Goodbye 2013, hello 2014…

Well, 2013 was quite a year – I spent most of it injured in some way shape or form but that did not stop me competing in a number of events and bagging a couple of PBs in the process!

I started the year with achilles tendonitis – a real pain to get rid of but managed it, only to be struck with patellar tendonitis – much the same but on the knee. In my usual style, ignored it and carried on and have spent the final three months of 2013 not running at all – I think this time I have learnt my lesson and have worked hard to come back slowly and not pushing to much to soon.

This downtime has given me time to get a focus on 2014 and what the year might hold. I decided to take the plunge and give a half-ironman a whirl and have entered the Outlaw Half in June. This will be my A race for the year and will give me a good six months to get ready. The lack of running has given me time to pick up my cycling again and work hard at my swimming. I took a swim clinic with GreenlightPT which has highlighted a number of things for me to work on and I’ve also started to take a turbo and core class (also with GreenlightPT) to back up my cycling. As well as the Outlaw Half, I also want to have a crack at getting my half marathon time down. I’ve not really run to full capacity for years and am hoping the focus of Outlaw will enable my running to pick up a level and get a few long standing PBs out of the way.

Overall I think 2013 went quite well considering. I managed to run two marathons in 15 days off around seven weeks training (not recommended!), a new 5km and 5 mile PB and my swimming has improved beyond what I imagined was possible. I was also lucky enough to get a place in the Open Sprint race at the World Triathlon Champs in Hyde Park. On the downside, the little boy who I ran my two marathons for, Henry Allen, sadly lost his fight in October. His plight pulled a whole city together and less than a month later achieved a world record in his memory (myself and my son included!). the money I raised will be passed to the main Families Against Neuroblastoma charity to help other children affected by this childhood cancer.

So, 2014 is about looking forward, new goals, probably more to be added on the way but the main one is outlaw – 21 weeks and counting….

The Henry Allen Appeal – Update

I haven’t blogged for a while as I haven’t had too much to talk about but over the last few days have heard some news which has compelled me to write this post.

You may remember back in April/May I ran both the London and Milton Keynes marathons and raised money for a little local boy called Henry Allen who had been diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma. My post about this can be read here: The Henry Allen Appeal

It was announced yesterday that the disease has come back in force and it is likely that the NHS in the UK will be unable to provide him with any further treatment. His only option now is to seek treatment abroad in either Germany or the USA. The costs associated with this treatment will all have to be paid for by his family – hence the fundraising I did earlier in the year. Soon after his orignal diagnosis The Henry Allen Appeal was set up to raise funds should treatment in the UK be exhausted.

Yesterday, the appeal team shared an update that it was likley that no further NHS treatment may be possible.

The family need somewhere in the region of £300,000-£500,00 ($500,000-$800,000) and they need it fast.

Since the appeal was set up the appeal team have worked with hundreds of different people, companies and organisations to hold events to raise money to fund this treatment. A large amount of money has already been raised but much more is needed. You can donate directly to the appeal via the Henry Allen Appeal JustGiving page or download a single released for Henry by Juan Camus iTunes

If everyone donates a little, it will become a lot…

I’m asking you as a reader of my blog to reblog this, share on Facebook, retweet on Twitter and whatever other social media you have to spread this message.

Thank you – Hope, Dream, Believe