Spitfire Scramble 2017

As a runner returning for the fourth year since the inaugural event, this time in a team of four, I was looking forward to seeing what was in store from an ever growing race that continues to grow from strength to strength. 

Spitfire Scramble is London's (using the terms fairly loosely as it is based in Hornchurch country park in the city's Essex outskirts) only 24 hour trail race, offering runners a unique experience to run a multitude of miles either solo, as a pair or in a team. 

Logistically the event has moved as it has outgrown its original home so the campsite and start/finish line is now homed in a larger field. Plus points; so much more space and better parking. Downsides; some of the most scratchy grass and uneven ground known to man, which meant irritated legs from sitting on the grass and a crooked back from sleeping on some really uncomfortable ground.

Running wise this meant the course, although the same started at a different point the main difference being the killer Ingrebourne hill now came towards the end of the lap followed by a downhill descent for the last kilometre or so. 

So how did the race go?

I was part of team 'Running in (bob) hope' a name in comedy reference to running hero Tony Auldenshaw as opposed to anything to do with the deceased American comedian. 

Following previous years where I was part of UKrunchat teams and last year where I ran solo, this year I was part of a team of four consisting of family members I have at least partly been responsible for infecting with the running bug over the last few years. As a four man team in the 3-5 man category we were always going to be at a disadvantage and so it proved as we finished sixth in our category somewhere adrift of the five other teams. 

As a team we gallantly fought through a variety of individual injuries and ailments to complete 20 team laps of the 5.6 mile course within the 24 hours. I myself managed to notch up 7 laps while struggling with a wrecked back after my first nap. Few things dampen my enthusiasm for running but a sore back that ricocheted with pain whenever I ran more than a few hundred metres just about managed it until a second more comfortable nap and pain killer eased my afflictions. 

Being part of team didn't fail to inspire a good amount of comaredie, frivolity and general banter that you would imagine would ensue when four chaps camp out together for a weekend. 

That's the beauty of this event though, it's not all about the running, it's the camping, the chilling in the campsite, the eating (mostly soreen banana loaf, malteasers and chocolate covered coffee beans), drinking (mostly iced tea and coronas) and chatting to other runners (great to meet Will @Wilberf0rce and Ant @RunEatCleepRep). 

The weekend does involve a fair amount of running though, I clocked up 40 miles which wasn't a bad effort and I was inspired by team mates Dan and Tony who stuck their hands up to run more laps than they had originally volunteered for and ran further during the event than they ever had before. 

Spitfire Scramble is a pretty special event, how many other events let you run through a country park in the middle of the night allowing you to enjoy the peaceful solitude? 

Fourth year @SpitScramble24 and am still amazed at how awesome the night laps are 😊 pic.twitter.com/lRaBDTa56G

— Gareth Davies (@beoutrunning) July 16, 2017

Which other event gives you the opportunity to ascend a steep hill to then be rewarded with watching the sun set over London? 

So my fourth year, still loving what is a great event, another year to look back on another unique set of experiences and I'm already making plans to come back in 2018 for my fifth event. 

The only question is in what format do I enter in next year? I'm liking the idea of going solo again or perhaps looking for a partner to share 24 hours of running with....

My first ultra challenge at Spitfire Scramble

Last weekend I took on my biggest, longest and probably toughest running challenge to date when I took the plunge and ran Spitfire Scramble as a solo runner. 

The Spitfire Scramble is a 24 hour trail race which you can enter as a team of between 2 and 8 or as a solo runner. In the last two years I have thoroughly enjoyed my time running in UKrunchat teams but this year I decided to take the plunge and go it alone as a solo runner. 

The Scramble take place in Hornchurch Country park which was formerly an airbase in the Second World War hence the inspiration for the Spitfire theme. 

I have never really been overly keen in running an ultra marathon as such but I have always had an interest in running this event as a solo runner mainly because its so local to where I live and I have spent so many hours of training running around the course over the last ten years or so. Knowing that I definitely wanted to run it at some point I took the attitude that this year would be as good a year as any to give it a go rather than to keep putting it off for the future.

