I’ve finished the race. (The race mentioned near the end of THIS post, in case you’re wondering what on earth I’m blithering about.)
Inspired by your generous donations to pancreatic cancer research, I did it. I ran 1084 miles of a wiggly route from Land’s End to John O’Groats. (For non-UK folk, that’s the bottom left hand toe of England up to the top right nobble of mainland Scotland.) Actually I ran the distance along the tracks/paths/roads of south Oxfordshire, but the people – or rather the computers – at the The Conqueror Events translate your miles into the progress that those miles would represent on the route to John O’Groats. It’s quite cool because you can view your position on the route using Streetview.
The very last run didn’t quite happen as intended. We’d snatched a week away from home for the first time in two years, staying in a cosy old cottage. All was well until the twinnage both developed hacking coughs. ‘Uh-oh’ would be a fair summary of our reaction. So we got the poor boys tested, and then we isolated at the cottage whilst we waited for the results, eking out our food supplies as best we could. Typical that this happened when we were away, rather than at home with the stonkload of food I’ve been growing for just such an occasion. Anyway, though foodless, the garden at our holiday cottage was large and pretty, which turned out to be rather useful…
How on earth was a knitter/runner to pass the time in isolation?! Oh yes, by knitting and running, of course. Since I wasn’t allowed out, the running – the final few miles of my race – had to be up and down the garden for 3.2 miles, dodging marauding twins as I went. Here’s the map of my run, just in case you wish to replicate the route…
And then suddenly, it was done. I’d finished. That felt odd.
- 1084 miles.
- Just under a year (356 days).
- 235 runs, averaging 4.6 miles in length.
- Well over 2 million steps.
- Every weather condition imaginable, but mostly drizzle.
At the end, the Stoic Spouse presented me with a pair of little signposts he’d made. (The 874 refers to the conventional mileage from one to t’other if you’re not going a crazy wiggly route.) I love them. Look! He confessed that he’d been thinking of making full-sized signs, but then he realized that I’d be finishing during our time away, and he wasn’t sure he could fit – let alone hide – two big signposts in the car.
Just to repeat some stuff I’ve mentioned in a previous post (so if you’ve read that, you may wish to pop out to make a cup of tea at this point whilst I tell the others), I signed up for the race a few days after my own cancer diagnosis, because I wanted something positive to focus on whilst I went through treatment, something that was all about what my body could do, not what it couldn’t. Also, my health rapidly plonks itself in the gutter if I don’t exercise hard, so I had to do something. And running this race did indeed keep me happy and relatively healthy through treatment.
But of course surgery, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy interfered with running. It slowed me down, made me miss runs, left me able only to walk at times. And when the nasty side-effect known as cording came to play, I ran slowly and briefly on back roads after dark, so that nobody would see my crooked arm clutched uselessly to my chest.
There were good runs, where I bounded across the countryside in the sunshine, feeling like I could fly along forever. (Spoiler alert: I couldn’t.) And there were not-good runs where I felt like a sack of lead-garnished jelly flobbling along, and where every step was an exercise in pig-headed refusal to quit.
My cancer was in the breast, but I ran the race in aid of pancreatic cancer research, because that’s a condition that endlessly languishes at the bottom of survivability league tables. The stories you’ve shared here and on my JustGiving page attest to the brutality of this disease.
You generous, kind-hearted people have so far donated £2321 to the cause. There’s still time to donate, but there’s no pressure, because I realise that the last 18 months have hit people’s finances hard, and for many people, spare cash simply isn’t a thing.
But if you can spare a little, and especially if you’re a billionaire whose hobbies include recreational space travel (and knitting blogs), it’d be fabulous if you could donate the odd million a little cash to this worthy cause.
Thank you. Seriously. It’s time that pancreatic cancer became a less terrifying diagnosis. The link to donate is here.
