The Challenger Takes a Tumble at 13 Miles
On Sunday the 14th March 2010, I set out to beat my brother to see who would be the fastest over 20 miles, my run was quite hard as the terrain here south of the pennines is not flat to say the least. The time to beat was  2hrs 41min I am sure he was running on flatter gound.

PLAY THE VIDEO to find out what happend to me at the 13 mile point.Ouch!!

Yes I know about the obvious blog post title, but had to get that over with in one of the first post in the blog.

Well today I started my training with a bang, but lets back track a little first, now as a former soldier running was something  I did for most of my military career. (and my 49 year old knees will agree with me on that one). However when I saw the training programmes I found online I thought they where a bit namby pamby (not a real word), they suggested some light jogging for a couple of weeks followed by some distance runs at least a couple of weeks into the training.

That was not for me I’m afraid, I wasn’t going to wait a couple of weeks before I tackle the long runs, so yesterday I drove a 13 mile circuit, and planned to run this every Sunday for a few weeks and then really start pushing it. (beast myself as we used to say), I know what you are thinking TO**ER.

So with my 13 mile circuit mapped out my little pack on my back, packed with two litres of water, a towel a waterproof jacket, my mobile phone, a banana my wife told me to take, plus my swimming goggles (didn’t mean to pack them they where just in there from the last time I went swimming), I was off.

See you in a couple of hours, I said to my wife…

Obviously I had simply forgot how much two litres of water weighs, I think I managed about half a mile before I was seriously thinking about stopping and just walking the route instead.  I managed to reach my first 5 mile stopping point and drink some water. I was glad of that not just the drink but that fact that it would weigh less on my back.

Well without boring you to death with all the details of the run, you know that  2 hour run well it actually took me over 3 hours, what a plonker I was, my wife almost called the police to report me as a missing person. Learned a valuable lesson today and that is one I should know all about “stick to the training programme”