Mothers Day Classic

Getting up for Mother’s Day Classic last Sunday - I was very excited but it was dark, it was cold, and I was very nervous as I hadn’t gotten any faster and I hadn’t lost a single kilo!  I just hoped I wouldn’t embarrass myself. 

But then I got there and the atmosphere was fantastic - it wasn’t just a fun run I really felt like I was part of something important.  I started talking to others in the crowd and heard the statistics - 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85 !  And I heard so many stories that reminded me that I am so lucky that it is the weather and kilos that are my biggest upsets for the day. 

Sarah lost her aunt to breast cancer and discovered that she too carried the breast cancer gene giving her a 95% chance of having breast cancer herself; so at the young age of 27, Sarah had a full mastetomy to avoid that diagnosis later on.  27!!!! 

Dawn was in her early 40s when diagnosed and found telling her diagnosis to those she loved harder than finding out herself.  Di, diagnosed at 62, now worries about her 3 daughters and her new grandaughter. 

Cheryl, diagnosed at 31, before going through full chemo and radiotherapy had to make life-changing decisions regarding fertility and her future as a mother. 

And 7 year old Matthew lost his mum 9 months ago to the disease…  

So I hit the pavement with renewed vigour and was so proud to be supporting such a wonderful event and important cause.  I went back to the assembly area afterwards and just took in the atmosphere - it was amazing - emotional but so inspiring!  Next year I will definately be there again and will be encouraging more of my friends and family to join in the Mother’s Day Classic - let’s help raise the funds so that the researchers can find the answers to this terrible disease. 

Congratulations to the organisers for a fantastic event and for giving such a true and important meaning to Mother’s Day! 

Thank you to everyone that supported the Mother’s Day Classic - from the organisers, the runners & walkers, the sponsors, the fundraisers & those amazing volunteers - well done on making this year’s Classic the best one ever.
 
When my father was dying a few years I promised him on his death bed that in anything I tried in the future I would aim to make a difference.  It is with great interest that I noticed that the first line on the front page of the MDC website it says “a chance to make a real difference”.
 
Well I can say that to all that participated on Sunday, we all made a difference.  Well done!
 
All funds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation have a positive impact in shaping our future in their quest to finding a cure for breast cancer.  Along the way they will save many lives of Australian women.  Nearly all of us will know someone that has been affected by breast cancer and it must be gratifying to know that chances of survival have improved dramatically in recent years following the increase in research and awareness.
 
You may not know which life was saved, but have a smile on your face knowing that you helped in whatever way in “making a difference”.
 
As always Mother’s Day produced magnificent weather.  Chookie & my gorgeous wifey Kylie went to Parramatta Park for the first time after years at the Domain in Sydney.  To see a crowd well over 3,000 was amazing given that the MDC only started here last year.  Chookie had the wonderful honour in starting the 4km race.  As she was running the race herself, she was tempted to do the old schoolyard trick in taking off herself before saying “go”.  I must say that Chookie is improving with age as she seems to be moving better now as a 62yo.  If she keeps improving with age then I might have to come up with a new nickname for her as she won’t be the old chook for much longer!
 
I have often said before that Mother’s Day is my favourite day of the year & once again it didn’t let me down.  The happiness I felt when I saw Chookie’s face cross the finish line (as a symbolic gesture that she beat Breast Cancer for another year) was something special & something that is hard to describe in words. 
 
A few weeks ago we announced Chookie’s goal of making the top three in her age category … to be honest I thought it was going to be a tough challenge for her especially with all those super fit grannies & it would mean a few weeks of training - something which is foreign to her … but she did it & guess what?  Not only did she reach her goal of making the top three … she won her age category!!  Woohoo Chookie!!   Now we had one very stiff & sorry Chookie at lunch but boy was she so happy - her grin was wider than Sydney Harbour.  Apart from winning dad’s heart over 37 years ago, I am not sure if she ever won anything else in her life.  Now she is an “elite athlete” and is talking about “defending her title” next year! 
 
