3 Months to go!

3 months to go. It only seems like yesterday I came up with the idea to run from the top to the bottom of Britain (3 months in fact) to raise money for the NSPCC. Now I'm at the halfway point of getting to the start line and it is time for a quick reflection. I had a great year of running in 2018 and the last 3 months of training & planning has been successful. However, right now I'm in a totally different frame of mind as the dreaded six letter word no runner wants to admit to has taken over me...injury. After the 6 hour race I did, arch pain appeared the next day, something I've not experienced before. Hopeful as ever, I believed it was only sore feet which would flee after the new year, but the only thing that did go away was my hangover. It's now been two weeks off running, and I must say I miss her dearly. If you're reading this 'Running', please know I still think about you everyday, and I'll be back to you as soon as humanly possible. For now, I've been cheating... Indoor Cycling has been my new partner, but she doesn't quite meet my needs as Running does. I even tried some off-road cycling, but seeing trail runners along the route only deepened my lust for her!

Showing my love for 'Running'

The type of injury I have is two words: First word sounds like something a gardener would do and the second word is the sheet of connective tissue that runs from your feet to the head...Got it? Plantar Fasciitis (ok that was hard). I guess it's good I've got this now so I can fix this weakness before the challenge (there's always positives... Right?). Fortunately it seems I have caught it at an early stage and if I manage it properly it shouldn't effect my training too much longer. Stretching, strengthening and icing is my prescription from the physio, and so far it's getting better by the day. The 100k race I have on the 27th January will be a close call whether I'll be able to do it or not. I managed a short session on the treadmill yesterday, and will be going for a run outside today. Fingers & toes crossed there are no hiccups.  Injury is often something that can cripple runners, both physically and mentally. For me, it's definitely both. Sleep is worse, general mood is worse and my motivation is limited. I have to keep reminding myself there's more to life than running, and all the children the NSPCC help have it far, far worse. This is one of the reasons why I'm doing this challenge, to help fund raise for a charity doing brilliant work to prevent child abuse, as well as support those unfortunate enough to be a victim of it. These children wouldn't have the luxury to go for a run with their parents, try out shoes in a store, or go to a physio for injury help etc. This is something that will keep me going during the challenge, as well as now when it seems to me that I'm having a 'bad' time.  Here's to a good second half of the build up towards running Britain. Thanks to everyone who is following my progress and contributed already to my fundraising page.