Hey there team,
This will be the last update on this page. It closes in 13 days and I'm sure anyone who was intending to donate has already done so.
One last big thank you to anyone who has supported me through this odyssey.
Doug
Well there you go. All done.
5 half-marathons or 105km all successfully jogged.
At some point soon I will take a pic of my medals but I have a headache and sore legs at the moment so I am going to go to bed!
In the meantime, I'd just like to thank everyone who has supported this page so far. I had no real target in mind but over $600 is pretty cool and a little more might trickle in before the end of the month.
4 down, just 1 to go!
I travelled over to Maraetai yesterday to complete my 4th half-marathon of the Auckland series. It was the most beautiful half I've done so far; almost all right next to the sea. There was also a climb to the top of the hill in Duder regional park which was hard work but rewarded with fantastic views.
Finished in a time of 2hrs8mins which I was very pleased with and then went for a swim to cool down the legs!
Looking forward to the last race in just under 4 weeks.
So, less than 2 weeks until race 2. How's the training going you ask? Well, let's not get hung up on the details and say that I have been quite busy recently.
In other news, I got signed off as a solo counsellor last night so I'm super excited to be able to do shifts ON MY OWN! Scary but exciting.
Please continue to share this page far and wide. I'd like it to continue to tick over as the time drifts by.
Hey team,
Just thought I would show off my first medal which arrived in the post recently.
Half marathon no. 2 is in Omaha in about 6 weeks and I am just getting back into training.
The knee isn't 100% but it is functional so that's good!
Doug
First half marathon completed!
Well, it was pretty slow due to my knee still giving me trouble and 3 weeks without training but I completed the distance so I'm pretty proud of myself.
Thank you again everyone for supporting me and Youthline. I've done a few shifts on the helpline now and I'm getting close to being qualified to do shifts by myself which is exciting and scary. It really is an amazing service and I'm very proud to be a tiny part of it.
Well, it's been a funny old year and the Auckland half marathon series has been effected like everything else.
The actual race 1 is going to be run kind of as planned but a week late which means I can't do it cos I'm working at a polling place.
so, I'm doing it virtually instead.
I've downloaded Strava and I'll be heading out to run 21km around my local area. My knee has not fully recovered but I'm doing it anyway; what a hero!(idiot?)
Details to follow later but don't expect any records unless they are records for "slowest half marathon ever"
Hey supporters,
Unfortunately I've had to halt my training for a bit due to a flare up of my problematic right knee.
I'm sure I can complete the distance so I'm just gonna rest it until race day and then smash it then!
I'm not very happy because training was starting to get easier but hey ho, can't be helped.
Still intending to run even if the event itself is cancelled; I'll just run a half locally and post my google activity!
Doug
Hi supporters,
Just a quick update about how this lockdown is affecting Youthline.
Due to level 3 restrictions, all the phone hubs in Auckland are closed and the Youthline volunteers are having to work from home.
What's fantastic is that they are still doing it! The volunteers are still booking shifts and are still taking calls and texts from home.
Unfortunately, because I am not fully qualified yet, I am not able to work from home which is very frustrating because I was on the way to being qualified as solo on the helpline.
I hear anecdotally that the helpline is particularly busy at the moment with a lot of young people reaching out for help due to the increased tensions around their lockdown environment.
Quick training update as well; I'm running every second day at the moment but it's not getting any easier!!
Hi there supporters,
Did my first ever buddy shift last night where I am answering texts and phone calls but I have an experienced counsellor next to me helping and checking.
Such an amazing experience!
There's a lot of pain out there people and this helpline does such an incredible job of dealing with some of it.
Took my first phone call which went ok and answered a lot of texts which went ok as well. I still have a lot to learn though!
Hey there,
Got my first observation shift on Youthline tonight. That means I will be sitting with a helpline counsellor while they answer phone calls and texts; watching and learning!
This is where it starts to get real so I am excited and nervous at the same time as I really start to see what Youthline is all about.
Had some donations today thanks to my Youthline buddies which is hugely appreciated.
Also, started the third stage of my Youthline training last night which is exciting and scary because this is the stage at which I actually get onto the helpline.
Need to squeeze some actual training into my schedule at some point!
Did my first actual training run last night. Managed a slow and steady 6km. Felt ok but it made me realise just how much training I will have to do to get this thing done without doing myself a mischief!
It's 9:24am on Saturday 20th June and today involves both aspects of this campaign.
From 10am I'll be attending Youthline training and continuing to learn how to help young people who call the helpline. This has been a challenging process actually but I'm learning with an amazing group of people and being guided by a wonderful facilitator so I'll hopefully acquiring the skills.
Then this afternoon I'll be continuing to try and get fit by playing my first proper football game of the season over at Glenfield.
Busy busy.
Well actually, 16 weeks, 2 days, 15 hours and 9 minutes until race 1 but who's counting?!
The football season starts this weekend with our first official pre-season friendly so I am starting to ramp up my fitness.
Had my first 90 minute game for AGES last weekend and I survived unscathed so maybe this thing will be possible.
Not much on the donation front so far but then I haven't pushed it and there's still plenty of time to go.
I'm still optimistic that I will raise a decent amount by April next year.... hopefully!!
