Day 267 Saturday 23rd September 3.9 miles miles : miles to date 1778.7 I set off to help out at rugby today with my shorts and gear ready to go for a run after. The weather turned and I spent the morning shivering on the side, raiding the emergency car boot clothing. I postponed the run and went home after the game to warm up. I then spent three hours sleeping and procrastinating before eventually going out for an easy recovery run in the rain. With two weeks to go to the target race for the year, I am quite keen to let the taper do its work. I am tired and in need of an energy boost. I will try my very best over the next two weeks to avoid racing buses, canal boats, youngsters, rowers, six foot imaginary white rabbits called Harvey and all other manor of running challengers. I have long known that a significant part of running a good race is in the mind and for two weeks I just need to step back and chill. The old blokes body will thank me as well. This streak has brought back a lost excitement to my running. I have run 49 marathons and ultras including two 100 mile plus events. I had become blasé about marathons and I am now totally excited again. That having been said, in truth if it hadn't been for the streak it would have been likely day off. The run itself was uneventful and wet. One of those glad just to get it done type. And I am.

Another PB...for Fi!

Day 266 Saturday 22nd September 18.1 miles miles : miles to date 1774.8 The last long run of the current campaign done and in the bag. It was a tale of two half's, with the first half being 15 miles and the second 3.1. It was a tad chilly as I left the house at 7 am and for the first time in ages, I had to wear a long sleeve top to combat the chill. I met the Flying Scotsman just under two miles later and we meandered along the river, chucking in a few miles of street running here and there. Not the most scenic run in parts, but it was a needs must as we wanted to maintain a steady 7.30 pace all the way. We spent just under two hours chatting like a right couple of anoraks about pace, miles, races and all things running related. Fi did say afterwards that she thought of us as Eric and Ernie, sharing the same bed (in a non sexual way I hasten to add), in our PJ's reading running magazines and swapping tips (at that point I reminded her that's what we do with a mug of ovaltine). At 15 miles, we met Fi in order to do the parkrun to round off the last three miles with some bods around. We stuck with the 7.30 pace, despite the world and his wife (or her husband) zooming off. In truth, I don't think we wanted or were capable of blasting anyway. Fi took the running glory for the second weekend in a row. After last weekends first ever half marathon, she clocked in with a new PB time of 25:39. Its now taper time for the next two weeks, when I won't run more than once a day. Mmm, there's something wrong with that plan, but I cant quite put my finger on it? Another milestone on the challenge as well today. 266 runs in a row and just 100 left. Assuming I get a run in on Sunday, I will move into double figures only. I'm starting to panic. What on earth am I going to do on the 1st January, apart from being chained up all day by Fi. Could be fun mind. I think she's read 50 shade's of grey? Now where's the duct tape?

Day 265 Friday 21st September 3 miles miles : miles to date 1756.7 Best laid plans and all that went for a burton today, as the planned comfy lunchtime run was replaced by a semi quick loop of the village on the way home, with Fi waiting dinner until I arrived. Work just got in the way and I missed lunch totally. Nothing major to report on a route that is starting to have my footprints embedded into the tarmac. The only puzzling event was the appearance of yet another potential pit stop with a mere mile to go. I am as a result of writing this, aware of the preponderance of No.2 events. This is mainly due to most people in my running club asking me to stop waffling on generally and specifically about the above. I write about what has happened to me on the run and it the tummy did just rumble again. I ate breakie at 7.30am and ran around 6pm without eating anything at all in-between, so why the gurgles? It seems that at times the action of running causes me to want to visit the little boys room when I've not wanted to all day. I cant say I have read much in Runners World about how to avoid runners trots or even if there is such a phenomenon? I stand corrected. Having written the last sentence I checked and there is loads od advice just about this very issue on RW sites. There is even a forum at http://www.runnersworld.com/community/forums/runner-communities/beginners/preventing-runners-trots. Hurrah I'm not alone. Whhhooooohoooo.

