Dave is running away to Richmond...........and back!

I've finished!

2009-08-02T09:30:00.004+01:00

I completed my last run last week (which was 6 miles and I finished it in 50 minutes). I'm now safely at home and have put my feet up and my mangled trainers in the bin!

Many thanks to everyone who has supported me during this challenge and to all those who have generously donated to this very worthy cause; thank you so much!

The money sponsored so far stands at £3700, but I'll always accept more!

Keep checking my blog for regular updates!

I've finished!

2009-08-02T09:30:00.001+01:00

A half marathon left to do!

2009-07-24T07:37:00.002+01:00

Which is 91 laps! I'm hoping that the weather and sea state in the Bay of Biscay will be kind enough to allow me to finish my run before we get into the English channel. We'll see though.

Over the past 2 days I've completed 9 miles, running into 35-40 knot winds and being drowned in spray from the waves. I'm 5 miles ahead and am very much looking forward to running on dry land!

Marathon photos.

2009-07-19T07:10:00.007+01:00

The (early) start.

More minders than Madonna!

The last lap (notice the camber of the deck and the incline at the end!).

The finish.

The ice bath.

A stitch in time......................

2009-07-17T13:05:00.002+01:00

Happens with 9 miles left to run! I was cruising along until the 17th mile, when I got a stitch just behind my ribs on the left hand side of my back. It's still there now, so it could be a pulled muscle. But anyway, I completed the marathon in a reasonable 4 hours 54 minutes!

I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of HMS Richmond's Ship's Company who ran with me today and to the others that came up and cheered me on. It was a massive help to me, particularly when I was in the pain locker. I know a few of you ran further than you expected to and some have never covered the distances before, that you acheived. It was a fantastic effort by all of you and my heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of you. To show my gratitude (even though it is a bit twisted!), I've recently posted my application for the Richmond Castle 10k. You may be thinking that 10k is now nothing to a marathon runner, but I'll be doing it in my Square rig, ice cream suit (Junior rates tropical suit, for my civvy readers!).

Well, I'm still 8 miles ahead and I have 22 miles left to run which is just over 3.5 percent. I'm praying for good weather in the Bay of Biscay though!

Marathon Day!

2009-07-17T02:41:00.002+01:00

Am I weird? I think that I might be, as I'm really looking forward to the marathon today. I've been up since 3 and I start the run at about 6. I'm just hoping that the weather isn't too hot today; a little bit of rain would be great! I'll post an update around 1100, UK time, if I've finished by then!

I tried to do 20 miles, but didn't manage it..............

2009-07-11T19:40:00.002+01:00

..........So I did 21 instead! I've finally managed to crack the elusive 20 mile mark and I'm really pleased. I don't think my knees or ankles are though! Many thanks to Bambi who helped me through the last 6 miles! I'm even more pleased that I felt fine all the way through the run. I only stopped at 21 miles because my knees were nipping a bit and I didn't want to overdo things so close to my marathon. I stopped 3 times through this run: For a posh Paula at 3 miles and to top up my water bottles at 10 and 15 miles.

On the injury front, I have blisters under my old blisters and I'm just generally achey. Apart from that I'm absolutely fine. But I know I'll be quite sore in the morning. I'm definitely looking forward to my 5 days off from running.

I am also into my last 50 miles, well 48 to be precise (336 laps) and I'm 8 miles ahead of schedule. Disco Dancing!!

32 miles in 4 days!

2009-07-08T16:09:00.002+01:00

Now it's got that bit cooler, I've been trying to get back above the curve. I now have 69 miles to complete and am 7 miles ahead. I have a rest day tomorrow and on the 10th, I have a 20 miler to look forward to. And I know you're going to think I'm mad, but I am really looking forward to it!

No further injuries to report! Happy days!

The end is in sight...............

2009-07-05T19:02:00.002+01:00

.........Well almost; it's 94 miles away. I can almost smell the finish or is that my feet? Talking of my feet; I think I'm going to lose the nails on both my port and starboard 2nd toes. I've had blisters on them for weeks and the blister has gone under the nail. Not to worry though, as I'm feeling no pain there at the moment. I'll just keep strapping them up and jogging on.

