Project 65 on Twitter

Moving with the times as we do, Project 65 now has Twitter account and will be tweeting to its heart's content!

Please go and have a look at the account page and follow us for all the latest coverage, news, updates, and status reports during the run itself... http://twitter.com/Project65

This will be a 36 hour Twitter-fest and you can be part of it...

Please re-tweet everything that we put up!

Thank you in advance for you indulgence and more importantly, your CASH!!!

5 Rifles check in...

Capt Mark Shercliffe of 5 Rifles briefly updates us on their progress...

Away from the heat of Iraq a quick marathon before lunch seemed like a walk in the park!

It is not unusual to see soldiers out running in a squad and, now that all of 5th Battalion The Rifles are back from operational tour, it is a familiar sight around their home town of Paderborn, Germany.

Watching the squad run in, stretch off and walk, not hobble, away it would seem that they are now in the best condition for next week. With strict instructions of what to do over their ‘leave’ or holiday period, the next time they meet up there will be a carbo-packing couple of days!

Disbelief is also in the air that the end is very nearly in sight but there is still 65 miles to go!

Good luck to all and looking forward to seeing you all next week.

Mark

The Silver Surfer signs off...

Doc Chalmers posts his last blog before the off:

Well here it is; the last Thursday blog from the Silver Surfer. Hooray I hear you say! It’s been an absolute blast, despite everything so far, and I’m really looking forward to the day. Not quite sure why I should look forward to running 65 miles but I’m sure it will all make sense place on the day.

Ominously took delivery from Welch Allan of the cardiac defibrillator late last week, and as I only have 1 set of disposable paddles if anyone is planning to have a cardiac arrest make sure you’re the first as I have no more!

On anther point had a run at the weekend hoping my plantar fasciitis had gone, and found out it hadn’t so only managed 12 miles before “bailing out”. Also the weather men suggest the summer will be hot/dry so thought I’d better dust down the running singlet and found it chaffed in the most exotic of places. I struggle to understand this as used it before in marathons, I think a t-shirt will do nicely then! So having messed up at the weekend, I think a total rest is called for over the next few days. The only problem is avoiding catching anything from my patients!!

I see teenagers are still on the agenda: Our dysfunctional family headed of to Phones4U and managed to clear the shop. To me a mobile phone should do what it says on the box; i.e. a phone! However my two were on a mission; which upgrade could they get on their current contract and which had the most “twiddly” bits and that was before the colour discussion! Just to prove that JR’s are not unique I enclose a photo of mine running the race for life. Look closely at the consequences of not tying your laces and in the background the Silver Surfer and his chocolate Labrador both appear embarrassed.

Finally another jovial little picture, I doubt this bouncy and jaunty running technique will be used on the day, more the Ranolph Fiennes method of “plodding”

Best wishes and see some of you on the bus and the rest at Tarrant Rushton.

Silver Surfer!

So close now...

'Not the one from the Telly' replies:

Just before I started writing this blog, I read our Navy friend Ian’s thoughts on the run. I must say that for a sailor to run 2 miles in 3 hours is very acceptable. In fact he would probably make it into the Naval Cross Country running team. Come to think of it he would probably BE the Naval Cross Country running team!! I think the problem he is going to have is getting up early enough in the morning to make it to Tarrant Rushton for 2pm... Navy reveille is generally around 11am or when you feel like it especially when ‘Going ashore’. Good luck to you from a Pongo!! ;-)

Training down (or tapering as I’ve heard it called) is now in full swing. My knees are feeling much better, however I will still invest in some supports as recommended by Matt (thanks Matt for the advice). My mileage has reduced now so I have just one more 10 mile run to do and then its 6, 5, 4, 3 with a day rest in between. I have no idea if this is the correct way of doing it but it was part of a program I found on the internet.

I had my picture in the Bournemouth Echo again and a mention on the TV news again. This triggered sponsorship from some colleagues I haven’t seen in years. So I guess the promotion side is working. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I can see Tarrant Rushton from my office which makes the apprehension greater. I had a chat on the phone at the weekend with Roy Howard (brother of John Howard) and he will be meeting me at Tarrant Rushton on the day, together with another of his brothers who was in at D-Day+4. All media, please take note!!

