Personnel Best in the Blyth 10k

Last big run before Glasgow and ran a personnel best of 55:19 in the Blyth Harriers 10k. Back felt good and held up well. I was put off a little by the woman runner who seemed to be acting a famous scene from When Harry Met Sally for the last 2 miles!! A few days rest now and the off north on Saturday.

Thanks again for everyone's support.

Back in the UK and Training Going Well

 

Back to the UK and managed a 10.5 mile training running this morning. I also ran everyday while in Spain. Back holding up well and felling not too bad. Also reached 2 milestones today; I have ran over 100 miles in the month of August (1^st time ever) and have broke the 500 mile barrier for running this year. Role on Glasgow next weekend

Training back on track

Back training this week after last weeks back problems. 3 runs in 3 days, all in the Spanish Heat, all seems to be holding up well

Thanks for all the emails. Will try to reply to all as quickly as I can.

Amazing Response

Thanks to everyone for your amazing support and sponsorship. Over 3k raised in 5 days. Wow.

Isle of Man Time

Just checked by time, and even with my Broken Back, I was only 6 seconds slower than my last 1/2 Marathon. There maybe is hope for me yet?

Isle of Man Completed 1 down 9 to go.

One of the toughest and most painful things I have ever done, but got to the end.

It was not due to lack of training, I have clocked up over 400 miles this year already. It was not the toughness of the course, there were hills, but compared to the Blackhill Bounders runs on a Tuesday night around Consett, it was flat. Best described as an undulating course. It was also not down to the weather, nice sea breeze, dry and slightly overcast, almost perfect running weather

In short it was down to my broken body, or more specifically my back. I injured it on 15th December 1991 getting out of a truck, well actually cracking 2 ribs on the steering wheel, cracking my shoulder blade and hurting my back on the passenger seat, before getting thrown onto the road through the windscreen as the truck gracefully rolled into a ditch. I have long since learned to manage it and through regular visits to Stephen Henderson at the Osteopath Centre on the Team Valley it hasn't been an issue for as long as I can remember.

So Saturday morning I wake up in pain, I have no clue why, normally it is caused by straining it lifting something, but this time it just decided to catch me by surprise. (Victoria thinks it is because I haven't had a drink for 5 days!). I got through the journey to the Isle of Man with plenty of pain killers and to be honest this morning I had pain, but it wasn't to bad.

So 9:30 we start and within half a mile I was in bother. When my back goes the muscles around my spine go into spasm to compensate, and my spine develops a convincing question mark shape! It was also starting to go very wrong. In the first 2 miles I had to briefly stop twice as the muscles spasms extended to my left leg, then it really hit me, fortunately next to a very nicely manicured lawn which when my left leg stopped working I gracefully fell onto, much to the shock of other runners. These 3 occasions proved to be the only times I stopped running for the entire race.

I kept running/jogging with the odd stumble due to left leg ignoring the simple run instruction issued by my brain. At 4 miles the pain killers kicked in and I managed to keep a steady pace with only the odd stumble through to the end.

My official time was 2:14:01 which isn't brilliant but it is a time. There was almost a tear of relief at the end. Tomorrow will be spent getting my back repositioned in the correct place.

They say no pain no gain. Hopefully my pain will be Willow Burns gain. I could have given up but that would have been a failure at the first hurdle. I have got a couple of contingency races up my sleeve in case of flight cancellation or injury, but I certainly wasn't going to use my joker so early.

4 weeks now to recover before Glasgow!!!

Half Marathon No1

Checked into at Ramsey for the Isle of Man Half Marathon. Back not too bad today, but hotel room above a nightclub that closed at 3:30 this morning so a little tired.

Had a good blast on the TT course from Douglas to Ramsey to wake me up.

Next update after the race. Thanks for all the messages of support and more importantly the pledges for Willow Burn. Keep them both coming.

Isle of Man Eve

Carbing up in an Italian on Liverpool docks. Ferry tonight then first race 09:30 tomorrow. Only one small hitch, I hope Mr pro lapsed disc drops back in over night. Could be a long half marathon. Good timing for back to go!!

The Tour T Shirt has Arrived

Thanks to SIB Sportswear, Consett for the work on the running shirt

Thanks to everyone for the Amazing Support

Absolutely amazing response to the launch of the Running Man Challenge. I have received over 100 emails this afternoon, which is why I am still replying to them at 11pm. Thank you to everyone who sent their support and pretty much universally questioned my sanity. Also a massive thanks to those who have donated already and to those who have promised to in the future.

I am absolutely overwhelmed by the reaction and it certainly makes all those training runs around the hills of Consett seem worthwhile and motivated me even further.

A special thanks to the amazing friends who sponsored me £100 per race (yes per race). I have to say at first I thought they had miss read the information, I then thought they must be banking on me not making it long enough to collect, but then I realised they have just been unbelievably generous. An extra big thanks to you both - you know who you are.

Finally to Mike, thanks for the IT help today, and no I will not be running any of the races in the yellow lycra outfit as modelled by Arnie in the 1987 film - The Running Man. It simply isn't going to happen..

The Big Running Challenge

The big challenge starts on Sunday in the Isle of Man. Follow the progress and support at www.runningman.co
Nigel Cook
Elddis Transport (Consett) Limited

Welcome to My Big Running Challenge

Welcome to the RunningMan blog.

Please read through the other pages on Runningman.co to learn about my big running challenge. I will keep the blog updated with my progress as the races take place.

You can also follow me on Twitter (nigelcook68), Linkedin and Facebook (The Running Man).

Most importantly you can support Willow Burn either via http://www.justgiving.co.uk/running-man-2010 or if you prefer to send a cheque make it payable to Willow Burn and send it to Nigel Cook c/o Elddis Transport (Consett) Limited, Delves Lane, Consett, Co. Durham, DH8 7LH.

Thanks to Louise at White Rose Media for putting together the website at very short notice.

Thanks for visiting, please visit as often as you can, and donate as much as you can afford