpool, which is about 30 miles away, I'd take Donna and I managed to get some tickets for last night, November 10th, at the Liverpool Philharmonic, a really lovely venue. So I tweeted BK, told her we were coming, and wished her well for the show.

As a little extra, I thought I'd also send a 365challenge t-shirt backstage as a "thank you" for her support and so when we got there (after a bit of hassle finding somewhere to park, I must say), I asked one of the venue staff if they could get the package backstage to Beverley, and they dutifully took it away, and we made our way to our seat (in a box, no less ... no really, it was a good price, and I thought it would be fun).

The support band were excellent - Mamas Gun - a really tight, funky outfit who are worth a listen, I promise. Then, it was show time, and little Beverley came on with both guns blazing. High energy, high powered show from the start, with the whole place on its feet, singing and dancing. Brilliant.

Then, after about 30 minutes, she slowed it down, the band left the stage, leaving just BK up front with her keyboard player as accompaniment. And she started talking to us ...

"... this next song is dedicated to a woman I've never met, who is no longer with us ... but through the power of Twitter, I know her brother" (Gulp, what's this, surely not ...) ... "Colin ... who is doing amazing things through his 365challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK" (audience cheering, Colin going "Oh my God!!!") ... "I don't know where you are sitting Colin, but this is for Brenda" ... (Colin totally stunned, Donna staring at me, going "Did you know she was going to do that? Me: "No ...") ... and then the wonderfully generous and thoughtful Miss Beverley Knight launched into a beautiful version of her song "Gold", from her 2002 album, "Who I Am". Please click through and listen, it's a beautiful song, and in the context of last night, with a truly stunning live performance, I have to admit to sitting there with tears in my eyes ... Brenda would have loved it!

And it got a standing ovation!

The rest of the show was superb, she worked that audience, sang her heart out for an hour and a half, and I'm not sure she actually wanted to stop, but all good things must end, and the show closed with the equally great "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda".

Donna said it first, though i was thinking it "You have to go and say hello and thank her for that". I wanted to as well, because what she had just done meant so much to me, so I went down to the side of the stage and tried to get word back to her that I was there. We ended up being shifted outside to the stage door, where there were a few autograph hunters waiting too, and I managed to tweet with Beverley to let her know that I was still around. However, we ended up waiting quite a long time, as she had some promotional things she had to do, but we both agreed that we should wait.

Eventually, she came out. I waited while she signed autographs and then introduced myself, to be greeted by a huge BK smile. Her manager was trying to get her away to her car, but she was saying, "No, this is Colin, the 365 guy, I sang a song for his sister tonight" ... we moved back to the window for some light and Donna snatched a couple of photos on her iPhone (it's a bit dark, I know ... of all the nights not to have her compact camera with her!), and then Beverley was being ushered away, calling over her shoulder that she'd tweet me!

Well, it certainly was a night to remember ... thanks to the lovely BK!

And today, true to her word, we've been tweeting away, and now even Donna has gotten into the picture, with BK now following her on twitter too, and commenting on her photo, which Donna put up earlier on her Blog (the title refers to the fact that she got her photo taken with Vincent Simone from Strictly Come Dancing on Sunday!).

Today has been quite special too, as I kept thinking about how generous BK was to do something like that ... I know it took no effort really on her part, but it's the fact that she DID it and wanted to do it, as she said in a tweet today, "to honour Brenda".

What a special person you are, BK. Thank you.

PS - BK tells me the SMALL t-shirt I sent through to her was HUGE on her ... well she is just Pixie-sized!

Recognition for the 365challenge ... slowly, slowly, moving forward

2009-10-25T21:48:00.005Z

About a week ago, the 365challenge got itself a pretty nice chunk of recognition by the fund-raising community ... and I wasn't even there to be my usual pain in the arse to promote it to them!

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Jon Waddingham, a Charity Champion with Justgiving, and someone I'd linked up with through Twitter in the early days of promoting the 365challenge. He explained that he and someone for Cancer Research UK were giving a presentation somewhere on the potential for using social media in fund-raising, and he wanted to get some of my thoughts, as I've had some success with this. Ever happy to oblige (and plug the 365challenge), I knocked off an email to him with feedback on my experiences, and, as an afterthought, asked him to let me know if it was the sort of thing he was after, or of any help to him.

Turns out, he liked it, and last week, he tweeted me to let me know that the presentation had gone very well. Oh, by the way, the presentation was actually a workshop, at the 29th International Fund-raising Congress, in Holland, an event that attracts hundreds of charity professionals from around the world. And his co-presenter was Bryan Miller, Head of Strategy and Consumer Insight with Cancer Research UK!

The workshop was called "Understanding the new breed of digital donors and how to maximise your fund-raising through their networks". You can see the slides from the presentation here, but if you just want to get to the 365challenge/Colin bit, go to slide 68 and forward from there (the whole thing is worth a look though, so let me know what you think).

Anyway, Jon told me that they sent everyone away to "telling people to try & find their own Colin" and "I think your example has inspired fundraisers from around the world! :D" ... not getting big-headed of course ... I mean, me? GET IN!

Oh, and tomorrow I'm off to do some promotion of my own, presenting the 365challenge to the Cancer Research UK Liverpool Supporter's Conference (yes, in Liverpool ... doh!).

See, I'm sort of commited to this thing now, and I know it's an idea that WILL bring funds in for CRUK, and so maybe I am a little chuffed about the attention its getting, because I believe it IS worth it ... but I'll never be big-headed (grins)!

The Rhyl Run 10K for CRUK

2009-10-25T16:25:00.011Z

So, my first race in 25 years finally happened. I took on the Rhyl RUN 10K for Cancer Research UK this morning. It was a beautiful day, but a little windy here in Chester as we set out (Donna came for moral support and photos). It was still beautiful and sunny at Rhyl, but the light Chester breeze ahd become a full-on Westerly gale! Well, it felt like it at times.

I met up with Fred, who is doing her own 365challenge, and two of her friends, George and Craig, so we planned to run together. While we were waiting for the start, I took the opportunity to go around the other runners promoting the 365challenge, handing out cards and directing people to check out the website later on ... hopefully I'll pick up a few new 365ers!

Start time came along, and we were off. The route was a flat, sea-front promenade, out and back, from Rhyl to Prestatyn. The boys took off at a fair pace, so Fred and I settled in to our own race together. The pace was comfortable, I thought, but maybe a little faster than Fred had planned, so as we came towards the halfway mark, we'd slowed a little.

We made the turn at 5 Km in 27 minutes, on course for around a 55 minute finish, which I felt was a good target, but then BAM! We were hit head-on by that wind! It had probably helped a little on the outward leg, but wow, running into it was a different matter all together. I suggested Fred run behind me for some relief from the wind, but that didn't help her too much, and somewhere before the 6Km marker, I lost sight of her (she's only little, she was no match for that wind!).

So, I decided to push on as best I could in the wind, and finished in 59 minutes. I was a bit disappointed with that time, given that I've run 56 minutes in training, but I can understand why with those conditions ... I'll do better next time, eh?

Oh, and Fred didn't lose too much ground, by the way, she finished in 64 minutes.

I made some more 365challenge connections on the way around, so here's hoping some of them feel inspired to take it on now too. Overall, it was a very enjoyable day, if you consider running in a gale while being sand-blasted, to be enjoyable (it takes all sorts)!

A great return to running after all that time away, and no problems with my hip, which was the icing on the cake. Onwards and upwards, as they say ... planning to start training for a half-marathon next!

it was 25 years ago today ...

2009-10-23T19:58:00.007+01:00

October 23rd 1984 ... 25 years ago today ... I was three days away from the biggest physical undertaking of my life. Over two years of preparation was coming to a head finally, injuries had been endured, physio had been applied, I'd suffered through a four week running embargo while a hip injury had time to recover (just weeks before the off), I'd been through registration, and now ... I was just counting down the days and hours to the moment I would cross the start line at the Dublin City Marathon.

In the eighties, marathon running had come of age. It was the distance to aspire to for anyone who loved distance running. I had discovered running a few years earlier as a way of keeping fit for my weekend hiking adventures in the Dublin mountains, and within a relatively short time, I was running 3, 4, 5 nights a week with like-minded eejits who met on dark evenings at Belgrave Square, between Rathmines and Ranelagh in Dublin, to venture off for 5, 10, 15 mile runs around the city.

The Dublin marathon had started in 1980, and had quickly caught the imagination. I was tempted to go for it in 1983, but it didn't happen, so, when I gained my place in the 1984 line-up, nothing was going to stop me. Training runs happened most nights by this stage, with 2 hour jaunts being nothing special ... I was loving it. I remember at the time crying off from a run so I could go out for a drink with some friends one night ... and sitting there feeling miserable, knowing that I should have been running instead ... that's when I began to wonder if maybe I had a problem ... but that's another story!

The build-up was intense, exciting ... I was going to run 26.2 miles, for heaven's sake ... so when I began to have pain in my hip, I ignored it: I had a marathon to train for. But it wouldn't go away, and eventually I had to give in and go and see a sports physio (thin on the ground back then) about it. Her diagnosis ... severe pronation of the left foot, rolling outwards as I placed it, due to running in shoes past their best (what did I know about these things back then?), resulting in a referred problem to the hip. Treatable, yes, but lengthy rest from running absolutely required, and no, it didn't matter that my first marathon was only a month away ... NO RUNNING!

Even now, as I write this, I can still hear the song of the moment that always seemed to be on the radio as I lay on the treatment table ... John Waite's Missing You ... wow, it's amazing how it all comes back ...

Anyway, I'd come through the treatment and enforced rest (most of it, anyway), and in 3 days time, I was going to run a marathon!

And I did ... and I enjoyed most of it, but my lack of running in that last month took its toll, as did the injury, and at around 22 miles, it was all hurting again ... but I finished ... not in the 3.5 hours I'd hope for, but in just over 4 hours (4.04) ... I'd done it!

But afterwards, my hip just wasn't the same. I got back out running soon after the marathon, but after a few miles, my hip was hurting and I'd then have to limp home. Eventually, I had to make a decision ... and it was to give up running. Not being able to run more than three miles was incredibly frustrating after being able to run for 15 miles or more regularly, and the prolonged injury was getting in the way of my hill walking, so running had to go.

Over the years, I occasionally dipped my toe back into the running world ... starting out again, building up to three mile runs, and then after a few weeks of this ... ping! Something seemed to go in my hip and I'd be hobbling again. I had to accept that I couldn't run, so I put my energies into other activities ... cycling, gym, korfball ... various efforts over the years to get and stay fit ... but I always missed and longed for running.

Then, after my brush with cancer, I created the 365challenge for Cancer Research UK. You may have noticed that none of the challenges involved running initially, but when I had completed my Lands End to John O'Groats ride, my channel swim, the three peaks (twice) and rowed the Thames, I found I still had 2 months of my 365challange year left ...

So I thought I'd try to run again. But before I got too far, I consulted a specialist about my hip. And to my great relief, he diagnosed a different problem, one that was manageable with a little physio and a lot of regular stretching ... so ... I got to run again!

I took on a new final challenge, to run the length of Hadrian's Wall, and over those two months, with all that stretching, I discovered I COULD run again ... and it felt just great!

Since I finished the 365challenge, I've continued running, and this Sunday, almost 25 years later TO THE DAY, I'm tackling my first race since that Dublin marathon in 1984, the Rhyl 10K, part of the CRUK Run 10K series.

Can't wait! Come along if you can - Sunday October 25th at 11.30.

Let's hope it's not hip, hip, oh heck!

Thanks everyone who supported the 300mile guys ...

2009-10-08T20:40:00.002+01:00

Remember EdTwestival and my plea in September for support for the 300mile guys, as they sought to raise funds for CLIC Sargent?

Well, I meant to tell you that they won the nomination to be the charity to benefit from the event, and as a result gained a £3400 donation to their fund. Brilliant, well done Lee and Garry, and thanks to everyone who responded.

Where does the time go ...?

2009-10-03T14:22:00.005+01:00

I really don't know the answer to that poser. I last blogged on August 31st, so it's over a month since I finished my 365challenge for CRUK and, while I know I wanted to have a little rest when I finished, I hadn't meant to disappear so completely! And it's not as if there hasn't been anything to blog about, that's for sure!

Where to start? Okay, you all know that I finished my 365challenge on August 31st, and as of today, my personal fund-raising pot has grown to £7980.75 - which is very healthy, but I still want to see if I can grow it to £10K over the coming weeks/months. As a group, the 365ers have raised just short of £24K to date, and with more 365ers coming on board soon, and several of the existing group still collecting sponsorship, that figure can only continue to grow, which is very exciting.

After I finished my 365challenge year, I did actually do NOTHING for about 10 days. I hadn't intended to stop so completely, but circumstances got in the way, and it was suddenly getting towards the middle of September. So, to motivate myself back into action, I only went and signed up to run the Rhyl Run10K for CRUK at the end of October! I'd been enjoying my newly re-found ability to run, so this seemed like a good idea at the time. But training hasn't been as fluid and consistent as I'd like it to have been, as I'm also just coming to the end of two weeks holiday from work which has involved time in London and the Lake District, and while I've attempted to get some runs in (including a lovely early morning run in Hyde Park), it's not been quite as structured an approach to preparation as I'd have liked. So I now have about 3 weeks until my 10K and quite a lot of running to fit in before it happens ... wish me luck.

I've also been enjoying being back in the mountains, an interest re-ignited by the 3 Peaks part of my 365challenge (that thing has a lot to answer for).

In September, I've managed a hike up Y Garn in Snowdonia, with Susie, our Golden Labrador (her first excursion into the hills, and one that will be repeated, but maybe not every time, as she kept trying to pull me over sharp edges!), and, while in the Lake District, I did a 12 mile hike around the Fairfield Horseshoe above Ambleside, where we stayed, while I tested the water on a newly emerging challenge ... I'm thinking of tackling the Wainwrights, all 214 peaks in the Lake District above 1000ft. My first thoughts on this was that it would be a good, on-going project to focus on over a period of maybe 5 - 10 years (the Lake District is about 110 miles from my home, so it's not a totally straightforward day trip if I want to climb a bunch of hills and get back for supper!). However, after meeting a guy on the hills last week who was 40 peaks into his 5th round ... THIS YEAR ... my plan seems a little feeble. I'll have to rethink.

September also saw not one but two reunions: the first the 30 year reunion of my final year at school back home in Monaghan; the second the 15 year reunion of the group I did my clinical psychology training with in Bangor, North Wales. Both went off really well, but as I've kept in regular touch with most of my clinical colleagues over the years, it was meeting up with my old school mates, most of whom I hadn't seen for those 30 years in between, that was the most surprising. It really is strange to walk into a bar and see so many faces that you recognise after so many years away. Really good to catch up with them and hopefully it won't be so long again til the next time.

Of course, the 365challenge and Cancer Research UK haven't been forgotten either. I attended a training session with CRUK in Manchester in September to become a volunteer speaker for the charity and I hope to take on a series of talks for them over the coming year, starting off with a couple of presentations at up-coming volunteer conferences this month and next, where I can plug the 365challenge further.

At the training, I met Mark Bristow, another volunteer speaker, and he contacted me just the other day to kick around some ideas about how he and his business can help promote the 365challenge too ... hopefully I'll have some more news on this soon.

As well as Mark, I've been contacted by three or four other potential 365ers in September, and I hope that as they get their plans sorted out, I can let everyone on here know what they'll be getting up to. It is so good to hear from total strangers who have been grabbed by the concept and want to commit their time and effort to this important cause under the 365challenge banner.

So you see ... I've not been idle! There is lots too that I've not mentioned, like cruising on the Thames and Lake Windermere, visiting one of Brenda's daughters, Emma, in London, or getting along to support 365er Fred at her first full triathalon, but hey, there is only so much time in the day, isn't there?

Oh, maybe that's where the month has gone ...

* Blog Post 100 * 365challenge: DONE!

2009-08-29T10:02:00.003+01:00

Well readers, welcome to my 100th blog post - this could be a long one!

I started this blog in August 2008, as I was starting out on my 365challenge for Cancer Research UK, and over the year, I've done my best to keep you informed of all the developments in my own 365challenge, as well as what's been happening as I try to develop the 365challenge concept beyond myself and bring more and more 365ers on board to help raise even more money for this vital cause.

It has been a truly wonderful year, with lots of "ups" and no "downs" that I can recall, which is great. Indeed, as I look back over it, I'd have to say that it has gone better than I could have possibly expected, and the icing on the cake for this particular posting is that I can very happily announce that this morning, August 29th 2009, 363 days into my 365challenge, I have completed my final 5 Km run to achieve my final challenge target of running the 135 Km distance that marks the length of Hadrian's Wall, my 6th and final challenge. Whoop Whoop!! (okay, I'll keep it down now, sorry).

It is hard to believe that it was only a little over a year ago, and just after we lost my sister, Brenda, to cancer, in July 2008, that I began to develop an idea to raise some money to help in the fight against cancer. The 365challenge started from my desire to do something that would capture the attention of potential sponsors - I felt that it had to be BIGGER than a one-off sponsored walk or run. It had to be something that showed just how seriously I was taking this cause and that I was going to give my all to earn the support of my sponsors.

When I put out the word that I was going to climb the 3 peaks, cycle the length of the UK, row the length of the Thames and swim the Channel to raise money for Cancer Research UK, well, it was always going to get people's attention, wasn't it? (I've since added a second round of the 3 peaks, and running the width of the country, along Hadrian's wall). That everyone then didn't drift off mildly annoyed with me, calling me a chancer and conman when I explained that I was going to complete these challenges over the course of my 365challenge year, accumulating mileage over my regular gym visits, is something for which I am truly grateful to you all. But that so many of you thought this was a flash of true inspiration and then queued up to sponsor me has been so rewarding and inspiring for me: I have felt truly humbled by the response.

That some of you then asked if you could play too has been further evidence to me that there are a lot of wonderful and committed people out there who were just looking for the right idea to come along to allow them to be part of the battle against cancer too. You are all heroes in my book, thank you for letting me know you.

And that has been a feature of this last year: I have encountered many wonderful, selfless people, who have given of themselves to support me and the 365challenge: from Nick and Paul with my website and logo, to all of the current and pending 365ers, to the CRUK staff who have encouraged and brainstormed with me on how we can make the 365challenge even bigger, and on to my family and friends who have been behind me from Day 1. There are a number of these people I have never met - we exchange emails now and again and I try to encourage them in their efforts - and this has been fantastic that they want to do keep doing their bit: they have gotten on with doing what they can to make a difference, and together we ARE making a difference!

So far, with just 8 x 365ers running active Justgiving pages, we have raised over £23000 for CRUK. With around another 10 x 365ers still putting their challenges and fund-raising pages together, there is absolutely no reason why this figure won't grow substantially. But of course, I WANT MORE! And with my own 365challenge ending, I now have some more time to devote to supporting the 365ers and working to find more and more people to take their own 365challenges for CRUK. The charity themselves continue to work with me and behind the scenes on ways that the 365challenge can fit into their grand plans too, so together, over time, I am positive that the 365challenge WILL play an important role in the fund-raising that is undertaken to support CRUK.

The end of my personal 365challenge will not see the end of my work for the 365challenge and CRUK. I'm already booked on a training afternoon to learn about being an ambassador for CRUK, speaking on their behalf to various groups, and I will be presenting the 365challenge to several conferences for CRUK later in the year. This thing has legs, so bear with me and keep popping back here to see what else I get up to for the cause.

The title of this blog contains a subtitle: "tracking my charity fund-raising efforts over 365 days" ... I will now alter this to add the words "and beyond" ... watch this space!

