Fundraising, Women
MDS – My Desert Story
My father died 20 years ago whilst backpacking in Northern Sumatra. When his belongings were returned to me by the Foreign Office, there was a little card in his backpack printed with the following words, ‘Don’t dream your life, live your dreams’. I try to live my life by that mantra every day.
I am not a good runner, i.e. I am slow and each year more bits hurt than they did the previous year, but I do love an adventure and I’m pretty stubborn. Perfect characteristics for entering a crazy challenge such as the Marathon Des Sable, or MDS as it is affectionately known. Running (ok mostly walking) 156 mile across the Sahara, carrying all the food, water and equipment I need for a week on my back is not going to be easy. That’s the point of it.
Doing ‘easy’ stuff is not challenging, it doesn’t help you grow. You don’t get a sense of achievement living your life in the comfort zone. You don’t move forward, you just stand still, or worse, go backwards! One thing about the MDS is that you have to keep moving forwards. One small step at a time if need be but you have to keep moving. Keep your mind on the goal. Visualise that moment when Patrick Bauer, the race director, places that medal round your neck and gives you a hug and a peck on the cheek (that’s the French for you!).
I started running 11 years ago when I was 40. The year ‘life begins at’ apparently. I met my now husband that year too so maybe ‘they’ are right! If I could look forward then, as someone who could barely run round the block, and see that I was about to embark on one of the toughest, multi-day stage races in the world, I’d probably be not totally surprised to be honest! I have never let ‘not being good at something’ stop me from giving it a go. The only thing worse than failing is not even trying! Life’s too short for that.
The thing I like about running is that it’s a great leveller. Yes, you can spend a fortune on kit, but you don’t have to. Running is a sport that people from all walks of life can get involved with and benefit from. Whether you are ‘good’ at it is subjective and relative to your own personal circumstances. I call myself ‘slow’, but I can combine running and walking and cover many miles. I’m back of the pack at parkrun but I’ve completed multiple marathons, a 50k ultra and now have the MDS looming. Who would have thought someone so slow could do all this?
Having had so much enjoyment from running, I was really pleased to discover The Running Charity and the great work they do. Running really can help boost confidence and help change people’s lives. The camaraderie felt being part of the running community is quite special. If my desert adventure can help to raise funds for The Running Charity or inspire someone else to live their dreams, then that will make me a very happy runner!
Follow Caroline on Twitter @CL_Constable and also on @247RUNNING. Photo credit to Nick Wolstenholme from Big Bear Events (@team247running @bigbearevents @nicksphotogallery)
