Saturday 31 October 2009

Week 53, Day 1 - Toughest challenge yet!

Well then! That's a full year of training over with already! Where has the time gone? I'll post a full review of the first 12 months of training later in the week but for now the focus is very much on starting the 2nd year in some style. A very tough style at that!

5 weeks ago (Sunday 20th September) I ran 37 miles from Shotley Bridge to Blyth. That distance took me 09:40:28 to complete and I remember thinking at the time about how good I felt at the end of the run. I'll be attempting that distance and route again tomorrow. In order to keep things interesting I'll be doing everything that I can to complete the run in a quicker time than last time. That is not going to be easy given that heavy rain is forecast all day with a high of 11 degrees Celsius. So with tougher conditions than last time and a time to beat it's certainly going to make for a rather interesting day.

As per usual I'll be using my iPhone to update Twitter with my progress. This in turn automatically updates Facebook. If you follow either of those sites then you'll be able to keep up to date with how I'm getting on. I'll take a few snaps along the way too, which will be visible in the photos section further down on the right hand side of this page.

If I get enough unbroken sleep tonight I'll be aiming for a 10 am start. That start time would make for a 7 - 8 pm finish in the dark and wet streets of Blyth. Any later than that and it will start to become a bit depressing!

For those of you interested in the route, it can be viewed by clicking here. Any messages via Facebook, Twitter or emailed to sponsorship@rungeordierun.com would be greatly appreciated and will probably be the difference between success and failure. Believe you me, 9 hours and 40 minutes is a long time to go without any support. I was very grateful on the last 37 mile run for the messages and kind wishes. It was a throw back to the John O'Groats to Lands End run where I received thousands of messages over the course of 37 days and beyond. Hopefully, there will be more of the same tomorrow. I know you won't let me down!

Run Run Live Interview

I was very honoured recently to be asked to give an interview to the most excellent Run Run Live Podcast. The show is based in the USA and is hosted by Chris Russell.

You can hear or download the interview in episode 93 of the Run Run Live Podcast by clicking here.

Finally catching up with things!

Apologies to my regular readers for the lack of updates but it been manic in the Run Geordie Run camp recently! As I predicted 3 weeks ago, I was in for a hectic time in weeks 50, 51 and 52. Little did I realise at the time that the reason for that would be living in Newcastle while our house is re-decorated. Also, I've spent far too much time in the office than I would have liked.

Living in the City Centre has it's benefits but with me being the Country Mouse that I am I haven't taken to it at all well. This is mainly because getting any lengthy period of unbroken sleep is an impossibility. I've never been so tired! If they say that New York is the city that never sleeps then Newcastle can't be that far behind! Things came to a head (excuse the pun!) last Sunday when I had a massive Migraine. It wasn't until Thursday until the full effects of it had gone and I was able to run again! It wasn't just a lack of sleep that contributed to this most spectacular of headaches. I hadn't had any coffee for 8 days and the withdrawal symptoms, as they have in the past, hit me very very hard. I'm going to stay away from coffee now! Although, I will be still using the energy gels that contain caffeine. I'll see how I get on with those and if there are any adverse effects I'll seek an alternative kind.

We are moving to the Gateshead side of the Quayside on Monday night which will hopefully be quieter. This is about 5 miles from work so, thanks to Katy agreeing to do a few more school runs, I should be able to get a few more miles in over the coming fortnight. Every cloud and all that!

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 52

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Thursday 29th October - 3.2 mile run, Newcastle to Gosforth. (00:28:10). PB!
Thursday 29th October - 3.2 mile run, Gosforth to Newcastle. (00:27:50).

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 51

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Monday 19th October - 6 mile run, Marriot to Gosforth. (01:00:52).
Thursday 22nd October - 3.2 mile run, Newcastle to Gosforth. (00:29:14).
Thursday 22nd October - 3.2 mile run, Gosforth to Newcastle. (00:27:23).
Friday 23rd October - 3.5 mile run, Newcastle to Gosforth. (00:34:26).
Friday 23rd October - 3.5 mile run, Newcastle to Gosforth. (00:32:50).

