404040 Planner update!

560km done! Just 1040km to go! 

And I'd like company please - you make it easier.  

Joint suffering is a real friend-maker :)

So I've updated the dates below and have included those who have already stepped up to run with me.  Don't be shy!  All and any company is 100% welcome. 

I am running about 6.45-7.30mins per km on average (depending on hills) and usually complete the 40km in 5 hours so don't imagine that I'll be racing off!

18^th June: 6am from Farnham to Frith Hill for 0830 (by which time I will have done 20km), then 10km with Ruth Holmes before returning to Frith where we will then join in the Brutal 10km race.  

19^th June: 8.30am start from home running towards Guildford along the NDW.  Then down the Wey Navigation to Godalming and a loop back home with Ruth Holmes

20 June: 9am start from home with Sue Betts - loops or one big loop
21st June: 9am start from home with Sarah Francis - loops or one big loop
22^nd June: TBC

23 and 24 June: 8.45am from Home or Tilford Green.

25^th June: 7am run starting in Farnham - My brother's wedding day! Running with Phill Young from home to Alice Holt for the Alice Holt Parkrun where we will meet my brother, his son and his Best Man, my Mum and my son Tommy and run the Parkrun.  Then a loop home via Frensham Common. COME AND RUN THE PARKRUN!

26^th June: 9 or 10am from Farnham running along the St Swithin's Way to my brother's new In-Law's house for a BBQ (One way run)  

27 June: TBC

28 June: 8 am from home to the HQ of the WWF in Woking.  Publicity day.  The more the merrier (along Basingstoke Canal). Angela Darley for last loop?

29, 30 June: TBC - Open to suggestions!

1^st July: TBC - Open to suggestions!

2^nd July: Probably running with Brutal Enduro

3^rd July: Running with Brutal Enduro, starting very early, not sure when (depends on body!)

4^th July: TBC - Open to suggestions

5^th July: starting 7.30-8am from home.  Running with Heather Monro

6, 7, 8th July:  TBC - Open to suggestions

9^th July: Likely running in the direction of Brutal training which is at 1pm (so maybe starting at 8am from home).

10^th July: North Down’s Way Marathon (probably)

11, 12^th July: TBC - Open to suggestions!

13^th July: LAST DAY! TILFORD. Running with Phill Young (whole thing), David (hubbie), Sister-in-law Helen & Nephew Miles (all the way from Italy for a loop and ALL the kids from Waverley Abbey School for the last 1km!!!!

14^th JULY: MY 40^th BIRTHDAY.  LIE DOWN ALL DAY.   

Just Giving Site

Roger, my Facebook Consultant, suggested that I put my Just Giving link on my blog.... So here it is in a post for starters!

https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/404040Challenge

Hello potential running buddies!

 I have made a list of dates and locations for my 404040 Challenge and hope that some of you can come and join me!

There will also be other dates and locations (mainly those days when Dave (hubbie) is around to take Tommy to school instead of me) and on those days I might run somewhere different (i.e. other than Tilford!).  I just need to confirm with Dave exactly where he’ll be in space and time.

So confirmed dates with running start location:

4^th June: from home.  My first day.  Probably starting 8am.  Might run somewhere fancy but will return to home (loop or straight out and back run).  If you say you’re coming and you don’t know where I live then message me and if you are a normal sort of person then I’ll let you know where I live!

5^th June: from home in direction of London (going to see Bruce Springsteen in concert in London so likely running along the NDW and then the Wey Navigation until I’ve done 40km.. possibly Weybridge as finish).  Time TBC

6^th June: from ~Weybridge area (wherever I got to the day before) running back home again.  Probably a bit later after a nice lie in… Time TBC

7^th June: 9am from Tilford Green after Tommy drop off and photo with his class at Waverley Abbey School.  If it’s hot I plan to do 13.3km (roughly) loops back to the car for water. 

8, 9, and 10^th June: 8.45am from Tilford Green after Tommy drop off.  Similar loops or big loop depending if someone can carry water for me!

11^th June: likely running about 8 am from Farnham (address if you message me)

12^th June: running from home along the NDW to Leith Hill and then running the British Middle Distance W40 O course (if I can).  Should be about 40km total if not too long a route to the start! Message me if you want to join me.

13, 14, 15th June: 8.45am from Tilford Green.

