the magic at 243...

Blog from 31 August 2010
I'm 2/3rds through my challenge to run 10k everyday for a year in aid of cancer research.

It is fair to say the enormity of the challenge, the commitment and drive needed to finish it has become very apparent to me as I passed halfway. I've realised it is easy to start something, plan it out and believe you can motivate yourself to finish it – but it is even harder to actually see it through. As I've mentioned before, I have always created steps to break up and make a path of bit sized pieces that when put together become your goals, aims and dreams. However true this is, I found the halfway point the hardest time to stick to the path and plans set out. I've realised through all my planning and I have brushed aside a factor that I passed off as not being important or easily be able to handle – doubt.

Doubt to me has been an itch that is difficult to scratch, an itch of the mind which like all itches starts off very faint and when ignoring it only helps make it grow. The very fact that I'm ignoring an itch means I'm thinking about it until it wears me down.

Like all itches they can start from all sorts of things, for me it was almost straight after halfway through this challenge when an innocent thought popped into my head, “will the effort and sacrifice of this challenge be equal or worth the donation given?” which became over time “is it worth it?” Again like almost all itches they are resolved by either the use of an object or person, with doubt it has been same; in this case the scratch was an injection of a little magic.

I use magic as a phrase to describe the spark to fuel motivation and drive to influence my attitude. The fun and excitement that had been so present at the start needed igniting and it came in the form of those supporting (2 specific people) and focusing on: lifting my head in each run to embrace the beautiful scenery, the importance of each landmark, to involve all those following and supporting.

As if by 'magic' I was touched by 2 people over the last 6 weeks, a woman of pentioning age with limited resource insisted on donating and a 84 year old man who had heard about this challenge in February, saved up and came to visit to make his large donation.

Over the last 6 weeks I've come to value and realise the importance of adding MAGIC and should that 'doubt' return what to use to scratch it.

How you can help:
Share & Spread the word of the challenge to friends and relatives to join/like the Facebook page – the greater width of contacts:
[a] the greater interest & chance of corporates donating generously and
[b] if the audience was big enough and everyone bought a drink the total of these small amounts would be enormous!

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - on Face Book simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
FaceBook 10k-everyday page, www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim

Reality sets in...

Blog from 19th July2 weeks after the halfway point and now having covered 2000km in my challenge to 10k everyday for a year, I suddenly realise the task I set myself.

Completing 6 months of the challenge was a major thing for me. Everything in the challenge until that point was new and unknown, so I'd never given much thought to what would happen in the second half of my year.

The second half of the challenge should be easier but the reality its looking difficult. I'd developed a view leading up to 6 months that after meeting this landmark I's know what to expect and efforts needed to 'easily' do the next 6. I suddenly recognised the first ¼ of the challenge was the honeymoon quarter, everything new and exciting. The 2/4 was spring, races and looking forward to halfway, enough to keep me going. However the ¾ is nothing or void, no specific goal or anything standing out – only hot & humid and a wait for finishing quarter, 4/4.

Other things have come to mind at this stage, like I can't just stop running I'll need an exist plan – the challenge has conditioned me to consuming 2.5 times a normal amount per day; stopping would see me gain weight very quickly. In addition and at times like this, its not hard to get distracted and down heartened by the donations. Having spoken with the charity, Cancer Research who advised to keep focused on the event and the majority of donations usually follow the completion of the activity.

So, I think the second half of this challenge is going to be difficult to keep motivated and above all, keep my mind from wondering and worrying.

How you can help:
Share & Spread the word of the challenge to friends and relatives to join/like the Facebook page – the greater width of contacts:
[a] the greater interest & chance of corporates donating generously and
[b] if the audience was big enough and everyone bought a drink the total of these small amounts would be enormous!

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - on Face Book simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
FaceBook 10k-everyday page, www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim

Halfway...

Blog from 2 July 2010
To be halfway through my challenge to run 10k everyday is an exhilarating feeling, at this point I'd have burnt roughly 200k kcalories, worn out 3 pairs of shoes, lost nearly 3 stone and done what many 'experienced' runners told me couldn't be done.

