4 weeks to London to Brighton.

This week has been an ordinary week, steady training. I received my start time for L2B. I'm off at 6.40am with 150 other people. I'm looking forward to it. And I'm also looking forward to getting it out of the way. I can then cut my training time but make it more quality training.

I've reached £6000 in the fundraising, and I'm sure there is still money to come in from the Exercisathon.

.I've started another fundraiser this week. I want people to guess how long it will take me to cover the 100 km in 4 weeks time. £2 per guess and a correct guess could win upto £200. I've added the usual tie break of, guess how many times my peanut bladder will have to be emptied during the run.

#fitness tip 9 Try something new. Whether that's a new distance or a new part of your training regime. You might well be surprised with the results

Diary of a long Distance Runner
Sunday 20th April 2014. 60minutes steady run
Tuesday 22nd April 2014 45 minutes fast pace
Wednesday 23rd April 2014 60 minutes x- country
Saturday 26th April 2014 75 minutes steady
Sunday 27th April 2014 115 minutes steady on the road, warm morning

Videos from this week
6.30am sun 27th April 2014
7.30am Sunday 27th April 2014


March and April 2014 Donations Roll of honour

Andrea Hoskins- work colleague at Sentinel
Ian Harrison - ex work colleague at Sentinel
Paul groom bridge- Raf Regt gunner, did Mds last year
Red Lester- Raf Regt gunner
Rebecca Smith- fellow student from London school sports massage
Several anonymous donators

Thank you thank you thank you

5 weeks till L2B

Continuing on from last post and catching up with the last few months. Here's a few vids of my runs. I will be covering more of my runs on video as i have recently purchased a mono pole, which takes good footage.

Here's a sunny seaside run with Paula.....

http://youtu.be/L4-AdnT_-x0

And

http://youtu.be/EyBmUK_MR28

And a crazy night run starting at 2am

http://youtu.be/d8Rj-VGknuY

 My eating has changed for the better also. I'm trying to get to my race weight if possible. Improving food quality and quantity is changing slowly. I've always said I'm a functional eater rather than eating something because it looks good or tastes out of this world. Since ultra running food functionality has taken a whole new dimension. It's another thing on the list that has to be taken serious and not being overlooked.

This is something I had at the weekend......

Steak with charred corn salsa with white bean salad......... Lush and very filling.

Now that I'm making time for blogging, from next week, the old blog bits will return like: diary of a long distance runner, fitness tips and donation roll of honour.

2014

My blogging hasn't been happening but my running has. I've changed things that I was doing, because it wasn't working or I was getting too tired or injured. Its hard work training for ultras and working full time. My partner  Paula, has to put up with a lot and sometimes miss out on lie ins and relaxing weekends, and I am so grateful to her for her patience

I think families, partners, girlfriends/boyfriends can be overlooked when accepting to do some challenge. I'm lucky I've found an understanding one, most of the time.

Some of my changes.....

As mentioned in my last post, I now attend Yoga classes. I try and go at least once a week. I find it's abit of relaxing me time and my lower back and legs have so far been injury free. 

I was finding with my training, that I was putting myself under pressure with my training runs, by planning my runs in terms of distance. This on occasions wasn't giving me time to stretch following the session. I now look at what time I have, I then take off 20 minutes and then the time left, is my run time. If I'm having a good or bad day, the time remains the same. So far so good, I don't feel under pressure to get back and the all important stretches at the end, are able to be done.

I feel that these two changes alone, have moved me forward greatly.

This is my run chart now.

Latest on the fundraising front........

I'm over half way.....whoop whoop!!!!!

The last bit of fundraising was an Exercisathon on Sunday 23rd March at the Waterlane Leisure centre.

This event was from 10am until 5pm. 4 rooms, 28 classes, 15 fantastic instructors. It was a great day. Still waiting for all the sponsorship money to come in.

I would like to thank all those that took part, all the instructors and those that helped to make the day go as well as it did.

As I publish this, the 2014 MDS will be coming to an end, and so the 12 months planning really starts now.

Thanks to the ultramarathon store, who are still sponsoring me. Please have a look at their website at.  http://www.ultramarathonrunningstore.com/

12 months to go..........

It's been a while since I blogged anything. I have been busy busy and I'm not as motivated to write as I am to run. Marathon des sable 2014 started today , Apr 6th.

