New jobs! SEN learning assistant, part-time flexible remote worker and at-home runner

It’s Autism Awareness Week, and I am running the London Marathon 2020 to raise money for the National Autistic Society: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CGater 

All donations very welcome!!

How quickly what we thought was normal life has changed, thanks to COVID-19. Going outside has become a source of guilt, stress and worry, instead of a welcome break from the niggles of home life. In the space of what feels like a few days, I’ve dismantled my office workstation and set up in the spare room, yanked my kids home from university and school and put rapid breaks on my marathon training programme. And I definitely consider myself to be one of the very lucky ones. I’m healthy, my family are well (so far) and we have food and a safe space at home. I know that for vulnerable groups, life is so so much harder than it was before.

This week I am supporting the National Autistic Society’s 7K for 700K fundraising campaign during World Autism Week. I’m aiming to run/walk/amble 7K per day, with all donations going to my London Marathon fundraising page for the NAS at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CGater. My first run was on the treadmill – I’m eyeing up the garden for tomorrow’s attempt (if I don’t get dizzy running in small circles).

It’s only been a week of lockdown and I’ll be honest, despite the lucky position we find ourselves in, the strain is already starting to show (as evidenced by the rapidly growing pile of empty wine bottles in the recycling). My eldest is clearly not enjoying the sudden unexpected return home from uni, where he was just starting to exert his independence and find a life for himself. So far, he has taken ‘social distancing’ to mean not emerging from your room during daylight hours. A series of strikes had already curtailed his first terms at uni and he is now back home with little prospect of a return to his proto-adult life this academic year. The only dim light on the horizon for him is that he already has his A level grades under his belt, and doesn’t face a summer of bartering his way to his grades in the hope of starting a degree in the autumn.

Similarly, my youngest had just made the difficult transition to secondary school, negotiating all the massive adjustments that his ECHP and SEN required. I was so proud of the way that he had embedded himself into the warp and weft of his new school environment and weathered the many storms it had caused him. Watching him literally sobbing after an all-too-brief online lesson when he was able to spend a few minutes with his class nearly broke my heart. Putting his freshly washed uniform away in a drawer, probably for months, reduced me to tears as well. We are all going to have to be very resilient in the next few months. Attempting to home school is bringing frustrations all round – if this was a real classroom, we would all have been sent home for challenging behaviour by the end of day 2, including the home school teacher! I am learning the limits to my patience and they really aren’t as extensive as I’d hoped.

Way down the list of my worries has been the screeching halt to my ‘bid’ to run my first marathon at the Virgin London Marathon 2020 for the National Autistic Society. I’ve signed up to run on the new date of 4 October – and if that’s also cancelled, I’ll run in April 2021 (the year I turn 50, which has a certain neatness to it). In the meantime, I’m trying to keep running at home, or very close to home, mostly for the benefit of my mental health and the people unlucky enough to be quarantined in close proximity to me. Wish us all luck!

 

Running in a time of coronavirus – marathon training and anxiety management

I am running the London Marathon 2020 to raise money for the National Autistic Society: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CGater All donations very welcome!!

It’s been quite a week. From the highs of completing my first half marathon last weekend to hearing the news on Friday that the London Marathon 2020 is postponed until 4 October. To a certain extent, there was a collective sigh of relief that a decision had been taken, as most participants were expecting it. I think we all appreciate that it doesn’t make sense to overburden the emergency services with large public events at this time. There is of course a lot of disappointment in the running social media groups too – some are saying that they will run anyway, others are having difficulties re-booking trains and accommodation for the new date. However most people, myself included, are relieved that for the moment the event is still on and we can get back to training and raising money for our respective charities, in my case the National Autistic Society. This is even more important now, as otherwise their plans for the money that would have been raised by the end of April will have to be postponed or cancelled too. That’s a lot of charities without the funds they were expecting, and many vulnerable people for whom help will be longer in coming.

