365 - Day 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89

Finish times at work, pup sitting duties and subsequently not wanting to run in the dark meant that day 81, 82 and 83 were all done on the treadmill. My confidence of running in the dark has definitely taken a knock since the fall I had a few weeks ago.

In the earlier days of this campaign, I found that there were a few disadvantages to running on the treadmill. A lack of scenery and staring at the TV for such a long time was quite monotonous. There was the danger of getting too "drawn in" to the screen in front of me and I've almost come off the treadmill on a few occasions. 

More recently, I've used the TV to my advantage. Some decent shows on Netfllix have helped pass the time and I'm naturally able to keep my balance a lot better. I probably haven't spent this much time running on a treadmill since I was training to run across the USA in 2011. I've said it a few times recently, put having access to a treadmill has probably saved this run. Thankfully, with lighter, warmer days ahead, I hope that my treadmill days are numbered. That is, until I've finished watching Better Call Saul.  

Times for day 81, 82 and 83 were 03:29:42, 03:24:18 and 03:22:21 respectively.

I finished work on day 84 an hour later than planned but was able to set off at a reasonable time. Not for the first time did running outside feel like a breath of fresh air after consecutive treadmill runs. I felt like a coiled spring unleashed during the first few miles in Gosforth up the Great North Road. It should also be noted that I was wearing a new pair of running shoes, having worn down two pairs over the previous 83 days and 1087 miles. 

The miles seemed to fly by and a final time of 03:07:05 was very pleasing. It was the third quickest time of the 365 campaign so far. As an added bonus, I finished in daylight. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of day 84 was the feeling that I cold have gone a little quicker. However, there's that internal feeling that I know I have to do this all again tomorrow and a conservative pace takes over. There haven't been many times where the sheer fatigue has overruled that feeling.

Day 85 and 86 saw me back on the treadmill. 03:26:11 and 03:26:01 were more in keeping with recent times. I was back to feeling tired and sore. When I say "sore" this isn't muscle soreness. It feels like the kind of growing pains I felt in my youth. I'm sure if I searched this blog for the term "growing pains" it would yield a few hits. Bearing in mind, that this blog has been now been in existence for 20 years! The charity fund sat at £14,925 at that point. I could not have possibly imagined that so much generosity would be shown in the following years. 

Day 87's route was a reverse of the run I did a few weekends ago. It was from my home in Bedlington to Druridge Bay just after 10am. I set off at a comfortable pace and I was really enjoying the morning sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures.   

I passed through Choppington, Guide Post and Stakeford where the River Wansbeck was looking resplendent. The climb up from the river to Ashington took me by surprise. I haven't ran up too many hills this year. I'm definitely out of practise.

I took a sharp left up North Seaton Road in Ashington at mile 4.5. It was very quiet, lined with daffodils and had a perfect surface to run on. I reached the other end of Ashington at mile 7. It was then that I started running into a strong headwind. 

As I turned due north at Alnmouth the wind got stronger. Somehow, I got slightly faster. I think the tunes on my iPod might have played a part there.

The ice cream shop at Creswell and the Drift Cafe were almost a blur. By now, the wind in Druridge Bay was at its strongest. There was a small hill to contend with then I could see the finish line. I crossed that in 03:16:06 which was the fifth quickest time this year. 

I found a seat (a boulder) and waited 5 minutes for Donna (and Órlaith of course) to arrive in the car. Perfect timing! We then made our way to nearby Amble for a bite to eat (and a short walk with Órlaith). Good times!

I asked AI to analyse day 87 and this is what was said "The second half of your run was significantly quicker! You actually pulled off a textbook "negative split" which is runners-speak for finishing faster than you started. 

Your pace really started to pick up after Mile 7 and Mile 12 was a massive standout. 