I have now got myself back into my wife’s good books. Less training means less time out of the house and more time doing the garden, painting, building etc. I managed to build a new wall in the garden and planted up the veggies over the weekend. I set fire to the greenhouse at one point - oops! This happened when I lit some tea lights to purge the greenhouse of flies and bugs. The problem is the tea light’s wax dripped onto some bark chippings and they caught alight. Not too serious but I did feel a bit of an arse when I had to put it out!

I haven’t checked the long range weather forecast but really hope we don’t have a hot day on the 4th. Apart from the obvious sun burn, dehydration, heat exhaustion etc I have found that because my hair is so thin on top I get sweat in my eyes more than I used to. To combat this, I will wear a rather trendy bandana. Of course in my family’s eyes it will be just one more thing that makes me look even more like a chopper, but who cares!!

All the best to you all! Nearly there now.

Jonathan

The Naval Motivator.

Another new blogger, Ian Fleming (not the one who wrote the James Bond novels!) has chipped in...

The Royal Navy of old relied on one man, NELSON.

Today it has sent you a little fat Clearance Diver to represent the Royal Navy in the 'Run to Pegasus'. It is my aim to motivate good old Percy and a few crabs along the way, because you lot don't want the little FAT Matelot leaving you all behind!

My training schedule only started 7 weeks ago as I don't want an unfair advantage over all you fitties. My nutritionist has sorted my diet out; McKewans (Red Death) and lots of it, six Burger Kings and 10 KFC bargain buckets daily. Its hard work being this fat but maintaining it is great! This running lark is bad for my waistline as it keeps on making it smaller. I will have to eat more Burger Kings!

Looking forward to meeting everyone and flying the flag for the Royal Navy on the 4th June. Now you all know you need to up your training schedule to keep up with the little fat matelot Diver.

Laters Divers! Do it Deeper!

PS Has anyone attempted a 2 mile run yet?! I've just got back and I'm knackered! Good time though of 3 hours - I might try a 3 mile run next week

Tarrant Rushton today.

A new blogger joins us. Rob Smart writes:

The final two weeks to the run! I’ve begun my taper and am set to be ready for the run come June 4!

As part of my last big run I took myself down to Dorset to look at the area of the route. I paid a visit to the starting point at the airfield. Knowing the history made it quite spooky walking around. Trundling up the access road from Tarrant Rushton towards the footpath access at the western side of the site, I wondered how the men from the Oxf. and Bucks Light Infantry must have felt when they were transported to the same airfield 65 years ago, knowing what they were soon to embark upon...

As far as my own feelings go, there’s nerves borne of respect for the distance, combined with gladness to be nearly ready to go. I emerged into the west part of the airfield and immediately saw why it was used to launch gliders from. It’s fantastic - you can see for miles. It’s so quiet now, it’s difficult to imagine what the atmosphere must have been like on June 5 1944. The area must have been completely locked down.

I’m glad to know I’m not the only one carrying injuries. I must have over trained a bit at Christmas and have been dealing with a groin injury. I’m defeating it though. I’m determined to enjoy the experience. I’ve also decided on my solid food to carry with me - honey and peanut butter sandwiches. I’ve also been trying out a carb loading regime that I read in a Sir Ranulph Feinnes fitness book. I’ve been taking 800g of carbohydrate within 60 minutes of hard exercise. I read elsewhere that caffeine accelerates the body’s absorption of carbs so I’ve followed the food with a double espresso. I haven’t yet figured out if it’s making my body store more glycogen for the run, or whether it’s just an excuse I’ve given myself to eat like a glutton!!!

Looking forward to meeting everyone on the day. From reading this blog over the past few months, and chatting to others taking part Project 65 is going to be a great experience. For me it will definitely be one of the things I’ll be glad to have done with my life, on top of being able to be part of raising money for forces charities and honouring such a special military feat.

Good luck to everyone,

Rob

The Surrey Advertiser are all over it. Is your local paper?! Get on the case if not!

Iain Rodgers:

Hi Everyone,

Several runners from Surrey are taking part in the event. The Surrey Advertiser is taking an interest and there should be a press release in the next issue.

I have said that I will try to have photographs taken for them of the Surrey runners when we all gather at Tarrant Rushton, just before the start and at Pegasus Bridge the day after we arrive, hope that this is ok with everyone? I will ask the Project 65 team to announce this at the briefing prior to the start.

