Hi guys, just got home from my run, so much I want to say, so emotional so apologies for the rambling and no doubt poor priority of my words.
Firstly it was so good to read your running commentary on the forum, thank you all for caring, it means so much ( as do many things you will read below).
Felt good this morning, ran first 9 miles in glorious sunshine in 9 minute miles and then for no reason ( well a month with no training, chemo, cancer, hormone drugs,being ill for a month?) my right knee went, from then on I had to hobble the last 17 miles, it got worse and I got slower. I had to walk for a bit after 16 miles and then walked for a minute or two every mile. The crowds were fantastic, my family and work friends come along and kept on popping up round the course, PCUK were there at the start and had a great cheering station plus lots of thanks from them at the end. I lost count of how much I cried through the emotion of it all. A year ago I did the same race 45 mins quicker, what a difference a year makes. When I was dx in November I thought that's it no more running. I jokingly call myself IRUN but expected to change that when I started chemo to IRAN, as cancer had already taken so much from my life and I was thinking well it will probably take it all even before the end. Hence why today meant so much to me.
Then there is the fund raising, I expected to raise maybe £1k from family and friends for our charity ( yes I really think that PCUK is part if everyone in this forum). Yesterday I went to a rugby reunion, they made PCUK the beneficiary if the raffle, raised £450 plus a bunch of them sponsored me today plus I raised the awareness to over 100 guys. When I looked at my just giving site after the run and saw so many more people had sponsored me I got all emotional again. I know it was tough today but I am really just an ordinary guy with a rubbish disease, my words are insufficient as to how touched I am by the number of sponsors , texts, Facebook messages , emails etc I have received. I have now raised just short if £20k inc gift aid which is beyond my wildest dreams( it should keep the forum going for a bit if nothing else!). PCUK is relatively a small charity that punches above its weight, I know the money will help them ( and therefore us) in a big way.
My wife ran a 10k that started just before the marathon. She finished in 1 hour 9 which is effectively the same speed as me ( only 4 times shorter) for her first ever 10k run as that was all she could do to support me running. Her work have made PCUK the charity of the month so that will raise a bit more too. Like many of you, I could not get through each day without my lovely beautiful wife and soul mate by my side.
So what's next, well next chemo is Tuesday, but I need to find another challenge. I have already entered the Brighton marathon for 2016 but I need something bigger, I have one thought but will keep that to myself until chemo and RT have finished to make sure I have got through it ok.
Thanks again everyone you are all just amazing as none if you know me ( that may be a good thing for you) yet you treat me and everyone on this forum like an old friend. Keep posting, can't wait till Leicester as I may have a raging thirst that weekend! Kevlaa IRUN