The halfway run has been a special time, it was an early live run on BBC Radio Lincolnshire where I did 2 x 5km on a circuit around town (Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK). Later on in the day News reporters from East Midlands TV News and BBC Look North TV News came to capture the day. The challenge is in aid of Cancer Research and the aim has been to do something to not only capture people imaginations but bring attention and support to the fight against cancer.

Despite how special getting to halfway my be for me doing the challenge, at the same time I'm feeling a little empty and rejected. There's two reasons for this: [a] one of the measures on the challenge is always going to be sponsorship and [b] the challenge is not like conventional running and as such 80% of the time I run alone.

The later is an aspect I didn't think would occur and therefore have a negative impact on the challenge. This honest comment about running alone is not a dig as I have enjoyed every run with people (social or serious runners) and clubs I met so far. It's an understandable but unexpected bi-product - usually runners like to perform and run a good time over a distance therefore warm ups & warm downs are separate, 15 to 20 mins long before & after a run. Also, performance or goal & targeted running means covering the distance 'in a good time' and usually finishing fast. All these aspects are detrimental to this challenge and as a result are the main reasons why many said this could not be done and why I run mostly alone; therefore contributing to the empty, rejected and outsider feelings.

To be honest and outside the fact I'm doing it everyday, I've noticed 'generally' that serious runners have showed distant interest coming to few runs at the beginning as its not a 'real' or conventional run for them; clubs “beginners”, social and target or goal runners have been more consistent however few can cover the distance and these runs include warm ups & downs outside the run; making it difficult time wise; then there's me - I'm squeezing the 10k in around work and family so I'm not that consistent when I am running, except everyday!

On the sponsorship point, its hard not to compare the sponsorship whilst still in the challenge and not thinking about the level of effort to the level of sponsorship. I have to continually remind myself that sponsorship is mostly awarded after the event, but logic doesn't always prevail and being such a long event I often find myself reflecting on this wondering if this will all be worth while.

So I'm Halfway then, well I may have made half the physical distance, but in reality I am only 4% of the journey with the cause (sponsorship) at this point.

I've not said this outright and I think halfway is a good time to say it:
The challenge is also making a subtle point, that doing a little bit everyday can add up to a considerable change or more boldly, don't be scared and hold back dreams because they look enormous – plan lots of little steps you can achieve and you'll reach them; or at least that's what I'm trying to do.

How you can help:
Share & Spread the word of the challenge to friends and relatives to join/like the Facebook page – the greater width of contacts:
[a] the greater interest & chance of corporates donating generously and
[b] if the audience was big enough and everyone bought a drink the total of these small amounts would be enormous! I'm not saying I want loads of drinks or buy me drink (cancer research would not be happy about that) but a donation at the value of a drink collectively makes a difference.

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - on Face Book simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
FaceBook 10k-everyday page, www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim

No rest for the wicked...

Blog from 30th June
Last week was a holiday week for me in Scotland and a difficult aspect of the challenge.
Next to where I was staying was a 3 mile professional Horse Racing training track and as there's no trespassing laws in Scotland I decided to run the course each day.
Despite the hill training the week before preparing for Scotland, this training course was 50% harder. The ground was kept soft for the prize animals that used it, each step sunk 3 inches making it worse than running on sand; the hills were a lot steeper too. Returning home this week then was infact a holiday compared to running in Scotland!

But this week is a tipping moment and big land mark for me personally, Friday 2nd July is 183 consecutive days running in my challenge of doing 10k everyday and exactly half way.
Until now this has not been possible to truly gauge what could be done, at 1/4 of the journey I was thinking I've got to do that 3 more times, 1/3 of the distance was the hardest time but I still had twice what I'd done before. I can now look back and think positively at the remaining days to say, I know what to expect and I can do another 6 months.

I am very thankful for the contributions given so far, there has been exceptionally nice comments and support presented however sponsorship has been slow £788 on a target of £20,000.

In hind sight I can understand some of it, as a year is a long time and therefore what ever the good intentions are it could not happen. Therefore I also hope the half way is a tipping point for sponsorship, answering the question of 'can it be done' with I've done 6 months already and know the effort needed to complete the job... my only dread is food poisoning!

