It’s here! It’s here!

[Gabby08]

December challenge bling arrived this morning! It’s not as pretty as Aliboo’s but look at those cute little Santa hats! And the ‘free’ compression top is quite nice too.

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Lovely bling, and well done on racking up all those miles in December - very impressive!☺

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you! I really enjoyed it so I’m already thinking about doing another one once the nights get lighter

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon in reply to Gabby08]

Last time I signed up for a virtual medal (last year some time), I got injured (! )but having read the posts from you and Aliboo, I am thinking it would motivate me to get my distance back up a bit. It would take me longer than a month to rack up 100 miles but I might sign up for a 50 mile one. 🙂 Happy running!

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to Sandraj39]

Oh what a shame! I always worry that I’ll get injured as soon as I commit to something. I missed one of my long runs due to illness but other than that, it was fine. Fortunately, I’d left myself a bit of wiggle room when I worked out my schedule. It was definitely a great way to motivate myself to cover more miles though. I considered doing the 75 mile version as I was worried that 100 miles was too much so I mapped out each individual run to make sure it was obtainable first.

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon]

That is awesome and I am in awe of that distance! Something to work towards.....

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

In the end, the distance wasn’t as bonkers as it first seemed. I did four runs a week - two social ones with my club, a parkrun and a long Sunday one. Effectively, it just forced me to do what I *should* have been doing anyway, but without letting life get in the way. December is so full of other temptations and I’m very easily led! 😂

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Gabby08]

4 runs a week make it more doable, I suppose. I'm struggling getting 3 runs a week in right now (darn work messing up my running commitments 😄), which isn't great for my HM training. At least my first HM is a virtual one, so it's just about meeting the distance, a little less pressure than an organized one. I still think 100 miles any month, let alone December, is AMAZING! You rock!

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Ooh, exciting! Good luck! When are you doing it? My first HM is next weekend. Aargh! I’m utterly terrified!

Totally agree with you about struggling to fit in four runs a week. That was another reason for doing the challenge - it forced me to get them in somehow. When I missed a club run due to work commitments, I went out at 5am the next day to squeeze in an alternative!

Aw, thanks. Still can’t believe I run at all, never mind those distances, to be honest!

[ancientrunner Half Marathon]

Very nice - Congratulations. 100miles is areal achievement.

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to ancientrunner]

Thank you! I still can’t believe I did it!

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon]

I'm doing the Run for Millie's in March through virtual runner UK. It can be ran any day in March, which is nice since I'm in Canada and we can still be quite wintery in March. I'm hoping to run it early March but haven't gotten my work schedule for Feb/March yet to know when I'm on call. I can't get out for a long run when I'm on call so it hinders my training. I had/have marathon hopes, but not sure if I could get the necessary training in with my job. We'll see how the HM training goes.

Good luck on your race next weekend. I can totally understand the nerves you must be feeling, but you've obviously put the miles in and you definitely have this! Will be looking forward to reading your race report!

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Wow, that sounds like a great way to do it. It’s such a shame that work is getting in the way of your running goals. I’ve always been a bit of a workaholic and often struggled to fit things in around my job but for some reason, I’ve been different this time. I’m still getting the job done, just less well than ever before! It must be so much more difficult when you have to be on call though.

Thanks. I can’t believe it’s only a week away! 😫

[C3PO Marathon]

Very nice. Congratulations!

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to C3PO]

Thank you!

[aliboo70 Half Marathon]

thats great Gabby! glad it turned up ok! CONGRATULATIONS on your 100 miles

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to aliboo70]

Thank you! I was so pleased when it arrived!

[Irish-John Marathon]

Well done Runner!!! ☺☺☺

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to Irish-John]

Thank you John! I still struggle to think of myself as a ‘runner’ even though running now consumes about 80 percent of my waking thoughts! 😂

[Irish-John Marathon in reply to Gabby08]

DEFINITELY a Runner! ☺☺☺

[Hidden]

Congratulations on your 100 miles, an awesome achievement! Sounds like you are ready for your hm but I wish you the best of luck. Let us know how it goes!

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Thank you! I don’t think I’ll ever “feel ready” for a race, especially when it’s a new distance. I’ll definitely report back on Sunday (and no doubt ask a million ‘faffage’ questions between now and then...)

[Hidden in reply to Gabby08]

I will be listening with eagerness as I feel I will have huge faffage in April. That is assuming I get through the training without illness or injury, uhh faffage already!

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Oh believe me, my faffage started months ago! We usually climb down a really steep, muddy bank when walking the dog but I’ve been going the long way round because I’m so paranoid about injuries! And if I check the blinking long term weather forecast one more time...😂

[Hidden in reply to Gabby08]

I love this, it is like talking to myself in the mirror! You have all my faffage, worries and concerns already mapped out lol. It is nice to know I am not the only one, heaven knows how I will make the start line on time after I have faffed 😂

[Gabby08 Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Oh missing the start - that’s something else to faff about. Imagine how early we’ll be setting our alarms on our big days!

[HeleneCorsa]

Lovely! Well done on your achievement, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[skysue16 Half Marathon]

Very lovely 🎅 fantastic achievement, very well done