Exhausted

I am suffering from a particularly strenuous weekend, in which I walked for miles, played tennis, ran, then walked the length of North London. This is about ten times the usual amount of exercise I do and resulted in severe dehydration and a sleepless night (the drama queen emerges!) The worrying thing is that this was only two days... and Iceland will be 6. Best get back on it then.

Beg, borrow or steal

Now some who know me well, would say I'm a pretty organised person, the type who likes to plan every detail of their holidays four months in advance or make sure they get friends to save the date for a party 4 weeks before it actually happens. Yes, it's more fun to live life on the edge, but I can't help it if I enjoy the anticipation of an event just as much as the event itself.

So when I realised the trek was just three weeks away and I hadn't even looked at the recommended packing list I had the mildest of panic attacks. I don't have ANYTHING I need.. not a thing. Well I have a sleeping bag, but the lining has been ripped to shreds, and a camping mat but it's hardly the Thermo-moulding one I was recommended (Lidl's own was such a bargain!)

And it's not just the gear I'm missing... I haven't done a shred of exercise since my 10k three weeks ago and have just found out that my annual travel insurance (smugly bought a week ago to supposedly save money) doesn't cover me for a week's intense trekking. What has happened to the girl my friends used to call Monica Gellar?!

I have no one to blame for this lack of preparation but myself, as I have been preoccupied by a trip to Glastonbury and my 26th birthday, (which stretched into a week long celebration as these things tend to do.) So now it's time to knuckle down and sort my life out... I'm off to Kathmandu - (the trekking shop not the place - that would just add to my travelling traumas) to purchase all the essentials and beg, borrow or steal the rest. As my friend Lorenzo told me today (as he fished for a mention on my blog!) I have to stop partying and start training, so it's a run home for me tonight and a night spent organising - (now where's that color-coded filing system?)

Keep on running

So yesterday was the day of the Macmillan 10K run, something I signed up for months ago and figured that I had plenty of time to reach the 6 miles needed to breeze over the finish line... it's amazing how those weeks flew by and all of a sudden I was faced with the prospect of doubling my personal best for distance and time, yikes.

Luckily for me the conditions were perfect, cloudy with a light breeze and the setting of Regent's Park just interesting enough to keep me going round the course the three times (looking out for animals in the monkey cages of London Zoo certainly made the final straight that little bit easier)

It was the first time Macmillan has held a 10k race of its own, so it was small, but perfectly formed. The support around the course was brilliant, if not a little embarrassing when people you've vaguely seen around the office start calling out your name as it's printed on the front of your shirt. Boyfriend, friend and even my bosses zoomed away at the beginning of the pack, but I kept my pace slow and steady, with only the Ipod to keep my concentration.

Amazingly, and I'm still not quite sure how this happened, I managed to run the whole way and made it across the line in 1 hour 4 minutes. In true Jen style I celebrated with a glass of wine at lunch, not realising the effects that would have on my already dehydrated body, but I reckon I deserved it.

As promised, sweaty photos to give those who sponsored me a laugh... anyone out there still feeling generous - http://www.justgiving.com/jenthorley

Bands galore!

Well, it's been about over a month since I had my first planning meeting with Jack to arrange my fundraising gig, and it's amazing how something that started off so slowly can come together so quickly (fingers crossed anyway!) I spent three weeks chasing bands and leads and pleading with everyone I knew to ask their friends, friends of friends and neighbour's ex girlfriend's brothers and so forth and got nowhere. A brief spark of 'oh my god, I am the female version of Simon Cowell' came when I thought I had bagged an act on the cusp of her fame, but alas, she just became that bit too famous for the likes of me! Although if I run into her after her set at Glastonbury I will be asking her again.

