Week 8

Another disrupted week of running. Hamish turned 2 on Monday and my folks were down for the weekend for his party, so that meant no running on Saturday (Running was replaced with Hamishs party then 5 hours in the pub with my dad and brother playing darts) or Sunday (Hangover!!).

That meant I had to cover 12 miles on Monday which I split into an 8 mile run at lunhtime and then a 4 mile run in the evening.

Tuesday night brought warm but windy conditions, so there was no need for my compression t-shirt and long sleeved top. Those 6 miles were hell and my legs were no for working at all.

I should be at 209.76 miles and I'm currently sitting at 200.44 miles (I came down with a cold after the Nottingham Marathon which set me 12 miles back and post-marathon weeks are always shorter. At the end of week 3 I was just under 16.5 miles down, so I'm slowly catching up)

End of Week 7

A bit of a disjointed week this week.

I ended up running for on 6 days rather than my usual 5, all due to a fantastic nightout on Saturday and then a birthday party on Sunday. This meant I missed my SUnday long run. So I ended up running on a Friday and a Monday too (Which is never heard of).

I'm catching up on my planned miles and I'm just 3 miles behind where I should be. I'll hopefully have caught up on this end of this week although
I do have my folks coming down this weekend for Hamishs birthday, so I might not get my full quota in, but I'll do my best

Leicester Marathon

Yesterday saw the completion of the Leicester Marathon in a time of 4:52:58 (45 seconds slower than last year).

The day started off really well, cool and cloudy with a light breeze. Perfect for running and that reflected in my times. By the time I got to mile 14 I was still averaging 10:01 per mile (compared to 10:22 at the same point in Nottingham).

Unfortunately the wind dropped and the sun came out and my times dropped off quite quickly. By the time I got to mile 24 I had dropped behind target and my chance of getting a new PB had gone.

I had forgotten how hilly the Leicester marathon actually is. It is completely flat for the first 7-ish miles and then some short sharp hills kick in especially around the gorgeous villages of Barkby, Thrussington and Ratcliffe on the Wreake.

I loved the last mile and a bit from Abbey Park to Victoria Park especially running through the sparkly new Highcross Shopping Centre towards the gorgeous (but up hill) New Walk and the final 385 yards to the finish line.

The Rules

I've just realised that I'm 5 weeks in and I've not posted the "official" rules for this challenge (So here goes)

1) I have to complete all 1363.44 miles by 23:59 on Tuesday 20th August 2011
2) The miles run will be logged by my Garmin Forerunner 305
3) Only full miles will count (Except part miles run as part of recognised race distances e.g. 5k (3.1 miles), 10k (6.21 miles), Half Marathons (13.1 miles) and  Marathons - 26.22 miles

4 Marathons Done

A very nice day today indeed.  It started well with Royal Mail delivering 2 pairs of X-Sock Run Performance socks (I wore a pair tonight and they are just the comfiest socks ever, I might start wearing them to work as well) and then a trip into Manchester to see Martin at Up & Running to collect my Saucony Progrid Jazz 13 trainers (I'm taking Martins sound advice and wearing them around the house first of all.  I might trade in my slippers and wear these instead).



See the Up & Running Website here: http://www.upandrunning.co.uk/shops/manchester.php

See the X-Socks Website: http://www.x-socks.com/

The day was completed with a 2 mile run that took me over the 4 marathon mark.

Get in!!!!!!!!

I am constantly amazed at the generosity that has been shown to me by strangers as well as family and friends.  That's what is keeping me going now that the nights are drawing in.