I'm bang on schedule now, which is ok. I'm still disappointed that my 14 mile advantage has disappeared so quickly and I've not much time left to get back ahead. I'm just wishing that I'll be lucky enough to have calm seas for the rest of the deployment.

I've been pledged £2970 at the moment which is absolutely fantastic. It's still not too late to sponsor me though!

Why have I got Il Divo on my Ipod?

2009-07-04T05:17:00.003+01:00

I blame Emma. There can be no other explanation. I know I like to listen to classics from years gone by while I'm running, but I feel I have to draw the line at Il Divo.

I ran 17 miles yesterday, not the 20 I wanted, but it was still quite bouncy and I was running into a 35-40 knot head wind. I also got hit by 4 waves, which was strangely enjoyable. I've now gone from being 14 miles ahead of sechedule to 1 behind. It's still not the best position to be in, but definitely not the worst.

I now have 101 miles left to run and 44 miles of that will be run this week! I just hope the weather stays as it is now until we get home; not too hot and not too cold. Less wind would be good though.

Pesky global warming.

2009-07-02T15:16:00.004+01:00

What with the bad weather and on the 29th I had a really bad run; I'm not having a good time of it. I was attempting another 18 miler and only managed 10, having being sick twice during the early miles. I was well hydrated, well up for it, but the heat was outrageous and I just couldn't go any further. Since then the sea state has really picked up, I've had a headache for 4 days and I've not been able to do any running at all. I'm now only 2 miles ahead with 118 left to go. Not a good position to be in. I'm meant to do 20 miles tomorrow, but we'll see what the sea is up to first. Who knows what it has in store tomorrow?

I am a slug..............

2009-06-23T08:43:00.001+01:00

...........Well I do feel very sluggish. I think the heat's getting to me. Yesterday's 6 miles was very hard going and I just couldn't coax myself out of bed this morning either. Anyway, I'm into the last quarter of my run; only144 miles (1008 laps) left to go and only 4 weekends before I do my marathon. I'm hoping it's going to be a lot cooler on that day. I'm still 14 miles ahead and my toe blisters are getting worse!

Thank you to the Coleman sisters for getting me onto the Sun website (see the link below)! And I'd also like to say hello to all the students from the URNU Aberdeen who are following my progress. I hope Mitch manages to coerce you into sending a cheque down!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/416241/Look-whos-helping.html

Vaseline is an amazing thing.

2009-06-15T07:25:00.004+01:00

I managed to run 18 miles on Sunday even though I had to stop 3 times in order that the sea boats could be launched/recovered/re-launched. The weather was a lot hotter and because I run much earlier than on previous runs, it was a humid for longer. But all that considered, I didn't feel too bad after and even this morning I felt good enough to sneak 2 miles in!

I have no new injuries to report apart from a small amount of chafing; my blisters are still there but are currently well strapped up. I used loads of vaseline in the latter stages of my 18 miler as my shorts were rubbing a lot and it's because of vaseline that my chafing was limited to a small area. Hopefully, I won't be walking like I've just got off a horse for long!

I'm now 14 miles ahead of schedule and have completed 434 miles (3038 laps) and have 27% left to run. My combined running time is over 64 hours and my average time for a mile is around 9 minutes.

You run around for 33 miles waiting for a Neil Diamond tune.........

2009-06-12T11:37:00.002+01:00

.............then 3 come along at once! It didn't help matters, though, in the last 7 mile run I did. The heat is affecting me massively at the moment. It's making running so much harder. I'm glad I have a 2 day rest before I go for 18 miles (or more) on Sunday. I'm drinking loads while I'm running too, which means that I'm having to go to the toilet (for a posh Paula) more often. But still, the hardship I'm going through is nothing compared to what the boys and girls out in Iraq and Afghanistan are going through. So I'll stop going on about it and Jog on!

186 (1302 laps) miles left, approx 31% and I'm still 10 miles ahead. Happy days.

