Wednesday 8th February 2012 - Loneliness of the Long Distance Fundraiser

I like to keep this blog mostly about running because it's what I love to do.  From the outside the runners experience can seem like a dubious pleasure, full of pain, fatigue, cold, hunger, danger at times!  But it is also incredibly rewarding.  We run through the rain on dark roads with aching limbs and cramping bellies because doing so fills us with a fire and a sense of being alive that the rest of our day sometimes fails to deliver.  All of us runners know that the tough runs of winter build the fitness that will see us stride through the flowering of spring and into the joy of summer with strength and energy.

Running, like life, is full of ups and downs.  Living in hilly North Wales I often feel like my running has more ups than downs, literally.  The other side of my challenge, the fundraising side, also has it's ups and downs.

For every hard run with sore legs that I've done I've spent an equal amount of time trying to raise money for Mencap.  Posing for unflattering photos in the local paper, walking around delivering leaflets, standing in the freezing cold in the town centre rattling a collection tin.  These are tough times and I've been incredibly grateful for every single donation.  To all of you who have sponsored me - thank you.  I truly appreciate every single penny that is donated.

This week I have had my first corporate donations, one from a company called Berendsen who specialist in hygiene and workware products, primarily for the healthcare and hospitality arena; and the other from my mother's employer, Rowan Foods.  I am so grateful for these donations and I hope to gain many more before I set foot in the desert.

In these tough times I am constantly humbled by the generosity of friends and strangers alike.  Thank you.

If you would like to support my efforts and donate money to Mencap then please click on the "donate now" button in the side bar, or use the Text Giving details above to donate directly from your mobile. If you prefer to donate cash or cheque then please contact me at miffjacobs@hotmail.com and we can make the arrangements.
Thank you.  Peace, out.

Sunday 5th February 2012 - 31 miles

Total so far: £853.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

So, after yesterday's 29 mile effort I woke up in a little hotel room in Llangollen with the same distance ahead of me home.  Actually a longer distance.  For my own confidence and peace of mind I wanted to break the 30 mile barrier that had beaten me in Anglesey two weeks ago.  So I made the decision to run on, past my home and down the road to my parents house for dinner, adding an extra two miles to the route and thus taking me over the psychological 30 mile barrier.

But as I got ready in the morning all that was a long way ahead of me.  I ate a good cooked breakfast and drank four cups of coffee; a decision I would come to regret!

Like yesterday I decided to walk the first three miles to loosen up my muscles and avoid running on hard roads.  I was a good minute per mile slower even on these early miles than yesterday and my legs were tired and painful almost from the off.  At the start of mile 4 I leant forward onto my toes and began running.  With the fatigue and the weight of my pack I ran like someone on a planet with far stronger gravity.  But all the same I did 6 miles at sub 12 mpm before the Chirk tunnel forced me to walk and a stop to re-fill my water bottle gave me a 21 minute mile.  I ran/walked for a couple of miles then at about 15 mpm before upping the running for 3 miles of 12 mpm before another water stop at 17 miles slowed me down again.

I ran on until the 20 mile mark by which time my ankles and calves were so painful and weak I felt certain that I was one mishap away from an injury.  I am so determined to avoid injury at this stage that I was walking way more than running by this point.  As is evidenced by my pace records, showing me averaging around 17 or 18 minute miles.

The final two miles were on busy, darkening roads with no pavements so a lot of time spent avoiding the traffic.

At the finish I had done 31 miles on the day and 60 miles over the weekend.  I was broken.  At dinner I just sat in a heap of pain and exhaustion.  My brain was befuddled and my enthusiasm gone.  I feel like I've taken a huge leap forward though in my preparation for the Marathon des Sables.  I've proved to myself that I can do long distances, albeit very slowly!  I took on the biggest physical challenge of my life and I did it.  Without any fuss or external motivation - just me, and my determination not to give up.  I am actually rather proud of myself.

It was also great fun.  The kind of adventure you dream about as a kid.  At one point near the end of the run I got a view back over the plain from Hanmer to Chirk and the smoke rising from the Cadbury Factory, far far in the distance.  To think that my own legs had carried me here from many miles past the other side of that smoke.  It was quite humbling.

My plans now for this week are Recovery Recovery Recovery.  I will probably have some sauna time and maybe a few short runs but mostly I want to allow my body to repair the damage inflicted this weekend and come back stronger for the next escalation in two weeks.  I haven't yet decided what it will be but at some point I want to break the 50 mile mark in a single run so I may hit that in two
week's time.

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 78.9 Kg

TODAY
Distance 31.0 miles
Time  8:05:00 hrs
X-Trainer 0 hrs
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  0 mins

TOTAL
Distance 464.22 miles
Time  90:24:53
X-Trainer 17:41 hrs
Press-ups 620
Swimming 13,000 m
Sauna  7:35 hrs

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
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.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs
and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Saturday 4th February - 29 miles to hotel

Total so far: £853.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

When I reflect back on my training I think I will come to view the Anglesey Ultra two weeks ago as the start of a new, more extreme, phase.  And after what was essentially a two week respite of fewer miles and more rest today marked another escalation in my efforts.  My plan was simple.  I booked a hotel room just the other side of Llangollen and I would run there on Saturday, and run back again on Sunday.

