My reminder.

I posted this on our site last June and it feels to me like a lifetime ago, so many emotions and events have transpired since then and I feel lucky to have come out the other side. The reason I have repeated it here is to basically tell myself that I have become lazy and complacent. I need to find that fire in my belly again and starting tomorrow morning that is exactly what I intend to do. Thanks to all of you who have stuck it out with me, the road will rise and meet us.

See you round the bend,

Mally

Running is a state of mind.

I never could figure out people who ran and its not because I am not a sporty person. I was an avid cyclist in my youth and enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of a club. But running? Nah, I mean I ran as part of the cross country team as a young boy in school but that was only to feel like I was part of something and, since I was rubbish at football I thought to myself "Hey, its just one foot in front of the other right? But I never thought my approach to life would be changed or emboldened so much by the sheer simplicity of going for a run.

The reason I started running was to occupy my Sunday mornings with my wife's uncle. A drunken Saturday night chat ended up something like this: Me-"Sure I'll go running with you, hey while we are at it lets do a Marathon together". Trust me when I tell you that the following day I suffered 25 minutes, in a world of pain to which I was not familiar, and all the following week. I was walking on wooden legs for a while before I went back for more. It was a case of punishment, recover, repeat. But in time I began to relish it, seeing the distances increase and my endurance levels rise brought a sense of pride and accomplishment. I began training more on my own, figuring out what I was made of and how far I could push myself. Two years later and the answer is.... I can push myself farther than I (or most of my friend's and family) ever imagined. For example I have run dozens of races ranging from 10km's to 35km's, I have run a sub four hour Paris Marathon. I ran a 100km non stop race in Western France in May of this year and as I write this am two weeks away from a 50km 'Ultra Marathon' in Paris. I am no longer a drinker or a smoker and am dedicated to Running for Pearl and raising Autism Awareness. On July 4th 2011 I will start running from Mizen Head (Co.Cork) to Malin Head (Co. Donegal) in Ireland. Its 587 km's and I will do it in the name of Autism. This event will be epic so I will need your help, whether its a donation, a message of support or informing a friend as to what I am doing, it all helps.

Your support and donations/sponsorship will help Pearl every step of the way. It will afford her the proper therapies that could give her the best chances of living a "normal" life.

If anyone would like to pledge to either cycle or run part of the way with me, you are more than welcome. It is as much about Autism awareness as it is about putting down the remote, getting off the sofa and going beyond what, yesterday, may have seemed impossible.

My goal is to never stop. To always seek out new endurance challenges and defy what is expected of my body and my mind. I have seen myself change as a human being and I have been inspired by many along the way and if I inspire someone also.... that makes it even more worth while. The courage is within us all to make that first step. Take it.

Malcolm

June 2010