The Recap

It's hard to believe that we are entering a new decade, especially as I'll be 50 at the end of the month.  It doesn't feel more than a few years since we moved to Rome back in 1999, but when I look back over the past 20 years, so much has happened.  We've moved countries three times, including the move back to the UK.  I've completely changed career, and of course, my life has been fundamentally changed by my heart failure diagnosis in 2016.  Even in the three and a half years since my diagnosis things have changed massively.  I refuse to look at the experiences I've had as anything other than positive.  Yes, being as ill as I was, was a huge shock, but it has led to being the fittest I've ever been, becoming involved with Pumping Marvellous and being made a trustee of the charity and all that does with that.  Speaking at conferences, helping in the decision-making process to get our message out and make a difference.  I've also had the opportunity to be involved in research projects, both as a participant and also as a member of the steering group that helps to guide the project while it's being run.  This year I'm also part of the main project team for a new study that is being considered for funding.  All in all, these things can only be described as exciting, and not something I would have had the opportunity to be involved in had I not become ill.

Of course, there has also been all the physical activity that I've been involved in.  The highlight this year was the Coast to Coast walk I completed in May and June.  What an experience!  It challenged me not just physically, but mentally in ways that I can't really put into words.  I met some amazing people from the UK and beyond, and of course, having family meet me for the last couple of days made it all the more special, especially having Mum fly over from France to walk with me.

All of this then leads to 2020, and new challenges.  I am of course, very fortunate that my condition doesn't really stop me from doing what I want.  I know that many others with heart failure don't have the chance to do what I can do (although they should never feel like they are inferior in any way because of it).  For me, I feel that I need to take every opportunity that is presented to me and do as much as I can while I'm able.  Of course, this has the added bonus of helping me keep healthy so hopefully staving off any deterioration in my condition.  To that end, I decided early on last year that going into my second half-century warranted really pushing myself, and taking myself completely out of my comfort zone.  Of course, when planning things like this, you tend to have one main event that everything else leads up to. However, this is me, so I don't plan on doing things by half, and when the opportunity to have two main events, spaced just four weeks apart, came along there was no way I could turn it down.  Therefore, below is my provisional list of events with their dates.

• Hull 10k - April 19th
• Gear 10k (Kings Lynn) - May 3rd
• Vitality London 10k - May 25th
• Leeds 10k - July 5th
• York 10k - August 2nd
• Ride London - August 16th
• Great North Run - September 13th
• Leeds Abbey Dash 10k - October 25th

As well as these events, I'm also planning on returning to Wales and climbing Snowdon again via the Watkins path, completing the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge (3 highest mountains in Yorkshire in one day) and to cap it off, am aiming to complete my 50th ParkRun before the year is out (I'm on 29 at the moment).  I may add other events during the year, but these are the definite ones.

Needless to say, the Great North Run and Ride London are the main events.  When I started running three years ago, I never thought I'd be tackling a half marathon, and I certainly never thought I'd be training for a 100-mile bike ride!  I'm not going to lie, it's going to be a lot of hard work, and is all a bit nerve-wracking but I'm sure that with my usual stubbornness and the support from everyone around me that I'll do it.

Aside from me wanting to push myself, I also want to continue helping raise awareness of heart failure, which is still the "Cinderella Syndrome" when it comes to recognition outside of the medical profession, which is crazy when you look at the numbers of people living with this (almost a million in the UK alone), and the cost the NHS which could be mitigated if only people were more aware of the condition and its symptoms.  We must get the word out so people get to their GPs earlier, rather than being like me and leaving it until it was almost too late.  Pumping Marvellous, as the UK's only patient-led charity solely focussed on heart failure is best placed to help spread the word, and make sure that we as patients are listened to.  That's why I fundraise for the charity, and why every penny you donate helps make a difference.  Please do dig deep, and head off over to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richard-cleverley-50th-run-and-cycle-fundraiser