Saturday was the first time my sister and I trained together for this craziness that she has talked me into. We drove to WIndsor evoking a myriad of memories. Windsor was the last place I rode horses, other than the occasional holiday hack.

The weather proved to be typically British as it boasted its array of seasons. From the comfort of the car we looked on as it rained. Both of us wondered what had brought us out on a day like this but the rain stopped and the sun shone.

We entered the park from the Bishop’s gate entrance and started our run. We went along Snow Hill up towards the Copper Horse, it took a few minutes to adapt to a pace suitable for both of us. In my little running bag sat my MP3 as I didn’t know whether I could run without it. Julia and I managed to maintain a conversation throughout, pretty impressive I think so there was no need for musical distraction. We ran down the Long Walk seeing the horses splashing around in the pond at Bears Rails. Our run took us all the way through the park to the castle where we did a U turn and faced the run back up the Long Walk with trepidation. I found the last part of this exceptionally hard and my breathing suffered as I lumbered up the hill. Conversation stalled at this point with the exception of the odd update I provided from my running app as to how far we had run.

I know I need to work on my hill running, something to focus on at the gym…although going to the gym is now going to be more of a trial after running in such exquisite surroundings. At the top of the hill we headed back towards Snow Hill. Our aim was 10km. We reached our goal and decided to increase it to as far as the gate, when we reached the gate we increased it further thinking that 11km would be a good point to reach as it was half of our ultimate goal. We turned towards Savill Gardens and kept our pace…although I was struggling by then until the app proudly informed us that we had reached 11km. Yay us…we have four months to double that.

A bite to eat, a long soak in the bath, a quick lie down on the sofa and I was good for nothing else that day. I did have an overwhelming sense of achievement though. From the woman who couldn’t run outside for more than 5-10 minutes I had managed 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Why are we doing this? Our Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a couple of years ago and this is a little way that we can show him our support and thank not only him but our mum for the brilliant parents that they are and the continuous support they have given us.

A little bit about Parkinson’s that I have copied from: http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/ 

A quick introduction to Parkinson’s

No one has to face Parkinson’s alone

If you have just been diagnosed or know somebody who has, you’ve probably got a lot of questions and perhaps some worries. That’s where Parkinson’s UK can help.

We’re the UK’s Parkinson’s support and research charity. We’re committed to finding a cure and improving life for everyone affected by Parkinson’s. We provide a range of information and support through our 370 local groups, website and free, confidential helpline manned by expert staff and nurses.

Every person with Parkinson’s is different

The symptoms someone has and how quickly the condition develops will differ from one person to the next.¹ Although there’s currently no cure, a range of medicines and treatments are available to manage many of the symptoms.²

Parkinson’s is not infectious and doesn’t usually run in families.³ For most people, their life expectancy won’t change much because of Parkinson’s.⁴ We don’t yet know why people develop Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s affects people of all ages

Around one person in every 500 has Parkinson’s. That’s about 127,000 people in the UK.⁵  Most people who get Parkinson’s are aged 50 or over, but younger people can get it too.⁶

It can take me longer to do things

People get Parkinson’s because some of the nerve cells in their brains that produce a chemical called dopamine have died.² Lack of dopamine means that people can have great difficulty controlling movement. Sometimes people can ‘freeze’ suddenly when moving.¹

Parkinson’s can also cause some people’s hands and bodies to shake.¹ This can make everyday activities, such as eating, getting dressed, or using a phone or computer, difficult or frustrating.

Parkinson’s doesn’t just affect movement

As well as difficulties with movement, people with Parkinson’s might experience other symptoms such as tiredness, pain, depression, anxiety, problems with memory and constipation.¹ These are often referred to as non-motor symptoms and can have an impact on people’s day-to-day lives.

Back to me again:

If you know someone who has been affected by Parkinson’s or you would just like to support a couple of crazy women as they build up a sweat in the name of a good cause then please visit our just giving page. Donations of any size are appreciated.

https://www.justgiving.com/Julia-Maria/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=Julia-Maria&utm_campaign=pfp-share