93% complete.

Still a bit sore and stiff after my 11 mile run on Monday, so a very gentle 4 mile jog along the Thames at lunchtime.

Only 33 miles to go now !

Plan B

Weather was foul yesterday so neither of us were very enthusiastic about two laps of an Edinburgh hill in a southwesterly gale and squally showers.

So a lazy day on Sunday but today I was off work and after the gasman had been I went out with the intention of doing a long run. Having got a bit bored with my normal 2 mile lap around the park I did a bit of pre-planning and worked out a larger lap totalling 4.6 miles which I figured I could probably do twice.

A lovely day for running, very different from yesterday: almost no breeze, cool but with a hint of sunshine. The route was relatively flat, with one long gentle incline, and I managed both laps without any real problems (other than having to dodge the traffic around some of the ever-present Edinburgh tram-related roadworks).

Having got to the 9.2 mile mark I was in a good rhythm and still felt there was some running left in my legs, so I kept going and added on one of my usual smaller laps of the park, bringing me to a total of 11.26 miles - a new record !

I must admit I was pretty tired by the end and felt the beginnings of cramp in my legs. I could maybe have done another half mile or so but that would have been it.

However a half-marathon is starting to look well within my grasp !

70 miles in October now, and nearly 463 overall.

Edinburgh weekend

Just back from a couple of laps of Inverleith Park in Edinburgh. A mild, grey, cloudy morning - good conditions for running. Just over 4 miles added to the total. Yesterday I ran from the office to Putney Bridge and back at lunchtime for 3.3 more miles. So that's nearly 59 miles in October and 452 overall.

Tomorrow the plan is to run a couple of laps of Arthur's Seat - the lump of volcanic rock which overlooks the centre of Edinburgh. There's a road which runs round and part of the way up the hill and which forms the course of the BUPA Great Winter Run which I took part in back in January. It's a fairly unrelenting climb for the first 2km, then level for 1km and then there's a very satisfying long downhill stretch (visible on the bottom left of the photograph) back to the starting point. A full lap is 3.25 miles, so given the climb (and the everpresent wind on the top of the hill) a couple of laps is a good workout.

Barnes Bridge

A lunchtime scamper along the Thames, across Barnes Bridge and back on the other side to Hammersmith Bridge, then back to the office.

4.8 comfortable miles.

Lots of people rowing on the river being shouted at by other people in motorboats with loudhailers, but otherwise a very nice run on a cool, cloudy day.

Lazy morning at Crystal Palace

Feeling a bit tired and sore after yesterday's efforts in Greenwich, so a nice lazy lap and a half around Crystal Palace Park this morning.

Just under 3 miles to add to my total which now stands at 46 miles for October and 439 for 2009.

New record

8.77 miles at Greenwich. 3 big laps and then a couple of smaller ones. I think that's the first time I've run up "the hill" 3 times. I could have passed the 9 mile mark if I'd had more time which is encouraging now I'm thinking towards doing a half-marathon.

At the current rate of progress it's looking like I'll pass the 500 mile mark sometime in November so I'm having a look around to see if there's any interesting races to do around then. It would be nice to make an occasion of it.

And of course I'm going to carry on running after that and see how many miles I can complete in the year...

Lazy week

A combination of having a rest after Run Kingston and being busy at work means I've only run once this week - a lap of the Thames between Hammersmith and Putney bridges for 4.12 miles.

Totals: 34 miles in October, 427 in 2009.

Tomorrow: off to Greenwich for some more "hill training".

Run Kingston

Well, a very successful trip to Kingston - I achieved all of 5 of my goals and finished with just under 75 minutes on my watch.

I somehow ended up right at the front on the start line with all the "greyhounds" so was overtaken by what felt like the whole of humanity in the first mile. I'd planned to set off slowly but I was carried along by the crowds and passed the first mile mark in 9:15.

I consciously tried to slow down after that and did mile 2 in 10:25, although I think the mile markers might have been a bit out as I then did mile 3 in 8:10 without noticeably speeding up ! However after that I settled down to a pace of around 9:10 per mile and kept that going for the rest of the race.

Approaching the finish I saw I was on target to beat 75 minutes so I put in a bit of a sprint finish and crossed the line with about 8 seconds to spare on my watch.

It was a great feeling to finish with a bit of extra energy left and although my legs were getting a little heavy over the last mile it gives me confidence that I can ran further.

The weather turned out to be pretty ideal - cloudy and cool with some light rain - and the support from the spectators was really good. In a way its nicer in a smaller event - the support seems more personal.

Nice also to run in a race for runners - very few people walking after 800 metres, no barging at the start, not too many iPod wearers wandering all over the road. The course was a little disappointing though - the first section along the barge walk was lovely, but the remaining 3/4s of the race were along the side of main roads.

However, overall it was a really enjoyable day - all four of us ran well, and I was delighted with my time and fitness.

So... another 8.2 miles onto the total, bringing me to 423 miles for the year.

Pre-race update

A low-key week in preparation for Run Kingston on Sunday:

a quick 3 miles in Crystal Palace last Sunday;

4 miles along the river at lunchtime on Tuesday;

3.3 miles along the river at lunchtime yesterday

bringing my total to 22 miles for October and 415 for the year so far.

Plan for tomorrow - no running, then head down to Kingston early evening, get an early night ready for the 0800 start on Sunday morning. Weather forecast is for light rain - perfect for running !

PS - the nice people at Practical Action have added some info about my challenge to their website. Hopefully that will drum up a bit more interest - and sponsorship !

A new record - and a new landmark

Off to Greenwich this morning with the aim of doing a long run, ideally more than 7 miles, as preparation for runKingston next weekend.

It was a cool, breezy but dry day, ideal for running. I ran two long laps but thought a third trip up the hill was probably a bad idea, so I stayed on the top level of the park and completed 3 shorter laps for a total of 7.8 miles - a new record for me, and close enough to 8.2 miles to make me confident I'll handle the distance ok at Kingston.

And somewhere in the middle of my run I passed 400 miles for the year so far - fantastic !

So, maybe time to set some targets for next weekend:

1. Complete the distance
2. Run all the way !
3. 85 minutes
4. 80 minutes
5. 75 minutes

Putney loop

4 miles along the Thames at lunchtime - to Putney Bridge, across the river, back to Hammersmith Bridge, across the river, and back to the office.

I aimed to take it easy today and ran at 9.5 minute/mile pace - much more comfortable. My previous 6 runs have all been at 9 to 9.25 minute pace which might explain why I was struggling to clock up a decent distance lately.

So - the plan is to aim for a long (7 miles+) run this weekend, and then take it easy up until the Kingston race a week on Sunday.