Today I am running for Chris Renton. It’s his birthday today. Chris, I know it won’t feel much like a birthday to celebrate but we are all with you and Charlie in spirit and looking forward to seeing you on Sunday. I am also running for Mark Ross, my brother-in-law who turns 50 soon and for Eilidh Gray who turns 21! Happy birthdays all round. Meet Laura. Her life changed suddenly when she had to move to a refuge with her mum and siblings. In the same year she lost two of her grandparents. The shock of these events caused her to lose confidence. She tried to start college, but couldn’t cope. She was offered a place on a project that supports people into employment or training. This, and a residential trip had a huge impact on her. She also went on a work placement at a local hotel and made a great impression. She was given an apprenticeship by the hotel and is still working there having won awards and gained qualifications along the way.

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The lack of sleep continues, but a sleep of 3 and a half hours is the best one yet, so I’m not complaining. It left time for 3 breakfasts before my run…3am saw me eating a snickers and a bag of dry roasted peanuts, 5am was a breakfast of rocket fuel coffee a pain au chocolate and a banana and then a 7am breakfast of porridge and two hard boiled eggs.Today was definitely a day of 2 halves. This morning was very painful and if you had seen me at 6am on the front lawn you wouldn’t believe I would be in any position to run a marathon today. My left Achilles was very red and swollen as a result of the trainers yesterday and it was excruciating to get down the 34 steps. I definitely needed my brave pants just to get me to physio. Melissa is totally amazing and between us we managed to piece me back together enough to be able to walk to the start line. I got my head together and set off at a run with yelps and quickly decided to walk a bit. I had promised Melissa I would walk up the hills and I did that all the way around. It was pretty painful to begin with and ‘giving birth’ breathing was required until at least Hawkshead and at many times along the way.By the time I arrived at Newby Bridge I was feeling a bit better. I’m sure that Aly waiting on the corner might have had something to do with that though Shortly after that an injured Duncan passed me and we played cat and mouse along the road for a while. In time we settled into running together for a bit and both of us were glad of the company. Duncan was finding the downhills challenging due to his back hurting and I was banned from running up the hills, so we were a bit like tweedle dee and tweedle dum! It was nice to spend time with a fellow 10in10 runner & it was an experience I wasn’t expecting to have as I am usually in between the faster runners and the slower runners and on my own the whole way round. Thanks Duncan for keeping me company and taking my mind off the miles xMy fundraising has now gone over the £7,000 mark and that definitely makes the pain and distress worthwhile.I thoroughly enjoyed the run today and feel excited for tomorrow. The ankle is still swollen, but not nearly as red and sore, so it is healing. I’m expecting pain in the morning until we can get the wheels rolling again, but thanks to my marvellous pit stop technician, the Ferrari is back on the road and raring to go. I am thoroughly enjoying this amazing experience, despite what some of the pictures and videos may lead you to believe! Bring on day 5!

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Today I am running in memory of Rita and Bernard Samson. Their wedding anniversary was the 17th May. Rita and Bernard were massive supporters of the 10in10 supporting their daughter Alyson Knowles as she ran the event twice and then continuing to support her and the runners year after year. They stood at mile 10 giving out jelly babies supporting every single runner. Bernard passed away in 2011 and Rita continued to be there to support the runners for several more years. Rita died on 9th May last year. This run is in memory of them and for the wonderful Aly today For those who don’t know, Alyson Knowles is an absolute legend and is the heartbeat of each 10in10 team. Despite not working for Brathay anymore, she has the ability to pop up on the course exactly when you most need a smile, a bit of strength, a reminder to dig deep or even a stern word. She has run in the event herself (twice) and has so much experience and knowledge of the event that you would be hard pressed to find anyone else who understands the ‘why’ of this event better than her. I will never forget the day she called me to tell me I had a place on the team. I’m sorry I never got to meet Rita and Bernard. They must have been thoroughly amazing people to have a daughter like Aly. I will pause at mile 10 and eat a jelly baby or two today to remember them.In my 4th story about the work that Brathay do, here is Jessica. Jessica was very vulnerable when Brathay first met her. She came on their Open Mindz programme which supports young people whose parents have drug or alcohol problems to improve their mental health. She had a difficult relationship with one of her brothers and her dad. They had sexually assaulted her and her sister. She wanted attention and so would get into relationships that were bad for her. She enjoyed meeting young people in a similar situation to her and realised that she was making herself vulnerable by speaking to boys she didn’t know online and depending on people she couldn’t trust; telling them secrets about her personal life. The programme helped her realise that she needed to focus on her own mental health. She has changed her support networks and feels more positive about the choices she can make.