For me running the Scramble has always been about pushing my limits and seeing what I was capable of. Two years ago as part of  a team I was apprehensive about whether I could run multiple times in a 24 hour period, could I run in the early hours of the morning and how far I could push myself. It turned out my fears were all in my mind and I reveled in running 6 laps in 2014 and 4 laps last year and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of running laps late at night and in the early hours of the morning and actually managed to knock out some decently quick times. 

So with my experiences from previous years in mind I put my fears aside and took on the challenge of running solo. 

I set myself the aim of 100K in the 24 hours which would equate to covering 11 laps of the 9.8K course. 

In the build up to the race I realised if I was going to be successful I needed to plan out my strategy. How fast should I run each lap? How should I structure the 24 hours? When and how long should I rest in between laps? When would I rest? When would I eat?

I very much took the philosophy that failing to prepare was preparing to fail.

So I devised myself a schedule of running for the 24 hours. 

The plan was pretty simple: 

• two laps up front, followed my a break to change and eat
• three more laps to be completed before 7pm with breaks as needed.
• A two hour rest after lap five to allow me to have something substantial to eat
• two more laps before getting some rest for the night (meaning I would have completed 7 of my target 11 laps)
• four laps required on Sunday morning - I didn't know what state I would be in by this point so just figured they would be slow and I would need plenty of rest so my plan was start early to give myself plenty of time to complete my required laps and to give myself the cheeky option of a few more laps if I fancied it!

I know this isn't the most hardcore of ultra marathon schedules as many competitors will plan to keep moving for the vast majority of the 24 hour period. This tactic never really appealed to me and I knew for my first attempt at an ultra distance I would certainly need the breaks mentally and probably physically as well. 

Race weekend

So on Friday evening I arrived to pitch my tent and pick up my race registration. It was kind of weird not meeting up with team mates as I had in previous years but it was nice to see a friendly face in Paul (AKA Thomo74) who was camped close by and I was very grateful for him lending a hand in helping me with my tent. 

Saturday morning soon swang around and pre race nerves kicked in and I felt stressed and moody mainly because although I had planned out my running I was nowhere near as organised with my kit as I should have been. Anyway I was soon back at the race campsite with a mountain of kit and a mountain of food kind of feeling ready for what lay ahead.

After race briefings and the usual pre race carb loading it was time to begin.

Stood on the start line before the race start with Spitfire by Prodigy, the unofficial Spitfire Scramble anthem blaring out on the sound system was pretty spine tingling. 

I held on to the line 'cos I know that I can' as motivation to help me through the challenge that lay ahead.

At the risk of turning my race recap into an epic read here is my reflections on each lap:

Lap 1 - Starting off at the back of the field it was great to set off at a gentle pace and to chat with Paul for the first mile or two. The course was pretty congested with all runners setting off together and I concentrated on taking it easy. 

Lap 2 - A short walking break to take on a whitworths dried fruit pack and concentrating on a steady pace, good breathing and technique.

Lap 3 - After a break for a change of top, some juice and jaffa cakes I headed back out. I felt strong and kept a steady pace going as the heat started to intensify. My break in between lap 3 and 4 coincided with Spitfire flyover and meeting with running buddy Artur who was a team mate from last year. 

Photo courtesy of Spitfire Scramble

Lap 4 - After some snacks I headed out for lap number 4 accompanied by Artur. The heat started to become an issue and I was taking on a lot of water as I ran with my hand held High 5 bottle, my pace slowed as I took the odd walking break mainly on the hills or when the heat started to become overbearing.

Lap 5 - This was my last lap before a substantial break and that provided my motivation to get out and run, not that I needed it as I still felt strong. At the end of the lap I was pretty elated to see my wife who had popped back to see me and drop off some supplies including my drink of choice in Iced Tea. 

Lap 6 - After forcing myself to eat some pasta from the mobile catering and a few jaffa cakes I headed out at about 8.15pm for my first head torch lap as night began to fall. I felt re-energised by seeing my wife, having some food, knowing I had ran in excess of a marathon and by the change in running conditions brought on by the dying of the light.

Photo courtesy of Spitfire Scamble

Anyone running during sunset were treated to a truly spectacular sunset of gorgeous pink. 