Now it doesn’t matter where you finish, so long as you participated & I was so happy to see so many people show up in supporting a great cause.  It was great to see so many men in support of this great cause as well.  Well done guys in supporting your loved ones.  It was also superb seeing so many young children out & having fun.  Not only are they enjoying a healthy lifestyle, they are also made aware about Breast Cancer issues at a young age. 
 
After the race it was great to see everyone cool down together & enjoy the entertainment.  I reckon the boys from Mix were the busiest as they must have given out hundreds of spot prizes.  Well done to NBCF and the sponsors for providing so many prizes.
 
To all the mothers out there, I hope you had a great Mother’s Day.  You are all very, very special and precious to us. 
 
I regularly joke about some funny things that mothers say to their kids … and how they are often threats.  I reckon a heard a hundred of them on Sunday.  My favourite one was by my very own mother Chookie … “I brought you into this world … and I can take you out as well.”  Aaah yes, dear old, sweet, innocent mothers!
 
Finally I would like to thank the National Breast Cancer Foundation for giving me the opportunity to express my thoughts over the past few weeks.  Hopefully you enjoyed it.  After almost losing mum in 2000, I am forever grateful in having her with me today and for many more years to come.  I also look forward to spending many more decades with my beautiful wife Kylie.  I wish all of ye out there the same good fortune.
 
Sincerely yours & I look forward to seeing ye again next year!
 
Adrian Raftery, aka Mr Taxman.
 
 
PS I love you loads mum and I am so so proud of you!

Two years ago I celebrated my 70th birthday, I asked my friends not to present me with gifts but, instead, to give the more thoughtful gift of breast cancer research. By encouraging friends and family to sponsor my participation in the 4km walk at the Mothers Day Classic, I felt that together we could make a bigger contribution to something very worthwhile.

It turned out to be one of the best birthdays ever – at my age I certainly don’t need any material gifts and think that the Mothers Day Classic is a wonderful way to help fight breast cancer. When I was diagnosed, I felt overwhelmed but determined to participate in some capacity for cancer research. I now know that there is a big community of survivors and the Mothers Day Classic is the best way to celebrate life, friends and family.

If you can’t walk or run yourself on Sunday 11 May, why not sponsor someone who can?

As I am still new to the whole regular exercise thing I am still getting on top of all the sports equipment you need.  I have the new runners - apparently these Brooks runners will make me as fast as a leopard!  And I have ordered the Mother’s Day Classic Brooks sports top which is made of some special fabirc that will  by all accounts draw the sweat away for my body (none of that sounds very ladylike but makes me feel sporty) and I have invested in 5 pairs of sports socks (even sports socks lose their pair in the wash…).  I also have the new running  pants which the saleswoman promises are very flattering (lycra pants flattering - yeah, right!). 

But let’s talk about the sports bra …. I decided that after 4 years it really was time to reinvest.  So the other weekend I went off to review the latest range and try some on ….  Oh my goodness… I am still recovering!  The first one (and only one for that day) I tried on was like a full suit of armour and took me a good 10mins to get on only to discover it really didn’t sit well and was a bit uncomfortable (and I am uncomfortable enough while running without having to add to it!).  But this is where the problem started - 10mins to get in to the bra, near impossible to get out!  I thought they were going to call for the jaws of life to remove me from it grips.  Eventually I had to call in the salewoman to help and when finally free, red in the face from the the embarrassment and more so the effort, I redressed and went home empty handed. If a bra is hard to get out of in the change room, I imagine it would be impossible to get out of after a run when you are tired, hot and sweaty (not that I will be sweaty in my new Brooks top!). 

It took me a week to rebuild my confidence and set off this time with my sister for back-up.  I eventually found a comfortable sports bra (though I did have to try plenty on) that was easy to get in and out of.  So my advice to you all is, sports bra shopping is a team sport, allow plenty of time and always take a female companion with you as it is not as easy as you think and many of them are designed so that you have to buy them because you can’t actually get them off!  Hope you are all looking forward to the big day - not long to go now.  And don’t forget to get people to sponsor you - if they can’t come on the day the least they can do is sponsor you for putting in the effort.