Hope that every ones training is going well and no serious injuries to cope with? Only 13 days to go then the “Big Push”

Good Luck!

Iain

Iain Rodgers

Knee supports have the answer.

We don't have two Ronnies, we have two Barkers! The Matt variety writes:

Hey y'all!

Getting close now! Just been reading the blog. Nervous but excited as I am sure everyone is. It all seems very well organised so far and want to thank Danny and Barry, Ed and the rest of the team for the steady build up of info. and answering of difficult questions.

I was pleased to find out I am representing Sapper Bradford from the accompanying 249th Royal Engineer (Airborne) party in Glider 5. My grandad was, infact, a Sapper and Driver for the Royal Engineers in Africa and Italy with the 8th Army but I never got to hear him talk about it. He was fighting in Italy during D-Day. So I am very proud to be representing Spr. Bradford but as yet, have not managed to find anything out about him.

IF ANY OF HIS RELATIVES READ THIS, DO GET IN TOUCH WITH ME VIA DANNY GREENO AS I'D LOVE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HIM.

Note to all suffering from knee aches at around mile 30 (Mr. Ross..I just read your blog!) I too am suffering those tweaks and twinges. I found this on Amazon, some neoprene York knee supports which have 3 velcro straps. They are very comfortable, extremely supportive, don't slip down and very reasonable at around £12.

I'm taking mine! I did 40 miles last Sunday and used them on the last 10. No adverse affects and knees stopped hurting... that could have been the Anadin though!!!

Good luck to everyone.

Bon Voyage!

Matt

A Woburn tale.

James Barker writes:

Ten days ago, I put the family in the car with their DS’s and travelled for two hours in glorious weather to Woburn Abbey for ‘The Fit for Hero’s Day’. With some trepidation, I wondered, after training for months on my own, how I would fair amongst the other runners, considering I have had to take a 3 week enforced break due to a near show stopper of an injury when training in the dark - I caught my foot/ ankle on the side of a pot hole!

Soon after arriving, some of the Project 65 runners started to find each other and it was good to put faces to names, i.e. Ed and Danny. I seemed to attract some female attention while preparing cups of water for the runners - was it the skin-tight running outfit?! Nope, it was for directions to the loos! Charming.

After a few minutes Spencer “Storm trooper” Rolls introduced himself and asked if he could run with me, I felt honored, then he said “give me 20 mins, I have to get my kit on!” The kit in question being the full storm trooper outfit! It was a warm day and he had turned up with a groin strain to contend with as well, but he still ran. This was beyond the call of duty. He needs a medal and possibly a brain scan!

When the 1pm bunch of runners started, Project65 “athletes” could easily be distinguished from the local highly strung club runners, running as a group, slowly, with much sociable banter, avoiding deer poo, and with stories of long training & injuries being the main topics of conversation. Soon we had Dutch and Steve joining our group with Dutch kitted out in full WW11 uniform, which he will be running in on the 4th June.

Inevitably the P65 group finished last after 10K‘s - saving the legs for the task which awaits us, of course. Some of us did another lap of honour later on, running with the lads from the Army Air Corp, who made running look effortless and us look old! From my understanding the oldest runner on the run to the Pegasus Bridge will be 74 and the youngest 19. The prize for looking the sexiest went to... Barry Tappenden in his skins! It was a brave man, who said that to him, weren’t you you Dutch? LOL!

The last week has been a busy one but managed a good sports massage (2 hours with a cracking blond), a good gym session and a 20 miler at the weekend, which hurt more than it should afterwards, all in the quads. However the calves & ankle held up well showing no stress, but managed to gain a nasty blister under the toe nail - ouch!

On Monday I slipped off with the Mrs in the afternoon to see ‘Star Trek’, highly recommended. Look out for the guy in the red jersey, they always came a cropper in the original series, and this one does some classic showing before being annihilated!

Well, 15 days to go, training done, insurance sorted, passport ready, “defib” on its way, sponsorship topping £700, just the Will to write now!

P.S. Children had a good day at Woburn Abbey too, but now want pet ferrets for some unknown reason, and my son has this fascination for hairy spiders! Cheers Danny!!

