Saturday, August 16, 2014

#Runstreak Day 1000 is very nearly here! And to celebrate I'm going to attempt to run 100km through the Peak District!


As most readers of this post will probably already know, on 23rd November 2011, having lost 5 stone (70lbs / 32kg) earlier that year, through diet and cycling, and having just run my first 10K race, I decided to try running at least 5km every day for one week

Here's how I looked about a year before starting my runstreak.
it was Movember, honest. 


Here's how I often look and feel when running now :)







I've got a bit carried away.... :)


Since then, my 1 week experiment has snowballed a bit, and by the time I reached my first year of running every day, or '#runstreak' as it's known in the online world, I was totally hooked and I'd run my first half marathon, marathon and ultra marathon, clocking up nearly 3000 miles of running in the process. 


It wasn't just the running itself that had me hooked though, it was the inspiring new people I was meeting through running, and the amazing new places that running was taking me. 

At the end of that first week, I was having a great time, so decided to try running throughout December 2011, and started to connect with other runners online. 

Here's one of my favourite pictures from my first year of #runstreak
on my first run in the Peak District. August 2012

My biggest challenge so far...

On Monday 18th August 2014, I'll reach the landmark of having run every day for 1000 days, and I'm going to be marking the occasion by attempting my longest and toughest ever run - 100km (62 miles) through the Peak District. 

The route for this adventure can be seen here

I'll be very lucky to accompanied on this daunting challenge by several of my friends, some of whom I've met with through running, and others who I've known for a long time, and who I've reconnected with through a shared appreciation of just how much fun running together can be. 

I'm not known for my concise blog posts, or for blogging frequently, but as I'm hoping to do a follow up post after Monday's adventure, I'm going to keep this post free of lots of stats, lists of "lessons I've learned" or excessive eulogising about just how lucky I've been to meet so many great people, visit so many wonderful places and have so much fun over the past 1000 days. 


Thanks to everyone for all the amazing support so far.
I do want to take the opportunity to thank all of those who've run with me, encouraged me online, and supported my obsessive and crazy running antics in person. In particular, I'd like to thank my brilliant other half Sarah, whose support really is always invaluable (not only because she'll be driving round the Peak District on Monday to make sure we're kept supplied with cake and pies), my fantastic parents, and my kids, who've put up with my obsessive running for nearly three years now. 

With Sarah at the end of the Highland Fling 2013. 
my longest run so far - 53 miles
#

With my Mum, Dad and younger son, Kieran, preparing
for our first  time as a family pacing team at our local parkrun


I'd also like to thank the fantastic group of running friends and family who are going to run some or all of the 100km with me on Monday, I'm really looking forward to spending the day with such inspiring people, and I hope it will be a day we'll all remember.

I'm hoping to raise some money, too... 


I'm also hoping to raise some funds for Beating Bowel Cancer by completing Monday's challenge, so I've created a JustGiving page - any donations greatly appreciated!