Two Hours and Fifty Two Minutes

First, a huge thank you to all my race sponsors.  Together we were able to raise a total of approximately $3,000 for children’s charities in the USA and UK.  I am so proud of us all for that ;0)

NSPCC in the UK GBP 712, plus 121 Gift Aid = GBP 834

Thompson Child & Family Focus in the USA $1,690

The race day was incredible.  I lined up with 55,999 of my newest friends, did a half-hour mass warm-up, then set off on the trek to the start line about 20 minutes down the road we were lined up on.  Just moments after I crossed the start-line and started running, the Red Arrows flew over on their way to the Tyne Bridge.  The Red Arrows are the RAF’s aerobatic team who perform at various large events and always at the Great North Run.  That was a really fantastic and emotional start to the race.

There were large crowds running around me the whole way round the course, as you would expect with that many competitors.  The mass of runners obscured my view of the hills and inclines, and there were so many things going on at the sidelines; bands playing music, supporters shouting and clapping, and charity cheering squads, that those difficult parts hardly registered.

I ran almost the whole 13.1 miles.  I had to take a bathroom break around mile 8, then a short walk at mile 10.  I had only been walking a couple of minutes at mile 10 when I saw the Red Arrows again, performing their main display over the coast road.  That gave me the strength and inspiration to start running again.  

Around mile 12 there is a steep decline down to the coast road, then a turn onto the final road to the finish line, which lines the cliffs at South Shields.  After the decline is a final uphill which I had been dreading.  I made it though and only had that last mile to run.  I am so proud of myself for running it.  The run numbers you wear have your name printed on them and the crowd read and shout them out loud, giving massive encouragement in that final stretch.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours, 52 minutes and 1 second.  I remember the very first Great North Run in 1981 and thought I would never be able to do something like that.  I am happy beyond belief that 32 years later I have done it and all to honour my brother, David. 

When I got back to base, I made a spreadsheet of all my knitter donations and allocated draw numbers based on when and how much was donated.  There were 186 numbers from the knitsters donations of $880 and GBP 55.  I then used this random number generator to pick the winning number:

So, our lucky winner is "Seattlesparkle" on Ravelry.  Congratulations to her.  We are in touch to arrange how she'd like me to finish the blanket and I'll post update photos as and when I progress with that.

Thank you all so much for joining me on this incredible journey, it has been a blast.  Tune in to find out what my next challenge is going to be...

Disco xoxo

Two days to go....

I indulged in a small glass of red at the airport on Tuesday night before we boarded our plane to London.  For medicinal and relaxation purposes, you see ;0)  It helped; the flight was as restful as a transatlantic flight in economy (plus) could be.  Cheers!

airport selfie!

This is the shirt I'll be wearing on Sunday, along with my race number.  NSPCC gave me the place in the Great North Run, so I wear their shirt.  I've run in it a couple of times, so know it'll be comfortable.  My last training run was yesterday, a short 30 minute trot.  I'm very nervous; anxious about traveling, arriving on time, the weather, bathroom facilities, etc, but am confident I'll be finishing the race in under 3 hours :0)

Before we left home, I laid out the Beekeeper's Quilt once more.  It really is quite large and this picture helps me see where to improve colour blends.  Wouldn't you LOVE to WIN IT?!

Fundraising has been going well; USA target is hit and UK target is at 50%.  It's not too late, there are still two days left to sponsor my run and be entered to win the Beekeeper's quilt pictured above.  Every five dollars or pounds donated to one of my charities gets one entry to win.  Click either of the links below to make a donation:

USA charity - Thompson Child & Family Focus in Charlotte, NC
UK charity - NSPCC National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Temperatures around the low 60s and rain are expected for the race on Sunday.  In all of the training I've done, I've never run in the rain (I know, right!), so I'm a little anxious about that.  I'm taking a sweatshirt to keep me warm til the race starts, when it will be discarded at the side of the road and picked up for charity, along with everyone else's.  I'm also considering the black bin liner to keep me dry - lots of online advice suggesting that.