The Half-by-Half Breakdown - To make it a fair comparison, I looked at the first 6 miles versus the next 6 miles (Miles 7–12): 

First Half (Miles 1–6) | 1:36:16

Second Half (Miles 7–12) | 1:25:13

Key Observations

• The Surge: You dropped over 11 minutes off your time in the second half. 
• The "Turbo" Mile: Mile 12 was your fastest at 11:38, which is over 5 minutes faster than your slowest mile (Mile 2).
• Finishing Strong: Even Mile 13 was considerably faster than your early-race pace.

It looks like you found a whole new gear once you crossed the midway point!" 

Could AI be used to help me get these half marathons run quicker? That's something I'm going to look into. In the meantime, it has to be said that day 87 was one of my favourite half marathons so far this year. Daylight, good conditions underfoot, sunshine, a comfortable run and a nice bite to eat at the end.

There were no ill effects from the previous day on half marathon number 88 for the year. I had almost 30 hours of recovery time and it showed with a time of 03:14:11 on the treadmill. 

Day 89 was a route from home to Pegswood. This was similar to day 68 where I arranged to meet Donna at the finish line. There was a time constraint involved and I had until 5.10pm to get there. 

Due to work commitments, I didn't set off in time unfortunately. However, I managed to get 9 miles done by the time I met Donna in Pegswood. Exactly the same thing happened the last time I attempted this route. After a lift home, I did the final 4.1 miles around Bedlington. Those final few miles were very slow and I finished in a time of 03:33:46.

Day 89 saw me once again hit the treadmill. I took it very easy (03:28:16) knowing that day 90 (today as I write this blog) would be another run home from work. I'm in one mind to try and beat last week's time. 

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation to St. Benedict's Hospice via https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365. The current total for the 365 campaign is £1677.83. The exciting news is that I'm aware of some promised funds in the pipeline and I hope to bring some good news on that very soon. 

The overall fundraising position is shown below. These numbers represent an incredible amount of kindness from thousands of people. I'm also pleased and proud to report that donations are currently being made by long standing supporters as well as some kind new people. It's money that's much needed by St. Benedict's Hospice so thank you again to everyone who is donating. 

The first quarter of the 365 campaign is complete. There are lighter, warmer days ahead. The focus will stay with keeping this streak of half marathons going but will also shift towards getting quicker. Somehow!

365 - Day 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 and 80

Day 74 was a 7pm start. That meant two things. Running the tried and tested route from home to Morpeth and back. Oh and it would require a head torch for the pitch black bits. The advantage of this route is that I know where the slippy parts are. 

I was confident that last week's fall was a one off. It was the first one since 2009 after all. That particular one was caused by running too close to Carlton on a lunchtime run. That meant I didn't see a protruding stone until it was too late!

Back to day 74 and just as I was thinking how it was dry for a change, it started to rain!

I made it to the outskirts of Morpeth in decent time. I added a couple of laps around the county hall car park for good measure. 

I made it back to Stannington and I well and truly hit the wall. I felt like I had zero energy left. After that, it was simply a case of getting to the next lamp post. Once that was achieved, I focussed on getting to the next one and the next one and so on.

I reached my house after 11 miles. This meant that I had to run a mile further into Bedlington and back to complete half marathon number 74 for the year. That wasn't good for morale! Those last 2 miles seemed to go on forever. A final time of 03:39:42 was very poor indeed. The day in and day out effort continues to take its toll. The main thing is that the 365 campaign is still going and the donations are still being made to St. Benedict's Hospice. 

Day 74 was dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Bell. It was 16 years since Jimmy passed away after a long battle with cancer. I mentioned this on the Run Geordie Run Facebook page. The amount of engagement that followed spoke volumes about how well thought of Jimmy was.

Days 75 and 76 were both done on the treadmill. Times of 03:23:15 and 03:22:02 respectively were achieved. Both runs were a slog but the advantage of running on the treadmill is that it dictates a steady pace. 

