How do you manage to switch off from work?

...I do it with jogging, not for everyone I know and that includes most of the people I work with!

In January 2008 I decided that I wanted to do something to raise money for a charity that was important to me. With a busy schedule at the best of times it took quite a bit of deliberating to decide that maybe I could start jogging. Never someone to do thinks by halves I bought a pair of decent trainers and set about training to do a half marathon in September! I know most people who have only just taken up jogging might have settled with a 10k race to start with but I always have to push myself. I also have to make sure that I tell as many people as possible so that there is no way that I can back out. So the challenge was set.

May 2008 was half way through my training schedule and saw me taking part in the Manchester 10k – a bit of test of my ability. Race went well and I finished in a respectable time. So far so good! The lead up to September was challenging as I increased my distances in preparation for the 13.2 miles of the Leeds Half Marathon. The race itself was quite daunting and very hilly! I feel I fully appreciated just how hilly when I got to the top of one particular hill and a very nice chap told me that I had done well to survive ‘cardiac hill’!!! It was really hard going from 10 miles onwards when I ran out of energy but sheer stubbornness got me through the last 3 miles, still jogging otherwise it was going to take me even longer to get to the finish line! Becs and Sarah from the office were waiting to cheer me over the finish line and it was fantastic to see friendly faces – even if they did want pictures when I looked so sweaty and hideous!! The sense of achievement was amazing and I raised over a £1,000 for St. Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds.

But the jogging had become a bit of a bug and although not so strictly I continued with jogging though the winter when I could get out. So January 2009 sees me deciding that I need another personal challenge and obviously it needs to be better than 2008.

So completing the Great North Run (13.2 miles on the 20th September) and The Great South Run (10 miles on the 25th October – 2 days before my 40th birthday so no early celebrating!!!) was the plan of action.

The Great North Run was an all round amazing experience! From setting off to Newcastle at 6.30am in the morning to seeing Gordon Ramsay arrive also looking excited about taking part to slapping hands with Sting as I went over the start line to jogging with a ‘push me pull you’. The crowds lined every part of the 13.2 miles and their support is what made it such an unbelievable experience. For those that didn’t see the coverage on BBC1 it was a scorching hot day and I did suffer with the heat at miles 5 & 6 but then I managed to cool myself down and get into a steady pace for the rest of the race. I finished it on an absolute high and am now hooked on the Great North Run Experience and will definitely be doing it again next year!

So its now just less than 3 weeks to the Great South Run, training is harder because it’s getting darker earlier and motivating myself to run in the dark isn’t easy!!! But i’m really excited as it’s home territory and a flat course. So on the 25th October when you’re enjoying a leisurely Sunday morning spare a thought for me embarking on my next race!

If you are interested in sponsoring me and supporting St Gemma’s Hospice please visit my justgiving page (www.justgiving.com/gilmours)

North of England Excellence Business Awards

When I first started at Comtec, I was a Project Manager and the North of England Excellence Business Awards was my first event. The event was held in the Hilton Hotel in Manchester and it was a very exciting few hours for me – but it was also extremely tiring! I vividly remember, at 3am perching on the edge of the stage during the de-rig, coiling cables and wishing I was at home, in bed!

Fast forward two years and I was in a very different position. I was sat on the other side of the set, dining in style (foie gras to start, garlic and herb chicken with some sort of wonderful potato side dish for the main course and finally a raspberry mousse type thing for dessert).

The set looked incredible. It was lit in the NOEE brand colours, lots of purples and pinks with two 42-inch plasma lecterns at the front. Star cloth behind the set twinkled as the awards were handed out and it was such a different feeling to two years ago. I had time to take it all in and be proud of what the Comtec staff had achieved. From the first moment we are handed a contract, the teams work hard to design and build the perfect set, put together a slick presentation, and of course, to deliver to the clients expectations.

The Leeds Armouries was the back drop for the North of England Business Excellence Awards and what an incredible venue that is! The evening began with a drinks reception and we were treated to a demonstration by some of the staff dressed in replica armour from centuries ago and armed with some pretty heavy-looking swords! The demonstration was a lovely touch and was a very original way of kicking an event off. The host for the evening was BBC North West’s Dave Guest and swept through the presentation with his usual wit and charm!

Unfortunately for me, the night ended in a very similar way to the way it did two years ago. Perched on the edge of my seat at the table (which was sporting a lovely red wine stain thanks to not-so-steady hand), I nursed a glass of water and looked forward to going home to bed. Sadly, it was only 10:30pm – I think I’m getting old!

Rach

The Plague...

It’s been another busy week. The entire team have been run off their feet and travelled from Manchester to Leeds to Manchester to London.

We also have a cold spreading around the company with Media having started it and spread it to Technical and Ops. So far in Sales & Marketing we are immune... So far.

As if that isn’t enough we have had to quarantine one member of staff who has developed Chicken Pox aged 35!

We aren’t all disease ridden though. Some of us are as fit as a fiddle ... Cough.

What a week?!

We had more than our 15 minutes of fame on Tuesday 15th September.

If you were watching BBC news that evening you would have spotted us in reports from this year’s TUC conference as well as at GG2 Leadership & Diversity awards.

Gordon Brown addressed the TUC delegation in Liverpool’s BT Convention Centre about the state of the economy.

At the same time, we were also in London at the GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards at which Tony Blair spoke.

The crew are all exhausted and ready for the weekend now.

Unfortunately we lose a few members of the team today – Kay is leaving to have baby number 2 and Nick and Laura are returning to university after their placement year with us.

We wish all three the best of luck and of course we will miss them!!!

Becs

SEE US LIVE ON TV NOW!

Half of the staff are away on two very important jobs this week.

For the first we are working with Tony Blair and for the second, we are featuring heavily on BBC Parliament with this years TUC (Trades Union Congress).

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_parliament/ to see the TUC set!

Comtec

The evolution of language...

Bonjoúr.

In the Sales & Marketing department it has become VERY popular to speak a mix of English and French or, Frenglish as I am dubbing it.

Sales & Marketing Director George Thompson was the trend setter as he bizarrely started dropping words and phrases such as ‘oui’ and ‘tres bien’ into conversation in a terrible French accent. This was quickly built upon by Amanda, Rachel, Trish & myself with questions such as ‘Où est la toner nouveau for the printer?’

As you can tell, our French skills are a little lacking however in my defence I have never had a French lesson in my life! Infact, I have even begun adding the odd bit of Spanglish including ‘no me gusta la smell in la toilette’. That was a bad example but it perfectly illustrated our grasp of the foreign tongue.

Amanda has the highest level of French fluency (we once heard her on the phone to people at Disneyland Paris and were amazed to say the least) but seems to be contributing the least to the conversations. This is probably a wise move on her behalf.

Until next time, ‘Hasta la vista, mon ami’.

Becs

Danni's Week

Since starting with Comtec I have had many random tasks thrown at me with last week being no exception to this. I’ve been getting quotes for a variety of wacky/wonderful things…porter cabins, mask artwork, trophies. I’ve also had my Bob the Builder hat on, recently discovering what a grommet and a back plug is. By now I believe I have more than earned ‘Jim’ll Fix It’ status.

In other news…I would like to make a lot of people very jealous - for the first time pretty much EVER, me and my partner Anthony have actually won something!! Well, it was more Anthony than me. And no, it’s not a free bag of crisps or £1 on the lottery!! We’ve managed to bag 2 tickets to a world cup game including flights and 3 nights in a 4* hotel!! South Africa, here we come!! I’m not really a football fan but I think I can manage pretending to be considering the circumstances!!

WOOHOO!!

Danni