James Barker

15 DAYS TO GO!!

ARE YOU READY? The Chairman is back...

The information you have all been waiting for is available NOW. If you click here and scroll to the bottom of the page, you will find a document called 'Representation of the Coup de Main'. Open it and you will see who is representing who on the run! Those highlighted in RED are relatives of the Coup de Main. I'm afraid as there are so many of you it has not been possible to allocate you ALL with a name.

Now, some admin points. Quite a lot, I'm afraid!

Portsmouth to Tarrant Rushton:

As you are all aware, we are laying on transport from Portsmouth to take you to TR on the morning of the 4th June. The first of these vehicles will be leaving at 0900 and the last at 1030. PLEASE ENSURE YOU ARRIVE IN PLENTY OF TIME!!!!!!!! If you miss the last one, it will be taxi time at your own expense!

Upon arrival at the ferry port, drive into the car park (big blue building that says CAR PARK on it, oddly!), park, collect your bag from the boot and then walk back out to the front of the car park where you will have seen 3 coaches, 3 mini-buses and a truck waiting outside. Introduce yourselves to the P65 team of helpers who will be standing by, place your baggage in either the coaches hold or on the truck and then board a coach or mini-bus. As each one becomes full, they will leave for TR.

Baggage:

We have requested that you each have 2 separate bags; 1 containing your clothing etc for your stay in France and 1 containing your running kit etc for use during the run.

The 'French' bag will be loaded onto a truck at TR and driven straight to France. It will be waiting at the marquee for your arrival. The 'Run' bag will be carried on a support vehicle which will follow the run route. It will be made available to you as and when required. PLEASE PACK LIGHT! Our vehicles cannot carry too much and there are over 200 of you after all. Don't forget to pack a sleeping bag in your 'French' bag, otherwise you might have quite chilly night...

Water:

Support vehicles will be carrying a HUGE quantity of water along the route. Please use whatever container you normally train with. We will ensure you are kept 'topped-up' throughout the run. There will be numerous formation points along the route which will give an ideal opportunity to fill-up.

Signage:

We have a HUGE task ahead of us....... We have to place signs along the entire route telling you and the support crews where to go. These signs will vary from simple directional arrows to large text signs giving an instruction to 'Keep to the right hand side' or 'Use the pavement' etc.
However, the cyclist support team are there to guide and assist you. T hey are there to keep you safe so a simple plea; PLEASE FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS!!!

TR:

A huge amount of work has been put into setting up a slick and efficient operation at Tarrant Rushton.

When you arrive, you will be guided into the main hangar to check-in. There will be 4 sections split into surnames A-E, F-L, M-S and T-Z. You will be asked to complete the back of your runner number which will hold your medical details in case of an emergency and also to complete the registration form. Once done, you will then be issued with a simple pack which, amongst other things will contain a colour coded baggage label which you will need to tie onto your 'French' bag. These will then be placed in 'Glider' piles ready for loading onto the transport vehicle. We have done this as it is much easier to locate your bag within a pile of 31 instead of a pile of 200!

Half way stop: New Forest Hotel, Ashurst, New Forest (A35)

Tony and Jane are going to be providing you with Pasta, Tuna and Chicken as well as bananas and water. You will have the opportunity to change clothes and shoes/socks etc and take on a hot meal.

This is also a great opportunity to catch up with friends and relatives. Tell them to head down there for about 8pm. The pub are extending their menu with a Hog Roast and putting up a marquee in the garden to cater for all the extra guests. After a nice meal, your supporters will then have the chance to catch up with you before you set off again for the remaining 30 miles to Portsmouth. PLEASE TELL AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN TO GET DOWN THERE!!!! Tony and Jane are doing this all for practically nothing in support of Project 65 and we would like them to get a bit of business back from it.

Medical support:

There will be a team of men from Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) who will follow the running group at all times to ensure they are on hand to deal with any issues. They are carrying a HUGE amount of equipment and should be able to handle almost any situation. If you require emergency treatment, then the team will provide immediate care until an ambulance arrives.
The team consists of:

Capt Ray Bowden (team leader)
Capt Thomas Feeney
Capt Laurence Feeney

We also have Dr Iain Chalmers (The Silver Surfer) within the group who will be able to assist if required but only on UK soil.

