Doubling my Save the Children Challenge

There are just three weeks to go until my 5km run for Save the Children. The training (so far) is going well. Sponsors have been supportive and I’m thrilled by how much I’ve raised so far. All is on plan. But I didn’t count on one thing. That pesky running bug has caught me good and proper!

I’m enjoying running. I’m enjoying my training runs. On the days I do evening runs I find myself looking forward to getting out and having some time on my own to mentally refresh whilst pounding the streets. I’m actually looking forward to my race and loving this challenge that I’ve taken on. Loving it so much that I’ve decided to double it.

On Sunday 1st June, just one week before my planned 5km race in St Albans, I will be joining forces with the wonderful Chris from Thinly Spread (and her daughter) to run another 5km race. But this is no normal 5km race. It’s one with a rather significant splash of colour. Let me introduce you to The Color Run.

The race isn’t timed and to be honest how fast I finish, or even whether I manage to run the whole distance or not doesn’t really matter. The Color Run is known as the happiest 5k on the Planet and it celebrates healthiness, happiness, individuality, and giving back to the community. Runners start off dressed in white and then every km they are covered in a different coloured powder paint. By the time they cross the finish line everyone is covered in colour, and then they become part of a huge “Color Festival”  in what is claimed to be the biggest and brightest post 5k part ever.

For 2014 Save the Children is the official Color Run charity partner and I’m delighted to be extending my running efforts to help them raise yet more money. Just £50 sponsorship would help to:

1. train a midwife in basic life-saving skills
2. feed 3 families nutritious food for a month in an emergency
3. pay for 15 mosquito nets to protect children from malaria
4. treat 140 children for life-threatening diarrhoea
5. buy 25 blankets to keep babies suffering from deadly pneumonia warm.

My initial aim was to raise £100 for Save the Children through running 5km. Now I’m running a total of 10km (as well as getting covered in paint!) so it would be wonderful if you can please help me to meet a new doubled sponsorship target. You can sponsor me by heading over to my sponsorship page and Chris and her daughter would love your support too on their page.

So I’ve now got two races to train for. And a lovely new running top to train in too.

There’s just one week of my Couch to 5k training to go (an update on week 8 will come soon) and then just a week until the Colour Run. If you’d asked me back in January what I thought I’d be doing in June I’m pretty sure that running two 5km races wouldn’t have featured at all in my answer.

That pesky running bug has a lot to answer for!

If you want to read more about my original challenge to raise money for Save the Children then please have a look here.