Day Seven - Once in a lifetime ?

Maybe ? maybe not ? Today I finished running 7 marathons in 7 days & along the way completed the 5 day Center of the Nation series in Chadron State Park, Nebraska. Today's event saw a return to better weather after yesterdays incredibly blowy adventure in Montana. It was a chilly start but within an hour the hat was off, the fleexe was off & I was taking on ICE to cool me down. Todays course was a scenic loop with a variety of terrain & a few inclines. The clock shows it was a tough day. I hit the wall at 2 miles, the previous six days worth of marathons finally all caught up with me at once but I didn't really care. someone said to me today "Do you remember the time it took you or the great time you had ?" I have to say I chatted with some new folks I'd not had chance to say hello too & was great to see those I'd got to know a bit achieve their goals & dreams. I knew at 2 miles a 7th straight sub 5 was beyond me but I still averaged under 5 hours for the 5 day series & my total time for the seven was under 33 & a half hours. My ipod knew just which tune to chose for the final half a mile & I came home singing "Born to Run" at the top of my lungs & picked up my medal for the day & also the medal for completing the entire 5 day series. We hung out in the park with a beer for a while after finishing & got some photos with our fellow competitors. Over the week i have met & chatted with runners from Hawaii to New Jersey, Iceland to Australia & Duntable to Maidstone. The support of my fellow runners really helped me out when the going got tough & for that I'm very grateful.Hopefully I'll get the chance to see some of the guys again either in the US or back home. Garry is doing what we have done in 2 weeks time & flying into watch the NFL & Run. For us it's been a variety of states & a Broncos game for him it will be the Chester marathon & the Steelers at Wembley. There will be pre race race beers along the England / Wales border I'm sure. So many thank you's & the biggest one has to go to Race Organiser Clint Burleson & his volunteers all of which really took care of us & as they like to say on this side of the pond they were "Awesome" & did indeed do a "Good Jawb" :) I would love to come back & have a crack at one of the other 5 day series - maybe SC,NC,WV,VA & GA ? we'll see ? Safe travels to you all. Foxy in the USA !! PS : Our post race excursion took us to Carhenge !!

Day six - against the wind !!

A bit of Classic Bob Seger for you & we were indeed today running against the wind, 25 miles per hour on the open plains of Montana. It was cold & it was tough out there. Today's out & back was longer than the past 3 days & for that reason we only did 8 out & backs rather than 12, Albion is rather desolate to say the least & today's title could easily have been U2's "Where the streets have no name" the day was a more subdued one out on the course as people battled the conditions, folks ran in hats,scarves, gloves & Jorge even pulled on his jeans - but then were in cowboy country & it was probably a fraction cooler than Guatemala ?!! (I actually thought he had finished & was out chatting to some friends still out on the course but no, he was running smart casual. It seemed much quieter out there & I think the tough conditions on tired legs made today a tough day at the "office" I found it tough out there. I was thinking at one point I was going to blow away in the wind & find just like Dorothy said "Toto we're not in Kansas anymore" but I managed to stay affixed to terra ferma - rather than becoming a High Plains drifter !! Kieran the Irish lad was upset not to get a mention in my blog so I'd better give him a shout or he'll "throw his Guinness out the pram" I spent a few miles chatting with a guy from Chicago early on although in general it was a solitary day, I ran my last but one mile of the 26.98 miles with Lisa who had a tiger hat version of my fox hat so like me is obviously a style Icon. I finally finished in 4.53 & just avoided making it an ultra marathon, I was so cold I just wanted to get in the car & get warm & 10 minutes after crossing the line we were "on the road again" within 20 miles the temperature rose 10 degrees the wind dropped, the sun came out & feeling a little more enlivened we headed out to visit Mount Rushmore & it's rather spectacular i have to say. I have now finished 6 marathons in 6 days on 6 different courses - 666 the number of the beast & Montana now holds the unique distinction as the only US State I have run in more than once, they'll be naming Highways & stuff after me soon I'm sure !! Hopefully the 6 days training & 19 hour taper will stand me in good stead for my run in Nebraska tomorrow. A minor milestone for me as I'm now 3/4 of the way through my second century of marathons having hit 175 today. Keep on Running Foxy in the USA !