Motivating yourself to get back out running again when the event you thought was 6 weeks away is now 7 months distant is not easy. I’ve felt pretty tempted just to stop training altogether and pick it up again 16 weeks out from the event. As a novice marathoner though, it does seem a great shame to waste all those hours spent pounding the streets in rain, gales and sleet through the winter months to have to start all over again. Training in the summer is no picnic either, as running long distances in hot weather is much harder to manage physically than in cool temperatures, with a higher risk of dehydration. I’m hoping that new advice will appear in the running groups to help support us all through the sweatier months of training to come.

As well as marathon training, running is also a way to help manage my own anxiety about the developing coronavirus situation. As always, it is the uncertainty that is so difficult to cope with – advice seems to change daily. Autistic people often find uncertainty and disruption to daily routines particularly traumatic. I recently read an interview with Charlotte Amelia Poe, who was diagnosed with autism at 21 and has written a book “How to be Autistic“. At school, Poe knew she was different and watched autistic boys get diagnosed and supported while she was left to struggle. Experts increasingly suspect that autism goes underdiagnosed in girls. Now a published author and prize-winning artist, Poe has difficulties with agoraphobia and executive function. Poe sees herself as a champion for outsiders and above all calls for kindness. “If there’s one thing I’d like people to take away from my experience, that would help others with autism, it’s this: be kind,” she says. “Kindness is underrated. You don’t need to know their story, you just need to think about being friendly and helping, rather than deciding they’re strange or worthless and moving on fast. A little bit of kindness can make the world of a difference to someone who’s struggling.”

At the moment, with COVID-19 threatening to disrupt our day-to-day lives in ways we are only just beginning to fully understand, a bit of kindness would go a long way. The kindness to remember that we are all anxious about the uncertainties to come, worried about elderly relatives and the knock on impact on the economy. The consideration for others to make sure that the resources in the shops are available to everyone, especially the most vulnerable. We could all look around and think about elderly neighbours who might be harder hit than ourselves. Stories like Poe’s will help me to stay motivated to keep running and fundraising for the National Autistic Society during the difficult months to come and looking for opportunities to show a bit of kindness in challenging times.

9 things I learnt from running my first half marathon – training for the London Marathon

I am running the London Marathon 2020 to raise money for the National Autistic Society: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CGater. All donations very welcome!!

On Sunday 8 March I ran – and finished – my very first half marathon race, the Saucony Cambridge Half Marathon. This is not a sentence I thought I would be able to write a few months ago, when I was struggling to get beyond 10k distances! Along the way, I learnt a few things that I thought I would share here.

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful sunny day and the race followed a highly attractive route, weaving its way through two of Cambridge’s most picturesque colleges, twisting through postcard-pretty villages and taking in some stunning views across the countryside. I was lucky enough to be running in support of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, which teaches people to look after their mental health in practical, positive and proven ways.

Over the 13.1 miles (I counted every one), I learnt a few lessons that I am hoping to apply to the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon in April.

1. Practice race day protocols as well as running

Booking the Cambridge Half Marathon was one of the first targets I put in the diary when I started my training plan back in December last year. It’s all very well pounding the streets at home at times that suit you and when your body is feeling up to it, but fitting in to the discipline of a fixed start time and proscribed route adds a significant extra layer of formality to the whole thing. There’s no backing out when the number is pinned to your front and you’re in the queue for the start!

2. Don’t expect a good night’s sleep the night before

Unless you have a constitution that is considerably tougher than mine anyway. I barely slept, dreamt about the run and woke up with a pounding headache and a churning stomach. I’ve never felt less like going on a long run, frankly!

3. Lay your stuff out the night before

Decide on what you’re wearing, find that extra-safe place where you left your running number, locate safety pins and make sure you have all the water bottles, snacks, energy gels etc that you’ve practiced using before. Also, CHARGE EVERYTHING! Today is not the day to realise you forgot to plug your phone in overnight, or you’ve mysteriously lost the weird format charger that your fitness watch needs.

