October Review (790.53 - 900.92KM)

So it's 10pm on Wednesday the 6th November and I've just realised that I still haven't written my review of last month, so without further ado here it is. October heralded the end of Summer, the midweek races, nice weather and 10ks. The miserable weather would have an impact on a couple of my races this month as I travelled up to York and down to Portsmouth, run two marathons, got soaked and caked in mud and St. Jude threatened to knock me off my feet.

Parkrun coming soon  

Once again the month started with a Solo Run and again it wasn't my intention. In the four weeks at end of September/beginning of October I was originally planning to run 4 Marathons, but as I sat on the train to Nottingham for the Robin Hood Marathon I found out that entry had already closed for the Mablethorpe Marathon at the beginning of the month. So instead I opted to check out the site of Lincoln's upcoming Park Run.

The Spires & Steeples Challenge 26

Next up was the Spires & Steeples Challenge, marathon number 4 of the year (ever) and possibly the hardest race of my life. The 'Challenge' would see me run 26+ miles across Lincolnshire countryside, from Lincoln Castle on the top of Steel Hill down the Sleaford, via a handful of villages. Only it wasn't that simple, the weather had torn up most of the fields we ran across, making some parts of the course almost impassable and when I crossed the line it felt like I'd run 40 miles, rather than 26. The race would also stick in the memory for me attempting to walk the 14+ miles home after being stuck in 20th century Sleaford.

The Yorkshire Marathon

Race three of the month was the inaugural Yorkshire Marathon and the third, and last marathon, of the four weeks. After the exhausting race the previous week, I was looking forward to a flat, road marathon. Again, the forecast before the race looked bad, with heavy showers expected, but fortunately, despite teasing a couple of times it stayed mostly dry. After running both the Robin Hood Marathon and Spires & Steeples Challenge at a slower pace I planned on picking it up for the 5th marathon of the year. Whilst I didn't manage to run much faster, I did manage to sneak under the 4 hour mark, if only just, for the second time this year.

The Great (Windy) South Run

After running the 3 marathons in 4 weeks I was looking forward to a much shorter, and easier, race, which is what I was expecting when I headed down to Portsmouth for the Great South Run. What I found instead was Britain on the brink of over reacting to an impending 'mega storm' and a race I was neither physically or mentally ready for. It would be a battle to reach the 900km milestone, a headlong battle into 40mph winds for the last couple of miles, but one I eventually won.

So I enter the last 100km slightly ahead of schedule with two months left and another 8 races to go. I said a couple of months back that I'm going to rue the cancelled races earlier in the year as I come agonisingly close to running 52 races in 2013. As it stands my total will be 49 races, and as much as I hate to admit it I'm obsessing a little over the fact. There's nothing I can really do now to make up those extra 3 races, even though I'm very aware of the fact that I have 3 race free weekends. 

Finally just a quick update on Jenny's health. Once again it's been a good month, the horrible few months earlier in the year seem to be behind us but I'm still very, very anxious. Many people who are going through the withdrawal always state that the first three months are the worst and that many subsequent rebounds follow. Though despite a rough couple of months at the beginning, admittedly for seemingly unrelated issues, it hasn't been THAT bad, particularly when compared to what other people go through. I guess the pessimist in me is just waiting for shit to hit the fan and until it does I'm not going to relax.

As always, please visit my JustGiving page and donate what you can. If you can't donate then please share my JustGiving page and news of what I'm doing with others, in case they can. The only way we can end the suffering that Jenny and millions of others go through on a daily basis is with your help.

October Stats:

1000KM Challenge Distance: 110.39KM
Time Running Total: 10:41:50
Total Running Distance: 160.63KM
Bananas Eaten: 77
Races: 3
T-Shirts: 2
Medals: 2
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1000km Challenge Stats:

1000KM Challenge Distance: 900.92KM
Time Running Total: 78:07:49
Total Running Distance: 1858.30KM
Bananas Eaten: 423
Races: 41
T-Shirts: 22
Medals: 20

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A look ahead to November

Confirmed Races
03/11 - The 3 River Challenge
08/11 - Robin Hood Trail Run
17/11 - Rother Valley Half Marathon
23/11 - Nottingham Mo Run
24/11 - Norwich Half Marathon