10k done! I'd set myself a challenge of running 10k  everyday on the treadmill and see how many days in a row I could do.  Some kept asking how I could do this, wasn't it boring? No, not really, not when you challenge yourself and give yourself small targets to achieve constantly.  I was also currently trying to improve my flexibility and improve the strength in my lower back as this was always the problem area.  I'd begun by going through my normal repertoire of stretches but decided it was time to expand the programme a little.  I bravely walked towards, now prepare yourself, the big beach ball looking things!  I know, not that adventurous but to me this was a whole new world!  So just imagine it, there's me arching backwards over this great big space ball copying exactly what the woman I saw the day before doing.  For some reason though my hands didn't meet the floor and before I new it I'd flipped off the big bouncy ball rebounding off the wall off mirrors.  As most people do I quickly tried to recover myself sitting bolt upright like a Meerkat pretending I was doing a new highly upto date stretch whilst alertly scouring the room to see if anyone had noticed my circus act.  Highly amusing I am sure if anyone had, I just tried to style it out like it was normal ha ha!

This was the beginning of my search for pushing the boundry and looking for a greater challenge.  I'd decided running the Yorkshire Marathon which was to be held in York would be the start.  I was having this re-occurring question rattling round my head of 'how far is too far?' , 'how far could I actually go if I tried?', this is where my challenge was born, I couldn't let this thought go it kept coming back, like Arnie!


Training was becoming more and more consistent, gym sessions, short runs, long runs, squash and brace yourselves, Body Balance! We'll come back to this as it deserves its very own little section.  So the morning runs became habit and running with other people started to help the motivation to get out of bed and run.  There are a vast amount of fantastic people out there with brilliant characters and personalities you just have to find them.  Well its save to say I'd definitely found not just one but a few.  To name a few, there nicknames were  Costa Darren, Pistol Pete, Mad Dog Adam, oh and Princess Faye!  Now these names are perfect for them, I have been on many morning runs with Darren where a strange ritual takes place, one that I have never come across ever before and quite frankly don't think I will ever again contrary to what Darren says about being normal.  We would arrange to meet earlyish if he could manage to actually crawl out of bed and head off through town on route across the city. Now normally I would avoid stopping and taking a not so well earned break but on this occassion Darren informed me how beneficial an Expresso is mid run!  I looked at him with a very confused look on my face and he convinced me this is what we should do.  Well apart from looking incredibly out of place in the shop at 7am, two guys sweating profusely and steaming like two boiling kettles, the expresso did not settle well in my stomach but on I pressed with our run  persuading myself this was good for me.  This became the ritual, in fact it gained the title of 'The Costa Run' hence 'Costa Darren'.

My other running buddies I will briefly introduce, we have 'Pistol Pete'  aptly named as he prefers to run much quicker than me and is always pushing for a better time or pace.  He likes to run with me as I am steady Eddy and I like running with him, apart from the banter, as he pushes me out of my comfort zone.  We then need to mention 'The Princess', the first run I did with Faye was the 'Mo Run' in Leeds this was in Movember and I had grown a great tash for this event, never to be repeated I will let you know.  Faye is always in pristine clothing brand new, and this run was a little muddy I remember it very well.  I can see her face now once her trainers started becoming a little less than bright ha ha!  Faye has become a great runner since that cold wet day in November and all credit to her for continuing, although not quite buying into running 100 miles yet though!  This brings me on to 'Mad Dog Adam', now I need a real gritty name for Adam as that sums him up.  He loves the challenges and gets stuck in.  Always looking like he's in agony yet always ahead of me, as most people are.  Funniest thing happened whist out on his first Hardmoors venture, this will stay with me forever, so funny.   There we were bouncing down this trail on the Yorkshire Moors, Adam running with a spring in is step looking like a hyper Kangaroo and me slugging it out behind looking half dead.  Now Adam was chancing it a bit on this day by running in some normal running shoes rather getting the more traditional tried and tested trail shoes.  He was having a great time no one problem at all, leaving me to question why I'd just spent a fortune on pair to look the part now I was a through and through true trail runner with a couple of runs under my belt.  This was going so well, until the fateful moment when I shouted up front to him 'hows it going, those trainers ok?'  his reply was a loud 'yep great, loving it!' then swoosh down he went sliding across the trail slipping and glidding down his side roughly through a gorse bush.  Now at this point I was beside myself with uncontrolable laughter almost crying from what I remember, then I quickly thought best ask if he's alright and needs a hand.  He was fine just a bit of ego bruising and some pretty painful needles stuck in his hand, ooouuuch!

These trail runs are brilliant if you ever get the chance then look up Hardmoors Trail runs they are great fun in a beautiful part of the world, YORKSHIRE!

Just so its fair, I will let you all into a little secret, my running nickname!  Its not Lightning Eddie I'm sorry  to say, or Bolt, or Dash!  No its much more dynamic, charismatic than them, its.........'Diesel' yes like a steam train or locamotive that just chugs along ha ha!

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