I Did This Thing (Oct 2017)
It didn’t sink in, I’d brought this thing together, everyone was saying well done, how proud I should be, what an inspiration, an amazing event and I agreed with the latter but it wasn’t about me, I’d just joined in. No big thing. Then the next day, after a day at work, the tiredness starting to kick in, it hit me…….I had made this happen and I suppose I am a bit proud.
My focus had been on everyone else; would they enjoy it? Get to the right place on time? Do the right section for them? Would we raise enough money for Wellspring? I was just in the role and to be honest, I like to have a role. At the start of our Ringway Run when we met outside Indulge at Hornbeam Park, my friend Carol who was one of the 14 running the first section said emphatically:
“This is about you, you run it the way you want to run it, everyone else will find their way, just concentrate on yourself.” and that hadn’t occurred to me. I was about to set off to run 20 miles and I was still focused on how other people would manage with their role or the running involved.
My default is to put others first and I’m not saying that I always sacrifice myself for others, it is just my default. If I’m tired and my husband says he’s tired, then I need to protect him, let him have the lie down while I battle on. I need everyone around me to be OK and this comes first for me. It’s perhaps not a healthy way to be and I’m learning to change it.
4 of us did the whole route, Lisa and Eva a little more with the odd wrong turn.
3 support vehicles followed us to each section to welcome us in with cheers and water and lemon cake.
70 people ran different sections with us.
3 people joined us and then stayed for an extra few miles, loving the terrain and the feeling.
1 person ran in the wrong direction for a bit.
2 Geocachers found 15 prizes around the Ringway route, and even emerged from some bushes near Oakdale to cheer us on!
We had infants, juniors and seniors, we had a Westie called Max. There were people from my kids schools, St Aidan’s School where I teach, my Book Club, my street, my bestest friends and my family.
Some people had trained especially for their chosen section, some had done no training and ran further than they had ever run before!
We ran together and some had only ever run on their own.
So many people found new routes to run, places to walk with their family, little areas of Harrogate that are absolute gems and that those of us who know them are usually content to keep as our secret. We were lucky on the day, the sun was shining and the Harrogate countryside glowed around us in it’s glorious Autumn spectacle. It was an amazing day out.
We chatted as we ran. Laura talked to me with 10k left to keep me going, telling me why she was so passionate about supporting mental health. I also talked about dinosaurs once having lived in Birk Cragg with Tracey. Ollie and I debated the merits of being in the top set for maths vs the set below. Judith and I discussed the tragedy of Willem dying in the book I’m reading. I introduced people to each other and they talked as they ran. It was easy to chat, despite needing to remember to breath, as conversations are snatched away as you change pace suddenly on a new terrain and you find yourself alongside someone new with new things about them to discover.
The children who took part were all brilliant.
James lost his trainers temporarily in a bog.
Zach found us our best routes through fields of cows.
Thea ran with the Westie.
Henry ran for miles (even through the walking section!).
Bex’s girls tolerated me calling them by the wrong names, politely chatting back.
One of the best bits was the last leg when Bex and I set off and someone shouted “Kids! Stay behind Lizzie and Bex!” the next thing, about 25 little people shot past us, streaming ahead across the Crimple fields in a kaleidoscope ribbon.
20.11 miles later, our destination was Indulge at Hornbeam Park where Paul laid on flapjacks topped with chocolate. Loads of us gathered and rehydrated, replenished our energy, stretched off and shared highlights and our successes. We hadn’t lost anyone, that was one! No major injuries, that’s another! Then I was presented with some flowers and Carl stood in front of me and said “You did this! You made this happen! You’re an inspiration!” but in my head I’d just taken part……It still wasn’t about me.
We have raised £1200 for Wellspring and still rising. This will pay for counselling sessions and put money towards the Wellspring expansion. We have got people talking about mental health and this was what I set out to do. So now I do know that I did this thing.
Sometimes we can’t find the words to say what we’re going through and sometimes we find it hard to see through to what we’re really feeling. Sometimes people need to be told over and over and over again until you feel like tattooing the words on your forehead. Please do tell people what they’re worth and please do keep telling people how much they mean to you or how proud you are of them, because even if they seem to be listening to you they still might not have got the meaning of the words.
Thank you to all of you who took part and helped us to Run the Ringway for Wellspring. I am proud of all of you and so, so thankful that you are my friends and my family.
PS I had a tracker, that was brilliant!
