Day 19-Two great friends, two mad runners, two chocolate lovers run across the Pennines!!

Two great friends, two mad runners, two chocolate lovers run across the Pennines!! Think that about sums me and Maggie up!!  Today, despite the weather I ran 10km with my friend Maggie. Unfortunately, the weather cancelled our original plans of running on the road, side by side but I was so pleased when Maggie suggested we run in sync with each other!!

I am starting to find each day tougher. Today, I ran later in the day and I know this is my downfall, the longer I have to think about getting out and running, my body has longer to tell me to rest at home with the central heating on and not to be crazy and go out in the freezing temperatures!! It got to lunchtime and the demons in my head started to tell me that I couldn't do it any longer and that I just wanted a rest day, especially because I had spent about two hours wrapping xmas presents!!!I checked in with Maggie and agreed a start time of 1.30pm. I was a little late starting the race because I got a little bit emotional and wobbled slightly getting out of the door, I think this was a combination of tired legs and body, the demons in my head telling me I couldn't do it but the positive voices saying you can do it and you can't let all the generous people and the children at Martin House down( sorry Maggie, I told you a little white lie when I spoke to you about loosing my gloves!). I then set off and called Maggie and knowing she was running with me helped me so much and I soon turned my tired legs into running legs!!  My blog doesn't contain as many pics as maggie's, I think I am running out of photographic opportunities that aren't duplicates. I did however, run past a bunch of Santa's. They weren't however being as crazy as me running, they had just left the pub at the top of the hill all very jolly, here they are!! I think the one nearest to the left of the pic was definitely the real santa!!

The long road home, this is a pic of the last hill, thankfully downhill at the end of the run.

Then, as I was approaching the last 200m, I couldn't resist taking this pic because the old legs had definitely slowed down but was impressed I still completed it in 54 mins, not sure how I am managing these times!!

The most moving moment today was meeting a lady that lived on my street, that I had never met before. She shouted over to me as she was walking her dog back into the street, asking if I was Diane ( she obviously didn't notice my bright orange t-shirt that Mik has kindly printed Diane's festive claus all over it!!). The first thing she said to me was, I think you are absolutely amazing. I won't tell you all that she said otherwise this blog will turn into a novel and it is already long enough!! But she had heard me on Radio Leeds and couldn't believe the challenge I had set myself and then continued to say how amazing I was. She told me that she works at St Gemma's Hospice and asked if I had known Jane Tomlinson. I told her that I never met her but had read a lot about her and she inspired me a lot knowing that she could run/cycle all those miles and raise all that money for people when she was so ill. We then talked about my dad and her mum who had suffered from cancer and she then asked where I lived so that she could come and give me some sponsor money. She was such a lovely lady.  I have found out that she only lives about 8 doors away from me but she found out about my run from Radio Leeds, how crazy is that!!! She said she would give me a wave on Xmas Eve/Xmas Day and again said how amazing I was for doing this for such a good cause!  I then walked the last few metres back to my own door in tears again but for very different reasons.  When Chris saw me, I think he thought I had been crying for the whole run!! The lady has made me think more about what I am doing and the reasons why I am doing it and if Jane Tomlinson can have the stamina and determination she had to keep running through her illness, then I can keep running with tired legs!!!

My moto of "things happen for a reason" came through again today because I did find the last few days tough and to see that lady at the time I did,  has really made me think and put another perspective into running my last 5 runs!!! xx