There will be a spare ambulance driven by Mike Lusado which will also be with the group. This is a stunning WWII field ambulance!

Media:

Ed and the team at ONE have been really pushing the run and the media attention is really starting to build now. If you have ANY contacts at all, no matter how small or insignificant you feel they may be, please pass them to Ed. The more coverage we have, the more money we raise! (I would like to echo that; please give us a ring if you think you can help us, or email me - elo@oneismore.com - Ed)

That's about it ladies and gentlemen. I hope you are all ready, or as ready as you'll ever be! I look forward immensely to seeing you all at TR on the 4th June.

Stay well and keep fit!

Best wishes

Danny Greeno
Chairman

The Silver Surfer delivers milk and justice!

Doc Chalmers:

See teenagers are top of the list currently, don’t you love them!

Can I suggest a good method of taking out frustrations? Alice, my eldest, wanted a paint balling party; the Silver Surfer got the chance to dress up a soldier (evidence added) and retaliate! Best £100 I’ve ever invested. I even needed extra ammo, God it was a great day out!




I enclose another photo of a strange new milkman in my village. Yes it’s the silver surfer again, and yes, the road is flooded! The river is normally a gentle stream 3 feet below the green railings in the background.

The good news is my foot is better and a nice run tonight with my running club. Nearly there now the excitement is building!

Anyone want a teenager?!

'Not the one from the Telly' is back:

After my absolutely pathetic attempt at running last Tuesday, I have had 6 days off from training. I found the 30 miles quite hard and my right knee was in pain for quite a bit of the last few miles. I therefore decided to lay off it for a while. By way of still training but reducing the impact on the knees I spent some time on my cross trainer. I’m not a fan of cross trainers; I find them intensely boring and a bit gimmicky. We bought it so members of the family could get fit. But it languished in the garage and was never used. So I set it up in our bedroom and it still doesn’t get used!!

To make the ‘journey’ more interesting I put on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on the DVD. That broke the monotony! After nearly 2 hours I know I had a work out but it didn’t really feel like I have achieved anything. So, back to running. Last night I did 6 miles. Only a slight knee ache but nothing serious. Ten miles planned for tonight. I’ve been intensely stretching my hamstrings and it has worked a little. I must be the most unsupple person in the world, which doesn’t help the muscles.

I can sense the nervousness that Ed mentioned in his blog. I guess that must be the same for any endurance event. In my limited experience the training always pays off and everything goes well.

My youngest son Jake, (18 years old) is on a Public Service course at college in Bournemouth. He wants to be a policeman. At 6’4” he would certainly look the part. He is going sailing this week as part of his adventurous training. They will sail all around the Solent, Weymouth and maybe further a field. He was given a kit list of items to take.

When I was serving in the Army I did a lot of sailing all over the world. So I thought I would offer some words of encouragement and advice on what to take and what to do. I said “Do you want to sit down and talk about your sailing. Maybe I could give you some advice. I might have some things you could take that would make it easier or more interesting..." His reply was, "No you’re alright, I know exactly what I’m doing.” Anybody want to borrow a teenager for a few years!!

Best wishes to you all and stay fit!

Jonathon

16 Days to Go!

Dear All -

Many thanks for your comments, suggestions and words of encouragement! With 16 days to go now, people are beginning to get really nervous. I have no doubt though that it will be a huge success and you will all do yourselves and those you are commemorating immensely proud!

May a make a small plea - the Project 65 Blog seems to be dying a death... For publicity purposes I would really like to make it hum again. If anyone wants to submit a blog, with pictures if you wish, please just email the text to me - elo@oneismore.com and I'll post them asap.

Thanks very much, and keep up the great work!

Ed LO

Nearly there.

This is becoming the Doc Chalmers show... Does anyone else want to blog? Anyway here he is again:

Well it’s the finishing straight now on the running.

I know I’ve been banging on about keeping fit and injury free, surprise, surprise I’ve managed to do my self in! I obviously should know better but the duathlon recently was, for various reasons, too much of a challenge. The weather was driving rain and cold so I charged off on the 1st run. Bike had a few hairy moments: vision was restricted as glasses steamed up and hands were slipping on the bars. Got caught in the later stages of the bike but despite cramping up knew I could run them down. Certainly did them on the run managing sub 7 minute pace.

