Face the sunshine

Today I did the Christmas version of the 10k trail event that was my first 10k distance back in March this year! I feel that I've accomplished a fair bit in a year given that I'd never run before and I don't have a lot of time to commit to it as a hobby. Today's event was in aid of the mental health charity MIND and given that the conditions were very muddy and it rained throughout my entire run, I was pleased with my time and the fact I can run that distance at a steady pace throughout now.  Highlights from my introduction into running so far have been: joining a running club that mostly runs off-road, completing some half marathon events and not falling over yet (I am so clumsy and given that I mostly run off-road I can't believe I haven't fallen badly!) The first time I completed a 10k distance I had to walk-run-walk the event and will admit it was a struggle to finish. Today I can confidently run that distance on road or off-road and am pleased to see

I use support wear on a daily basis and am always in it unless I am in the shower or swimming. I wear it around the house, to work, to exercise and to sleep in. I have different items of support wear that provide varying levels of support depending on what I am doing. If I am sleeping or sat watching tv I have a very low level of support and if I am running or doing a class at the gym I wear my highest level of support. I have a few items from the high street that are tummy control type garments so they're either knickers that come high up your abdomen or they're long vests that are made of much tighter material than a vest usually would be. However what I use the most are the two below items that are both made by Suportx. There are a lot of manufacturers of specialist support wear for people with stomas and for hernia preventation, I have found Suportx meets my needs the best. My first stoma resulted in a hernia and so I've been wearing support wear for as long as I ha

I took on the Erewash half marathon during August. The first thing that sets this apart from other events I've taken part in is that it was on a Saturday. I was actually glad of this on the morning and for the rest of the weekend after the run. It meant an additional day of getting up early as I had done for five days in a row for work and this was easier than having a longer sleep on Saturday and getting up early on the Sunday! It also meant runners had the whole weekend to recover...I was struggling Saturday afternoon so glad not to have work the following day! I try and enter mostly off-road events and this half marathon was along a canal path so I thought it would be a good entry into the half marathon distance and would be semi-rural so not a totally built up environment. The course was completely flat due to being next to a canal and it was nice to see other people enjoying the tow path including lots of dog walkers and cyclists as well as admiring some of the canal

View from the start line queue On Sunday 24 th  June 2018 I completed my first half marathon, the Round Sheffield Run. The event is billed as ‘a  trail running enduro that is a unique creative "multi-stage" running event following the beautiful Round Sheffield route, a superb running journey linking some of the best trails and parkland.’ There are 11 timed stages which make up 20km and interval stages in-between the timed stages for runners to get to the next stage in another park/location. In total the route was 24.5km/15 miles and runners get a time for each stage as well as an overall run result. I hadn’t run anywhere near this distance but felt that this event would be a good introduction to a half marathon due to the ‘recovery’ interval stages….I was wrong, just as I was about understanding there to be a ‘few hilly sections’. I heard one runner say he had lived in Sheffield all of his life and didn’t know where all the hills were coming from on the day! The

I haven't run a Parkrun on a Saturday for a couple of months now and that's not entirely as bad as it sounds. I've found that Parkrun was a springboard to other running adventures and at the moment I'm not too concerned with getting a new PB on the 5k distance but looking at increasing the distance I can comfortably run.  Without a doubt I would not have discovered a love for running without hearing about and getting involved with Parkrun and it was a great introduction for someone who had never run before. I will return to it and hopefully go to some other locations as a 'tourist'.  I've now done part of both the White Peak trail (10.5k) setting off from Ashbourne and the Dark Peak trail (12k) setting off from Hayfield. Both were organised events by a company that runs events throughout the scenic Peak District. These were the first proper events I had entered and I was really pleased with my times for both, although it was more about completing the

I recently took part in my first official trail event and was pleased to see that even at more official events there was still cake at the end of the run! There were two events taking place on the day, a short run of 6.6km and a longer run of a whopping 16.8km that I think I would have struggled to walk, sounds a great, long distance! As it was my first event I registered for the shorter run to see how I got on and judging by the entries for the longer distance am glad I did as they looked like professional athletes that could go on to bike and swim after their event. Everyone was emailed a required kit list in advance of the day and here's a photo of mine in an Inov8 'ultra race' pack...I don't think I'll ever be racing anywhere and certainly not in any 'ultra' mode! In my pack I had: windproof jacket, running cap, waterproof trousers, waterproof jacket, compass, spare change, tissues, protein bar, babybel, banana, water, my phone, a map of the route