And while I'm playing catch-up ... Anouska's LEJOG success

2009-08-21T20:24:00.008+01:00

As I am making some time to get my blogging up-to-date, I realise that I have been extremely remiss about telling you about the wonderful effort that one of the 365ers, Anouska, has been putting in for her 365challenge, CRUK, and most especially, the memory of her very good friend, Debbie, who lost her battle with cancer at just 27 years old.

From when she first heard of the 365challenge, Anouska was IN! She was looking for something that would do justice to Debbie's memory and support cancer research, so when she saw my poster in the gym, she was one of the first people to call me, asking to take part too. She launched within weeks of me starting my 365challenge, and she set herself some impressive challenges: run a marathon a month for a year, then add on the Edinburgh marathon for real too, swim the length of the River Dee (110 Km), and for good measure, cycle the Lands End to John O'Groats (LEJOG) route FOR REAL ... all 1600 Km of it!

Well, she's blown the marathons out of the water ... having already completed the equivalent of 16 marathons (she got a little carried away, I think), including the Edinburgh race in May (read more here). Her focus for the final phase of her 365challenge is her swim, which she is about a third of the way through, but the point of this blog posting is to let you know that this wonderful lady has just spent her summer holidays on the road, completing the ride from Lands End to John O'Groats (along with 5 friends, and a valiant support team - GO ROB!), all 1600 Km/1000 miles, in just 13 days.

Rob, her fiancé, blogged about the trip as it was happening, so I'll happily refer you to the LEJOGGLER blog for all the gory details (the tale of Anouska's eye on Day 9, with accompanying gruesome photos on Flickr, is one that will haunt you .... ;-P), but I have to acknowledge Anouska's wonderful achievement within these pages too.

You see, before she decided to take on this 365challenge thingy, Anouska had never ridden a "proper" road bike before, and she'd certainly never undertaken any distance cycle rides. When she heard that one of her friends was planning the LEJOG ride this year, it just fitted in with her extreme challenges plan for her 365challenge, so she signed up for that from the off. And then had to get some kit and training in pretty quickly, which she obviously managed well, because when they all set out on July 25th for the real thing, she was as ready for it as any of them!

Together, they put in some serious mileage every day for the two weeks, through terrible rain in the early days, over energy-sapping hills throughout (but most notably in the South West, it seems, which was a bit of a surprise), and despite the aforementioned injury, she and the rest of the LEJOGGLERS completed the distance successfully and in good spirits (and indulged in even better spirits later on, I suspect, as it took Rob several days to add his final blog update!!!).

By the way, Anouska is the most successful of the 365eers to date on the fund-raising front, having brought in a staggering £9931 in sponsorship already (by August 21st 2009) ... and I am totally confident in her ability to break the £10K mark by the end of her 365challenge too. If you want to help her chip away at the final £69 needed to hit that target, you can sponsor her on her JustGiving page here ... go on, she is most definitely earning all of your support ... and in the process, doing something incredible in the memory of her friend, Debbie ... GO ANOUSKA!

em ... I forgot to mention ...

2009-08-21T20:10:00.003+01:00

You know how it is ... you all have busy lives, so I'm sure you'll understand how, sometimes, something you meant to do just slips your mind ...

Well, I suppose I should have mentioned this around the time it happened, but it just got by-passed, what with building up the kms for my 365challenge, work and sorting out the day to day challenges of life in general ... thing is, I had my (nearly) 2 year post-op review with my oncologist on August 6th (yes, that long ago), and the sooo good news is that the X-rays were all clear, my arm looks and feels good, and he doesn't want to see me now for SIX months! I was on a 4 monthly check-up cycle, but as it's all looking so well, he's happy to bump me onto the twice yearly cycle, which will last for three years, and then, all going to plan, which I am sure it will, it'll just be annual reviews from then on ...

Kinda pleased ... so forgive my tardiness in sharing ...!
Feel free to comment!

the finish line is in sight ...

2009-08-19T19:32:00.004+01:00

It's hard to believe, but the end of my 365challenge is getting closer and closer ... just 12 days to go! And I'm well on course to finish my additional challenge, running the length of Hadrian's Wall, with just 14 Km left of the 135 Km total.

I really wasn't sure that I'd be able to run at all, given my old injury history, but thanks to physiotherapy and extensive stretching exercises before and after my runs. I have been running pain-free again, and I am now really hopeful that running can be a part of my life again. It may sound strange to those of you who don't run, but as running used to be such a part of my life many years ago, the feeling of being able to get out there and run free is wonderful!

And tonight, less than two months after starting back into running, and just because it felt soooo good to be jogging along at a comfortable pace (quite a gentle 9 Km/hr), I just kept going ... I was aiming for 6 Km, but then thought I'd go for 8 Km, as I felt good ... and then thought I'd try to go for 60 minutes, just to see if I could! And then I thought, hey, I've managed 9 Km, so may as well go for 10 Km ... so I DID! 10 Km in 66 minutes ... not spectacular, but wow, it felt good!

And, as I said, it left me with just 14 Km to go ... which should be doable in 2 more visits. Brilliant!

And once it's all done ...? There will be a lot more to come from the 365challenge ... maybe not too much on the physical activity front (though a 10K or two may be beckinong now), but I plan to dedicate more time now to developing the 365challenge and bringing more people on board ... so watch this space!

brief meeting with a comedy hero ...

2009-08-11T21:54:00.007+01:00

Today, as I was just getting to the end of my day in the office, I happened to check in on Twitter to see what people were tweeting about, only to find that one of my comedy heroes was just a couple of miles away, continuing his epic trek for Sport Relief ...

What am I on about, eh? Well, you see, a little while ago, Sport Relief asked the wonderful Eddie Izzard if he fancied taking on some sort of challenge for their charity. Not only did he say "yes", but he decided that he wanted to run from London to Cardiff to Belfast to Edinburgh to London again, taking in all four capitals in the UK, running around 30 miles a day, 6 days a week, for 7 weeks! Instead of carting him away to have his head read, Sport Relief said "Okay", so that's what he's currently doing! And remember, he's a comedian, not a runner, so this is a MAJOR undertaking!

He started at the end of July, I believe, and this is his 14th marathon in 16 days of his trek,(!!!) and though I was aware of what he was doing (through Twitter - he's @eddieizzard), I hadn't really registered where he might be on his run until this afternoon. So when he tweeted that he was on the A41, heading out of Chester, and he'd tagged on a map showing he was just a couple of miles away, I figured I had to go along and cheer him on his way.

I caught up with him at a place called Mostyn, on the edge of Chester, and pulled over so I could cheer him along. Eddie was running all on his own, with just a St George's Cross flag for company (he's going to carry each country's flag while he is in that country during his run). I jumped out of the car and waved to him as he approached on the other side of the road. It was a hot afternoon, so I asked him if he needed any water. He ran over to me to see what was on offer, and I produced a 1L bottle of water. Sadly, he felt this was too large for him to carry on his way, but he figured he'd be linking up with his support car shortly, so he'd just keep going. However, he was more than happy to pose for a quick photo and a chat about how he's been finding it all - read his blog to learn more, but as I said, it's a major undertaking. He seemed in great spirits and, once we'd shook hands and I'd wished him luck and safe running, he went on his merry way!

He's a total star, as well as being totally down to earth. I'm full of admiration for what he's attempting ... I went from waving him off to the gym to run just 5 miles as part of my 365challenge for Cancer Research UK today, and found THAT pretty hard going, so how he is keeping going, I have no idea. I'd love to have Eddie on board as a 365er, but I guess he's kind of committed to other things ...

But ... his is an amazing effort and worthy of any support that you can put his way ... you can sponsor Eddie by clicking through on this link ... believe me, he IS earning your support! Eddie, if you ever read this, may I wish you a traditional saying from the Emerald Isle to ease you on your way ... may the road rise up to meet you!

Oh, and Eddie, get that support team of yours to buy you a camelbak so you can have some water with you while you're out there on your own!

stretch that iliotibial band ...

2009-07-29T22:09:00.003+01:00

You may remember a couple of posts ago, I explained why I don't run these days ... you can read the story here, but essentially it linked back to an injury from 25 years ago when I hurt my hip running the Dublin marathon in worn shoes ... or that was the problem at the time, and I thought that it was a recurrence of this injury that has thwarted (I like that word ... thWARTed) my infrequent efforts to get back running over the years.

Well, it turns out that, while that injury didn't help, it seems that the real problem is just that I've probably got Trochanteric Bursitis! Oohhh, that explains it!

Okay, I hadn't a clue what it meant either ... but when I decided to take on a running element to my challenge, and had quickly got my running up to 5 Km about four times a week, I was acutely aware that in the past, running that sort of distance would lead to problems, and already I could feel a niggly ache in my left hip again. So I decided to go and see someone about it.

My GP referred me to an orthopaedic surgeon, Mr Andrew Phillipson at a local sports injury clinic, and within a few short minutes of history-taking and hip-poking, he was confidently telling me what he reckoned was wrong ... and, more importantly, how to fix it.

Essentially, Trochanteric Bursitis is characterized by painful inflammation of the bursa that is located just superficial to the greater trochanter of the femur ... okay, put more simply, there's something rubbing that sits across my hip bone (not entirely medically accurate, but it'll do), and this has become inflamed from the repetitive movement of running - very common in that breed, apparently. And the simplest and first stage of treatment is physiotherapy, to help stretch the iliotibial band (but you already knew that, didn't you), so that it isn't as tight and is less likely to rub the bursa - simples! If that works, then regular stretching should be enough to ensure that my old aching hip (and long-term excuse for not running) will be sorted!

If that doesn't work, Mr Phillipson can give me an injection to reduce the inflammation, but hopefully that'll not be needed if I'm a good boy and do my stretching! I've an appointment with his physio on Monday (forgive me Phil, if you see this, but it was just easy keeping it all in-house). I've already found some rehabilitation exercises on-line that I've begun anyway, so fingers crossed!

I'm taking a few days off running just to get the stretching started and let the hip settle, but as I've only got 35 days of my 365challenge year to go (yikes!), and still 86 Km of Hadrian's Wall to run, I promise I'll be back at it again by the end of the week.

Wish me luck ...

Anouska tackles the LEJOG

2009-07-24T19:46:00.005+01:00

Anouska, one of the early adopters of the 365challenge for Cancer Research UK, is at it again!

Anouska took on the 365challenge, starting last October, to commemorate her best friend, Debbie, who died aged just 27. Since then, she's already run the equivalent of 16(!) marathons, including actually completing the Edinburgh marathon on one of the hottest days of the year so far - read that story here - and check out Anouska's 365 website here.

But is that enough for a 365er ... Hell no! You can't keep this girl down!

Tomorrow (July 25th), she's only starting off on the 1600 Km cycle ride that is the Lands End to John O'Groats (LEJOG) ride, from the southern-most part of England to Scotland's most northern-most point - and she's not pratting about like me, doing it over time on a stationery bike ... oh no, she's doing the real thing, with a bunch of friends, taking to the road and planning to complete the trip in 12 days!

Wonderful! And if I tell you that she's pretty much a novice cyclist, I hope you can appreciate just how big an undertaking this is for her - she only really got her bike and started training for this earlier this year, and already, she's tackling the BIG ONE.

You can read updates on her progress on the blog that's been set up to support this adventure - LeJoggler - which is being maintained by her fiancé, Rob, who, Tweeters amongst you, can follow on Twitter as @robyouds

And if you want to support Anouska's immense efforts for CRUK, please do visit her Justgiving page and make a donation ... she's already the most successful 365er on the sponsorship front, and has set herself a target of £10000, which she is not far off hitting ... I truly believe that she will blow this figure out of the water, but do feel free to give her a hand along the way!

Go Anouska, I'm totally over the moon at all the effort you've put into this - body and soul - and I KNOW that Debbie would be so proud of you ... have a great LEJOG, and I'll look forward to meeting up when you get back to salute you!

Now what have I gone and done ...?

2009-07-12T20:08:00.005+01:00

I probably should have left it at that: all four of my original 365challenges completed, with even an extra one thrown in for good measure (climbing the 3 Peaks in the flesh, remember ... keep up!), within 10 months of starting. That's not half bad, now, is it? I should have just left it there, really, don't you think ... I'd done enough to earn all of your sponsorship, hadn't I?

But over the 10 months, clearly I've gotten fitter (and stupider), and, me being me, I couldn't just stop with still 2 months of my 365challenge year to go. So I've only gone a settled on a final challenge - to run the width of the island!

It's not complete lunacy - I've chosen Hadrian's Wall as my route: it's probably the narrowest part of the island (I'm not a complete numpty), but, the thing is, I've not been able to run much for years because of an injury I picked up - running! The Dublin marathon! (and I can hardly believe this next bit ...) 25 YEARS AGO!!!

It left me able only to run about 3 miles/5 KM at a time (I was used to regular long distance runs of 10+ miles for several years up to that) before my hip would sort of "twang" and that would be me floored for days or weeks before I could run again. As you might imagine, that got old (and painful) very quickly. So ... I gave up running! You see, at that time, 3 miles was just a warm-up and having to stop at that point just was so very, very frustrating, I couldn't face it any more, so pretty much stopped running at that point. I made a few efforts again over the years, but then my hip would go again, and, well, it just wasn't worth it.

So ... although I've been back in the gym for the past year, I've not been running - look at my original 365challenges: no running for me, no sir! I'm certainly fitter with all that cardiovascular exercise I've been doing over the past 10 months on the bike, step machine, rower and in the pool or on the mountains, but running? Nah, nothing.

It makes sense then, clearly, that I chose a final 365challenge that means I have to run 84 miles/135 KM! WHAT WAS I THINKING? And ... with the 59-odd days I had left to complete my 365challenge year when I chose it, that meant I had a lot of running to pack in! I'd tested the water (or should I say, hip) with a few 1 KM jogs, followed by a 3 KM run last week, which seemed to go okay. I guess with all that leg-work on the other challenges, I've got a certain level of fitness in my legs and lungs to be fit enough for this part of my 365challenge, but ... damn it, it's running 84 miles/135 KM, YOU IDIOT!

This morning, after a few days away with family in Ireland to celebrate Brenda's life, a year after she lost her battle with cancer, I had to get back out there and get going with this challenge. So it was off to the gym at 8 am, and after some stretching (which does help my hip a lot), I managed to run 5 KM (3.1 miles) in just over 32 minutes! My first run over that distance in probably 10 years! And, apart from a little tightness in the legs, my hip seemed fine (touch wood), which was great.

So now, with 50 days (or so) left of my 365challenge year, and 124 KM of the distance left, basically, I have to run at a rate of 5 KM every other day til the end of my 365challenge year on August 31st!

Well, it wouldn't be a challenge otherwise, would it? Wish me luck ...

And if my hip goes, I can always drive the rest of the way, can't I?
;-P

Ben Nevis ... completing the 3 peaks in the sunshine!

2009-07-06T11:39:00.024+01:00

**Long Post Alert **

Saturday, July 4th, Independence Day in the US, maybe, but for me and a committed bunch of friends, supporters and other 365ers, it now marks the date that we completed our very own 3 Peaks Challenge for the 365challenge (oh .... and Danielle's birthday!). View the photos here first, if you're not ready to read this epic blog yet ...

Ben Nevis

Well, it was quite a day, and I suspect that we're all still feeling it a bit (well, maybe not Garry and Lee - not the climb part, anyway!), but I can honestly say that it was well and truly worth all the effort that has gone into making this part of the 365challenge a success. But let's not leave it at that ... I think the Ben Nevis story needs a little more detail ...

On Friday, Dave (who had driven up to us in Chester on Thursday from Reading) and I set off for Fort William, our base for this walk, 350 miles away. The latter half of the journey was spent driving through torrential downpours and flooded A-roads at a snail's pace, as all the traffic seemed to want to go the same way and the conditions just did not allow for any heroics. Seven hours later, after driving through the Western Highlands (but only knowing we had done so because the map said we had, we certainly didn't see it in the horrible rain), we arrived at our destination, Ashburn House B&B, in Fort William, run by the wonderfully helpful and very welcoming Christine.

To tell you the truth, after the weather we'd had for the Snowdon and Scafell Pike walks, the prospect of facing Ben Nevis in that horrendous rain did not appeal too much, but Christine informed us that it had only just begun raining in Fort William before we got there, after it having been a lovery day up to that point, so we felt a twinge more hopeful for the next day's walk. In fact, the evening cleared very nicely, so we wandered into Fort Wiliam for some food and a few pints of Brewhouse Special at the Grog and Gruel Pub on the High Street, making for a very pleasant end to a long day.

We woke on Saturday morning to blue skies and sunshine, completely the opposite of all the forecasts, but we weren't complaining. After breakfast, we grabbed our gear and headed off for the meeting point at Achintee House Car Park to find ... no-one waiting for us. Not a soul. At which point, my phone went: it was Karen asking where we were, as she and Alan were at the car park? Then came the next message, and the next ... all essentially saying the same thing, but clearly something wasn't quite right here! It turned out that they were all (and I mean ALL of them) down the hill from us, at the Glen Nevis Information Centre car park. I told them to wait there and Dave and I booted up and walked down to them ... now, here's the philosphical question this creates for me ... if you're the only one who makes it to the right car park, while four other car-loads of people arrive at the wrong car park, does that mean you are in the wrong? Four car-loads of people seemed to think it did, but hey, I can take it, because I KNOW I was right!

Once we'd all collected together it was time for the introductions, as we had some new bodies along for this final leg of our 365challenge 3 Peaks walk. "Old hands" (and completing their 3rd Peak) Karen, Fred, Oli, Dave and I were joined by Al, Lewis, Danielle, Mitch, Paul, and, making up the numbers (;-D), the 300miles guys, Lee and Garry, who had driven over from Edinburgh that morning, setting off at 5 am. Also there was Paul's wife, Audrey, who is another of the 365ers, and their two boys, Gareth and Elliott - Audrey and the boys joined us for the first bit of the walk, but were then going off to find other exciting things to do. So off we went, and in no time at all, the growing heat of the day was making itself felt, with everyone doing variations on the theme of impressions of Andy Roddick after 5 sets against Federer (all right then ... if I have to, I'll explain: sweating so much it was dripping off us - nice!).

The main path up Ben Nevis is well marked and laid out, but it's a steady slog, and very busy. The group split occasionally, with Lee taking the lead like an excitable puppy (he's far too fit for his own good), having to be hauled back occasionally by Garry, or, more creatively, by Lewis, who craftily engineered it so that he let his rucksack tumble down a steep slope at one point just so that Lee could have something new to occupy himself with while the rest of us caught up!

Al was feeling a little under the weather, which was a little worrying, but he was determined to keep going, and paced himself carefully all the way up and down. Fred was also soon suffering, with her hips once again causing her a great deal of pain, but I've met few people as determined as she is, and however long it was going to take, she was going to bag "The Ben" (which we can now offically call it, having climbed it, I believe).

I think we were all helped along the way immensely by the wonderful views that opened up to us across every ridge, especially as we had seen so little of Scafell Pike or Snowdon, and over the next 3.5 hours, we all made it to the summit of this great mountain, all 4409 ft/1344 m of it. The summit was quite busy, but that didn't take away from the spectacular 360 degree views that greeted us. It's only when you get the chance to see the cliffs along the north of the summit that you can appreciate just how dangerous this mountain must be in poor conditions, so we felt incredibly lucky to be able to take all of this in safely as we sat having lunch and grabbing what photos we could.

Then it was the long slog down, with the afternoon sun making itself well and truly felt as we plodded down the rocky south-westerly-facing path. Interestingly, towards the bottom, I noticed no-one was complaining too loudly when we reached the Achintee Car Park (the correct car park) and I directed them into the Ben Nevis Inn that was conveniently waiting for us, to slake our thirsts and catch up with Audrey and the boys. When Audrey then produced a bottle of champagne and cups to celebrate the completion of the 365challenge 3 Peaks adventure, it marked the occasion perfectly.

