22. 3000 miles of advice

I had some good news from my recent webinar with the crew and participants for the run in June.  The longest day is shorter than I thought!  40 miles rather than 44.  That will make a huge difference.  That made me smile. 

Also, I'm not sure whether this is good news or not, but with all the mileage I'm doing, everything else but my knee hurts! How to prevent injuries and treat anything that does occur has been part of my learning.

With this in mind, a while ago I had a chat with Chris Finill (thanks for the introduction Graham).  Google 'The 3000 mile men' and watch on youtube.  'Wow' is all I could say.  He got me to read James Shapiro - Meditations from the Breakdown Lane: Running Across America - the book that inspired Chris to run across USA in 2011.  3100 miles in just under 80 days.  

Not that this is Chris's only achievement.  He is no ordinary runner.  He's the Guinness World Record holder for consecutive sub 3 hour marathons - 33 at London, 1981 to 2013 and is a London Marathon 'Ever Present' - 3.07.55 in 2024 at the age of 65 and has represented the UK in ultrarunning amongst other things.  And to add to that, he only went and ran John O'Groats to Lands End a couple of summers ago.  

Now, I'm nowhere near Chris's running league, in fact we're in different running universes, but I'm fascinated by the drive, ambition and achievements people like Chris have. How can we mere mortals ever achieve anything near? 

During his 3000 mile run, Chris suffered from stress fractures. He advised that stress fractures and shin splints are always only one step away. The constant pounding takes its toll. It nearly stopped him completing his feat. 

However, with slowing, resting as much as possible when they got a chance, and an incredible resilience to pain, meant his body overcame it. His theory is that his body focused all on repairing the stress fracture at the expense of other things like hair and nail growth. 

So what have I learnt from Chris?

• Think about every step and don't misstep
• Change running shoes frequently.
• Don't go over kerbs and other uneven ground without thinking and placing feet gently down. 
• Use sun protection. The heat zaps energy. Wear a wide brimmed hat and use proper SPF protective clothing. 
• Take midge protection for Scotland. 
• Long for road sections when on trail, and trail sections when on road (but enjoy both).  The Run Britannia runners last year said that for those who like trail - there was too much road.  And for those that like road, there was too much trail.
• Get the distance into perspective. Scotland is a very long country - crossing the England/Scotland border is only just over halfway. 
• Don't underestimate the restorative power of baths (with epsom salts if possible)

Can we ever achieve anything like what Chris has done?  One thing talking to people like Chris does, is give you confidence that you can achieve anything - if we adopt the same mindset and put in the preparation and the commitment.  We just might not be as fast or achieve quite so many feats.  Thanks Chris.