BLIND DAVE'S BLOG

24-01-2007

Just fifteen months to go until Dave Heeley attempts to become the first blind runner to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. In the meantime, there's DIY to be done back home in West Brom.

Hi Stirrers

Yes it is officially confirmed, the wardrobe doors are definitely finished, routed the edges, sanded up and the knobs are on and the doors shut, but what a game to put on magnetic catches.

On, off, on, off, I can't believe how long it took me to line up five catches, close the door and it caught, tighten up the screw and it had moved, three hours to line them up properly, yes they close now but what a flipping game, talk about patience.

Then the best, Debb came in from shopping, “Well “ she said, I smiled and upstairs she went, to check the doors. Suddenly with a very loud and disturbing shout, “Dave come up here and be quick about it”, doing as I'm told, up I went.

The smile left my face as the question was asked, “How did you manage to break the picture on the wall, it's been there years, what did you do”.

To be fair, if I've broken any thing I always own up, this time it was not down to me, it was just one of those times, when does the light bulb pack up? When do the batteries run out? So it was the case of, when does a picture fall off the wall?

I can honestly say it wasn't me, the only thing I can put it down to is the magnetic catches must have drawn out the wire staples, that's the only conclusion I can come up with and I'm sticking to it, so lets quickly move on (still can't believe the glass fell down the back of the radiator and never broke mind!)

One bone of contention with me is the lack of awareness about the obstacles disabled and blind people face. I went to a Lidls store for the first time, eventually found the door in and was it heavy. I pushed it and in the end had to use my shoulder until eventually I got it open.

Then there was the second door, just as heavy and once again I had to apply a little pressure, the shoulder, suddenly there was a mans voice “No! No! No!” and in a foreign accent, “You can't come in that way, why not I thought it's a door. He then went on to explain I had come in the “Out” way and they were electronic opening doors, no wonder I had trouble opening them!

I must admit it was a lot easier going through the right door, guess what it opened automatically, the turn stile was a different experience for both me and Wicksie, I'd love to know what goes through a dogs head, all this trouble for a loaf and a bunch of grapes.

But not only do sighted people shop, blind people do too, so why is there not some form of signage, i.e. a small barrier or tack tile on the floor. It's pretty obvious the shop is aimed at sighted folks as the main doors come off the car park, we all know blind people don't drive! Do they? According to Debb I do - I drive her round the bend, but some times in this so called world of technology, it would be so easy to make all walks of life aware of many pit falls.

On the other side of the coin, under the control panel on traffic lights where the button is pushed, there is a knurled cone which revolves when it is safe to cross, this apparently was designed for the blind, but why don't we get told about them, many more things to help not only blind people are I suppose out there in society, but no one takes the time to tell any one, it's that very important word that always seems to be missing “Awareness”, still we'll never win what ever happens.

Our training for London is now beginning to step up and we ran our first competitive race on Sunday, it's always nice to have a good run out with a few thousand other runners, gives you a better incentive, also shows how good or bad your training is doing.

The Helsby four village half marathon is the first of the year, always sold out and has 2000 runners. The day started a bit miserable - cold and very wet - but surprisingly it stopped raining for the duration of the run and when the wind dropped the sun was quite warm.

At the start a couple of runners local to us, recognised me, well Blind Dave on my shirt is a bit of a give away. They mentioned was I the barmy blind git who was running the seven marathons next year, I think my smile gave it away.

The race is quite a grueller, nothing easy about it, undulating for the first six miles, then it's up all the way to around eleven, then it's pretty much down with a nice climb to the finish, did I say nice!

On the whole it's an enjoyable run and this is the first time I've not gone into it poorly. The first year I had just got rid of pleurisy and last year was down with a heavy cold, yes girls, man flu, but this year I was feeling good, in fact I hope I can keep this fitness for the London marathon, but I was very pleased this year, knocking nearly six minutes off last years time, completing in 1 hour 31 minutes and 57 seconds, still chasing that elusive 1 hour 30 minutes.

I'm not the fastest in the world , but I reckon a few would like to complete in my time. The end is always a welcoming sitght, a medal and a nice cup of tea, we were standing chatting after the race and it was noted by someone that there was a photo in runners world, advertising Guide dogs, with Mad Mac, Krazy Karl and Giddy Gaz but there was no Blind Dave!

“Was they fed up of your photo” I was asked “No someone had given me a new type of recovery drink and I was in the marquee sampling it with my feet up, when these three were smiling at the camera”, (didn't let on it was four cans of Murphy's).

They can have their photo's took, I was quite happy, feet up with a nice cold can, not the recommended after race drink, but it got to the other parts Lucazade didn't! The first run of the year and plenty more to come, the next is Not The Roman Nine, in Stratford, one run I've been wanting to do for a few years, lets hope the fitness prevails.

A funny old week the weather up and down like a fiddlers elbow, I did think of another saying but we'll skip that one, wet, warm, cold and now the brass monkeys have come along or according to the kids, Frosty has been swapped for Jack Frost.

Talking of kids, they always seem to do things at the wrong moment, both the little ones have been poorly this week, both on separate occasions and both when Dad's been on the razzle, Friday night and a few drinks.

I had to have a couple for absent friends, OK there was quite a lot of absent friends and Monday there was a few more, but why can't they be poorly together? No, not my kids, both separate nights, both after two in the morning.

Oh kids in future please be poorly after lunch and after I've had a good nights sleep, in fact don't be poorly at all, we know they don't mean it but changing beds and quilts in the middle of the night is not the done thing, is it!