It Starts with a Step

 

Now the weather is brightening up a little after the snow we've had these past few months, it's natural to want to get outside into the fresh air, and feel more energised to work off those warming puddings we have been eating all winter. One of the ways I get more active this time of year is by setting a goal to achieve in the next few months. Last year my daughter who is nine joined me too... in a very good cause, training for Race For Life http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org.

Every year, women of all shapes and all sizes either walk, jog or run 5km or 10km to raise Cancer Research funds in a supportive and very fun atmosphere. The warm ups that start an hour before are incredibly good mood boosters too with hundreds of women wiggling and stretching and laughing in a mad crowd of pink. Then, we're off around the track at our own pace, some dressed as fairies with glitter wings, some dressed as fuschia dinosaurs, but most of us dressed in pink tshirts with a heartfelt statement on their backs proclaiming who they are running for. It can be very moving as you're jogging along, swigging your water, feeling you're so tired that you really can't go on to the next bend, to read about someone's grandparent or parent who has passed away, and then that spurs you on for the next kilometre - along with all the dads and sons all cheering on the sidelines! The atmosphere is amazing as you reach the final last few metres and run through the finishing line.

My daughter pleaded with me to let her enter Race for Life with me last year and I wasn't certain that she was going to cope with the length - but I need not have worried, she was the one zooming on ahead and I was the one left standing in the dust! This year I am going to start training so much earlier as I need to match my nine year old, pace for pace! It's a great bonding event for daughters and mothers, and one that we can both feel immensely proud of doing for a wonderful cause. For husbands and sons, there is a separate event called Relay for Life which men can enter, so dads don't feel left out. (Sons can also enter the Race for Life if you phone your entry in).

I recommend that you take a look at the website http://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org and see if there is an event near you this spring or summer - be brave and take the plunge to try something different with your family and raise money for a very worthwhile charity.

 

Written by Andrea