I have been somewhat slack with my entries of late, I caught a wee bug and have been vomiting a bit over the last week, and university has started again meaning I have less time to sort out my fundraising.

So what is happening?  A brief run down...

• Auctions are going live again for the next two/three weeks nonstop.
• Training is going into overdrive.... gym membership kicked off now that term has started
• Uni - argh... so many essays to do
• Updating this site more often!
• Somehow coping with those essays.

Online just now auctionwise... an awesome signed Mr Men drawing from Adam Hargreaves is the gem, but there are loads more to come.  Click on the link in the header and go from there.

New section on each post, outlining how many training miles/hours I have put in each day on the track, bike and in the pool.

Today I only had the chance to put in a 3mile hit on the running machines, so a punishing uphill run was clocked in just shy of 23mins, a good pace... if I can keep it up for longer distances. 

Yesterday saw me complete the Great Scottish Run - the half marathon with the nastiest start of all time.  Whoever chose the route that begins with the St Vincent St Hill needs their heads checked! 

Despite that, and the murderous on-ramp to the Kingston Bridge (what a view from up there by the way) and having stretched my right calf muscle, I completed the event.  I fell just short of my hoped for time, with that muscle problem restricting me for the final few miles when I could have been running faster.  That said, a lot more training needed before I do the big one again!  My official time is yet to come through, but somewhere in the region of 3hours (I think just under) is the ball park figure.

The funds total will go up by a wee amount shortly as the new sales get added and would go even higher if the guy who bought the Chris Hoy top would bother to pay for it or email me back.  I was extremely excited when that sale went through, but there are only so many excuses and failures to reply you can take before you know its not going to happen so thanks to you for nothing 'cyclediet'!

I'm away to nurse my aches from yesterday and get some more stuff up for sale, then hobble to the post office.

Had the utmost pleasure of meeting Chris Hoy yesterday at an Edinburgh signing, and had the chance to thank him for his donation to my auctions before being hustled out by STV lol.  Got a photo which will go online shortly, although the camera took that chance to blur the shot, so it needs some work first.

Total legend though.

Speaking of Chris Hoy, the guy who bought the top off me for £200+ is yet to pay... so annoying as he is severely holding my total back.

That total will go up tomorrow, as soon as I have figured out the new total from the last round of sales, payments are still coming in. 

More listings will go live tonight and tomorrow so check them out and see whats up for grabs.

Thanks also to Dave for the donations of items

I am delighted to announce that I will be running in the 2008 Fresh 'N' Low Great Scottish Run on Sunday 7th September.  I will be once again donning the colours of Cancer Research UK for this event, and will be making a donation to the charity following completion of the run.

The GSR is a half marathon (13.1miles) and provides an excellent training event for me two months ahead of the NYC Marathon.  My time will of course be posted here, along with details of funds raised for the charity.

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The funds raised total will go up beyond the £1500 mark when I have finished tallying things up and then higher in the next few days with some awesome auctions online...

• Signed Chris Hoy top (triple gold winner at this years Olympics)
• Signed Ella Guru painting
• Signed Sexton Ming Drawing
• Signed Depeche Mode photo

LOADS MORE!!

Latest into the charity Artwork selection is cartoonist Bill Tidy MBE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Tidy) 'Impressive Divots' which is signed and dated 'Bill Tidy 08'.  Yet another cracking item to add to those received in recent days, I am hoping for some more to come through the door before I put them up for auction.

My thanks (again) to Ella and Sexton for featuring my auction advert on their official websites.

If my mother would hurry up and arrive, I could get to the gym.  Gym report to follow.

A wee while ago I decided to advance the auctions I have been putting online featuring original artworks and doodles from celebs around the world!  With the help of a couple of well placed sources (thanks guys, you know who you are) I managed to write to some awesome artists and celebs and get some cracking items in for auction. 

The first few have started to come back to me now (with more to follow I hope in time) and I am extremely excited about these items going up for auction. 

Received in the last couple of days have been drawing/paintings from :

• Sexton Ming - a drawing in black entitled 'Conquest Mouse' (signed and dated 200 from one of the founder members of the Stuckist Movement
• Ella Guru - a 2001 painting entitled 'Punch Up Swans' from another founder member of the Stuckist Movement
• Sir Henry Cooper - a doodle of 'Enery's 'Ammer
• Val Biro - drawing of 'Gumdrop' from the books of the same name he illustrated.

All pieces (so far) are on A4 sized card and are absolutely awesome items.  Thanks to all four who have replied so far with these ace items!.  They will be up for auction later this week with images to follow as well.

More about Ella and Sexton's excellent work can be found at - www.ellaguru.org.uk and www.sextonming.co.uk . 

Much overdue auctions will be going online this week, with those David Tennant/Derren Brown/loads of other items going up for sale to boost the total ever further. 

Flights to the States have now been booked - look out Kuwait Air, here we come! - so its all systems go come late October!

Hey Folks

That fundraising total will be rising again shortly, with the £2000 mark growing ever closer.  There are more auctions online just now (30 at the time of typing) ranging through football to television and film, signed artwork and doodles.  There are more cracking items to be added this afternoon/evening including an amazing Derren Brown fan pack, Signed David Tennant Dr Who pics and a Chris Hoy signed jacket top. 

My JustGiving donation page is now live, following requests for donations to be made and it can be found by clicking on the link below

There is an online target of £500 there, which I am hoping will be met (if not exceeded) quickly to ensure 1/3 of my minimum donation amount gets to the charity ASAP.  Click on the link and make a wee (or BIG) donation to the total - remember Gift Aid adds 28% to your donation at no cost to you so why not help out the charity total in the best way.

In the meantime, I am off to get some new request letters sorted out (I've been out buying stamps ) and see what else I can get in for auction.  Then I am heading out for a cycle.

Thanks, as always, for your support

x

There is something extremely satisfying about pushing yourself until you're soaked with sweat.  There's also something sore about it.  But man was it good.

First day for the JustGiving site, and first donation - thanks Jacky.  That sponsorship plus the latest eBay sales additions will be tallied in the next 48 hours or so and be added to the total which I hope will push it past the £1500 mark.

I am now officially registered for running in the Marathon, having completed the New York Road Runners formalities online earlier today.  I am runner number 311647, meaning I am starting in the same time bracket as I did last time round.  Here's hoping that I perform a little bit better in attaining that target this time.

Well there it is, for all to see, thanks for your support guys - £1322.66 currently in the fundraising kitty and I am more than half way towards my target amount for this event.

This amount should rise even further in the next few days, with numerous auctions due to end in the next couple of days to add to the total.  The next target is the big £2000 mark!!!

I am off to look at bikes this week with the father, in a bid to travel around more under my own steam and burn off some calories in the process.  It will hopefully save some money on the transport front as well.

Back into the gym tomorrow night as well, I am meeting Sheena after she finishes work and we are heading over there, so I will hit the treadmill for an hour or so there to see how I am going distance wise.  I have also just bought a pedometer so I will be keeping track of the daily walking distance as well, something I will be adding to this site once I have received and programmed it.

Enough rabbitting from me, I have some new auctions to get online and a dog to take out to pee.  Next auction items to go online include another Eastenders job lot, and signed items from Andrew Sachs, Derren Brown, Natalie Dormer (artwork), John Leeson, Roger Kitter and Marillion to name a few.

Bring on the next target!!