Me and My Shadow

Ray Matthews

Description

What kind of man runs 100 miles at the age of 70 and what makes anyone want to run 100 miles?Throughout a lifetime, everyone has the opportunity to meet truly exceptional people. Ray is one of them. From being a cocky ginger haired, Yorkshire lad who just wanted to have a go at boxing, to his recent 100km Sahara Desert race, Ray's life is truly inspiring and anyone seeking to take on the impossible should read this book. Ray writes with a passion that reflects his fervour for life. Feel the emotion as a young Ray takes steps that help him discover the most important mentors who lead him to make the hardest choices which made the biggest differences in his life. "...Who decides what the right age is to achieve your dreams? Ray demonstrates that destiny is in your hands, and not in the hands of what society expects of us..." - Patrick De Jong, Desert runner and Friend"If you have the burning desire to live your life on your terms, then Ray's book is a must read. Ray is living the ideal life; to be content with what he has achieved, and be ambitious for more." - David Greenfield, Gym buddy and Life Coach"You will be intrigued by extraordinary stories of determination and achievement in which adversity is overcome and goals are reached. The author takes you on a journey and leaves you wanting more-always the mark of a great book." - Marina Tune, Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist "...The descriptive writing and storytelling paints a picture that almost makes you feel you are right there running with Ray in the desert-like his shadow. Feel the physical and emotional pain Ray experienced and the overwhelming joy of knowing that you have just taken part in something truly amazing."- Helen Woodburn-Moran"There are many words to describe how you may feel after reading Me and My Shadow; intrigued, shocked, emotional, inspired..."- Fiona Burkinshaw, Personal Trainer and fitness coachBook reviews online @ www.publishedbestsellers.com

Informations

• Publié par: Pneuma Springs Publishing
• Date de parution: 23 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781782282167
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Me
and My
Shadow


Ray Matthews
Copyright
First Published in 2012 by: Pneuma Springs Publishing
Me and My Shadow Copyright © 2012 Ray Matthews
Ray Matthews has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this Work
Pneuma Springs
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Matthews, Ray. Me and my shadow. 1. Matthews, Ray. 2. Long distance runners—Great Britain--Biography. I. Title 746.4'2'092-dc23
Kindle eISBN: 9781782280156 ePub eISBN: 9781782282167 PDF eBook eISBN: 9781782280996 Paperback ISBN-13: 9781907728358
Pneuma Springs Publishing E: [e-mail] W: www.pneumasprings.co.uk
Published in the United Kingdom. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher.
Book reviews
It has been a real pleasure to read “Me and My Shadow”. It is an inspirational book where the author has bravely shared so much of himself and his journey. I am intrigued by extraordinary stories of determination, and achievement, whereby adversity is overcome and goals are reached. This book is a perfect example of this. The author takes you on a journey and leaves you wanting more, always the mark of a great book.

Marina Tune
Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist

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I am so glad that I took the time to read “Me and My Shadow”. Once I began reading I did not want to put the book down, neither did I want it to end.
The author Ray Matthews takes you on a journey throughout his life, and as a reader, you feel that you are part of that journey.
I felt like I was the “shadow” referred to in the title. The descriptive writing and storytelling painted such an imaginative picture that I felt I was right there besides him, like I was Ray’s shadow. I felt the physical and emotional pain Ray had experienced, and I felt the overwhelming joy of knowing that he had just taken part in something truly amazing.
The book is such an inspirational read and anyone who is seeking a dream and wanting to take on the impossible should read this book. I would like to thank Ray for sharing his journey and letting me be part of it through his beautiful writing.

Helen Woodburn-Moran

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Ray writes with a passion that reflects his fervor for life. His heartfelt desire is to be all he can be, to collect and soak in every experience, and to grow as a human being and as an athlete. As you read you would almost feel you are there with Ray as a young lad, as he takes steps that help him discover his most important mentors who lead him to make the hardest decisions that made the biggest differences in his life as an athlete, family man, and business man. If you have the burning desire to live your life on your terms, then Ray’s book is a must read. Ray is living the ideal life; to be content with what he has achieved, and be ambitious for more. Don’t wait too long to write your next book Ray.

David Greenfield
Gym buddy and Life Coach
Throughout a lifetime, everyone has the opportunity to meet truly exceptional people. I have. But only very few times have I met someone who inspires, the way Ray does. He turns concepts around, demonstrating the relativity of the “biological clock” and what can and cannot be achieved by having the right mindset.
Who decides what the right age is to achieve your dreams.
How many times does society impose the things we should or should not do, and what is seen as “reasonable”, and what is expected of us. There is timing for everything. Ray demonstrates that destiny is in your hands, and not in the hands of what society expects of us.
Even today, practicing for sport, or in my work, or family environment, I still think back to the phrases, or moments I was able to share with this incredible man, and friend.
Ray truly is, an inspirational story himself.