Afterwards, it was off to our various accommodations to rest and clean up before meeting again at the Grog and Gruel for a pint, followed by dinner together at a local Indian restaurant, whose name I've forgotten, but where much chat was to be had, ending with a surprise candle-festooned (okay, single-candle-decorated) dessert for Danielle to celebrate her 27th birthday.

From there, it was across the road to another Ben Nevis bar (hey, that makes 3 Ben Nevis' in one day, is that a record? Probably not up in Fort William!), where we spent the rest of the evening, enjoying the company and watching Mitch and some eastern european guy take turns to claim ownership of the pool table. Quote of the night may belong to this mystery man who, when Mitch asked him where he got his jeans, replied simply "In a shop!"

Our numbers gradually faded away over the course of the night, with me finally taking my leave of Lee and Garry at around 12.15, after a final drop of malt to toast the day. Garry later posted on facebook that he and Lee closed the town down at around 2 am, so I guess us 365ers haven't quite got the stamina of those young 300milers, eh! Next morning saw me feeling incredibly well, if a little tired.

Following another lovely breakfast from Christine, Dave and I packed the car and headed south, and discovered that there ARE actually mountains in the Highlands, as the drive through this time was beautifully clear. Despite the lack of torrential rain (apart from a real beauty of a downpour somewhere on the M6, where it was almost impossible to see the road markings), it still took almost 7 hours to get back to Chester, where we were able to take in the epic 5th set from the Wimbledon Final.

Dave headed off then to face another 3 hour drive back to Reading. Monday dawned, and I woke feeling as tired and achey as Roddick must have felt, but more than content to know that I have completed another milestone along the way to finishing my 365challenge year. The problem is that I've finished all that I'd originally set out to do (and more!), with still 2 months of my 365challenge year left, so now I have to fill the remaining time with a final challenge. I've decided to cover the width of the country at Hadrian's Wall, some 84 miles/135 Km in distance ... and then I will be done ... or will I?

Row the Thames for the 365challenge - DONE!

2009-06-28T15:58:00.004+01:00

This morning, June 28th 2009 - and TWO MONTHS ahead of schedule - I completed the fourth of the four original challenges that I set out to tackle for my 365challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK!

I "rowed" the final 12 Km of my "Row the (346 KM-long) Thames", having already "climbed" the height of the 3 Peaks (3407 metres), "swum"" the Channel (35.4 Km), and "cycled" the distance from Lands End to John O'Groats (1600 KM) - completing each distance virtually in my gym, cumulatively building up the distances over the past 10 months.

It's been incredibly rewarding personally, but even more importantly, the 365challenge has generated interest from others who are undertaking their own 365challenges now for this very important cause, and our fund-raising so far is sitting at around the £20,000-mark, a wonderful amount to have raised, but one that I know will grow as others take on this challenge for themselves - if you want to be one of them, then please do feel free to contact me on colin@365challenge.co.uk. Or if you'd prefer to make a donation in recognition of the effort I've put into this, then please click on the "Donate" button on the Justgiving panel to the right of this blog.

But I am not done yet, of course ... on top of the original four challenges, I decided to take on the 3 Peaks "in the flesh" and so far have climbed both Snowdon and Scafell Pike (in atrocious conditions - read about those efforts by clicking on each mountain), and I will complete this additional challenge this coming Saturday, July 4th, when I and a group of about 8 or 9 other 365ers and supporters tackle Ben Nevis ... and believe me when I say I am desperate for some decent mountain weather ... please ... just this last time!

But with all the challenges done, and time to spare in my 365challenge year, I need to come up with something to fill the final 2 months of my 365challenge. I've had some suggestions and one or two ideas are taking my fancy, so ... I'll announce which one I plan to take on as my final 365challenge very soon ... watch this space.

In the meantime ... paraphrasing the great Sir Steve Redgrave ... if you see me go near a rowing machine again, you have permission to shoot me ... God, am I glad that's over!

stroke, stroke ...shake ... stroke, stroke ...

2009-06-16T22:27:00.003+01:00

Bloody hell, this rowing lark is tough going.

I've been digging deep and knocking off more Kms on my "row the Thames" element of the 365challenge, and I've got a goal that I'm working towards now: complete the rowing by the end of the month (June) so that, effectively, I can complete the final part of my 365challenge on July 4th by climbing, in the flesh, the wonderful mountain that is Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in all of the UK and Ireland!

Only 64 Km left on"the river", and recently, I've been targeting 10Km per visit (mostly), so the end of the month is an achievable target. But it is taking its toll, and not because it's causing me to feel particularly tired by it all - no really, I actually find it quite doable: stroke, stroke, stroke ... get up a good rhythm, keep it steady, listen to good music on my iPod and the Kms flow by (sorry!). But its the old numb hands business that is causing me the greatest difficulty.

Regular readers will know that my tumour was on my left arm, and when they removed it, they took out a strand of muscle. All seems well on the arm now, which is great, but it seems that the intrusive surgery and radiotherapy has meant that sometimes the flow of fluid through the arm isn't as smooth as it could be, and the resulting build-up puts pressure on the nerves, which effectively results in my losing feeling in my fingers and hand if I put a lot of pressure on the arm - for example, by rowing a lot!

So ... rowing 10Km has been complicated by this. Some days I can manage 5 or 6 Km before I have to stop and shake out my hand and massage the fingers to get the circulation going again, and can then get back to rowing. Some days, like today, it seemed to be every 2.5Km, which was a real pain in the a*se (or lack of pain in the hand!), and that meant that the whole distance took considerably longer than it should have. But, hey, there are worse things in the world! I'll keep plugging away, stroking and shaking: I'll get my Kms done and complete my Thames row well ahead of target.

And that is the next issue ... I know I said at the start of this post that I'll have finished all of my 365challenges by July 4th - and I believe that I will have - but that is way ahead of schedule, as I'm not due to complete my 365challenge year until August 31st 2009.

So how can I fill the remaining nearly-2 months ...?
All suggestions gratefully received!

365challenge at the Edinburgh Marathon ...

2009-06-12T19:55:00.006+01:00

I know it was nearly two weeks ago, but I've only just had details through on this "breaking news" story!

So ... let's hear it for Anouska Watkins, one of the first of my 365ers, who, on Sunday May 31st, one of the hottest days of the year so far, completed the Edinburgh Marathon. You can read about Anouska's 365challenge on her website here: Anouska's 365challenge.

The Edinburgh marathon was really tough in the blistering heat, especially when they ran out of water after mile 15 until mile 23 - 5000 people didn't finish! (read the BBC website story here). Anouska tells stories of having to pick empty water bottles up off the ground and then queue with other runners at public conveniences to try to fill them around the mile 20 mark.The organisers need to take a very serious look at themselves after that fiasco.

UPDATE: Anouska has just emailed me to tell me that the organisers of the marathon emailed her to tell her that the water shortage was due ... to THEFT! And that it wasn't that 5000 dropped out, but that 5000 (of the 13000 expected) didn't start!

Anouska tells me that she was kept going though by the thought of her family waiting at the 24 mile marker to cheer her on, and given the conditions and an ankle injury that threatened to put her off the road altogether, her finish time for her first marathon of 4 hrs 53mins wasn't too shabby at all, especially when, as Anouska said "there were so many people passed out on the side of the road with heat exhaustion, it was scary".

Truly, I am impressed Anouska, that was some feat. And even more impressed that you had the wherewithal to make sure that you had a photo taken with your medal in the 365challenge t-shirt ... a true star, cheers!

That was, as I say, Anouska's first full marathon, but since she started her 365challenge year on November 2nd 2008, she has completed the marathon distance 16 times (she was only aiming for 12 over the year!). Wonderful effort.

But she's not finished there, folks, as the next part of her 365challenge is to take on the Lands End to John O'Groats cycle ride - in the flesh - later this summer, joining a friend who was planning to do it, so she just thought she might join in too! She's off over the coming couple of weekends for training rides around Leeds and Abergavenny (lots of hills!).

Add to that the fact that she's a quarter of the way down the River Dee on the other part of her 365challenge, and you'll begin to understand that Anouska is truly dedicated to this cause, which she took on in memory of her friend Debbie, who lost her battle with cancer at the too young age of 27, in 2006, and who would have celebrated her 30th birthday this year, alongside Anouska.

Anouska's dedication has also lead her to be the star in the 365challenge fund-raising crown too, with her total so far sitting at a whopping £8782, even better than me!! She's always happy to have more support, of course, so if you can, drop along to her Just Giving page and give her another boost!

Fantastic effort, Anouska. I hope to catch up with you soon to say well done as well as a big thank you too. Cheers!

Scafell Pike - 2nd peak of the 365challenge: done!

2009-06-07T21:22:00.009+01:00

The actual 3 Peaks challenge phase of the 365challenge - as opposed to the virtual version, which I completed on the first day of my 365challenge year - was an add-on element, because I felt that I really needed to do even more to earn my sponsors support. I figured I'd do a peak a month from May to July, in the hope that by timing my climbs to occur at this time of year, conditions would be relatively good and my rusty navigation skills wouldn't need to be tested too far.

If you've read my Snowdon report, then you'll know that things didn't quite go that way for the first climb, with dreadful conditions throughout the day.

So, in the weeks running up to the Scafell Pike climb, with temperatures hitting records for the year, it's fair to say that I was hoping for a better day, one where we - myself and my 365er colleagues and other supporters - might actually enjoy the views from the top of one of the most spectacular mountains in the UK. How could we not?

Well it seems that it was not to be ... and given that Ben Nevis has only 1 day in 10 clear, it's not looking good for the final leg either!

Seriously though, the rest of the group may never trust me again to arrange a hike because yesterday (June 6th) the conditions on Scafell Pike were truly awful: sleet and horizontal rain on top, with snow on the ground. What's going on?

We gathered at Seathwaite at around 9.00 am, with drizzle. Liz came along with her daughter Esme and her friend Cara, but sadly, they found the going quite hard and we agreed after 1 Km of climbing that they would take a shorter route while the other eight of us - Al, Karen, Dave, Lesley, Oli, Fred, Pete and myself - moved on. A

s it turned out, however, Liz proved to have wonderful leadership and motivation skills and she's just emailed me to tell me that all three of them completed the FULL WALK, making it to the top of Scafell Pike, singing songs and counting steps to keep going ... though, as the conditions worsened towards the top, I think Liz did wonder what on earth she had gotten in to!

But hats off to you Liz, Esme and Cara, for completing a really tough walk in truly horrible conditions. I really hope we can walk a mountain together another time.

Our route headed up the Corridor Route from Styhead Tarn. The path is well-marked so even as the weather turned, my map-reading wasn't tested too heavily, but I was really pleased to have Al along too when I learned that he examines mountain leadership candidates. We stopped for lunch on the col below Scafell Pike, all climbing into Al's survival tent, which for some proved almost too comfortable, as the climb immediately afterwards up onto the summit of Scafell Pike felt a little tougher.

The top was, in a word, miserable. Horizontal rain and sleet, with snow on the ground in places, and as for the view ... well, there was a brief moment when the cloud cleared enough to allow us to see down to Wast Water, which was spectacular. But it wasn't a place to loiter, so off we headed down to the col below Broad Crag. The plan had been to head over that, but as conditions were poor, and Fred was suffering with hip pain, I decided to cut down to the Corridor Route again. The inital descent here was a little steep, but we managed it quite well, and from there really the rest of the walk was fairly straightforward ... long and cold and wet, but just a case of putting one foot in front of another until we finally came through the welcoming gates at Seathwaite Farm.

It's always good to get down from a mountain after you've been wet, cold and tired, but the sense of achievement on this walk was great for everyone, as we'd all had to cope with tough conditions. We all faced a long drive home, but we headed off, knowing that whatever Ben Nevis chooses to throw at us on July 4th, we're up for it and will conquer our third and highest of the British 3 peaks on the day. And of course, despite its reputation, there is always an outside chance that we could get some nice weather for a change - surely we deserve it by now!

See more photos of the walk by clicking on the photo, below, of me holding my 365challenge t-shirt up to the elements at the summit:

Scafell Pike

Thanks everyone who's been along for this 365challenge with me, it's been great so far, and I'm looking forward to the next one ... see you in Fort William.

Lands End to John O'Groats ... DONE!

2009-05-25T11:24:00.005+01:00

Hooray!! This morning, a beautiful, sunny, UK Bank Holiday morning, after taking Susie, our Golden Labrador, out for her early morning walk, I decided that it was time to wrap up another part of my 365challenge for Cancer research UK ... the Lands End to John O'Groats bit ... a distance of 1600 Km that I have been steadily chipping away over the past months.

So, rather than go to the gym and rattle away on one of the stationary bikes in there, I climbed on my mountain bike and took to the cycleways and backroads around Chester. It was a really great ride: warm sunshine, even at that early hour of the morning, and lovely countryside, friendly greetings from fellow cyclists and dog walkers, and overall, a sense that all is good with the world. And with judicious management of my route, taking my lead from my on-board tracker/computer-thingy, I comfortably completed the final 25 Km required to be able to tick off the LEJOG part of my 365challenge with still 3 months and 1 week to go of my 365challenge year! What a great feeling as I came along the final kilometre, knowing that I'd achieved another of my 365challenge goals.

What's left to do?

Oh yeah, 150 Km Thames rowing still to go and 2 of the 3 Peaks (one each in June and July), but you know what, I think I may still have to add a further element to my 365challenge as, at this rate, I'll have this wrapped up well ahead of my target closing date of August 31st 2009 ... or will I? The rowing is going to be hard because of my arm, so maybe that'll mean I take it down to the wire, but I guess that's what keeps this interesting for me - setting and hitting goals as I go along. Let's see how things pan out over the next month or so - that'll give me a clear idea of just what is achieveable ... watch this space!

75 Km to go to complete my LEJOG

2009-05-21T22:00:00.004+01:00

I had intended posting after my last visit to the gym, cos that's when I got to the 100 Km left on the cycling leg of my 365challenge - when I'd covered 1500 Km of the 1600 km that makes up the Lands End to John O'Groats route - but I forgot!

So ... only 75 Km left after todays effort! And I think, after all this time, I can claim that I'm getting fitter! I felt really good on the bike in the gym today, so "went for it", and managed to complete the 25 Km (that's my visit tartget each time) in a personal best time of 41 minutes 56 seconds! Now I know it's on a bike in a gym and I'd never achieve that kind of speed on a road bike, but hey, I reckon that was pretty good. I think I knocked about three minutes off my usual average time. Got my heart rate up to 175, so I promise you, I was pedalling hard!

Now three more visits to the gym should mean that I've completed another part of my challenge, leaving "just" 150 Km on the rowing machine and the two mountains - Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis - to be climbed, and still 3 months of my 365challenge year to go.

What do you reckon, should I stick a marathon on at the end, just to make sure I have something to do?!!!

No honestly, this is the top of Snowdon ...

2009-05-10T20:45:00.015+01:00

After 8 months of gym-based endeavours with my 365challenge, I decided it was time to take the show on the road, and tackle a couple of challenges in the flesh, so to speak. I've already "climbed" the height of the 3 peaks on the Stairmaster in the gym, but that felt like a bit of a cheat, so I decided to climb the 3 peaks for real, one a month, starting yesterday, with Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales, at 1085m/3560 ft.

Once I announced that, several people got in touch, saying they'd like to climb some hills too, so the plan started coming together, and yesterday, there were 8 of us, including 3 other 365ers - Fred, Peter and Karen, along with Dave, Lesley, Lewis, Oliver, and of course, ME!

I know Snowdon quite well, so I knew that the car park at Pen-y-Pass, where we were starting from, got full very early, so I made myself extremely popular by telling everyone they had to be there for 7.30 am - as several of us had a 1.45 hour drive to the start, that went down well ... but seeing as we got a couple of the last parking places there, I think I was vindicated! Anyway, the forecast for better(!) weather in the morning, and it's always good to get an early start on the hills.

We headed up the Pyg Track and made really good time as we climbed above Lyn Llydaw, making sure not to turn up onto the Crib Goch - a challenging route at the best of times, but in yesterday's low cloud and high winds, it would have been suicidal (though some folk were heading up that way!). The rain was intermittent, but okay, but as we climbed higher, the wind got a lot stronger and the going got a little toughter! We climbed into cloud as we got to the junction of the Pyg and Miner's tracks, and then the real climbing started as we hit the Zig Zags that lead up to the ridge that takes you to the summit.

The group worked well together, supporting each other over the harder parts and spirits were good as we crested the final ridge, where we got hit by really powerful gusts of wind that left some of us reeling! The rain was still on and off, but it seemed to be horizontal in that wind, as we were hit by sharp pinpoints of rain that meant much of the walking was done with heads down, watching feet and leaning into the wind just so we could stay on our feet. Not that there was much of a view up there ... visibility was around 20 - 30 metres at times.

Once we made it to the top and touched that marker that proved we'd made it, it was down to the relative shelter of the station wall for some provisions. But people were getting cold, so we didn't really hang around too long, and soon we were heading back down ... and it as a relief to head back down the Zig Zags out of the worst of the wind ... though it was still heavy going, and we frequently had to brace ourselves against the rocks to let the gust die away.

We headed down the Miner's Track (after a brief diversion down a stream!), and left the cloud behind as we got down to Glaslyn. From there it's a long, relatively easy, trail back to the car park, which we reached after about 5 hours walking in total, a pretty good time for that route in those terrible conditions, I reckon!

There was a steady stream of people on the mountain despite the conditions, but I have to say, some people do not dress for the conditions. We saw some people in trainers and jeans, and even, as we got back to the car park we met two girls who asked us to point them towards the Pyg Track ... one was dressed in tracksuit bottoms and light trainers, while the other, though she had boots on, was in jeans ... and full make-up! Now, there's nothing wrong with wearing makeup on the hills, but jeans and trainers in those conditions is asking for trouble: once you're wet, you stay wet, and cold, and miserable! I hope they got sense and made their way home to try another day!

As for us ... well, you can't climb Snowdon without winding down at Pete's Eats cafe in Llanberis, over a pint of tea and a humongous plate of chips ... and so that's what we did too ... a great way to finish off what had been a challenging day on the mountain. You can see more photos of the trip by clicking through on the photo link here:

Snowdon

Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a great day. It's Scafell Pike next - on June 6th - and we're looking forward to that, but let's hope for slightly better conditions next time!

How did it get to the end of Month 8?

2009-04-30T19:48:00.003+01:00

April 30th 2009 ... today marks the last day of Month 8 of my 365challenge year ... hasn't that flown by?

I've been plugging away, knocking off the miles quietly and continuing to promote the 365challenge where I can, whilst also planning my mountaineering adventures ... oh, and fitting in a day job that's been getting busier of late ... damn it, don't they realise I've got a 365challenge to be getting on with!

Fund-raising has slowed down admittedly, but hey, I can't complain too much, as I'm just £131.50 short of achieving £7300, which would mark twice my original target! Not too shabby, eh? Though I guess I'd have to admit that I'm secretly harbouring a hope that I might get close to the £10000 mark by the end of my personal 365challenge year ... oops, I've gone and let the cat out of the bag on that one ... keep it to yourselves, okay, but ... feel free to pass it on to anyone you think might be interested in sponsoring me a bit!! They can go to my Justgiving Page to add their support.

And speaking of Justgiving, they have been part of my promotional efforts this past month and I'm really pleased to announce that they have taken up the 365challenge cause. They've just featured me on their very own blog, which you can read here: 365challenge on Justgiving - it's a really good piece and hopefully will help draw in some more people who might like to take on the 365challenge for themselves.