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I am finding it hard to sleep here despite all the hard work I am putting in to each day. It’s perfectly normal for some 10in10ers apparently and Malc thinks it’s your body pushing blood around and repairing bits as you rest. I have been making sure I rest in the dark anyway and not panicking about the lack of actual sleep! Last night I fell asleep around 11.30pm. I woke up at 1am…wide awake with the engine humming. I lay there quietly until 2am, and then decided an early first breakfast of hot chocolate and a bag of crisps was in order…I spent the next 3 hours trying to rest and relax, focus on positive thoughts and prepare physically and mentally for the challenge of a third marathon in a row.The Ferrari had a tyre change today into my slightly less snazzy, but otherwise identical second pair of trainers. I really felt like a proper runner this morning having to ‘rotate my shoes’ to allow them to recover from all the running. Unfortunately, despite doing this many times in training, my left achilles decided that the yellow wheels are preferable and this resulted in fairly severe discomfort for most of the run. I found that the breathing you do during labour was useful for dealing with this! Looking at them now that I’m back I can see that the purple ones do look a bit snugger around the area where there has been a slight ‘prang’, so my plan (with agreement from my physio) from tomorrow is to go back to the old fashioned one pair of trainers and off you go for the rest of the event. I am the kind of runner that usually runs 800 miles in a pair of trainers before throwing them away anyway, so it will be fine!The Ferrari is in very good shape otherwise…better in fact than when I arrived here. Our physio and support team are all absolutely fantastic and make such a difference to our physical and mental well being as we take on this challenge. Melissa and Katie have been absolute rocks today. Thank you both xxEpic support on the course as always. I’m loving the tracker so much. Several times friends have leapt out of cars just ahead of me knowing exactly where I am at any given time. Thanks to everyone, but especially Michael and Eleanor, Michelle, Sonic and of course Aly today. Every friend and every cheer means such a lot and helps me on my way. I was running in memory of my neighbour Anne today and there were often times when I was able to draw on the memory of the strength, dignity and courage that she showed as she faced her illness. It was lovely to see Martin and have a socially distanced elbow bump at The Swan as I passed…a special moment that I will remember.A bit of refurbishment is required tomorrow, so it will be a very steady away 4th marathon, walking hills, protecting the bent bit so it can mend and zoom around the course again in a day or two.We’ve got roast pork with mashed potato, veg and cider gravy for tea tonight and I have been looking forward to it for most of the day. All in all a good day, reminding me that I am stronger than I think I am and can totally do this. Looking forward to seeing the children again as I pass Hawkshead school tomorrow. It has been wonderful to see so many of my Leven Valley school family out on the course over the weekend. Thanks so much for standing in the rain and being awesome. On we go…one tree at a time. xxhttps://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michelle-woodcock9http://live.opentracking.co.uk/10in1021/

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Today I am running in memory of my friend and neighbour Anne Douglas who passed away last year. It would be her 63rd birthday today.Anne had been ill with cancer for five years and bore this illness with great dignity and bravery. She was involved in so many aspects of our small community and brought so much to the table in so many different ways. Anne Douglas was a beautiful woman inside and out and she is greatly missed.To Martin and all the family as you gather in the ways that you can this weekend, this one is for Anne, and for all of you and your special memories In my third story about Brathay and the work they do, meet Luke. Luke was depressed and homeless when Brathay first met him. He said “no one helps me, everyone has let me down in the past.” He couldn’t see a way forward. He had been sofa surfing and when this had to end, Brathay collected him and stored his belongings for him. He was enrolled on the tenancy ready programme and started to realise that with a bit of organisation he could start to move forward. Brathay supported him to find somewhere to live and to furnish and move into his accommodation. By attending tenancy ready he learned how to budget so he always had heat and food, how to be a good neighbour. Although he knew all his problems hadn’t been solved, his mental health improved once he had a secure place to live and the support of a team of he needed it.