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - it's as good as donating. If you're on Face Book simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
FaceBook 10k-everyday page, www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim

Its a lonely road...

Blog from 8th June 2010

Tomorrow, 9th June, is 1600km or 1000miles covered in my challenge to run 10k everyday through 2010 for cancer research.

Having completed 159 consecutive days running I'm surprised to find the challenge is lonely even though there's plenty out and about running.

I've meet many people, made many new friends and had some great experiences through the challenge but I hadn't expected to feel so much as an outsider as I do.

The reasons are simply the distance is a bit daunting for friends especially during the week days to join in and the techniques and tactics for the challenge are different to conventional running when club and group running. The reality therefore is that this challenge has made me some what of an outsider.

The statement is merely an observation of the challenge that I had never thought or considered. Equally, as mentioned in the blog on “me time” I do value space and time alone – but I'm not just talking about a physical loneliness, but empathy too.

Therefore I've been thankful of facebook and friends for their comments and remarks in passing. The little landmarks and changes are a big plus for me in the challenge.
This week then sees two: [1] 1000miles completed and [2] Adidas and Lincolnshire Runner in Lincoln are sponsoring a new pair of shoes.

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - it's as good as donating. If you're on FaceBook simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
FaceBook 10k-everyday page, www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim

A long day to run...

Blog from 26th May 2010:
Friday 21st May is 141 consecutive days & 1410 km covered.
Oxfords race was unusual in the sense of it being a tight course with loads sharp hair pin bends, difficult with 3500 people to keep a pace going or pass; or stay on your feet!
It was no surprise the lack of room coupled with an obscene amount of iron bollards claimed numerous victims whist runners responded to the crowd- I was glad to get round safely (47mins) but sorry, due to the hazards, not to see as much as Oxford as I'd wished.

The most positive element was of the Oxford run was meeting people. Pippa & Wendy were great company throughout the day which had a long drive down and up. We managed to link up with few of their Internet Forum Running Groups and old friends, taking the time to have a picnic in the main park of national heritage city after the race; it wasn't hard to imagine Edwardian type characters doing similar activities.

On reflection on the race I remembered a sub goal I wanted to do, which was to run in a race each month. However, I've found there is simply not enough time and money available to do everything. That said, I'd like to thank everyone who's being sending me invites to events and activities since I started this challenge and to keep letting me know what going on - I can't attend everything but I'm wanting to get involved where I can.

I've not got another race booked, but a holiday not too far away in Scotland. I'll need to increase the amount of 'hills runs' before we go and yes running on holiday is part of the challenge; …but wearing a kilt isn't!

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - it's as good as donating. If you're on Face Book simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle & www.twitter.com/timbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim

Breaking what's easiest..

Blog from 14th May 2010:
At 134 consecutive days running 10k every day I've covered 1340 km and riddled with hay fever.

To be completely honest I have noticed its easy for Days to drift together, Weeks can be over whelming and gone before I know it, Runs have become what ever is easiest to complete with little thought and the variety I meticulously planned has become a mono-pattern of two routes.

So, this last week has been a huge inspiration. I've had interviews with BBC Lincolnshire Radio and BBC Look North, the later followed me round one of regular runs.
However, there's no relief as the weekend means an early start – up at 5am as a group of us travel to take part in Oxford's Town & Gown 10k Race.

Oxford is one of our countries beautiful historical cities, it's just the kick I need to put some of the variety back into the challenge, not to get caught up too much in the day by day but keep focused on the heart of what's happening around me whilst the challenge is being done.

Variety is the spice of life and I hope to add more to the runs to come.

Please take the time to share the 10k-everyday idea and encouraging others to get involved - it's as good as donating. If you're on Face Book simply type “10k everyday” in the search bar.

You can find micro blogging of this challenge at:
www.facebook.com/tbridle, www.linkedin.com/in/tbridle & www.twitter.com/timbridle

Send a friend request with 10k-everyday in it and I'll accept. Be well, Tim