Patrick De Jong
Desert runner and Friend

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There are many words to describe how I feel after reading Me and My Shadow, intrigued, shocked, emotional, inspired, but most of all proud. I am proud that I know Ray, and honoured that he turns up week in week out to my fitness classes. For the advice, his knowledge, and the time he has given me over the past few years.
His enthusiasm to his sport is mind blowing, and whatever Ray puts his mind to, he achieves it with flying colours. From being this cocky ginger haired, Yorkshire lad who just wanted to “have a go at boxing”, to his recent 100km Sahara Desert race, Ray has, and always gives 110%. He is an absolute credit to anyone who knows him.
This book gives a great insight into the “down to earth” Ray (we thought we knew)! Some of the stories are very funny, as well as inspirational. An immensely gripping read, a must buy. Thanks for everything Ray.

Fiona Burkinshaw
Personal Trainer and fitness coach
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this book, and pay my personal tribute, to the memory of an exceptional Athlete, Coach, and founder of the International Rowbotham Round Rotherham annual foot race, Ralph Rowbotham.
Ralph who sadly passed away on the 16th of September 2010 will be sadly missed by everyone whose life he touched. His legacy will live on, as his event continues to grow from strength to strength.
Thanks and Acknowledgments
To my granddaughter Holly, for providing me with the perfect feelings and frame of mind at the start of my 100 mile journey. Everyone should at sometime in their lives, feel as good as I did during our first six miles of this challenge. You helped to set the motivational and inspirational pendulum in motion. Thanks Holly.

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To my family, friends and colleagues at the gym, who have provided the inspiration, and encouragement for the most daunting, and challenging task of all, writing this book.

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A big thank you to Marina Tune, who first suggested that I had a story to tell, and encouraged me to physically sit still long enough to produce this account of some of the more interesting aspects of my life.
“You have a story to tell, and should write a book” has been a regular comment over the past couple of years. Well, here it is at last.
An introduction to my early life
I am Ray Matthews. Having reached the age of seventy, I am gratefully blessed with an abundance of good health, which is fuelled, and regularly topped up, by being able to exercise, and train to a fairly high standard. Over the past few years, retirement has given me the opportunity to fulfil some of the dreams, and ambitions that I was not able to take on whilst I was fully pre-occupied, running a business, and providing a living for my family.
Over the past couple of years I have been able to successfully complete a 100km race across the Sahara Desert and more recently taken on a very demanding 100 mile run around the circumference of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. But the very thought of writing a book; where to start with the story, and if I would ever be satisfied that it was good enough to let the public read the contents, has been an even greater challenge than any daunting task I have ever taken on in my life.
The story you are about to read is a small, but very significant part of my life, which I hope will inspire at least one person sufficiently enough to take on a challenge, and achieve a state of mental and physical satisfaction that they would only normally dream about. You can take control, and live your life purposefully, to your own making, and forge out your destiny, or you can stay with, or become part of the flow, and move aimlessly along with other people. It’s your choice; dreams really can be made to come true.
I was born in Masbrough, Rotherham, South Yorkshire; it has to be said, at a time when a certain Mr Adolf Hitler was still throwing bombs at us. I am the eldest son of a family of four brothers, Alan, Peter and David. The age gap between us was not that significant, and as we boys grew to a more even size, the first up was usually the best dressed. Patches were stitched onto patches; Socks were darned over a jam jar bottom and cardboard usually ended up inside our shoes to provide something of a sole. It was a soggy experience when it rained. If I was to step on a coin in those days I could usually tell if it was heads or tails up, without looking down. But no ‘we didn’t live in a shoe box’. Ah ah!
For my Parents Howard and Constance it was a continual struggle, like most families I suppose, during, and for sometime after the war, bringing up a large family of boys. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, my dad had a seven year spell off work during my early years. He suffered from a severe injury to his back, which was caused by the lugging and delivering of huge sacks of coal around the local streets of Masbrough. He had sustained a slipped disc and ended up in traction at the Fullwood Annex hospital in Sheffield for over two months. He then spent more than two years in a full plaster cast jacket at home, which must have been so uncomfortable, and painful to say the least. We boys would spend many an hour scratching his back; using homemade flue brushes made from our discarded tooth brushes, which we would attached by string to sticks long enough to reach down the cavity.



I remember visiting my dad during one spell of treatment at the hospital in Fullwood, with my Mum. Travelling to the hospital took up most of the day, as we boarded the tram in Rotherham, slowly working our way to Sheffield, and then by bus up to the hospital on the outskirts of Sheffield. It was a bit of an adventure for me, travelling to Sheffield was like visiting another country. My Dad, who I hadn’t seen for nearly two months was actually receiving treatment as we arrived, but because we had come all the way from Rotherham, we were allowed to visit him, and were taken down to a treatment room