Survival of the Fattest

In the immortal words of Staind, it's been awhile...

So, at this point I've probably suckered most of you in by mentioning teenage prostitutes. This worries me... still, as I'm going to weed out the pervs straight away by stating that this is pure bait-and-switch from where you dirty so-and-so's thought I was going with this!

To business then: For those of you who have been around me for the past few years, it's not news to you that I've piled on a few pounds. I'm not exactly near the size where you have to cut the side off my trailer to get me some fresh air or anything but it's fair to say that I'm not the skinny wretch I used to be. I'm not going to get thrown off a plane a la Kevin Smith, but if you're sat next to me on a bus, it's gonna be snug. I am what the Scottish like to refer to as 'a big unit'. So, it's probably time to get serious about shifting some weight.

Problem is, I'm aware that I can be a lazy sod and as we as human beings are wont to do, we can get complacent and dial it in rather than show a level of commitment, whether it be because we are just not cut out for whatever task we set ourselves, or because we are scared to fail, thus making it easier to just not try and never experience that feeling, particularly if you are prone to negative thoughts to begin with. So with that in mind, some sort of motivation is in order - question is, where to find it?

The answer?  Right here...

http://www.smodcast.com/sminterview/

Listen to interview #2 with Jamie Walton, founder and president of The Wayne Foundation, a charity that has been set up to provide shelter and help for teenage prostitutes looking to get out of the sex trade.  This is something that Jamie has been through herself and the tale she tells is just heartbreaking. I made the mistake of listening to it at work on a Monday morning and by the time it was over, I just wasn't in the mood for doing any more work that afternoon. It's a tragic story and anyone that doesn't feel any kind of tugging at their heartstrings while listening to it probably doesn't have a heart to begin with.

The story does have a happy ending, in so much that after much help and support, Jamie is now the head of a charity that is actively trying to make a difference to these kid's lives and it's a testament to her strength of will and courage that she is able to talk about the horrors of her past in such a matter-of-fact way now. If this woman is able to rise from the ashes after something like this, it's not exactly a stretch for me to forgo the odd doughnut or go for a swim now is it?

With the above in mind, while it's all well and good that I'm going to improve myself, it's not enough for me.  I need to make this count, which brings me to the real point of this post.  October 2012, yours truly is going to be tackling this bad boy:

http://www.mhsurvival.co.uk/page35.asp

Why October 2012?  Mainly because I'm in no shape to tackle a jog to the corner shop at present (slight exaggeration but you get the point), let alone tackle something like this without being conditioned to do it. This gives me plenty of time to get some sort of structure together to build up to what is for me, quite a big challenge.  How does this affect you, you might ask? Because I'm going to be raiding your pockets that's how! Yes, I'm going to be doing this ridiculous task not just for myself, but in order to raise some money for charity - specifically The Wayne Foundation, if I can find some method of donating as I don't think I can do it via Just Giving (because of course, that would be easy...).

The irony here is that by making all of this public, I'm actually putting more weight on, certainly in terms of expectation. It's one thing to let myself down though and another entirely to let everyone who sponsors me down, so no matter whether you are donating because you feel it's a worthwhile cause or whether you just want to watch a fat man sweat and get muddy, every penny that goes in the pot will be well worth it come next October.

If anyone feels the need to help in other ways as well, be it coming for a run or a swim, recommending some tasty healthy recipes, or simply spreading the word and generating some more coin for the cause, then all help will be gratefully received.

Let's get sweaty...