As for where I'm up to with my 365challenge ... I've got just 250 Km left on the bike and 150 Km left on the rowing machine, so it is all very doable now. My plan is to finish the cycling by the end of May, and then concentrate on clearing the rowing in the final 3 months. And of course, we hit the mountains soon ... Snowdon on May 9th, if anyone would like to join us ... email me on colin@365challenge.co.uk if you fancy it.

365 x 365ers ... have you got what it takes?

2009-04-15T08:46:00.002+01:00

Hi Everyone
I've been wondering ... are there some of my readers out there thinking about taking on the 365challenge for yourselves, but maybe haven't felt that you wanted to commit to it just yet? If so, that's fine, but I wonder if maybe you could just give me a heads up as to what you might be planning or what obstacles you feel you're facing, so that together we might be able to move it on for you - if that's what you want!

I'm asking because I really feel that I need to develop the 365challenge more than I have already, because this cause is just too important not to. I've mentioned this goal previously, but now want to work more focused with it - I now want to help 365 people develop their very own 365challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK - or if you're based outside the UK, for your local Cancer Research charity.

If every one of the 365 365ers I'm looking for set a goal of raising £3650 across their 365challenge year, that adds up to £1.3 Million for Cancer Research! How amazing would it be to be a part of that sort of a success? And what if all 365 365ers only raised £1000 each, what a shame, that would ONLY add up to £365000 for Cancer Research.

Whatever the final amount, it all adds up to a WIN-WIN situation for Cancer Research UK and the 365challenge ... so what do you reckon ... does that help you in your thinking about whether or not you might take this on? Have you got what it takes ...? I know that many of you have ...

Please post your comments and lets see how far we can drive the 365challenge forward ... together, we can beat cancer!

All the best
Colin

getting back on track ... tweet, tweet

2009-04-13T20:04:00.004+01:00

Another lengthy gap between posts ... it's not that I haven't wanted to write, but work kept getting in the way (apparently, it's good to be busy at work when you have your own business ... but I have my doubts sometimes ...!) ... but that meant that I wasn't getting to the gym, and wasn't moving things forward as intended with the old 365challenge.

Work continues to be busy, but I've gotten myself a bit better organised now and have managed to knock off a few more Kms over the weekend. I've now got just 400 KM left on the bike ... (could I finish that by the end of May? Am I setting myself a goal there that is achievable? Don't know, but I'll have a shot at it!) ... and 160 Km left on the rowing machine ... that will definitely NOT be completed by the end of May, but, hey, I've got another 3 months after that in my 365challenge year to crack the Thames, so I am confident all will be well by the end of August ... and of course I'll have bagged Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis by then too, so ... GO ME!! And the growing band of wonderful folk who are planning on coming along with me for one, some or all of the mountains!

Funds keep coming in, and it will be great to reach the 200% mark of £7300 (that's 200% of original target goal of £3650) - still £223 to go, but I'll get there, I'm sure.

What I have been doing however (admittedly, sometimes at some cost to my work focus ... you see, it can get a bit addictive ...), is Tweeting on Twitter - you can find me there as 365er.

And it's been a great opportunity to connect with like-minded folk, some doing amazing things of charity ... as well as some complete numpties (though good for a laugh) and some truly lovely folk who are just being themselves ... and when they are celebrities, who just come across as soooo nice and normal, that's a bonus!

But also through Twitter, I have connected with some people who I believe will help me move the 365challenge forward, so on that level, it's been very much worth it. I hope soon to be able to announce details of one of these collaborations, which I'm really happy about ... it should give the 365challenge a profile boost, and maybe draw in some more participants (and even some money).

The other connection may take a little more time to come to fruition, but again, if it does work out ... well, I think it will be a VERY GOOD THING for the 365challenge ... watch this space ... or follow me on twitter to be right in the loop, and maybe even a little ahead of the game!

End of Month 7 ... what's been going on?

2009-03-31T21:27:00.003+01:00

Welcome to Month 7’s update on the 365challenge, and wouldn’t you know it, there’s a lot to tell!

My 365challenge has been rolling on … I’ve hit the 1100 KM mark on the Bike Ride, which puts me around Glasgow on my travels, with just 500 KM to go, in my last 5 months. My rowing down the Thames has been a little slower, admittedly, because of the on-going numbness in my hand, but I have just hit the halfway mark, 173 KM, which is great …

And the fund-raising pot has hit TWO significant milestones … my own sponsorship support has been wonderful, and this month I hit the £7000 mark, which is astonishing, and I am truly humbled by all of your backing, thank you so much. Not to be ungrateful, however, while this is all great, I still hope to raise even more, so if you’ve been meaning to get round to sponsoring me and add to this pot, you still can – just pop along to my Just Giving Page

The other milestone has been achieved with the support of the other 365ers out there who have started their own 365challenges and fund-raising … when I checked the other day, I was delighted to see that their earnings have cumulatively taken the 365challenge total to more than £10000 for Cancer Research UK … and seeing that they have only started out, there should be much more to come …!

I’ve also now set the dates for my actual, additional, 3 Peaks climbs … along with a small group of other 365ers and friends. If anyone else fancies joining us for one, two or all three of these adventures, we’d love to have you along, so get the dates in your diaries. Email me on colin@365challenge.co.uk to let me know you’re up for it, and I’ll send you more details.

So ... the dates are:

SNOWDON: May 9th

SCAFELL PIKE: June 6th

BEN NEVIS: July 4^th

Thanks again for all of your support for the 365challenge. Keep in touch with my progress by following this blog or Follow Me on Twitter.com, as @365er

All the best for now

Colin

halfway up the Thames ...

2009-03-29T22:10:00.004+01:00

Regular readers will know that I've been having some problems with the rowing part of my challenge ... quick aside to bring you newbies up-to-speed ... you see, my tumour was on my left forearm and now when I row, after a few Km, my hand goes numb, which doesn't really make hanging on to the "oar" particularly easy, so I have to stop, meaning that my progress has been slower than I had hoped.

ANYWAY, I noticed that I was only 10KM off the halfway mark for this part of my challenge, and so, given that today (Sunday, March 29th) is also the day of the Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race (big thing here in the UK), I decided to go for it ... in the end, I did have to stop four times to shake my hand out and get the circulation going again, but I stuck with it and completed my 10KM ... so, I have now hit the halfway point on the Thames, with five months left in my 365challenge year to get the rest of way!

That may sound like I'm off-target, but I have pretty much knocked off the other parts of the challenge (okay, I do have 500KM still to go on the bike, but that'll be fairly straightforward enough, honest!), so I'll have more time to focus on this rowing lark!

Oh hold on a minute, haven't I gone and decided to take on the 3 Peaks again, in person, so to speak ... well, I guess I'll be pretty fit and/or knackered at the end of this thing, but hey, we'll have raised a bucket load of dosh for Cancer Research (£10000+ so far when you add in the other 365ers efforts too), so ... bring it on!!

Rob's ready to raise a glass (and the rest) ...

2009-03-27T05:08:00.004Z

Remember Rob, the Cider King from a few posts ago?

Well, he's only gone and got himself some press coverage down there in the Hereford Times ... read more of his story here.

He's got a great challenge starting on April 1st (no, it's for real, honest), so best of luck with all your efforts Rob, and readers, do please feel free to support him - you can leave comments here or visit his website.

He's looking good in the 365challenge t-shirt too, if I do say so myself ...

Another important 365 milestone ... breaking through £10000

2009-03-26T12:11:00.003Z

You know I recommend using Just Giving as the best way to sponsor the 365challenge, right? Well, I send all those who decide to take on the 365challenge instructions as to how to set up their own Just Giving page too.

Several of them have let me know when they've done this (and I then include links to their pages on a page on my website: meet the 365'ers), though there are still a a couple who have been shy about promoting their efforts ... hopefully that'll change over time?

But, the thing is, there are these other folk out there undertaking wonderful challenges for their very own 365challenges for Cancer Research UK, and they are building up the pot of money that is being raised for this very important cause.

I've just (nosily) flicked through the Just Giving pages I'm aware of for 7 of us 365'ers, and am really excited to be able to announce that cumulatively, we have just broken through the £10000 raised barrier! The total (including my own £7000, I know, I know) is sitting at £10030 just now, and given that these guys have only fairly recently taken this on, and that there are at least another 10 365'ers out there, with more hopefully coming on board as this idea grows, this pot can only grow and grow!

Well done everyone, and for those 365'ers who have yet to set up their Just Giving page, do please have a look at mine, then give it a go yourself, and don't forget to tell EVERYONE what you're doing!

Just how LONG is the Thames ...?

2009-03-20T19:49:00.002Z

Six months and three weeks into my 365challenge for Cancer Research UK ...

And I know I've achieved a lot of my targets already ...

But ...

Just how bloody long IS the Thames?

After all this time, I've only covered 147 Km, and only just broken the 200 Km to go mark (199 Km left now) ...

Has there been a particularly high and constant Spring tide, pushing me back up??

milestones ...

2009-03-17T18:19:00.006Z

Firstly, it's Paddy's Day, so salutations to all my fellow Irishmen and women, home and abroad ... I'll be heading out for a glass or two of black Irish gold a little later on to mark the day.

I've got two milestones to note in today's blog, one 365challenge related, one not, but significant to me, nevertheless!

The first of these relates to my ever-growing total. Yesterday, I hit the wonderful figure of £7000 in my fund-raising pot for Cancer Research UK, thanks to a donation by a dear old friend, Elmer Wolff, in California, and then, following a blatant shout-out on Facebook and Twitter for the £35.43 that I needed to reach £7000, the delightful Debs, another 365'er, coughed up to help me reach that milestone. I'm overjoyed and overwhelmed by the support, but I'm not going to stop just yet, and I have new targets in my sights ... next up will be £7300, which will mark 200% of my original target of £3650, and I know that it's within reach, so ... don't be shy, kind reader, if you want to contribute via my Just Giving page ...!

The other milestone relates to Paddy's Day and an event 24 years ago today that changed the course of my life, and as such, is one I mark and will toast tonight.

You see, on Paddy's Day 1985, your intrepid hero (ha!) was stomping across the Wicklow Mountains, south of Dublin, as was his wont, while back at his flat in that wonderful city, a low-life was paying an unauthorised visit ... so that when I returned, I discovered that I had, almost literally, been cleaned out ... everything I valued was gone. Not good. But, I was insured, which was my saviour, and the nice insurance company called me about a month later to tell me that they were going to settle my claim with a healthy sum with which I could rebuild my world ...

And I could have, but ... at that point, I wasn't enjoying my work, in an advertising agency, and I suddenly saw a way out ... no possessions, single and a wad of cash in my pocket! Next day, I resigned my job ... and set about planning to travel. Which I did, spending 2 years travelling, first west across Canada, then south to San Francisco, from where via a combination of events, I ended up working on an almond farm in Central California, owned by a cousin of the previously-mentioned Elmer (it all links up eventually!), then back east to New York, where I spent a wonderful year, before realising that I wanted more, and that more turned out to be to study psychology in Wales, meeting my wife Donna, in the process, and taking the career direction that lead me to where I am today ...

So, while I'd love to ask that burglar what he did with some of my rare vinyl back then in 1985, I'd also like to shake his hand and thank him for being the catalyst for the life I now live and all that has happened in-between ...

Life turns on such events ... slainte!

1000 KM down, "just" 600 Km (read Scotland) to go ...

2009-03-15T11:42:00.003Z

It's been a fractured month in the gym, with the day job getting very busy and long days in the office leaving me with either too little time for my 365challenge or too tired to face the gym after slogging in front of a PC writing reports. I've been feeling it and all the more so, as I knew that there was an important milestone (kilometre-stone just doesn't have the right ring to it, does it?) looming ...

The good news is that this morning, I dragged myself off to Total Fitness at 8.00 am, despite a Saturday of copious beers, enjoying Liverpool thump Man U (sorry Peter, but it WAS a thumping!) and Ireland continue their drive towards the Grand Slam, and I finally knocked off the 25 Km on the bike that took me to the 1000 Km mark in the Lands End-John O'Groats part of my 365challenge. I'm more or less at Carlisle now, with just the entire length of Scotland to go (600 Km), with loads of time (5.5 months) left of the 365challenge year.

I'll get back to more regular gym-ing shortly, so I do expect to complete this part of the challenge within a few months, leaving "just" the slog on the rowing machine to get me another 207 KM along the Thames, and now, of course, there is also the small matter of 3 wonderful peaks in Wales, England and Scotland to drag myself and a select group of 365challenge supporters up between May and July.

Who's idea was all this again?

recognition for 365challenge ...

2009-03-11T09:08:00.002Z

The drive towards world-wide recognition of the 365challenge continues apace ...

Well, okay then, maybe that's a bit optimistic, but I guess at least my efforts to get the 365challenge recognised formally by Cancer Research UK are moving forward well!

CRUK have supported me on the front line from early on in the 365challenge, with the Area Volunteer Managers (AVMs) getting behind promoting 365challenge to their fund-raising supporters, with some progress now as new 365'ers come on board from this, which is great.

Regular readers will may recall also that I mentioned that I was hopeful of presenting the 365challenge to the board of CRUK earlier in the year ... well, I still hope that will come off, but in the meantime, CRUK have actually, publicly, recognised the 365challenge by adding it to their "Support Us" section of the website, where people looking to take on some activity to support CRUK will often go looking for inspiration ... so, hopefully, some of them will find their way to the 365challenge through this ... here's the link - 365@CRUK -hopefully, they'll add the logo shortly too!

Slow steps forward as the 365challenge grows and grows ... stay tuned for more soon.

Meet Rob ... 365's cider king!

2009-03-09T20:41:00.004Z

A couple of months ago, I got a call from Rob, a Cancer Research UK supporter down in Hereford. He'd heard of the 365challenge, and he wanted a piece of the action! Having lost several family members and friends to cancer, he wanted to do something to help CRUK, so when he learned about the 365challenge from his Area Volunteer Manager (AVM), Linda, he knew he'd found just the thing!

Rob McLellan is our oldest (so far) 365'er at 61 years young. He has taken time to sort out his 365challenges (this is not a decision anyone should take on a whim, it takes real commitment) , but now he has set some really great challenges, starting April 1st 2009.

Being based in Hereford, he's going to Row the Length of the River Wye (251 Km), cover the round trip distance from Hereford-Cardiff-London-Edinburgh-Hereford (1540 Km) on the cross trainer and treadmill, and most wonderful of all, in honour of Herefordshire's cider traditions, he's going to:

Raise the Equivalent of 36,500 Gallons of Cider (166 tonnes), by doing 13271 Single Arm Curls, using a 12.5 Kg weight!!!

Brilliant!

Follow Rob's progress on his 365challenge website, and if you can, sponsor his efforts on his Just Giving page.

This is the kind of creativity and energy that makes the 365challenge such a blast ... anyone can take part, designing challenges that fit with their interests and abilities, and at the same time, raise awareness about Cancer Research UK and much-needed funds to support their very important work.

... so come on then, what's your 365challenge going to be?

Off to the hills with the 365challenge ...

2009-03-08T15:41:00.005Z

I've mentioned somewhere earlier that, having "knocked off" the 3 peaks at the start of my 365challenge (I completed the climb of their combined heights on the Stairmaster on the 1st day), I had got to thinking that I might like to take them on in the flesh, so to speak ... not all at once, as the full 3 Peaks challenge is normally, but at a more leisurely one a month, from May to July.

Well, it's getting serious now. I've polled everyone who had expressed an interest in joining me for these, and as best I could, I've set dates for the three mountains that will allow most of this elite group of eejits make at least two if not all three of the ascents ... it should mean that there will be a minimum of four of us (and hopefully more) on each ascent. I hope that as other people take time to consider their availability, there may be a few more stragglers joining in too ....

So ... the dates are:

SNOWDON: May 9th

SCAFELL PIKE: June 6th

BEN NEVIS: July 4th

Get those in your diary now!

Most of us are relatively local to Snowdon, so that can be a day trip ... though I'll put Dave up on the Fri/Sat night for that one (he was my best man, so I should really look after him, as he has to travel) - but if others need accommodation, I'll see what I can find out about B&Bs/hotels in the Llanberis area if you let me know you are interested in joining us.

Scafell will need one overnight on the Friday, so I'll be looking for a B&B/hotel somewhere like Nether Wasdale, which looks close-ish to the start area at Wasdale Head.

Ben Nevis will need two nights, I reckon, travelling up on the Friday, climbing on the Sat 4th, followed by a celebratory meal and "toasts", and travelling home on the Sunday. Again, I'll start looking for accommodation at Fort William shortly.

If anyone has any recommendations for places to stay, or tips on routes up these hills, do please pass them on.

Okay then ... the 365challenge is taking to the hills, its official - of the group who have said they are coming, only Debs, Fred and I are actually doing the full year challenge, but if any of the rest of you fancy raising sponsorship for the 3 peaks for Cancer Research UK, that would be wonderful ... you can find out about registering with them, etc., here: http://supportus.cancerresearchuk.org/fundraisingpacklibrary and my website has lots of tips on fund-raising, etc -in fact, I'm delighted to see that Karen has already started her Just Giving page! And if you're happy to link any funds raised to the 365challenge, the appeal code with CRUK is UKCH01

365challenge ... the only way is UP!

bloggers unite ...

2009-03-07T20:09:00.005Z

Still on the theme of promoting the 365challenge, I've just signed up with the site Bloggers Unite - I'm 365er, if you're looking for me - this is a site that promotes causes and charity events through the blogs that are associated with them ... when you visit the site, type 365challenge into the event search box, and see what it's all about ... for the moment, I've entered an "event date" of April 1st, as the site doesn't seem to be able to manage a multi-start event, but that's okay, I'll just keep changing it ...

(April 1st actually marks Rob's start date, but you'll have to wait a couple more days to read about just what Rob is doing for his challenge ... it's a good 'un, I promise!)

But back to Bloggers Unite ... if you're taking the 365challenge and have started a blog, or you just mention the 365challenge within your blog ('cos it's just such a great idea and you want to promote it too), then please think about registering with Bloggers Unite and post links there to your blogs mentioning 365challenge so we can gain even more exposure for the 365challenge.

Cheers for now!

twittering on ...

2009-03-06T20:42:00.003Z

In case you haven't noticed, I'm keen on promoting this 365challenge thing, so using the old t'internet / interweb gubbins to best effect is a part of that ... hence this blog, the 365challenge website, the facebook group (365challenge for cancer research uk - go along and sign up as a supporter anytime you fancy it) and now ... twitter.com

Good old twitter is that highly addictive "what are you doing now in 140 characters" site ... you can find and follow me there as 365er, and keep tabs not only on what I'm up to day to day for the 365challenge but see how the web can promote this and other wonderful charity efforts ... as well as reading what Stephen Frys been doing on a boat in the Sea of Cortez ... no, sorry, you have to join to know, it's more than my life's worth to spill those beans!!!

C'mon, get twit it and follow me there ... I'll look out for your tweets ...!

6 months down, 6 to go ...

2009-03-01T21:36:00.006Z

March 1st 2009 ... that means I've completed half of my 365challenge year!

I've swum the channel, I've climbed the 3 peaks (once - I'll be doing it again, on the mountains for real in a couple of months time!), I've cycled almost 1000 Km, rowed over a third of the length of the Thames, and raised a potful of dosh for CRUK so far ...

But the next 6 months, well, let's just see what we can achieve over this next phase ... I certainly intend to try to raise even more money for this great cause myself, but the real goal for me is bringing as many others along with me to take their own 365challenges, become 365'ers and raise their own pots of dosh for CRUK ... want to take up the challenge? Drop me a line if you do!

100 x 1%ers ...

