Bubble Wobble, The Wolf Run, and other news.

Frankie Hewitt and Neil after completing The Wolf Run

I had a phone call today, from a friend, that caught me slightly unaware. It wobbled my bubble, and that doesn't happen very often! (My bubble is my personal reference to my life and the lovely little cocoon that I live in). It wasn't an earth shattering call, the type that knocks you completely sideways, like the one I received when my cousin died, but it was unexpected and I was wobbled.

It was a good call.

I'm sorry that I have to leave it like that for the time being, I don't normally announce cryptic news, but if what we discussed comes to fruition then it will be something that I will be very proud to be associated with. I will let you all know the minute that anything is announced formally.

On a more sociable note... 

Yesterday I took part in The Wolf Run. It is a 10km challenge of running and obstacle racing and includes an awful lot of mud! Which means it is an awful lot of fun!

I went along to support an old school friend, Francesca Hewitt, who was doing it for the first time. In fact it was her first event of any kind in a long time. She is a wonderful person who unfortunately suffers from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and this has lead to some difficult personal battles for her. Because of PCOS she has suffered with weight problems and in recent times she has shown real determination to try and overcome it. She began attending regular fitness sessions with a group in her home town of Rugby called Military Fitness Circuits and she has lost a fair bit of weight. Francesca still has a little way to go but she is making steps in the right direction and she will get there.

I have no doubt.

It was her association with Military Fitness Circuits that lead her to The Wolf Run. We have chatted a lot on Facebook about her fitness issues and I have always offered her advice, support, and encouragement; I have also berated her from time to time when she has suffered from self doubt! When I saw that she was thinking of doing the race I offered to support her and to run it with her. I like to see people making positive changes to their lives when the shadows have fallen, and I was looking forward to helping Francesca achieve this milestone. She has been worried about it at times, and often questioned whether she could do it. I like challenges that push my boundaries, and I was inspired that Frankie was taking on something she thought was unattainable. I thought differently. I firmly believe that anything is possible and I wanted to support her on her journey.

To cut a long story short we did it! Frankie surmounted almost all of the obstacles, got very muddy, and we had a lot of fun. We crossed the finish line together and I'm certain that she received the loudest cheers of the day. She had friends and family supporting her all the way and she defied the doubters and proved to herself that she could do it.

It doesn't matter what your personal challenge is, whether that is swimming one length in the pool or climbing Mount Everest, what matters is that it is important to you. Looking at all the comments on Facebook after the event it was clear how much support that Frankie had and how much she has inspired other people around her to improve their situation. I have a feeling that we might have some more company for next years Wolf Run! Good on ya Frankie! When I next take on an impossible challenge I now have both my cousin Daz and YOU to inspire me when I think I can't make it to the finish. Thank you for that.

Frankie confronting one her worst fears, Water.

In other news... 

As usual I have made one or two rash decisions on the spur of the moment!

Wilco had been talking about coming over to the UK with some friends and running The Robin Hood Half-Marathon in Nottingham on September 29th. As it happens it fell through. He is running The Zwolle Marathon in his home city the following week (October 6th).

In my wisdom I decided to enter the Full Nottingham Marathon anyway. I thought I could use it as a training block towards next years Yak Attack.

I was disappointed not be running with my friend so I entered The Zwolle Marathon too!

For a man who has never been particularly interested in running a road marathon I will now be running two in seven days!

And on top of that Mitch and I have entered The Ennerdale Trail Run to take part in the Ultra 50km event on October 20th.

I'm not entirely sure how this will all pan out to be honest, probably not very well! But I will be using the Nottingham and Zwolle Marathons as training for The Ennerdale race. As a race The Ennerdale Ultra is the one I am most looking forward to; it is run around Ennerdale Water in The Lake District and is a stunning location. It is also another step up for me and my ambition to do some longer distance Ultra events.

They will all prove to be good stepping stones in training towards next years Yak Attack too.

The Summer here in the UK has been somewhat unusal; it has been sunny!

I've taken advantage of it too. I've enjoyed trips to Wales, Cornwall, Norfolk, and The Lake District, with one or two more trips planned in soon.

I have two upcoming trips to The Netherlands; in October for the marathon, and in November for an Armin Van Buuren concert in Amsterdam.

I have a number of blog posts outstanding at the moment including our trip to The Himalaya and The Everest Marathon earlier in the year, along with several others that I have in my head.

I will be writing these over the next couple of weeks, I promise! No more procrastinating! 

Thank you for looking, I WILL update my posts very shortly.

Frankie and Neil about to cross the finish line at The 2013 Wolf Run