Starting during the first lockdown last year and continuing through to the present day, I have found a renewed love for exercising, to the point where if my appetite for food and alcohol were not as insatiable as it unfortunately is, I would probably have wasted away by now. Whether it’s cycling forty miles through the countryside, running around the village or even, more recently, doing some weights in the gym (with the help of my good friend SSM Fit), I just love exercising. It gives me something to strive for, I feel like I have more energy, I feel healthier, fitter and I feel better mentally as well as physically.
To this end, I’ve been thinking for a while about doing something different and pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Hence, as you’ll have already seen, I’ve decided to run a half marathon. Don’t worry, I’ll let you wipe up the drink you’ve just spat out of your mouth in shock before I carry on. Done? Great. Believe me, I am as sceptical as you are, but I’m hoping (praying) that by making it public, I’ll effectively be forcing myself to follow through on it. That’s the grand plan, anyway, although when I decided to tell Sam about it before anyone else and he replied “When’s the next joke”, I sort of realised that I may have bitten off more than I can chew.
Now, in all seriousness, I really want to do this and I’m going to work really hard for the next 6 months to get to where I need to be fitness wise. I think I’m actually doing pretty well at the minute so hopefully, with some hard work, this will be within my reach. If it isn’t, I’ll let one of you dunk me in custard or something. I’ve figured out a rough plan and I am confident that six months should be enough time to achieve it.
In even more seriousness, I want to talk about the charity I’ve chosen to do this run in aid of. In 2015, my best friend Ben Turner was taken from us at the age of 15 by a rare form of cancer, despite having battled against it bravely for over two years. No one should have to go through something like that, especially at that age, and the experience changed all of us who were there for him in ways we still don’t understand now, and probably never will. To watch someone whom you love more than life itself be taken from you like that, without there being anything you can do to help, is without doubt the most painful thing I have ever been through, and will probably ever go through. I think about Benny every day and it will never not be excruciatingly painful that he isn’t here anymore.
Benny’s family have done some amazing work raising money for charities that supported Benny throughout his illness, and this year alone they have raised over £20,000 from what has now become an annual Tractor Run in Benny’s memory. I am in awe of Tilley, Howard and Milly, of how strong they were whilst Benny was ill and of the incredible things they have done since he passed away, and I love them all as my own family, as I did Benny. If I can raise even a tiny fraction of what they have, I hope I’ll be doing them, and my oldest and dearest friend, proud.
Please click the link below if you would like to donate:
Harold Talbot-Tomlinson is fundraising for Teenage Cancer Trust (justgiving.com)
