gearsandtears.com

The next set of steps in my challenge to raise awareness of muscular dystrophy & in particular the case of Alfie  & Arthur will be loosely alligned to the twelve days of Christmas. It will involve me running a twelve 12mile loop around the Devil's Punchbowl twelve times. I will refine the loop this weekend but it will be predominantely off road and hilly. I will run the first loop on Christmas Day. Within the twelve loops I will include variation in terms of direction and timing to keep things interesting. I will post updates here.

I hope to enjoy some personal moments of epiphany during these runs, but much more importantly I will be my hoping that in the near future there will be an epiphanal moment of understanding of the causes of muscular dystrophy that will make possible leaps in the care and treatment of this condition.

If anyone would like to join me on any of the runs please let me know. Provisional timings are given below:

1. 25/12/11 AM

2. 26/11/11 AM

3. 27/12/11 PM

4. 28/12/11 Ev (headtorch!)

5. 29/12/11 Ev (headtorch)

6. 30/12/11 PM

7. 31/12/11 Late ev (see below)

8. 1/1/12 early am (see above!) The current plan is to run these back to back & see the New Year in wearing a headtorch out on the trails

9. 2/1/12 PM

10. 3/1/12 AM

11. 4/1/12 Ev

12. 5/1/12 Ev

These timings are not set in stone so please do let me know if you want to join me on a particular date & we can juggle timings to suit. 

Day 1: 25/12/11

Among the highlights of my preparation for this challenge were: a cracked rib (sustained in the recee of the route), a pulled shoulder (from an accident on the train on the way into work) & a day of being very unwell on Christmas Eve. I was not feeling up for the run in any way. The sensible thing to do would have been to delay the start of the challenge, but this is not neccessarily about doing what is sensible. This is about raising awareness of Muscular Dystrophy & however tired & fatigued Alfie & Arthur may be each morning they can not press pause & delay things for another day. So I headed out the door wrapped up nice and warm.

That was one of many things I got wrong as I was soon too warm. Anyhow a full 3hrs later I was back home having completed the first of my 12 runs. I hope that is my slowest run of the 12 but that doesn't really matter. I could & did keep putting one foot in front of the other. Tomorrow I will be able to do the same. Alfie & Arthur, & other sufferers of Muscular Dystrophy do not neccessarily have that luxury.

Day 2: 26/12/12

After remembering to apply lubricant in the more delicate regions I set off for run number 2. In almost perfect running conditions. I decided to edit the loop a bit. My logic being to remove a small section that would be particularly difficult to negotiate safely in the dark, however good my head torch maybe. The result however is I have also removed a short road section that was flat & replaced it with a very long sustained off road climb. Oh well, no one said it was going to be easy.

I was marginally quicker today despite re- working the loop (2hrs 53mins). The loop length is about 100m longer than the original loop. 

Tomorrow I will have company on my run. Looking forward to that ;)

Day 3: 27/12/12

Another lovely day for running & today I was joined by Ali, Michelle, Nobbsy & Terry. A 2hr 54 day. Loving the trails. An added bonus today was homemade cakes at the finish courtesy of Michelle. Washed down with coffee of course ;)

Day 4: 28/12/12

When I conceived the idea of this challenge I am not sure if I didn't consider that on some days I would be working, or if I was completely blase about running 12miles off road in the dark. Well come the day I was anxious. Yes I have run in the dark before but that didn't reassure and the closer the opportunity to run became the more anxious I became. Thanks to lots of reassurance & support from friends near & far I set off laden with head torch, spare torch, spare batteries, emergency phone etc. I also took some trekking poles with me as I figured these might help me stay upright if I failed to see a root, dip, hollow or anything else that might otherwise upend me. These proved invaluable. They may not be cool but they work.

The initial few kms passed incident free & I began to relax & enjoy the intimacy of being in the forest alone with only a few trees, meteres of dirt/ track illuminated. Every so often a noise in the undergrowth would give me a start & then I would settle in the comfort of knowing that anything who actually lived in the forest would be the more shocked in any encounter.