This is IT knitsters, in 48 hours I'll be starting on my 13.1 mile journey from Newcastle to South Shields.  Wish me luck and pray for my soles!
hugs
disco xoxo

Two Weeks To Race Day

Yesterday was two weeks til race day.  It was a "long-run" training day and I got 13.75 miles under my belt.  I ran a solid nine miles, including some challenging hills, then walked/ran the remainder.  I've been reading comments on the web from runners who've completed the course previously.  They all say if you can run 8 miles, the crowds get you through to the end.  Having witnessed the Great North Run from its start in 1981, and the thousands upon thousands who turn out to cheer the runners on, I can believe it.  

Here's how the blanket is coming on.  Each of these hexis is a different colour, or combo of colours of Socks That Rock.  Most of them are piled 3 hexis high, so all those spaces should be filled in once they're laid out for finishing.  And of course, I'm still knitting more.  Whoever wins this will have the choice of how it's finished.  If they like this rainbow effect then I can finish it so, if they like a more random look, then they can have that.  If you want to incorporate them into your own BeeKeeper's Quilt, then I'll send them as is.  The choice will be yours, oh winning sponsor :0)

I have been pretty overwhelmed this weekend by all the love shown for my run and this project.  These long runs are especially exhausting and I am quite emotional afterwards.  There were a few tears yesterday as every time I looked at my email there was another sponsor or message of support.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to my charities and a huge thank you to Irishgirlieknits for her amazing promotion this past weekend.  I could not ask for a more perfect knitting bestie.  Mwah xo

Watch this space for more updates, and here are my charity pages again for anyone wanting to donate.  Remember, each five dollars or pounds donated gets an entry into the drawing to win this BeeKeeper's Quilt.

NSPCC in the UK

Thompson Child & Family Focus in the USA 

Love to y'all

Disco xoxo

8 Weeks til Race Day

Yesterday was 8 weeks til race day.  I completed my 9.5 mile training run in just over 2 hours.  I'm very pleased with that performance.  Last weekend's long run had left me anxious about a couple of things.  

First of all the heat, but thankfully it was a cool morning in Grand Rapids, cloudy for most of the run.  I was able to leave home at 8am.  Way better than the 6am I had anticipated.  That gave me time for a yogurt, a cup of tea and a little relax before setting off.

My second concern was hunger and thirst.  I don't usually eat before I run or carry a water bottle - too much distraction.  After the previous week's performance I knew I'd need both.  I got myself a tiny runner's water bottle that sits in the palm of my hand - if I just squeezed a few drops at a time, I was able to keep my mouth from drying up and didn't choke myself either - bonus!  I also swallowed a "gel-pack" at the halfway point.  It was like 2 tablespoons of honey with caffeine.  That really sorted me out for the rest of the run :0)

In blanket news, last week we had our trusty British photographer Bob staying with us.  An ideal time to get some quality "images" of the fundraising-blanket-in-progress.......

340-ish hexes waiting to be patched together......

I spent a good hour laying out most of the hexes for the next pic......

The hexes laid out as colour-grouped as I could manage.

So, total hexes right this minute is 350, with 55 days to go.  I should be able to add a good 150 to that total by race day.

If you'd like to sponsor my Great North Run, here are my fundraising pages.  A fiver to either charity is one entry to win the blanket.  Please email me at discoknits AT gmail DOT com (no spaces or caps) after donating, so that I have your contact details.

NSPCC in the UK

Thompson Child & Family Focus in the USA

Thanks so much for supporting me on this journey.
disco xoxo

Vacation Progress

I completed 31 hexagons on my vacation.  Not bad for 13 days away.  Here they are....

And this is what a total of 337 hexis look like.  They're starting to get squished in this 21x15 inch box.  I'll have to start a second layer soon.  The boys and I are driving back to Michigan today (and tomorrow...).  When we get there, I think it's time I laid these out and took a photograph of the full effect.  And also to see how big this is.  That shot should be better as we have an ace photographer staying with us ;0)

On vacation, I did some interesting running.  The Las Vegas strip at 5am was particularly fun.  Hot, but not too hot.  People, but not too drunk people (well, maybe one).  Some hotel workout-room running, when the heat outside was just too much.  I missed a long training run.  It was too hot outside, the air too little inside, and not enough sleep as my running-anxiety was at an all-time high.  So this weekend I face my longest run ever, of 8 miles and I MUST DO IT!