Day Five - I can see for miles & miles !!

That's so true Mr Daltry. Today we headed out of South Dakota & headed for Colony in Wyoming for marathon 5 of 5 so far on this trip & day 3 of the Center of the Nation series. I thought the North Dakota marathon was in an obscure place until we arrived today, we parked up at the side of the road & got out & ran basically. Today was "Boston Strong" day with the race organisers donating $5 per person for anyone wearing anything Boston related - I wore my shirt from last years race & folks wore Red Sox shirts & indeed red socks. I got to spend 4 or 5 miles with Karrie from "THE" Ohio State university, Jacob a cheese head from Wisconsin & a fella whose name now escapes me from Mississippi. My race performance mirrored the past 2 days with the plan to do 10 ish minute miling for at least 6 miles but ideally as long as possible & then 11's & 12's if I had banked enough time & I had - came home as second Brit in 4.52, Michael Grehan again led the team home (4.03) & Traviss completed the teams day out in 5.15. We have now frightened the Aussie off as he just couldn't handle our Awesomeness ;) As with the first 2 days there was a great social atmosphere with everyone encouraging each other & I broke out my mobile Karaoke for the second half when the going got tough, We had the Eagles, Beach Boys, James Brown, Elvis & even a bit of Reo Speedwagon :) 88 degrees today, no wind no shade & so it actually felt hotter than yesterday's 89 degrees. As I'm sat here typing we have howling winds, thunder & Lightning with forecast of a much cooler day as I head back for my second marathon in Montana in the space of 5 days. I like the sound of 62 degrees rather than the high 80's. We are in the coolest named place in the world Spearfish, South Dakota :) Keep on Running Foxy in the USA !

Day Four - Mr Blue Sky !

Sun is shining in the sky, there ain't a cloud in sight !!! that was indeed the case in Belle Fourche, South Dakota (today was blazing hot 88 degrees)Belle Fourche is officially "The Centre (Center if you translate into American ;) ) of the Nation & where the 5 State series gets it's name from & is the hub for the event. Rather than staying in Belle Fourche we prefered to stay in civilisation whilst our buddy Michael Grehan has a damp floor to deal with (& probably cockroaches & rattlesnakes ?!! ;) ) Following the race We had our photos taken on the monument with flags of all 50 States in the background. Following the embarrassment of folks thinking I was Australian I donned my Union Flag shorts & to leave them in no doubt wore my Union Flag Buff to keep the sunshine off my neck - I'd hate to be a Redneck out here ;) Two of the guys had the most fanstatic beards I wanted to get a photo of them & see if we could get ZZ Top back together although given my attire I was the "Sharp Dressed Man !!" The plan was to run as much as possible for 6 miles & then run / walk as I'm struggling a bit & just like Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon films "I'm getting too old for this shit " out of 200 runners there are perhaps 25 younger than the Fox !! After a couple of miles a lady from Denver, one of the Marathon M