Just to clarify, this isn’t a promotion for The Conqueror Events. I paid full price for the race, and have no relationship with them other than receiving auto-generated messages such as “YOU’RE 14 MILES BEHIND, PHILIPPA: TIME TO UP YOUR GAME” for the past year. At least, I hope those messages were auto-generated, and not composed by some chap sitting in a distant office, paid to disapprove of my sluggish performance.
You are amazing well done. Loved the map of your run around the garden xx
Well done you!! I especially love the Strava of your garden running! Glad you were still able to get out and about on your vacay. What would we do without our knitting?!!
Well done!! You are just amazing and truly inspirational!
With love from your South African Robin 🤗
Congratulations!!! You are truly an inspiration; I admit, I got a bit teary when I read this post–it’s such a huge achievement and such a worthy cause. Well done, from start to wonky but somehow wonderful finish! ox
You are an inspiration to all and especially to those that are about to give up!
My heart is very full from reading your accomplishments on this challenge. I joyfully and painfully ran decades ago and share your pride. Your trophy is the finest I’ve ever seen. And your knitting? Well, that’s rare and beautiful, too.
I’m glad the twinage are good to go. Stocic Spouse is a brilliant man who clearly is proud of you. What can I say to you but Bravo! You are beyond amazing, stubborn, courageous and of course still Queen of Needles. Alas, I await your next project, hair brained idea or your new book. Congratulations seems like such a small word for such a big accomplishment.
Teresa in soggy, stormy Michigan USA
Congratulations, a friend of mine died of pancreatic cancer about 40 years ago… bless you for helping out on research funding.
Congratulations… I think I already posted this… but it didn’t show up… so here it is again.
Lead garnishd jelly made me laugh! That’s how I feel most days… Your self discipline leaves me speechless. I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on your monumental achievement. I hope your family can get another little holiday to rest. That garden looks beautiful but not as lovely as your own.
I love you enough to be concerned about your spouse…is he worthy, etc. (I am old enough to be your mother, after all) so I was enormously comforted, even overjoyed, to see the little signposts and know that he is loving and thoughtful and just plain nice! Thank you for keeping us all informed and doing it with such humor and joyousness. These times are truly enough to test the sanity of most of the residents of this planet so we all need love and kindness and good news! And there you are! Thank you a thousand million times over. Bless you. Ann
Thank you so much, Ann! He and I have most certainly had our challenges, but making these signposts was an act of wonderful thoughtfulness and creativity on his part, and I was very very grateful.
Congratulations!!!
Oh, well done, well done. I am a fan of those Conqueror challenges, I’m currently going around the Ring Road of Iceland. Some days are hard, some days a joy. I don’t think I could knit and walk though, that’s another level of multi tasking! Wishing you all the very best of good health for the future. ❤
Phew !!! – can say only WELL DONE YOU, Phil ! Very well done. Under the circ.s, done extraordinarily well, in fact.
(Curious question: were you to see a photo like the one of you with half the twinnage and you hadn’t been aware of the photo-taking so you didn’t recall the instance, would you know which one it was ..?)
I do hope you allow yourself to take pride in what YOU’ve done and don’t just praise us for contributing ? – that would be very tunnel-visioned of you .. so I think you do, just a little bit. 😀
Such glorious gardens up there in the Old Blighty. Of course, they’ve had an awful lot of time to grow, she said defensively.
I hope the stoic spouse is planning to mount the signposts so that you have the equivalent of an Award to put on the shelves ? – just a little flat piece and some epoxy resin ‘d do it ..
How you could knot garter stitch while moving, let alone your stranded creations, is completely beyong my comprehension. Words simply fail.
(The rest is silence ..)
Congratulations Phil! I, a complete and utter non-runner, am in total awe of you even thinking of doing such a run, let alone the actual miles put in, with Other Things to not think about. Well. Done. You.
