I started this challenge back in January full of enthusiasm and motivation, determined to kick off things off in the right way and try and get ahead of the target milage early on. This ended up being a wise decision, as twice in the first few months I had to pause my efforts for multiple days due to rolling my ankle on uneven surfaces. I learned very quickly that for this challenge to be a success I would need to limit the risk of injury as best I could and decided to avoid trail running and stick to hard surfaced paths and roads.
The demand placed upon my body by the sheer amount of miles also meant I’ve had to deal with numerous aches and pains along the way, most notably in the summer, when a sore knee resulted in a few weeks of reduced running. I started doing a specific strength and conditioning programme to help stretch my muscles and prevent further injuries.
Being a season ticket holder at Birmingham City FC means that a lot of my Saturdays are taken up with travelling to and watching sport, however I always start my weekends with a parkrun. This year I’ve completed 49 parkrun events, all at different locations, including 3 in Wales, 1 in Scotland and more recently, 3 in Singapore whilst on my honeymoon. The 32-degree heat and 80%+ humidity was something I had never encountered before, and meant that in order to keep this challenge on track, most of my running took place before the sun had a chance to come up at 7am. To make things even more difficult with my challenge, I also entered, and thankfully completed, the Singapore Marathon during our 18-day trip, this event started at 4:30 am in the morning, which meant a 3am taxi ride from our hotel to the start venue of the Singapore F1 pit building.
The increased mileage that I have undertaken this year, has increased my fitness levels, which have allowed me to hit a few personal bests in running throughout the year, namely a 2:44:02 marathon at Boston UK back in April, a sub 1:17 half marathon at the Royal Parks Half event in London in October, and a sub 58-minute 10 mile at Derby10 in November. It is also a great platform for some targets I am setting myself for the year ahead, including the London Marathon in April 2025, and a 100 mile ultra in May.
So, how close am I to finishing?
It's December the 16th, and I've just hit 3,530 miles run so far in 2024, meaning I am 20 miles or 2 days ahead of schedule for my required average, and therefore well on course to complete my challenge by the end of the year. I still have another 130 miles, or the equivalent distance of 5 full marathons to go, and 15 days left to do them in. Yes, I'm in a good position, but anything can happen.
One place where I need your support is with my fundraising. I originally set myself the target of also raising £3,660 for the British Heart Foundation (a pound per mile run), however after a promising start, a busy year has meant that I have not advertised or pushed this as much as I probably should have. I know that this is an expensive time of year, however if you feel comfortable enough to spare even a small amount, it would be greatly appreciated.
My family has been directly affected by heart and circulatory conditions, with my wife's father passing away when she was a child, so any money that can be raised would mean the world, not only to us, but to all those that vital research and funding in the area could help.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit my JustGiving page.
Thank you
Comentarios