Lap 7 - This is where things started to get a bit tough as tiredness started to kick in, I had covered around 60K and it was now past 9.30pm. I had also started to get a pain in the outside of my left ankle which was causing me a bit of concern. I still felt that I was running strongly and my pace hadn't dropped as much as I had anticipated. I toyed with the idea of getting another lap in before bed but in the last mile or so I was overcome with a strong hunger so decided I needed to stop to eat which would mean a longer break and therefore I might as well stick to my plan of trying to get some rest over night.

Finishing lap 7 soon after 11.00pm I sat down on my camp chair and hungrily devoured a protein shake, a peanut butter wholemeal wrap, several jaffa cakes and orange juice. I rested for a while as I caught up on the support from Twitter before getting into my sleeping bag to try to get a bit of sleep.

I set myself an alarm for 2.30am so I had about a three hour rest period, although I rested with the campsite still being very active and noisy I didn't get much sleep.

Lap 8 - I was out running again at around 3.30am after some coffee and yet more jaffa cakes. I felt pretty good, my back which had started to aggravate me felt much better after a lie down and I was confident I had plenty of time to finish the four laps I required. I had raped up warm expecting chilly conditions but was soon stripping off as it was still fairly warm.

Lap 9 - It was now starting to get light and it was quiet and peaceful on the course, the pain in my ankle had started to worsen and I was walking all the hills by now but still running well and feeling confident, I took my time and tried to enjoy the tranquility of the course.

Lap 10 - After a quick break for a coffee I was keen to get back to it knowing less than a half marathon stood between me and my target. My knees were now really sore from the long periods of running and my ankle was becoming more problematic. I had so far managed to complete every lap in under 1hour 30 so my target for my last two laps was to maintain this.

Lap 11 - I was well ahead of schedule so I took my time getting ready for my last lap and sat for a bit enjoying the buzz of the campsite. I decided it wise to visit the medical tent to get my ankle looked at. The first aider diagnosed a slight pull to my ligament and I got my ankle lightly strapped and iced for my final lap. 

Off I set for the last time at around 9.15 scarcely believing the race was almost over. My mind struggled to comprehend the distance I had covered and that I was about to complete my challenge with a degree of ease. 

The final bend coming into the home straight for the last time made me feel pretty emotional and I was glad that by finishing at about 10.45 there wasn't a fanfare finish that there would have been nearer to the race deadline of 12.00 either wise I probably would have gone full on teary! 

My wife had again reappeared to cheer me on to finish my final lap and it was great to sit around in the sunshine in the campsite enjoying the excited buzz as teams frenzied to complete the last few laps. I set about trying to polish off my mountain of food and very much enjoyed a post run curry and chips before it was time to pack up my tent.

I proudly collected my medal reflected on the event leader board and was surprised to see myself in 5th position out of 19 solo male runners. 

I was brought down to earth from the jubilation of this achievement when I came to change my socks and discovered the soreness on my big tow on my right foot was being caused by this beaut of a blister.

Thank you ever so much to the first aider for the care and attention in bursting and treating this hideous thing, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy! 

Conclusion

So what did I learn from this challenge? 

Firstly I absolutely bloody loved it! Spending practically a whole weekend focusing on running was pretty much a dream weekend for me. I found the experience completely immersive, spending so much time with a clear mind just enjoying each lap and each mile without the distraction of what housework I need to, the pressure of work or the constant attachment to my mobile phone. 

I think I am a way off completing an A to B ultra as having the opportunity to stop at regular intervals definitely assisted me in the completing of the distance. 

Running the distance down in laps meant I didn't concentrate on the distance I had covered as I was just concentrating on laps, concentrating on running 4 laps seems a lot less daunting than running a marathon! Also having a clear plan in the form of my schedule meant the race was broken up into manageable chunks which I just focused on rather than focusing on the full distance.

What I learnt

I certainly learnt a lot from the experience, mainly around the fact that the longer a running event the more the planning and organisation becomes less about running and more about the logistics around the running. 

Before the race I was apprehensive about whether I should take on such an event and challenge. The furthest distance I had ran prior to this was only a marathon, I didn't have any fancy kit and I don't even own a Garmin! But I did it and I did it in my own way.