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I slept a little bit better last night-fell asleep at 11pm and woke up at 3am fully ready to start the day! I stayed in bed and rested until 5 and then made a cup of Gary’s ‘rocket fuel’ coffee and had a leisurely ‘first breakfast’ in bed. Some of us were in physio at 6.30 today just because we got there early. There were lots of laughs and some good music from Gary’s pacer playlists. It was a real giggle. It’s all starting to feel a bit more familiar now and it is just a case of prepare for the marathon, run it and then focus on recovery and preparing for the next. I was super excited and raring to go. I went steady away again, but my Ferrari legs just wanted to go a bit faster. I mentioned to Chris (our running coach) a couple of times that I was doing my best to keep a lid on it and at the second drinks station he said that he didn’t think you could go too fast on day 2…So, I took the Ferrari for a spin around the lake. I loved it. Lots of the children that I teach were out around the course cheering…if you look at the Garmin I think you’ll be able to see where they were.. 9 minute miles…oops…I don’t think I’ve ever run a 9 minute mile apart from during a Park Run…certainly not in recent memory anyway! I smiled and laughed (and cried) as the children cheered me on. It was so lovely. Today I was also running in honour of my Running Commentary friends Rob and Paul and the whole running gang. I went out with the classic ‘Newington Green Code Brown’ episode (one of my favourites and I think my first shout out on the show (Oct 2019). I couldn’t help it, but in my head was the wisdom of Tonks…”why don’t you just run a bit faster”…so I did. Oops. If I can’t walk tomorrow, then you’ll have to come and do it for me Paul…no excuses about injuries from you either!! There were lambs, bluebells, two geese who fly over me at the same point each day and even an escaping dog terrorising half of Fell Foot (my local Park Run park) as I zoomed past. It was a whole episode of RunComPod all on its own. Very fitting. I might have made noises like I was giving birth as I steamed up the hill to the finish line, determined to get there before the clock ticked over to the next minute and so today I finished in 4 hours 48 mins. Sssshhhh…don’t tell Dr Katie…I don’t think she’ll notice. Thankfully, Melissa seems to have reconstructed the bits that I might have slightly pranged, so all being well, the Ferrari will be back on the start line and good to go in the morning. It will be a steady long Sunday run tomorrow…nice and slow, time to savour each moment etc etc…. Thanks for all the support and also to everyone doing wonderful things behind the scenes to support me and my family so that I can be doing this. It is very much appreciated. xx

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Today I am running for two communities who have supported me and kept me going through all the craziness of the last 18 months.Running Commentary and Leven Valley School.If you’ve read my blog at all, you will know that I never leave home without the podcast “Running Commentary.” Rob Deering and Paul Tonkinson have helped me face the 5am deer runs, run with a fractured ankle (oops, no wonder it was hurting) and have kept me smiling and laughing out loud with their friendship which they kindly allow us listeners to share. They are my running club . The RunComPod gang are a hugely supportive group of runners who listen to the show too, so this one is for you!Leven Valley School is quite simply the best place to work, and I know that without the staff, children and families there that this last year would have been considerably more challenging than it was. It really is a case of “Everyone on board for the learning adventure” and I am very lucky to be part of the fantastic staff team there working with fabulous children. So, this one is also for my LV family.Well done on running 200 miles of your whole school 262 challenge already children, you are all amazing and you inspire me all the time. Thank you x

In my second story about how Brathay TrustBrathay Running are making a difference…here is Daniel. Daniel was not working or in education when Brathay met him. Aged 19 and on the autistic spectrum, he found new situations difficult and struggled to make friends. He had low confidence and couldn’t articulate how he felt. His handwriting was poor and affected his self esteem. He attended a princes trust team residential at Brathay and a 12 weeks course to develop his confidence and his English/maths ability. He still needed support after this, so he joined the talent match programme which supports young people who need extra help towards employment. One to one and group sessions and handwriting sessions helped a lot too. He became a talent match ambassador, got a job and went from strength to strength.I decided on these dedications a few weeks ago, but how fitting that they should happen to be on the day after LV School have been on Fiona Marley Paterson ITV Border and Running Commentary dedicated their most recent podcast to me. https://www.itv.com/…/vicar-and-primary-teacher-signs…

