Day 119 was a run from work in Gosforth back home to Bedlington. I didn't make the same mistake as last week, opting to leave my backpack in the office. It was a glorious afternoon and the sun shone brightly down on me. What a difference compared to all of those dark, wet and miserable days during the early stages of the 365 campaign.
It was a very steady (aka slow) start as I made my way casually up the Great North Road. Once I got to the Seaton Burn roundabout I decided to pick the pace up. This has happened on numerous occasions on this section (both north and southbound). It's a wide road with a decent surface. The oncoming traffic forces you to concentrate which in turn helps the pace (I've no idea why).
I took my foot off the gas at mile 9, then even more at mile 11. I coasted home through Stannington and completed the 13.1 miles in 03:16:10. It was another comfortable one where I left enough in the tank to do it all again the next day!
I managed to finish work at a decent time on day 120. The planned route was from Gosforth to the airport and back. It was another warm one but I'm pleased to report that I felt very acclimatised to the conditions.
I ventured through Woolsington and onto a trail. I came out of the other side in a place I'd never ran before. I went a little further and spotted a "no pedestrians sign". I was just about to turn back when a guy in a car pulled alongside and said that "you shouldn't be here". I apologised and headed back towards Woolsington.
I maintained a slow pace all the way to mile 9 which is when I decided to put my foot down a bit. I was due to meet my team in the pub in Gosforth so there was an incentive to get back in good time. The last 5 miles flew over and after a quick shower at work I made it to the pub just as the team were tucking in to their first pint. My time of 03:08:00 was incentivised by only my second beer of the year. Perhaps I should go to the pub more often!
Day 121 was a late start on the treadmill. Beginning a half marathon close to 8:30pm when there's a self imposed midnight cut off is risky. All it would take it some cramp or running out of energy to jeopardise the whole campaign. Thankfully, I finished this one in 03:11:36 leaving 30 minutes spare on day 121.
I woke up feeling very tired and groggy on day 122. My run to the match was at risk of being delayed as a result. I instead chose to get dropped off near Newcastle Great Park and run to St. James Park. My intention was just to do a couple of miles, watch the match then run the majority afterwards.
As soon as I got the first mile complete, I felt a lot better. With that in mind, I decided to do a random tour around the west end of Newcastle and then go to the game. I ended up running 8.5 miles which left 4.6 to do afterwards.
The miles afterwards were very straightforward but very slow. A final time of 03:44:37 was not the best but given how rotten I felt at the start of the day I was very pleased to have finished in daylight leaving plenty of recovery time for the next day.
You can see from the route below where I decided to head further after mile 1 instead of running direct to St. James Park.
Day 123 started at 8.30pm on Sunday night. I literally left it until the last possible minute to get going on the treadmill. A time of 03:09:58 left just over 20 minutes before the midnight cut off.
With a 3rd of the 365 campaign over, it appears that using my intended year off to continue to fundraise for St. Benedict's Hospice is paying off. The kindness and generosity being shown is quite something. £3,525.11 has been raised so far this year. There is still a long way to go to hit the much needed target of £20,000 for the hospice.
St. Benedict's Hospice are desperate for financial support from the general public. I'd hate to think that some of their vital services wouldn't be able to continue. It's not just the palliative care offered to people in the region with life limiting illnesses that is of vital importance. It's the likes of their counselling services, day care, complimentary therapy, patient transport and bereavement support for families that rely on public donations to continue. It's with that in mind that I decided to carry out this year's fundraising challenge. My feet will have plenty of time to rest in future years!