I was absolutely exhausted after the day 76 run. There was the small matter of a flight to Barcelona later in the day to contend with on top of that. I made it to the hotel in Barcelona just before midnight. I can hardly remember my head hitting the pillow.

Day 77 was the slowest off all days. The 13.1 miles involved next to no running. It was a simple case of moving forward. It was very much an active recovery. 

My intention was to journey through the usual landmarks and then to the match to watch Newcastle play Barcelona. I wrapped the mileage up before I made it to the stadium.

It took 04:21:08 to complete the miles on day 77. Thankfully, I was able to get the train back to the hotel where I had the luxury of having 5 hours sleep before the flight home.

Day 78 started with a 7am flight back to Newcastle via Paris. There were no delays and I was able to start running from Newcastle Airport at 2pm. The finish line was my car which was parked in Gosforth.

The feeling of tiredness was as bad as ever. To add to the difficulty, I was carrying my backpack. As has been the case many times this year, I made the route up as I went along. It was a grand tour of Woolsington, Kingston Park, Kenton, Cowgate, Fenham, Westgate Road, Newcastle City Centre, Jesmond and finally Gosforth. It took 03:50:11 to get to the finish line. What a long day!

Day 79 was another 8pm start and another treadmill effort. A time of 03:18:00 was the quickest I'd ran since day 67. With such a busy week of running, work, football and travelling that made no sense. Not for the first time in my running life, you just don't know what you're going to get sometimes.

Day 80 was an afternoon run from the top end of Druridge Bay back to home in Bedlington. The first 3 miles were on what little beach was left and the adjacent dunes. It was very tough going underfoot but the views of the Northumberland coastline more than made up for that.

I've ran passed many different types of animals over the last 12 months. I was able to add a seal to the list. It was making its way back into the sea.

I stopped for a brief chat with my old neighbour, Andy, who was out walking his dog. I was soon on my way again through the dunes.

I decided to take the recently advertised King Charles III England Coast Path. It took me round the coastal side of the power station. I've ran round here many times but never on this path.

The route was quite straightforward at first. There wasn't a soul about. Once I got round the power station I had to navigate my way through the dunes. There were numerous motorbikes racing around me. Some of the signs had been knocked down. I don't think I ended up doing the most efficient (or official) route in the end.

I could hardly go wrong if I simply hugged the coast line (and avoided the motorbikes). I eventually passed a sign that warned about an eroded path. It looked ok to me.

I made my way across the golf course at Newbiggin. The signage wasn't great and thankfully there were no golfers to be seen. 

The path eventually crumbled away and I simply made my way down the side of the golf course.

The photo of me on the coastal path reminded me very much of one that was taken during the run across the USA in 2011. I still had over 3000 miles to run when that was taken. Thankfully, the image below was the half way point for day 80.

The temperature dropped considerably as I ran out of Newbiggin. I made it to the Spine road after 8 miles and, yet again, I felt that the tank was empty.

As darkness fell and a rare on road section I reached East Sleekburn. I was pleased to have street lights and a path for the last 2 miles. A final time of 03:39:03 was achieved. Another slow half marathon but another complete one all the same.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me in aid of St. Benedict's Hospice. The grand total is currently £1616.83 for this campaign. Please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365 if you'd like to support my crazy campaign to run 365 half marathons in 365 days.

365 - Day 67, 68, 69, 70, 71,72 and 73

I could start anyone of these blog posts with the phrase "The relentless miles were definitely beginning to take their toll.". This one is no exception. I started day 67 as late as possible. It was a treadmill session that took 03:16:21 to complete. 

Day 68's plan was to run an indirect route to Pegswood in time to meet Donna at 5pm (and get a lift home). This meant that I'd need to get away from work at 2pm. Unfortunately, I didn't start running until just after 3pm. I was in two minds in terms of my running plan. I ended up running to Pegswood via Morpeth without any deviation to elongate the route. This meant that I was bang on time to meet Donna but it was only just over 8 miles. 

