T
his October, I was supposed to be running a marathon (postponed from last year), but just before my mountain trip in the summer, I twisted my knee.“Kill or cure!”, I yelled, and stomped up a mountain and knackered it.
So now, instead, I’ve decided to do the Macmillan 100 miles in October challenge, running, walking, or cycling, over a forgiving 31 days, to raise money for the brilliant Macmillan charity and everything they do for cancer sufferers. They are amazing.
Wish me luck!
OK, I’m going to start a training log and share it for my own sanity. I’ve got 2 weeks to get my knee working…
13/9:
19/9
Ran Race for Life — was awesome! So nice to be out in a crowd again, and loads of people supporting Cancer Research. Yes, it was a bit odd, with phased starts (covid) but no one really noticed and we were all allowed to run together and enjoy the day, the shared experience in the sunshine. Men and women all galloping along to beat cancer — one day we’ll succeed!
20/9
I’m stiff, after 5 km. Five!
23/9
One week to go! Excited.
27/9
3 1/2 days to go. Getting less excited as I realise my little soft, fat legs are going to have to actually do this thing. Mm.
30/9
Tomorrow!
1/10 (5.85km)
Today’s the day! Yeyyy! Whoop! I just have to run 3.23 miles a day, we’ll call it 5.2km because then my Garmin makes sense. I’m tired, overworked and wondering why I didn’t just donate cash and walk away; it feels like I’ve signed up to torture myself. But that’s why I did it: got to reach for something. People with cancer would rather run 100 miles but they don’t get that choice, so this is the least I can do. Also I want to run another half marathon and it’s not going to happen by itself. After all the family illness and lockdowns, a gruelling year on many levels, this is where I figure out if I still have what it takes. This is personal.
4/10
Didn’t have time to log in this last few days, but have managed a total of 24.17km, which is basically on track. Fitting in the extra mileage between work and parenting is a bit of a challenge… New hobby, going to sleep in an armchair in the evenings. While people are talking to me.
7/10 — woo hoo, one week done!
The count goes like this:
Fri 1 Oct run 4.00 km, walk 1.85 km (5.85 km)
Sat run 6.15 km (6.15 km)
Sun run 7.30 km (7.30 km)
Mon walk 1.26 km, run 3.61 km (4.87 km)
Tues walk 1.09 km, walk 0.55 km (1.64 km)
Weds cycle 9.56 km (9.56 km)
Thurs walk 1.82 km, run 3.35 km (5.17 km)
Total: 40.54 km (25.34 miles)
Yeyyy, just about hanging on in there! 3 weeks to go (I have a kind of 4-day party coming up in very late October so I’m aiming to get this wrapped up before 28th…)
Week 2: on the Sunday, I was sad to not be running the local marathon, postponed from 2020 — I really like some of the catch up activities, it makes me feel like we’ve lost less. But then again, I’m not risking my knee for a day’s run. I was VERY close to rocking up and doing the half marathon, but in the end decided to preserve the knee, so cycled 13.1 miles instead. Not exactly the same but a token gesture… by 20km my knee was really grinding, but the next day was FINE. I live to run again 😉
Fri 8/10 run 2.03 km (2.03 km)
Sat * none * Because exhausting week.
Sun walk 5.32km, cycle 21.31 km (26.63 km) not exactly a half marathon, but still fun!
Mon walk 1.63 km (1.63 km)
Tues walk 0.83 and 4.27 km (5.10 km)
Weds walk 0.61 km (0.61 km)
Thurs whoops, nada. I am very, very busy and very, very tired. But that’s why it’s a challenge, right? No problem.
So far this week, 36.0 km, taking my total to 76.54 km – Nearly half way!
Fri 15/10 run 4.19 km (4.19 km).
Sat run/walk 4.80 km (4.80 km) _ total 85.53 km (53.1 miles, whoop!)
Sun walk 2.39 km, cycle 5.52 km (7.91 km)
Mon walk 4.73 km (4.73 km). This is grim. My knee is still doing the crisp packet noises. 98.17 km done — 61 miles exactly. And I have technically 13 days but actually 6 free days left to do the remaining 39 miles. I have friends who can run this far in one go but that, reader, is not me.
Tues this is hard. My commitments today were 0630-0730, 0730-0815, 0820-0830, 0845-0900, 0900-1100, 1100-1130, 1130-1230, 1245-1300, 1330-1430, 1445-1500, 1515-1830, and then family to look after to 2100. By 2100, the rain outside was drumming all hell on the windows and it was pitch dark, ohhhh so unappealing. Today’s run… 0 km. Zero. Nada.
Weds walk 1.05 + 1.18 km (2.23 km). Bit of a fail, but back-to-back meetings all day.
Thurs cycle 6.29 km, run 2.03 km (8.32 km)
Fri walk 1.77 km
Sat walk 4.54 km, cycle 16.95 km (21.49 km)
Total so far 81.96 miles / 131.9 km.
Just got a few miles left to do… 29 km / 18.04 miles to go, and I have 4 days free to do it in.
Sun cycle 10.42 km, walk 4.06 km (14.48 km) Crazy fab thing happened today, I was cycling along and suddenly felt a little flash of fit-me from the past, just a few minutes of pumping along on the bike, feeling good. And afterwards, the lovely leg tingles. Was only a short ride, but nice to feel like me again for a moment. Maybe after this challenge, I’ll dip into the Strava challenges and see if I can find a way of sustaining the motivation. Would love to be fit again…
Mon I have family coming to stay, a house to clean, work to do, and children to entertain — how, how, am I going to run?! Much as I’m doing this for Macmillan, this is where the challenge is going to help me, too — these are the days when I have to work out, just to say the housework can wait, there are more important things… going forward, if I don’t keep fit and strong, how can I support anyone else?
Walk 2.30 km
Tues cycle 6.58 km, walk 1.79 km (8.37 km) These tiny totals, all adding up… total 157.05 km / 97.59 miles in the bag! So close!
Fri walk 3.27 km, swim 125 + 525 m — total 160.97 km — 100.02 miles! yeyyyyyy!
I DID IT!
And I swam in to 100 miles with my youngest, so happy 😊❤️🎉
Later on Fri, also walked 3.15 km
Sat walked 3.39 + 3.02 km.
Sunday 31/10/2021 swam 625m.
End of month total: 171.155 km = 106.35 miles.
Huge thank you to everyone who sponsored me — and wishing everyone a Happy Halloween!
xx
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