Joining #thefitcrowd

I am super excited to tell you that I have been chosen to work with one of my favourite brands, fitness wear gurus Sweaty Betty. A group of 20 bloggers, all with varied interests, ages, fitness levels and experiences are joining forces under #thefitcrowd moniker and I am thrilled to be part of the group. The aim is for us to be your connection with all things Sweaty Betty and to inspire other women to engage with fitness as part of their lives, something I believe strongly in as a chronic illness bod and mum of small people.
You may remember my Team Bangs on the Run half marathon journey, and some of my beloved Team Bangs ladies are also part of The Fit Crowd which is lovely for me to be joining forces with them again, and to meet other bloggers
on the way.
Watch this space!

Training and freya active

I am sure you watched the Olympic Opening ceremony like me on Friday - wasn't it MINDBLOWING? I loved the whole thing, from Branagh as Brunel to Mr Bean, Bond and the Queen, Becks on a boat...all of it was magical inspiring and just so....us.

So in the Olympic spirit I am of course still training for Cycletta and Run to the Beat. On Friday I was out on my mountain bike in the fens for 17k bike ride, and today I donned my trusty Team Bangs on the Run top and my Freya Active set to crank out a 4 mile run.

Running and riding for endo

Ok endo warriors, my fellow sisters in pain and suffering, this is for you.

I am taking part in 2 events to raise money for endometriosis - the Nike Run to the Beat in September, and Cycletta 40km bike ride in Brighton in November. This is a big deal for a mum of two with extreme pain and fatigue who is on a mission.

I may have to walk the courses on the day, I may crawl it, but I will do it.

I would like to thank Freya lingerie for supporting me during my training and for sponsoring me to attend the Cycletta event.

If you would like to help me, you can donate to my JustGiving page here,.  Contact me for info on how your brand can get involved. If you want to join me and take part with me, let me know, and above all else please spread the word and donate.

Let's do this.

 

This goes down in history...

....as the best photo of this year for me.



The day endo didn't win, depression didn't win and I won. With my team, my family and friends supporting, and a host of amazing brands and icons behind us.

 

A moment with Bangs

[caption id="attachment_1567" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Mumma Run with some one the Team at Nike"][/caption]

As you know, I am an honoured member of Team Bangs on the Run 2, and readers will have been tracking my progress here on Dexterous Diva.

Team Bangs on the Run is the brainchild of blogger extraordinare,  prolific Tweeter and all round slice of awesomeness that is Bangs and a Bun, also known to some by her real name Muirrean, but to us girls on Team Bangs as Mumma Run. 

Endometriosis: 10 reasons to go running

Endometriosis is crippling. Pain management is important, and  I know ladies, exercise can be THE LAST thing on your mind when the pain strikes.

But, as an endo warrior who is on a journey with my running and training for a half marathon, here is why I think you should give it a go:

1. Exercise gives you back control; one day you may be in bed on painkillers but the next you are out there doing 9 miles and winning.

Disrobing part 2

You may remember my Disrobing Dysmorphia post back in May.

No?

For anyone prone to feel queasy you have been warned, but the post is here.

So. It's now August. I am by no means Kate Moss in stature but I am on the way to being fitter and healthier. I now weigh 10 stone 8, so a few pounds lighter but my body is changing shape and I am learning all the time about food nutrition and fitness.

Team Bangs at Nike with Charlotte Purdue

On Monday I had the pleasure of meeting up with my Team Bangs ladies (with a few absent friends who weren't able to make it!) at Nike Town in London.

Nike were wonderful hosts to us, and arranged for us ladies to meet and interview elite runner Charlotte Purdue.

Why running is brilliant and what I've learned about plans

 

Running is changing my life in so many ways; is helping my depression no end, it is helping my battle against endometriosis and it is giving me a new positivity and focus in my life alongside the girls.

Running is utterly brilliant. What I am learning about the way that I am approaching my training for this half marathon I realise can be applied to so many other areas in life. My schedule for training the Half  is broken down into weeks, into days, into various speeds, length of sessions and rest days.

My running essentials

 

As I get more used to this running lark and progress from being an utter beginner to slightly less of a beginner, these are the things I find essential:

Cosmo blog awards- nominate me!

Dear lovely readers,

I would be honoured and delighted if you could help me spread the word of endo and it's effect on life by nominating me in the Cosmo 2011 blog awards.

Why every run is a victory

So. If you haven't checked out the awesome ladies that are Team Bangs on the Run 2, I suggest you do.

Follow our hashtag on Twitter, follow us all and see what we are all up to.

As a team of 13 ladies, we are all coming at this challenge with our own stories. We have been sharing with each other the reasons why we run, and I assure you, every time I read about why a team-mate is running it makes me cry.

St Ives 10k

So, today I managed to run a 10k.

Last week, as you know, I was sad to miss the Boutique Run at the hands of endo, so this week I was determined to get out there and do the race.

Team Bangs Training - progress

I love me some visual graphics, I do.

Nothing stirs the loins so much as a nice visualisation of data, particularly when it shows progress of me. Running. Yes.

So, here is my Nike run history from my online Nike Running profile.

Quitting from a non quitter

As I write, my beloved Scribs and Candice from Team Bangs should be around half way through the Boutique Run 10k.

Boutique Run and plan B

So, today is my Boutique Run 10k.
I am not going.

I am in so much pain I can barely move from endo and I have had to take the sad choice to step out of this one.
To all who have sponsored me, I am booked onto the St Ives 10k next Sunday, and I WILL honour those donations by getting the kilometres under my belt.
I am incredibly sad to miss out on this amazing event but, as you all know as much as I do, this is the way I have to live my life.
Of course, we all know that my pain might be prevalent for the Run to the Beat and my plan b there is to have my support team travel with me, to run/walk as much as I can then have help getting home.
I have trained for this 10k and am on schedule for the half marathon so my journey is underway unhindered by the endo beast. But, as always, compromises are made.

Thanks to my lovely Sarah today, for her understanding, love and friendship. I will miss running with you today chica, go like the wind.
DD
X

Running Love

Running - my Team Bangs progress

One of the things I love about this journey I am on with the Team Bangs On the Run project is the personal challenge every time I have a run in my training schedule to get out there, to do it.

Take today, for example.

A run speaks for so much - Team Bangs 2 and why

I first discovered running when I was 18.

My mate Ben would come and throw stones at my bedroom window at 6.30am to wake me up, fag in hand, an image my mum still holds dear. We would jog around a local park, splutter and cough our way back, but I discovered for the first time how beautiful it is in the morning before the world awakes. I learnt that there is a time zone that exists only for those who rise with the birds and that I rather liked it. That, and the undiscovered muscles I remember talking about in the common room, which we thought sounded like a good band name.