I marveled at how the brain could remember roots, dips etc & how in normal life this is a completely sub concious process. Then every so often I let my mind drift. Each time I did so I was rewarded for my laxness be a jarring sensation as i bumped into or hit something.  You really do need to concentrate when running off road by head torch.

I completed the run in 3hrs 20. By no means quick but all positive steps in the right direction. It was not until I got home & started to think about food, etc that I realised how mentally taxing the run had been. I am exhausted.

Before this challenge is out I have some more evening and night runs to complete but right now I can enjoy a cup of tea...

Day 5: 29/12/11

To make life a little bit easier for me I took half a days annual leave with the hope of getting the bulk of today's run completed in daylights. Unfortunately that didn't prove to be the case. I set off just before 2:30pm into a grey, wet & windy day. In fairness the rain was sporadic but the wind was persistent.

I made the decision to push as hard as I could early on to maximise the distance I could cover before the daylight ebbed away. With hindsight this was probably a misguided decision as the cumulative of the previous 4 days run meant there was no discernable differnence in pace between my slow & controlled & pushing on. The effect on fatigue levels was however marked & about a 1/3 of the way into the 2nd loop I was spent.

I reached for my BlackBerry comfort blanket, read some messages of encouragement & looked up the trail into the darkness. I continued to shuffle forward & for a moment felt a bit sorry for myself. I then recalled some words from the Ultraman UK race briefing. Not word for word, but the esence was, you chose to be here, so no whinging! I had chosen to set myself this challenege. The responsibility was mine & mine alone.

I thought for a bit longer & remembered why I was on the trails in the wet and wind. Simply it was because I could be & I wanted to remind myself & others that most of us could be. Only a few are unfortunate enough not to have that option. I tried to think of some clever similie to include in this blog alone the lines of a combustion engine, different states of tune etc but decided my knowledge of the internal combustion engine was far too limited & I would be better off moving forward. So that's what I did.

Perhaps tomorrow I will think of some intellectual nugget to share, but failing that there will be some more ramblings from an ageing wreck enjoying the process of a ground up restoration ;)  The engine is good just needs a bit (!?!?!) of tuning.

Day 6: 30/12/11

After a very poor nights sleep the prospect of another 12m run held very little appeal. The fact that I was now full of cold reduced the appeal further.

But just before 9 Terry knocked on the door after leaving home early to join me on the sixth of my runs. Suitably wrapped up we set off. On our way to the Punchbowl we decided to try the loop in the opposite direction. I have to admit I thought it might be a bit easier!

Before we reached the Punchbowl itself Terry caught his foot on a root & his ankle made a few noises. A few tentative steps later we were back on it & enjoying the first up. Mmm maybe it wouldn't be any easier this way round! Difficulty aside it was good looking at the views from a different perspective &, for me, good having some company again.

At the start of lap 2 Terry showed he had not lost his sense of humour suggesting we aim for a negative split. I 'politely' suggested he could keep that idea to himself ;)

We did manage to complete the 12m circuit in 2:43, a full 10mins quicker than my previous best. Happy with that.

I can now enjoy a long pause before my next run which will invlove 2 consecutive 12m loops, i.e 24miles & see me welcome the New Year in out on the trails. Currently there are two other similarly derranged individuals who will be joining me for this.

Day 7/8 (31/12/11- 1/1/12)

Before I begin to describe this stage of the challenge I must emphasise that this is blog is NOT designed to describe how to train for such a multi- stage run, nor a guide of what is sensible or right. (I can advise on those aspects & I do coach people very successfully in those areas). These accounts are purely to highlight what most of us can do. To serve as a reminder of what most of our bodies can do if we so choose and to hopefully provoke thought & awareness of conditions like Muscular Dystrophy that denies some this opportunity.

OK that disclaimer out of the way I shall continue..

