Breakfast today was brought to me in association with Jeff James. He also sponsored a “spill free” RV waste dump, much to Steve’s delight. I opened some smashing birthday cards and was delighted with a card from Alan Shearer as well as some from friends, family, colleagues and The Men of Steel themselves (The cycling team I ride with each year).
I had decided, rather spontaneously, to run a whopping 40 miles on my 40th birthday. I decided to make the miles go quicker by thinking about each year of my life as each mile went by. It was a case of guess work for the first few years that corresponded to my baby years. Before I knew it, I had managed to run 10 miles, albeit very slowly. Steve joined me for a few miles at this point while Shelli went in search of some pasta for lunch. Shelli spotted us at the 15 mile point and I waved her on as I felt really strong and the pace was very decent. “But it’ll get cold” she said. “Stick it in the ice box, for all I care” I shouted back. I’ve been guilty, in the past, of stopping for a break on this run when I’ve felt really strong. I no longer make this mistake, so a bonus 2 miles was ran, to get to 17 miles before lunch.
As soon as I’d eaten lunch (sponsored by Robin Smith), it was time to get going again. I wanted to see Katy and Jack, back at the RV, at a decent time so there was no time for hanging around. Shelli then joined me for 2 slow miles while my lunch digested. Steve then took over and we ran through a very busy Jacksonville and onto the familiar farm roads.
I was really struggling at the 27 mile point and the miles were chugging by so slowly. Steve was slightly in the distance and I really struggled to keep up with him. It’s just the same on the Men of Steel bike rides we’ve done in the past!
Once the 30 mile point was passed I started to feel a lot stronger. By 35 miles I was running much quicker and the pace increased all the way to 40 miles. The last mile was done in a 10 minutes. What a way to end a record breaking day. The most I’ve ever ran in the past was 39 miles. To hit 40 miles, especially on my 40th birthday, was a brilliant feeling. The fact that Katy and Jack were here too made it all that extra special. A lot of credit goes to Steve today who ran an impressive 28 miles with me. The banter from mile 35 was top notch and really got me going again.
This great day didn’t end at the 40 mile point though. Katy had figured out how to make toast (sponsored by Robin Smith) in the RV’s oven. Oh how I had missed this simple delecacy!
I must say a huge thank you to everyone who made a donation today. The fund now sits at over £43,000. Thanks also to nufc.com for an article which really made my day. It’s definitely one of the more memoreable birthdays that I’ve had!
Today's miles were dedicated to the memory of my parents. They both lost battles fighting lung cancer. I'm sure they would have been proud as punch at today's effort.
