Transitions

Last week marked the vernal equinox, officially the transition from winter to spring. Here in the UK, we also moved our clocks to British Summer Time on Sunday morning, reinforcing the seasonal change. For athletes, the new season not only brings warmer and brighter conditions but in a lot of cases, a change in emphasis too. Cyclists put an end to long winter miles and begin to focus on sharpening for their chosen events. The time trial season gets going in earnest and the hard work really starts. For runners and especially marathon runners quite the opposite is true. For them the hard miles have been put in and the focus turns to the final few quality sessions and the taper. For them the arduous and demanding phase of the ‘season’ is almost done; spring brings a period of transition, at least until the job/race is done.

As both a runner and a cyclist, I am fortunate to have one leg in each camp, the marathon miles have been banked and I can eagerly anticipate the amazing journeys I have ahead this year with Hot Chillee on London to Paris (www.londres-paris.com) and the Alpine Challenge (www.thealpinechallenge.com). As I become more integrated into the Hot Chillee family I feel more and more privileged and inspired; but more on this later.  Having had a near-perfect build up to the marathon, it would be rather foolish to spoil it and take my eye of the ball in these last two weeks. The excitement of impending cycling adventures can wait just a bit longer!

For today and the next two weeks I want to reflect on the motivation behind my marathon challenge (see my blog entry of 14^th January). Raising money for charity is always a brilliant incentive; it drives you on when you start to feel a bit sorry for yourself both during the hard slog of training and during the race when the going gets tough. So now, with a little more time on my hands, I'd like to really focus on this aspect.

Lymphoedema is not fashionable, it doesn't command column inches in the health sections of the press and it is woefully under-funded. Yet there are many, many people, young and old, whose lives are blighted by this condition. The Lymphoedema Support Network (http://www.lymphoedema.org/) is one of only a few resources available in the UK, and I would really like to make a contribution of worth. I set myself a target of £1000 and am currently standing at just over £400 in sponsorship. I very much appreciate the support from those that have already been incredibly generous, nevertheless I would like to implore my other friends, followers and readers of my blog to join in and support me too. Any contribution no matter how small would be absolutely fabulous! Just click on www.justgiving.com/JulietteClark to donate.