I'm supporting the 'Colostomy UK' 50K challenge which aims to prove that having a stoma is not a barrier to being active by inviting people with stomas to do a variety of activities that count towards an overall 50,000KM over a 6 month period. People can walk, jog, run, climb, swim or cycle any number of metres and can also raise funds for the charity through sponsorship. I'm already trying to be fairly active and the reason I started this blog was to show people that you can live a healthy and active lifestyle when you have a stoma so this challenge was something I was keen to get involved with. After registering I was sent a pack which contained a 50K challenge t shirt that I could wear when exercising to help raise awareness and a pedometer to track my progress. I'll then log any activity on the Colostomy UK website which can be done daily, weekly or monthly. There's a live counter on the website that shows the total of KM travelled so far by every

I've recently started volunteering with an organisation funded by Macmillan Cancer Support. This role is as well as my Girlguiding role and not instead of. I've registered as a befriender in my local community and regularly visit an individual that has been affected by cancer. I provide companionship and support and usually start my visits with a catch up about the week and having a hot drink together. It's great to be able to give back in my community even if it's just on a small basis, I know that I'm part of a support network for someone.

I'm seeing an improvement in my fitness and a great measurement of this is burpees! I started the year barely being able to do them properly, partly due to strength and partly mind of matter of my head telling me that I would collapse if I tried to hit the floor with my hands whilst kicking my legs back! I'm still very slow at them and will never break any records doing the 'one minute challenge' of how many you can do but my technique is a lot better and my stamina has improved so that I can fully get down, do a press up, jump up and do a tuck jump - far more of an advanced burpee than what I was previously doing. I'm really enjoying high intensity classes at the gym including circuits and a GRIT class where I'm even doing jumping lunges which I wasn't just a couple of months ago. The GRIT session is 30 minutes of high intensity exercises which you do for short periods of time with rest periods in-between. I feel a real sense of achievement when I'

The photo on the right was taken just before my one year stomaversary (anniversary of having a stoma) and the one on the left was taken by a friend about a year before. I know how long it can take for the side effects of steroids to wear off and I have a full on 'moon-face' in the left photo as I was still taking lots of steroids and had been on them for a long time. Although horrified at first when the photo on the left popped up on a Facebook timeline from a 'year ago today' I was actually pleased to see it as I felt in comparison to recent photos, I am looking a lot better/healthier. I feel that my hair is a lot thicker, healthier and is able to grow and I just generally feel better in myself. It's great to have photographic evidence to show me how much the steroids had affected me and to see how far I have come in a year as I think sometimes it's easy to forget just how poorly we have been/how much we can go through with Crohns or Ulcerative Colitis. A

I've recently signed up for two trail runs that look pretty serious as I've been emailed a required kit list for the events! I'm not getting too far ahead of myself and they're both 10K or under as that's the maximum distance I have run so far. I've also signed up for a trail running workshop as I do like to do things properly! I watched a video where a sports injury coach mentioned that running is the only sport where people literally buy a pair of shoes and just start running...you wouldn't do that with anything else like rugby or tennis and he explained that's why so many people get running injuries, as they don't have any technique. I'm looking forward to learning some techniques at the workshop to help with injury prevention and also meeting some like-minded people who are beginners to trail running and are looking to attend sessions that the workshop providers run (literally!) I watched another video about the ethos of trail running and

I recently celebrated my '1 year stomaversary' of my second permanent stoma and got a bit emotional thinking of all the things I am now able to do thanks to modern medicine and the surgical techniques that formed my stoma. Since having my stoma I've been paddleboarding, taken part in an aquathlon, started jogging and completed my first 10K. None of these are particularly ground-breaking for a lot of people but I find that I need to do more than a 'normal' person to stay fit and to get back to my pre-surgery weight/body I was happy with. I know that part of this is age but also that I am not absorbing all the goodness from foods that a 'normal' person with a functioning colon would be. The one year has flown by and I'm grateful on a daily basis that my stoma is enabling me to live an active lifestyle.

I've recently completed my first 10K run (jog/plod) and I was thrilled that I didn't crawl up the hill to the finish but managed to maintain a steady pace the whole way round. The course was off-road a mixture of fields, woodland and tracks - a very scenic course and I'm keen to do more trail running as I enjoy being out in the countryside and running by wildlife/surroundings like lakes or reservoirs.  I went on to complete another 10K that was more road based (not on the same day obviously!) I did this by doing a 5K Parkrun and then doing the same course again - making 4 laps in total. I knew I was never going to get a new PB for the Parkrun but I surprised myself at getting a time that wasn't too far off what I usually run it in, considering I was actively conserving energy knowing I needed to do twice what I usually do. I expected a few more people to be doing this however I was the only one and it did make a big difference, Parkrun is great as you're r

