Every mile counts in June for Useful Vision

They are all at it now! My sponsors that is with some superb incentive based sponsorship schemes designed to help me train and eat better as I prepare for the next segment of the Run Around The World starting in Belgrade in May 2018 and finishing 2900 miles and 100 days later in Astana, Kazakhstan. There's already £1000 in the bag for Useful Vision from SOS Group and another £1000 up for grabs should I shed another 10 pounds of fat weight by 13th June.

This time it's a huge thank you to the sponsor of this blog, D-Line Cable Management, for setting me a huge challenge to be undertaken in June.

D-Line Cable Management's challenge is simple in concept but is going to be very difficult to achieve  in terms of getting the most money possible for Useful Vision, my chosen charity for 2017. The challenge is to run as many miles as possible in June and in return D-Line Cable Management will donate £2 for each mile ran. So the question is, just how much money can I possibly raise as part of this scheme? 

My personal record for the further distance ran in a calendar month is 1,069 miles. That was set exactly a year ago during the run across Europe. It was the section from Lisbon to Andorra which included some huge climbs in the Pyrenees. I've never managed more than 158 miles in a calendar month in training. That personal record was set back in September 2009.

Given those previous distances ran I wonder that with a full time job and family commitments if it is beyond me to run 300 miles in June. That would see a £600 donation from D-Line Cable Management to Useful Vision which would be brilliant.

Whatever distance I manage to run in June, a huge thank you must go to D-Line Cable Management for their continued brilliant support. Follow the progress on the Run Geordie Run Facebook page to see how I get on in June.

Brilliant backing from my sponsors

Wherever there is charity cash up for grabs I have always worked incredibly hard to deserve it. I'm grateful beyond words for the donations that have come in for St Benedict's Hospice, The Children's Foundation, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and now Useful Vision. I'm also very grateful that so many kind people have followed the different journeys that I have made so far around the world. It all adds up to amazing support and because of it I stand a really good chance of succesfully running 20,000 miles around the world and raising 1/2 million pounds for local good causes.

The problem I've been faced with in the past is that in between the major events across the likes of the USA, Australia and Europe I don't perform as well as I could and should in training. This can also be extended to not eating the right types of food also. Regular followers may remember that I started the run across the USA at 18.5 stone (117.5 kg). That's the picture below on the left. The picture on the right was taken 100 days and 3100 miles later! 

So what can be done differently as I prepare to run unsupported from Belgrade to Astana? The answer is easy - train harder and wiser and eat properly. Easier said than done. Incentivise that with some charity cash and I'm sure I'd do it.

For starters, in April, my main sponsor SOS Group Ltd, set me a challenge of losing 10 pounds of body fat in 4 weeks. Personal trainer David Fairlamb oversaw the start and end weigh ins and I'm pleased to report that I lost 10.5 pounds of fat in 3 weeks and 3 days. As a result of hitting this target, SOS Group were generous enough to donate £1000 to Useful Vision, my chosen charity for 2017. A huge thank you to SOS Group for their amazing generosity and continued support. 

As a result of SOS's support in April/May another one of my sponsors, Fresh Freight Group, have got in on the act and have set me a challenge of yet again losing 10 pounds of fat weight in 4 weeks. I'm now half way through this one and the final weigh in will be on the 13th June. If successful, Fresh Freight Group will also donate £1000 to Useful Vision. 

I'm sure you'll agree that the support from my sponsors so far during this campaign has been brilliant. Thanks so much to SOS Group and Fresh Freight Group. Now it's down to me to burn some fat!

If you'd also like to make a donation to local vision impaired children's charity Useful Vision then this can be done at www.virginmoney.com/rungeordierun.

To find out more about the brilliant work that Useful Vision undertakes with children then please visit their Facebook page or website.