MDS 2009 - Keith

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Long Run & Maggie's Visit

What a day! Started at 06:30 hours with a cheeky wee 24 mile run around Dundee cycle path. This is the longest continuous run any of us have managed so far. We all did really well finishing within 20 minutes of each other. It was great weather and fantastic views across the Firth of Tay took my mind off the pain.

By one o’clock in the afternoon all three of us were at the Maggie’s Centre Dundee for a meeting with Fundraising Co-ordinator Valerie Busher. All I can say is FANTASTIC!. Val’s enthusiasm and knowledge is amazing. We have a lot of ideas and avenues to explore to raise as much money for the Maggie’s Centre as we can. The overwhelming impression I had leaving the meeting is to not sell ourselves short. With a bit of hard work and graft I feel we can make a significant contribution for the centre which would be amazing.

Friday, March 16, 2007

First Meeting

It’s now sinking in what we have signed up for. It is clear that the actual race will only be the conclusion of two years of madcap training and fundraising. The priority for this meeting is to establish our various specific roles and to decide on a charity. For us the charity aspect is important. We want to benefit a local project but also have sufficient appeal to large national and international corporate sponsors to attract significant funds. We spent three hours deliberating before the vote was unanimous - Maggie’s Centres.

For those not aware, Maggie’s Centre’s have been established across Scotland with another one in London and further being developed across the UK to provide a caring service and support for patients/relatives/and any other persons who are affected by cancer. We have an established Centre in Dundee, which has some 250 visitors per week. The Centres are entirely run from charitable donations and on average cost £250,000 per year to run. A very worthwhile cause.

The meeting closed with various delegations of duties and a clearer sense of the size of the project ahead.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Health Assesment - University of Dundee

This was the official start of the training process. An appointment with Helen Weavers of Dundee University Sports Science Department, she was going to tell me what shape I’m currently in. Oh dear. We all have a conceived idea of our physical condition but this often differs sometimes significantly from the hard facts.

I can’t over emphasise how grateful we all are to all the staff at Dundee University Sport Science Unit. In particular Helen Weavers and Dr. Audrey Duncan, both have been immense in their enthusiasm and support.

This appointment was the body composition tests, height/weight/fat/blood pressure/cholesterol/blood sugar/body mass index/general health questionnaire.

A lot of honest answers required. The end result was not bad but definitely room for improvement. Basically – eat less and sleep more. Seems achievable.

At the end of this test I was instructed to return in a week or so to complete the physical side of the test. I’m sure you’ve maybe seen various programs with athletes running on a treadmill with an oxygen mask on and wired to a heart machine? Apparently that will be me. The test measures various thresholds in your aerobic/anaerobic system. This all sounds good and well however will require me to run until I almost drop!!! Hmm.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

We're in!!

Monday the 5th of March 2007, a day I’ll never forget. I was staying in a hotel in Newark, north of Nottingham. I was preparing to attend my mother’s cousin's funeral. A special man who at the age of 59 died from cancer.

About 10:05 hours in the morning I was awake and pacing a well worn path in my room, mobile telephone in one hand my other hand with all fingers crossed. At 10:06 hours the phone began to vibrate – a text – a text from one of my best mates – a text I had been holding my breath for, a text I had been hoping I’d receive for the past 7 months. I read it slowly again and again. It simply said “Pack your bucket and spade we’re going to the beach”. WHAT! EH! YEEEEEESSSSSS!!! We’re in! OOOOOOOHHHHHHH! SH*T!

We had just committed ourselves, (Myself, Seamus and James) to the hardest footrace on the planet, participating in March/April 2009. 151 miles or so in the Sahara Desert, carrying our own kit and on a water ration of 9 litres per day - I couldn't wait.

I left my hotel room bursting to tell someone. It then dawned on me that the only people aware I was even considering the race were 600 miles away back home and now was not the time and place to tell grieving relatives about my exciting adventure. All except my mum that is, even as a 31 year old, 16 stone ex rugby player my mother is still the one I run to, to tell all my news.

I later phoned my wife who had work commitments at home, she was really happy for me. Not so much because we had gained entry to the event but more because I would have been a complete misery for many weeks/months if we had failed to achieve a place.

AND SO IT BEGINS!