This has come at a high cost as now got super dose of “plantar fasciitis” and was barely able to walk far less train on Friday/Saturday. By Sunday it was much improved and managed an hour at high intensity on the static bike. I think a hefty dose of reality and discipline to not go 110% is called for! This will have to be done on our long run as even pace and following a plan is paramount.

Packed the youngest daughter off on adventure holiday this AM, she was like a spaniel on amphetamine all weekend and was doing me in! Despite my best efforts she still has a plaster on so more of a holiday and less of the adventure, methinks!

Booked my accommodation in Portsmouth at the Ibis Hotel so excitement is building, it’s a long way down from Grimsby and I’ve got a bit extra to carry as the medics wanted a “defibrillator”. So rather than catching the 5am train from Newark and crossing London in rush hour I’ve elected for a leisurely night in hotel. If anyone else is staying happy to join them for a pasta and some water!

Best wishes

And another from Doc Chalmers!

The Silver Surfer:

Having got the triathlon out of my system it was back to pounding the roads around Utterby. It’s been hard as most of the mileage has been unaccompanied. The kids have refused to get out of bed, my wife doesn’t understand and Dan Chico has been working away. The bonus is I live on the edge of the “wolds” so a scenic area is very close by, so far seen lots of the local wildlife including some deer. For those of you who think Lincolnshire is flat hopefully the picture included on my last blog will disprove that; if you can’t see it there then just look at my just giving page!

Quite a sad thought entered my head today as my wife asked me at breakfast what I would do next after I’d “nailed this challenge”!? Have to say made me think, normally a season is fully planned with A races B races and training sessions but I’ve got nothing else entered for 2009. I’m sure she can find me some jobs but when I finish this challenge it’s not quite as simple as stop running. I, and I suspect the rest of us, will need to “de-train” and take stock. Even now I can feel a subtle difference on the bike being less able to push big cogs and needing different gears to ride hills.

The better news is my daughter has only got a "greenstick" so the plaster should be off by the end of the week, just in time for her going on an Adventure Holiday with school. The list of hideously dangerous things to do means I'll be visiting some A/E department in Shopshire soon. I have to admit she really is a mobile disaster area, and to make it worse the horse she fell off this time is well known for being so laid back he's nearly horizontal!

Anyway of to try and make a few pennies more for the charities as struggling to shift the Heart of Midlothian Directors box voucher.

Finally hot off the press is my mate Gavin (who started me on this challenge) may be joining us as a cycle outrider. He is a great bloke and has good motivational skills. He pulled numerous japes and wheezes when he coached us swimming and is quite a good cyclist: came 3rd in race across USA once!

Best wishes and keep injury free!

Second from Jonathon Ross...!

Again, more apologies! Jonathon Ross is on fire;

Training again seems to have suffered. I had to buy new trainers after my last pair were punctured by a stone. Never had that happen before. The bruising from the stone has died down and I can now run OK. A short 8 miles on Wednesday was followed by 12 miles on Friday. Each was enjoyable but my knees are hurting a lot!

I managed 30 miles yesterday (Tuesday) but had to walk for a while due to the pain in my knees. I have since seen a fitness advisor. They said that I need to do more stretching and improve the muscles in my legs.

I have now decided not to run anymore long distances before the day. Instead I'll keep to 10 milers and workouts on the cross trainer. My tapering down was due to start soon anyway - judging by my fellow bloggers, I'm not the only one to start an early slow down. One extra problem I have is that last October I trapped my sciatic nerve and was laid flat for three days. Despite extensive physio I have very little feeling below the left knee! This doesn't affect my running but it makes the muscles very tight.

On Saturday we went, as a family, to Cardiff to attend a memorial for my nephew Tom. He sadly died last year aged 24. The memorial was in the form of a music evening in a pub. Tom had been a keen musician and all his friends had laid on a series of 'tunes'. Some played wonderfully and some would not have got through the first round of 'Britains Got Talent'. It was a good evening. Despite the circumstances it was great to spend time with my boys and one of their girlfriends. The journey back was full of reminiscings of childhood embarassments and funny stories. It has made me think that we really must spend more time together.