So it was that I set out about 8:30am from Hanmer.  The first 3 miles were on roads and I chose to walk over that ground to avoid aggravating my injuries (which were still painful despite the relative low mileage of the last two weeks).  I kept a reasonable pace of under 16 mpm walking and then I started running once I got on the canal.  I felt really good and strong and barring a couple of stops to re-fill my water bottle I kept around 11mpm all the way until mile 18 when I took an enforced walk break through the Chirk tunnel.

I took a stop at mile 19 because I was getting too cold and I boiled my kettle and had a pot noodle and a big mug of coffee before moving on at walking pace for a while to let my belly catch up.  From there on it was run/walk for the last 10 miles and my average pace fluctuated from sub 12 up to 20 mpm.  Mostly it was around 15mpm.

The route was beautiful.  From the bucolic tranquillity of the Ellesmere lakelands to the drama of the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct.  I love running along the canal.  It's always so peaceful and the people are so friendly.  Everyone says hello!  It's also very flat!

The temperatures were low and I was getting cold very quickly at every stop. The paths were occasionally slippy with ice and I had some trouble keeping my footing, especially once my legs began to tire at around 15 or 16 miles. 

Eventually I got into Llangollen and after a quick stop in the Spar (because I'd forgotten my toothbrush) I headed up the road to the hotel.  The last mile was not so nice because it was on narrow roads with no pavement and thus every approaching car brings fear.  People, please slow down for runners... it's scary for us when you drive so fast and so close!!

So that was it, 29.2 miles.  The longest run of my life so far.  I knew that in training for an event like the Marathon des Sables I would push myself to my limits and so this was part of it.  But even after 29 miles I felt that I'd kept within myself.  I was tired and exhausted at the finish but not broken.  I knew I had more to give and that will be essential on the event itself; where every day will bring a challenge greater than the day before.

I felt wonderful at the end of the run although a hot (well, warm) bath revealed that I had rubbed away some skin in a place where no man should ever be injured.  That blinding agony aside I felt fit, strong and sure.  It's a nice feeling.  I had a couple of beers in the bar at the hotel and a game pie (frankly, the word pie gave it a dignity and credibility that the food itself did not deserve).  It was early to bed then for some active recovery ready for the challenge of running home the next day.

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 78.9 Kg

TODAY 
Distance 29.2 miles
Time  6:55:32 hrs
X-Trainer 0 hrs
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  20 mins

TOTAL
Distance 433.22 miles
Time  82:19:53
X-Trainer 17:41 hrs
Press-ups 620
Swimming 13,000 m
Sauna  7:35 hrs

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
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.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Saturday 28th January 2012 - 13.5 Miles and Town Centre Collection

Total so far: £850.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

A little late with the blog again.  This was my collection day in Wrexham.  I had originally devised a 30 mile route via Ellesmere and along the canal to Trevor then down the road to Wrexham but when the alarm went off (at 2:30am!) I felt dreadful and decided to lower my target for the day!  And so it was that I set out at 7:30 with 8Kg in my pack and a much shorter run in mind.

I took a slightly unusual route to avoid some of the more scary bits of the A525 and these extra twists and turns down the lanes made the total up to 13.5.  I ran all the way and kept up a reasonable pace, averaging less than 11 minutes per mile.  I'm very conscious that runners reading this will be appalled at how slow I am always, even on short runs.  It's the pack folks.  I blame the pack.  Running with a backpack is a nightmare.  It completely changes your form.  I find myself shuffling along, barely lifting my feet.  Considering how much exercise I do I make for a very un-athletic site plodding down the lanes!

So I made it to Wrexham just before ten o'clock and after a quick freshen up and change in the Tesco toilets I went out and hit the streets for my second collection.  It wasn't as busy as the first time I collected (in November) and my efforts were hugely undermined when some people came out of a shop in fancy dress, giving out balloons and collecting for a different charity.  Oh well, I'm not one given to bitterness and so I did try to be friendly and say hello but hilariously they blanked me at close quarters FOUR times!  The final time they did it (after I'd made eye contact, smiled, and asked how they were getting on) I just started laughing.  Maybe they were intimidated by my fancy-pants council license badge?

Anyway, I combined the day's takings with some money that had been donated when Grace and I were dropping leaflets and also with some loose change I had in my pot at home. It came to £98.99.  We quickly found a 1p piece to make it up to £99 and I'll add the extra pound myself to round it up to £100 paid over to Mencap.  Not bad really given the frustrations of the day and it moves me a little closer to my target.

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 78.9 Kg

TODAY
Distance 13.5 miles
Time  2:25:59 hrs
X-Trainer 0 hrs
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  0 mins

TOTAL
Distance 404.02 miles
Time  75:24:21
X-Trainer 17:41 hrs
Press-ups 620
Swimming 13,000 m
Sauna  7:15 hrs

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
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.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet