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Bath Half-Marathon 2010 for Mum

Hi everyone,

My friend Becky and I have just embarked on a training programme for the Bath Half-Marathon in March 2010, and are going to be keeping an online diary so that people can keep track of our progress. We are both second year students at Cardiff University, who have never run this kind of distance before, but feel like taking on a new and exciting challenge to raise some money for charity. I have previously run a 10k in August 2009, and we have entered another at the end of November to keep us motivated. We are aiming to complete the half-marathon in just over two hours, but just finishing would be fantastic!

It was important to us both to run for a charity, and I immediately thought of Endometriosis UK when deciding on who to raise money for. Endometriosis has struck my family twice, with both my mother and her sister suffering from the disease. Consequently I know a little of how difficult life can be with endometriosis, with no visible symptoms for people to understand. My mum was 17 when diagnosed with the disease, at a time when doctors knew little about it, and was told that she would probably never be able to have children. After miraculously falling pregnant with me, she suffered a horrific pregnancy, and both of us nearly died at my birth. Since I was born, my mum has needed countless operations, treatments and antidepressants, and has been through more pain than anyone should ever have to experience. However, despite the severity of her condition I have had the most wonderful childhood. She never allowed me to see the full extent of the illness, and even now is reluctant to admit when she is suffering.

chloe and becky

My Mum is my inspiration and my role model. I will never be able to repay her for the happiness she has given me. Her condition is so severe that she is unable to do many things that people take for granted, but she never gives up. She does not know how much of an inspiring woman she is, and doing a run for this charity is a small way in which I can show my appreciation for her. Therefore, for her, my auntie and other victims of endometriosis I want to raise as much money as possible.

I will be writing regular entries to keep you all updated on how our training is going. This week we are aiming to increase our distance from five to six miles in preparation for the 10k on the 29th November. Keep watch for my fundraising page on the Endometriosis UK website where you can make a donation. Wish us luck, I think we will need it!

Chloe x

How it all went....

Hi all,

On Sunday November 29th, Becky and I completed our first official 10k (six mile) race together in Temple Guiting, Gloucester. We set out from Cardiff praying for reasonable weather, but unfortunately luck was not on our side; it was freezing cold and threatening to rain. However, having trained in hail the previous week, we both felt prepared for whatever was thrown at us.

We knew that being situated in the Cotswolds, the route would involve undulating hills. However, it became apparent a few miles in that the road was a little more undulating than we had anticipated! The country route took us up numerous climbs with minimal recovery time. Having only trained in Cardiff city centre, we both found the shift from flat ground tough. We were not alone, it appeared that everyone was struggling, and a great camaraderie and support developed between our competitors and us. Despite the weather conditions and the tricky course, we finished with a time of 01:02:36, a personal best for our training.

Now we have completed six miles together we are hoping to increase our runs to over nine miles in the next few months. Due to our different university courses, it can be difficult to schedule training time together. However, so far we have managed to get out at least twice a week, which we wish to continue. Our next official challenge is scheduled for the New Year, when we will be completing another organised run to keep us focused. January will also be the time to start pushing people for sponsorship; raising money is what all this is about for us.

My mum could not be more pleased that we have chosen to support Endometriosis UK. Her reaction and the money we will be able to donate will be my driving force until March. Every penny helps, so please check out my Just Giving page. I hope that we will do all our supporters proud from now until the race day.

Until next time, take care,

Chloe x

Sponsor Chloe and Becky here

If you are interested in doing a challenge for Endometriosis UK check out our range here