Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This quote comes as standard for any first blog on WordPress, but I actually couldn’t have said it better myself so I’m going to keep it as part of my blog.
Heather & Charlie
So this is us, Heather & Charlie. Mum & Dad. Or any other names the kids feel like calling us when they’ve lost a game of Fortnite and it’s all our fault because dinner’s ready. But for now, lets stick to Mum & Dad! I wrote about how we met in our last blog so I’ll stick to running in this one! We are currently training for the Robin Hood Half Marathon in September 2019. 8 Weeks away actually! We love going out for runs together, short fast paced ones, long slow ones along the river, as long as we’re running together and we finish at the pub, we’re happy!
Justine
Justine is our eldest at nearly 15. She’s given Parkrun a go a few times but struggles with running, although she’s almost reached her 11 Junior Parkruns and really wants to earn her wristband before she turns 15 and she’s too old to do it anymore! Justine enjoys fun runs we do as a family where time isn’t an issue, such as the Rainbows Bubble Rush we did and the Subway Helping Hearts 5K. Justine is our typical teenager, where you can experience 100 different emotions in the space of an hour! But we love her so very much and she does a wonderful job of looking out for her younger siblings. They love their big sister 🙂
Leo
Leo is our next eldest, he’ll be 12 in November. Now our Leo is a character and a half! He’s an all-or-nothing kind of kid when it comes to running. He’ll either whizz round a Parkrun in 28 minutes, or stroll like he’s got all day. Leo is a very capable runner, but unless there is food or a forest match at the end, he’s not always interested! He’s football through and through, Nottingham forest are his life and the Forest players get ‘Happy Birthday’ messages from him before we do! Leo’s favourite Parkrun is Forest Rec in Nottingham, he got his PB there and has loved it ever since. We took Leo out a few months ago and he managed to run 10K with ease (I, however, was puffing and panting and about to collapse!)
Leo suffers with a condition called Phenylketonuria (PKU). This is a genetic condition which means his body can’t digest protein the way you or I can, so he has to live on a very strict diet, otherwise his development can be severely affected. This really gets Leo down sometimes as he’s a massive foodie, and watching his friends eat what they want can really upset him. However, we are really proud of the way Leo manages his condition and we do what we can to be as flexible as possible.
Alana
Alana also suffers with PKU, however she’s not a foodie whatsoever so it doesn’t have such an emotional impact on Alana. She manages her condition brilliantly and we’re very proud of her. And looking at the way Alana runs, you wouldn’t think her body can’t digest protein! She’s incredible strong and lean, she’s a runner and a gymnast and has got legs that go on forever!
Alana is almost 11, almost old enough to run Parkrun without an adult! To say she’s a fantastic runner is a bit of an understatement. She has run a 5K Parkrun in 24 minutes, a Junior Parkrun in just over 8 minutes and has represented Nottinghamshire in the Cross Country National Championships. Alana runs for Rushcliffe Athletics Club and has enjoyed a great summer of track and field, and is now preparing for cross country season again.
Charlie
Charlie is our little dark horse! Charlie has spent the last year and a half doing Parkruns, tootling round at his own pace and would readily admit that he’s the slowest in the family. That is until recently.
Charlie wanted Dad to run Beeston Parkrun with him one week to give him a bit of encouragement and push him a bit harder than normal, and no-one could have predicted the result! Charlie absolutely smashed it in 27 minutes and has continued to push himself at every Parkrun and every Junior Parkrun since. He’s found a real passion and drive recently and it’s fantastic to see him develop that.
Jack
And finally Jack. Jack is the baby of the family who has just turned 9. Like Alana, he also runs for Rushcliffe Athletics Club but has been unable to compete due to his age. However in April he was 9 so was able to take part in this year’s track and field season. It was great to see Jack compete for the first time and he made us very proud with his performances in sprints.
Jack is naturally built for running and will only improve as he grows and his legs get longer! Jack is always getting picked to represent his school in sporting events and is also looking forward to cross country season.
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