I set out my target, I planned how I was going to achieve it and I did it! 

I did it my own way, my snacks included maltesers, dried mango and pringles and I stuck to what I thought would work for me and thankfully it did, despite my chocolate coated coffee beans, maltesers and jaffa cakes all turning into their own respective sticky balls of congealed chocolaty messed. 

I'm still struggling to comprehend what I have achieved despite blister ridden feet, swollen ankles and achy knees still providing me with reminders a week after!

Thank you as ever for all the support I have received before and during this race especially from Artur and Paul who supported me during the event. People of Twitter thank you also for your support, encouragement and words of congratulations.  

As always I'm looking forward to the next challenge, the full Bacchus marathon in September and my ongoing quest for a sub 21 minute 5K. 

My Bank Holiday Weekend of Running

Bank Holiday weekends are great, three days off work, which can only mean one thing; three chances to run! Needless to say I made the most of the three opportunities! 

All in all it has been a great weekend, here is what I got up to running wise and a few other bits...

Saturday - Harrow Lodge Parkrun

Over the summer I have planned to visit all my local parkruns and this was one of the weekends I had planned to visit somewhere new. Then I heard that Harrow Lodge were planning to raise awareness for a local boy and God son of one of the race directors who had recently died of Sepsis by supporting #Orange4Sepis. With orange being my favourite colour and having the chance to be involved in a great cause I head over to what used to be my local parkrun. 

It turned out I hadn't visited in almost two years and I found the tough cross country course really challenging and finished about a minute slower than my course PB. However the course has changed since I was there last and I think it has definitely got tougher! 

Despite being disappointed with my time I was impressed with my placing of 13th and coming first in my age grade! WhooHoo!!!

The post run brunch at Healthy Roots was a great way to celebrate too! 

R

Gluten free protein pancakes with lean grilled bacon and avocado, absolutely fantastic and a great way to refuel!  

Sunday - Westminster Mile

The first time I have ever raced a mile and the first time I have ever been involved in an event like this. 

I loved it, I enjoyed the challenge of racing a shorter and faster distance and I really enjoyed the inclusive atmosphere of the overall event. It was great to see so many activities alongside the running available in Green Park and I loved how the event really seemed to be about encouraging people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to get involved in activities and running. 

As for my mile effort I was really pleased with an official time of 6.11! 

Alongside challenging myself in the mile I also got the chance to race against my two running buddies Chris and Tony to a 60m sprint race complete with starting blocks and everything. 

Great fun! And even more enjoyable as I came out the sprint victor!

I think I will write up a specific post about Westminster Mile in due course but for the moment I would highly recommend a really fun event that covers a great route and has a great medal! 

Sunday Afternoon - England v Wales at Twickenham

After the running fun was over I head over to West London to enjoy an afternoon at the rugby having won tickets to the game a few weeks ago.

A burger a few beers, chilling out in the fanzone and then watching the game a great way to spend an afternoon! 

Bank Holiday Monday - Long Run time!

With my next marathon fast approaching I need to get back to a few long runs so despite my legs feeling a bit worse for wear from the weekend I headed out with the aim of covering around 15 miles.

The distance wasn't the main objective as I feel I need to work on my long runs. Rather than trying to maintain a much slower than marathon pace run or trying to match (and in my case usually crash and burn) marathon pace I am focusing on finishing the session stronger and faster. So for today's run my aim was 15K at comfortable pace of around 6 min/km pace and then to finish with a faster pace. In reality this transpired to 15K averaging around 6.10 min/km and then 7K at sub 4 hour marathon pace of around 5.35 min/km with two slower Ks to finish. It certainly felt a much tougher session than a 'normal' long run and time will tell if it proves successful in improving my marathon time.

So I certainly made the most of the three day weekend and I hope you did to? 

Cider fuelled running

This weekend I headed down to the South West and Cider country to spend a weekend with friends.

The weekend (as with most activities in this part of the world) involved drinking a large quantity of that apple based alcohol beverage which happens to be one of my favourite forms of refreshment as it does quite literally grow on trees around there.

My two nights of sampling what Bristol had to offer were nicely segmented by a trip to Ashton Court Parkrun. 