Not feeling the love.

2009-06-10T18:02:00.002+01:00

I think it's because Neil Diamond hasn't featured in any of my recent runs. Or it could be that it's actually too hot to run at the moment and I'm fresh out of all motivation for running. Who knows?

Anyway, moan over, I'm 10 miles ahead of schedule with 193 miles left to complete (in approximately 35 running days). That equates to between 35 and 42 laps a day. It's quite a lot really. It's only 5 and a half weeks until I run my marathon!

Horrendous!

2009-06-06T18:49:00.002+01:00

I have to say that this 18 mile run has been the hardest run of my life to date. I've run longer distances, but never in the hot and humid conditions of the Arabian Gulf. I struggled to catch my breath for the first 6 miles and then the sun came up and super heated everything. It was very hard going, but I managed to complete it in 3 hours 10 minutes. I have to admit that I did walk 6 laps, just to get my breath back of course! I think I've had about 15 litres of fluid since I got up at 0350 this morning, which is why I think my legs haven't become stiff yet; all the trips to the heads (toilet) are preventing it!

I have 208 miles left to run and I'm 6 miles ahead of schedule. I'm now going to enjoy my 2 rest days!!

Blisters...............

2009-06-05T06:22:00.002+01:00

.........Are not good. And I have a few. Which again is not good. I know they won't have gone by the time I do 18 miles on Saturday (it should've been Sunday, but that's a different story), so I'll just have to cope the best I can. I've considered a few different strategies, (and the vodka one was looking good for a long while and is still one of my better ideas) but I think I'm going to wedge my socks full of vaseline. I'll scour t'internet for other solutions, though, just to see if there's a better option. I'll also trim my talons to see if that makes a difference!

I'm currently 4 miles ahead of schedule, with 226 miles left to do. I'm still quite upbeat about running, although this cold, that I've had for about 2 weeks, is starting to get quite annoying. 1582 laps to go!!

Photos during my 15 miles!

2009-05-31T14:25:00.001+01:00

Pain is not an option in this dojo.

2009-05-31T09:22:00.002+01:00

Getting up at 0400 was more painful than the 15 mile run, I can tell you! But the run itself went really well and I'm feeling quite good; a bit tired, but good. I think I could've tagged another couple of miles on the end, but I didn't want to overdo it. But 15 miles in 2 and a half hours was what I wanted to achieve, so I'm very content that I've completed it and that I've completed it in the time I set, without getting any injuries.

I'm now up to 358 miles and am 4 miles ahead of schedule. 40.33% left to run and by the 10th of June, I should've passed the 400 mile mark. Oh, my poor legs!!

Back from another injury.....Just.

2009-05-28T06:48:00.002+01:00

I have a sore right knee. But it's not that sore; I'm still running. I've been stretching it out and it seems manageable for now. I've managed to rest it for 6 days, but it's still there. And since my rest, I've done 15 miles; so it can't be that bad!

The temperature has become a lot hotter now, so I'm now having to get up quite early to get a run in before it gets too hot. Honestly, it's a struggle! Anyway, I'm actually looking forward to getting up at 0415 on sunday morning to do a 15 miler. If I stick to 10 minute miles then it should take about 2 and a half hours. At least I'll work up an appetite!

I have 1827 laps (43.5%) left to complete and I'm 3 miles ahead of the curve.

Half Marathon.

2009-05-17T06:15:00.003+01:00

I've now only got 46% left to complete, having plodded my way round 13 miles this morning. I had to get up at 0415 so that I could have something to eat before my run (and give a little time for it to go down). It took 2 hours 8 minutes, which is around about 10 minutes a mile. I'm quite happy with that as I try to stick to 10 min/miles for every run I do. This means that I should complete my marathon well under the 5 hour mark. We'll see how it goes though.

I'm 5 miles ahead, I've 276 miles (1932 laps) to do and I've spent over 47 hours running!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful girlfriend, Emma, by the way!

On the return leg.

