Guess Who's Back?
In less than two months my sisters and I will be taking to the streets of London to see the bright lights and buzz of the city at night. On 21st September at approximately 7pm Team Lewis will be leaving Southwark Park to embark on the Cancer Research Shine Marathon walk.
When you hear the word marathon the first thing that springs to mind is a run. A long, gruelling, strenuous and high impact undertaking. Some of you loyal readers will remember my journey to a half marathon, taking care of two reluctant feet in the process. Following the completion of the half marathon (a mere 13 miles) my feet were less than impressed. Much physio and 1 rather intensive operation later, I am now the proud owner of one less bone, a new heel and just a smattering of metal work in my left foot to make airport security a hoot.
Fast forward 7 years and here we are. One bone lost, two extra children to keep me on my toes and the impetus to fundraise is back.
In August 2011 my family heard the words we hoped we never would. My mom, at 57 years young, had terminal lung cancer. The prognosis wasn't good. Lung cancer is a shark in a beasts clothing. Trading as a beast, as all cancer does, the shark is cunning and goes undetected for long enough to leave you blissfully unaware of its presence. When it attacks it attacks quickly, ferociously and leaves the victim in a healthy amount of pain.
That is what lung cancer did to my brave, determined, powerful mother. We don't know how long she had cancer before she was diagnosed. It could have been years. But when she finally couldn't shake her chest infection off, tests were taken. Biopsies were done. She was given somewhere between 1 - 3 years. She ended up with 11 months. 11 months of repeatedly jumping into the ring to fight a truly losing battle. 11 months of enduring round after round of chemo; attempting radiation and giving new drugs a chance.
This blog isn't about her journey. She did not have the time to share her story and it would be remiss of me to try. I watched her suffer but it wasn't me who had to experience it, to live through it and to ultimately die for it. This blog is about awareness and hopefully entertainment.
So here we are, with less than 2 months to go. Am I in shape? I can walk. I am active, I run after two little people, walk often and swim three times a week.
But here is what I DIDN'T think of when I signed up. I am a full time working parent with 2 little people and a side gig working with a charity that keeps me pretty busy. How on earth will I ever find the time to train? Walking requires time. Time is something I definitely do not have!
Training to date has included:
Where have I walked? I guess that is the exciting part, isn't it?
Well, to date my feet and I have seen the sites of London as I marched from London Bridge to Camden,
have taken me to Elephant & Castle, allowing me to sample the delights of the Mercato Metropolitano (delicious gelato and worth a walk for) and spent a fair amount of time looping around Barnet. Oh yes. We have been to Arkley. We have been to Barnet. We have been to Totteridge. On a gorgeous summer night my sister and I even visited Gilead... or a version of it as we spotted what can only be described as a noose on a tree.
I will keep blogging as I go and you never know, you too may decide to take up a walk or sample some gelato. The possibilities are endless!
If you would like to donate to Cancer Research you can do so here:
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/lewis-girls
When you hear the word marathon the first thing that springs to mind is a run. A long, gruelling, strenuous and high impact undertaking. Some of you loyal readers will remember my journey to a half marathon, taking care of two reluctant feet in the process. Following the completion of the half marathon (a mere 13 miles) my feet were less than impressed. Much physio and 1 rather intensive operation later, I am now the proud owner of one less bone, a new heel and just a smattering of metal work in my left foot to make airport security a hoot.
Fast forward 7 years and here we are. One bone lost, two extra children to keep me on my toes and the impetus to fundraise is back.
In August 2011 my family heard the words we hoped we never would. My mom, at 57 years young, had terminal lung cancer. The prognosis wasn't good. Lung cancer is a shark in a beasts clothing. Trading as a beast, as all cancer does, the shark is cunning and goes undetected for long enough to leave you blissfully unaware of its presence. When it attacks it attacks quickly, ferociously and leaves the victim in a healthy amount of pain.
That is what lung cancer did to my brave, determined, powerful mother. We don't know how long she had cancer before she was diagnosed. It could have been years. But when she finally couldn't shake her chest infection off, tests were taken. Biopsies were done. She was given somewhere between 1 - 3 years. She ended up with 11 months. 11 months of repeatedly jumping into the ring to fight a truly losing battle. 11 months of enduring round after round of chemo; attempting radiation and giving new drugs a chance.
This blog isn't about her journey. She did not have the time to share her story and it would be remiss of me to try. I watched her suffer but it wasn't me who had to experience it, to live through it and to ultimately die for it. This blog is about awareness and hopefully entertainment.
So here we are, with less than 2 months to go. Am I in shape? I can walk. I am active, I run after two little people, walk often and swim three times a week.
But here is what I DIDN'T think of when I signed up. I am a full time working parent with 2 little people and a side gig working with a charity that keeps me pretty busy. How on earth will I ever find the time to train? Walking requires time. Time is something I definitely do not have!
Training to date has included:
- Buying new socks. Socks are very important. I have chosen More Mile and am pretty happy with them.
- Buying new orthotics. As aforementioned, my feet are terrible. New orthotics are game changers. Without them, I really would be on a road to nowhere.
- Walking... duh!
Where have I walked? I guess that is the exciting part, isn't it?
Well, to date my feet and I have seen the sites of London as I marched from London Bridge to Camden,
 |
| I am seriously hoping there wasn't a lynching in North London |
I will keep blogging as I go and you never know, you too may decide to take up a walk or sample some gelato. The possibilities are endless!
If you would like to donate to Cancer Research you can do so here:
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/lewis-girls
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