So its only two weeks to go til the big day.  Chookie is getting nervous … but it is a good nervous … nervous excitement.  This is the first year that she has prepared for the Mother’s Day Classic & she is hoping that the preparation is worth it.  Her goal is to equal or better last year’s time in the 4km run.  That way she knows that she is still a chance of winning gold in Beijing!!
 
Whilst the training regime up to now has been relatively easy on Chookie … after all at 62, she is no longer a spring chicken … she has enjoyed the benefits of it.  On Saturday morning she voluntarily elected to walk 6km each way to the nearest shopping centre rather than drive … she felt better for the walk on a lovely morning & also felt great knowing that she didn’t spend too much knowing that she would have to lug all the shopping on the return walk back.
 
Chookie has found that she is losing quite a few kilos as well & was able to fit into an outfit yesterday that she bought a decade ago !!  Whilst I remain tight-lipped about the fashion sense (and I am the last to talk about fashion anyway!), it was still a great achievement to be at the same fitness level as 10 years earlier. So Chookie felt great seeing her friends yesterday knowing that she was getting fitter & firmer.
 
The other benefit in training & losing weight is that invariably you don’t spend as much as you would when you don’t train because you are now buying fruit & vegies & eat at home rather than going out & eating unhealthy with hamburgers, chips, wine, etc (Note to all men: chocolate is part of a stable diet for all women!!)
 
So Chookie is not only feeling lighter & fitter but she is also saving a bit of cash at the same time.    She is losing kilos around the hips but not making the hip pocket any lighter.
 
Til next week, have a great week of training. 

Well the clock is definitely chugging along at a great pace towards this year’s MDC, numbers are up up up so get ready for a huge morning, whether you are down at Southbank in Brisbane with me, or at the many other MDC venues around Australia.  This week should see your training starting to increase from the past couple of weeks as you approach the top of your pyramid of training intensity. 

I wrote last week about naturally increasing your distance and heart-rate, well for the next two weeks you should be jogging/walking your longest time and distances with the most consistent heart-rate under 155 beats per minute.

In another aspect of your preparations, how is your sponsorship going? You can help a good cause raise those extra funds – and be in the running for some great prizes – by getting your friends, neighbours and work colleagues to sponsor you in the MDC.

Finally, have you thought about printing t-shirts or dressing your ‘crew’ in all the same outfits to make a statement of support for breast cancer patients, survivors and their families?  Every year the MDC sees spectacular outfits worn by teams of people supporting someone they know or breast cancer in general.  So what are you going to wear?  Don’t get left out by not preparing how you’re going to look on Mothers Day.  Get your family and friends together and make a group statement with colourful outfits and matching clothing.  Inspiration is everywhere, as people wear printed photos of their loved ones on their clothing in remembrance.  You won’t be alone believe me, you will see some very strange sights at the start the line as many participants go all out to win the ‘over-the-top’ outfit award!

The outfit can sometimes be more important than the training!

Good luck with both this week.

Hi and welcome to all the first time entrants in the MDC!

This year I will be a first time entrant for the course and I’m looking forward to climbing into it. From all account’s the last few years have been vibrant, and entertaining as well as focusing on health and wellbeing for all the family and friends. So how did I end up here? Well, being a couch potato sports enthusiast I was sitting around at work when Rosie announced that she was partaking in the Mother’s Day Classic and I should consider having a crack too. Now of course my first thoughts were along the lines of… hmmm…? Mother? - nope, fit? - nope, busy?  - nope, looking for a new challenge? -  yes! And thus was born my first foray into an event which has proved to be a great way to show your support for a truly good cause.

So what will I be aiming to achieve from the day? Well I think I’ll start by just trying to finish in one piece before I get too carried away. This will involve getting in a few sneaky runs over the coming weeks to ensure they don’t call me the wolf (huffing and puffing). It’s been a while since I last dusted off the runners’ and hit the streets so I’m well aware that I should take it easy first up. I see there have been some helpful training tips posted already so thanks to those for the words of encouragement.