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 50

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Monday 12th October - 5.1 mile run, Race Course. (00:43:05).
Tuesday 13th October - 6 mile run, Treadmill. (00:49:57).
Tuesday 13th October - 3 mile run, Treadmill. (00:29:51).
Wednesday 14th October - 7.5 mile run, Sandy Lane / Race course. (01:06:42).
Wednesday 14th October - 5.2 mile run, Gosforth to Premier Inn. (00:49:26).
Thursday 15th October - 5.2 mile run, Premier Inn to Gosforth. (00:55:41).
Thursday 15th October - 6.5 mile run, Treadmill. (00:59:34).
Friday 16th October - 6 mile run, Treadmill. (00:55:06).
Friday 16th October - 3.75 mile run, Treadmill. (00:35:14).

Monday 19 October 2009

Not a bad week 50, all things considered!

As planned, last week, I got a lot of shorter quicker runs done. The highlight of which was a 6 mile effort in 00:49:57. I managed to get 48.5 miles done in total which was very pleasing considering there was a small fire in the house and we are living in a hotel until it get's redecorated! You couldn't make it up! Oh and the fact that I spent 6 days in the office had an impact on the training schedule too.

On the plus side, our hotel is much closer to work so I've been able to run to and from the office a lot more. In fact, I'm just about to set off now to get week 51's miles underway.

Sunday 11 October 2009

The plan for weeks 50 - 52

I'll soon be bringing the 1st year of USA 2011 training to a close, but rest assured the next 3 weeks promise to be very tough indeed.

This week's (week 50) planned mileage is 70 miles. For once, I'll be dropping the average distance per session down to allow some shorter faster runs to take place. The average distance that I've been running recently has been 14.7 miles per session. This has proved a lot of things to me and gives me an reasonable indication of where I'm at but is far too high an average mileage at this stage of proceedings. And moreover, at my current weight!

This week, I'll be adding a few treadmill sessions into the schedule. I always run faster on a treadmill and in the past this pace has continued on into my road running. A point which was well proven with a string of PBs this year.

Week 51 will be more of the same. The target this time, though, will be 75 miles. I hope to throw a few hills in for good measure too which will probably be done in the Pennines.

Week 52 will be much the same as last week (week 49). i.e. a couple of personal training sessions and some spinning classes. As an added bonus, I'll be attempting the 37 mile run from Shotley Bridge to Blyth on 31st October. 09:40:28 is the time that I'll be out to beat. If I'm successful at that, then I may consider bringing forward the 2 back to back 32 mile runs that I'd planned to do in January to December.

All in all, it's going to be a hectic 3 weeks. I'll also be aiming to get the fund over the £3,000 mark before the end of week 52. If you'd like to help me do that by buying a t-shirt (£10) or CD (£3) then please get in touch at sponsorship@rungeordierun.com. The full amount goes to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. Nobody other than the 2 charities is making a penny from the sale of those items. Which I think is brilliant personally!

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 49

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Sunday 4th October - 20 mile run, Birtley to Durham and back. (03:39:32).
Monday 5th October - Spinning class. (00:45:00).
Monday 5th October - Personal training session. (01:30:00).
Wednesday 7th October - Personal training session. (01:30:00).
Friday 9th October - Spinning class. (00:45:00).
Saturday 10th October - 9.6 mile run, Blaydon to Shotley Bridge. (01:34:10). PB!

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 48

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Monday 28th October - 13 mile run, Fawdon, Sandy Lane, Longbenton, Heaton, Gosforth Tour. (02:07:13).
Wednesday 30th October - 13 mile run, Fawdon, Sandy Lane, Longbenton, Heaton, Gosforth Tour. (01:57:57). PB!
Saturday 3rd October - Beach Bootcamp. (00:45:00).

Saturday 10 October 2009

Thanks (Part 2)

It's time to continue the series of "Thank yous" to another member of the extended Run Geordie Run team. I now turn my attention to a guy who has given up a lot of spare time for the cause; artist and designer, Brian Wells.