When I came up with the idea of this challenge I thought twelve x 12m would capture peoples imagination. As previously inidcated I didn't really think about the implications of running off road at night on trails. I also didn't really think too carefully about the wisdom of declaring that I would see the New Year in running two stages back to back ie 24miles. But I did declare that as my intention.

As the daylight of the 31st ebbed away I sat in my front room, sneezing, coughing & generally feeling run down. I wondered why  I had passed up the opportunity to run in daylight & whether come the hour I would be physically & mentally up to covering 24miles. My hopes for the run were not great. The pressure I felt was.

I was joined for the run by Ali (James had decided a concert was a better option). We set off laden with water, gels, cakes & trekking poles. I also carried a spare set of emergency clothing, an emergency bivvy bag & an array of glove & hat options.

Ali opted to 'drop' her water bottles at the start/ end of each loop. I carried mine in a large camelback. Within the first few kms (always good to mix miles & kms) I was too hot. By the time I had worked out a better layering option with what I was carrying it was too late, my tops were too soaked to be of any practical use if required in any subsequent 'emergency' so I stuck with what I was wearing & drank furiously.

On the first loop the weather was clear with a mild breeze that lifted occassionally. The trails were wetter than they had been & slipperier but conditions were pretty good. I felt generally fatigued & emitted various unwelcome noises & aromas as we made progress. I withdrew into a private head battle of mind against body. This probably made me quite unpleasant company.

As the loops were ticked off the weather became less kind. The wind picked up & the rain came down. Occassionally the two peaked together which wasn't much fun.

Ali, on her first ever headtorch run occassionally mentioned things on the horizon or around us. I grunted & kept my focus on the pool of light just ahead of my feet. Not for me multi- tasking. Unless the other task is to curse when I misjugde a root or rock!

During the loops I was reminded that running with others at night requires understanding & empathy. If you run too close the light from the other person creates shadows that cancel out the illumination provided by one's own torch, or make it harder to distinguish between shadows, roots & rocks. Subtle position changes & the odd weave help mitigate this issue.

My pace on the ups was slow. Ali was much stronger. My pace on the flats was slow, Ali was stronger. My pace on the more technical descents was quicker - probably due to the benefits of gravity, relief that we had reached a descent & a higher disregard for personal safety ;) I was very grateful for the company but am pretty sure I was fairly miserable for much of the time as I dealt with my internal demons telling me to go home & give up.

We entered the New Year on a climb. My Happy New Year comment (said with a degree of irony) was that 2012 & started exactly as 2011 had finished, with an uphill struggle!

Shortly afterwards we reached the ridge of the punchbowl & a group of people setting off Chinese latterns into the night sky. I don't know what these are supposed to signify. I was going to google it but decided against it as at that time to me they provided a simple glow of hope. To me, they symbolised what this run & my other challeneges were about, the hope that progress can be made in the search of a cure for Muscular Dystrophy. I reflected on this symbolisation, this hope & treated myself to a smile.

The noise of a large party & fireworks shattered this personal moment a short while later as we closed the final loop out, but it was a good, happy set of noises.

The relief I felt on finishing was immense. I ached & felt exhausted. A large cup of tea later I was beginning to feel a bit better. This morning my legs are stiff, I still have a cold but I know (ignoring the remaining 4 runs for a moment) that soon I will be well & stronger for my efforts. That is a pretty amazing machine most of us own & operate.

Day 9: 2/1/12

Wha a glorious day. Beautiful clear blue skies. A perfect day for another 12m run.

Today I was joined by Ali, Jim, Mark, Martin (aka Nobbsy) & Tony. It was a truly enjoyable morning talking nonsense (me), catching up & getting muddy. A really nice run.

Day 10: 3/1/12

What a day! The UK was hit by gale force winds & heavy rain. The view from inside out was bleak. I worked out how long I could leave a decision to set off & still finish the run in daylight. Then I remembered a quote I had read via Twitter along the lines of. 'Do not wait until the conditions are perfet to begin. Beginning makes conditions perfect' The quote was attributed to A. Cohen

So early afternoon I headed out my front door. To my dismay I was greeted by blue skies and a relatively light wind. An unbelieveable contrast to a few moments earlier when I had made my kit selection of rain jacket, hat, buff etc.

