I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the support of David Fairlamb Fitness for the last 15 years. We’ve been through an awful lot together. I doubt I would have finished the run across the USA in 2011 on time if it wasn’t for his two stints on the support team (along with Mark and Steve aka The Big Guns).
I’ll be working with Dave for the run across the USA in 2025. The first official session for this campaign is tomorrow at 0630 where we’ll take some stats (weight, body fat etc) before I get started.
The high level plan is to reach the “fighting weight” and desired body composition before summer 2024. This will give me a full 12 months of being able to run the high back to back miles in training in preparation for the run starting in May 2025.
For a normal man in the street, I’ve always considered my training to be of a really high standard. The frequency, intensity and load that I’ve managed around work, family life, football and planning the epic runs has served me well so far.
For the run in 2025, with the support of Dave, I feel the training will take care of itself. Not without considerable discipline, effort and sacrifice mind.
What won’t take care of itself, however, is the all important food aspect of my preparation. In all these years, I have never once got that right. The image below is one I’ve looked at a lot over the years. The left side is me at 18.5 stone and 33% body fat on day three of the run across the USA in 2011. That picture was taken in the Outpost Cafe where I’ll be visiting (with a lot of luck) on day 97 in 2025. The right side is me at 88kg and 5.8% body fat after the run finished.
As well as the usual superb guidance in training, I’ll be working much closer with Dave on nutrition. That’s all well and good, but it’s down to me to do something that I’ve never managed before. To eat the right food, in the right quantities with a large serving of discipline. What can possibly go wrong!
A huge thank you to Dave (and trainer Mark Fleming too) for the support that is so important in the build up to running 3100 miles from New York to Death Valley to Huntington Beach, California in 100 days.