As for running and knitting . . . I usually have a pair of socks with me when travelling – bus, train, – if nothing else it keeps me from getting Really Fed Up when whichever form of Public Transport I am awaiting is either LATE, or cancelled. I have whole bags of pairs of socks so knitted. It keeps me from poking PT employees with my knitting needles. It isn’t, generally, their fault. It’s the Manglement further up the chain – most of whom, I bet, drive themselves places in big, polluting cars. Ahem. Congratulations.
Sharon, I love every word of this, and may yet cruelly thieve the word manglement without even paying you proper copyright fees. And yeah, I totally TOTALLY understand the benefit of having a sock on-needles when faced with the vicissitudes of public transport. In other news, thank you for the opportunity to use the word vicissitudes for possibly the first time in my life.
You’re welcome. Dear Husband retired a week before Lockdown #1. It wasn’t, perhaps, the best time, events DEFINITELY weren’t related. He’s slowly coming to terms with being Retired – ‘Who am I?’ ‘What is my raison d’etre now (or even maintenant?)?’ etc. But one thing he Does Not Regret leaving behind is teh (Middle) Manglement at his ex-place of work. Vicissitudes had nothing on the Procedures they came up with. We reckoned it was to justify their existences and salaries. Said Procedures certainly didn’t aid productivity or help DH work better. As the firm continues to pay his pension, I shall say no more!
Yup, I’d take the pension and run (towards the yarn shop) if I were you. Congratulations to DH on retiring.
Well done, Phil. You’re an inspiration. (and I love the map of your garden run!) All the very, very best to you and yours. x
Thank you SO much! The run map seems to be winning out as the most popular part of this post!
You’re amazing! I so enjoy your posts – thank you! And I got inspired in these crazy times to travel virtually to the Romantic Road in Germany, my home country (also via the Conqueror, and also no paid ad here!). I love the postcards and find the whole thing even more motivating and enjoyable than I expected. I have no urgent reason like yours, and I walk, not run, but it has helped me through these strange times. The weather is crazy here in Kingston, on the shores of Lake Ontario in Canada – hot, humid, thunder storms, and the air is heavy from the wild fires further North. I walk a little slower these days, but I keep walking… Wishing you well, and hope the twinnage is okay, too!
Monika
Monika, thank you for every word of this. How far along the Romantic Road (#NotSponsored) are you? I saw that on their website and thought it looked beautiful. Totally TOTALLY agree about the motivating effect of the way these races are set up. And it’s fun to really experience the distance between places. But a major yikes to your climate-changed weather. Seriously. You live in a beautiful area (I lived/worked in Toronto for three months in ’93 and fell in love with your country.) Please stay safe. Phil x
Way To go girl!! Bravo! My admiration for you abounds!
A billion thank yous!
I admire your will power to do this. Well done, to hell with the encouragement the run organisation send you, you are my hero. Goodness, running while in cancer treatment made you a hero to me. Isn’t it lovely to go out and have two kids with symptoms of something you don’t want to know and had to finish the run in the garden? You did it! In the garden, unbelievable. Take some delicious cake on my account. No millionaire will do that to, just us girls. Hugs dear ;>*
Oh, your comments always make me smile so much. Thank you. I wanted to reassure people that cancer and cancer treatment aren’t always a total nightmare (though obviously they are sometimes – hence this fundraising). Anyway, I’m just grateful that my boys are OK, and running in the garden is a small price to pay for that.
I wasn’t in a position to financially support you earlier (though you were daily in my thoughts), thankfully I have had a slight change of circumstances and am delighted to be able to offer dosh as well as thoughts.
Still thinking of you 🙂
Gosh, thank you so much. I hope that you are not going without in order to donate. Thank you for your generosity. May the universe repay you with good fortune
How lovely of you to be concerned, no I’m not going short by donating 🙂 Someone did me a favour
and that saved me money and so I donated it to your worthy cause to pass it on.
