donate & win....

just in case the idea of four generally sedentary knitting types suddenly taking the mad notion to run a marathon between them wasn't enough to convince you to donate, we thought we ought to sweeten the pot a bit - so we're collecting some pretty fabulous prizes for you lovely folk!!!

here's what to do to get a chance to win something great:

1. go look here at the list of wonderful prizes to be won (& don't forget to keep checking back, as we'll be adding lots more excellent things to the list over the next few weeks!!)
2. head on over to our JustGiving page, and make a donation. it doesn't matter whether your donation is large or small, just that you donate something. PLEASE NOTE that if you want to be included in the draw, you should NOT check the Gift Aid box!!!
3. send us an email to teamfourply AT gmail DOT com with the subject line "i just donated!" and your name & country in the body of the email.
4. feel really good that you've helped us to fundraise for the MS Society Scotland, and prepare to possibly laugh at our wheezingly slow marathon time.
5. wait until after we've finished our marathon relay at the end of may & see if you win something!!!!

easy, right? so go donate now!!!

 

we're also looking for donations of prizes to add to the raffle, both small & large. maybe you run a crafty business & want to promote it by adding a prize to our raffle; maybe you just don't have any spare cash at the moment but have a special skein of yarn in your stash that you feel you could part with. email us at teamfourply AT gmail DOT com with a photo of what you'd like to add to the draw as well as some details about yourself & about the prize, and we'll add it to the list!! (PLEASE NOTE that you will be responsible for sending the prize you've donated to the person who wins it, which may involve international postage!)

 

Running in Berlin...

I'm not quite sure what kind of crazy transformation has taken place for me to have even contemplated keeping up my running training while on holiday but something has definitely shifted mentally because when packing for a five day trip to Berlin the other week I found myself thinking 'I should pack my trainers, I might go for a run'...

And indeed I went for two runs while in Berlin. We were staying near a park called 'Vollspark Friedrichshain' and for my first run I managed about 7.5k:

Of course, being me, in a new place, I got lost on my way to the park and ended up in a cemetery by mistake. I was worried that I might be flouting some bylaw or cultural norm by jogging round that in brightly coloured clothing so I big a hasty retreat but not before taking a pic of some very impressive headstones:

Everyone else jogging round the park (and there were LOTS of them compared to Glasgow/Paisley parks at 7am) was jogging anticlockwise. Once again I was worried that I might be transgressing but nobody arrested me so I think it was OK:

On my second run I did just over 5k but managed to go a bit faster than usual. Berlin is wonderfully flat. There are cyclists everywhere and it is really lovely to run (and walk) around. If you get the chance to go there I heartily recommend it. 

You don't have to run though. You could just go for a beer!

as good as a rest

i've had a blah sort of week. apart from sunday's epic long run (5.5 miles, woot!) my other runs this week were either completely rubbish, or non-existent. i planned runs that never happened (it's raining. i'm too tired. my chair is SO COMFY!) and attempted runs that just felt like crap (i can't catch my breath. my legs are cramping. this hill is HUGE!). & along with other life stresses, i felt like i was getting stuck in a pretty big rut. so i took to twitter for some advice, and the one thing that folk kept coming back with was "change". change your route, the time you run, even your socks - just do something different.

& although us folk on the autistic spectrum aren't awesome with change (massive understatement!!), i decided to give it a go, & drove a few miles to the local country park for a change of scenery.

 

 

i didn't plan a route, or try to run quickly, or spend the whole run keeping one eye on my pace time. i didn't worry about having to take the occasional walking break, or slow down for uneven ground. i stopped to say hello to a few friendly dogs, and to take some pictures of interesting things.

 

 

i ran down hills like a little kid, arms & legs flailing wildly (the park was pretty empty - i may have been a bit more reserved if there had been lots of people around!). i didn't try to stay out of mud puddles (i did try to avoid the horse poop, though, although i'm not sure i was entirely successful), but just splashed right through the middle (some of them were pretty deep, too!). i ran through fields & through deep, dark woods.

 

i enjoyed the rare sight of the sun, & the gorgeous sights & sounds of the countryside. i got soaked to the knees, splattered with mud, & drooled on by the aforementioned friendly dogs (they were VERY friendly!). & since i wasn't that familiar with the park trails, i got a little bit lost, & ended up running nearly four miles without even noticing.

 

& i remembered something that i'd forgotten, because i may have been focusing a little too much on Serious Training....

 

running can be fun, especially if you get to do it somewhere like this.