International runners and encouragement.

How great is this. 
Tamara from North Carolina will be running the Paris Marathon this year, to raise money for the SIM HIV project in Zimbabwe. Tabitha, her friend and who works for SIM, will be there taking photos and giving moral support. Their church already supports the work of Caiphas and have met him when he came to talk about the needs of people in his country. The funds they raise will go to an income generating chicken project under Caiphas's programme. Check out her blog on http://livebirdsprogress.blogspot.com/

Keep on going with that training Tamara!

Also, below is an encouragement from Caiphas himself. Makes me want to go out and run right now, 15 days to go!

How I praise God for the fund raising efforts being done. I am greatly encouraged and at the same time humbled by what our God does. My team and I are certainly praying for Rob, Andrew and Tamara, that God grants them good health and enough strength to fulfil what He has put on their hearts.

All the blessings

Caiphas

Update

Did 20 miles at the weekend (2hrs 35) and felt good for about 5 minutes afterwards - but then had to lie down, felt sick and could not move. Not good but well worth it!
This week's plan - (18 days to go!)
Mon - Rest; Tues - 8 miles ; Wed - Sprints ; Thurs -4 miles ; Fri - Rest ; Sat - 16 - 18 miles ; Sun - 3 mile
Got my race number - 27 910!!!
Have a good week,
Rob

Introducing Caiphas Ngarivhume

SIM has HIV ministries worldwide under the umbrella of HOPE for AIDS. Their vision is to build capacity in the local community to enable them to deal with the AIDS pandemic in the most effective way in each culture.

Zimbabwe’s HIV work is led by Caiphas Ngarivhume. A devoted husband and father of 3 girls, he grew up outside of Muture without many resources. Out of determination, he received his Masters of Education in Sierra Leone and then came back to teach in his home town. Whilst teaching in the college, many of his pupils were dying in their hostels from HIV. The stigma associated with this disease prevented them from coming and asking for help. Caiphas initiated an education programme to reduce the stigma and to prevent people from getting the HIV virus. He now oversees the whole HIV programme, of which this run will raise vital money for one project. 

One person who met him writes 'Caiphas supports the growth of his staff as much as the health of their beneficiaries, he is tireless and dedicated - a man with an infectious laugh and a gentle smile.'

If you wish to listen to an interview with this great man, then follow the link:

http://hopeforaids.org/index.php/content/project-96198 

Please pray for him and his family, that he would have energy and perseverance to continue his work.

Update, Friday 18th March.

Rob & I managed a 20 mile run last weekend. It was quite a struggle, especially towards the end. I went out again on Monday 14th for some track work ... but have been ill since then. As my cold & cough have been getting worse, I've decided to take a week off running. Not ideal timing, but I'm still confident about being able to finish the marathon in Paris. Just three weeks away! Andrew.

Just Running

I thought I would enter my training plans for the week (7.3.11) - just to give an update of how things are going.With 33 more days till the marathon, I reckon I have roughly 20 - 25 runs left in me. That's a positive estimate, accounting for 10 ish rest days (2 a week), so I need to be focused now.

Yesterday I completed 16 miles and it hurt. After having 3 weeks off for the India trip, I paid for it. I actually bought a running magazine last week when I was in London, hoping to find lots of encouraging articles about marathons. One piece of advice said that if you miss a substantial amount of training, do NOT try to get back to where you were before, otherwise injuries will follow. As i sit here and notice the few niggles in my left ankle, maybe I should have followed that advice?

Another good article in the magazine helped the runner to predict their marathon time. I tend not to trust these things but this one seemed fairly scientific. By multiplying your best 10k time (average over 3 runs) by a figure they had worked out which was dependent on age, it gave you an approximate time for the marathon. What interested and pleased me was that ages 35 - 45 had the same figure to multiply by (4.62 if you want to try it). So the next time Andrew says he has 10 years on me, officially i can say it makes no difference for a marathon. Lovely.


So that is my saddo running bit done. I've decided to run from the office today as it's not fair on the boys to get back home and then head straight out. Also trying to leave the house when Sam is there has got impossible, this morning he tied me to the stairs to stop me going to work!

Here is my training schedule (7.3.11), have a good week.

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Planned	16 miles	4 miles	10k	10k	Rest	20 miles	4 - 6 miles slow
Completed	1 hr 56	30 mins slow pace	Rest	43	Rest	3:15	Rest

Update from Andrew

After a couple of long weekend runs when I was really struggling to keep going after 14 miles I had a very good run today (6th March). I entered the Essex 20 mile championship. As I'm from Suffolk I was ineligible to win the competition ... but I finished 222nd and the winner was an hour ahead of me! I was just within my target time of 2 hours 50 mins. This has given quite a confidence boost. I managed to stick to the sort of pace I would like to run in Paris & when the going got tough I managed to dig in, find some energy & keep going. Rob & I will be meeting up next weekend to do a long training run, about 20 miles. In the meantime, my body needs a couple of days' break from running.

Some photos from India

Making chai on the streets of Kolkata

Trying to teach the Americans that Cricket is not the same as baseball

Hindi festival on the shore of the Gangees in Haridvar

The start of the road in Delhi where we walked (see below post). Note the hardware stores on the left.

India and beyond

After 2 and a half weeks in North India, seeing some incredible sights, spending hours on a bunk in a train, meeting some inspirational people and seeing their ministries, it is good to be back with the family and to be back home.

I arrived in Kolkata on Feb the 6th meeting 6 others  from America and Canada, all with similar roles to me. This was a trip of a lifetime, led by a lady who had spent more than 40 years in India, setting up hospitals, community health projects and much more. We spent 3 days in Kolkata then journeyed to the border of Nepal by train, stopping on the way to Delhi and then beyond.

Our itinerary involved spending alternate nights on a train, with a nights rest at various hospitals, schools and hotels in the towns that we visited. Sleep was not something that was easily found on these train journeys. Fighting off people trying to grab my blanket, squatting over the rail tracks, interspersed with sipping lovely chai each morning...it was great to spend time with these guys and to soak up the Indian culture. What a privilege to see the ministries to which people devote their lives!

There are many moments which stand out. I guess a hugely impacting day was the walk through a street in Delhi, praying for the thousand plus prostitutes along there. An innocuous street composed of hardware shops, each split by a staircase which led up to rooms above these stores, full of young girls, many held against their will. As you walked, it was possible to see their hands through the bars, beckoning clients to come up. Gangs of men and youths lined the street and pimps hung out on the base of each staircase.

As we walked, it was pretty hard to keep our emotions in check. Jesus came to give abundant life to all - yet we felt helpless and angry. Thank God that there are people acting to change the situation, to enable these girls to find freedom and a different way of life. May we be constantly inspired to be passionate for the gospel and to show God's compassion to his people.

Back Home
So that was just a snippet of the trip, and  I am glad to be back with my family. Sam and Caleb have been on hyper drive since returning...I am not sure how Gen managed to cope - she's amazing! As far as the running goes and preparation for the marathon, I need to really step up the efforts. My plan for this week is below and I need to get a 20 miler in over the next 7 days.

My next blog will be about Caiphas in Zimbabwe and also the exciting news that some friends in America, who have links with the HIV work in Zimbabwe, are going to run the Paris and New York Marathon for this project! Running for Hope is going truly international!  Thanks for all your ongoing support for this project.

Cheers,
Rob

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
Planned	4 miles	Rest	6 miles	4 miles	8 miles	Rest	8 miles
Completed	28 mins	Rest	Rest	27.12	64 mins