100km in 7 days

So if you follow my blog/any of my social media accounts you will know I’m jetting off to Africa in January. As part of this trip you are expected to raise £800 for the charity through fundraising. For ages I was stumped as to what I could do that would encourage donations and finally I decided on a run as it is something that I do anyways and it is easy as it doesn’t take much organisation or cost any money. 100km in a week is what I decided on and once I had chosen a week then it was just a case of training. When I say training I didn’t actually really train because the week of the run just crept up on me so quickly. I was planning on taking the week off work to ensure I was well rested and eating properly but I forgot (classic!). I ran with my flatmate who is also going to Africa and needed to fundraise. I definitely wouldn’t have had the drive to do it on my own. If you are wondering I used map my run to ensure I was doing the correct distance.

Day 1

You know those days where you just cannot run, everything hurts and you just want to stop… that was day 1. I ran on the treadmill in the gym instead of outdoor running. I have a really annoying ankle which always hurts when I run, possibly to do with having old shoes or a bad running style but omg the pain. The plan was to run 15km but I only managed 12km. Slightly disheartening but tried to keep a PMA (positive mental attitude).

Day 2

In contrast to day 1, day 2 was a breeze. I strapped up my ankle (so tight I couldn’t feel it) and it was a dream. Nothing hurt and I wasn’t tired so I ran 17km to make up for day 1.

Day 3

Day 3 was actually okay. The strapping kept my ankle in check although the thighs were killing me probably because I hadn’t stretched so I learnt my lesson there. That was another 17km ticked off.

Day 4

Day 4 was the worst probably. It was so incredibly windy that the run felt like it took twice the amount of energy. It was freezing so whenever I had to stop at the traffic lights, my muscles would seize up and it was difficult to get going again. Never been more happy to have a hot shower when I got home. Managed another 17km though.

Day 5

Day 4 wasn’t too bad. I think because I had already completed such a distance already the end felt reachable. It was still really cold but there was little wind so I wasn’t as tired at the end of it. My ankle was twinging but to be honest at the distance that I had done all week it was way better than I expected it to be at this stage.

Day 6

Because I had a hen party this day, I did a cheeky 10km which felt so incredibly short. I’ve never been more happy to check my distance on the running app I use and see that I was almost finished when it felt like I had just began.

Day 7

Solid relief is all I felt when I woke up in the morning that all I had left of this run was 10km. It was bitterly cold and really frosty so the ground was a bit icy in places. Having taken my ankle strap off I was expecting some trouble but actually the ankle was okay. The run felt so short. And I’m going to probably take a good couple of weeks to recover/run again.

There is still time to donate! Anything large or small is greatly appreciated to help me reach my target. My just giving page is linked here.

Overall although it was difficult, this challenge has taught me that you can actually do way more than you think you can do… all it takes it some motivation and determination.