The Bending Bud

Well as I write, the BBC televised, 'Running For Rosie 10K' (okay, the Bupa Great Manchester Run) is only four days away! The epic training efforts of Mum and Erika will finally be rewarded on Sunday. They are really quite nervous about it, but I know they'll be absolutely fine and I'm really excited to share their euphoria when its done. I've been fearing a, 'bloke breakdown moment' when we all cross the line, such is my pride in what they are doing. Anyone who knows Erika will appreciate that running is probably the last thing she would ever suggest to do for charity, and, whilst my mum keeps fit through walking everywhere she is, at 65, taking up running for the first time since her school days. I've imagined the moment we all cross the line together over and over in my head and I'm more excited about this run than any previous runs I've done.

Rosie has played her part in all this too – quite apart from being the main inspiration for taking up the challenge in the first place, she has also been working on some limbering up exercises for us. This last couple of weeks she has been sitting up, then slowly (with her legs out in front) leaning forwards, so far forward that she is quite literally folded in two! It's remarkable just how bendy our Budlington is – a future gymnast in the making perhaps?

The pictures below show the stretching exercise I'm referring to and I'm sure you'll forgive the three of us for not even attempting it, or we'd definitely be calling the run off due to injury!

Rosie is off on her travels to London tomorrow to celebrate her cousin Olivia's first birthday but will be back on Sunday to cheer us on! So, as the house will be boys only for the next three days, I'm thinking indoor footy and pizza's may well be back on the agenda – get in!

There is still time to donate on the Running For Rosie page, however, as I've said all along, this run is as much about raising positive awareness for Down's syndrome as it is about fundraising for our chosen charities. I look forward to sharing a few pics from the run in the next post and shall sign off wishing my beautiful niece Olivia a very Happy first Birthday! x