Before I had my second surgery for Crohn's I had more time to prepare for it and worked to strengthen my core. I continued to do this after surgery and do basic exercises at home to get me mobile again during recovery and ready for a higher intensity level of exercises. The below exercises can all be done at home, I just used an exercise mat for added comfort and for some of the pelvic floor exercises in the me+ programme I did these on my bed to begin with as advised by my stoma nurse. I checked with my stoma nurse and my surgeon at follow up appointments when I could begin exercising. The below Convatec me+ recovery programme includes videos that take you through foundation phase, to progress phase to getting fitter phase. I still do some of these exercises now and will continue to do so to keep my core strong. Coloplast Core 4 (videos) Convatec me+ (this is a free support programme that gives members access to exercise videos)

I feel like I've ended the first month of 2018 on a high as I took part in the monthly 5k at Kedleston Hall. This event is organised by Jog Derbyshire and costs just £2 per person with 5k and 10k options. The only jogging I have done is a handful of parkruns and as I heard people singing the chorus of 'mud glorious mud' as we warmed I did think about going back to the car as I wondered just what I had signed up to! The course was more of a trail than I have been used to with parkruns, with lots of mud to contend with near the end. My trainers just about stayed on but I nearly went face down a few times. I plan to use this event to help me increase the distance I can jog, so in the future I'll do more than 5k on the day and gradually work up to 10k. The 10k route sounded interesting as it isn't just another circuit of the 5k but takes a different route around the estate. I wasn't too optimistic about what my time would be as this was my first 5k of 2018

I carry a small emergency supply kit with me in case I needed to do a bag change.  I use a Cath Kidston gadget case which is an ideal size for everything I need and looks like a cosmetics case in my handbag.  Here's what's in my supply kit: SenSura Mio pre-cut bag so I don't have to carry scissors around with me or cut a bag if I had a leak Brava remover wipes to help get the old bag off my skin Black bags to dispose of waste items Cavilon barrier wipes to ensure the new bag adheres to my skin Stomahesive paste Brava elastic tape to help increase wear time of my bag A Radar key in case I use a disabled toilet A Dioralyte sachet in case I ever feel dehydrated I always have Andrex wet wipes in my handbag and although not ideal to use directly on the skin around your stoma, I would make do with these in an emergency and have a good clean of the area and ensure it wasn't too sore when back home.

I have a love/hate relationship with personal goals as I feel that you can really beat yourself up if you don't meet them however they do give you something to aim for and a sense of achievement if you have met or exceeded them. I could probably think of about 50 fitness goals if I really sat and thought about everything I would want to do but I've limited it to 5 that I would like to do during 2018.... Improve my overall fitness so I can look to more comfortably run 5K and improve my time  Strengthen my core so I reduce the risk of a hernia forming (and can be better at dreaded burpees!)  Tone my arms  Tone all the way round my stomach and back area which has been really affected by weight gain from steroids and two lots of abdominal surgery  Look to accomplish another event like a GO TRI 

I'm now 10 months post surgery and at the start of the new year had a bit of a 'review' of what I was doing to keep active. I felt I was almost coasting in terms of exercising and a large part of that was because I was still getting back into it after surgery and there were some things I was being careful with. I've introduced core exercises slowly, I've been mindful of my abdomen area when exercising and even now I've been advised not to use anything like a rowing machine or bike where I am sitting down or squatting too deeply due to the nature of the surgery. I can do these things again in time but I am not rushing into them to create complications. I've recently changed gyms as the one I was going to just didn't provide the range or amount of classes to challenge me or help improve and maintain my fitness. It was ideal for me when I initially joined back in 2015 after recently having surgery and having a hernia. It was a small health club where I fe

In October 2017 I tried paddleboarding for the first time. As I was 6 months post surgery I tried not to fall in the water and if I did not to hang around in there for too long as areas were still healing! Having a strong core gives you a headstart in paddleboarding so after abdominal surgery I knew it would be a bit of a challenge. I also don't think I have very good balance and this also really helps with this activity.  I actually managed to progress from kneeling to standing during the session and was happy enough to leave it at that...I didn't try many active turns when standing as I was worried about falling in as well as not actually being able to get back on the paddleboard again. I wasn't as worried about falling into the water but more the sensation of when you fall your body generally naturally reacts with everything tensing as the feeling of falling kicks in and I was worried about pulling muscles in my abdomen area. I was happy enough to cruise along the ri

"Keep your  face  to the  sunshine  and you cannot see the shadows . It's what the sunflowers do." This Helen Keller quote was the inspiration for this blog. Sunflowers were my favourite flower when I was younger, I was born in April so have learnt to see the beauty in April showers and I truly believe light will always shine through even in the darkest of places. Posts on this blog will aim to show that you can live an active, healthy and happy life with an invisible illness.