Running4Rwanda

Walking was supposed to be the easiest of the three disciplines - but it has proved to be the most difficult :-( Not the actual walking, but sorting out the logistics. I had planned to start at Penrith and walk the route of the Roman road to Ambleside, but it has proved more difficult than originally planned. The plan was to stay in Ambleside, get public transport to Penrith, then walk back via High Street. Unfortunately, the bus timetable changed over summer, so what had started as a viable arrangement became impractical. We still managed to do a walk from Ambleside - the Fairfield Horseshoe - but not anywhere near long enough to be classed as a challenge. We also did 40-odd miles of the St Paul Trail in Turkey, but that was spread over 6 days of walking, so again, not quite the challenge I had in mind. It was moderately difficult, but nothing like as hard as I had hoped for when I set myself the target, so for now, I am going to abandon the RunWalkRide4Rwanda supporti...

That's bike riding, not horse riding! And not quite the 48 miles planned, but still my longest bike ride since ... well, ever. And not content with making it a long ride, it was also a hard ride, at the hottest time of the hottest day of the year. Just a fortnight after my running exploits, I set off from just outside Keswick heading towards Grasmere, then through Ambleside. Turning towards Troutbeck is the notoriously steep Holbeck Lane - not as bad as some of the Lakeland passes, but probably the steepest climb I've ever ridden. Then the long slow drag up Kirkstone Pass to the Kirkstone Inn, and a welcome break for lunch. Tempting as it was to spend the afternoon there, the route then goes down the other side towards Glennridding. If climbing up was hard work, then hurtling down was scary. Along Ullswater, then a sharp left, and another long slow drag to Dockray, then heading towards the other Troutbeck. A couple of diversions to avoid the busy A66, then Threlkeld and the...

Well that's the running legs out of the way - more than half of the BTR Liverpool Tour of Merseyside done. It was hard work, but good fun in a painful sort of way. Tuesday's 10 mile run took place along the Sustrans cycle trail from Walton Hall Park. Heading South along the disused railway line, the route reached Broadgreen before returning to the start. A further mile or so North, then turning again to return to the start point. I'm not sure of the accuracy of the course, but a time of 1hr 14min was my fastest 10 miler of the year, and my best for a long time. 49th overall, 42nd male, so not too bad Thursday's 5 mile race around Hale seemed harder - probably because I was still feeling the effects from Tuesday. I last ran this race about 15 years ago, and it hasn't got any easier! Slower than hoped for, but 37min put me in 69th position, 62nd male. Saturday is usually my chance to have a lie-in - not this week! I needed an early start to get to New Brighton f...

It's taken a while, but I've finally decided what to do to celebrate 30 years of running. In fact, it's taken me so long to decide, that it's actually just about to start. I had thought about running 30 miles, but on medical advice I can no longer do 'endurance' events - i.e. I can't run a Marathon, or anything over about a half-marathon Then I thought about walking 30 miles, but that would probably take too long. Or cycling 30 miles - probably not enough of a challenge. So why not somehow combine all three? So that's the plan - run about 30 miles, but split over three events; walk a similar distance; then ride my bike, but over double the distance. The final details of the walk and the bike ride still need a bit of working out, but here's the running leg(s): Tour of Merseyside Race 3 - 10-mile Sustrans cycle trail from Walton Hall Park Tour of Merseyside Race 4 - 5-mile Halton Road Race around Hale Tour of Merseyside Race 6 - 12-mile Wir...

Making a change from running and cycling, something a bit more sedate, but every bit as challenging - walking 27 miles for Rwanda. Three supporters of Shyira Trust will be embarking on their challenge on Saturday 26th April. They will be walking in the Lake District, from just outside Keswick, via Grasmere, Elterwater and Coniston to Lowick. From their fund-raising website: Three of us will be walking 27 miles to raise money to help to extend/rebuild the maternity hospital in Shyira. Ten years ago, the maternity building was replaced and two midwives trained. The result has been a dramatic reduction in the death rates of both mothers and babies. It's an inspiring story, check out the website, however more needs to be done. Now the maternity hospital is overcrowded as more and more people want to benefit from the expertise and dedication of the staff and the building has to be extended or rebuilt to maintain safe conditions. All the money raised will go to the maternity hospital...

So that's it for another year - the 10th Liverpool Santa Dash has been and gone. As usual it was the usual mix of athletes, fun-runners, walkers and people just out to raise money for their favourite cause. And what a mixture it was - adults, children, people pulling sleighs, dogs dressed as reindeers, men dressed as fairies, people calling at pubs for mid-race refreshments - you name it, Liverpool Santa Dash has it all, and here are some images to prove it. The jury is still out on whether the 2013 Liverpool Santa Dash has reclaimed its crown as the biggest Santa Dash in the world, but one thing is certain - a lot of money was raised for good causes, and a lot of people will be back next year for more. The amount raised for safe motherhood and maternal health projects in Rwanda currently stands at £170 plus Gift Aid, with some more still to come. Online donations are still welcome at www.bmycharity.com/santa2013 and every penny raised, plus Gift Aid, will go towards the saf...

Well it's not number 1 or 2 which I've had in previous years. It's not even number 13, which I've had twice! This year's number is 5721! Nothing special then, except that it shows just how popular the Liverpool Santa Dash really is! And there are still a few days to get those numbers up to last year's figure of over 8000. If past years are anything to go by, there will be a couple of thousand entering in the last week, so the record is within reach. Most will be running for charity, and some will be running for Rwanda. If you would like to help us to support midwifery training, maternal health, and safe motherhood projects in Rwanda, please sponsor us at www.bmycharity.com/santa2013 Thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, we would not have been able to achieve the things we have done over the last 12 years.