Giles ThurstonYesterday I hit a total of one thousand miles of running in 2014!
At the start of the year I set myself the goal of hitting 1500km, which was more than 500km higher than last year. At the time I had no plans to get into ultra running but as the year progressed, this aspiration developed, culminating in my participation in the Grimreaper 40 mile Ultramarathon back in August.
A few injuries have got in the way this year, resulting in enforced time off but it was only when I hit 1500km’s a few weeks back that I realised the 1000 mile or 1600km mark was within my reach.
In the last few weeks I have heard of a number of other ultra runners hitting 2014 miles in 2014, so in comparison to them this pales into insignificance. However for me this is a great achievement and shows how far my running has progressed.
Edinburgh Skyline from Arthurs Seat
To celebrate passing this mark, I headed out on one of my favourite runs, namely a long run from Leith up into Edinburgh, with hill reps on Arthurs Seat. For those that haven’t done it, its a fabulous run, with a great mix of city and trails. It was a lovely fresh evening and the hill reps by head torch were great fun. The view that confronted me at the top really capped the run off nicely.
As this is my last trip to Edinburgh this year I decided to drag my tired legs out of bed this morning and head back up onto Arthurs seat for a dawn run. No hill reps this time but great to see Edinburgh in the dawn light.
Legs are tired now but I’m really chuffed with my weeks running so far. Maybe I should aim for 2015 miles in 2015!?
Dawn views of Edinburgh from Arthurs Seat
