AB2U Blog

4 years in a row and more fun every time!

The Asics British 10k London Run, at 09:35am on Sunday 12th July 2009.

At 06:00am I am always undecided whether a 09.35am start to a race is a good idea. At 10:20am running across Westminster Bridge staring up at Big Ben with the sun beaming down behind it I have my answer. An early start wins every time. London always looks so beautiful.

It was the perfect weather for running, a mixture of clouds, sunshine and cool breezes. The time just whizzed by and in no time I was at the finish. I was absolutely shattered with nothing else to give, so no dynamic finish, just a stagger down the Mall and across the line to the claps and cheers of crowds of onlookers and off course the daffodil volunteers standing at the barrier waiting to say ‘thank you’ for my support.

I have been suffering with a shoulder injury so I left Kathryn to enjoy the after party and headed off to my local gym for a steam and soak in the hot tub, where I sat and recalled the race with a big smile on my face. There really is nothing like the adrenalin of racing and the satisfaction of completing an event.

The photograph above is me looking a lot worse for wear at the finish with my medal and a smile.

The results of the race have not yet been posted so I have no idea of my real time, but according to my trusty old wrist watch it was circa fifty minutes – yet again! I just cannot seem to break that fifty minute mark, but not bad for a veteran in the 40+ bracket.

Breaking the fifty mark to raise money for charity was not a problem this year, in fact because of all your very kind and generous sponsorship pledges Abenefit2u have raised £167.00 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
So all that is left for me to say is a VERY BIG THANK YOU to everyone for your donations, well wishes and support.

Until next time…

Dianne

Dear All

Just 4 days and counting down until The Asics British 10k London Run, at 09:35am on Sunday 12th July 2009.
I am running to raise money for one of my favourite charities again, Marie Curie Cancer Care, if I can find my T-Shirt! When it comes to storing things I have a box and a label for every object and occasion. I have squirreled it away somewhere, but where I am not quite sure yet. Well the last event was a year ago! At this rate it may take me another year to find my T-shirt.

This is the fourth year Kathryn and I have competed in this event, which gets bigger and bigger. It is televised so if you fancy cheering us on from your sofa or bed, then get your Sunday morning coffee and croissants at the ready and press that remote at 09:35am and start scanning the 1000’s of little figures all bobbing along the mall. Kathryn and I will be there at 8.30am warming up, so I shall be having a very early night on Saturday.
There is an after party as always, this year being held at Walkers of Whitehall, which is located near to the finish just off Whitehall, and close to Trafalgar Square. Last year we bumped into a very lost Nicky Graham who we escorted to the after party with us. She was a real sweetie!

The Marie Curie Cancer Care is a super cause and they are a very well organised charity who really do all they can to make if ‘fun for fundraisers’. The bright yellow daffodil T-shirts are designed so you can write your name on the front and back and then all the daffodil supporters along the route are able to shout out your name and really encourage and spur you to the end… and I will need all the cheers I can get this year to finish the course in a respectable time.

Well all that is left to say is “Good Luck to Kathryn and I” and “Thank you to those of you lovely people who are kind enough to throw a few pennies at our Just Giving Page.”

http://www.justgiving.com/diannebeer9/

Until the finish…

Dianne

X

p.s. Abenefit2u managed to collect 342 Tesco for Schools and Club Vouchers this year.
Which makes me think I am either eating or drinking far too much!

I cannot believe another year has flown by. This year has gone faster than most (never time to get bored), although very slow in other ways (6-7 day working weeks!). Trying to set up a new company is hard enough, trying to keep it afloat even harder and trying to survive in a time of global economic downtime the hardest of all. Kathryn and I are exhausted, but we have not quite lost our running legs, although with less time to train we have only entered the one event so far this year, our favourite, the Asics British 10k London Run. This will be the third year in a row we have run it together.

I do hope the sun shines on us this year, but even if it is pouring with rain the cheering crowds lift our spirits, and the race always seem over in a blink. Last year I finished in fifty minutes, but I am not quite so optimistic this year. At 41 I am finally starting to slow down and concede I am not actually going to get faster, but slower as the years go on, so if I do a similar time I will be happy. Kathryn is threatening to compete in two half marathons this year, but needs to work out if she can fit her training plan around an exciting next six months… (more news on this in future blogs)

Kathryn and I poised for the starters gun… or errrr chatting again!

We are supporting the same charity again this year, one as you may know by now close to our heart, Marie Curie Cancer Care, the Daffodil Team! It is a super cause and they are a very well organised charity who really do all they can to make if ‘fun for fundraisers’. The bright yellow daffodil T-Shirts are designed so you can write your name on the front and back and then all the daffodil supporters along the route are able to shout out your name and really encourage and spur you on to the end…

If you would like to sponsor us for this race please click here for the link to our special sponsor page.

If you would like to run with us, you will need to register soon, 05, 06, 07, 08 places totally sold out before the event, it really is very popular and great fun! Please click here for the organisers website.