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Day 1 10in10 blog.WHAT A DAY! What a day! It started bright and early after very little sleep (11.30pm-1am was the best I could manage) we set off with with the lovely physios, a spin on the spin bike and pre workout physio followed by stretches and glute activation etc. I went to have my breakfast (outside of course) and Joss Naylor appeared with his and sat with us. I had to pinch myself. Sitting by the lake with the most peaceful and beautiful view eating breakfast with a running legend. I got a bit giddy as a result and Gary then asked me a few questions and made me repeat my answers to his questions so he could film them It was the perfect start to the day. As I went to leave, I plucked up the courage to ask Joss about something he had said last night that I couldn’t quite remember. He then went on to give me brilliant advice about staying calm, relaxing your feet and legs and running gently on them. I remembered these words several times during the run and will hold on to them in the days ahead.I wandered around outside the hall doing some stretches while we waited for our pre race briefing and had a very surreal few moments where Rob and Paul of Running Commentary, who genuinely feel like my running buddies as I have been out ‘with them’ so many times were chatting with me in group chat. It was really lovely and the perfect way to get my head in the game for what lay ahead. Thanks both xI managed to turn my tracker on, but forgot to start my watch straight away as I set off near the back of the pack in a socially distanced start. I had an unsettled few miles as the RunComPod episode I had lined up had totally disappeared, but actually it worked out well as Paul is currently injured and wasn’t in this weeks’ podcast. Instead I ended up listening to the pod from 1st April “Second time Lucky” as that decided to play and I decided to stay with it as it was Rob and Paul and was a very funny episode. By the time that ended, the current episode had reappeared and so I was able to listen to that. I was extremely moved at the end of the episode that Rob (and Paul) dedicated that episode to me…you’ll see why tomorrow…bear in mind I made those little wooden hearts last week. xI have been overwhelmed by support out on the course, partly thanks to the brilliant open tracking tracker which makes finding me so much easier, (Thanks Tiree for being my tech support and double checking that I had actually managed to work it!) and partly because I have totally amazing and epic friends. Thank you all so much.http://live.opentracking.co.uk/10in1021/There were many times that I felt emotional and almost had to pinch myself…I am here, doing this thing I have worked so hard for and everyone is right behind me literally cheering me all the way. Amazing. I had to have several words with myself about running too fast…in the physio room this morning, Dr Katie joked with Melissa who is the lovely student that has looked after me today that she was looking after a Ferrari…I honestly felt like I was holding a Ferrari back over the first half and towards the end of the marathon too. The temptation to just go for it was so great, but I’ll be driving a Morris Minor by Sunday as it is and so for once in my life I managed to listen to the voice of reason and sense!The support from the general public out on the course is amazing and gives you such a lift. I struggle massively with anxiety, and loud, unexpected noises can really frighten me, so car horns honking might not have been brilliant, but actually I loved it and took such strength and support from every person that recognised what I was doing, and more importantly why I’m doing it and wanted to support me.So now we are into the swing of it…cross the finish line and prepare for next one…recovery shake, Voom recovery fudge, chicken nuggets and chips whilst spinning on the bike and then Melissa and Dr Katie putting their elbow where elbows don’t usually go to make sure that my glutes will see my round the loop tomorrow. I have had a shower, washed my drinks bottles, soon off for tea and then it will be prepare the kit and wind down ready to do it all again tomorrow! Apologies for the epic post…I suspect they will get much shorter as the days go by…Day 1 complete. 5 hours 9 mins. On we go. One tree at a time xx

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Each day I will be carrying some little wooden hearts with me as I run around the lake. People have asked me to run for a wide variety of reasons, so each day I will tell you who I will be holding in my heart and sometimes why. I will also tell you about someone Brathay has helped and how they have helped them. These are the people that will inspire me to keep going when this gets really tough.Today I am running in memory of Helen Renton. Her partner Chris was supposed to be on our team this year, but Helen was knocked off her bicycle and killed a few weeks ago. They have a young son. I can’t begin to comprehend what Chris must be feeling right now. Helen ran the 10in10 and also completed the 262 bike challenge for Brathay raising loads of money along the way. Her motto was “Never. Stop. Pushing.” Helen’s funeral is today. Chris and Charlie will be in all of our hearts today as they say their goodbyes.I will also be carrying hearts and running for Richard, Kate Antrobus and David Shaw.My first story of how Brathay has made a difference is about Chloe. Chloe was 13 when she was referred to the 3.7 programme. She was struggling with low level anxiety, was isolated at school and she needed to improve her coping strategies. Brathay 3.7 supports children and young people to become more resilient.Chloe was really quiet at first, always in the background and apprehensive about giving her opinion. During the programme her confidence increased and she stood out as a leader becoming more confident in giving her opinions and involving others in a democratic way. She developed her social skills and was liked by everyone in her group because of her strong moral compass and her inner strength. She became more aware of her own feelings and thoughts, became more confident to say how she felt and realised that she could make her own decisions. She has changed her outlook on life.

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‘Twas the night before the 10in10 and all through Brathay Hall, lots of nervous runners tried to settle down within their 4 walls…I am here! I’ve unpacked, we’ve been briefed, I’ve seen the legend that is Joss Naylor and been moved by his words and his passion for Brathay, and our team has gained an extra member at the last moment! At this point I would like to say a huge shout out and thank you to Open Tracking…thanks to them you can follow my progress each day and know exactly where I am. Here is the link if you fancy a bit of slow dot watching!http://live.opentracking.co.uk/10in1021/Also a huge thanks again to The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan – Kim, Cumbria I have arrived at the start line at exactly the same weight I was for the London marathon having lost over 2 stone with Kim’s help and support since February whilst maintaining my training.I have been blown away again by everyone’s kindness and lovely thoughts. So many special things that I will carry with me along my journey.And so it is time for bed…to rest if not to sleep! Physio starts at 6.45am tomorrow, and the start line awaits just after 9.30. I have to say that although I am a little nervous….I CANT WAIT!!! Let’s do this. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/michelle-woodcock9

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