2009-03-01T21:14:00.003Z

How did I NOT blog about this when it happened ... my 1%ers Club hit the 100 members mark as a result of my visit to Ireland the other week ... how fantastic is that!

Over 100 people have now donated at least £36.50 to my 365challenge fund for Cancer Research UK in the last 6 months since I started this, so even if that was all that had happened over the past 6 months on the sponsorship-front, I'd have hit my target of £3650, which would be wonderful ... but the great thing is that all my wonderful supporters have been uber-generous, and and my fund-raising pot has grown to £6700, just a little short of double my original target. I hope that it will be possible to crack that figure - £7300 - over the course of the rest of my 365challenge year, in the 6 months I have left.

All your support is so very welcome and important to me, so keep following and commenting and watch how this 365challenge idea continues to grow and grow ...

energy levels set to stun!

2009-02-27T19:44:00.003Z

Had a visit today from the new Area Volunteer Manager (AVM) for CRUK (well, returning AVM, back from maternity leave) ... bloody hell, Michelle, how can a new mum have soooo much energy?

She was really excited about the 365challenge and wanted to know what she could do to help promote it ... or what challenges she could take on ... one idea was that she could "iron the height of a mountain" (something local, not kilimanjaro ... her words, honest!), by taking in ironiing from her village for a donation to CRUK!!!

And she seemed to have lots of contacts and anything I mentioned, she thought she could work with ... and true to her word, within a couple of hours of the meeting, she'd emailed me a potentially useful link for widening the scope for this thing ... CRUK, you'd better make sure you hold onto this one, 'cos with that level of enthusiasm, she'd be an asset to any organisation!

other amazing efforts ...

2009-02-23T20:52:00.004Z

Since I started into this 365challenge year, I've been blown away by the support of those folk who have taken on their own 365challenges and become 365'ers too ... I'm not going to list them all here, but you can read about their efforts on my website on the "Meet the 365'ers" page. And expect more to be added soon.

And while these guys have been doing me proud as 365'ers, I've also come to learn of other wonderful efforts that other innovative fund-raisers have been developing, and I thought I'd share their details here too ...

Paul and Andrew are working on organising "Press Up for Cancer", a two day event in May, which is now gaining international interest, it seems, where they want to get as many individuals and teams together to perform 1000 press-ups each or per team to raise money for Cancer Research UK and MacMillan Cancer Support ... brilliant idea, but not one I could attempt, I fear!

And also in May, firefighters Lee Peyton and Garry Mackay will head to the Outer Hebrides to complete a 300 mile self-supported journey from the south of the island chain to the most northerly tip, the Butt of Lewis, cycling across the islands, running to the highest point on each and kayaking between the islands in a superhuman effort to complete the challenge in under 60 hours.

Their website is really good and they are a great example of how to use t'internet to promote their 300mile challenge ... they are raising money for CLIC Sargent, the charity that supports children with cancer, and are trying to raise a staggering £25000 ... go for it guys, I'll be right behind you ... em ... in Chester ... em ... on my virtual kayak ...

... well, I'll do what I can to promote your efforts, at least, and, and stick a link on my website at some point too. As Garry has offered to join me on one of my mountain endeavours, if he can walk after his own efforts, hopefully you'll hear more of the 300mile challenge on these pages as they progress their training and take on this truly heavyweight challenge.

As I hear of other similarly wonderful ideas, I'll share them with you, and maybe you'll be inspired to have a go too! Who knows, eh?

not forgetting the team effort

2009-02-23T20:01:00.004Z

Nick also knocked off a logo for Team 365challenge, which you can access by emailing me on colin@365challenge.co.uk ...

This is for those of you who want to make a BIG, multi-person effort for your 365challenge ... get a few or a lot of bodies to join you and that way you can set a truly spectacular goal for your 365challenge year ... what about cycling round the world, or swimming/rowing the Atlantic ... or maybe running the coastline of the UK?

You are limited only by your imagination ... okay, and by your fitness levels ... and maybe by your available time ... and maybe by the number of team members ... but, hey now, stop making excuses, c'mon, get planning how you could develop your very own 365challenge team and raise a shed-load of money for this important cause ...

365ing all over the world ...

2009-02-23T19:39:00.007Z

... and I like it, I like it, I ....

Doesn't really scan, does it? Hey ho. Anyway, I've been meaning to tell you that Nick, my logo designer, has gotten round to developing some extra versions of the 365 logo for me, as I try to promote this thing internationally now.

Well, in Ireland and Australia at least, seeing as there have been positive mutterings coming out of each country that someone over there is going to take on their own 365challenge. So ... what do you think of our new Irish and Aussie versions, then?

Cool or what? If you're based in either location and you'd like to take on your own challenges for your local cancer charities, get in touch and I'll forward the logos for you to use in your promotional efforts ... it all helps to raise the profile and generate interest from the folks out there who will ultimately be our sponsors!

So in the words of the great Joey Ramone ... Hey Ho, Let's Go!

adding to the pot ...

2009-02-22T20:58:00.011Z

There I was over in Ireland to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday, when Fiona, my sister, lets me know that she has some donations from friends to add to the 365challenge collection pot!

So thank you to the girls at Carrickmacross Library (Breda, Anne and Mary), and to Betty and Bernie ...

Then Fiona announced also that her colleagues at work had made a collection before Christmas and wanted to present it to me while I was over too ... so it was off to the Monaghan Motor Tax office to meet the girls and collect a very healthy donation for Cancer Research UK. So it's a very big thank you to Marcella, Maura, Olga, Sara, Helen, Fiona, Louise, Denise, Susan, Phil, Kate and Madeline ... not everyone was there, sadly, but I managed to persuade those who were to join me for an official presentation photo ... so, meet the ladies of the Monaghan Motor Tax office:

From left to right, it's Louise, Fiona, Maura, Me(!), Sara, Helen and Olga ... thanks again ladies for your very generous donation.

And as if that wasn't enough, we arrived back from the restaurant we'd taken Dad to for his birthday meal to find an envelope through the door containing 200 Euros from my cousin Gerard and Uncle Benny for the cause!

So a big thank you to everyone in Ireland for their generosity, I brought back £473 to add to my total ... I'll have to come back again soon for more!!

back from the celebrations ...

2009-02-22T20:04:00.004Z

Another gap between blogs ... what am I like? It's been a slow blogging month, hasn't it. Sorry about that, it's just that firstly work got in the way, but just this few days, I've been back in Ireland to help my dad celebrate his 90th year ... so I think that's a reasonable excuse, really.

And what do you think about this, then ... at the celebratory meal on Friday, one of my nephews, Peter, only goes and gives me a hard time for not blogging enough ... he's been off work recently following key-hole surgery on his knee so he's had time on his hands, and wanted more to read between changing bandaids on his knee! And he's not even signed up as a follower ... c'mon, Pete, gimme a break, I've been busy!

Anyway, there will be a bit more coming along soon ...

A.W.O.L ...

2009-02-13T19:50:00.002Z

January 27th 2009 ... busy blogging and 365-ing and fitting too many things into the day and then ... Silence ...
Nada ...
Nothing ...
No calls ...
No messages ...
No word ...

365'er went A.W.O.L.

And I really have no excuse, but hopefully you'll forgive me and keep visiting!

Have I really been out of it for 17 days? Sorry about that, I guess I just didn't have much to say!

But I've continued my challenge and even spent a day down near Cheltenham, at a CRUK event called the World Cafe, promoting the 365challenge to supporters of the charity. It was a smaller event than maybe they had hoped for, but I still met some great people and generated some interest, so now I need to wait and see if those seeds take fruit!

Also been supporting Debbie and Jayne and Rob as they move their challenges forward too, so hopefully I'll have more to tell you about their adventures soon.

I think I can say that Rob seems to have hit on one very unusual part to his challenge ... he's going to "single arm curl the weight of X gallons of cider in 12.5kg reps" (X to be determined still) ... but what the heck is all that about Rob? I'm guessing that you're not suggesting that a pint of Cider weighs 12.5 Kg, now, are you Rob? (Though that WOULD be a challenge that would get a lot more people interested, especially if you could only lower the "weight" empty!!)?

Speaking of lifting weights ... I decided that as I've been spending sooo much time in the gym, that I needed to do more than just the cardio-vascular work that makes up the challenge, so I asked Adam, one of the instructors there for a weights programme to give me some variety to my visits. Now, I thought I was fairly fit and using my muscles fairly regularly ... not so, as it happens ... I completed one full cuircuit of the programme the other day, and actually felt good after it ... but 2 days later, it hit me ... hard! Oh my GOD! How can your sternum ache, please tell me? And just about every other muscle in my torso. Putting my coat on was a challenge and raising my arm to get something off a shelf! Ouch!

There was only one solution ... back to the gym and repeat ... and I'm so pleased to report that I'm feeling human again and those complaining muscles are once again aware of their roles and happy with it. But what a shock ... you forget that even though you are "exercising", you are only using a limited set of muscles, and the rest will have their say if you give them half a chance!

Lesson learned. So now need to fit blooming weight training in regularly too. What am I like ... I thought my days were full enough, but obviously there's always room for a wafer-thin mint!

Or is there?

half way to John O'Groats ...

2009-01-27T21:21:00.004Z

As we draw to the close of Month 5 of my 365challenge year, today I hit the half way point on my Lands End to John O'Groat's ride, woo-hoo!! 800 Km down, just 800 Km to go!

So that's the channel swum, the 3 Peaks climbed, half way to Scotland, and more than a third of the way down the Thames ... in 5 months ... you know what, I think I've been doing pretty well with this 365challenge-thingy, even I do say so myself! If I keep this up, I think I'll finish ahead of schedule, so now I'm beginning to wonder what else I might add to my personal challenge ... early days for this additional planning, so I'm open to suggestions ... though one possibility is that I might actually tackle the 3 Peaks in reality - but one at a time, maybe one a month from May to July. What do you think, dear reader? Suggestions welcome.

Anyone fancy joining me - I could do with someone who knows the way! I'll outline my plans for this over the coming weeks.

more press coming up for 365 ...

2009-01-27T14:43:00.004Z

Remember Debbie's press coverage recently (see January 12th blog entry)?

Well, her "Doing it daily for Duncan" local press story got picked up by a magazine called Full House (think Take a Break-style), and the artice is to appear in Issue 7, due on the newstands on February 5th ... so grab your copy and see what she's been up to ... and then, 365'ers, why not get out there and make your own news headlines!

C'mon, let's get the 365challenge more publicity and draw more people in to take their own challenges for Cancer Research UK. What could YOU do to get in the papers - within the law, please :-) - suggestions welcome via the "comments" button below!

sorry, been busy at work ...

2009-01-26T20:06:00.002Z

Been a busy week at work (and will be this week too), so I've been quiet on the blogging front. Hope you've all(!) coped.

Some good news from Total Fitness after nearly six months of chasing: they are willing to put up posters about the 365challenge in each of their gyms around the country - that's around 22 branches, I think, and if we signed up just a couple of people from each, that would be a great boost to the numbers, and the fund-raising total. Thanks Neil.

Also with Total Fitness, I've finally got a result of another sort, and managed to speak to their PR guy on Friday ... who loved my story and the plans I have for developing the 365challenge, and today, he sent me a draft of the press release he's written for approval. He hopes he can get some national press coverage, which would be fabulous! Watch this space ...

By the way, did I mention I was busy at work this last week?

it's not a competition, but this IS great ...

2009-01-18T21:08:00.004Z

I always knew that bringing other 365'ers on board to develop their own ideas and challenges would substantially increase the amount that the 365challenge ultimately raises for Cancer Research UK, over and above what I could raise myself ... so it is really rewarding to see that two of my "early adopters" have been gathering pace with their sponsorship recently.

As I say in the title of this post, it's not a competition ... but it has been great to drop by Audrey (in Scotland) and (Chester-based) Anouska's sites and their Just Giving pages to see the amounts mounting up, generally, but totally independently, keeping pace with each other. And this week, Audrey cracked the £1000 mark with her sponsorship, with Anouska very close behind, at £952 just now. How great is that .. so, A & A, thank you so much for your efforts ... your challenges are going so well ... I hope you're enjoying it too! And don't go getting competitive about it all either!

Given that so far, there are between 15 and 20 365'ers out there, started or about to, with more sure to follow ... if they can do as well as Audrey and Anouska, our joint efforts are going to add healthily to the coffers of Cancer Research UK indeed.

Anyone else want to join the party?

say it loud and say it PROUD ... "I'm a 365'er!"

2009-01-18T20:50:00.005Z

Well, I've managed to get in to the gym a few times this week, despite Susie (or work, which is getting busy again!), so I've stayed on track so far. AND got a few extra miles in with walking her every day too, so maybe I should find a way to include these miles in my efforts!

Also ran into Peter, one of the 365'ers who hadn't yet started his challenge. The good news is that he just about has, though he wants to get a month under his belt while he settles on his challenges (triathlons, but still deciding which distances), before he "announces his challenge to the world". C'mon, Peter, go for it - say it loud and say it PROUD: "I'm a 365'er!"

And I've had some more contact from TEAM 365challenge, who are also closing in on their challenges, so hopefully I can announce them here soon. I'm meeting with my logo designer this week, so I hope to have the TEAM 365challenge logo available shortly - along with the 365challenge Australia AND Ireland ... you know who you are! So we continue to move this thing forward ...

this has got to be the headline of the year ...

2009-01-12T12:28:00.004Z

I've just had a look at the 365challenge website for Debbie, one of the 365'ers, down in the Peterborough area. She has included a "Words from the Deb" blog section on her site that is worth a look to see how she's finding her challenge. Today, she's highlighted the fact that she's managed to get some local press coverage for her 365challenge from the Peterborough Evening Telegraph - and this has to be the best headline so far: "Determined Debbie's doing it daily for Duncan"!

How great is that! Have a read and see what Debbie's up to (!!) for her 365challenge, and if you want to be the subject of some journo's alliteration exercise, get signed up NOW for your very own 365challenge!

Thanks for sharing, Debs, and good luck with your efforts ... good to see you are back in the saddle.

a challenge to my 365challenge ...?

2009-01-11T19:47:00.015Z

You may not be aware of this, but I'm one of those annoying people who wake early (most of the time around 6.30 a.m.) without any problem (or alarm clock!), and then I'm awake, so I'm ready to get doing things. That's meant that a good proportion of my 365challenge miles have been knocked off in the early hours, before work.

The routine has often been: get up, shave, go to gym, shower, come home for breakfast, read/check emails, then bring my wife a cup of tea in bed as her wake-up call (she having been blissfully unaware of my absence and exertions in the gym), then off to work, still usually managing to get in well before 9 a.m.

Just how annoying is that?

And of course those early starts meant that my challenge has kept well on track, if not ahead of schedule, and the rest of the day has been mine to do with as I please (or as much as work demands allow me to). But all of that may be about to change ... as my morning routines are about to be unceremoniously hijacked by THIS creature:

Meet Susie. She's a 4 year old Lab, who we adopted on Friday, courtesy of the North West Labrador Rescue.

We've been looking for a a new dog for a little while, after we lost our old guy, Podge, in October 2007, at the grand old age of 16 years. It's taken a little time to be ready to replace the old guy, as he was such a wonderful dog, but (and I'll whisper this for now), I think we may have lucked out with Susie ... she's fantastic!

She was a family dog who was put in the Rescue as the family's economic circumstances had changed, and both adults had to go to work full-time and long hours, so they didn't think it was fair to leave Susie for so long each day. She is well-trained, and knows most of the key commands, and even, on that first night in her new home, accepted the instruction "Stay" when we went upstairs to bed ... off she went to her new bed and we didn't her a peep out of her until I got up in the morning and went down to her. She is so lovely, with a beautiful temperament, and already she is great off the lead, chasing balls and playing with other dogs ... and most importantly, coming back to us on command. What have we done to deserve such a beautiful dog?!!

But ... and here's the complication for my 365challenge ... my mornings will never be "mine" again, as I've got this beauty to take for a good long walk in the mornings now.

Of course Donna (Mrs C) will still have her cuppa at around 8 a.m., and know nothing of the goings-on in the world before this, but clearly, I'm going to have to adjust my schedule significantly to allow me to find time to get to the gym at another time in the day!

Work will have to be curtailed earlier than ideally it should (but hey, I work hard enough anyway ... surely I deserve a little (more) me-time!).

I'm sure the 365challenge will continue to be met, but there may be a little adjusting to be done.

Susie ... you are a complication, but you're worth it! Welcome to the household.

Is Team 365challenge about to take off?

2009-01-08T22:42:00.003Z

Do you remember when I presented to the CRUK Events team back in November? The entry back then - "a VERY exciting day ..." - went partly like this ... "just as I was about to finish, a hand went up right at the back, and a voice called out to me that that particular table represented the North West Events Team, and they had decided right there and then that THEY were going to take on the 365challenge themselves, as a team".

Well, yesterday one of that crew, Jayne, emailed me to say that they are following through on their promise! She and her team have roped in some partners now too, and now, as they put the elements of their challenge together, their team stands at NINE! That's NINE new 365'ers in one fell swoop! That's fantastic, all you guys in the North West Run for Life Events Logistics team, thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm. Now ... where are the rest of those Events teams from that conference ... I seem to remember some competitive "us too!" calls from around that room!

But let's not overshadow the importance of this first TEAM 365 team! It's great to have them on board. Watch this space as the TEAM 35challenge grows ...

365challenge is appealing ...

2009-01-07T09:07:00.006Z

I thought I’d just let you have a quick update on this … Cancer Research UK have informed me that the 365challenge has now been allocated a dedicated appeal code by the charity, which means that anyone who registers with them now and informs them that they are taking the 365challenge will have all the money they raise through sponsorship recognised as having been raised through the 365challenge rather than a more general event, like a fun run.

This is great news, as it means that, over time, they will be able to track how successful this programme is being for them in raising funds ... and it should help support the case, in time, for CRUK to adopt the 365challenge as a national campaign! So ... if you're going to take this on, firstly, a great big THANK YOU from me, but secondly, DO PLEASE TELL CRUK that you are taking the 365challenge, and then they can record your efforts under this appeal code. I hope in time, too, that I'll get some updates on the overall pot as it grows, and then I can let you all know how much our combined efforts are raising for this important charity and its work.

600 Km cycling and 100 Km rowing down ... so

2009-01-04T15:17:00.005Z

... just 1000 Km on my bike and 246 Km on the rowing machine to go in my 365challenge for Cancer Research UK!

Well ... just 4 days off in hitting my distance targets for my Lands End to John O'Groats cycle and Thames row, so I'm not too disappointed with that. And as I've got 8 months still to go in my 365challenge year ... I reckon I'm still well on track.

I've had some great supportive emails over the New Year (thank you) from people who reckon that swimming part of the Thames challenge is a good amendment to my plan, given my on-going numb-hands issue, so I'll look to see what I can do about that over the coming month or so ... but in the meantime, it's back to work tomorrow, so that means back to juggling time to make sure that I keep up my momentum. It's been a really enjoyable Christmas break this year, more restful than I've managed for a long time ... I've even been sleeping in to around 8 a.m, which is unheard of! How am I going to cope with getting up for work again?

Watch this space!

here's to a successful, happy and healthy 2009 ...

2008-12-31T11:36:00.004Z

December 31st 2008 ... the end of what has been quite a year ... my own treatment has gone well, and I'm doing fine (happily), as far as my consultant is concerned, but sadly, that wasn't to be the case for my big sis, Brenda, and, as many of you know, we lost her in July to this terrible disease, cancer.

