Day 124 saw me venture down to the river Wansbeck again. It's 3.5 miles to the river from my house through Bedlington, Choppington, Guide Post and Stakeford. The first spot of wildlife was a nesting swan. Then there were the ducks followed swiftly by a Grey Heron (I think). If anything was going to take my mind off running for 124 consecutive days then it was these incredible sights.
Slightly down the river was a swan who cast an amazing reflection on what was a very still early evening. The thing that amazes me about the river Wansbeck is how quiet it is. I've only ever seen a handful of people all the way from Sheepwash Road down to the mouth of the river. Oh and what about these place names in south Northumberland. Tremendous.
I put my foot down a bit for the 3 miles that it took to cross the river. The north bank of the river is quite undulating. It's a mix of tarmac followed by stones.
Before I crossed the river I was treated to a sight of as many swans as I've ever seen in one place. I simply though how lucky I was to have this amazing sight virtually on my doorstep.
The route south of the river took me along the coastal path through Cambois (pronounced CAM-ISS). I then took a right hand turn at the 8 mile point. This is next to where the old Blyth power Station was. I had a job interview there once for my year out from university. It was definitely one of those sliding door moments. I didn't get the job but I did get a better one which was working on the same technology that I still use today. If I didn't get turned down for the job then my life would have been so much different. I don't think Run Geordie Run would ever have existed for starters.
I reached the outskirts of Bedlington just as the light was fading. My energy levels were also fading and the final 3 miles were very slow. Yet again, however, I'd completed another half marathon distance. This one took 03:27:21 to complete with that drop off over the last few miles really costing me.
Day 127 started four hours after I'd originally planned to. That's work for you! With not much fuel in the tank and a heavy backpack this was the now very familiar route from Gosforth through Wideopen, Stannington and Nedderton before reaching home in Bedlington.
This one was the slowest for a while at 03:29:21. I wrote on the Run Geordie Run page "Day 127 with a heavy pack starting a good 4 hours than I’d hoped saw a 9pm finish. What a difference the light nights make.
With Take That blasting on the iPod and very pleasant temperatures, this particular half marathon was one of the good ones. It really helped that a donation to St. Benedict’s Hospice was made just before I set off! As ever, the generosity remains the best fuel for running (and Take That helps too)."
Day 128 was yet another 8pm start done on the treadmill. It was the quickest for some time at 03:11:14.
Day 129 was supposed to be the one where I had some running company. I was due to run with support man Carlton, starting off with a Park Run then adding another 10.1 miles. Unfortunately, a headache and vomiting (which Donna reckoned the neighbours at the end of the street could hear) put paid to that. It was another 8pm start on the treadmill and a final time of 03:08:01.
Day 130 was a difficult one logistically so was done in three sections. The first 3 miles were done in Bedlington with 2 miles around Wetherby Services (while waiting for the car to charge). I added a further 3 miles in Nottingham before the match. The final 5.1 miles were done on the treadmill when I got back home at 9pm.
After 130 consecutive days of running half marathons, I've managed to run 1703 miles. Running shoes pair number 4 are on their last legs so I’ll be switching to a new pair at some point soon.
In other news, I saw some stats from St. Benedict’s Hospice this week which highlights the impact of their services on people with life limiting illnesses and their families.
“Here are just a few examples of how we have supported our Patients in the last 12 months:
💙We cared for 4,000 patients across Day Services, Therapies, Counselling and In-Patient Unit.
💛We made more than 5,500 Patient Transport Trips.
💙We fulfilled more than 75 dedicated patient comfort requests.
💛Counselling provided 1196 hrs. of sessions to bereaved adults and children.
💙Our Occupational and Complementary therapists helped 140 people.”
That’s a staggering set of figures. All of that doesn’t mention the costs of running a palliative care facility including keeping the lights on, paying staff and all of the nuts and bolts that are needed to keep St. Benedict’s Hospice providing such expert care. I dread to think about a world without hospice care.
That’s why if you have made a donation then you should be very proud to have made an important contribution.
I think of it like a big jigsaw. Along with all the other volunteers, what we do is such a small piece of the puzzle. But without that piece, then the picture is not complete.
Thank you to everyone who has sponsored my mission to run 365 half marathons this year. If you’d like to do so then please visit www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun365.
