A very long run and exciting times on air

Hello,

I am delighted to say that I am still pretty much in one piece this week, after my ultramarathon at the weekend. Thank you so much for all the kind wishes you sent me on my social media accounts – I wasn’t able to reply to all of them but I read every single one and they were all so much appreciated. For those who don’t know, I was running at a 24-hour running endurance event called Endure24 (described on their website as “Epic, Brutal, Relentless”) and it was definitely all that and more.

We began running at midday on Saturday and finished at midday on Sunday, running as many laps of a five-mile (8 km) course as possible, and what a 24 hours it was! Such an extraordinary group of runners, a stunning route through woods and beautiful countryside (even if there were some killer hills!) and a really well-organised event with brilliant marshals who kept us going on the route especially through the night. I had a mini disaster at 1:30 in the morning when my (brand new!) head torch stopped working; I had spare batteries with me but foolishly not a spare torch, and naturally we weren’t allowed out on the course without one in the dark, so all I could do was wait until it started to get bright at around 4:30 am before I could resume running, which lost me three hours.

I had hoped to run possibly 75 miles, but I couldn’t make up the time I had lost, so I managed to do 65 miles (105 km) which is still two and a half marathons, so I have to be happy with that! My longest run prior to this was 32 miles, so I somehow managed to more than double that, I’m still not sure how. I felt reasonably comfortable up to 40 miles, but I had to dig deep for the final 25 – I was in pain, exhausted and feeling quite sick at times, but the camaraderie of the other runners and the support of my husband who did an amazing job looking after me and making me eat and drink between laps got me through.

There were around 4,000 runners in total but most were in relay teams, taking turns to run laps; only a handful of us were mad enough to do this event solo, and of the 115 female solo runners I ended up coming in 28th place, which was a pleasant surprise. I did this to raise money for Headway UK, the brain injury charity, in memory of my late sister Deborah who died from a brain injury, and as I write this I have more than doubled my fundraising target so I am absolutely thrilled with that too.

Two things from QVC proved invaluable; my Ultrasun face and scalp spray 50+, for those essential sun protection top ups through the day, and a new discovery – Freshwipes antiseptic body wipes. It’s a brand which has just launched with us and it’s fantastic. I got absolutely filthy out there on the trails and I used these wipes several times during the 24 hours to clean myself down and feel fresh again. They get rid of dirt and sweat and odour and they are made from a plant-based viscose, so fully biodegradable unlike many wipes. I think they would be fantastic for camping too, or for anyone who struggles to have regular baths or showers. They’ll be an essential part of my trail running kit from now on!

All in all, an amazing way to spend a weekend and I have come away with just one blister, possibly a couple of toenails on their way out (!) and a couple of slightly aching tendons which I’m sure will settle down quickly, so overall a pretty good result.

So, back to work and there are lots of exciting things happening over the next few weeks. One thing which I will tell you a lot more about in my next blog is a project I have been working on as part of a huge team for over a year now. It’s called Menopause Your Way, and we are very excited about it – we are about to start a major conversation and programming on QVC about every aspect of menopause, bringing you everything from industry-leading experts to a huge new collection of innovative products to help you through your menopause journey. It will launch online on the 28th of June, so look out for a new section on the website. We will also have a great Today’s Special Value offer that day from This Works, which will be targeting one of the most common symptoms of menopause for many – insomnia. And from the 1st of July we start a run of weekly Menopause Your Way shows, on Fridays at 4 pm.

As I said, I will tell you a lot more about all of this in my blog next week – I’m going to be presenting the first few shows and I can’t wait!

One more thing just to mention before I finish, because I think this is an incredible deal that is coming up as a Today’s Special Value offer this Sunday 28th. It’s a smart TV from Hisense, a brand which has been around since 1969. They offer exceptional value for money and incredible innovation. This is a full HDR 4K Freeview television with incredible studio sound quality – it honestly sounds like being in a cinema! It comes with a full suite of popular apps and Alexa/Google Assistant already built in and there is a choice of 55 inch or 50 inch screen.  If you have been thinking of buying a new TV, I would absolutely recommend you tune in to some of the tech shows on Saturday night or Sunday – I will be presenting at 11 am on Sunday.

I’m off to enjoy the sunshine in the garden- hope it’s sunny where you are!

Love Jackie x