aniacs joined me & we chatted away 10 or 11 miles together which did me a real favour & distracted me from the pain my legs are in, I'm not injured but it's just the pounding they have taken with 106 miles over the past 4 days. I started to struggle around mile 17 the sun had really come out so I stopped to put sun lotion on & grabbed my Ipod & "treated" the rest of the field to "Mr Blue sky" a bit of The Who,Leaving on a jet plane & Joe Cocker's "You are so beautiful to me" (the ladies seemed to think I was serenading them & chicks dig that shit !!) At 18.5 miles Sandy & Jennifer saw I was struggling & gave me a fantastic gift - a silicon rubber wristband embossed with the Phrase "Harden The F*ck Up" & as as man I always listen to what women tell me - don't we all guys ?!! I gritted my teeth & hung in. Michael Grehan with a late surge was again first Brit home edging out Traviss by 2 or 3 minutes with perfect pacing Kent's finest athlete came home in 4.14.59. In the final 2 miles I sensed two things 1) I had a shot at breaking 5 hours at 6 miles to go I had given up on that & secondly I could potentially hold off Trent the Aussie to level the "Test Match" at 1 - 1 which I did. He's now so scared he's cancelled the next 3 days to fly out & do the Cape Town Marathon in South Africa (Another cricketing nation that like to whip the Aussies !!!) 4.57.06 was the final score. Team GB exchanged some fantastic banter with Team Australia. Trent asked if I liked his flag as he unfurled his nations flag & had to comment "I like the top left corner" - he chuckled. Traviss offered him a finishing line Corona which he declined so we are now questioning his nationality as we have never witnessed such an event !!! Once again everyone out there was so supportive - there were smiles, waves, High Fives & plenty of "good Jawb" A shorter post race drive allowed us to recharge our supply of "Mexican Recovery drink" on the away. Time for a swim, hot tub with a beer & then IHOP for dinner. Keep on Running Foxy in the USA !

Day Three - With a Little help from my friends :)

Another day another marathon!! The Journey took us to the absolute middle of nowhere & even beyond that - we drove for 130 miles & didn't see a building, a car, merely a couple of deer & endless fields. Bowman North Dakota is a little off the beaten track to say the very least. We arrived at 6 ish & were soon greeted by the newest member of Team GB Michael Grehan of Dunstable RR, a great guy & really enthusiastic about the journey ahead.We collected our numbers, T-shirts & Medals at the start - first time I have ever had a medal just for turning up - this is the medal to attach each of the 5 different state medals we'll receive each day - so by Friday we'll have like a really cool metal tie to wear :) Pre Race I had to make a delivery as I was bootlegging bottles of Spitfire from Back home to Sandy Stiner & her husband.Sandy was one of the first of the "Facebook Faces" I got to meet along with Rich Holmes of the 100 Marathon Club I previously met last year in Tulsa,OK. I was thinking 1.05 out & back for 12 times might be rather dull but it was anything but that & I loved it, got to meet so many great folks on the course, chatted & exchanged waves & high fives with various people. Paul Allen & Allan Rumbles will be pleased to hear that I greeted Mr Grehan at half way with "You're Shiiiitttt !" It's a local joke back home in England & merely in jest. He's a great guy & he paced a great race (unlike some folks around here in the past couple of days !!!) Big thanks to Garry Price from Pittsburgh for dragging me around for 9 miles before I realised he made some tough miles so bearable. Garry is doing the same as us but at the end of this month - He'll be flying across the Atlantic to take in the NFL & run a marathon, We are off to see the Broncos in Denver on Monday while he's flying into to see his team at Wembley, Fancy someone from Pittsburgh Supporting the Steelers ?!!! Team Enigma Running will make sure he's looked after at Chester the week after the game. I went out around about 10 minute miling pace (no choice the little legs wouldn't move any quicker !!!) & ran that sort of pace for around 17/18 miles (slower for bathroom breaks)then started to fade closer to 11's so grabbed my ipod & decided AC/DC was a great choice for some inspiration & it gave me a lift & I treated all the other guys to a full set list of AC/DC live - Lucky them ;) Mile 19 - 20 was heavily fuelled by Hells Bells by the previously mentioned Aussie Rockers, I got done in the last mile by an Aussie Runner, not often they beat the English at anything these days so I decided to give him his moment & to be fair Michel Spanked his arse (Metaphorically speaking !!)in the name of national pride - Michael also mentioned to the young man he'd love to go to Australia but as yet doesn't have the required criminal record !! The course was very rough gravel & shredded by best pair of runners so will make a judgement call on what to wear tomorrpw when seeing the surface ? A massage followed by my Mexican Recovery drink provide by my favourite sponsors (at Corona) & 150 mile drive through endless fields to finally reach civilisation at Rapid City, SD. Swim, hot tub & Steak dinner now beckon. Splitsville below :) 9:30 9:35 9:58 10:07 11:55 9:59 10:48 10:01 11:55 9:28 10:27 12:56 10:35 11:07 10:43 11:01 9:03 9:56 8:15 9:50 9:55 11:50 12:00 10:58 11:45 11:28 8:31 Apologies to all my American friends for correctly inserting U's into words - I'm English we speak English which means we're right ;) LOL !!! Same shit different day tomorrow - another State & I'll probably finish in a right state ?!!! Best wishes Foxy in the USA