If you'd like to encourage me on my way, leave a message, or better still, make a donation using the buttons to the left of this post.  Just $5/GBP5 might win you this BeeKeeper's Quilt.

Happy Thursday y'all.
Disco xoxo

Great North Run blanket update....

Up to 300 hexis for the blanket. That's around half the size I'd like it to be. I'll be gettin' busy with some awesome swapped STR colours in the coming weeks while we're on our West Coast summer road trip. I promise to post photos along the way ;0)

Link to my UK fundraising page for NSPCC

Link to my USA fundraising page for Thompson Child & Family Focus

Every GBP5/US$5 donated will be entered into a draw for this blanket.

Hope y'all are having a fabulous Summer!
Disco xoxo

Colour Study: Happy Go Lucky

For the Great North Run Beekeeper's Quilt I'm making, I'm trying to use as many Blue Moon colours as possible.  If I have enough of one colour, I'll make 3 hexagons with that colour.  With the leftovers, I'm trying to swap them out for other colours.  Here's a link to my destash page on Ravelry, if you're interested.

With the remaining yarn I'm mixing up some colours, knitting alternate rounds.  I thought I'd post a quick colour study when I have a few to compare.

Today, I have a group of 9 hexes, all made with the STR colour "Happy Go Lucky".  It's not the greatest quality photo, but gives you an idea of how one colour (in the centre) can change when mixed with others.

Links to my fundraising pages:

NSPCC in the UK

Thompson Child and Family Focus in the USA

Every $5 donated before Sept 15th 2013 will get an entry to win the finished quilt.

GREAT NORTH RUN

What I'm Doing...

I am undertaking the challenge of my life, running the Great North Run 2013.  This is the biggest half-marathon race in the world, with 55,000 participants.  The race kicks off in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England and ends, 13.1 miles later in South Shields, the town where I grew up.

The Charities I'm Raising Money For.....

I am running in memory of my brother David, who passed away in January 2012, and have chosen to run for two children’s charities.  The NSPCC in the UK, and Thompson Child and Family Focus in the USA.  Both organizations provide services for abused and neglected children.  These children are at risk of suffering the effects of their abuse for the whole of their lifetime, including depression, drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, imprisonment, low self-esteem, promiscuity, prostitution, self-harm and suicide.   If you'd like to donate, my fundraising pages are:

My Fundraising Pages....
NSPCC - this is a UK charity.  If you're in the UK, donate on this page, they'll be able to claim income tax back through Gift Aid.
Thompson Child and Family Focus - this is a USA charity.  If you're in the USA, donate on this page, you'll receive a tax receipt.

A Thank You for Your Support.....

As a thank you for your support, I am making a BeeKeeper’s Quilt, which I'll give to one lucky person,  whose name will be drawn after the race.  I'm using Blue Moon Fiber Arts’ Socks That Rock yarn to knit the quilt, using as many colourways as possible.  The “Socks That Rawk” group on Ravelry estimates there to be some 423 colourways, and with Rare Gem overdyed skeins, the colourways are almost endless.  I'm aiming to have around 600 hexagons in the quilt - that's a good lap-quilt size.

The Draw......
Anyone who sponsors me before the race will be entered in the draw.  Each $5 will get your name in the draw once, so $10 will see you entered twice, etc.
I'll draw a name on the day of the race, after I've finished running and post the winner on here, facebook, twitter, etc that evening.


Progress.... Here's a progress shot of the hexagons I have knit up so far.

I'll be posting regular progress pictures of the quilt and also my training runs.  I hope you'll comment, sponsor and cheer me along the way.
Thanks y'all
Disco xoxo

A Quick Trip

I just got back from a quick trip to the UK, where I attended my Grandfather's funeral. It was a lovely service, my Mam gave a wonderfully warm and loving eulogy for our Taid and we sang Eternal Father Strong to Save, the Royal Navy hymn.  I don't know how the funeral directors carried his coffin - the man was made of solid gold.  We shall all miss him, but be grateful for our treasured memories of him.