I can't believe how much training for this, has changed my life, the way I eat, the way I think about things, the organisation needed. And I'm doing Yoga. For those that know me, are probably picking your jaws off the floor, at this point. Anyway more about that in the next few weeks.

I just wanted to put a quick blog up, just to get me back into it.

I'm aiming to draft through the week and then post Sunday eve.

So watch out from next week.

Time to re- think

Today is Sunday 8th December 2013. I managed a 30 minute run this morning. Thank The Lord, because the lack of exercise has been killing me.

This is how my 8 days of pain relieve went.........

Thursday 28th - Sunday 1st......





Drove to twickenham on the Saturday, things not too bad. Then Sunday it went downhill fast. I ended up in the NHS walk in centre in Gt Yarmouth, not able to catch my breath because of my back spasms. Came out of there with........







Oh my god, the Tramodol opened up a whole new world, a very strange and weird new world. It took away the pain but that's because I didn't feel I was myself. The end of a good night on the beer would be close to how my head was spinning. On Monday it was spinning so much I could keep anything in my stomach, so had a visit to my Gp. This time a came out with........










This combination worked the best. The last step this week was.........




Had my back pushed, pulled and clunked..... Feels good though..... More work to do....


The lack of training has given me time to reflect and have a re think about how I go about things.

Number 1 ........ Need to spend more time on my flexibility. I know I have said it before, but this week really has been a reality check.

Number 2 ........ To help achieve number 1... I'm changing my run goals from distance to time.

Let's see how that pans out..

Good News on the fundraising front......






This blogs donation roll of honour

Paul Andrews.... An old Regt mate from my early days in the RAF

Astrid King..... One of my Walberswick ladies, a donation made from along way away in USA

Thank you thank you thank you.


Diary of a long distance runner

Sorry no entries to make.... Normal service will soon be resumed

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, set back

Sponsored by



I've had a set back, back being the operative word. Last Thursday morning, I went out for my usual early morning run with the feeling that getting up for these runs was getting a good habit and routine instead of a chore. It was a bit of a chilly morning, so started slow to get myself warmed up. Then it happened. At 3.5 miles into the run, my mid back went into spasm. I had to slowly walk home,I was finding it hard to breathe and it felt like id been kicked by a horse. It's now Sunday and it's still not right. I do have this problem occasionally but hasn't been this bad for a good number of years.

In September 1993, I was on multi national exercise in Denmark with the Royal Air Force. During this exercise I was asked to go in a Belgian allouette helicopter




This aircraft is mainly used for scouting and information gathering. Returning back to the landing site, we came over a treeline. As we came over the trees a United States helicopter was in front. The Belgium pilot banked left to avoid collision with the aircraft to our front. This manoeuvre ended with the rotor blades hitting the grass. Turning the above into........










For me it resulted in a compressed fracture on one of the vertebrae in the middle of my spine along with a few other injuries. I spent along time in hospital and on a rehabilitation program. So to be able to do what I do today is testament to the military rehab staff at Wroughton military hospital in Wiltshire ( not sure if the facility is still there) and Headley Court in Surrey.
However things do come back to haunt me.. I need to realise this and take care of myself abit more....... Note to self....... Note to self......

Diary of a long distance runner.

Sunday 24th November 2013- 10 mile steady early morning run, nice cool and dry
Monday 25th November 2013- 5 miles steady run around two bridge circuit
Tuesday 26th November 2013 - 4 miles early morning run at a steady pace
Tuesday 26th November 2013 - 5 miles fast late afternoon around 2 bridge circuit
Wednesday 27th November 2013- 9 miles steady pace, early morning.
Thursday 28th November 2013 3.5 miles ouch there goes my back

This blogs donation Roll of honour

Michael Holyoak
Claire Whittonbury
3 anonymous donators

Thank you thank you thank you





Click here .......Ultra marathon store

We will remember

Not blogged for a few weeks, have been busy with bits and pieces. The running is still going steady.
I am injury freeeeeeeeee too!!!

Sunday 10th September, I went to London for a march past the cenotaph with my brothers Veteran RAF Regiment gunners, to remember those that have paid the ultimate price in the service of their country and to think of those overseas doing the job. Per Ardua















Great news on the fundraising front is that I'm now over £3000.


Thank you to all that have donated or helped with any fundraising.


Normal blogging will resume next week