Adam in Runderland

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a few people before I begin my challenge. First of all my family for putting up with my crazy ideas and allowing me the time to do this. All my colleagues at Mission Aviation Fellowship who have supported me in word and action through their encouragement, interest and giving so generously. Ali and Jana at Folkestone Rainbow Centre for their help and willingness to get involved and make this happen; also for all their hard work on behalf of those the Centre serves. Physiologic in Hythe has donated a session later in the month to help with my physical concerns and niggles. Huge thanks to them for this. Bald Monkeys Running Club for their friendship and coffee & cake sharing moments. Especially John Lawrence who puts up with my crazy ideas and inane chunterings like no one lese could. The local running clubs who have agreed to let me run with them over the course of the challenge; Folkestone Running Club, South Kent Harriers, ...

As the first day of my challenge fast approaches I have taking an inventory of the ‘stuff’ I need for the course of the month. Kit: Rainbow Centre t-shirts x 2 Rainbow compression socks Shorts Rainbow sweatbands Compression under shorts Running Jacket New(ish) Asics GT-2000s Headtorch Garmin GPS watch Phone Vaseline Tennis ball – for rolling out muscles Foam roller – see above Hydration vest Sunglasses Cap Bandana Running belt Food and Supplements: Multi-vitamins Cod Liver Oil Electrolyte tablets Protein powder Pasta Tuna Eggs Rice Bananas Avocados Tofu Mixed nuts

That’s it. No more running this month. 135 miles completed and now time for some proper rest and recovery. My aim this week is to eat well and stock up my muscle reserves while resting and ensuring I have covered all the planning I need to do. Just 4 days to go! Today I met with Ali Chambers who is the Chief Executive of Folkestone Rainbow Centre who I am running to raise money for. We spent about an hour chatting and filming some interview questions that will appear later this week to answer questions people may have about the charity. Just to warn you it is a hot day so my bald head may be a bit shiny. Also, it was recorded on a phone and the sound isn’t brilliant but Stephen Rayner is going to do an edit for me so it should look much better by the time it goes out. Big thank you to Ali and Jana for making it happen. Above you can see my planned mileage in graph form. I think it looks quite good like that. AT the bottom of this post you can see the more scary graph showing...

Here is the final half of my Run The Date playlist: Day 16 - Gabriel by Lamb - My favourite band and one of their best songs. Beautiful. Day 17 - Every time the sun comes up by Sharon Van Etten - I just love her voice and this lazy, meandering tune is perfect for a long run. Day 18 - The Shining by Badly Drawn Boy - Another feel good song that just trickles along like a babbling brook carrying you with it. Day 19 - Got to keep on by The Chemical Brothers - Back to some hard, fast dance music. The title says it all and I'll need that mantra at this point. Day 20 - Beetlebum by Blur - I'm hoping this rolling, repetitive refrain will lull me into a trance so the miles fly by. Reminds me of playing darts at university... Day 21 - One more time by Daft Punk - Another hypnotic track but with a good mantra to boot. Day 22 - Higher State of Consciousness by Josh Wink - You can tell I'm rolling out the high energy tracks as we approach the marathon distance. This is the most high ...

Music inspires me. It can also be a great motivator. I never usually run with music as I like to be alone with my thoughts and the sounds of nature, but I think on this occasion it will help with the challenge. When I first started running I used to listen to an MP3 player with a few tracks on it. Now whenever I hear one of those songs I am immediately transported back to the streets around my old home in Northampton. Maybe this will create an audio memory of this time too. I've chosen 30 songs, one for each day, that make up the track list on Spotify. Some I have chosen for their upbeat tempo, others for the lyrics, some because they resonate in some way that inspires me and others because I just love the song. You can find the playlist on Spotify under Run The Date. Here is part 1: Day 1 - Sunday Shining by Finley Quaye - It's a Sunday, it's still summer and this is THE tune for lifting your spirits on a sunny Sunday. Day 2 - Congruence by The Bearing - A new band from ...

