So soon so soon.....

Well I have not really had much to say lately as really its been pretty much day to day stuff going on here.....I've been running, but they have been hard runs....my biorhythms have not been at their peak shall we say :)  I've kept going...I think knowing that the 26th is so near along with the fact that im going to set out and do it on my own, versus with a crowd in SA is a bit sad I suppose...I was so excited to go home, enjoy the sun, enjoy the happy people and well...see my family....SOOOO maybe that is why my steps have not been as light and fluffy as they were a few weeks ago ;)

Anyways, such is how life goes....Im still running and will be doing an 18K this coming weekend....that is what it was all about for me really....to keep myself moving through the dark months and I DID I DID I DID..I STILL AM TOO...I can now truly say I have run through a full winter in the cold and dark of Northern Finland.....(its still cold, but the dark has gone!!) ....My running gear and getting ready is not nearly as much of a nightmare and I don't spend 45 minutes getting ready to leave the door anymore....Its enjoyable to get ready to get out now....

100 layers of clothing, including reflective gear ...

to two layers on top, leg warmers and
 NO reflective gear necessary :)

So yes, we have light and I have achieved both the goals this little mission was started for...I keep moving and I raise money for the kids back home.

As this little goal draws to an end though I suppose i'm feeling a little bit of an anticlimax... disappointment ... something.  Possibly why I've not had much to say as all I can think is ok...so what next?  I want to keep raising money for the kids back home as I realise that I can do it....I never thought I would reach my goal that I set initially, but I did...I fleeced my mates and I felt no guilt as I know that the Foundation is a good one......I will run the half in 4 weekends time, and I will make it....A lot is going to depend on the weather on the day I have to say....Its so variable at the moment, but regardless I will finish the run...so yea....what now....

Its been a year since I started this process of sorting myself out....My beautiful brave cousin Lindy died in July last year, I want to commemorate her bravery and the impact her death had on my life in some way....but it needs to be something that challenges me, challenges my body and makes me remember how lucky I am to be alive and surrounded by those I love, something I think she would be proud of......Her impact on me was to get me moving, running, something I have always enjoyed, So, i've scoured the running races around July and well...as I said before, I want to end up running comrades one day in my fathers number (he is another hero of mine as I often point out)....its an ultramarathon.....I know I cant do it this year, that kind of a run takes many years of building ones strength and endurance......But I have signed up for a marathon here in Oulu at the end of May...I have looked at training schedules, I can do it....I wont win it or break speed records, but I can push my body to the point that I am able to run the distance and enjoy it (well as much as one can enjoy that sort of thing)...

BUT the reason I have signed up to the marathon is because I have found a trail race that makes my heart beat fast....way up in Lapland, on some hectic mountain range thingie....I have always loved hiking, long hikes, 5 day hikes in the Mountains in South Africa or Swaziland were for me the most fun ever....I enjoy outdoors, I enjoy physical challenges, like the cycle ride I did a good few years ago for however many days from Bangkok to Phuket on the iron horse (my not so light mountain bike!) with not much training...I don't know i'm strange, but those sorts of things excite me and I revel in them..I feel alive, I love seeing how far I can push myself physically...I've not had that in so long and I have missed it....Looking at the race page and the terrain and everything I could find out about it...I've decided this is it...This is what I will do in honor of my brave cousin...It seems so stupid saying it, as I will be doing it for me too as I love it.....But for me, she got me moving when I needed it.....her bravery got me to take a few small steps, her will to never give in or loose hope....which led to more and more steps....and well here I am now able to consider a marathon and then something even more exciting than a marathon...

So needless to say, watch this spot for details...I'm not sure if I will use that run as a way to raise money for the foundation...I think I need to think about a new audience to fleece as you lot are all fleeced out ;)  hehe I'm just not sure how to go about it...But then I was not sure I could even do this one, and I have, so I figure I will find a way!!

PLEASE donate to my current cause if you have not already.......Click Here to donate, there are only 21 days left!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here is to the next challenge being proposed before the first one is fully over...

Here are some pics of just how lovely it is at the moment here in Oulu....We are doing a lot of time outside as a family, and the joy of it being light at 6pm is amazing....who needs darkness??!!

My cross training session last weekend..Sledding....
My son is rushing up the hill for his next 'fix'

Our evening stroll last night...some speed skaters at our local ice rink.....it was after 6pm and still light!!!!!!