Brian was responsible for creating the Run Geordie Run logo. He actually produced a selection of 5 different logos and the current one was chosen after a lot of deliberation. Brian's work didn't stop there either. Soon after the logo choice was finalised he designed the Run Geordie Run t-shirts. The t-shirts have so far yielded over £1,300 for the 2 charities and will continue to bring in funds over the next few years (more on that in a subsequent blog post).

More recently, Brian produced the artwork for the Run Geordie Run CD front cover and also polished up the concept artwork for the CD body produced by Simon Kelly (more on Simon in a subsequent blog post). In the first few weeks, the CDs have so far yielded over £150 for the 2 charities. Just like the t-shirts I'll be selling these over the next few years. And of course, they are available as a download from cdbaby.com and they will soon be available on iTunes.

So, I'm sure you'll agree, that Brian's contribution has been a valuable one and the time and effort that he has put in will continue to help raise funds for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation over the next few years. Thanks Brian.

Thursday 8 October 2009

The Weigh In - Now on YouTube

The latest weigh in is now on line at YouTube for your viewing pleasure. It's a bit rough and ready but I'm learning more and more each time that I create a video.

Monday 5 October 2009

Thanks (Part 1)

I've got a long line of blog posts that I need to write at the minute and the next in line is a series of thank yous to various people. There is so much good work and support going on behind the scenes and you'll soon realise what a great team effort this is as I write and thank those kind folk who have made a valuable contribution to the cause. I'll spread these blog posts over the coming days but starting today is a thank you to THE EXILES (aka Tim Readman (left) and Alan Millen (below right)). Tim is based in Canada and Alan in Switzerland. Which is where they get their name from I guess!

Regular readers will remember that Tim and Alan sent me 2 of their CDs to listen to during the 874 mile run from John O'Groats to Lands End back in 2007. Click here to read in greater detail about what happened back then. In a nutshell, I contacted the lads back in July last year and they were kind enough to agree to write and record a couple of songs in the spirit of the next big run across the USA in 2011. We exchanged emails and after putting my thoughts into what I'd like the songs to be about it seemed like no time at all before Alan came up with a draft set of lyrics. These were tweaked very slightly and a rough recording was made before Alan then sent them over to Tim to do his stuff in the studio.

I took delivery of the final songs in July 2009. The first track I listened to was Runner on a Lonely Road. Within the first 10 seconds of listening to it I couldn't believe just how catchy it was. Brilliant! This was a song that delivered a message of never ever giving up and getting to the finish line against all the odds! Intertwined in all of that was also a message that the run would be done in memory and dedication of those people who were dearly important to the runner. This is evident in the lines of the song that start "I'll go another mile for.....".

Next up was Beneath The Angel's Wings Once More. This beautifully written and performed piece is a lot slower in tempo than the first track and opens with the line "I'm a Geordie Boy a long way from home....". It tells a story of a lad on a very testing journey and once again there is a theme of sheer determination and of never giving up which is explained lyrically as "..no surrender, no turning back". If the first song was about the run itself then this song talks more about the return home to the North East of England. "and when it's over, I'll walk through that old familiar door, home at last, the day I stand, beneath the angel's wings once more." is a line I certainly look forward to being a reality.

If there's one thing that you soon realise when you listen to the Exiles' songs it's that they don't half know how to relay a good story. Back this up with that seemingly familiar Geordie "twang" in Tim's vocals and you've got a recipe for some quality tunes that us common Tyneside folk can really relate to and in our mind's eye be a part of.

It was interesting to hear Alan's take on things just after he'd heard the songs for the first time:

"It has been many years since I read The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
and saw the movie with Tom Courtenay, but that book title and some of the imagery from the film helped spark the lyrics. I wanted to underscore the sense of sheer determination that keeps a runner going beyond the pain and fatigue barrier.

The Angel of the North was the central inspiration for Beneath The Angel's Wings Once More, especially given its powerful symbolism for anyone returning to The North after having been away. Including the Northumbrian pipes really drives that point home for me."