The third post in this trilogy after the importance of diet and rest is stretching. If I could give one piece of advice to anyone new to running it is to get in the regular habit of stretching; not just before and after running but daily. Every time I have suffered an injury it has been through lack of stretching. That’s not to say I follow my own advice all the time. Although it only takes 10 minutes out of the 1440 minutes in a day, I can still be too lazy to attempt it. It isn’t just about warming up your muscles. You can do that through a slow jog or fast walk before each session. More importantly it is about developing a long term flexibility across the whole body and this only comes with time and sustained practice. Over time I have combined a number of exercise from pilates, yoga and general stretching to form a routine. It covers the major muscle groups and can be done in a short space of time and anywhere. I begin by touching my toes, leaning into calf stretches ...

Yesterday I spoke about the importance of diet to my Run the Date Challenge. Today I want to focus on rest. It may seem obvious that the body needs to relax if it is to perform well. Tired muscles won’t be capable of working as efficiently as when they are strong. Energy stores also need to be replenished to fuel the muscles. However, it isn’t just the muscles that need a break, the brain also needs the opportunity for some down time. The brain plays a large role in running, especially over longer distances. Mental strength is key to achieving your goals. A tired or stressed mind will impact negatively on the body’s ability to function well. Often the mind is needed to override the impulse to stop and to keep pushing forward. A tired mind can also be the result of a tired body, the two being intrinsically linked. So mental and physical rest are key. This not only means reducing the volume of exercise and mental stimulation or stress, but proactively taking steps to ensure ...

There are three key areas I need to focus on if I am to complete my challenge next month. They are diet, rest and stretching. Over the next three days I’ll share a little about the importance of each. The analogy of a car engine is often used to explain the importance of what we eat to our performance. The fuel must be good for the vehicle to run well. This applies to everyone, all the time, but has increased significance when undertaking strenuous exercise. Normally I survive on a relatively healthy diet supplemented by copious amounts of sugar in the form of chocolate and cake. Not ideal but enough balanced food groups and calories to be healthy – apart from my teeth. I’m a pescatarian so I eat fish but no meat or poultry. This means more pulses, vegetables, Quorn, tofu and dairy ingredients. I also supplement this daily with multi-vitamins and cod liver oil tablets. I drink water regularly throughout the day with the aim of taking in at least 2 litres and mix in some Red...

Just 10 days to go before I start my challenge. The good news is that I have reached my fundraising target of £1000 for Folkestone Rainbow Centre. The new target is £1500 so you can still give. I'm starting to plan each day now as it will help to know what I am doing each day. Towards the end of the month as tiredness sets in - mentally as well as physically - it will be more difficult to plan and so I just want some simple instructions to follow. The plans include a motivational quote and song for the day, the rough route and time of day, the name of who I will be running with, the name of the person who has sponsored that day and details of any dietary notes. The 30 songs have been compiled in a playlist on Spotify so that I can listen to each one on the day and have a memento at the end. I feel ready to start now and know it will be a bit of an anti-climax to start with as the distances are so small but this is vital to rest and fuel my muscles ready for the last two weeks. E...

Achievements 200 miles run North Downs Marathon completed. 7/12 for the year. Run Folkestone completed – every road in the town. Goals for August Twilight Marathon 8/12 Rest to prepare for Run the Date in September Physio appointment Regular stretching Highlight July ended up being a busy month. I had the idea of running every public road in Folkestone and couldn’t rest until I had completed it. What began as an idea soon became a project as I mapped out my routes religiously, filling the gaps and feeling a sense of fulfilment as each area was covered. It also meant that I was able to explore all the lesser known areas and cheeky short cuts that I would never have seen otherwise. I did get some strange looks as I ran up and down the cul-de-sacs, but no one reported me for suspicious behaviour. Lessons learned No big lessons this month. I guess the small but significant one during the marathon was to pay attention to the route. With just a couple of mil...

When John and I chose our 8 th marathon of the 12 we have decided to run in 2019, we expected heat to be the biggest challenge. August marathons are few and far between for a reason. However, neither of us expected the conditions we faced. The days leading up to the weekend of the 10 th /11 th August were full of warnings of storm conditions approaching from the south-west. Festivals were cancelled in Cornwall and Norfolk and motorists warned of poor driving conditions due to high winds. We were not driving far. Just down the coast to Rye, a quiet harbour town between Folkestone and Hastings. The Twilight Chase Marathon was taking place in the nature reserve on paths running parallel with the beach. It was a simple out and back course, 2.2 miles out and 2.2 miles back. Three laps for a half marathon distance, six for a full marathon. The race started at 4pm which was in itself unusual. I’ve only ever taken part in morning marathons. The night before it felt odd not carb load...