Fetcheveryone Member of the Month

Pedro_Perez asks: Congratulations Rev.

Having run your first Marathon this spring, what is single best thing about your 26.2 journey? Medal/T-Shirt do not count btw

RevBarbaraG says: The number of people who told me I was doing something amazing (rather than stupid!)

Longwayround [LWR] asks: Congratulations on your victory. How do you intend to mark the occasion?

RevBarbaraG says: On the evening - went out to eat and didn't worry about the cake. Since - showed my medal to everybody I saw for about the next month.

Helegant asks: Congratulations. What is your next challenge going to be?

RevBarbaraG says: I'm still thinking about that one.....

I'm doing a half marathon - kind of just to set a time, really. I'd like to improve my 5K and 10K times, but in order to do that I need to be completely injury free (I still have niggles), and I need to shift some weight. So maybe my next challenge is shifting some weight....

Lemon10 asks: Congratulations, well deserved MOTM! Now we all know you are a minister, the clue is in your name, but if you weren't Rev Barbara is there a dream job out there you could have done instead?

RevBarbaraG says: When we were on holiday last year, I toyed with the idea of running some sort of active retreat centre - where people could come to get away from stress/technology, for a combination of relaxation and healthy activity. So I'd be leading runs/walks in the morning, and prayer and meditation sessions in the afternoon (or something)

MrLemon10 asks: Well done Barbara, my question is: tea or coffee?

RevBarbaraG says: Tea, mostly. Occasional posh coffee.

fleecy asks: Many congrats, Rev! Tell me what your 3 favourite things are about running, please?

RevBarbaraG says: 1) It makes me feel fabulous (even when I ache)
2) It gives me mental space
3) The fact that I can do it, having once been 22 stone, means that there is always hope

J*C asks: If you had to choose from either having a trunk like an elephant, wings like an eagle or a cats tail what would it be, why and how would it improve your running?

RevBarbaraG says: Wings like an eagle... so I could run up the hills

RuthB2 asks: Congratulations! Which race or event or target do you daydream about, however far off, and what appeals about it?

RevBarbaraG says: OK, I didn't say this, right?

The Spartathlon. It's just mega...... SUCH a long way. And I almost don't know why it appeals (wasn't 26.2 enough, for goodness sake?).... there's just something about endurance that really, really appeals to something in me.

I didn't say that, right?

Tuppence asks: What's your favourite flavour of cake, Rev?

RevBarbaraG says: Oh, where do I start? So many to choose from. I love a sticky ginger cake, a good carrot cake, and a coffee and walnut. And then there's lemon drizzle, Mmmmm......and Battenburg..... but, on balance, I'm going to go for the ginger - as long as it's good and sticky.

Sombrero asks: Congratulations. Do you prefer red onions or white onions?

RevBarbaraG says: White - and always cooked. I can't bear raw onions.... apart from spring onions, of course. And pickled - love them - but they're different.

Calamity asks: Congratulations. After the marathon, what is your next big running goal?

RevBarbaraG says: Hmmmm..... I don't really know, if I'm honest. I'm doing a half marathon on Saturday (28th June) which I signed up for ages ago, mostly because I knew I would have the endurance to do it without too much hard work and I can set a time to work against in the future (my PB of 1.54 doesn't really count, as it was set 28 years ago!)

After that, it would be about improving times at 5K/10K/HM, but I really need to get some weight off before working towards that - I'm too vulnerable to injury to try fast running at my current weight.

But eventually - in 2 to 3 years - a much faster marathon, I guess.

.B. asks: Congratulations RevB! You've insoried people on here with your enthusiasm and commitment to running, I'd like to know whether you have inspried any members of your congregations to take up running?

RevBarbaraG says: Not that I know of. But I have inspired one 73-year-old long-time runner with a pacemaker to get off his treadmill and start running outside again. And there are parkrun posters up on the noticeboard in one of my churches.

Neilio asks: Well done Rev Red or brown sauce on a bacon sandwich?

RevBarbaraG says: Red, always. Brown sauce has no valid place in the universe, on anything. But Branston Pickle - that's another story.

Carpathius asks: Excellent Rev, well done What did you find hardest/most difficult about marathon training?

RevBarbaraG says: Working round the injuries. I had to cut back on both mileage and pace compared to my plans - and for a while that messed with my sense of myself as being a runner.

Derby Tup asks: Well done. When you pray is it to God, Jesus or something / somebody else?

RevBarbaraG says: When I'm praying on my own, I don't often use a form of address, it's just "You", though sometimes I'll say "OK, God", or "right, Lord." But I'm a trinitarian, so as far as I'm concerned, all three persons of the Trinity are listening to my prayers..... cos there's only one of God, after all.

Muds asks: Congratulations. Your work/leisure balance is a little different to most of us I guess? How do you maintain the balance?

RevBarbaraG says: It's very much a work in progress. There's a model which says ministers work 2 out of 3 possible sessions, (morning, afternoon, evening), 6 days per week with one day off. In practice, we need to be more flexible than that. So if I have a very busy day one day, I reckon payback is that I can take most of the morning out for a long run the following day.

At the end of the day, there are some things I absolutely have to do, and loads of things that I could do. I try to make sure all of the first get done and as many of the second as are compatible with having enough time off that I stay sane. You'd have to ask my church member whether I succeed or not!

Night-owl asks: Congrats Rev very well deserved. Is there a dream place anywhere in the world where you would like to go and run/race

RevBarbaraG says: Nowhere specific..... anywhere with nice scenery, really.

Jinksy asks: Well done RevBG! What day is your favourite day of the week, and why?

RevBarbaraG says: Friday - it's my day off.

ChrisHB asks: Is running spiritual for you?

RevBarbaraG says: Hmmm.... sort of tangentially. While I'm running, I mostly think about running, and only occasionally about the bog questions of life, death, God etc. But when I'm not running, I often see parallels between running and the spiritual life.... something about striving for improvement, overcoming setbacks, needing a rhythm of work and rest. And running does get mentioned in my sermons from time to time.

Selenography asks: Congrats Rev! Well deserved, and thanks for running the First Marathon thread so capably. Did you ever think that you would run one when you first waded into the sport?

RevBarbaraG says: It was always in the back of my mind. It was watching the London Marathon in 1985 or 86 that got be interested in running the first time round. I actually had a place to run London in 1987, but withdrew with a knee injury. But I was already on a downward spiral of weight regain and running becoming harder, and not long after that, I gave up. Took me 26 years to start again.

HappyG(rrr) asks: Well done RevBarb. Lots of great support for new runners and well done on your marathon. My q: what would be your long term goal for running? Do you want to go further, or faster, or just to be able to continue with lots of running in your life? Congrats again, G

RevBarbaraG says: I definitely want to continue with lots of running in my life. I told someone yesterday I still want to be running when I'm 80. And I would like to get faster, but keeping going at all is top priority. I toy with the idea of going further, but that's not as important as just keeping on running.