Also, just as interesting is listening to Tim as he talks about creating the melody to Alan's lyrics:

"As soon as I got my teeth into Runner on a Lonely Road I knew it was going to be an anthem. Beneath the Angel’s Wings Once More took a bit longer to get into but once the melody came to me it all flowed from that. Bill Buckingham had a huge part to play in the arrangements and production of the tunes. I hope loads of people download the tunes and contribute to the cause and I hope the songs inspire you to keep on running! Howay the Lad!!!"

The Run Geordie Run CD by The Exiles is available for a minimum donation of £3. This can be paid at either www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1 (St Benedict's Hospice) or www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2 (The Children's Foundation). Then drop me a line at rungeordierun@googlemail.com with your address and I'll pop a CD in the post. The songs are also available to download as a pair from www.cdbaby.com/cd/exiles2 at $2.58 with about $1.94 going to the 2 charities. That's about £1.21 at today's exchange rate.

So I'm sure you'll agree that Tim and Alan aka THE EXILES are due a great deal of thanks. Thanks, that is, for contributing all of their time, materials, studio costs and effort for no charge whatsoever and producing 2 wonderful and very marketable songs for 2 very worthwhile local charities. I fully expect these songs to sell very well over the coming years and make a real difference to the overall fund. By doing that, of course, they will make a real difference to people's lives in our region. Thanks lads!

Retest needed!

Mixed news tonight as the results of the body composition test were skewed by the lunchtime Spinning class that I took part in. The only reliable result was the weight reading which showed a 4.5 pound loss since the last weigh in 3 weeks ago. What that loss is made up of is unknown. It could well be a loss of lean weight and a gain of fat weight for example. I'll have to wait until Wednesday for a retest. I'll keep you posted.

Sunday 4 October 2009

A fun week 49 ahead!

Week 49 got off to a great start today with a 20 mile run from Birtley to Durham and back. Mike Lewis provided the company and the time seemed to fly by as we completed the course in 03:39:32. That time was about par for the course for me but very slow for Mike. After a rough calculation I think I would have been on for a sub 5 hour marathon distance which would have been a PB for me.

As I said, it was a great start to week 49 where the target is 30 miles with some gym sessions and Spinning classes. The pressure is well and truly off this week and I'm simply going to enjoy it.

I should say that there will be 5 minutes of this week that I probably won't enjoy. I'll be getting a body composition test tomorrow before the 90 minute gym session with Mark Fleming. I'll be videoing the whole thing and once I've edited the swear words out and CGI'd the looks of disgust into smiley faces I'll put it on the blog.

Friday 2 October 2009

Run Geordie Run - Charity songs now available!

One evening in July 2008 brought about a brain wave as I rode my bike home from work listening to The Exiles on my iPod. As I put it in an article on this blog back then: "All of a sudden I had a flash of inspiration! I thought it would be an amazing idea if I could get the Exiles to write and record a song for the next big run.

My initial idea was for it to be used in the regular videos and podcasts I intend to send back from the USA in 2011. "Why stop there" I thought! We could make this a charity song, sell it as a download and in the shops and proceeds could be split between The Children's Foundation and St Benedict's Hospice. Genius!".

Well 12 months later, after the hard work and dedication of Alan Millen and Tim Readman (aka The Exiles) the dream has become a reality. They have written and recorded 2 songs in support of the run across the USA and they are now available to buy in CD format as well as from a download site.

The CD is available for a minimum donation of £3. This can be paid at either www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun1 (St Benedict's Hospice) or www.justgiving.com/rungeordierun2 (The Children's Foundation). Then drop me a line at rungeordierun@googlemail.com with your address and I'll pop it in the post. The beauty of buying on CD is that the full £3 goes to the charities. This is thanks to Tim and Alan for donating all of their time for free, not to mention the studio time that was used. Oh and thanks must also go to Simon Kelly, Brian Wells and Fraser Scott who contributed towards the photography, artwork and printing.

The songs are also available to download as a pair from www.cdbaby.com/cd/exiles2 at $2.98 with about $2.23 going to the 2 charities. That's about £1.39 at today's exchange rate.

I'll add a piece about The Exiles over the weekend. In the meantime, why not get in touch for a CD or download the tracks. Thanks in anticipation of your continued, wonderful support.