Day two - Running on Empty

I sure was today - after 8 hours in the car yesterday & only 4 hours sleep before a 2.15 wake call I can safely say that's how not to prepare for a marathon - I finished it that's one of the best things I can say about it. Yesterday I bought you an idiots guide "How not to run a sub 4 marathon" following on from that today was the next in that series with "How not to run a sub 5 marathon" I set off at just under 9 minute mile pace with that hope that after 5 or 6 miles my legs would get into the flow of things but they didn't & by 6 miles in my sub 4 dreams were dashed & I just had to grind out a run walk for sub 5, I used the Jeff Galloway method as much as possible & was constantly recalculating what i needed to break 5, not often i'm doing that kind of maths. I would guess there were about 100 of us doing the marathon & it was a lovely course with views of open pastures & never ending roads - I looked around as my ipod played the title track to this blog & I looked around & almost felt like Forrest Gump & that gave me a lift. At 7 miles I trod on a snake, you don't get that at the Wolverhampton marathon - leaping out of its way might have been the quickest I moved all day ? Don't get me wrong it wasn't a Cottonmouth, King Cobra or a rattler & probably just a 2 foot long grass snake but I wasn't about to hang out & google snakes of Montana on my phone (which i didn't have !!) I kept trading places with a few girls struggling & also having to adopt a run/walk strategy we chatted at times which helped get through the distance & the marshals & volunteers out there were great. The finish couldn't come quick enough I accelerated down the hill to break 4.50 flying home in 4.49.44 & for a change getting a medal that doesn't spin !! But a great bit of bling die cut to the shape of the state. I'm gonna go for a swim & hot tub in the hope of getting some life back into my legs before Beer & Pizza. Eraly nith tonight before heading to Bowman North Dakota & getting to see the third member of Team GB Michael Greha disappear into the distance - I will of course be milking the excuse of having done 2 already - The Travmeister came home in 4.13 - need a hose that boy is on fire !!! Right time to swim maybe I need to find a different sport ?! Splits !! 8:57 8:46 8:53 8:53 9:12 10:23 11:21 10:17 10:46 11:14 12:58 9:28 10:12 9:57 11:15 11:06 10:29 11:37 11:22 13:20 11:30 12:32 13:37 13:18 11:51 12:37 3:54 Foxy in the USA x

Day One - The Highway's Jammed with broken heroes...