I got a lift back home and finished off the 4.5 miles around Bedlington. An overall running time of 03:26:37 wasn't too bad. Splitting the run was a good "Plan B" and you can see the straight line on the map below where my watch was paused. I'll definitely try the longer route to Pegswood in the coming weeks. It was all path and had some nice climbs.

Day 69 was a run to the match (again!). There have been a lot of midweek games during this campaign. Once again, I set off a little later than planned. This meant that there was little room for slowness if I was to get to the match on time.

I knew that I'd be setting off in warmer weather but it would be a lot cooler during the later miles. As a result, I was probably too warm to start off with.

At mile 7, I noticed the memorial (as mentioned in the previous blog post) needed a little attention. The Newcastle scarf had folded over in the wind and I took time to straighten it out. On closer inspection, I discovered that it was dedicated to Lee Wilson (1988-2023).

I had very little left in the tank after 11 miles but managed to coast through to the finish line in 03:28:00. The finish line is, of course, our usual match day parking spot. After a quick change of clothes, I walked an additional 1.5 miles to the match.

Day 70 was yet another 8pm start meaning I didn't finish until way after 11pm. It took 03:24:30 to complete on the treadmill which is around the ballpark time recently. I had hoped that I'd turned a corner a few weeks ago. However, it seems the couple of sub 3 hour times I was running were a false dawn!

Day 71 started over 3 hours later than planned. That's the problem when you're in the zone at work, it's never easy to down tools and get running. So instead of running in daylight, I ran in the dark from work back to home.

I ran past a spooky looking church at mile 6.66 (no really!). I strangely started running a bit quicker after that! 

The rain got heavier in the later miles. I was more concerned about the laptop in my backpack than anything else. 

I hit complete darkness at mile 12. The torch on my iPhone lit the way. There was a dangerous section without any path but I quickly navigated that.

With half a mile to go, disaster struck! I stepped on what looked like the concrete path. It was in fact a mud patch. I've done this a few times this year but have always managed to correct myself. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case on this occasion. Before I knew it, I slid and fell. My initial concern was the pain in my once broken ankle. I got myself back on my feet and limped away.

The pain in my ankle soon subsided thankfully. I did feel like I'd grazed my knee though. I wasn't bothered about that given I'd gotten away with any ankle damage. I made it to the finish line near Bebside in 03:26:34. It was another slow one but very consistent compared to recent times.

Earlier on in the run I was ironically thinking about the last time I fell over (probably 2009 running with Carlton). I wondered what the chances were of that ever happening again was. Well, if I lose concentration again like I did on mile 13, the chances are high. Lesson learned.

Days 72 and 73 were late starts once again. Both were done on the treadmill in 03:24:11 and 03:29:55 respectively. I had intended to do day 73's half marathon outdoors but a combination of knocked confidence (in cold slippy conditions) and that late start, put paid to it. 

I've got a bit of work to do on Sunday morning but, rest assured, I'll be running in daylight tomorrow! Next week's miles will be a bit tricky. I'll be watching Newcastle play in Barcelona. I've booked some favourably timed flights thankfully. There's just the small matter of fitting in a half marathon before the match on Wednesday. 

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation so far to St. Benedict's Hospice. There hasn't been a week during this campaign where money hasn't come in to the hospice. If you'd like to sponsor me then please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365.

365 - Day 62, 63, 64, 65 and 66

A late finish at work meant that day 62 was done on the treadmill in 03:22:57. That was slightly quicker than average but still way off where I want to be. It's worth repeating that while I'm feeling fitter the fatigue from not having a rest day is really telling. There's a bit of a pattern emerging now. I start off at a decent comfortable pace then tend to drop off around mile 8. This can be even earlier if I start running much later in the day.

Day 63's half marathon was another one of those random, unplanned, twisting and turning routes. The aim was to run around Gosforth, Kenton and Kingston Park before heading to St. James Park for the Newcastle match versus the reds of Manchester.