It was so good to catch up with my Welsh family and some friends in England too.  Of course, I didn't take even one photo, despite being in the most stunning scenery at the prettiest time of the year - lambs and daffodils!

I did manage to get a little bit of grocery shopping done, to bring back with me.  Tetley tea bags, Cadbury's chocolate, and a few bags of my favourite crisps.....

 And I always like to get some magazines.  One day I may even make a project out of them!

The knitting was paltry and this is all I have to show for a whole week, including 2 transatlantic flights!

I did spend the return flight catching up on my Coursera Know Thyself classes.  I've been able to wrap my head around the thinking of Socrates, Descartes, Ryle, Freud, et al, but this week's session on Buddhist thinking is challenging me.  I'm still loving having my mind expanded though.  I have one more week of classes to go.  They overlap with my next course, Introduction to Psychology, which starts tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.  We're off to watch Iron Man 3 later :0)
Disco xoxo

Travel knitting

Hexipuff minis for my upcoming week of travels :0)

Knitters prefer yarn bombs

Yesterday was a sad day. My Taid (that's Welsh for Grandad) passed away in the morning. He was 92, a very gentle and peaceful man. I don't think I ever saw him have an angry word for anyone. He was funny too, in a quiet way. I'm happy that we had one last chance to be with him on our trip home last summer. We shall miss him dearly :0(

And then the afternoon's events in Boston. A child among those killed. What a waste.

So, let's brighten this morning up with some colourful knitting. And crochet.

A few weeks ago I saw a shout out asking for swatch donations for the San Jose yarn-bombers. When I was home in SC on spring break, I got some acrylics out of their box and made these swatches. I had wanted to try Attic 24's granny stripe and chevron stripe blanket stitches for a while, so I took my opportunity here. Both are very easy to memorize and to do. I see chevrons in my future for sure.

The equality sign is from Kaye Gardiner's (Mason-Dixon Knitting) tweet pattern.

So, off to the post office today.

Disco xoxo

Reason #1,034 I love knitting

I was knitting on these pretty Hexes in Panera a couple of days ago, when two lovely ladies sat down at the table next to me. Cathy was having a coffee with her 91 year old MIL Olga, who was wearing a delightful tweedy crochet hat.

They oohed at the hexes and told me Olga was a knitter and crocheter. Cathy showed me a photo on her phone, of her two grandchildren (Olga's great g-kids)) playing with dolls that Olga had made for her children. Two generations lovingly playing with her knitted creations. It warmed my heart on a cold and rainy Michigan morning.

Happy Friday knitsters
Disco xoxo

March 5k a day SUCCESS!

Well, I did it!  5k, every day in March.  The temp spiked the last few days as we were home in SC, enjoying Spring Break.  Glorious, glorious warmth.  Also cold.  This spring is really funky.

Day	Time	Mile Time	Temp (f)
1	35.18	11.32	25
2	35.35	11.38	22
3	35.11	11.30	25
4	33.54	10.80	26
5	36.23	11.66	23
6	36.25	11.67	36
7	36.48	11.74	36
8	36.37	11.71	32
9	33.5	10.78	37
10	33.47	10.77	45
11	38.13	12.27	48
12	36.50	11.75	31
13	36.19	11.65	26
14	35.29	11.36	36
15	33.56	10.80	36
16	37.14	11.95	27
17	34.36	11.06	25
18	33.07	10.64	28
19	36.1	11.62	21
20	33.04	10.63	21
21	33.37	10.74	25
22	32.52	10.47	35
23	34.4	11.07	30
24	34.26	11.03	30
25	35.37	11.38	34
26	33.41	10.75	37
27	33.21	10.69	37
28	35.41	11.40	37
29	36.52	11.75	50
30	35	11.27	48
31	35.22	11.34	50
Average	34.95	11.25	33
Week 1	35.45	11.41	28
Week 2	35.64	11.47	36
Week 3	34.38	11.06	26
Week 4	34.08	10.97	34
Week 5	35.58	11.45	49

We are back in MI now, for another 8 weeks.  It is 41 degrees (but feels like freezing!) and raining.  No running for me today as I unpack and catch up.  Manana though :0)

Disco xoxo