I think I have finally caught the Parkrun bug as this was my second successive Parkrun weekend and my third different Parkrun in the last couple of weeks. 

Now you have an idea of my weekends itinerary you can see why I coined the term cider fuelled running for my weekends activities. 

Before I get onto the running let's start off with the cider as well as some amazing food.

Friday night was meant to be spent in Wembley stadium rocking out to Dave Grohl and his foo fighting gang before an early morning trip to Bristol. Unless you have been living under an incredibly dark social media deprived stone for the last week or two a badly broken fibula put paid to those plans.

So an early Friday evening was spent instead sipping cider on the Apple, one of Bristols finest cider serving establishments, a bar based on a barged moored up on the harbour just outside the city centre. 

Two nights on the cider does come come that highly recommended, (I speak from previous experience from previous trips to Bristol) so having Parkrun on the horizon the following morning was my saving grace to save my liver from too much punishment.

I did take it kind of easy on the cider on Friday night then, a few pints followed by a trip to the Spitfire BBQ for dinner. This place was amazing, the kind of joint that you could find Adam Richman salivating excitedly behind the counter while pestering the chef for a taste of everything from the menu.

In a place like this the only problem is deciding what to have! I took my time sipping on some cider while I decided. 

I opted to go for everything, well a little bit of everything in a burger courtesy of the Pitboss Burger, a 6oz beef patty topped with rib tips, pulled pork, brockwurst slices, smoked applewood cheese and bbq sauce. 

It was every inch the delicious meat feast it promised to be, a brilliant burger went so well with the succulently soft pulled pork, incredible tasting brockwurst and creamy out of this world sensation of the smoked applewood cheese.

Accompanied by a bowl of BBQ chicken wings, my double order being enough to get labelled 'greedy' by the waiter, man versus food and the obesity epidemic obviously haven't quite reached the South West yet?!

A deliciously tasty farmyards supply of meat devoured it was time to move outside into the cool summers air to sit by the harbour side surrounded by the smokey fumes from the restaurants log fires.

It was Friday night we were with friends enjoying ourselves so talk quickly turned to the desert menu and a mouthwatering suggestion of sweet treats soon led to orders being placed.

I was soon polishing of a ridiculously rich and chocolatelay Peanut butter stack which left me glad I would be running some of the calories consumed at Parkrun the next day.

Despite not overdoing the cider a combination of a heavy belly full of meat and the several above average strength cider led to my customary early evening passing out on my friends incredibly comfy sofa.

I was still up bright eyed and bushy tailed to take on Ashton Court Park run in the morning. A thirty minute walk took us away from the city and to the Ashton Court estate providing a great viewpoint down over Bristol and the surrounding areas.

An example of some of the picturesque views from A
shton Court courtesy of  http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2191279

The course run is really a tail of two halves, the first half taking you up a steep winding hill before turning around and the second half taking you downhill in a fast descent. It's known for being one of the tougher Parkrun routes and I can appreciate why, although you can fly down the hill in the second half it is difficult to judge your effort level on the steep climb up and especially in the sunny mid June heat the hill was pretty energy sapping.

Overall I finished in 23.50 in 62nd place out of some 200+ parkrunners, although my official Parkrun time was actually clicked at a slower 24.03. Prior to the race I was interested to see how the two halves of the race would compare in terms of times, I completed the ascent in around 13.30 and the return in about 10.20, the rapid downhill also provided me with a sub 4 minute km and my fastest 1/2 mile, 1km and 1 mile I have clocked since using strava.

It was a really challenging yet rewarding run, adjusting my stride length on the way down was tough as was the rapid pounding on my lower legs as I hurtled down the hill.

After my exertions I was left to refuel and rehydrate and I did so with great relish taking advantage of the fine food and cider being served from the many excellent establishments Bristol has to offer, notable mentions to the Stable, the Apple again and the Old Duke.

Thank you Bristol for another thoroughly enjoyable weekend in your most excellent city, I came, I saw, I ran your hills, I drank your cider and ate your food and I conquered all you had to offer!

Hackney Marshes Parkrun 5th birthday celebrations

So this morning I headed off on what is becoming a regular trip to Hackney Marshes Parkrun for a showdown with running buddies Tony and Chris. 

