Saturday 29th October 2011

First long run day!  Up before 6am with butterflies and out in the dark at 7am to run through the dawn.  My plan was to run the flat and the down the hills but to walk up the hills and also to eat and drink through the run (which is something I'm not good at).  My plan worked well and in fact on my split times my fastest mile was mile 13 when I got the benefit of a mile ten eccles cake that gave me a wonderful energy boost that allowed me to open my legs a little.

Towards the end of the run I met a guy walking the lanes who had walked from Stoke-on-Trent that morning (a distance of about 30 miles) and was heading off to Snowdon (about 70 miles further).  He was planning to wild camp for a few days then walk back.  He was a nice guy and he gave me the gift of humility in case I was tempted to be too pleased about my smooth 15 miler! (well... I thought it was smooth but this mile 14 photo might imply otherwise!).

I finished off by icing my legs in the shower with freezing cold water pounding them until they were like two painful blocks of granite hanging off my buttocks!  But then I treated myself to about half an hour in a deep hot bath.  Lovely!

No stretching after these long runs to avoid damaging weakened muscles.

For hydration I used two bottles of lucozade sport and they were effective in keeping me going and giving me energy but they are not practical for the desert.  So one of my goals for the next few weeks is to find a powdered supplement that I can add to water and easily carry.  Likewise for energy bars; as much as I love eccles cakes are they aren't really designed for the desert!

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg

Today 
Distance 15.40 miles
Time  2:44:17
Kcal  1730
Elevation 775 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0m
Sauna  0 mins

Total
Distance 43.39 miles
Time  7:42:11
Kcal  4019
Elevation 1779 ft
Press-ups 20
Swimming 1000m
Sauna  15 mins

CHARITY HURTS!!
In myself I felt great!  Lots of energy and strength, even towards the end I was having to force myself to stay slow because my legs wanted to go quicker.  However a couple of minor injuries gave me some trouble.  Firstly my toe was really painful and I had to be a little more aggressive with the scissors to cut away more of the nail.  I also had some pain in my lower left leg that caused me to limp a little at the end of the run.  I treated it with some ibuprofen gel after the run and will keep an eye on it.

DONATE NOW!!!!
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on
myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell
over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP; an amazing
charity who help those born with learning difficulties to live a
normal life and to enjoy the same opportunities and choices that the
rest of us take for granted.

Be an awesome human being today and click on the link below and help
make someone's life better.

Thank you.  You really ARE awesome.

www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet