Still hot!

[OldNed]

28C yesterday. What, I hear you saying; he can't be in Britain. Sure enough I'm not. I'm camping in the pine forests west of Bordeaux, in the area where I first got the idea that I might try running, a couple of years ago. Time flies etc and it's now over a year since Laura told me I was a runner. And I'm still running so I guess I must be.

Some of you will know that I'm trying to keep track of my monthly distance, and trying to stay above 100K a month. June has been an odd month. We started at a family wedding in Rhodes - stayed a week, ran for 30 mins! Hot. But here I've run every day for the last 10 days, through the pine forests behind the campsite. I've seen deer, hares and buzzards and shedloads of chuffing mosquitoes. And the campsite has twice been visited by sangliers (wild boar, who also live in the forest).

Come on, get to the point, you say; have you clocked 100K in June? Yes YES Y-E-S!!! 108.6K, to be precise. I'm well pleased with this, as you might imagine. I'm regularly running a straight uninterrupted 10K in 60 mins so I guess that's my baseline time. I find that I'm significantly fitter, and lighter, than when I was last here, two years ago. Almost of all that is down to C25K and just keeping on running. So if you're just starting or having doubts about keeping going - trust in Laura and keep going. If you've graduated - keep going. It's not always fun; it's often (here) very hot & sweaty. But it's definitely always worth it!

A bientot!!

[Hidden]

sounds pretty good out there Ned - and bet it feels good to compare and contrast to the last time you were there too. and 108.6k what!! that's just not even in my league.

But it has just prompted me to check my distance for June and not a too shabby 57.2km (significantly boosted by clocking a 10.8k yesterday), bear in mind that I only started in April. so I've got something to aim for during July...

now get yourself back over here to the blamy 15c Yorkshire summer!!

[OldNed Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Matthew. It does feel good although, curiously, the thought of the balmy Yorkshire summer just isn't doing it for me at all! Still, gotta get the ferry on Thursday. Your 10.8K sounds good. A few of those in quick succession and you'll be heading for 100.

[Poppy2010 Graduate]

Sounds like a great place to run, and to remember what inspired your journey! It's years since I have been to France, but definitely planning a trip next year....

Made me wonder what my running total was for June, and thanks to Runkeeper I can post a very credible (for me) 72.2km in the last 30 days! Longer training runs on B210K in preparation for the Olympic Park run is helping build that up!

I began C25K last October, a couple of weeks after starting weight watchers; I am now 2 1/2 stones lighter and today got uniform trousers at work with a waist measurement 16cm smaller than last summers pairs! Yay! Still a way to go but good progress so far!

Keep up the good work, and enjoy La France!

[Beads Graduate in reply to Poppy2010]

Poppy, 6 inches and more off your waist is a brilliant result! Well done!

[Beads Graduate]

Ned, you started me on 'something' back in April when you first posted your distance. I was getting quite unhealthily obsessed throughout May trying to clock up that magic 100 (which I did, with room to spare, due to a couple of bank holidays giving me a couple of extra run days), however have been a bit more relaxed through June (I think (hope) the obsession was brief).

So totals for June:

Outside running: 96.89k over 12 runs

Treadmill running: 24.65k over 6 runs

Dog walks:74.18k over 15 walks (poor puppy only gets out every other day, we chase him round the garden the rest of the time)

Bike rides: 75.82k over 6 rides.

Grand total: 271.54k!!!!!!

There's a few extra treadmill runs, race for life was on a non-running day so I had to re-jig things meaning extra treadmill sessions before work and fewer outside runs, so outside runs didn't quite total the magic 100.

But July has started well with 6.38k clocked up outside rather than a treadmill session as I was awake early this morning!

[OldNed Graduate in reply to Beads]

Excellent results. Sorry to be slow in replying but I moved on and lost wi-fi access for several days.