4. There are *never* enough women’s toilets in the race enclosure

Join the queue for the loo as soon as you arrive. And since there is a fair bit of hanging around as you are usually told to arrive early, join the queue again a bit later on. Hopping about mid-way down the enormous queue with only 20 minutes until your start time is not relaxing!

5. Crossing the start line takes ages

The Cambridge Half is pretty big – there were 12 start waves, with 1000 runners in each. I was in the final wave (as I’m slow) so was particularly keen to get across the start line to stand a chance of finishing before the race cut off time. I can only imagine what the start of the London Marathon is going to be like with 50,000 people to herd across the line.

6. Start slow – you’ll be glad you did

As a novice half marathoner, it’s very tempting to hare off as soon as you have finally got onto the route and try to keep up with runners faster than you. My charity advised its runners beforehand that this was a ‘rookie error’. It’s much better to begin 10% slower than usual at the start, keep a steady pace throughout and aim for the ‘negative split’, when your second half is faster than your first. Admittedly the differential between my fastest and slowest speeds is pretty small, but I actually felt quite strong and comfortable by the time I crossed the finish line after following this tactic.

7. Don’t be tempted by the free stuff en route

Or only take what you have practiced using during training. This was advice the London Marathon ‘Meet the Experts’ session stressed – race day is not the time to try something new, whether that’s energy gels, sports drinks or whatever. The Cambridge Half had loads of water on offer, and also gels. I don’t use gels myself, and I saw at least one person nearly be sick at the side of the road, so don’t get carried away!

8. Consider taking a second phone

On Sunday, I really wanted to take some photos on my way round to record the experience (clearly, I’m not after a fast time here). However, I didn’t want to interrupt my phone’s run tracker app or disrupt my Radio 4 playlist, having spent ages getting my bone conduction headset to sync with my bluetooth. So a cheap, simple handset to grab a few photos would have been handy- especially to record the unique experience that the London Marathon will represent.

9. And finally – you will feel all the emotions!

Maybe it’s just me, but crossing the line of my first half marathon brought a huge wave of emotions and I nearly burst into tears (very unusual for me!). It could have been seeing the stories of the charity runners around me, many of whom had photos of loved ones on their shirts, the result of the physical exertion or the sheer relief of having got to the end, but it was powerful stuff.

Roll on 26 April and my marathon bid for the National Autistic Society!

Running the London Marathon 2020 – the journey begins…

As JRR Tolkien wrote in Lord of the Rings, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” The longest journey might start with a single step, but in a marathon that first step is followed by about 63,000 others. Submitting my application into the ballot to run the 40th London Marathon 2020 was that first step – at that point, I thought it would probably be the end of the journey. But it turns out I was wrong…

On the same day that I found out I hadn’t been successful in the ballot, the National Autistic Society called to offer me one of their charity places. In a flood of enthusiasm, I immediately said “Yes, I’m in!” Then I went away and thought about it a bit more and quavered, “Yes… ok but… help!” And now, a couple of weeks later, as a 48-year-old first time marathoner facing a very long road indeed, I feel like that first step is genuinely sweeping me away… but I’ve decided to give it a shot!

Running has been part of my life for maybe 20 years, off and on, but my journey with autism started only a few years ago when a close family member was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since then, autism has become a daily part of my life as I have struggled to understand what it means for the people close to me, and the impact that it will have in the future.

Autism is a lifelong, developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them. Without understanding from others, autistic people and families are at risk of being isolated and developing mental health problems – I’ve found that coping with the wide-ranging impacts of autism can be a very lonely experience at times. One of the lifelines I relied on was the support of other autism families and another was the National Autistic Society for its information and advice.

So that is my rationale for joining #TeamAutism for the London Marathon in April next year (26 weeks away and counting). Along the way, I plan to share my progress in the hope that some of you might sponsor me and contribute money to an excellent cause!

You can find my Virgin Money Giving page here: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CGater

Any suggestions for tracks or podcasts to run to, or stories you would like to share about autism, or even running a marathon, please add them in the comments! Keep on running….