But maybe something good has come out of all of this ... my own experience and, in particular, Brenda's loss, were the inspiration for me to develop the 365challenge to raise as much money as I could for Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to help them in their battle to defeat cancer. It has been so rewarding to see the response the 365challenge has engendered across so many people ... the support for my own efforts to date has been wonderful, with over £6000 in the fund-raising pot so far ... and still 8 months of my personal challenge to go!

But it has been the way others have taken up the baton also, and the interest from CRUK themselves that has been really exciting. Anouska, Debbie, Sabrina, Audrey, Mark, Carl, Frederika, Jonathan and Rory (along with several others still in the planning stages) have started or are just about to start their own 365challenges to raise funds for CRUK (or associated charities). And in December, all of the Area Volunteer Managers (AVMs) for CRUK were provided with an information pack on the 365challenge so that they can promote it to anyone interested in fund-raising for CRUK into 2009!

With this backing, and more in the pipeline in 2009 hopefully, this new year of 2009 could be truly a momentous one for the 365challenge. And Brenda's memory will be well and truly honoured ...

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and/or sponsored me so far, and if you feel that you want to, but haven't yet, you can by going to clicking through to my Just Giving page ... maybe you could become one of my 1%ers ... or even take on a 365challenge for yourself ...

Whatever you choose to do is fine with me ... your on-going support is very much appreciated. I'd love to hear any thoughts, comments or suggestions from you for how I can take this further into 2009 and beyond!

But for now, may I wish each and every one of you a healthy, happy and successful 2009. May the road rise up to meet you ... Colin xxx

drifting through the Christmas/New Year "non-week" ...

2008-12-30T10:43:00.005Z

How did it get to Tuesday? December 30th? Already?? I've taken this week between Christmas and New Year off, with LOTS of good intentions ... reading I wanted to do, updating my website, knocking off a good chunk of miles for my challenge, etc, ... but the time just seems to have passed by, with me drifting through somehow, occasionally drifting into town or losing some time on the Wii - though I have been working my way through the WiiFit programme, which is surprisingly good!

I have managed a couple of trips to the gym for my challenge, but my knee is still not right, so I've had to go easy on it. It's disappointing, because I had really wanted to get the cycling to the point where I'd have just 1000 Km left by January 1st. I'm sitting at 1040 Km to go, which isn't too bad, I guess, but if my knee had felt better, I'd have ground out those extra 40 Km over these past couple of days ... but there you go! I'll get there, I know, but it's always a little disappointing when you miss a goal, especially when it's not from slacking, but because your body is not playing ball.

And now, even with 6 more days off, I really don't know what I'll get up to with my time ... the joy of household chores is calling just now, but after that ... I actually just want to hide in a warm corner somewhere and drift on through this "non-week"!

Christmas makes training HARDER!

2008-12-27T17:54:00.003Z

It's a week since I last did any meaningful training for my 365challenge (don't think I can count time spent on our new WiiFit, somehow!), and getting back to it after a very pleasant, but I'd have to say not especially over-indulgent Christmas has been quite hard today.

Add to that the fact that my knee was still niggling me on the bike in the gym today, so I ended up cutting my planned 20 Km back to just 5, as a knackered knee does not a successful 365challenge make! I did manage 5 Km on the rowing machine though, split into 2 x 2.5 Kms, so that's something, I suppose, but the numb fingers do start to sneak in at around 2 - 2.5 Km, so I'm going to have to watch this. I may have to look at how I might cover the distance some other way ... though swimming the rest of the 250-odd Km left on the Thames doesn't really appeal either!

Any ideas anyone?

Fred's 365challenge ... for chairs!

2008-12-22T07:01:00.004Z

Frederika Poole saw my poster for the 365challenge in the gym, and wanted to join in too.

Fred's step-father, Archie, died from cancer in 2007, and she's been thinking about how she could honour his memory, so when she saw the 365challenge, she knew it was just what she was looking for. However, Fred has decided that, rather than taking the 365challenge directly for CRUK, she wants to support her mother's charity, Archie's Chairs, set up in Archie's name. This charity is actually linked to the Christie Hospital, one of the North West's top Cancer Hospitals, which is, sadly, where Archie died, but clearly worthy of support.

Fred's mum spent many long nights there with Archie, trying to sleep on a wooden chair, so when he died, she was inspired to see what she could do to make life a little bit easier for families at this very difficult time. She came up with the idea of providing Lazy-Boy style chairs to the wards at the Christie Hospital, for families wanting to stay with loved ones through their treatment and terminal care. I can understand why she might want to do this, and fully support this idea. The chairs cost £1750 each, so Fred has set this as her fund-raising target, so that she can buy one chair from her challenge ... I reckon she can do this, and who knows, maybe a bit more too!

She has set herself quite a challenge: 2 standard triathlons a month for a year! That's 2 x 10 Km running; 2 x 40 Km cycling; and 2 x 1.5 Km swimming a month! Go for it Fred!

Check out her website to see how she is getting on ... Fred's 365challenge.

mega-spun ...

2008-12-21T09:54:00.004Z

The morning after ... so I completed my channel swim on Friday, as already blogged, then yesterday, Saturday, I went along for the Christmas Mega-Spin at Total Fitness - it's an hour and a half long spinning class, designed to off-set all that Christmas decadence before it happens (well, my heart rate monitor reckons I burned about 1100 calories in the session, so that's a start, but I may need a couple more of these classes before the festive season comes to a close!).

Anyway, the event was sort of in aid of Cancer Research (CRUK), though they forgot to have the collection box in the room ... people were asked to donate on the way out of the gym at reception, so hopefully some at least did. I donated two CRUK t-shirts as prizes for the best fancy dressed man and woman to keep the charity in the spotlight too. There were a couple who made a half-decent effort, including a fairy and a guy wearing some reindeer headgear - and Dave the instructor, who also put together some great Christmas songs to spin to (though I could have coped without Mr Blobby's Christmas song, I suspect), wore a full Santa outfit, which was falling apart by the end of the session due to his exertions!

It was a great session overall though, and I got a really good workout from it ... apart from a niggling twinge in my right knee towards the end, which has lingered. I may hold off from the gym for a day or two more now to rest that, as I don't need an injury just as I'm gearing up for some serious biking and rowing into the New Year.

Anouska was along, as promised, and I got a chance to chat to her afterwards. Her challenge is getting back on track now, and after the mega-spin, she headed off for the treadmill to catch up on her running! How fit is that! She's also looking forward to taking delivery, very soon, of her new bike, in preparation for her actual Land's End to John O'Groats cycle in the summer, AND she's got a place in the Edinburgh marathon at the end of May, (maybe find some local support up there from Audrey too) so she's actually going to manage 13 marathons for her challenge across the year! Very real respect to you and your great efforts, Anouska!

comment ca va ...?

2008-12-19T20:07:00.003Z

Bon soir, mes amis, comment ca va? I'm sitting here, on the northern French coast, enjoying a lovely glass of red and some beautiful camembert, savouring having finally made it and finished my swim across the channel ... felt great to "reach land", but now have to get back somehow ...!

Wow! It felt just soooo good as I entered my last 25 metres ... I KNOW I was in a pool in Chester, but, hey, I've got a vivid imagination, and I could really feel the elation of knowing that I was closing in on the French coast (I may need to see someone about these delusions ...).

I've really enjoyed my swim, and (whisper this), because of that, I'll probably swim back over the coming months - I guess I need to get out the goose fat again in a bit!! But before I do, there's the little matter of the Mega-Spin tomorrow morning ... 1.5 hours of spinning class to "celebrate" this latest achievement in the 365challenge! (If anyone reading this doesn't know what I'm on about ... visit my 365challenge website and see what I'm up to in support of Cancer Research UK ...)

All in all , a great day today, feeling very good tonight, very positive and only looking forward ...

Salut, everyone, and Bon Chance!

anouska's feeling the pressure ...

2008-12-16T21:31:00.006Z

Anouska emailed me today ... she's been unwell and hasn't been able to get on with her 365challenge ... so now she's feeling the pressure ... come on, girl, you'll be knocking those miles off again soon ... there's plenty of time! Break it down and it doesn't look so bad. Come on ... here's a shout out to help you get back on your way! Look, you've completed 2 marathons already! You'll be back on track in no time ...

She mentioned that she was going along to the Mega-spin on Saturday morning - her first time back at the gym in weeks - and said she see me there ... which kind of reminded me that I hadn't signed up for it! So I went in this afternoon (Tuesday) for my swim, and asked to sign up for Saturday's spin - AND THERE WERE JUST 2 PLACES LEFT!! So, I'm in there now, but that was close ... me going on about it and promoting to the other local 365ers and then nearly not making it myself! And a quick scan of the names on the list looks like it's just Anouska and me from the 365'ers, unless Carl and Adam (gym staff) make it along too.

So ... 2 miles of swimming to go to reach France, which I expect to do now by Friday (well ahead of schedule) and then Saturday morning about 45 KM on the bike ... and if I'm in France, does that mean that I'm going in completely the wrong direction for my Lands End to John O'Groats ride???

Hey Anouska ... wait up ... I've got some catching up to do now myself!

just a final quick note for today ...

2008-12-14T15:54:00.003Z

I've been keen on my blogging today, eh, this is my fourth of the afternoon (well I've been quiet lately)!

Anyway, I wanted to update everyone on my progress with the 365challenge.

Just 3 miles to go with my swim. That's three swims, so really, I should be finished my Channel swim by next weekend, hopefully in time to drag myself out of the water onto a bike to take part in another of the Mega-Spins that Carl is organising as part of his own 365challenge fund-raising efforts at the gym for Cancer Research UK. There's a degree of madness that goes with this blooming charity lark!

For any of you local (Chester) Total Fitness 365'ers, the Mega-Spin (one and a half hours long) is on Saturday December 20th at 10.00 am, with Dave leading the spin - if you want to come along, it would be great to see you. You'll need to book your place at reception, as these spins do get busy. It's a fancy dress spin, by the way - if you come in costume, the fee/donation asked is halved (it's only £1 or £2 anyway).

I reckon I cover around 45 Km in one of these classes, so with a bit of a push, I should reduce the distance still to go on my Lands End to John O'Groats ride down to just 1000 KM by Christmas day! A doddle for 2009, eh?

good news ... and an explanation for my numb hand

2008-12-14T15:23:00.004Z

I guess I should mention that I had an appointment with my oncologist the other day! This was one of my routine follow-up appointments, which now happen every four months, seeing as it is now just 15 months since my operation to have my tumour removed.

As usual, I went down to the tumour department (it just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?!) and was sent off for my chest x-ray. I have one of these every visit, because if there were going to be any secondary growths from my tumour, they apparently develop in the lungs. I used to have a CT scan too, but these have been discontinued now as they have been clear in the past and so they don't need to any more, which is great. Then back to the tumour department to await the call to see Mr Leahy about the results.

Anyway ... the good news is that he is very pleased with my progress. The x-ray shows nothing of concern, and everything is in order. He did comment that my forearm, where the tumour had been, felt a little "woody" to the touch, but figures that this is just the effect of the radiation therapy that I had to have, and it may become less woody over time.

I mentioned the fact that my left hand does tend to go numb if I am exercising using my arm for any length of time ... telling him about my rowing experiences (see October post "one-handed rowing"). He figured that this may be because of a build up of fluid in the arm while exercising, which puts pressure on the nerves so that I lose feeling there. The build-up happens because the radiation has effected the cells to a degree (hence the woodiness) and the normal flow of fluids isn't as smooth as in other parts of my body. The numbness eases when I stop exercising that arm, as the fluid then has the chance to dissipate and all is well in the world again.

His recommendation for my rowing efforts on my 365challenge: don't row for as long in any one go on the rowing machine! Has he any idea of how far I still have to go on this part of my 365challenge? I guess I'll have to break up my efforts better, but it is going to make the rowing even harder and a greater test of my endurance. But, hey-ho, it wouldn't be a challenge if it didn't throw obstacles at me from time to time, now would it?

serendipity and a coincidence ... moo

2008-12-14T14:40:00.006Z

Again ... a just giving influence here. I was reading the Just Giving blog review of the year, and they mentioned a link they have made at the start of 2008 with a company called Moo, who print your photos onto mini-cards, postcards, greeting cards and even stickers.

For just £9.99 plus P&P, you can get 100 mini-cards printed with photos of your choice or with pictures you select from their large library of images on one side, with your contact details ... or details of your 365challenge and Just Giving page web address perhaps(!!) ... that you can distribute to friends, family and acquaintances to promote your challenge, for example! The Just Giving piece shows some examples of how people have used them.

The cards are colourful and eye-catching, and can really reflect YOU and your personality. I had a play with uploading some images, including the 365challenge logo, but I may need to tweak things a little to get that to fit. But as a simple and effective promotional tool, these could be really good for all you 365'ers out there to have in your armoury as you go out and about telling people about your 365challenge.

Where the coincidence of the title of this post comes in is that when I finished reading about Moo on their website, I went downstairs to find a box marked with the Moo logo on the counter in the kitchen. Donna - my other half - had found Moo via a different route, and had ordered a box of mini-cards - with 100 different images from their image library - as her personal business card, including the address for her personal blog (mainly about her knitting adventures, but many other happenings from our lives turn up there!).

And the cards look great! Slightly smaller than a business card, but bright and fun. She tells me that the order arrived within three days of her placing it, despite their site saying they would take up to two weeks to come through.

Worth a plug, I reckon ...

just giving tips for facebook

2008-12-14T14:22:00.002Z

I've been browsing through the Just Giving blog recently - Just Giving being the site that hosts my on-line sponsorship page for the 365challenge - and I have to say that it is an inspiring read. They flag up people and events that use their services to raise money, and some of the stories are wonderfully up-lifting, so it is worth a browse now and again.

But what I've found really useful on their blog recently has been their piece on using Facebook more effectively to help with your fund-raising efforts. I've emailed the link for this to all the people who have signed up to take the 365challenge along with me, but I thought I'd mention it here too, with a link for anyone to follow up on it - just click through on the Facebook link above.

The Facebook phenomenon is something else, isn't it? I've found it a great way to just have an overview of what friends are getting up to, as well as keeping closer links with friends than I may have done in the past, simply because life just gets busy. But with these tips, I hope I can also grow my support base for the 365challenge and help others in their fund-raising efforts on the challenge for Cancer Research UK.

Day 100 already ...

2008-12-09T19:21:00.004Z

Wow! It's Day 100 of my 365challenge already! How did THAT happen; where did the time go??

I've been focusing on my swimming this past week or so, and I am now just 5 KM from France in my Channel swim. I will certainly complete this part of the challenge before Christmas day, and possibly even by the end of next week, which is great. I've really been enjoying the swim lately, and am a little concerned that I'll miss my regular dips ... so, as hinted in my last post, a return trip may well be on the cards. I'd love to hear some of your thoughts, dear readers. Anyone got a view ... to swim back or not to swim back ... or swim somewhere else ... ??

Remember, I still have 1100 Km to cycle and over 250 KM to row, so it's not as if I'll be SLACKING OFF or anything! Come on, share your wisdom, your considered opinions, your witty(!) passing thoughts with me to help me on my way ...

Oh, and by the way ... my fund-raising pot crossed the £6000 mark this week. What do you say to that then? Not too bad, eh, for four months work ... I don't imagine I'll match that sort of turnover in the coming months, but I will keep encouraging people to support me ... next target, £7300 (double my original £3650 target) ... what do you think?... can I get there? ... you decide! If you haven't been there before, you can support me by clicking through to my Just Giving page.

And maybe become one of my 1%ers Club ... only 4 to go to reach 100 members!

2008-12-04T18:57:00.004Z

Knocked off another 64 lengths (1 mile) tonight - so just 7 miles left until I get to France ... I reckon if I knuckle down - okay, maybe splash on might be more accurate - I could be there for Christmas. How great would that be? Champagne and good brie will be required for the celebrations!

What I have found interesting about my swimming this week is that, with the increase in distance that I've taken on this week (see post from last week), I'm swimming further and getting less tired! Up until last week, I was aiming for 40 lengths per visit, and feeling it, so that I was sometimes having a rest at 20 lengths. Since I've upped the distance to 64 lengths, I've been feeling great and keeping going for 40+ lengths without a thought. I reckon I could have kept going, but I wanted a drink!

I think some of the improvement is because of a tip another swimmer - a triathlete - gave me the other day about my stroke. He reckoned I needed to widen my stroke to make it more efficient, and since I've done that, I do feel that I've been swimming much better. Now for those of you who don't know me, I'm not really a swimmer. I never learned how to swim properly as a child and kind of put my front crawl "style" together from how I "thought" it should look. Then a couple of years ago, I did have one lesson to try to tighten things up a little, but that's been it. But I've never really got my kick together at all, so most of my efforts are focused on my arms and shoulders. In fact, tonight I did a quarter of the distance with one of those floats you hold between your legs (when you actually want to work on your stroke) without any difficulty at all!

Tell you what, once I've made it across to France, I just may have a few proper lessons to work on that kick thing, and maye then I'll make the swim back a little more easily. What do you think?

2008-12-03T20:10:00.004Z

Only managed 2 swims since last blog entry, but have cracked the mile each time (64 lengths) so at that rate, I have only 8 more swims to get me across the channel and finish that part of my challenge, which I fully expect to do by the end of December (especially as I'm having a bit of time off over Christmas).

I think I'll work on swimming and maybe some rowing through December. I'm getting behind in the rowing 'cos I really am not enjoying it just now - and I've failed to track down the meditation recommended a while back by a reader. I'll just have to grit my teeth and plug away at it so it feels like I'm getting it done.

Good news from Debbie and Audrey, who have started their own 365challenges this week. Check out their web pages by clicking on their names and see just how daft some people can be ... no, really!

But I'm so pleased that they have taken it on - and it means that the 365challenge has graduated from Chester and is happening now as far afield as Fife in Scotland and Leicestershire (I think - at least that 's the area that Debbie covers for work), with more coming on-stream soon, I believe, including Brisbane with Jon, and there is a little whisper that Dublin may happen in the New Year too, with Rory.

Any more volunteers out there? Or do you know someone who might be interested in taking on a truly special challenge? If so, do please get in touch or send them this blog and let's see if we can coax a few more 365'ers out of the woodwork for the New Year.

And finally, a welcome to Roy ... hope you enjoy some of these ramblings!

365 on facebook

2008-11-28T06:04:00.004Z

I know several of my regular readers have already found their way there, but for the rest of you, I thought I'd let you know that I have started a group on Facebook for anyone interested in the 365challenge You can log on to Facebook, and then search for the group 365challenge for Cancer Research UK.

After just over a week, the group already has 59 members, and is growing, so come on down. I'd like people to use this forum to discuss their cancer-related stories and successes, fund-raising efforts and, if they take on the 365challenge, what they are doing and how they are getting on with it.

I've posted a couple of discussion topics that I'd love to hear your thoughts on, particularly the "What is your ultimate 365challenge?" What would you like to take on if you could? It's all a bit of fun, but with a serious message about supporting the vital work of Cancer Research UK, so why not join us on Facebook some time soon?

no-one will know ...

2008-11-27T20:31:00.003Z

Went for a swim tonight, to knock off another 40 lengths in the channel swim. Got talking to another swimmer there, who I've seen in the gym over the weeks. His regular target is 64 lengths - which is a mile - and that got me thinking ... I know that my 40 lengths are keeping me nicely on track with my challenge, but I don't seem to be getting any strong as a swimmer. So maybe I need to up my effort and see if I can manage to swim further and test if that will give me more stamina in the pool, get my stroke stronger. And then, when I was putting my 40 lengths onto the spreadsheet where I record my progress in the challenge - see Track My Progress on my website - I got thinking about how far there is to go ...

