Cardiff Half Marathon in just 3 weeks

Hi All,

I hope you don't mind me posting this. For the past few months I've been training to run the Cardiff Half Marathon which is now only 3 weeks away. Those of you who live in the Rhondda might have seen me dragging myself up and down the streets of the valleys at random times of the day in an attempt to get myself fit, you could usually spot me by the thuds going past and the bright red glow moving across the streets making it look like the street lights had come on early.

Anyways its not about that but more about the reason why I'm running. We all are too acutely aware in our own ways that there is a national recession that has lasted longer than any other of its kind in post war Britain. We've all seen the advert for pay day loans that regularly come on our TV screens with print too small to read of an APR% in the thousands. Most of us work in the voluntary sector because we see the poverty around us and are all working in whatever ways we can to make an impact and turn things around. All these things along with other factors such as low literacy and numeracy rates have led to a perilous situation for many families in the UK and particularly South Wales.

This means that the charity I'm running for is one called Christians Against Poverty, or CAP. CAP works through local Churches across the UK and provides completely free debt counselling advice to people who are in crippling debt, who can often have bailiff's or loan sharks banging at their door while many of whom are too scared to even leave their homes at risk of being caught by less scrupulous people. While working on a local level through the Churches that they are partnered with they have a central legal team within Bradford which then provides the legal weight, sound knowledge and experience in order to provide tailored support to these families that are crippled by the burden they are facing with the aim of getting them free from debt within 3 to 5 years.

CAP works through my Church in Tylorstown (http://actscommunitychurch.co.uk ) and so we know to well some of the experiences of families in the Rhondda. My wife and I also regularly support and donate to this charity. I'm sending this email out for a few reasons; firstly if you would like to know more about CAP and the support it could give to families you know then please have a look at http://www.capuk.org or http://www.capdebthelp.org/en_GB/home . But secondly I've been set a target of £300 to raise for the half-marathon and am asking all of you out there if you would be willing to sponsor me for this fab cause. There are two ways in which you can do it and every little helps towards tackling this modern day menace in Britain, they are;

1) Go to my just giving page, enter in your details and donate on-line. The web site is http://www.justgiving.com/nathanielfreeman

2) You can also use your phone to donate by texting NATY80 followed by the amount in whole pounds you would like to sponsor me (e.g. £5) to 70070


Thanks in advance for your kind support : )

Hi All,

I hope you don't mind me posting this. For the past few months I've been training to run the Cardiff Half Marathon which is now only 3 weeks away. Those of you who live in the Rhondda might have seen me dragging myself up and down the streets of the valleys at random times of the day in an attempt to get myself fit, you could usually spot me by the thuds going past and the bright red glow moving across the streets making it look like the street lights had come on early.

Anyways its not about that but more about the reason why I'm running. We all are too acutely aware in our own ways that there is a national recession that has lasted longer than any other of its kind in post war Britain. We've all seen the advert for pay day loans that regularly come on our TV screens with print too small to read of an APR% in the thousands. Most of us work in the voluntary sector because we see the poverty around us and are all working in whatever ways we can to make an impact and turn things around. All these things along with other factors such as low literacy and numeracy rates have led to a perilous situation for many families in the UK and particularly South Wales.

This means that the charity I'm running for is one called Christians Against Poverty, or CAP. CAP works through local Churches across the UK and provides completely free debt counselling advice to people who are in crippling debt, who can often have bailiff's or loan sharks banging at their door while many of whom are too scared to even leave their homes at risk of being caught by less scrupulous people. While working on a local level through the Churches that they are partnered with they have a central legal team within Bradford which then provides the legal weight, sound knowledge and experience in order to provide tailored support to these families that are crippled by the burden they are facing with the aim of getting them free from debt within 3 to 5 years.

CAP works through my Church in Tylorstown (http://actscommunitychurch.co.uk ) and so we know to well some of the experiences of families in the Rhondda. My wife and I also regularly support and donate to this charity. I'm sending this email out for a few reasons; firstly if you would like to know more about CAP and the support it could give to families you know then please have a look at http://www.capuk.org or http://www.capdebthelp.org/en_GB/home . But secondly I've been set a target of £300 to raise for the half-marathon and am asking all of you out there if you would be willing to sponsor me for this fab cause. There are two ways in which you can do it and every little helps towards tackling this modern day menace in Britain, they are;

1) Go to my just giving page, enter in your details and donate on-line. The web site is http://www.justgiving.com/nathanielfreeman

2) You can also use your phone to donate by texting NATY80 followed by the amount in whole pounds you would like to sponsor me (e.g. £5) to 70070


Thanks in advance for your kind support : )

Just bouncing it back up

good for you hope you raise a few quid for your cause, i am running it for the first time for ty hafen, never done anything like it before but started to run in april, lost two and half stone training for it

good for you hope you raise a few quid for your cause, i am running it for the first time for ty hafen, never done anything like it before but started to run in april, lost two and half stone training for it

well done mate. I can't seem to drop any weight this time so looks like i'm going to be lugging 14 stone around the course : (

What kind of distance and time are you doing at the mo?

i try and do a big run on the weekend, 9 to 14 miles and a short hill run during the week, 3 to 6 miles, last week i ran 12 miles in 1 hr 35, hoping to do it in less than 1 45 but not too bothered about times tbh at 42yrs i will be happy to get around in one piece
what times are you running?

i try and do a big run on the weekend, 9 to 14 miles and a short hill run during the week, 3 to 6 miles, last week i ran 12 miles in 1 hr 35, hoping to do it in less than 1 45 but not too bothered about times tbh at 42yrs i will be happy to get around in one piece
what times are you running?

That's just showing off!!!!

Living up in the Rhondda so encountering hill after hill so averaging 10 minute miles over all. On the flat though I can get down to between 7:30 to 8:30 minutes miles, its just whether I can keep a similar pace going which I'm hoping that I can without dropping too much.

I usually do 2 x 4.5 during the week and then a good 11.5 on the weekend. My mates are considering going easy this last two weeks now to avoid injury but my thinking is that I'm feeling better week after week so might keep up the same routine going into it.

i am in the same mind as your mates, didnt run this weekend due to work, going to do 2 short ones this week, then a slow 9miler sunday then a week off before the run, it would be gutting to get an injury this close after all the hard work, good luck with it

i am in the same mind as your mates, didnt run this weekend due to work, going to do 2 short ones this week, then a slow 9miler sunday then a week off before the run, it would be gutting to get an injury this close after all the hard work, good luck with it

you too!