This little piggy was a gymnast, this little piggy learned to swim, this little piggy ran as fast as could be, and this little piggy… stayed at home for her entire childhood, reading books and drinking tea.
Hi, I’m Paula, the comedy relief of Team 4ply. I run, everyone chuckles; it’s a role I’ve quite gotten used to. I won’t make you guess which of the little piggies best describes my youth but, needless to say, I was never the leanest cut of pork. In fact, I managed to avoid all forms of physical exercise, up to and including jumping for joy, until August 2012 when everything somehow changed…
Now, I’m not talking a major life event, or near-death experience; no, nothing like that. There was no moment of clarity, no ghost of Christmas future, and yet, by the time the month was out, I was knee high in sport, with only sport and knee-highs for company. In my infinite stupidity, I had decided to overturn my lifelong fear of exercise by trying sport. Not a sport: sport. Trying all seventeen Glasgow 2014 disciplines before the Games arrive in July is my game; Paula Must Try Harder is my name.
Over the last eighteen months then, I’ve tried to wrestle, and wrestled with triathlon, battled aquaphobia to learn to swim – although I’m still more brick than buoy – and overcame debilitating shyness to wear more Lycra than any decent person ever should. I’ve cried, wheezed and vomited in the name of trying harder – often all at once, which is more difficult than it sounds – but now can’t imagine my life without the madness in it.
In all, this silly challenge has been wonderful for the timid bench-warmer that I once was. Training with Olympic athletes, lunching with Malaysian royalty and reporting for the BBC: oh, how things have changed. And now I’m running a marathon relay with three amazing women whose hopes are as high as their yarn bills.
Just a year ago, I had never met creative genius, Lilith, clever-clogs, Elaine, or the inspirational wonder that is Helen, and now they’re trusting me to bring home the relay and cross that finish line with the style that they so very much deserve. And while I’ve no evidence to support this, I really think I’ll do it.
Can I currently run 4.6 miles without a rest or a respirator? No. My lungs disowned me during the triathlon and still haven’t quite come around yet. But if I’ve learned anything from the last eighteen months of huffing and puffing, it’s that I’m an incessant trier and, even if I’m rubbish and make a complete floundering fool of myself, I’ll give this Hairy Haggis relay a damn good go.
And, who knows, afterwards, I might finally get to be the little piggy who went, ‘wheee’, all the way home!
So now you’ve met Team 4ply and hopefully you’ve realised that what we lack in running experience or skill we more than make up for in sheer, unadulterated foolhardiness. We’re four strands of the same fibre, working together to make this marathon relay something special.
We’re Team 4ply and we’re running for a great cause: to raise money for MS Society Scotland to continue the great work they do in supporting sufferers and raising awareness of Multiple Sclerosis.
Please consider donating some of your hard-earned. It won’t make us run faster, but it will make a difference in the fight to beat MS. Thank you!
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