Is it all about the running for me? No definitely not. I’m using the MDC as a vehicle to enjoy my day rather than spend the day in one. I’m also actively egging on a few of my other mates to join in with me. I know it will be a cracker of a day.

See you all there

Michael Taylor

This weekend was one of those “BANANA SKIN WEEKENDS” … you know the ones … everyone has one of those when they are training for a fun run or they are on a diet … it is one of those weekends that you know have been booked into your diary in advance that you KNOW that you are GOING TO BE BAD and have a few drinks and have some pretty nice food & desserts … you know that if you don’t watch yourself then you are going to indulge a bit too much & before you know it then all of your training & dieting was for nothing. 
 
So you decide to be good within reason & only be naughty a little bit … but your friends are HARD TASKMASTERS & then won’t let you get away with it … it is a real test of your mettle.
 
So here we have the “Banana Skin” situation that we had this weekend  … before Christmas, the three of us organised to go to Saturday’s Golden Slipper at Rosehill … we went last year & had a great time … so we thought we would do it again.  Plan was to have a few glasses of “bubbles” … bit of a punt & go home.  We would do extra training on Sunday to make us feel better for indulging at the races.  It was a reasonable plan.  Warning: all of the best plans have Banana Skins!
 
Banana Skin #1 - Kylie’s brother announced a few weeks ago that he was accepting a job in Singapore & that he would also tie in this opportunity with marrying his long-time girlfriend Anna … on Saturday afternoon.  Now Chookie (my 62yo mum) said that she still wanted us to go the races with her so we agreed to go to the races & then after race seven get a taxi in town in time for the wedding.  We would be mindful that we had 2 big functions on the one day & pace ourselves with the naughty stuff.
 
Banana Skin #2 - race 2 has a rank outsider called “Book of Kells” win as odds of 61/1.  Now for those that have a bit of an Irish background & are renowned for betting on horses because of their name then you would understand that Irish born & bred Chookie “just had to” put a small wager on this horse.   Well it got up & felt like it paid millions.  It was enough for us to get the bubbles flowing at an early part of the day.
 
Banana Skins #3, 4 & 5 - this is becoming our best ever day at the races and we are winning with bets on the nose, each way, trifectas were getting up & even mystery trifectas were winners … you just have to have a few more glasses of bubbles right?  Luckily we knew that we still had to turn up at the wedding in a correct state so we pulled back & didn’t get sucked in.  But Chookie wasn’t going to the wedding & she wasn’t going to be deterred.  So we decided to pull the guilt trip on her … she was now an inspiration to thousands of other women around Australia in beating breast cancer & she needed to set a good example (memo to NRL stars & Olympic swimmers).  So from race 5 each glass of bubbles was complemented with a glass of water … and she agreed that she would go for two walks on Sunday instead of just one.
 
We had a great time at the wedding & kept at the slower pace that we set at the start of the day at the races.  The bride looked beautiful (don’t they always!!) and we headed home straight after the reception instead of going to that “banana skin” monster in the far corner of the hotel … the hotel bar.
 
On Sunday morning we got up & went for our long walks and also backed it up with an another long afternoon walk.  We felt quite good - we had an enjoyable weekend but didn’t let our training regime fall apart.  Next week Chookie starts incorporating some running into her training regime - she isn’t looking forward to it but knows it is better to put in a few short runs now before May 11. 
 
Looking back I think we found the right balance for these banana Skin Weekends.  If you “play hard” then you must also “train hard”.  Whilst any training regime must be disciplined you need to have a few days of fun … you are not running for gold in the Beijing Olympics … but you still need to keep a check on things & not go on a big binge. 
 
Watch out for those banana skins!
 
Here’s to a good week of training ahead & three cheers again to that wonderful horse “Book of Kells!!” 
 