So (as if I've not got enough on my plate) ... I'm going to try to up my regular distance in the pool to 64 lengths per visit for the next week to see how I get on, and if that goes well, I'm going to see if I can actually make it to my total (1416 lengths - 646 left to go) and have crossed the channel by the turn of the year! It's a bit of a chunk to bite off, I think, but hey, it'll soon be Christmas, so I'll have a little time off, work will have slowed down a little, and anyway, who needs sleep ...!!!

Oo-er ... what have I just committed to? If I press "publish" on this blog entry, does that mean there is no way back ... nah, I can always edit it, and even delete this particular entry if it looks like I'll not make it ... I mean, who reads this anyway ... I've only got 4 followers, and one's in Ireland, one's in Oz, one's got her own 365challenge to worry about so she won't be checking on mine (sure you're not, Anouska?), and one is distracted by writing and wool. So I'll be okay, then! :-)

more recruits ...

2008-11-24T19:31:00.004Z

Had a short weekend break away with Donna at a friend from Uni's 40th birthday bash down in Gloucester. Stayed in a pleasant Holiday Inn, which had a small gym and pool, so I managed to do a little on the 365challenge while down there. I have to say, though, that trying to do lengths in a 12.5 metre pool is a hassle. I'd barely be getting into my stroke when I'd have to turn around again, so I'm afraid I quit in frustration after covering half my usual distance, just 500 metres this time.

But I came home to some great emails (yes, I lasted two whole days without the internet!), so thank you everyone who has been supporting me.

Following on from my presentation last week to the Area Volunteeer Managers for Cancer Research UK, the ranks of 365'ers have grown by 4 - two AVMs and two of their friends, with the promise (threat??) of more to come. Thank you Sabrina and Debbie for your wonderful messages of support and for taking on these great challenges.

Sabrina, who lost her grandfather to cancer, and two friends are going to run the Race for Life every week for the year of their challenge, while Debbie has targetted a huge challenge, in memory of her friend, Duncan, who died aged just 27 years from a brain tumour. She's going to run 1 marathon a month (12 marathons), swim the channel (22 miles), walk coast 2 coast of the UK (Wainwright's St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay, 190 miles) and cycle across the USA (at 3200 miles, or 62 miles a week)!!!

I love the craziness that the 365challenge is bringing out in you people ... come on, readers, what might your ultimate challenge be for 365challenge? Let me know and I'll put details up on the 365challenge website.

By the way, I've also just created a group on Facebook for the challenge. It's called "365challenge for Cancer Research UK" (snappy, and so concise, eh, how long did that take to come up with?). It's just a week since I set it up and tonight I see it passed the 50 members mark. I'll have to make use of this group and get people thinking and discussing topics on the discussion board. If you've not signed up yet, please pop along to face book and search for the group by title, then it's a doddle to join it.

briefly ...

2008-11-20T09:36:00.005Z

I just have to put this up here ... it's really exciting!

I've just picked up a message on my mobile (from someone who is now gone on holidays, so can't expand on this for a little while) - "real potential in 365challenge to deliver significant income for (us) ... now looking at how best to support rolling it out nationally ...!!!"

I'm not saying more than that online just yet - don't want to jinx anything - but how exciting does THAT sound? Brenda must be having a right laugh at how this is snowballing ...

spreading the word ... again

2008-11-18T23:06:00.002Z

(another long post ...)

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, today I was invited down to the Cancer Research UK centre in Oxford – this time to present the 365challenge concept to the Central Division Area Volunteer Managers and their teams. This group deal with all volunteers and supporters of CRUK across the central band sweeping across the country: from the West coast of Wales to the far eastern edge of England; from Manchester in the North West to Bristol at the lower end, a catchment of some 20 million people (if any of the AVMs feel that I need putting right on this descriptor, please get in touch, I want to try to get things right on here!).

Peter Whalley, Regional Manager for this sector had spoken to Andrew Penny, AVM, who was part of the organising team behind arranging this division’s meeting, and as a result, I was invited to fill the final slot of the day, which is usually reserved for someone with an inspirational story or a fund-raising event to report on. Apparently, I ticked all the right boxes!

Anyway, I was invited to come along earlier in the day to attend a talk by one of the science team, and then some presentations by other CRUK personnel. And it certainly made for an interesting day. The science was inconclusive, but demonstrated how large the research studies going on around the world are … but more data is needed! Hey, where have I heard that before then?

But the other presentations helped me realise just how huge the CRUK organisation is: 2000 staff, plus 3000 scientists supported in research labs around the country (and beyond, probably!). It’s one of (if not THE) biggest charities in the country. And there is lots of work going on to develop their fund-raising initiatives so that they are more streamlined and effective in achieving their targets for the year. They set very impressive goals, and seem to have a pretty good success rate. They are involved in running hundreds of events each year, and their most successful last year was the Race for Life – 660000 women around the country raised £40m. Amazing!

One presenter spoke of new initiatives that they are developing, and I am now better able to understand why it can take a couple of years to bring some of these ideas on-line – there is a lot that they have to consider from the legal side, the promotional side, every side, and all this takes time. So, although they are now starting to look very seriously at the 365challenge, I expect that if they do get behind it formally, it could be a while off yet!

However … just ‘cos they might not officially be able to back it just yet, the reality is that more and more of the people on the ground for CRUK are getting to hear about the 365challenge because of my presentations, etc., and they all seem to love it – so as long as they go out there and spread the word, and potential 365’ers come looking to learn more from me, I’ll keep building it with them and beyond them!

Today’s group amounted to around 45 people, all hands-on folk with volunteers and supporters, the people who will actually be interested in this, and they really seemed to enjoy my presentation, just as last week’s group did. Lots of encouraging smiles and nods of heads, some good questions at the end, and again, several people saying that they want to take it on for themselves, while others let me know that they were already thinking of likely candidates from among their groups of supporters.

Lots of encouragement then, and Peter Whalley was very positive at the end, reassuring me that he would be following up with the Events and Business Management teams soon to see where they are up to.

One person asked about how they might get my message “out there”, perhaps in an information pack, and “what about a DVD?” Peter picked up on this, and started muttering about recording my presentation to put into the AVMs information packs, so they could sit down with supporters and play them … ME! Apparently they reckon I did a good job of selling the idea to them, so why not use me to sell it to everyone! Well, I’m up for most things, if it helps spread the word, but Donna, when she reads this, is going to just roll her eyes, look to the heavens and sigh “where will it end … ?”

Hopefully with the 365challenge established as a serious, on-going fund-raising strand for CRUK, generating lots of much-needed dosh!

As I‘ve said more than once … watch this space.

half-way to France ...

2008-11-16T13:15:00.003Z

Two and a half months into my 365challenge for Cancer Research UK, and this morning I reached the half-way point in the channel swim part of the challenge. Should I go on, or just turn around now and swim home? If I do turn for home, I'll still have covered the 22 mile distance , I guess ... but if I go on, will I have to swim all the way back again? Given the way things are working out, I guess I will have time to fit in the return swim in the time I still have available, but should I use that time for other activities (or simply to sleep?).

Maybe I'll just swim on, and take the Eurostar home ...

(why don't you sign up to follow this blog to see what I finally decide!)

a VERY exciting day for the 365challenge ...

2008-11-13T20:10:00.011Z

( ... a long post ...)

Today was a very important day for the growth of the 365challenge. Nothing to do with my efforts in the gym or the pool (though I am just one swim short of hitting the half-way mark in my channel swim after this morning's dip) - no, it was all to do with developing my relationship with Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

A couple of weeks ago, Peter, the Regional Volunteer Manager for CRUK, asked me if I'd like to speak to the Central Division's Volunteer Manager's conference (or something like that) about the 365challenge. These are the people who support fund-raisers around the country and he thought they'd like to hear about what I've been doing. "Great", I thought, "an opportunity to spread the word, where do I have to go?" Oxford, as it happens, on November 18th. All well and good.

Then Peter called again and told me that the head of another part of the CRUK organisation wanted me to speak to their national conference - which happened to be in my home town of Chester today, November 13th. "Sign me up, oh, by the way, who are these people?" "These people" turned out to be the Events Team, and essentially, as far as I could work out, this was to be a gathering of all the regional Events management teams, the people who organise and support the big CRUK fund-raising activities, such as Race for Life, Relay for Life, the Bobby Moore Fund, Dine at Mine, all the running events and much more. When I tell you that Race for Life last year alone had 665,000 participants and raised around £40 million, you can maybe realise just how important these people are to the fund-raising programme for CRUK!

And I was being invited to speak to them for 30 minutes about the 365challenge!!!

So I wrote my spiel, and put together my PowerPoint presentation to explain who I was, why I was developing the 365challenge, what it was and how, with their support, the 365challenge could play a part in the generation of funds for CRUK. I was told there would be 50 -60 people at the Queen Hotel in Chester, but it turned out there were around 100 of 'em, all attentive, keen to learn what the 365challenge was all about. All they knew at this stage was that it was a 30 minute slot in their programme - most of them knew nothing more, so I had to grab my chance to win them round ...

And I have to say, ... I think I did!

I got a great reception from a really interested, excited bunch of people, who can see potential when it lands in their lap. I have to say, when I know my subject, I love speaking to groups - I only realised this recently, but I don't get too nervous, just enough to get the adrenaline pumping so that I can deliver what I want to say. And I loved getting up there in front of this great room of open, welcoming faces.

The 30 minutes flew by, and we had just a little time for a few minutes for questions at the end. I got some really positive, encouraging comments from people who were nearly as excited as I was. Two stand out ... One person asked just what CRUK were doing to support me in developing the 365challenge, in an almost incredulous tone, as if they couldn't believe that the 365challenge wasn't already their next campaign. That prompted the Head of Events to come up on stage with me and take to mike to explain that the 365challenge was still very new even to them, but they wanted to do all they could to develop its potential and she reassured the Events people that one of their executives was due to meet with me straight after my talk to try to work out how they could help move this on!

The other comment came just as I was about to finish. A hand went up right at the back, and a voice called out to me that that particular table represented the North West Events Team, and they had decided right there and then that THEY were going to take on the 365challenge themselves, as a team. That prompted cries from around the room that this was going to get competitive, and other teams might just have to have a go too!! Can you imagine how much of a buzz this was creating?

I came off the stage really buzzing myself, to comments like " that was really great, what an idea" from the people at the table I'd been directed to. I was invited to stay for the last presentation before my meeting with the New Business Executive, and I'm really please I was able to. It was by a guy called Findlay Young, another cancer survivor, who has been celebrating his TWO all-clears from cancer by running ... literally running ... around the world. He raised £40,000 for CRUK through that amazing effort but has plans for even more spectular efforts next year. He was truly inspiring and from already being buzzing, after his talk, I was truly "Fired Up!"

So when I met with Suzanne, the New Business Executive afterwards, it was great. Lots of energy, ideas and creativity flying around, with her as excited about the 365challenge as I was, and coming up with additional twists to consider. It is really early days still, of course but she will now go away and talk to various people within the organisation to see how they can help me take 365challenge to another ... and another ... and another level.

And next week, I get to do it all again to the Volunteer Managers conference!

I can't wait!

any tips on how to make rowing interesting?

2008-11-09T22:16:00.004Z

Still having a good run of activity for the 365challenge - 5 days in the last 7 in the gym - so the distances are building up towards my targets. I hope to cross the half-way point in my Channel swim this week. Wave if you spot me out there!

And while the rowing kilometres are growing slowly (75 Km down, but still 271 Km to go), I am finding this the hardest part of the challenge. I'm trying different approaches to this task - 3.5 or 5 Km in one straight row; interval training with 30 seconds fast, 30 seconds recovery, up to 3 Km; 2 Km hard graft, followed by a slow 1 Km, then having a cycling break followed by another 2 Km burst. Variations on a theme, just trying to keep the interest going. But I have a long way to go still, so if there is anyone out there who can give me some creative ideas for how to keep going with the rowing, I'd love to hear them!

Other than this, I spent part of today writing my presentation for Cancer Research UK (CRUK), getting the PowerPoint presentation in order so that I can really present the 365challenge at its very best to the people who have the potential to take it to the next level and beyond ... watch this space.

knocking off the miles ...

2008-11-04T21:26:00.005Z

65 days into the 365challenge ... just 300 to go! And the miles (or kilometres) are falling steadily, I'm happy to say. Today, I hit the 400 Km mark on the bike - that's a quarter of the way along the route from Land's End to John O' Groats (LEJOG) in just over 2 months, which feels great. The swim is going well too, I'm over a third of the way across the channel too. But the rowing ... well, I'm still on track with that, but only just. That's been harder than I expected ... but hey, this was never going to be a walk in the park!

I've had a good spell in the gym lately which has been a big help - I've actually been in 12 of the past 15 days! Even I've been surprised by that when I looked back over the progress sheet. And I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll now, so as long as I feel fit, I hope I can keep this level of activity up and I can knock off plenty more miles before the end of this year.

how do I get word out ...?

2008-10-31T06:06:00.004Z

As you will know, promoting the 365challenge to all and sundry is now my main focus with the challenge. I've raised a healthy amount, which I know will be added to even more over the year, but obviously, the more people I can find who can take on the challenge for themselves, and raise what they can in their own sponsorship, the greater the overall pot will be for Cancer Research UK.

So, how do I get word out? Any and all suggestions welcome, please.

I have made the local press and radio, emailed everyone I know (and some I don't!) and put some promotional material in my gym. This week, I contacted the head office of my gym - but have yet to hear back from them - to see if they will get behind 365challenge and promote it in their 24 branches. It seems a no-brainer to me, as it encourages members to be regular users and probably renew their memberships over the year, but hey, who said head office was populated with people with my take on things - i.e. with no brains!

But that got me thinking. So ... in the past couple of days, I've visited a few other gyms in the area and put the 365challenge to them too. Some initial interest, tempered with "we'll have to run it by the boss"-type responses, but at least they are going to do that! One gym manager loved the idea, but his club manager wouldn't take it on, as the gym supports another charity - so the gym manager is going to promote it personally to "a select few" he thinks might go for it! Good man!

Another gym has 78 branches in the UK, so I'll have to keep after them. Gaining just 5 365'ers in each of their gyms across the year would blow my target of 365 people taking the challenge clean away - and think what that would do to the overall pot.

This 365challenge-thingy is going to be my world for a while, isn't it!

skiving ...?

2008-10-28T16:35:00.005Z

It's a Tuesday in October, the SNOW(!) is falling outside (what's that all about then?), I've got 25 things that need attention in the office, but I'm skiving off today. Why? Because I can. Today marks the 4th anniversary of my move into full-time self-employment and if I can't take a day off now and again when I want to, then something's wrong!

Anyway, just because I was "off" doesn't mean that I haven't been busy.

Into the gym this morning at 6.45 and knocked off a few more kilometres. Discovered the Interval setting on the rowing machine and did two sets of 3 Km, 30 seconds flat out, 30 seconds recovery (slow rowing) (repeat) until I'd covered 3 Km, with 10 Km on the bike in between. I liked this way of doing it, as it gave me some variety across the time on the machine so I didn't get bored. And keeping it to 3 Km at a time meant that my hands didn't go numb, which is a real bonus!

Then spent some time making calls to people I'd spoken to in local gyms about the 365challenge - I really want to get some momentum behind this locally so I can present a clearer picture to CRUK when I speak to them next month. Got some positive responses, so will keep on top of this if I can, without becoming a complete pain.

Then spent some time doing "things that needed to get done", like sorting out some things at the bank, so not a complete skive of a day, just a day away from "proper" work. I expect I'll pay for it tomorrow, as I chase my tail catching up, but hey, if the boss can't give himself a day off, who can?

celebrating ...

2008-10-26T07:35:00.004Z

I was talking to Audrey, one of the people taking the 365challenge for CRUK, about the website she is developing for her effort. I mentioned my Remembering page, and suggested that she could put one of these on her site, and maybe send me photos to put on my Remembering page. "

But", she replied, "I'm doing this because of my dad, and he's a cancer survivor ... it doesn't feel right to put his photo on a "Remembering" page.

Then Audrey sent me a draft of her site (when it launches, I'll post a link for it), and she had included a "Remembering" page, but, clever girl, she'd also put up a "Celebrating" page, where she will post photos of people who have come through cancer and have something to shout about.

What a great idea!

I've now sent her some photos of me(!), cos I fit this category, and, with her blessing, I've created my own "Celebrating ... " page on the 365challenge website. Click on the link to visit it, and if you would like to celebrate someone (yourself or a loved one) who has survived cancer, please email photos and details through to me via the 365challenge site.

"it's early days, don't get carried away ..."

2008-10-26T06:54:00.005Z

Anyone who has been watching this blog (and, come on, by the way, don't be shy, click on the follow me link and be a proud follower of 365) will know that I am committed to the 365challenge concept. When I came up with the idea, at first I thought it was a great way for me to motivate myself to put a serious amount of effort into supporting Cancer Research UK (CRUK) over a lengthy period. Then I realised that others liked the idea too and wanted to do their bit, so the concept developed, and became more flexible, as people developed their own 365challenges.

It was a no-brainer then for me to look at how to develop this idea further. I wanted to make 365challenge something that would grab the attention and serve as a way for more and more people to raise greater and greater amounts of money to support CRUK. And so I set about promoting the idea wherever I could. I spoke first with my local Area Volunteer Manager for CRUK, Liz, who got excited and told her boss, Peter, the Regional Manager.

He came to meet me, and ... he got excited too. And he went away and started telling people in CRUK.

Then, two weeks ago, Peter called me and asked me if I'd be willing to go to speak to the CRUK Central Region Volunteer Managers Conference, in Oxford in November, about the 365challenge. Duh ... yes! They wanted me to give a 30 minute presentation on the concept to around 50 people who deal with those people looking to do something to raise money for CRUK - the front-line folk who can promote the 365challenge to the public - of course I'll do it! That's brilliant, a chance to get this idea out there to an audience who want ideas they can push ... let me at them!

I was excited enough at this, but then last week, Peter was back to me. "Colin, I know you've agreed to come and talk to the Volunteer Managers Conference next month, but would you mind coming to another conference a few days before that one too ... this one is in Chester (so it's on your doorstep, and easier for you to get to) but ... it's the Events Team Conference ... I've been speaking to them and they are keen to learn more about 365challenge".

When and where is my reply - of course I'll speak to them ... oh, who are they, by the way ...?

A couple of calls later, and I know.

Now I AM excited. I have to temper this with the mantra "it's early days, don't get carried away ...", but ... John called me, the Events Team manager. This is the team that looks at fund-raising ideas for CRUK and decides whether or not to get behind them and support them formally. This is the team who got behind the "Race for Life" concept, and made it the huge national success that is has become.

60 or 70 of these people are coming to Chester next month, and little ole' me is going to have 30 minutes to get them as excited about the 365challenge as I am. John told me that he really likes the idea and thinks it could be something they would support. So ... if I pull this off, and they see the real potential for 365challenge ... this thing could be huge!

("it's early days, don't get carried away ...")

Watch this space!

remembering ...

2008-10-16T11:52:00.004+01:00

Following on from a brief chat with Anouska, and building on an earlier idea, I've decided to create a new page on my 365challenge website to remember all of those loved ones lost to cancer - so people can see the vibrant, lively people they were and know why we are taking on these physical challenges and pushing ourselves to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The page is called "Remembering ..." - click through and have a look, then let me know what you think.

At this stage, I've just got photos of Brenda, my sister, and the inspiration behind the 365challenge, and Debbie, Anouska's reason for her 365challenge. But I want to put up photos of the people who have inspired the other 365'ers too, as well as the loved ones of those who had a reason to sponsor me.

So if you have someone you'd like to include in the "Remembering ..." page, drop me an email, with some photos and some details of the person you want to remember. The address is on the website.

check out Anouska's 365challenge ...