I haven't done many hills so far during this campaign. The climb up to Kenton was probably the steepest climb I've done so far. Hardly the Rocky Mountains but I'm sure some serious climbs will feature soon enough. 

I was disappointed with a final time of 03:36:02 but that's 63 half marathons and £1399.33 raised so far for St. Benedict's Hospice. 

Day 64 was another later than desired start. The route was from my work location in Gosforth back home. To get the full 13.1 miles in, I decided to run through Wideopen then Cramlington. On the way, I had a near miss with a speeding car on Arcot Lane. It's barely a single track road! I reached the east coast main line crossing and, true to form, the barriers were down. I turned back for a hundred metres or so and back again when the barriers raised. However, as I got close to crossing the barriers came down again. I eventually got back running in the direction of home! 

The 3.5 mile section through Cramlington was the slowest of the lot. There were more grass verges than paths to run on and it was hard going. Even more so with tired, sore legs.

The final 3.5 miles were in complete darkness. I used my iPhone to light the way. The section down to Bedlington Bank near Attlee Park was particularly hazardous. I tried to muster as much pace as I could in order to avoid the passing cars on such a dark bank.

I'd never been so pleased to see Bedlington Front Street! The last mile to my house was very slow. The heavy pack I was carrying containing my laptop and day time clothes seemed to be heavier than when I set off with it. A final time of 03:45:59 was particularly slow but, once again, I'd kept the half marathon streak alive. Donations on day 64 of £97.50 really helped to keep me moving forward. This meant the fund for St. Benedict's Hospice stood at £1496.83.

I waited as long as possible to get day 65's half marathon underway. I didn't start running on the treadmill until 8pm. It's probably the latest I can start without putting the campaign at risk. As a reminder, I have a self imposed cut off time of midnight each day. I've only ever taken more than 4 hours to complete a day so far. That was day 28 in Paris. Even then it was only 45 seconds above 4 hours.

The main reason for starting so late is to, at least spend a bit of time with Donna and Órlaith. Second to that is the need to get as much recovery time as possible.

The day ended on a real high with donations pushing the fund over £1500. The total for St. Benedict's Hospice was £1526.83 (and £340.09 of gift aid on top of that which I never count in my fundraising but it's very worthwhile mentioning now and again). 

Day 66 was yet another run to the match. It was an 8pm kick off so I didn't set off until 15:40. I haven't seen any rain for a while and the sun seems to be featuring more these days. That made for a pleasant start.

By the time I got to mile 7, the temperature started to dip a little. To my right, I noticed what looked like a memorial to a Newcastle fan. "Wilsa 88". When I get more time, perhaps I'll stop and take a closer look.

The now very familiar miles through Wideopen and Gosforth passed without too much drop in pace. The slowest mile was the last mile where I had nothing left in the tank. I reached the finish line (pre match car park spot) in 03:22:22. I felt exhausted and it took longer than usual to get changed in the back of the car before walking to St. James Park for the match.

365 - Day 59, 60 and 61

A nice lie in until 0830 was had on day 59. That gave me a couple of hours before I had to set off for the match. I didn't feel particularly energised going into this one and it showed with a slow first mile. I say slow but it was quicker than average at 14 minutes. After that, I just seemed to get quicker. I had to stuff my hat and gloves inside my jacket such was the warm conditions. It was made even warmer by the effort I was putting in.

Other than mile 4 (also 14 minutes) the rest were between 11 and 13 minutes each. I felt really good. I also felt like a runner again!

I knew I was on for a campaign best time and that really helped to keep me focussed. Miles 7 and 8 around Seaton Burn and Wideopen were the quickest. One eye witness said "You were making some pace". No, seriously they did. Check the Run Geordie Run Facebook page if you don't believe me.

I made it to the finish line at St. Andrews Cemetery in 02:48:43. That was 1 minute 26 seconds quicker than my previous best this year. That was also on this route back on February 7th. The really pleasing thing about day 59 was that the total for St. Benedict's Hospice had reached £1,263.23.

