So I have now managed to complete what will probably be my longest pre-marathon run, the East Hull 20 mile race last Sunday. Well, I did it, but no where near as well as I would have liked. It was a beautiful day and they have changed the course since I last did it so that it stays mainly on footpaths; some of it a former railway track. A good course, sunny but very, very windy at times, so what you might wonder was the problem? I tried to carry a large water bottle which was nearly freaking me out by 3 miles it seemed so heavy! Then with the heat I ended up with a top tied round my waist. None of this contributing to sensible (or indeed elegant) running. Anyway I now know what it feels like again to be on my feet for three and a half hours plus. I know that I kept to pace for between half marathon and 15 miles distance so with a bit of mind over matter I should be able to achieve my goal of less than 5 hours.
So the training is on schedule, but the fundraising is not. I have mailed over five thousand people, I have had articles in local papers and a good local TV piece, but the results are disappointing. People I meet are aware that I am running the marathon so they have clearly read the stuff. Strange, I do not remember it being quite such a struggle when I ran a few years back for Amnesty International, so here I am feeling again that endometriosis is just a Cinderella cause that no ones wants to know about!
My father-in-law saved me a local newspaper piece from their Essex town about a young woman who had endometriosis. It concludes ‘Symptoms of endometriosis include pelvic pain, pain on intercourse, pain on passing a motion and problems conceiving.’ A pretty smiling girl stares out from the page carrying the article. This has nothing to do with the pain I knew as endometriosis, pain that had me rushing in the door at home strewing my clothes up the stairs to run and disappear in a hot bath: the only thing finally that was capable of beginning to give me any relief. Or nearly passing out at friends’ dinner parties or at work and ending up at some unknown casualty department. Or when the pain alternated with extreme cystitis that meant me locating the loo at every meeting, event, place or home I went to before I could feel remotely safe.
No, the words in that article do not convey what endometriosis is about. The headline did say it could affect 1 in 10 women but how to get people to take notice? This week after a very long day in the Parliament, just before participating in the final debate of the day commencing at 10.40 p.m., I returned late to my office to check my e-mail. I was feeling pretty tired but was immensely cheered by a sad but grateful email from an endometriosis sufferer, who yes had been at home through pain that day, but had found this blog and was pleased at what I was doing. So to any more of you out there, I am doing my best to get some attention!
Diana Wallis
PLEASE SPONSOR DIANA IN THE LONDON MARATHON:
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Tags: diana wallis, endometriosis, european parliament, london marathon, werf, world endometriosis research foundation