16, 17 June: TBC

18^th June: 7am from home to Frith Hill where I will then join in the Brutal 10km race. 

19^th June: likely 8am run to/from somewhere different! TBC.

20, 21, 22^nd June: TBC

23 and 24 June: 8.45am from Tilford Green.

25^th June: 7am run starting in Farnham – I NEED HELP THIS DAY.  It’s my brother’s wedding day and I will be running early and alone from Farnham.  I’m going to need company as I think this might be a tough day!

26^th June: 9 or 10am from Farnham.  Would love company this day too as will be tired from the day before.

27 June: TBC

28 June: 8 am (probably) from home to the HQ of the WWF in Woking.  Publicity day.  The more the merrier (along Basingstoke Canal).

29 June: TBC

30 June: 8.45am from Tilford Green

1^st July: TBC

2^nd July: Running with Brutal Enduro, starting at 12 noon.

3^rd July: Running with Brutal Enduro, starting very early, not sure when (depends on body!)

4^th July: TBC

5^th July: starting 7.30-8am from home.  Running with Heather Monro - she got in before you lot ;)! 

6, 7, 8th July:  TBC

9^th July: Likely running in the direction of Brutal training which is at 1pm (so maybe starting at 8am from home).

10^th July: North Down’s Way Marathon (probably)

11, 12^th July: TBC

13^th July: LAST DAY! TILFORD, finishing the last 1km in Waverley Abbey School.

14^th JULY: MY 40^th BIRTHDAY.  LIE DOWN ALL DAY.  

What it's all about...

In December 2014 I found a training programme online for a marathon.  I was looking for inspiration having retired from GB Orienteering after 13 years - a time when I felt both sad and free.  I decided to follow it.  I so because I was doing a marathon training programme I decided that I should probably do a marathon at the end of it.  I chose the Howgill's Montane 26 Trail Marathon.  And so in May 2016 I ran my first trail marathon with 1000+m climb in 4 hours 03 and I loved it.
I then did the South Down's Marathon in June 2015 and the Leith Hill Marathon in Oct 2015.  Hooked.

So suddenly I found myself doing lots of miles.  More miles than ever before.  And the thing about that is that you suddenly have a lot of time to think.  I think about work, about patients.  I think about my son, my husband, life.  And I think about me.  And I was thinking about turning 40.  And I thought that I would like to do something to mark my 40th Birthday.  And suddenly I was thinking about doing 40km and why not for 40 days, finishing before my 40th birthday.
Usually I get home and the oxygen returns to my brain and my ideas get something called 'perspective'.  But on this occasion I talked to Dave about it.  And he didn't think it was complete madness... relatively.
So suddenly I have 6 weeks off work and starting on 04 June I am going to try to run 40km for 40 days finishing on the day before my 40th birthday.
And I'm going to try to raise some money for three causes.

I am an ex-Army doctor, now working for the MOD at the Regional Rehabilitation Unit in Aldershot.  It is a clinic within a gym and we look after injured serving service personnel.  Many of them get 'fixed'.  Some of them don't.  I see the difficulties that they can have when they are told that they may not be able to continue in the job that they love.  And it can be difficult to transition back to the civilian world.  Walking with the Wounded gives service personnel the chance to prepare for that transition.  Their great work can be seen at: http://walkingwiththewounded.org.uk

The second charity is the WWF.  My son is nearly 9 and he often talks about things that he has seen on the TV or heard about at school that upset him.  Things like plastic in the oceans, loss of forests for palm oil, pollution, melting ice caps, climate change.  And it makes him sad.  We have supported WWF since he was a little boy, sponsoring a snow leopard.  And he asked me to raise some money for them.

Finally, I wanted to do something to help locally and my son's school is trying to raise money to fund the building of new Year 6 classrooms.  The school is great with an emphasis on working hard and being active.  I particularly love the comment on the head teacher's welcome about 'loving challenges, being intrigued by mistakes..' something I was always told by the previous GB O squad's psychologist Steve Sylvester.

Anyway here I am. Trying to be a good mum and a good doctor.  And now trying to prepare for something I don't even know if I can do.  But running has always helped me with everything else in my life.  Time to think.  Time to be alone or together.  Sun, rain, mountain tops, valleys.  I expect that I will see them all on this challenge.  I can't lie... it's going to hurt but I expect that I will have times when I am truly happy being outside, feeling alive.

alone...

together...