I decided to enjoy a bit of life on day 60. It was Sunday after all. Once I'd done the big shop, time was spent with Órlaith and Donna. The run itself didn't start until 20:00. It took until then for my Sunday dinner to settle! It was a treadmill run done in 03:27:08.

I managed to get away from work at a reasonable time meaning that I set off on day 61 in broad daylight. That's unheard of for a Monday. It was a slow start yet again. The slight incline up to Nedderton probably didn't help matters.

Once I got to Stannington I felt pretty good. It was a nice change to be able to see where I was running on this route without a head torch. The miles to the outskirts of Morpeth ticked by nicely and after a loop around County Hall I turned back towards home.

I was only getting stronger and quicker as I reached Stannington Station Road. Not even a brief wait at the railway crossing was enough to upset my rhythm.

By the time I got to Bedlington I took my foot right off the gas. Rightly or wrongly, this was intentional. The final time of 03:19:54 was just over 5 minutes quicker than the 365 campaign average so far.

As good as the running is going on an upwards trajectory, the most pleasing thing about this campaign is the kindness being shown towards St. Benedict's Hospice. £123 has been donated today (day 61) giving a total so far of £1,386.23. The funds are vital for the hospice. They also serve to remind me that people care about what I'm doing and why. When there are so many dark, cold and lonely miles (799.1 so far), it's amazing to see a donation alert appear on my watch. It's like having virtual road side support. 

The generosity shown last year put Run Geordie Run in the top 0.25% of fundraising pages on Justgiving. I received a similar email today from them to say that the 365 Justgiving page was in the top 10% on their site. My dream of raising half a million pounds for local good causes in memoey of my Mam and Dad is very much alive and kicking. I refuse to rest until that target has been hit. It may take a few years yet but I'm sure that we will get there.

Thanks once again to everyone who has donated and continues to do so. It is at this time of year especially that I think of my Mam spending the final 2 weeks of her life in St. Benedict's Hospice back in 1995. She was taken in by the hospice on 20/02/1995 and lost her brave battle against cancer on 09/03/1995. 

As a 23 year old carer, I don't know what I would have done without the palliative care offered by St. Benedict's Hospice. As I write this, I'm thinking back to those final weeks of my Mam's life. The cancer had spread to her brain and she had began to hallucinate. I remember driving her to the hospice. I think it was the following day when the staff told me that she only had a couple of weeks left to live. 

My Mam was quite alert during the first week. Sadly, the cancer really took hold after that. She spent a lot of time asleep. Possibly sedated. I don't really remember. She never regained consciousness 3 days before she died. I could tell that she was fighting for each breath. I went to visit her after work on 08/03/1995. I then went to the match but returned afterwards to see her one final time. I returned home around midnight only to be called by the hospice that she'd passed away. I returned to see her. She was lying still. She had fought until she could fight no more. 

My immediate thoughts were of gratitude towards the hospice. Her final weeks were dignified and I believe as pain free and comfortable as they possibly could have been.

When I returned home, with my head in my hands, I cried out loud "What am I supposed to do now?". I remember it vividly. Little did I know that I'd be spending the next 31 years repaying the debt of gratitude to St. Benedict's Hospice. That's what I was supposed to do. 

With your help, dear reader, we continue to make a real difference to the lives of people in a similar situation to my Mam and their families. Together with other fundraisers, numerous volunteers, the trustees and the brilliant staff at St. Benedict's Hospice it's a formidable force for good.

If you've made a donation this year or any year, then I hope you feel as proud as I do. You absolutely should.

I often think about what my Mam, and of course my Dad, would have made of it all. I was brought up to make them proud. That's the answer to that question I reckon.

If you'd like to sponsor my efforts to run 365 half marathons in 2026 by making a donation to St. Benedict's Hospice then please visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365.