2008-10-16T11:42:00.003+01:00

I know I've mentioned that there are other people taking on the 365challenge since I launched the idea back in September, but I've given little information on them really. A couple have started - Carl and Mark - but they are at varying stages of sorting out sponsorship pages, etc., still, so I've not given too much detail here as yet.

However, one of the 365'ers has launched her site just today, and I'd love to give her a plug and encourage you to visit the site and see what she is up to. Her name is Anouska Watkins, and she is taking on the 365challenge in memory of her friend, Debbie, who died two years ago, aged just 27. She has devised a brilliant challenge, so click through on Anouska's 365challenge and see what she's up to.

Go for it Anouska!

come on, follow me ...

2008-10-13T20:18:00.003+01:00

Now, I know there are people out there who read this blog ... I know, because they tell me that they do. But you'd never know by just looking at my blog, would you, because in the two months or so I've been writing it, I've had just 2 - count them, 1 ..., 2 - comments, and they've both been from the same person!

Okay, so I like writing it, and it keeps me entertained ... but I'd really like to know that it's not all just for my personal pleasure. So I noticed earlier today that Blogger had a nifty new widget that I could add to the sidebar (go on, scroll down a little, see, there it is ... follow this blog), that allows YOU - my dear, occasional other reader - to show your allegiance by clicking on a link that would allow you to show yourself as a follower of the 365challenge blog! You can even add a picture (or remain anonimous if you must) ... but hey, it would be great if a few of you lurkers out there gave me at least a little inkling that I'm not waffling on into the (completely empty) ether.

Come on. give me a boost and reveal yourselves/(self!) ...

one-handed rowing ...

2008-10-13T19:50:00.004+01:00

I don't know if you've noticed from my "Track my Progress" page, but while I'm keeping on with the rowing part of the challenge, I've not exactly gone all out on this rowing thing. I DO enjoy it - in small doses, and it does give you a good work out ... but I can't get too excited about it really. I originally intended to do 3.5 Km per row (1% of the total roughly), but then I upped that to 5 Km per visit - mainly because I wanted to get through it! The problem however, is that this extra distance is creating a bit of a problem - or maybe that should be being a bit of a nuisance - for me.

You see, when I had my tumour last year, it was in an unusual place (NO, not there!). It was on my left forearm, about half way between my wrist and my elbow. And it turned out to be on a part of the muscle, so ... to get it out, the surgeon had to take a strand of muscle out too. He had no idea how this would effect my arm/hand, but thankfully, there was no lasting problem - which is useful, as I'm left handed!

Well ... no lasting problem ... until you start rowing 5 Km, that is! The first 3 -3.5 Km are usually okay, but in that last 1.5 Km, at some point, my left hand starts to feel a little numb, and my grip isn't so good. I keep going, but occasionally, if you are wandering around the gym, you'll spot me taking my left hand off the bar, and rowing on with just my right hand, while I frantically shake my left hand to get the blood flowing again - which it does, by the way, and I do finish with both hands in action. But it is annoying, especially when I'm trying to beat my previous time and I have to slow my pace while I get my left hand started again!

But that's why I'm not taking on extra distances on the rowing as I have been with the cycling - I just can't see me managing to get a 10 Km row in one-handed, however much I might want to!

I bet Steve Redgrave - sorry, SIR Steve Redgrave) never had this problem ...

spun out ...

2008-10-11T12:17:00.003+01:00

Just got back from Carl's Fancy Dress Cowboy and Indian 90 minute spin for Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation at the gym (90:10 split to CRUK).

Because Carl is still injured, Dave took the class while Carl prowled around "encouraging" us by turning up the resistance on the bikes - very helpful indeed! Around 28 people turned up - several in fancy dress. The best was a guy in chaps, waistcoat, check shirt, bandanna, cowboy hat and ... a stick-on droopy moustache! Oh, and a six-gun. Others had Indian headdresses or cowboy hats and pistols, and Dave, the instructor had a Red Indian chief's head dress , and he'd put together music from westerns for the whole class, which was great - good fun all round. I didn't dress for the role, but wore my 365challenge t-shirt to promote the challenge and got some interest.

People donated to be allowed to attend, and I reckon Carl will have raised a good few quid. He has more events like this planned - next up is a Halloween spin - more dressing up to be expected, I'm sure.

Anyway - it's been a long time since I've been spinning, and usually then it was for 45 minutes maximum, but as I've been on my bike a lot lately, I figured I should last 90 minutes for the cause. It wasn't as bad as I expected, thankfully, and though I sweated buckets and was poured off the bike at the end, it was a lot of fun. It's really hard to calculate what distance you might do in a class like this, but as I did 30 KM the other day in an hour, I'm claiming 45 Km towards the cycling part of my challenge for this 90 minute class - it was full-on a lot of the time, so I think that's fair!

Now ... I might just take it easy for the rest of the day ...

getting back into the swing of things ...

2008-10-06T17:52:00.004+01:00

It's been harder than I thought it would be getting back into the routine of going to the gym after over 2 weeks off with that damned cold, but I am getting there, and have logged some time on all of the parts of the challenge left - cycling, rowing and today, swimming. I'm also planning to join Carl at his Mega-spin on Saturday, though I know this will take it out of me! 90 minutes of pretty flat-out spinning (Carl takes no prisoners!) should add at least 45 Km to my distance, if I survive! Come on down and join in if you can.

I've been noticed now by Cancer Research UK as a supporter of note. Got a call last week to see if I'd go to an event in Llandudno and man a display table for them, to try to drum up support. It was a a Rotary Club convention - about 40 clubs from the English Midlands represented - and the idea was to try to encourage some of them to adopt CRUK as their charity for next year. I had the morning shift and another couple - John and Moya - were taking the afternoon shift.

It was quite a good morning: I spoke to a lot of people and promoted both CRUK and 365challenge - as well as the "Adopt a Bunker for CRUK" concept suggested to me by Sue Goulding way back when I started into this fund-raising business. Sue - the good news is that it is an idea that certainly caught the interest, so watch out, it may grow - though a few people mentioned that they'd seen it before or that they already did something similar for their Captain's charity. That's fine, just next year, make your Captain's charity CRUK is all I have to say to that!

As well as seeing me as a willing supporter, there is good, (very exciting and promising) news from CRUK on the increasing interest in the 365challenge concept within the charity too. I got a call today to tell me that the idea is being considered by their "New Business Team" as a potential campaign that they would get behind - which is what I've wanted from the start, so it's good that they are considering it. The New Business Team are the people who look at these ideas - they did a similar exercise on "Run for Life" campaign, so if I can win them over, 365challenge will become a national event and Brenda's memory will be well and truly acknowledged!

Fantastic - everyone, cross your fingers for this NOW!

that's been too long a break ...

2008-10-01T19:54:00.003+01:00

I've just looked at my "Track My Progress" spreadsheet and see that I've been out of the loop for the 365challenge for about 12 DAYS thanks to that lousy cold - and the sore throat has been trying to creep back over the past 2 days - what's all that about?

Well I had to get back at it, so I went into the gym on Sunday and managed to cycle 16 Km, then last night I managed a 5 Km row and 20 Km cycle, so I'm, feeling a little better about it all again. Still not feeling totally right, but I'm active again, so I hope that will shake off the lurgy.

I also ran into Anouska in the gym last night, who is the last of the current batch of people planning on taking up the 365challenge and who I hadn't met up to now. I had my 365challenge t-shirt on, so she was brave enough to approach me and introduce herself as I stumbled off the bike dripping in sweat! She's working hard and planning to run a marathon a month, and then, for good measure, throw in the Land's End to John O'Groats cycle ride - FOR REAL - with a friend, and as if that's not enough, she hopes to get a place in the London marathon next year and do that for real too! Amazing people, this crew of lunatics who have been inspired by the 365challenge idea to do something for CRUK.

For the record, in case you missed what some of the others are doing - Fred(erika) is going to do a triathlon a month, Oliver is cycling across the US (I think), Mark is cycling, rowing and running across Australia, Peter is still deciding, but it's going to be good, I know, and Carl is getting back into his run across America after a pretty serious injury - take it slowly, buddy, take it slowly.

Carl is also organising a 90 minute fancy dress spin (I think the theme is Cowboys and Indians) on Otober 11th at the Chester Total Fitness for CRUK, so if you're in the area, come on down!

What a fantastic bunch. IF you want to join us, do please get in touch - you don't have to go quite so mad .. maybe try walking a mile a day, 26 days a month, then you'll have walked a marathon a month for CRUK. Come on, you can do it.

365challenge on the radio ...

2008-09-26T09:42:00.003+01:00

Hi everyone
As I've mentioned below, there has been some great interest in the 365challenge from the local media here, and BBC Radio Merseyside interviewed me for their morning show earlier this month. Leanne, the reporter, has kindly sent me a CD with the interview, so I thought I'd upload it here for anyone interested to have a listen - but it turns out I can't seem to upload audio files to this blog! So if you'd like to have a listen, email me off-line and I'll send it through to you as an attachment. My email is all over the website, but for the blog, I think I have to write it in this format: colin at 365challenge dot co dot uk ...

All thoughts and comments on my performance welcome!

coughs and sneezes ... keep you out of the gym, but Guinness makes you feel better!

2008-09-22T20:23:00.005+01:00

So there I was feeling very good about myself, having kept on with my challenge even while on holiday, when the dreaded lurgy had to go and stick it's oar in.

Last Wednesday, I went in to the Mighty Boosh gig in Dublin feeling fine, but came out a couple of hours later barely able to speak - and not because I'd been shouting and screaming (though i did laugh a lot). And the bug took hold then for the rest of my Irish visit, leaving me feeling very tired and run down. It's still lingering now, so I've put off getting back into the gym for a few days to see if it will settle and let me get on with my 365challenge again without keeling over.

Though the lurgy didn't ruin everything from the trip. I was able to catch up with some old friends and family members who I've not seen as much of as I'd like to, including my old buddy Jack. We used to share an apartment together a long time ago in Dublin, but I haven't seen him for a proper sit down chat and pint in over 14 years - much too long!

Anyway, we arranged to meet for lunch one day in a pub called Messrs Maguire, just beside O'Connell Bridge right in the heart of Dublin, and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours there. Apart from the good company, the outstanding memory of the afternoon was the quality of the pint. Now, I've been a Guinness drinker for a long, long time now, and I appreciate that I've been drinking what many consider to be an inferior version in England for a lot of years, but remember also that I'd just spent 5 days in Lahinch, in County Clare, where they know a thing or two about pouring a good pint, but ... the Messrs Maguire pint was one of the best I've ever tasted: so smooth, so good - I'm almost drooling as I recall it now. Highly recommended if you get the chance. My nephew commented that they charge more there for their pint than other pubs in the area, and also that the price increases over the evening, but believe me, it IS worth it!

And of course, everyone knows that Guinness has medicinal properties ... so once the effects finally kick in (come on, come one), I'll be fighting fit and back on my bike.

a rainy weekend in Lahinch

2008-09-17T14:33:00.003+01:00

Just catching up after having a short break away in the west of Ireland, in a little village called Lahinch in County Clare, which, as the song says, is a long, long way from (Clare) to here. Damp and grey for the first few days, unable to see the beautiful views, but there was nice food to be had and the Guinness was great.

And I didn't forget my commitment to the 365challenge ... I was first into the local pool four mornings in a row - I don't think they're used to early starters exactly, but the welcome was always warm and I got my 40 lengths in each day, so I'm still on track.

I'm writing this in Dublin now, having just arrived for tonight's Mighty Boosh gig, which Donna and I are looking forward to. My nephew, Peter, got the tickets, so he and Jenny are coming too. Should be a good night. Then a little more running around Ireland before back to Chester on Saturday, and back to the gym again on Sunday, probably.

10 days in, and I need a holiday!

2008-09-10T05:02:00.004+01:00

Things have been going great with the challenge, though I'd have liked to have covered a few more miles on the bike and river by now. But work has been busier again, and that's gotten in the way a little - what a pain! And now, I'm only going to bugger off and have a 10 day holiday in Ireland! What am I like?

Thing is, this will be my first break since I had my tumour removed a year ago, and believe me, I'm ready for one! I've been flat out at work since I returned on January 2nd, playing catch up a little, as I'd had 2.5 months off for the operation and follow-up radiotherapy - and when you work for yourself, having that amount of time off is not recommended. But the business is on track again, and as I said, I'm ready for a short break.

As for the challenge, I've got a good start on this, and I'll do some while I'm away too - I've found out that there is a health centre and pool near where we're staying for the middle part of the trip, so I'll get in the pool at least.

So keep checking n, I'll have updates from Ireland soon.

some tales of the 365'ers

2008-09-08T20:57:00.004+01:00

I know I've been muttering that I want more people to take up the 365challenge to raise even more for Cancer Research UK, but I guess I should salute some of the people who have already started down the road to taking this on for themselves.

First to the starting line was Carl, the manager in the gym, who plans to run across America - just 3200 miles, he's taking the short route, I think! Anyway, he started off all gung-ho (he's ex-army), and by the end of the week, he'd only gone and given himself a hernia (not running, doing some of his weights work, I think). It looks like he'll be out for about a month - commiserations Carl, but I'm sure he'll come back stronger. Watch this space.

Then, tonight at the gym, Danielle told me that although she hates running, she is going to run 2.5 miles 5 days a week for 52 weeks -she reckons that'll be a marathon a month, but i reckon it's a little further actually, so we may need to work this out more clearly.

Anouska wants to run a marathon a month too, but is hoping to run the London marathon in reality also next April, bringing her goal to 13 marathons in 12 months. Fantastic.

Finally for tonight, Mark plans to run, cycle and row across Australia, from Perth to Sydney - just 2455 miles. He's on his way already, so wish him luck.

I'll have more stories of 365'ers as this blog goes along, so keep popping back to hear more ... and if you want to be included, just get in touch with thoughts on your own 365challenge.

How did it get to Monday ...?

2008-09-08T20:47:00.003+01:00

Last week was a bit of a blur of activity on the 365challenge - well it was the launch week, I suppose. Two radio interviews and a press call for photos led to two radio interviews being broadcast, one newspaper putting the story on the front page, and another listing the story on their website. Not bad, if I say so myself! And though the interest arising out of this hasn't exactly been overwhelming, there have been messages of support and sponsorship coming through, so that's been great. I would still like to get more people taking up the challenge though, so there's more work to be done.

Then the weekend was busier than I expected, so, though I got to the gym, I didn't manage to cover quite as many miles as I'd have liked to - oh well, only 51 more weeks to go, how on earth will I fit it all in ... ?

the madness continues

2008-09-04T21:07:00.006+01:00

The madness continues with the 365challenge! I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve been told that I made the front page of the Midweek Chester Chronicle! If I can access the paper online, I’ll add a link to the website. I wonder what the main paper on Friday is going to do!

Then, on Tuesday (was that really just two days ago?), BBC Radio Merseyside called and requested an interview, which I did on Wednesday. I think it went well, good interviewer, she drew out the answers that helped me get my message across. I’m told that it will go out on Friday Sept 5^th, in the Breakfast Show, between 8.15 and 8.30 am BST, if anyone wants to tune in. You can listen on line, but you need RealPlayer installed, which I haven’t, so I’ll be at the radiogram! The station link is: bbc_radio_merseyside, then click on Listen Live, if you’re interested.

But the great thing about all of this is that the 365challenge is getting noticed, the sponsorship is rolling in (over £1000 past my original target already), and Brenda is getting acknowledged for the great person that she was – I know her children are following events and are really pleased at the response – so thank you all from them. I really hope that the publicity helps bring some more people on board too, so we can boost the amount that we raise for this great charity even further. Please, if you are in any way moved to take this on, do get in touch. Together we can create a challenge that is doable AND impressive that will bring the support in. Come on, it’ll be fun.

And things continue apace with the challenge itself – I’ve been into the gym Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and have started to make a (small) dent in those miles. Aching a little, but feeling good to continue. I have taken today off, as I had a heavy day at work - early start and didn't finish until 6.30 - ran a workshop, so on my feet, talking for 4 hours. I think having a day off from all that physical effort is allowed, isn't it?

But I'll be there again tomorrow, I promise ...

365challenge is GO!

2008-09-01T20:12:00.004+01:00

Day 1, and the 365challenge is up and running.

The press release did its job. The radio interview was broadcast on Dee 106.3 in each of the news bulletins (!) yesterday morning. Then, this morning, at the 'launch', two photographers from local papers showed up (they cover 4 papers between them), along with Jane, the Press Officer from Cancer Research UK (CRUK), and we had a bit of fun getting me posing on various bikes and rowing machines. Carl, the gym manager, got in on it too,as he's started his Run Across America today for his 365challenge too. Hopefully they'll get into this weeks various local weeklys.

Donna was along to take some photos as well, but we've had some PC problems today, so you'll have to wait for those. But Jane sent me a couple she took, hence the mug shot at the top of this posting.

Once the 'media' were happy, everyone left me to it, and I got on with my challenges. I managed a 32 Km (20 mile) cycle, rowed 5 Km (about 3.1 miles) and, oops, completed the 3 Peaks climb of 3.6 Km. I thought this last one would go quite quickly, but now I've done it, I feel a little guilty. I't's just one part of the overall challenge but maybe I'll have to add something else to ease my guilt. I didn't swim today - partly 'cos I was a little knackered, but also, there was a swimming lesson in the pool, and I just didn't fancy trying to work my way around them for half an hour. I'll swim tomorrow.

If you want to keep tabs on my progress, check out my track my progress page on the 365challenge website.

I also spent time in the gym talking to a few other members, telling them about the 365challenge and trying to encourage them to take it on too. A few took details away, so hopefully they will come on board. The more the merrier, I say.

And the support keeps pouring in. I very nearly made it to £3650 ahead of today, which I'd have loved to have done, but as I've hit £3500-odd, I'll not complain. I know there is more to be raised, and I'll probably have to set a new money target.

But as more people come on board to take the challenge too, I think that'll be where my focus goes - supporting them and finding more 365challengers. I've now got it in my head to bring 365 people along with me over the year, and, especially if CRUK get behind me on a national basis, I believe that is possible. If they raised just £1000 each, that could be £365000 for CRUK, and Brenda's name will be well and truly commemorated - but I don't think this will stop there. 365challenge has got legs, and I'm going to do all I can to make it as successful as possible for CRUK.

5 minutes of fame ...

2008-08-29T18:08:00.004+01:00

The other day, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) asked me if I'd mind if they put out a press release to the local media, telling them about my 365challenge - they reckoned I had a "story to tell" that would interest people. I'm not overly crazy about getting my picture in the paper, but I am now pretty passionate about 365challenge and I want more people to get involved, so I said yes. They sent through the copy, and after a little editing, we agreed the content, and they sent it out. The goal is to get the local press along to the 'launch' on Monday (Sept 1st), so we can get coverage in the local papers.

Today, the interest went up a notch: the local radio station - Dee 106.3 - called to interview me about the 365challenge and my plans for fund-raising for CRUK. I'm not sure how I'll come across ... I think it went smoothly enough, but only hearing it back will tell. They're planning to put it out on Sunday morning, August 31st, between 8 and 12 in the morning, around the news bulletins on the hour. So ... tune your internet to http://www.dee1063.co.uk/ and click on the 'Listen' link to hear how I got on. IF it goes well, I'll try to get a copy of the audio to put on the website. Nothing like a little promotional material to keep the interest going.

They've also asked me to keep them informed of my progress over the 365 year, so hopefully I'll be able to keep the 365challeng in the public eye (or ear) for longer, and generate even funds more for CRUK.

Donna's started calling me the Jimmy Saville of Chester ... a bit unnecessary, if you ask me!