Waddle like a Penguin, Walk Tall like an Olympian

So the big day arrived.... 9 months or so after musing the ideas of doing the Great North Run in memory of my uncle-in-law Martin Tyler, the day arrived.

06:00 - alarm went off a bit too early but we were staying about 30 miles from Newcastle and with expected crowds of 250,000 we thought it best to get up and at em early on.

07:00 - Holiday cottage packed away, kids fed, runner full of porridge and a banana

07:40 - Driving along the route of the run, it's eerily quiet, all the banners are up, all the mile markers are in the central reserve.  The excitement begins to build

07:50 - Ticket bought for the 4 mile trip from Heworth to Newcastle

08:05 - Decide to follow everyone else assuming that they are heading for the start.... a good call as they are

08:25 - Loitering about mingling with other runners, chatting to people, listening to the compare on the tannoy.  I really need the loo (again...)

09:00 - Baggage put onto the bus, the holding areas are getting busy and the toilet queues are building.

09:45 - one last loo stop before entering the starting pen.  Not been able to meet up with any of my other friends / relations who were running but never mind, the banter and joking in the holding pen is great.

10:05 - Wheelchair elite get their send off

10:25 - Ladies elite Start

10:40 - Our start and the red arrows.

11:15 - i run passed Ellie Simmonds and Mo Farah on the way to the end

Plenty of banter, high fiving, Fridge Man, jelly babies, music, cheering, did i mention the rain, ooh and water being given out by Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, a few aches, the last 2 miles are hurting, there's my family 200m from the end.....

13:14 - 13.1 miles down i cross the finish line seconds before the Red Arrows display team kick off

A very respectable 1 hour 59 minutes and 21 seconds, a personal best (well it was my first, so it was always going to be so!)

This was a great day but sad at the same time.  So many people were running in memory of loved ones, doing something helps keep their memory alive.
Thanks for reading, check out my previous blogs for a bit more history and if you want to sponsor me for the Great south Run ...... Just_Click_Here

A Huge thanks to the crew who supported me!  You guys rock :-)

From Home to Tarn and Back

So a couple of weeks to go it is probably time to put some more words to paper and keep you all up to date with progress.  well the good news is that I am also running the Great South Run with 3 other cousins in memory of Martin, so in total I'll be running almost a marathon (23.3 miles over 2 events!)

Oooh also i have a just giving page so stop by at some point! http://www.justgiving.com/adrian-wightman  (The chocolates have well gone and my trainers are muddy now!)

So tonight i went out with the sole aim of taking on Smithies Lane.  In my mind this is the hill of all hills and a
hill that I need to conquer.  Up to now i have taken on the long slow hill but not the continuous going on for a mile hill.  Tonight I nailed it.... 

Well the videos is a bit poor - here's a photo of mount Smithies

 and the view from the top is EPIC

So from the top of mount smithies on into BARNSLEY TOWN cheered on by the fabulous folk who dwell there on a Saturday night .....

All in all a cheeky 8.4 miles in 90 mins and to top it off i get in just as Jess Ennis kicked off her 800m.  Now that's good timing!  Until next time

In memory of Martin Tyler

This thread is intricate stick with me.

My wife's uncle, Martin, recently died from a very rare form of Encephalitis. Encephalitis is a group of diseases about which little is known. It is an inflammation of the brain that comes on suddenly and produces serious neurological disease. It can have a variety of causes of which virus infection is the most frequent and important.

In at least half of the cases of encephalitis, they do not know the cause; and accurate information on both the causes and the true incidence of encephalitis in the UK is not available and is urgently needed.

Martin had Voltage Gated Potassium Channel (VGKC) Antibodies Encephalitis, originally it was diagnosed as dementia in November 2010, as the early symptoms of this form of Encephalitis are very similar to types of dementia, however the presentation of dementia wasn’t standard and following further tests in March 2011 the diagnosis was changed to VGKC.

The Acute Neurology Unit (ANU) at Salford Royal Hospital tried many different treatments, unfortunately they were not successful.  Martin Tyler

Martin will be sadly missed and leaves a large hole in many people's lives.  My cousin subsequently challenged her "Facebook Friends" to get involved in supporting the Encephalitis Society.  That would be easy (organise dress down day at work £60, buy a calendar £10 and other such "easy" actions I warbled to myself)

I had been musing about getting fit over the last few months of 2011 but hadn't really put anything into motion (pun intended) but (web) surfing over the Christmas period and a click later I had found that the Great North Run was happening in September 2012.  (Hmmm I always fancied doing a 1/2 marathon)

Some further clicking on the Encephalitis Society's website Website found that they were looking for runners to represent them in the event and raise much needed funds in their quest to support Encephalitis sufferers, their families and research.  Further investigation founds that I had been following Encephalitis Society's CEO on twitter (and she me for some time thanks to our connection via  The Yorkshire Mafia Linked In Group). 

It seemed like there were jigsaw pieces ready to be put together.  Along with another cousin and support of the Encephalitis Society we submitted our application to secure a place.  We still await a decision to see if we will secure a place - watch this space!

So this week saw my first trip to the gym.  My instructor, Karl (Barnsley Premier Leisure), encouraged me greatly in the ability to achieve my goal (running the Great North Run) and I am confident that he will get me match fit. 

What are my priorities?

So keep following the Warblings to see how I get on during my training, and if you fancy it you could sponsor me (i will set up a just giving page in due course). 


Alternatively why not visit the Encephalitis Society Website and see if you can make a difference by getting involved.  I am sure they would love to have your support.