Katrina Gilruth

5 days in

As we hit 5 days in, to me it feels like 5 weeks lol. I have found that setting a goal of walking 10kms per day takes its toll more than riding the bike which I don't quite understand lol. I am struggling every day to get up from a seated position lol. There is a big difference from walking your dog 3-5km everyday to walking her 10km per day. it is always about the 7km mark that has you thinking "I just want to quit, I have had enough" but you don't, you can't, you have to get home. You have to remember why you signed up for this.  While the 4:30am starts are hard, I love being out there with my trusty border collie who at times in the dark gets scared and looks back at me like "mum look after me". It is a very peaceful time of the day to be out though I must admit. 

I’m taking on The Long Run

As I go into my 3rd long run, I go into it with not the same amount of passion as the first one but with even more. As every year passes you continue to see how many men get diagnosed with this disease and how important not only early diagnosis is to try and stop this but also just talking about it and raising awareness. 

This year again, I do this for my partner Ross who in 2020 was diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2021 had a radical prostatectomy and PSA checks up until now have been good with the highest number recorded 0.05. We still long to hear the words “it’s undetectable” though. Ross still suffers with side effects from the operation but never does he let it get him down. I like to say that sure he has some side effects but he’s still here with me and that’s what matters. 

Joining the long run has been mentally good for me. It’s helped me see that I can push just a little harder and reach something I thought that was unachievable. It’s taught me that talking about things helps, that both men and women don’t have to go through this alone. Because it is tough on us ladies too. 

We have an addition to our family for this years long run, Maggie our border collie!. So this year we are both doing this for Ross. Maggie will be walking for Ross and I will be riding. 

Raising awareness for prostate cancer is a huge passion of mine and I’m so excited for September! So once again I will be trying to make this as fun as possible and try to raise as much money as I possibly can. 

The one thing I love about the Long Run is that it such a good group of people who get involved in this. We all cheer each other on and on tough days we are there to help push each other over the line. 

Bring on September 💙