2009-05-15T18:38:00.002+01:00

I'm now up to 311 miles and I'm slowly getting back into it as I've had a knee injury. It still hurts but I'm battling through it. Weirdly, I think the injury came while I was on a day's rest. I have another rest day tomorrow prior to my long run on Sunday, but I may sneak 2 miles in at some point. I'll see how I feel. I'm down to do 10 miles on Sunday, but I think I'll end up talking myself into doing a bit more, probably 12. We'll see though.

Anyway, by Monday I will have less than 2000 laps to complete in 58 days!

Half way!

2009-05-09T13:53:00.002+01:00

I got up at 0445 and was running by 0503. I finished this morning's run at o645 and by that time I had run 11 miles. I now realise that I need to get up a bit earlier so I can get something to eat before my long runs. For much of this morning, I was running on empty.

But anyway, I'm over half way and quite pleased with myself. No injuries or chafings to report; things are going very well. Long may that continue!

A drag..........................

2009-05-07T18:33:00.003+01:00

............Not the running but my hair. I desperately need my hair cut. So much so that it's acting like an air brake (or hair brake)! I know I need to slow down, but maybe not this much! Hopefully, I'll get it cut on the 12th.

I have 10 miles left to do, before I get to the half way point. I'm 2 miles ahead of schedule and I'm feeling good. I do have a couple of little niggly injuries, but nothing significant.

Roll on Saturday!

Naughty Boy!

2009-05-06T20:07:00.002+01:00

Well I wasn't that bad. I did one extra mile today. I know I should be sticking with my training plan, but I just felt I had to do it.

Anyway, I've now done 2002 laps of the upperdeck and my legs are holding up well; just early morning stiffness to deal with (behave yourself Emma!) and a general reluctance to get up in the morning. Apart from that, my marathon training is going better than I expected. I'm really looking forward to running 9 miles on saturday morning.

My stats are: 286 miles completed (48%), 2198 laps to do, and I've got 314 miles to run in approximately 66 days!

Happy days.

2009-05-03T06:16:00.002+01:00

I ran 8 miles this morning, prior to breakfast and I currently feel great. It wasn't that hot either, which made it a bit easier. If I'm honest, I really enjoyed it; up till now I've been getting a bit frustrated at running just 4 miles a day. The good news is I remain injury free (although my right knee clicks as I go down ladders, which is a bit odd), and I'm keen to do more.

I'm now up to 277 miles (1939 laps) and I'm only 23 miles off the half way mark. If only it was all downhill after that point!

Almost half way!

2009-04-29T19:04:00.002+01:00

I'm 43 miles short of the half way point..............When I get there, maybe I should get the train back! Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't I be around the York area now? Maybe someone can find out and email the answer.

Even though the weather was a bit muggy today, there's less flies about now and I've not taken any extra protein in today.

I'm still struggling to get up for my morning runs, but once I'm up, it's been hard trying to slow myself down. I am getting used to running slower and have been acheiving 9 and a half minute miles, in the afternoon, but it's just the mornings that I have problems with. You'd think after 3 months of this, my body would be accustomed to the shock of getting up early. It hasn't. It's going to have a massive shock, though, on Sunday when I'm running 8 miles in one go! Strangely I'm looking forward to it!

Back into the swing of things!

2009-04-27T19:40:00.000+01:00

I've had a fantastic break from running, which has done me the world of good. I felt quite good as I completed 4 miles this evening in my new running top. I'm not too impressed with the amount of flies we have onboard at the moment. I'm sure I swallowed a couple tonight!

The weather has got a lot hotter, even first thing in the morning, so I'm sure my runs will start getting a lot harder. I'm going to have to watch that I'm not losing too much weight either; I lost 15 pounds during the 20 days of running before my holiday. Maybe I should ask the chefs if I can have 2 puddings from now on!

A well deserved break.

2009-04-09T05:18:00.002+01:00

I've had 2 days off as my achilles on my right heel was playing up. Because of this, I've felt really guilty, so I banged out 10 miles last night! I feel surprisingly good this morning.

