The training begins.....

Last Monday saw me teaming up with my friend Sam for a short training run! We decided to tackle Latrigg, a reasonably small (yet steep) fell easily accessible from Keswick. The trail from Spoony Green lane starts climbing steeply pretty much from the off. The plan was to yomp up and run down. My fitness was definitely tested on the climb and I was just pleased to have made it to the summit without stopping.

The views were worth stopping for, before the run back down! I plodded it back down as I knew my fitness wasn't there for any speed. I enjoyed the run and it definitely felt great to be back on the trails again. That said, I have a long way to go and a lot of work to put in before I am anywhere fit enough for any distance runs!

On other news, I have signed up for the Grizedale 26 Trail Marathon on February 3rd next year, This should keep my training focused over the winter months....

Please check back on this blog regularly to follow my progress.

If you would like to support me by donating to Batumi Raptor Count, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/runningforraptors
Thank you.

Running for Raptors!

On the 30th of June I will be running the Lakeland Trails 55k Ultra Marathon. This is a challenging event that will see me climbing over 7,000 feet of ascent during the event. I have a lot of training and mental preparation to do before race day and will certainly do some training events too (such as the Grizedale 26 and the Howgills 26.

By main purpose for taking on this challenge is to raise money for Batumi Raptor Count (BRC) to help them continue their great work monitoring the 'Batumi Bottle-neck' and their conservation work working closely with the local communities. The last couple of years the Batumi Raptor Count have recorded over one million birds per autumn season, highlighting Batumi as a very significant flyway on a global scale. Their work with local communities to help stop the illegal persecution of birds of prey is absolutely vital. I have been lucky enough to see first hand the spectacle Batumi has to offer and the very special engagements the BRC has with their local communities.

I would love to raise as much money as possible to help them continue the great work of this totally voluntary wildlife conservation organisation. Please consider sponsoring me as I go from couch to 55k of gruelling lakeland trails over the next ten months!

You can support me by making a donation here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/runningforraptors

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I will post updates on my training on this blog.