With Tony still fresh from his Asics262 marathon triumph in Paris and Chris coming off the back of two sub4 marathons in three weeks I knew it would be a tough challenge to keep up with these two. A speed work session with Tony on Thursday morning over at the Regents Park running track where Tony left me behind while he had plenty more speed than me left in the tank had me wondering if I was going to compete with him today.

The reason for a running meet up this particular weekend was to help celebrate Hackney Marshes parkruns 5th birthday celebrations. And we weren't the only ones making the journey over for the celebrations as we joined a field of 176 runners. 

This was my third visit to Hackney Marshes and I must say its a great little setup, a super flat speedy Tarmac course, a nice green tree flanked route and a friendly mix of runners of all abilities, so I was pleased to join them for the celebrations.

An enjoyable part of the experience is my journey to Hackney marshes, although the train journey is quieter than a work day that's not the enjoyable part it's the gentle walk through the Olympic Park to the Parkrun start/finish.

So onto the run its self, a large crowd, prizes and awards for deserving regulars and a host of new timers made for an exciting atmosphere at the start. My excitement was heightened though by a bit of celebratory spotting as spied Ronnie the rocket O'Sullivan lining up at the start. I admit I do get pretty stray struck and am not one to pluck up the courage to strike up a chat or ask for a photo. I was pretty amazed when in the opening few hundred metres as I started to battle through some congestion on the course I felt a hand on my shoulder as another runner tried to avoid colliding with me and to look round and see the snooker legend himself sneak past me! Not only is he a speedy snooker ball potter but he's also a speedy runner as he finished in an awesome time of sub19 minutes.

Courtesy of Hackney Marshes parkrun facebook page

But how was my race? I was eager to try and replicate my form from my 21 minute PB a few weeks back but I knew I wasn't quite in the same shape. 

I took the first km or so a bit easier and breezed past Chris at around 1km, Despite our friendly rivalry I was conscious to try and run my own race rather than concentrating on competing. I maintained a faster pace and felt comfortable up to the half way mark which I reckon I clocked in a faster time than during my PB run.

The second half was a struggle as I tried to keep going after going off too quick  it was made harder knowing Chris was on my shoulder and I expected him to ghost past me at any stage. I managed to hold off the threat of Bramster but as we started to head for home I spotted Tony out of the corner of my eye starting to mount an attack in the closing stages. I struggled in the closing minutes, I still need to work on my strength, the finish wasn't helped by my anticipation of the end. Every time the course bent round I kept thinking it was the home straight only to be disappointed no have further to run! I mustered a semi sprint finish in the last 50m or so and crossed the line in 21.29 luckily having enough to hold off my challengers. 

Looking at my splits I was happy to see a decent even pace, the first km is quick though (if you think it would realistically be a good bit quicker due to a delay at the start), so I need to think about starting slower to be able to run faster later on in the race. 

After the race there was a delicious array of cakes for hungry runners to tuck into. 

Although I won the race between the three of us the performance victory goes to Tony with a shiny new PB in the region of 40 seconds! Chris as well worked hard to run strongly but by his own admission is struggling to recover from two sub4 marathons in three weeks and a half marathon PB shortly after. 

Whatever the results and achievements it was another enjoyable Parkrun and aanother day to celebrate why I enjoy running! 

Day 7 One week completed!

Today's run: Afternoon - Longer - pavement (and at times water!)- 6.32km - 32.47mins

Wow what a week, seven days of running done 43.17km distance covered and over 4 hours of running completed, quite a week!

Today's run was always planned to be an afternoon run the constant rain throughout the morning meant I kept pushing my run back hoping the rain would subside. Not that I am adverse to running in the rain its just that I would prefer to go out and enjoy my run when its not raining and as I have already ran in the rain a few times this week I was hoping bright and dry weather conditions. 

It was not to be though, it was rainy, it was wet and pretty horrible!

I headed out along the footpath through the Ingrebourne Valley country park. The river Ingrebourne was swollen and flowing high up its banks to a point I have never seen before, not only that but the path was sodden in places and got to the point where it was so flooded I had to detour. 

