Mo' Running 2012

Mo’ Running 2012

I got introduced to Movember and running by the same person.  He got me involved in two things that I had never really been interested in: charity work and endurance exercise.

So when I found out, last year, that you could combine both of them I jumped at the chance!  Or should I say jogged at the chance!

I ran my 1^st Half Marathon and the 10k Cardiff Mo’ run last year to raise funds for Movember.  And even before I’d finished the Mo’ Run I knew that I’d be doing it again in 2012.

Simple.

But then I managed to raise over £200, which is something I never imagined I’d do.  So that got me thinking about how I could beat that total in 2012.  What could I do that was practical, achievable and within my abilities......

And then it hit me like “The Wall” after running to fast!  More running!

So for Movember 2012 I’m going to be running 3 different Mo’ Runs; Cardiff, Battersea and Greenwich on 3 successive Sundays in Movember.  Along with this I’ll be running the Dovedale Dash on the 1^st Sunday in Movember and also the Robin Hood Half Marathon on 30^th September (with a specially grown mo’ to promote the cause!).

This will combine my new found passion for running and raising awareness and funds for a cause that I believe in.  It’s going to take some effort and training but it’s going to be worth it. 

Even if I don’t raise as much money as last year at least people will know why I’m doing it and realise how important the message that Movember is trying to spread is.  

And it’s an important one. 

Yes, this is to raise awareness for men to look after themselves and be aware of their bodies and health but the message is the same to women as well.  And I hope that doing this and constantly telling people what I’m doing (and why I’m suddenly sporting a stylish mo’) will spread the message and make people realise how they can prevent illness of all sorts by looking after themselves and not putting off health checks because they may be scared of the outcome.

So keep an eye out for my progress updates on twitter ( @sharifowadally ) and on my Mo’ Space page (Mobro Sharif) and feel free to click that “Donate” button.  Remember every £1 counts so no donation is wasted.  And be sure to read the information on there.  

It’s important.

Why I want to play the guitar

I started writing this back in 2010 and just found it in my drafts! So with a bit of editing and a few explanations added here is the 1st blog of 2012....

I've never wanted to play an musical instrument. It probably stems from being forced to play the recorder in primary school and being shockingly bad at it! Even having a best friend who loved the guitar never inspired me to take it up.

Or it might be that I'm not a very creative or artistic person.
Or it might be because the thought of learning something that seems so hard just didn't appeal to my "I want to do it now!" attitude!

So why is learning the guitar up on my 'Things to do in 2012'? It had been on my list of things to do in 2011 but a few things happened throughout the year that pushed many of my plans to one side for a while. But the reasons for wanting to learn haven't changed.

Below are then main reasons why, in chronological order, I want to play the guitar:

1. Iain Mahanty (Lead guitarist with Kids in Glass Houses) - The first live gig I'd been to in nearly 20 years was to see Lostprohets at Rock City in Feb 2010. The main support act were Kids in Glass Houses. Me and my wife were stood to the left side of the stage right in front of Iain. When he started playing, the sound, the passion and just how damn cool he looked left me gobsmacked! It was watching his performance that started me on the path of wanting to become a musical genius!



Only the start though.....the thought still felt very alien to me....until....

2. Lee Gaze (Lead guitarist with Lostprophets) - Same gig, main act. I cannot tell you how unbelievable it was to see him playing the riffs that I had been listening to over the last 10 years. He looked and sounded amazing. I was mesmorised. On several occasions I found myself stood still just watching him.

It was that moment that I decided that I would learn the guitar. No more MAYBE, just a definite WILL. No questions.

3. Stuart Richardson (Bass guitarist with Lostprophets) -

Just to re-enforce how totally awesome someone can look with a guitar in their hands you just needed to look to the right of the stage to see Stuart Richardson looking like the coolest, badest thing up there!






But it's all well and good wanting to do something but when? I'm awful with timescales of when I'd like to do something. It's only been over the last 2 or 3 years that I've been setting myself yearly goals to start things, so even though I had decided I wanted to learn I had no idea when. But then.....

4. Ryan Day (Lead guitarist with Attack! Attack!) @ Rock City Basement (October 2010) - This was the moment, the ACTUAL moment, that I decided that I wanted to learn the guitar and I put it on my '2011 must do' list. Stood right in front of this energetic guitar nutter, watching him play it like he would never be allowed to play it again, seeing him move around such a small stage like he didn't give a damn about anything other that that 6 stringed instrument was all the motivation I needed. Sounded amazing. Performed even better!

But then, when I'm planning on how to go about this journey to guitar stardom, I realise that it's more than about just how I want to achieve something. More than about how cool I want to look. More than just bettering myself. And so I have my last reason. Turns out to be the main reason......

5. Learning something with my 9 r old daughter, Charlotte - Over the last few years I've really been making the effort to learn new things and spend good quality time with my daughters. As my oldest is now 12 and thinks it isn't cool to be seen with her father, most of my time is spent with Charlotte, my youngest daughter. Be it reading or going to the park, doing homework or making stuff, playing basketball or helping her write stories, it doesn't matter. It's been great for both of us and has helped tone down her fiery temperament and focus her attention. After a failed attempt at learning the flute I thought it would be better if we learnt an instrument together, from scratch and she agreed!

So there you have it. You're never to old to start something new especially if you have good reasons!

The journey has started....... :-)