It sure was out there today - I know I was one of them !! We boarded the school buses & made out way up the Canyon where we would wait what we anticipated to be just over an hour, however one on the buses had hit a rock & 2 of its wheels were off the ground so three buses had to shuttle 11 buses worth of runners to the top at 9752 feet above sea level & it was rather chilly - I foolishly didn't take the foil blanket provided but survived. I did however manage to sit on my gels bursting them in my poscket & leaving me rather sticky. We eventually got going at 7.03, Traviss decided to go out with the 3.05 pacer I was more conseravtive going out just behind the 3.15 pacer with vague hopes of running sub 3.25 which given the downhill nature of the course & a 3.33 just a fortnight ago in Wolverhampton seemed realistic. The course was so steep it was tough to head off slowly without basically putting the brakes on & ramming your toes into the end of yor shoes - I was averaging 6.53 minute miles after 2 miles & just 24 more would have seen me crack 3 hours, but it wasn;t to be - I broke my 5 mile PB by 32 seconds & had run the first 7 miles sub 7 Minute miling before gradually slowing over the next 8 miles. At about 17 miles the wheels started falling off & I was reseting my time goals mile by mile - 3.30,3.40, 3.45 but by 19 miles I was done & forced to walk but did so only for a minute & worked out 11 minute miles would get me home in around 3.43, but by 22 the walking became more & time just slipped away I walked 3/4 of a mile for each of the last 3 miles & by now was seeing the debris of others that had gone off too quickly & crashed & burned. I eventually flew home in 3.50.27 & can safely say that's not how to do it, However my 93rd sub 4 hour marathon is in the books & in just 5 hours after sleeping we'll be heading for Billings Montana & day 2. 8 hours of driving post race took us through Idaho, passing the Potato Museum - how cool would that be to take the kids & on through Yellowstone National Park in Montana. The scenery through Yellowstone & Montana was at times breathtaking. Day 2 will be about finishing & not a time as I'm feeling pretty battered, we have less driving post race tomorrow thankfully - 430 miles this afternoon was a long old poke. The full shocking splits 6:48 6:53 6:57 6:57 7:00 7:08 7:14 7:44 7:29 7:45 7:49 8:00 7:59 8:13 8:20 8:22 8:31 8:58 8:50 9:30 10:47 10:49 10:29 12:19 14:21 12:13 3:01 Guess what a spinning medal !!

Foxy in the USA

Day Zero - Life in the Fast Lane ?

Day zero of our 8 Marathons in 9 days in 7 different states & starting with 7 straight tomorrow here in Salt Lake City. Today was a day for getting ourselves sorted but when Jet Lag has you up at 4.30am there's plenty of time to kill, A quick hello to a few folks back home on t'intenet before breakfast & a bit of sight seeing. We left the hotel around 6.45 & headed West, we found a great Rock Station Utah 106.5 & away went accompanied by The Who,Aerosmith & Metallica. We were we heading ? The Bonneville Salt Flats - home of many land speed records - we went out seeking inspiration for a a fast run down Big Cottonswood Canyon. The race shirt says "Go Big or Go Home" & we're gonna Go Big - although not sure if that relates to fast food orders ? over here, probably. We left our Airport hotel as the sun rose & it was looking like a lovely day in prospect - how wrong we were as it hammered with rain & there have been flood warnings & roads up in Boulder, our final destination, washed away by the speed & volume of water falling from above. We reached the salt flats & looked out on the majestic open space before us with the mountains behind & Traviss Recounted tales of his Salt Flats 100 mile race earlier this year. Sir Malcolm Campbell set the first speed record there back in 1935 & we bumped into a man from Bolton (probably ?) but certainly that part of the UK & he was preparing for a crack at 400 mph on 2 wheels - wow !!! That's a fraction quicker than our anticipated marathon pace in the morning !!! We carried on to the Nevada border & within 1 or 2 inches of the border there was a casino - I kid you not. I had my photo taken With Cowboy Will nailing the ET pose, before getting back on the road to Salt Lake City with half an hour the opening bars of the Eagles classic Life in the fast line came on the radio & managed a wry smile at the irony given where we'd been. A small expo with about 15 display booths mainly focusing on jewelery & running wallets & headbands. The race bag featured a very nice Navy Blue shirt - I splashed out an extra $2.50 for the long sleeved version, there was a personalised luggage tag & a pair of gloves - A steak dinner & back to hotel to prepare for the cavalry charge down Big Cottonwood Canyon. The race starts at 10,000 feet & finishes at 5,000 feet with a 30% chance of Thunder storms. i have never been at that altitude before unless encased in a British Airways tin can so how the body will cope is anyone's guess ? I still haven't decided on my race strategy but have decided on my footwear & gonna give the Hokas one last throw of the dice. Tomorrows blog might well be a late one as after the marathon we have a 419 mile drive three quarters of the way to Billings Montana & day 2 of the challenge & what will be my double digit state, Number 10 in Montana. Keep on running Foxy in the USA

Where do we go from here ? Is it down to the lake I fear ?!