Adrian Raftery
 
PS Thank you for those that have sent the good luck messages to Chookie.  Ye are superstars!
 
PSS Help grow the mothers Day classic this year & invite a family member or friend to join you … they don’t need to be fit … you just need to participate & share the love & help beat breast Cancer in this country.

Well its less than a month til this year’s Classic.  During the week we entered online & received our purchased goods in the mail already - most efficient service this year.  The blue cap is an excellent idea this year & I reckon that alot of men will have no worries about wearing them in support of their wives,mothers, girlfriends, etc.  I must admit that I have never been able to build up the courage to wear the pink caps in previous years so I am happy to wear the blue one.  Also when myself & Kylie (my wife) go for a walk with our caps we don’t look like Ken & Barbie wearing the same colours. 
 
The past few years I have been using the MDC as a training run for the Sydney half marathon the following weekend as the course at the Domain is also part of the half marathon course.  It was also a good test in pacing myself when in a crowd & not to go out too hard because invariably you will struggle at the end of the run.  Running in a fun run is always better than going for a run by yourself as you seem to run quicker - not quite sure why but I guess the competitive nature of trying to beat the person beside you would kick in.  Also by participating in a fun run there are alot of benefits that you seem to get out of it … you feel healthier as you train for a few weeks/months and invariably improve the diet with more & more alcohol free days along the way.  You also seem to lose a few kilos which is never a bad thing as the clothes that didn’t fit in January always seem alot easier to wear post-fun run. 
 
This weekend we flew to Adelaide for a business conference.   The trip started with the usual banter that we would be really good & go for long walks every day along the beach & also go for a swim in the hotel every morning.  On our walks we were lucky to experience seeing a few dolphins frolicking at Glenelg beach & it was probably the highlight of the weekend together with being able to have fun chatting to each other on those walks. Our flight home on Sunday was great as we spoke about how great it was spending the weekend together & how we plan on being “good” over the next few weeks & go for walks & runs. 
 
Chookie (my mum) is starting to feel the pressure of the Mothers Day Classic this year.  Whilst it is our favorite day of the whole year for the past decade, she hasn’t exactly been the ultimate professional by never training for the event, instead electing to go into the event without a training session under the belt.  The same old story would happy every year … we participate in the Mothers Day classic … mum finishes with a smile brighter than Times Square … we have a lovely lunch & mum would be beaming about how proud she was in finishing it & how she SHOULD have trained for the event because she would struggle in latter stages of the run … and then a few days later she would say how stiff & sore she was & how she MUST train in future years for the Classic … and how she said the same thing last year … and the year before.  But she loves the day & wears her finishers medal all day & the next day at work as well. 
 
So this year she has felt the need to start getting into training especially as alot of people will be tracking her progress through this blog.  Sorry Chookie!!  Anyway, she has been going for a few walks with Missy (her Maltese Terrier) & has also purchased a bike a while ago in a cross-training bid to get fitter for May 11.  She is in the 60-69 age category for the 4km run and the aim is to not only finish but to try & get a top three placing.  Go Chookie!!
 
Now this bike had been sitting in a box in the garage for over a month.  My cousin from Ireland Mary Ann has been staying with mum for the past few weeks whilst “back-packing” & decided to “help” mum’s training regime by putting this bike together.  Chookie was very happy about this til she saw the final product looked nothing like the picture on the box.  She was somewhat perplexed when she saw “spare parts” left over … so her next door neighbour had a look at the instructions on Friday night & it seems that the spare parts included the brakes & a few other important bits to the front wheel which somehow was “back to front” - not sure how a wheel can be that way - but it was as mum reliably informed me.
 
Over the years we have been blown away with the growth of the MDC … we remember when it was only held in Sydney a decade ago with about 500 people … and now it is so big with so many great sponsors on board as the event is national.  Just seeing the growth in fundraising on the MDC home page brings a smile to my face.  I wonder what the event will be like in another ten years time.  Whatever it will look like, there is one thing for certain … we will be there for it.

Adrian