Date: Sunday 12th July 2009
Time: 09.35 am start (no lie in this Sunday!)
Start: Hyde Park Corner. Finish: Buckingham Palace

By Dianne Beer

To view all the photos from this event, please click here.

Note to self: You were extremely lucky with the weather this year, think twice about the time of year before you hold the next ‘Thank you’ party for all your clients, candidates, family and friends for all their help and loyalty each year.

On Saturday 29th November 2008 a very sweet friend of mine, Jean-Paul, and I began assembling the roof top gazebo in preparation for the following Saturday’s Roof Top Santa Party. If anyone can remember back to this date or keeps a diary you will note that it was not only freezing cold in London, but it poured with rain. I am not one to ever let my spirits be dampened by any event, but my heart did sink at the prospect of similar weather the following weekend on the actual day of the event. Someone somewhere took great pity on me, and on Saturday 6th December 2008, the day of the Great Santa Fun Run for SnowSport Disability and the Roof Top Santa Party the sun shone all day long, to the extent that Kathryn and I could have been mistaken for Rudolf the red nosed reindeer on Sunday morning. Perhaps being out in the sun on the roof terrace the day before, erecting the final parts of the tent and hanging tinsel and beads from every possible space gave us just enough base coat to get an winter sun glow!

The fun started at 12:00pm, just enough time for all the running Santas to travel back from Battersea Park and have gained a thirst and appetite after their gruelling 6k run, and enough time for Dianne to recruit some very jolly Santa Helpers to help finish off making and heating the mulled wine. By the smile on Kathryn’s face I think she was drinking it as fast as she was making it.

Abenefit2u sent out open invites to as many of our clients and candidates as we were able to in the time available between deciding to host this event and organising it. If you did not receive an invite, it will not be because you were forgotten, simply because of time restrictions and just not enough hours in the day to call everyone. We promise if you have been working with us during 2008 or will be working with us in 2009 you will be on the summer bbq list, but in the meantime, what a fantabulous festive fun filled party it was.

Thank you all so much for attending and making it such an enjoyable event. And just in case you have not had enough mince pies and mulled wine, there is still a sky high pile of pies and a vat full of mulled wine to finish! Oh and quite a few tins of roses, quality street…

A Very Merry Christmas everyone from
Abenefit2u Occupational Pension & Benefit Recruitment Specialist

By Dianne Beer

To see all the photos for this event, please click here.

When I competed in this event last year the heavens opened on me and I was a very soggy little Santa at the finish, so this year when I awoke at 6.00am to finish the last of the after party arrangements I was very relieved to see beautiful clear winter skies out of my bedroom window. If someone had bet me that Kathryn and I would both have little red faces on Saturday evening from a day of running and partying in beautiful English December sunshine I would have laughed and said “No, keep your money safe”, but that is exactly what happened – what a perfect day!

(Left to right) Leanne, Tim, Kathryn, Marissa, Dianne, Clare 1 having successfully finished the race and all adorning our medals (Claire 2 not in this photograph).

I adore this event, and this year it signalled the end of a very busy year of fundraising and fun runs for Abenefit2u. Although we opened a just giving page for this event, we have not broadcast this as we feel all our friends, family, clients and candidates have given quite enough. Our target was £1,000 through competing in ten separate races and instead we have achieved over £1,300. So for this race all we asked was for you all to come and join the fun and by doing so your £20 entry fee covers the cost of your Santa outfit and organising the event, with a little to spare for a super charity, Disability Snowsport. www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk

There were nearly 2,000 Santas running this year, far more than last year, so when I arrived at 09:30am there were long queues for the registration area and to collect Santa suits. Kathryn had already rounded up the troops and they were all ready and changed and raring to go, seven of us in total waiting for the starter’s gun….

… Three storming Abenefit2u Santessa’s speed off…

And afterwards we were all enjoying the after event Santa Sillyness so much that we almost forgot we needed to be back at the Elgin offices by 12:00pm for the after race party. The invite to this was open not only to runners and supporters but to friends, family, candidates and clients, as well as all the lovely people who have been so helpful this year in assisting us to successfully get Abenefit2u off the ground. For example, the super team at REC, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.*
(*Please see a different blog page for more on their story…)

I have no idea how but at 11.15am we were all in Battersea Park and by 12.00pm we were back at the Elgin Offices putting the mulled wine on the stove and the mince pies in the oven, and eagerly awaiting LOTS OF VERY HUNGRY & THIRSTY SANTAS…**
(** For what happened next and photographs of the After Race Roof Top Santa Party you will have to wait for our next blog posting).

In closing, I would like to say a special thank you to Matt, our Abenefit2u team photographer for the day, and to Dmitry and Brent (who was cycling around the park trying to find us) for their cheers of support along the way.

A Very Merry Christmas everyone, from Abenefit2u Occupational Pension & Benefit Recruitment Specialists.