The weather remained good for most of the first lap but the trails were so wet, soft & slippery. Going was heavy! As I reached one of the highest points on the first lap the wind picked up, I dropped down on a trail between the trees, smiling that I had cheated the wind. Then as I commenced the final climb of the lap the rain came. Wow. The downpour was intense but relatively short lived. The rest of the run was a mix of no wind, strong wind, rain, no rain, dark grey sky, clear blue skies! The only thing that was constant was the slipperiness of the trail. The two remaining runs will be very focussed if the rain persists.

Day 11: 4/1/12

The penultimate run of this challenge. I was relatively relaxed about this run when I set off. It was dark, wet & cold but I could see the finish line. Unusually 20mins into the run I was still cold. Not through lack of effort, I was moving forward & I was expending energy simply trying to stay upright- the trail was exceptionally wet & slippery. I just wasn't warming up.

Part way up the first climb a branch blown onto the trail by yesterdays winds caught my shin. OW! Unsure if the sensation was shock, real pain/ damage or what I walked/ hobbled for a bit. I then continued to make progress. I slowed as I was very concious I still had tonights & tomorrows runs to get through.

Mid way through the 2nd lap my co- ordination was awful, I was failing to negotiate simple obstacles, bumping into all sorts of things. I put it down to a mix of fatigue & cold. I slowed again to mitigate this risk & got colder.

I thought about a trail side power nap- but saw the stupidity in that thought process. I zig- zagged my way round the rest of the loop & home. Head a mess, needing a hot drink, some food & sleep.

Tomorrow is another day.

Day 12: 5/1/12

The day of the last run arrived. I watched the daylight ebb away whilst at work but set off in a relaxed mood with my head torch & trusty trekking poles. The first part of the run passed uneventfully & I let my mind drift to the previous runs & reflect on the reasons for the runs & challenge639 as a whole.

On the first real climb I encountered a large branch lurking on the track. I didn't think the day had been that windy & wondered how I could have missed it on run 11. I was still pondering this a 1km or so up the track whilst my eyes looked at the rocks, holes, & puddles from the glow of my torch. Then just in time I realised there was a large tree across the track. This fully blocked the trail. I definitely hadn't missed this the night before! Clearly the day had been windier than I imagined.

I negotiated my way around the tree & continued up the track & wondered where the best place to be in relation to a tree if it decided to fall over on me- near the top where the branches would be thinner but the force would be greater, or closer to the base, where the momentum would be less but the mass greater. I never was good at physics..

Slightly preoccupied by my musings I then ran off track. I think this was because it looked different due to all the debris of twigs, branches etc that had been blown about by the wind, but maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Either way I got lost. This was not ideal but no one to blame but me so I re-grouped looked for familiar trees & got myself back on track. The back end of the loop was particularly difficult to negotiate due to the effects of two days worth of heavy winds. My pace in these sections was cautious ;)

As I closed out the 2nd loop my thoughts turned to what I had achieved over the last 12 days and whether it meant anything. The physical side of the challenge had tested me. The mental side had also presented me with a few dark moments to work through. However by comparison to what some of my friends do it probably represented a fairly mundane training 'week'. But it had challenged me. More importantly thanks to my friends & the wonders of the internet, facebook & twitter, awareness of the reasons for the challenge had been raised. Together we had shaken the grass.

 Postscript..

Due to a few technical issues there was a delay in me being able to post my closing post to this blog. Initially I felt quite deflated during this & questioned the validity of this challenge & challenge639 as a whole. These negative thoughts were dispelled by the kind thoughts & comments I received, & the donations & pledges made. These include another of my athletes, Claire offering to support challenge639 when she races her first Ironman. This follows on from a similar generous offer by Andy  in respect of his forthcoming season. Thank you.

I hope that together we can continue to increase awareness of muscular dystrophy & help Alfie & Arthur enjoy their lives.