New Year's Runnerlution

As the year comes to a close, we tend to find ourselves reflecting on the highs and lows of the year. For me it tends to be a time spent looking back over the past 12 months and stewing on all the things I could, and should have done better.

But this year, I’m making a conscious effort to be kind to myself as I rewind the tape and reflect on the absolute marathon that was 2023!

 January

 January was all about surviving the work craziness (as summer school holidays is my busiest time of year) and I was holding on until our family holiday in February. Honestly, I didn't have big expectations for the year, my only plan was to be a slightly healthier version of myself.

February

 Fast forward to February – our holiday was fantastic, so much so that we booked a repeat for Feb 2024.

Feb was also the month I kicked my health trend into gear and started focusing on running. Having never really been a runner (I still don’t particularly like it), I figured it was the best and easiest way to improve my fitness. 

March 

March brought the discovery of the Melbourne Marathon, and I thought, "Why not?" I signed up and linked it to fundraising for the Stillbirth Foundation in memory of my daughter Billie.

I never really saw the point, or interest in doing endurance challenges if there was no incentive to give back to others in some way. So I set my fundraising target to $5,000 and began my social media content creation journey to aid in raising awareness and funds. 

April 

April hit, and I realised my social media posts were resonating with the online stillbirth community. That connection fueled my commitment to training, fundraising, and spreading awareness and informative content around stillbirth.

Room Eleven found its vision, with the "Still Billie Box" and the "Where to from here?" guided grief journal in early development.

May 

May became my mega-training month, clocking over 200 km.

Also, I connected with the Stillbirth Foundation and the Stillbirth Centre for Research Excellence to get involved in a research project. 

June/July 

June & July were a blur of training, working with the Stillbirth CRE, and fine-tuning Room Eleven's vision.  

August

August, Billie's 4th birthday – always a tough month, but I stayed on track and logged over 170 km.

The first prints of "Where to from here?" were ordered and the contents for the Still Billie Box began to take shape.

September

Then came September – setbacks month. Physio was my new best friend due to my inexperience and general wear and tear of my muscles and joints.

Then the grief journals arrived with defective margins and ultimately leading to me making the call to completely do-over the book. The Still Billie Candles were also delayed due to the supplier losing the order.

Room Eleven's launch got delayed due to these hiccups.

October 

October was showtime in more ways than one!

The marathon on the 15th was a killer! It was the most challenging physical endurance I’ve ever attempted. But I’m proud to say I completed the 42.2 km Melbourne Marathon in 6 hours.

The following week I was fortunate enough to share Billie’s story at the Annual National Stillbirth Forum in Brisbane. Speaking in front of Stillbirth researchers, doctors, and midwives.

With the Still Billie Box and grief journal finally ready to go, the Room Eleven website was officially launched.

November

November slowed down on the physical front, giving me time to process last months events and continue tweaking the website. We sold our first few copies of the "Where to from here" grief journals on Amazon, and two Still Billie Boxes were shipped and hopefully did their part in providing support.

December

Now, it's December's end, and I'm still wrapping my head around this whirlwind of a year and the unexpected journey it has taken me on.

I truly am grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, the new people I’ve met, and I’m incredibly proud of myself for all that I have been able to achieve.

Looking forward to what 2024 will bring!

Purpose & Obligation

As 2023 bows out, I'm feeling a sense of purpose I didn't have at the start. With that purpose comes an obligation – to keep raising awareness about stillbirth, honouring Billie and all the babies gone too soon.

How do I plan on doing that? By taking on a challenge that pushes me further than I went in 2023 and, hopefully, inspires you in the process.

2024

Running for Stillbirth 2.0

Come January 1st 2024 (tomorrow as of this writing), I'll be lacing up my running shoes every single day, for a 6 km run.

Why 6 km?

The number 6 represents the current stillbirth rate in Australia – 6 babies lost every single day. To put that in perspective, in my marathon training this year, I ran a total of 1,099 km.

By the end of 2024, I'll have covered 2,190 km.

So, join the Room Eleven newsletter (if you haven't already) to stay in the loop on Running for Stillbirth 2.0. Share the journey with your friends, spread awareness, or better yet, do both by helping us raise funds so we can provide free Still Billie Boxes to hospitals across Australia.

 Wishing you all a happy 2024.