The detour took me through a less scenic housing estate but it did provide me a decent incline to run up for several hundred metres. 

I was so wet by the time I got home and was glad to jump into a warm shower and pop on a nice big hoody before settling down for a relaxing Sunday evening. 

After seven days it seemed like a logical time to reflect on my runstreak so far: 

The reasoning behind my challenge can be found here, the basic aim of my challenge is to try and raise awareness and funds for Pancreatic Cancer during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. 

The week started off with a longer run of 8.52km as I started my challenge off with a bang. In all honesty I wasn't sure how I was going to fare with all the running. I didn't feel in the greatest shape, my diet has been pour and the weekend had seen me eat and drink more than my fair share of goodies and alcohol celebrating my wife's birthday. I was also concerned with my calves, which have always been my problem area where running has been concerned. They were experiencing a lot of tightness and pain in the front of my legs before running and mostly during my runs as well making runs painful and not very enjoyable.

Day 2 saw me hit the gym in the morning and then head out for a evening hill session where I covered my minimum target for the challenge of 5K. I felt OK in myself considering I had trained twice and was running on the back of a longish distance form the day before.  

Day 3 was my real challenge as I was determined to combine my usual Wednesday evening boot camp I attend with a friend with my running. This meant I had to head out for a run before work so I was out pounding the pavements before 6 am. An experience I really enjoyed and I look forward to repeating soon. Boot camp in the evening was really a struggle though as I to find any strength or energy in my legs. 

On Day 4 I gave myself practically 24 hours since my last training session on the previous evening before running. I headed out in the evening for what I presumed would be a slow and steady 'plod' around. Actually I found it to be a great run where I felt stronger and fitter than I could ever have imagined after training so hard in the previous few days, this was the run where I really started to feel the positive affects of consecutive days running. 

It was Day 5 where the week changed and took on a whole different meaning. I receive the exciting news that I had been shortlisted to the final 50 runners of all the thousands that had applied for Runnersworld magazines Asics target 26.2 challenge. If its not something you are aware of it is a competition to find 5 runners to run towards their targeted finish time in the Paris Marathon in 2015. The prize is not only VIP entry into the Paris Marathon but loads of assistance with training plans and advice from specialist coaches. What an absolute dream to be part of! The days run then felt like the most important run of my life as I felt such a sense of pride and excitement as I went out running. I felt like Mo Farah or some other successful Olympian feeling 12 feet tall bursting with pride but I know I didn't appear any different to anyone I passed despite how I felt inside. 

Yesterday and Day 6 was a classic Saturday run, heading out running before relaxing in front of an afternoons sporting entertainment on TV. This is the run I have found hardest as I struggled to get going and felt pretty tired and lacking in energy. 

Thank you for reading, any tips on how to train effectively during a runstreak would be greatly received, happy running everyone!  

Day 6 Pre Rugby Run

Today's run: Morning - Gentle/Recovery - pavement - 5.16km - 30.23mins

Today as it is a Saturday I had considered heading over to my local parkrun as I haven't done one in months, but as it has been rainy the last few days I decided to give it a miss as it will be wet and muddy. 

So instead I opted for a short little gentle run ahead of a planned longer run tomorrow. I headed out this morning so I had plenty of time to crack on with a few weekend chores before settling down for an afternoon in front of the TV watching a great sporting lineup. The line up this afternoon including Wales v New Zealand and England v Samoa in the rugby autumn Internationals and Manchester United v Arsenal in what promises to be a tasty premiership fixture.

I chose my running top this morning with the rugby in mind.

A little something to provide some extra motivation for my run!

The run itself was very straightforward a gentle little jog round trying to maintain a nice steady pace. My legs did feel somewhat stiff and struggled to get going until after a few kms but towards the end I was feeling good.

My only slight injury concern is a bit of a niggle with my back as it is feeling painful and stiff in the mornings and takes some time warming up to feel normal. I am sure its nothing major but I will keep an eye on it and make sure I stretch it and warm up properly before each run. 

Thank you for reading this short and sweet post to read further about my runstreak challenge please read here and for my latest incredibly exciting running news please read yesterdays Day 5 post.