Day 264 Thursday 20th September 3 miles miles : miles to date 1753.7 After last nights blast, I felt less like Springsteens Born to Run and more like Pulps Help the Aged on tonight's little jaunt. I set off slow and got slower. I was just too tired and had to bail on the planned distance as both the head and the body just said no. Get home and have a very salty bag of chips they both said, so I duly obliged. I have messed around too much with the schedule this week, right from Monday doing over 10 miles when I should have stuck to a recovery five. I just have to remind myself that when I look in the mirror, the old bloke staring back is me and we all have limitations. The problem is that I feel the fittest I have ever been and this run every day challenge is just making me want to get out the door and do even more. That having been said, I'm done and the land on Nod beckons. At least I didn't have to do a midnight run this week, so small blessings.

Day 263 Wednesday 19th September 6.9 miles miles : miles to date 1750.7 RUNNERS ROAD RAGE ROCKS! A normal mid week trot turned into a little corker tonight. I had been due to cover eight miles in an hour with the lads, but had to bail through work. Late school collection duty also meant I had a limited time, so I went out with the intention of a slightly faster shorter run. I covered the first mile in about 6.45 and decided to pick it up. As I was halfway through the next one, I could hear footsteps in the dark behind me until eventually a young lad went past. I glanced at my watch to see I was running at 6.25 mile pace. Game on. If you are going to go past me at that pace, in the dark, with no one else around, you had better decide to dig deep and keep it going. I increased the speed after getting over the shock and the youngster clearly felt my presence and pushed on. He went in the opposite direction of where I was going and I decided to stick with him until he caved tracking him closely. A mile later he did, so the competitive old bloke tried to stop breathing too hard, waltzed past and gave him the thumbs up as I did. After a slower first mile, I went through 3 in under twenty minutes and a mile later I realised I had run too far and had to keep it going to get back to the school so pushed on. I slowed a little without the youngster to chase but was still on for a sub 40 minute 10k, until I hit a longish and increasingly steep hill in the last half mile. I tried to keep the speed up, but dipped a little and went through 10k in 40:09 which on my own, in the dark, getting lost on a housing estate and slowing to check my bearings, whilst dodging traffic I'll take every time. Guess I owe the wee lad a thank you, so cheers matey.

Phew, glad to finish that one!

Day 262 Tuesday 18th September 4.6 miles miles : miles to date 1743.8 An early work finish left me in a dilemma. The club fast sessions have really helped me get into the grove of increasing my leg speed and getting used to running quicker. I was so early, if I ran from home I would finish before the session started and be in my PJ's nursing a cuppa at least an hour and a half before I would otherwise. I plumped for the shorter recovery run and getting to know the children again. It was the right decision. I was knackered and didn't quite realise it until I started running. I was meant to do a recovery 5 last night and didn't and I was plain and simply tired. A 2am work finish this morning probably didn't help, so I don't feel too bad at having a tough short one at a slow pace. I gave myself a big reward with er, sausage and beans on toast. Lovely jubbly. I just need to work out who the strapping bloke nearly as tall as me (ok that's not that hard) wandering around the house is. Fi tells me he's my thirteen year old son but I can't quite see it myself. My daughter has also been replaced but I am assured by Fi she is the same person. By the time this challenge finishes I expect they will have moved out and got jobs. I might be able to afford to enter a few races then?

Fi-ankenstein...

Day 261 Monday 17th September 10.4 miles miles : miles to date 1739.2 I think I have created a second running addict in the Owen household. After yesterdays exertions at the GNR, Fi pitched up fresh as a daisy at the first outing of our friend Francesca Hardwick new running club in our village, followed by a further watching of the tv race highlights. For the third time. As we were watching, she casually asked what time counts as being an elite runner. It seems the sky is the limit and why not. I cracked in a quick 5.4 mile run in my not so new go fast shoes, before trotting along to support Frankie in her new endeavour. There was a great turnout of around 25 people of mixed ability from brand spanking new runners up to a couple of experienced marathon runners. The club is mainly aimed at inexperienced and not so regular runners and is a fantastic idea and one which I very much hope takes off. There must be a large number of runners out there who are not club members but who would like to find like minded people to run with. I was only meant to do a slow and easy five mile recovery run and somehow I seem to have more than doubled it on a Monday night. Still, just one more week to a taper. If you can taper running seven days a week mind.