Week 1...again

So, er, that all went a bit wrong. I started OK, then I went on holiday for a week. I took my running stuff, but there was a slight problem. Two problems to be precise, both of them unchained dogs, both of them between our villa and the end of the track that led to the road. So no running that week.

And when I got back, the building work on our house that should have been finished wasn't, so no washing machine. Strictly speaking, of course, that makes no difference to being able to run - but do you fancy having a weeks' worth of stinking running gear in a pile in your house? Quite.

So as I'd only got a week in, I've decided to cut my losses and start again this week (or basically, August 1 for argument's sake) now I can finally wash my gear and also not get bitten. I've banked 10 miles so am back underway, albeit after an unexpected false start!

Swan violence

WEEK 2: DISTANCE SO FAR: 24 km

Bastard.

Well this week should be fun, as long as your definition of fun is 'bloody horrible'. I managed 2 stamina-free 5-mile jaunts last week (not bad in the absurd heat), but this week I need to do 3. The way it works is I will need to do 1 week of 2x5 miles and 1 week of 3x5 miles and then repeat, with the occasional weekend 'top up' to bring me up to the monthly target so I hit 1000km in just under a year's time.

That said, I did my first 5 miles of the week this morning, and things have much improved. Last week I couldn't manage much more than a mile and a bit before needed a breather for a minute. Today, I only stopped 3 times at a quarter of the way, halfway and three-quarters of the way through. My speed wasn't bad either. I also wasn't attacked by any swans. Which means so far I have only been attacked by swans on 33% of my runs.

I'm not sure I recommend going out quite as early as I did though if you can avoid it (I was out by just before 7am). I've drunk so much tea today to deal with the dehydration I feel like I've inhaled a space hopper.

Burp!

Seconds out: round two

WEEK 1: TARGET 16 km. DISTANCE SO FAR: 0 km

Understatement of the year...

Oh, hello! So here's the deal. Seven years ago, I did the whole "1000 km in a year thing" that you can read about in all my old posts, should you be monumentally bored or something. Suffice to say I did it somehow, and I've kept up running since. But (because there's always a but), a few things have occurred 'twixt now and back then.

For starters, I'm in my early 40s whereas last time I was in my mid 30s, and thus I am now officially decrepit (I even get classed as a 'senior' when I enter races, FFS). I've had my right achilles tendon basically go "Nah!", turn into soup and give up a couple of years ago, leading to 6-odd months of physio just to get back to a level where walking doesn't hurt. I get piriformis syndrome - a literal pain in the arse - on and off down my left side. And the knackered icing on top of the cake of increasing infirmity is that just under 2 months ago I fell and broke my arm. It's better now, but I couldn't run at all for the whole time I was in plaster.

All the above mean I've lost my fitness and stamina, my metabolism has slowed down, I've put on weight and I recover more slowly. Oh, and it's of course the height of summer and I get hayfever, so what POSSIBLE time could be better to start a second attempt at a 1000k-a-thon (as no one has ever referred to it as)?

The answer of course is none at all. I need something to motivate me to drag my arse and all the other broken bits back to the point where I can not go "Hnnnnng!" when getting out of a chair, and it needs to be long term, achievable but not so demanding that I can't fit it around daily life.

So, off we go again. See you in 984 km! Or next week, whichever happens first.

990 down, 10 to go

...well here we are. I've (almost) done it. Just the 10 K run in Hyde Park to do on Saturday, and I'll have achieved my goal. Well actuall, I'll have achieved it a month early if I'm 100% honest as I said I'd run 1000 km in a year and I'll have done it in just over 11 months. Still, I'm not arguing - I get to have a month off now! By which I mean I get a few days off then have to go running again because now I've got a marathon to train for.

As this is almost my last post before I'm done, I'd just like to say a huge, huge thankyou to everyone who has taken the time to read this and indeed sponsor me. On something long-term like this it does make a big difference to know you've got support and that you're not doing it for nothing, so it's all been very much appreciated.

And with that, one final plug: http://www.justgiving.com/goneabitrunny

See you at the finish line! :)

Time for a bit of an update!

No. of km done: 899

No. of km to target: 101

Conditions: Cloudy and damp

Starting music: Icky Thump by The White Stripes

Finishing music: Chardonnay by Cerys Matthews

Well, we're nearly there. Though when I say "we" I mean "me" and by "nearly there" I mean "100 km away", but in the grand scheme of things it's a lot closer to the finish than the start!

Also passed a personal landmark at the weekend when I did a 15 mile run - the furthest I've ever run, and thoughI was a bit sore and achey towards the end and afterwards, I did fairly well in getting it done in 2 hours. That bodes well for a decent marathon time next May, and I'm also just happy I managed it with no major ill effects.

That might sound a bit paranoid, but 10 years ago when I ran my first ever half marathon I wore myself out and subsequently picked up a horrible virus that then evolved into postviral syndrome and a few months of quite bad depression followed by many more months (arguably years) of bouts of not quite so bad but still decidedly not nice depression. Not pleasant at all, and it's always left an irrational but nonetheless lingering fear it might happen again. So to come out of it feeling not only fine, but well enough to go for another run 3 days later with no ill effects has made me feel really, really positive. That, and the exceptional generosity of my friends that has seen my sponsorship total creep up to just a few quid shy of £500.

Anyway, onwards into double figures! Wahey!

https://www.justgiving.com/goneabitrunny

Catch up time

No. of km done: 799

No. of km to target: 201

Conditions: Cloudy but mild

Starting music: I'm Gonna DJ by REM

Finishing music: Last Stop, This Town by Eels

Hmm, not my best week - just recovering from a cold after recovering from the ankle/tendon pull, so I'm a little behind. Not much - about a week or so's worth of running - but as the end is closing in I have a lot less time to catch up now. Fingers crossed I should be OK to catch up with the odd extra mile, but I may have to pencil in a few extra weekend runs. And of course more runs = more chance of injury. Ah well, bit of drama towards the end and all that!

In other news, I've also now signed up for the Edinburgh Marathon after not getting into London 2012 (that's the marathon, not the Olympics), so if you'd rather sponsor me for that than this (or indeed both - think of it as a 2 for 1!) then either way I'd be delighted. As ever, the sponsorship link is:

http://www.justgiving.com/goneabitrunny

The final straight(ish)

No. of km done: 762

No. of km to target: 238

Conditions: Sunny and warm (which is somewhat bizarre, given the date)

Starting music: Mr Brightside by The Killers

Finishing music: Nothing, because my Walkman battery died after one bloody song :(

Well I'm on the downhill bit* - despite injury (which is still with me - I don't know whether my left achilles tendon aching is making my right knee hurt because I'm running awkwardly to compensate or vice versa) I've passed the 750 km mark and still going. I am, admittedly, a wee bit behind after getting over my various twangs, but just 15 km or so and I still have time to make that up without busting a gut. One or two slightly longer runs to claw it back and I'll be fine - but slightly longer being the key as I can't risk pushing it to clear the backlog in one go. Currently I'm OK albeit not 100% because of the aforementioned leg probs, and I don't want to push my luck as another lay up could scupper me at the final hurdle.

What I am going to push though is my sponsorship stuff - I'm still not past a quarter of what I want to raise. Which I'm not that surprised about - if I were sponsoring me I'd probably wait a while to see if I could do most of it first too - but I do want to rectify it.

*Sadly, not literally downhill. That would be lovely, but unlikely unless I move to the top of Everest in a week or so.