Keep taking care and risks 🙂
Lucy
Well THANK YOU. ❤
I don’t know you but I so enjoy hearing your stories. Congratulations on your journey happy it’s done I’m sure you’re going to challenge yourself with something new. How is the book coming?
And I don’t know you, but your warm heart shines out from your comment. Thank you. The book is coming along well, thank you. I’m properly focusing on it now.
Heart warming story. Well done.
Thank you. ❤
Congratulations! Your persistence and determination are even more inspiring than your knitting, which is awesome! I always love your posts and photos. Thank you!
Thank you for reframing my awkward stubbornness in such glowing terms! And most of all, I appreciate you saying that you enjoy my posts. I can’t think of anything better to say than THANK YOU.
You are an inspiration. I know I would have given up at the first hurdle, whining about how crap I felt and how I couldn’t do it. You’re a winner!
And you are – as always – very kind to say so. I promise that I did plenty of whining too!!!
Congratulations Phil! That’s a brilliant effort.
Got a surprise seeing your Afternoon Run image – it looks like how I sketch out my knitting projects. : D
Wendy
LOL is a much over-used acronym, but I did genuinely giggle at your comment about your knitting sketches. But I’m sure they’re actually far neater and prettier than my big red scribble on the holiday cottage lawn.
Congratulations on finishing your run! I am in awe of your commitment to keep it going, even when you felt terrible. You are really an inspiration to me!
Thank you Karen. I’m not sure stubbornness is necessarily an asset, but it got me through. And after everyone here was so generous with donations, I could hardly give up!
Bravo! Congratulations! What a wonderful feat, especially given all that you’ve had to endure this past year. Good on you!
Thank you so much! It’s been a crazy year for everyone, so a good time to attempt something bonkers like this.
Congratulations. Wonderful to hear that you completed the run. You really are an inspiration to everyone with your grit and determination.
I don’t deserve such kind words but I appreciate your generosity in saying them. Thank you.
Great job, Philippa!!! Hats off to you!
Thank you so much!
You are incredible! I barely manage to go for a stroll each day – leave alone run and knit and walk!
Knitting whilst walking is definitely to be recommended in my arrogant opinion. Have you ever tried?
Congratulations! You are a warrior woman! I am amazed at your dedication and stamina. Love your sign posts from hubby. What a sweet and thoughtful gift. Glad your twinage are fine. I loved the garden run graph. That’s just too funny and great!
Thank you! And I totally agree about the sweetness and thoughtfulness of the gift – it was the perfect surprise at the end of the run.
Oh congratulations and well done to you. Hope you are feeling better now and well on the road to recovery.
Thank you. I’m mostly OK now, thanks, but just grateful to the docs/nurses who saved my life.
I may have already mentioned this (once or twice) but you absolutely ROCK!
BRAVO for finishing the race and huge congratulations too for all the money raised. And a special mention to the heroic
stoicspouse for creating such a beautiful memento.Thanks m’dear! Those little signposts were indeed a lovely surprise and a genius idea.
Congratulations, Go Phil. <3 Xx
Thank you (as always 🙂). I very much appreciate your support.
Congratulations!! I am in awe of you!
Thank you. I most certainly don’t deserve any awe, but thank you!
Congratulations and well done!!
Thank you and thank you!!
Well done! Amazing job! I am very impressed. The little sign posts are adorable. 🙂
Thanks! And I COMPLETELY agree about the signposts.
Yay you!!! You must feel so good about your accomplishment. I love the little signs and the thought of seeing you running in that little garden is priceless.
Ha, thank you so much! And yes, the signs were perfect. I was very grateful for his thoughtfulness.
Well done, you! I had to google cording — I had never heard of it. Glad yours resolved. Re: pancreatic cancer. A few years ago I had an MRI to determine what was going on in my gall bladder. Nothing there, but there was something weird hiding behind my pancreas. It was a week or so until I got a definitive answer: I have a weird shape on the back of my pancreas, but it was nothing to worry about. Okay, gonna go off to donate.