My final totals, before I head off on holiday, stand at 245 miles (1715 laps) completed (about 40%); I have 2485 laps left to run and I'm 1 mile ahead of schedule. I've completed 112 miles in the past 20 days and 245 miles in 79 days. I've been pledged over £2500 so far, which is fantastic!

Getting ahead of myself!

2009-04-04T18:59:00.002+01:00

I've clawed my way back from 38 miles adrift to 1 mile ahead. I've run 98 miles in 16 days which is a shin splintering 686 laps of the upperdeck. I'm not finished there though; I aim to carry on until our next stop to try and put myself as far ahead as I can before I start my marathon training. I'm planning to do my marathon around the 18th/19th of July depending on the ship's programme. I've also pledged to run the first 2 miles in fancy dress if I get over £4000 in sponsorship. I'm thinking Dusty Bin may make a return! Will put a picture on here to show you what I mean!

3 miles behind scehdule!

2009-04-02T18:33:00.002+01:00

I've ran 80 miles in 14 days and am almost back on schedule. I could really do with a rest day as my legs feel very tired and sore (I should have had 2 but decided to run 6 miles on each!). I'm so focused on getting back on track, though and I feel really guilty when I've had a day off, that I just want to keep on plodding on!

Punishment........is not a dirty word.

2009-04-01T05:46:00.003+01:00

I missed a run yesterday morning, because I really couldn't be bothered to get up. So as a punishment I treated myself to a 6 mile run last night! I won't be sleeping in again!

Anyway, I've cleared the 200 mile mark and have 390 miles left to run. Since the 20th, I've run 77 miles without a day off and providing I complete 3 miles this afternoon, I'll only be 9 miles behind schedule.

You'll be pleased to know that my chafing has gone and my nipples are on the mend!

Jogger's nipple.

2009-03-26T15:20:00.002Z

I currently have a plaster over my left nipple. I'm thinking I may have to order a new running top over t'internet, as one of my tops is like a cheese grater. It's not good. At least it's taken my mind off my inner thigh chafes!

I'm now at 174 miles completed, and am 26 miles behind schedule.

Plodding on!

2009-03-26T05:23:00.002Z

To date, I've completed 171 miles. It should be 174 by the end of today. Since last Friday, I've run 38 miles and am only 28 miles behind now. I still remain injury free although I've got some chafing between my thighs! Any volunteers to rub some vaseline into them?

No longer the hare; very much the tortoise!

2009-03-24T15:52:00.003Z

Since last Friday (20th), I've run 29 miles and have managed to catch up 8 miles. I've also found that when I don't run so fast I can run further without any pain. So rather than trying to beat my previous bests, I'm trying to go slower so that I'm doing about a 10 minute mile. Currently this seems to be working for me. If only I'd found this out sooner; it could've avoided a lot of pain, grief and sleepless nights!

A quarter of the way there!

2009-03-22T15:51:00.002Z

I've hit the 150 mile mark and I've got my deficit down to a more respectable (but still not good) 33 miles. I've run 17 miles in the past 3 days and I'm feeling ok; not much pain anywhere and the pre and post run walking is working a treat. Many thanks to WO Bob Mortimer for passing that pearl of wisdom onto the Chicken Dipper (Jack the Ripper; Skipper; Captain; Commanding Officer).

I'm very much focused on hitting the 200 mile mark on the evening of the 1st of April which means I will have run 67 miles without a days rest (no, I'm not joking). Fingers crossed, I should only be 20 miles behind, but we'll see about that!

A little rest goes a long way............

2009-03-20T16:54:00.003Z

And I really needed it. From March 5th to the 16th I'd completed 52 miles. I've had 3 days off, a few beers and now I've completed 7 miles today; 3 this morning and 4 tonight. My legs are feeling ok at the moment, touch wood. I'm now up to 140 miles (980 laps); almost a quarter done!

A run with a view.....

2009-03-15T07:59:00.003Z

..........Well not much of one. An oil platform, some dhows and lots of sea doesn't really constitute a good view, does it?

As you can see, I've still not got a tan and I haven't managed to trip over the wire on the deck yet (though, I've been close a couple of times)!