Haircut 100 if my memory serves me well & rather appropriate words right now. I'm lying in bed in a Hotel room in Kitty Hawk,North Carolina & trying to reflect on a rather disappointing weekend. One that promised so much but ultimately didn't deliver the one most important thing I wanted - a 100 mile finish & a shiny belt buckle for the achievement.Getting to 72 miles & enjoying 71 of them is no real consolation & I feel robbed by a groin injury which now 30 hours on feels fine :( With 195 race starts & 195 finishes the streak I guess had to end sometime & the sensible thing to do is reflect on a great run of success but that is hard to do with failure so fresh in the mind. The question is now what do I do with regards my running career & I can't decide. I know what options there are & need to somehow work out what's best for me ? what will satisfy me ? The options at the moment are : a) Give up running after the 10 in 10 (hopefully in a blaze of glory ?) & focus on giving something back to a sport that has given me so much (marshalling, supporting, crewing, collecting gel wrappers anything to help) b) Get back on the horse book another US 100 miler & prove to myself that I can do it ? Do I need to prove it to myself ? I have completed the distance before which proves I can do it. I don't have to prove it to anyone else as quite frankly I don't give a toss what anyone else thinks. c) Pick & chose a few foreign races a year that give me a decent holiday with a run in the middle ? (don't go looking for me at Gatliff in November, Bath in April or Cheltenham in June as you won't find me !!) New Orleans in February,Rome in March, Charlotte in November & Tokyo the following February & you might have more chance of finding me ? As the song states at this "There are more questions than answers" (Johny Nash). The race itself was going so well - We were on target for a sub 23 hour finish at 60 miles & heading back North although into the wind, flooding had seen the route changed from a 100 mile point to point to a 49 mile out & back with a minor scenic detour around the Bodie Island lighthouse. By 70 miles the pace had dropped & were running just a 100 yards maybe a tad more per mile but even at 17 ish minute miles were on for about 25 - 26 hours. At 71 miles I stopped to put on an extra layer it really was getting rather cold & I was already wearing a fleece balaclava, gloves, think long sleeved top & jacket. As I headed off again walking after putting on the extra layer something went in my groin, what I don't know as I'm not good on medical stuff (If I was I'd be making a fortune - like my mate Dr Ruth ;) ) I continued just walking but each step was really painful but as I was still moving forward & with time in the bank I thought a couple of Ibuprofen & I'd walk it off, but in the space of half a mile it just got worse & every step was exruiating & I had no choice but to quit with a very heavy heart. I sat on the wall of the PNC bank & started to think now what do I do ? it's 11pm it's cold & everywhere is shut, I knew the hotel was within a few miles but how could I cover those miles, I was about to start Googling Cabs before a shiny Bronze Silverado truck came to my rescue & a young lady crewing for her father very kindly gave me a lift to the hotel which turned out to a mere mile away & her first name ? Ironically Bailey !! Back at the hotel with no reservation, 12 bucks in my pocket & no credit card the question was how do i get a room for the night ? Begging seemed to work - helped by the fact we did have a Sunday night reservation. One day I will look back on this as a fantastic adventure, character building & all that ? but that day won't be for a while. I can console my fact that it could be worse I could be a Wolves fan ? Oh bugger I am - can i change my blog title to the Status Quo classic "Down Down" ;) I just wanted to say a big thank you to all the people who have supported me & sent me their kind words it does mean alot & I'm very grateful. Down to the lake I fear will be the next time I see many of my good friends & i look forward to celebrating my mate Kaz getting to 100 Marathons, A fantastic achievement for anyone, It shows fantastic commitment over a period of time. It's a long road but very worthwhile. Almost time to hit the road back to Raleigh Durham, rumour has it there might be an IHOP in my future ? Best Wishes Love Foxy x