Friday 11th November 2011

Armistice Day.  I think everyone's thoughts are on greater things today.  The fallen.  They have my respect and my gratitude.  May their souls rest in peace.

It seems inadequate to publish a running blog on this day of days but I will maintain my post-a-day record with a description of today's training.

Having woken up in the night with a sore shin I decided to err on the side of caution this morning and go swimming instead of running.  So I hit the gym at 6:30 and put in a decent 60 lengths and some spells in the, newly repaired, sauna too.  Swimming is lovely exercise and I'd like to do a lot more of it but the book I'm reading now (Relentless Forward Progress - A guide to ultramarathons) talks endlessly about "specificity of training".  Which basically means that to train for a running event, I need to run!!  Makes sense I guess.

But the swimming was fun and it took my total swimming distance to over 6 Km which is pretty tidy if you ask me :)

I snuck out for a late lunchtime run.  Just a trot around the lanes.  It was an enjoyable run up until the point that someone nearly ran me down.  I was passing a turning down to a farm and behind me I could hear a vehicle.  I turned to see a landrover with a trailer some way back.  As I carried on I heard it accellerate quite sharply and I thought it a bit reckless because it's quite a narrow lane but with the turning just in front of me I knew I could cut into there to make room for him to pass.

Anyway, the vehicle and I both reached the turning at the same time.  It was now going quite fast.  Suddenly, to my shock, it swung sharply left and turned into the lane.  I had to come to an immediate halt and if I had lost my balance I'd have gone under it's wheels.  As it was the body of the trailer missed my head by just a few inches.  Unreal.  I ran off with imaginative thoughts of revenge but by the time I'd got back to the flat I was pretty calm about it and limited myself to posting a Specsavers advert on Facebook and leaving it at that.

All told a quiet day today.  Ready for a long one early tomorrow morning.

Peace, out!

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 81.2 Kg

TODAY
Distance 3.06 miles
Time  0:28:10
Kcal  342
Elevation 314 ft
Press-ups 0
Swimming 1500 m
Sauna  20 mins

TOTAL
Distance 116.62 miles
Time  20:24:44
Kcal  12217
Elevation 4288ft
Press-ups 320
Swimming 6250 m
Sauna  1:50 mins

CHARITY HURTS!!
Oh no!!!  My left shin hurts.  I'm hoping it's not the dreaded splints.  I'll take it easy today and tomorrow's long run will be pitifully slow.  I've got plenty of Deep Heat on it now and if I can eek it out until payday I'll have a swish new pair of trail shoes to protect it.  :)

FUNDRAISING
My sponsorship is now up to £331 on http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/pitymyfeet.  Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored!!

I heard today that Mencap have dispatched my fundraising pack so I should have posters and other materials soon.  I'm slightly dispirited though after phoning Wrexham and Shropshire councils to apply for street collection licenses.  I had hoped to get out in the Christmas crowds and liberate a few pennies for a good cause but the process is a lot more time consuming that I anticipated.  Certainly
within Shropshire I cannot even apply for a permit for 2011.  I have to go into a ballot with all the charities looking to collect in 2012.  The lady I need to speak to in Wrexham will not be back until
Monday but I fear the process will be the same.  I may need to re-think this element of my fundraising plan.
Feel free to contact me with any fundraising ideas you have.  You can email me at:
miffjacobs@hotmail.com

DONATE

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