128 miles done; which is 896 laps! Hopefully by the 20th I will have completed 1000 laps!

20% done!

2009-03-13T17:05:00.000Z

5 miles completed today which takes me up to 41 miles since last thursday (5th). For a couple of days now, I've been really reluctant to run, but following some advice on shin splints from the captain, I felt really quite good after the 3 miles I did tonight. Cheers Boss!

Very weak today......

2009-03-11T15:04:00.003Z

And no surprise really as I've notched up my 32nd mile since last thursday. I seem to be running too fast as well. I think it's because I've got too much good quality music on my ipod. I'm going to have to put some 60's, 70's and 80's music on there. I know you're thinking that it's an excuse to put more Neil Diamond on there. But I think it might help....maybe.

Details of how to sponsor me are in the 'my profile' section. You'll also find my email address there too!

Rubbish weather............

2009-03-10T16:01:00.002Z

But it's great for running in! If I didn't know better, we could've been off the coast of the UK today, with the pants weather we're having. I'm now onto 109 miles and I'm feeling good; my shin splints are calming down, at last. I'm actually looking forward to getting up tomorrow and going for a quick 2 miler, well that's what I'm telling myself!

I've finally got there..........

2009-03-08T16:35:00.002Z

And I'm so pleased that the first 100 miles is out of the way. I'm feeling quite chuffed with myself at the moment. It's only taken me 14 hours of running (over a period of 22 days) to complete 100 miles. By the beginning of April, providing I remain injury free, I should've racked up almost another 100 miles. Fingers crossed.

Feeling good.

2009-03-06T16:29:00.002Z

I've done another 5 miles today which takes me to 91 miles completed. By sunday evening I want to have got to the 100 Mile mark. The amount I've been pledged currently stands at a little over £1900, which is fantastic. I'm getting nervous though as it's getting very close to the £2000 mark which will mean I'll have to do a marathon at the end! £1995 would be a nice round figure, I think!

Laughing in the face of injuries..........

2009-03-05T18:52:00.004Z

............or is it because I got mentioned in the Navy News? Anyway, I think I may have shrugged off both ankle injuries. I did 5 miles this afternoon and although one ankle was a little stiff, I've had no re-occurrance of the pain. I'm now 40 miles behind and have 85% to go. There is a good chance that I'm not going to achieve the 600 miles in the time scale I wanted, but I'm not giving up just yet. There's still plenty of time to catch up, even if I have to moon-walk the distance !

A second injury!

2009-03-03T13:55:00.002Z

I've bruised my other ankle now; I slipped in the shower and bruised my ankle bone. It's not that bad though and I'm hoping I'll be ok in the morning. If I'm not, then I will start walking the mileage instead. I've got to do something as I'm 36 miles down now. Not a happy bunny, currently.

The first major injury!

2009-03-02T08:39:00.002Z

Rubbish! My ankle hurts when I put weight on it. It was enough to stop me running this morning, so I'll rest today and see how I am in the morning. Up to 81 miles now and still loads behind; I may have to start rowing the the remaining 519 miles!

I'm fast approaching my first big milestone!

2009-02-28T16:02:00.002Z

Well, I'm up to 76 miles and even though the weather did it's best to slow me down, I still managed to post my fastest 5 mile time. I'm very pleased with this as I was running into a 35 knot head wind, the sea's a bit bumpy and I got hit by 3 waves!

Back to the start!

2009-02-27T06:12:00.002Z

I've finally managed to get a picture on here of me, starting my charity run!

The angle of the ship against the horizon gives you an idea of how much the ship was moving around.

68 miles completed.

2009-02-22T05:14:00.002Z

I'm 27 miles behind now but hopefully another 2-3 miles later today will reduce that. If only our operational tasking didn't get in the way; I'd have reduced the defecit to below 20 miles by now!

Flying without wings!