So after a lot of emails and a little bit of bribery on the part of my Big Sis, (thanks Kat!) who bartered a performance for a web address the artist was after, I pretty much got my line up together in a week. There's still one spot to fill but I can officially announce that the following will be playing at a venue (to be confirmed) for Macmillan:

Phoebe Frangoul... DJ and all round fabulous Pamflet crusader: http://www.myspace.com/pamflet

Andrew Balkwill and band... think Ben Folds 5, with floppier hair

http://www.myspace.com/andrewbalkwill

and the fabulous Super Tennis... a London indie trio already applauded by NME and Rocksound

http://www.myspace.com/supertennislovesyou

There may well be a late addition to the line up, but I'll keep you posted on that one.

So this weekend it's all about finding the venue, and I'll be using that as a great excuse for a pub crawl in Camden this weekend.

Training update: an impromptu 100m relay and long jump participation at the Macmillan sports day on Wednesday has shown just how many muscles I don't use on a regular basis and has put me out of action for the last couple of days. However, as the 10k is only two weeks away, I'll be forcing myself to complete a 4.5 mile run on Sunday, hangover or no hangover. Bring it on!

Ouch

Celebrated the beautiful weather by dragging myself out of bed at the crack of dawn on Saturday (well 8am... but that's super-early for most 25 year olds with nothing better to do on the weekend), and heading off for a run in my new local park. Yes, to add to my training, fundraising and gig organising I decided moving flats would also be a good way to use up a bit more of that spare time I have!

But it is lovely, a sunny beautiful place... unfortunately I also discovered it has a big fat hill. The first lap was fine, with a steady incline at the beginning to get the heart pumping and a nice gentle slope down to lull me into a false sense of security (and smugness)... but after the first lap of the park, I was back to the hill, and twenty minutes in with the sun beating down, I struggled up the second time, gasping for oxygen and water. I can only describe the pain in my hips that afternoon as worse than childbirth.

BUT.... I did make it around and managed my longest run to date- 39 minutes and 4 miles (well just under, but it sounds better). I'm still a little concerned that my 10k is only three weeks away and I've got to up my running time by at least half an hour but everyone keeps promising me that in race conditions it'll be easier... I'm just praying that Regent's Park is flatter than Brockwell and that it's raining.

A daunting prospect

With only three months to go until the trek, I need to get moving on my second fundraising event and am still really keen on organising a music gig in the summer. A Facebook appeal and some drunken conversations in pubs with more musically connected mates ensued, and a plan is slowly starting to emerge.

Jack, one of my friend's little brothers ( yes, I remember him in short shorts when we were all at school!), is a part time music promoter and DJ and has just generously given up an evening to give me a crash course in promoting an event, and all for the price of a beer. What a star. He's even offered to do some detective work in potential venues for me over the weekend.

So now it's a case of trying to organise acts, venues and dates, with about a two week window if I want a July event date. It's terrifying but exhilarating at the same time. If I can pull it off it could be so much fun, and be a fantastic fundraiser... on the other hand, there's still a very long way to go. So if anyone knows a good band, DJ or venue, let me know.

Training-wise, I did sign up for the Mac 10k, so I've got about 7 weeks to prepare for a really, really long run. And it started so well; two runs in the week, a three mile run at the weekend.. well that was last weekend. This weekend the planned four mile run was replaced by a leftover Easter Creme Egg and a lazy Bank Holiday lunch... oops. Must try harder.

Far too eager for my own good

So I'm a week into my training regime and I've already been for four 2 miles runs, and am feeling just that little bit smug actually. I feel I've earned it though - I've never run 8 miles in a week in my life! I've even discovered that if you don't actually tear off at a sprint and start at a snail's pace instead you don't collapse in a heap after three minutes... yes it did take me 25 years to make this simple discovery. Suddenly I'm feeling like the lithe, athletic sportswoman I always wanted to be at school, who was hiding inside the sweaty, out of breath girl (well a little anyway.)

So this Easter I balanced all the chocolate with some lovely beachside jogs and felt justified in my scoffing. Not only that, but I'm (95%) sure I'm going to sign up for the Macmillan 10k in June, roping in three or four friends to suffer alongside me. The furthest I have ever run is 5k so doubling that is enough of a scare to get me in peak condition for Iceland.

Heading off for another run now - wonder how long this burst of enthusiastic activity is set to last?