The Aftermath and Significantly Larger Afterthoughts...
Where to begin? I guess this is a new beginning born out of an ending. Exactly 6 months ago I crossed the finish line of the Everest Marathon for the military charity, HorseBack UK. The two years of training for it, and then falling ill to a nasty bout of v&d the very night before it, created a story that spread over social media and helped to bring HorseBack UK and PTSD in soldiers that little bit further into the spotlight. And that was the point. The money raised was fantastic but people's minds are powerful and if you can get an idea or a concept like that of HorseBack UK into a person's mind, the potential for what they can do for the cause is massive. More people fundraising, more people volunteering, the name being on lips that talk and spread the concept to those who really need the help of HorseBack UK but had never heard of it.
And so that was the aftermath - a good aftermath, and one that certainly made the hours of feeling like death on the 26th and 27th of November last year worth it. Not only did the story capture the attention of those on social media, it's also been a wonderful spark for the imaginations of children in the local schools in my area. For the last few months, pictures of yaks and Sherpas and mountains have been delighting kids while I witter on about rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, yak dung and why everyone should pick something utterly ridiculous to aim for in life (probably much to the chagrin of many parents).
However, I'm not sure it's quite sunk in yet, the fact it's done, complete, over. The whole idea came about from feeling all out of place after training for my first marathon. I'd felt like I couldn't just stop training and fundraising altogether at that point. After Everest however, I can't say I felt like that. Relieved, yes. Exhausted and glad to no longer be sticking to a ludicrous training plan, absolutely. I ate a lot, slept a lot and generally didn't move a whole lot over Christmas. January came around and I only pottered around in the gym a little for the most part.
But despite not feeling a huge urge to get back to running, I did feel like something was out of place. It took me a little while to figure it out but eventually I came to the conclusion it's simply that having a crazy-mental-ridiculous challenge constantly teasing the edge of your mind day in day out gives you something. Whether it's inspiration, motivation, self-discipline, self-respect or a good solid purpose, it keeps you constantly pushing yourself and refusing to stay stuck in any situation in your life (and I'm not just talking about running). Some days the idea of my next overly-ambitious race to get myself ready for Everest was enough to scare the bejesus out of me which made me train harder than ever. Other days I felt on top of the world knowing I was absolutely smashing my training and on course to get through the next race. Sure, there were the odd days I sat in the middle of a main road and cried to myself, but those times make the good times sweeter!
The thing is, knowing what this whole idea of constantly pushing yourself to complete the next crazy challenge can do for me, I KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt, this idea could help the same ex-servicemen and women who use HorseBack, Combat Stress and many other military charities. The drive, the inspiration and the eventual self-respect a person can take from these challenges can and will help many, many ex-soldiers and I want to use what you've all helped me build right here to do just that.
Run Watson Run is changing slightly. Yes, I've still got a crazy, overly-ambitious challenge in my sights to raise awareness and money for PTSD sufferers (details on that to come), but more than that, I'm encouraging veterans to join me in aiming for something utterly ridiculous, completely out of the question and off the scale...
If you are a veteran and think you've got what it takes to tackle an endurance challenge you're not sure is even possible, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Fire me a message and I can let you know where we go from here...
#RunWatsonRun
https://www.facebook.com/runwatsonrun1/
And so that was the aftermath - a good aftermath, and one that certainly made the hours of feeling like death on the 26th and 27th of November last year worth it. Not only did the story capture the attention of those on social media, it's also been a wonderful spark for the imaginations of children in the local schools in my area. For the last few months, pictures of yaks and Sherpas and mountains have been delighting kids while I witter on about rocky terrain, freezing temperatures, yak dung and why everyone should pick something utterly ridiculous to aim for in life (probably much to the chagrin of many parents).
However, I'm not sure it's quite sunk in yet, the fact it's done, complete, over. The whole idea came about from feeling all out of place after training for my first marathon. I'd felt like I couldn't just stop training and fundraising altogether at that point. After Everest however, I can't say I felt like that. Relieved, yes. Exhausted and glad to no longer be sticking to a ludicrous training plan, absolutely. I ate a lot, slept a lot and generally didn't move a whole lot over Christmas. January came around and I only pottered around in the gym a little for the most part.
But despite not feeling a huge urge to get back to running, I did feel like something was out of place. It took me a little while to figure it out but eventually I came to the conclusion it's simply that having a crazy-mental-ridiculous challenge constantly teasing the edge of your mind day in day out gives you something. Whether it's inspiration, motivation, self-discipline, self-respect or a good solid purpose, it keeps you constantly pushing yourself and refusing to stay stuck in any situation in your life (and I'm not just talking about running). Some days the idea of my next overly-ambitious race to get myself ready for Everest was enough to scare the bejesus out of me which made me train harder than ever. Other days I felt on top of the world knowing I was absolutely smashing my training and on course to get through the next race. Sure, there were the odd days I sat in the middle of a main road and cried to myself, but those times make the good times sweeter!
The thing is, knowing what this whole idea of constantly pushing yourself to complete the next crazy challenge can do for me, I KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt, this idea could help the same ex-servicemen and women who use HorseBack, Combat Stress and many other military charities. The drive, the inspiration and the eventual self-respect a person can take from these challenges can and will help many, many ex-soldiers and I want to use what you've all helped me build right here to do just that.
Run Watson Run is changing slightly. Yes, I've still got a crazy, overly-ambitious challenge in my sights to raise awareness and money for PTSD sufferers (details on that to come), but more than that, I'm encouraging veterans to join me in aiming for something utterly ridiculous, completely out of the question and off the scale...
If you are a veteran and think you've got what it takes to tackle an endurance challenge you're not sure is even possible, I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Fire me a message and I can let you know where we go from here...
#RunWatsonRun
https://www.facebook.com/runwatsonrun1/
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