2009-02-18T16:54:00.002Z

I've now completed 61 miles, having nailed 11 miles in the past 2 days and I've reduced my defecit down to 20 miles. I'm going to have to keep my daily running total at 4 miles a day for a while, as my shins are killing. To be fair though, I have done 18 miles in 3 days and 27 since the 12th! Probably, too much, too soon. But still, it is for charity and I'll put my feet up whenever we're at our next port of call.

50 miles cracked!

2009-02-16T17:31:00.002Z

I'm now 1/12 of the way through, having completed 4 miles this morning and 3 miles this evening.

Here are the stats: I've completed 350 laps of the upperdeck; spent 6 hours 54 minutes running; my longest run (6 miles and also my first run) was completed in 58.22 minutes and my shortest run (3 miles, today) was 26 minutes; I've lost about 5 pounds in weight; I'm currently 23 miles behind schedule and I have 3850 laps left to run!

Now I've read that back, I feel like I still have a really long way to go! Maybe I should've just rowed the length of the Thames or moon-walked from Portsmouth to Southampton or something!

92.8% left to do!

2009-02-13T17:37:00.002Z

Since Friday last week I've cracked 24 miles, which is an improvement over previous weekly totals. I also passed the 300 lap milestone today.

I did feel particularly tired doing 5 miles today; but I've not been bored........yet. I'm sure that will happen one day. Not while I've got Neil Diamond blasting into my ears, though! He always cheers me up!

Another one bites the dust.

2009-02-09T06:50:00.002Z

Well another 5 as it goes. I've now completed 238 laps of the upperdeck. It was quite windy again this morning and my legs felt very tired. But I battled on and reduced my time for 5 mile by a minute.

Running like the wind.............

2009-02-08T07:09:00.002Z

.............or running into the wind, whilst running uphill.

I'm 27 miles behind, which is a bit pants. Many factors have lead to me being in this position, but I'm sure I'll claw my way back. To date I've completed 29 miles and have broken the 200 lap barrier. Only another 3997 to go! It's also getting a lot warmer, even at 6 in the morning. It's lucky I bulked up over Christmas, otherwise I'll be stick thin by the time I get back!

The important thing is though, so far I've been pledged over £1400 from my shipmates alone, which is fantastic news. This is far more than I anticipated, but now I'm keen to get that figure to close to £2000. If I get £2000 or more, I pledge to complete the last 26 miles in one go. I may be a little mad (and my knees are going to hate me), but it's for charity! Further updates to follow (if I haven't been carted away by then)!

Getting into it now!

2009-01-28T17:57:00.003Z

Well, since Tuesday I've completed 9 miles, 5 yesterday and 4 today. Felt as weak as a kitten yesterday though, thought I may have been getting a cold or something. Thankfully, 4 miles at lunchtime today sorted that out! I've worked out that I'm only 17 miles behind schedule, which is manageable. Will try and post a picture and a video tomorrow, If I have time.

I've done a bit more!

2009-01-27T06:47:00.001Z

The sea state made running quite hard going, but I've managed to add another 4 miles to the total. Only another 590 to go....................................

To sponsor me..........

2009-01-25T22:44:00.002Z

Go to the Help for Heroes website, downloads section and download sponsorship form 1. Print it out, complete the form with all your details (not forgetting to pledge lots of cash) and then forward it to me. When i've finished the run, I'll come knocking on your door for the money (or alternatively you could send it to me). If you want to cajole lots of your friends into sponsoring me, download sponsorship form 2 and once full send it on to me. If you have any problems downloading the forms give me a shout and I'll email them to you, because I'm good like that.

I've finally started!

2009-01-25T22:41:00.002Z

I managed to start my charity run today, despite the sea being a bit bouncy. I managed 6 miles...........only another 594 to go! Trying to talk myself out of finishing the charity run with a marathon!

No running just yet!

2009-01-22T13:03:00.001Z

Dave hasn't been able to do any running yet as the weather has been rubbish. Maybe on Saturday I may be able to start!

Not long until I start my charity run!

2009-01-08T19:19:00.001Z

It's only 10 days until I start my charity run.

Welcome

2008-11-11T16:32:00.000Z

Dave Bernard Hamlyn would like to welcome you to his charity run blog area.