LEJoG 2017 - a 1,000 mile training run

[Not the actual route as all on road would be miserable.  More off road is appreciably longer!]

I've wanted to traverse the length of Britain on foot for quite some time and a couple of years ago a window of opportunity almost came up, but then I got a job again so it didn't even get to the planning stage.

Due to an extremely flexible and accommodating employer, I have the opportunity to do it this year.  Starting in May-ish, through June into early July-ish (depending on unforeseen circumstances and work schedule in May).  I've got 44 days to get to Land's End, run to John O'Groats and get home again, and that's including contingency.  It'll take a day to get to the start and a day to get home afterwards, so that's 42 days to cover something around 950-1100 miles, depending on the route I end up with, and a lot of elevation.  And carrying all my own stuff.

Of course, finding a route is the hard part.  I've already spent a day getting really frustrated with trying to get out of the South West using trails and avoiding the South West Coast Path (because it's really super hard!).   It turns out most of the roads in the area have no pedestrian facility either (thanks Streetview!).  So I now have OS Landrangers 203 and 204, up to 182 (thanks to a buy-one-get-one-half-price offer), which I will be laying out on the lounge floor to try to get a much higher level view of where the trails/off-road paths are in relation to each other and have another go.  Once I'm out of the South West, routing gets a whole lot easier with some good other National Trails in Offa's Dyke, the Pennine Way etc.

It's all an elaborate training run for Deadwater at the end of July though!  And an excuse to blog a bit more in the planning and the running of it, and take a bajillion photos.

Deadwater: A Goal in 2017

I like multi-days :o)  With a 50 runner limit, by submitting an application that doesn't guarantee entry I was pleased to be accepted into this race: "235 miles, over six stages. It starts in Deadwater on the Scottish border, and it ends at Flint Castle in Wales. Getting an entry today is not an automatic acceptance. We will take only runners that we believe have sufficient endurance experience to take on the challenge. We will notify you either way."  And the image above is what arrives in your email to let you know you've been accepted once your application has been assessed.

Planning a running tour

I've decided that I'd like to take a week out, running a National Trail, self-supported.

As with Ironman races, I'm thinking the safest, easiest thing is to start near home in case of cancellation, needing to bail out early etc. and keeping the costs down a little.  Handily there's a nice National Trail that ends near to home enough for it to be easily viable.  And I've already walked half of it a while ago (when I was 34kg heavier and not fit in the slightest).

I've chosen the Thames Path - it's well marked, has relatively easy stop off points to stay overnight and shouldn't be too hard logistics-wise.

My first error was to choose half term week - I thought the B&Bs wouldn't be too booked up but it turns out that's wrong.  So, I'm shifting it back a week and starting on the day of Rowbotham's Round Rotherham (ah well, another year!).  The loose daily plan so far is this:-

Day 1: Source to Lechlade; 23.42 miles

Day 2: Lechlade to Oxford; 30.48 miles

Day 3: Oxford to Streatley; 29.5 miles

Day 4: Streatley to Cookham; 33 miles

Day 5: Cookham to Teddington; 35.34 miles

Day 6: Teddington to the barrier;  30.85 miles

This feels achievable at the moment, having walked a good chunk of it in the past when really unfit and overweight.  Yes, I had aching hip joints in the mornings, but that's fine and I'm in a very different place now.  It'll get refined as I investigate the B&B situation in more detail, but I'm mostly OK with how it looks so far with a gentler day to start off and the longer days towards the end.  I'll be running for no more than 8 hours in any day (35 miles at 14 min/mile worst case) and I don't plan to take a lunch break due to it being hard to start up again if you sit down.  So if I start around 8am, I'll be done in the afternoon and have lots of recovery time (and likely cold baths wherever I can).

I also have an evolving kit list which, thanks to the wonders of merino (warm and/or cool, and wearable for days in a row even when running), is lighter and shorter than it could be!  I have to carry it all with me, so I need to pack minimally as is practial.

• 1x pair multi-terrain running shoes
• 2x pairs wool/merino socks
• 1x buff (heavy or mid)
• 1x merino bra
• 1x pair merino shorts
• 1x pair merino leggings
• 1x merino long sleeved
• 1x technical t-shirt
• 1x waterproof jacket
• 1x body warmer
• 1x waterproof trousers
• debit card
• cash
• salt tablets
• 2x 750ml water bottles
• (Clif bars maybe)/cheese/nuts/sausage
• 1st aid kit; blister treatment specific
• Map
• Foil blanket
• Hat
• Gloves
• Phone
• Extra battery, cable & plug
• Garmin watch and/or 800 & charger

This will likely evolved and change as things spring to mind and there's always the weather considerations as it gets closer.  But a plan is starting to come together, and the running training is too.