I have a fair knowledge of the run route as far as Lyndhurst. It is fairly flat, any slopes are gentle. The countryside is East Dorset and the New Forest so it very attractive. Past Lyndhurst it is more built up. Tarrant Rushton itself is no longer a working airstrip but you still get a great sense of history when you visit it. Some of the old wartime buildings are still standing (although they are derelict). It will certainly be quite a moving event when we set off.

Good luck to you all - nearly there!

Looking forward to sharing a tent with some of you, I will apologise now for my snoring!!

Two from Jonathon Ross...

Apologies from the Editor - clearing up the back log of emails! Two blogs in quick succession from 'Not the one from the telly'!

I had a really good training session on Saturday. I managed 40 miles across a variety of terrains. My pace was a constant 5½ mph. It seems that this is my natural speed on long distances. I did try and slow myself down but found it uncomfortable. I did walk a few times but found that really boring and even more uncomfortable than running. I also had to have two “Sit Downs”. I don’t think this is a technical phrase but it explains the fact that at two points I just had to rest.

Once was when my right knee just gave up the ghost and was extremely painful. This was around 30 miles. I had a rest on a bench, ate some jelly babies then carried on. I then had a 5 minute rest when I bumped into two colleagues by a local golf course. The rest did me good and for the last 3 miles I felt quite fresh. When I got home I felt OK and after a few stretches, a couple of recovery drinks and a bath I was summoned to go shopping. My wife drove to the shops but when we arrived I had to be helped out of the car!

I did have a small disaster after 5 miles. A sharp stone went straight through my trainers, tore my sock and foot tape and cut my foot. The pain was excruciating. T he resultant bruising put paid to me going out on my planned 22 miles on Sunday. Instead I was volunteered to dig over my father in law’s garden. I would have preferred the run!

All is well now though and I will be out for a relatively sedate 8 miles tonight.

Many thanks to James and Giles who left fantastically encouraging comments after my last blog. When you have never run anywhere near the distance we will run you have no idea what it will be like. I now feel full of confidence and ready for the challenge.

When I was out on Saturday I had a number of people overtake me at different times. All in lovely bright colourful running outfits. Not one bit of sweat on them. All bouncy and bright. Some gave a small wave, but most gave me a sort of sideways sneering glance as if to say “What speed do you call that”. More than once I felt like shouting “I’m doing 40 bloody miles here not 40 metres, you T&%@!!!”

Happy days. Stay fit.

The Silver Surfer updates...

Doc Chalmers:

I will admit that being a sneaky devious sod is not my style. I regret to say that I also never have been one of those touchy feely sorts either. Got back Friday night and piled off out on the tractor to cut the grass. This confused everyone including the dog. I guessed I may have got away with it till my wife spotted the TV schedule and race details for the triathlon on Sunday.

It all then fitted into place. I’d gone cutting the grass to ensure I could have a quiet Saturday watching the F1 qualifying while they all went shopping. This resulted in her visiting my wallet and removal of some notes. I have to say her mood improved later on Saturday as she swapped her mobile phone and in the process made £150 profit. My request to be taken out for a meal was declined!

Sunday dawned and off to the sprint triathlon, an early start racing at 09:00 for me. I met up with a load of mates from swimming club and triathlon club. I was ashamed as my swimming club had entered as a team relay. I was in with the 9 minute pace swimmers as I was planning to “trundle round”. Even they however annoyed me as I was pushing aggressively off the wall straight into the next racers feet.

Twelve lengths and a few kicks later a quick jump onto the bike and a 14 mile pedal round rural Lincolnshire. After 45+ minutes it was a rather ungainly dismount from the bike (not one of my better efforts) change of shoes and off on the run. Got the bit between the teeth and red mist was descending so set off to catch the ones in front! Had a surprisingly good run split, must be all that training and an OK finish in about 1h 20 minutes, stayed to cheer the rest of the boys and girls while eating generous amounts of bacon butties.

Unfortunately missed the really good bit as one of our lady club members forgot to screw her front wheel on properly, lifted the bike off the rack and front wheel fell out! Joking apart at least it wasn’t on the road, but she won’t do that again!

Anyway back to running now as on final straight. Had a look at the route and seems fairly flat, I enclose a recent photo taken at the Croxby Crawl finish, aptly named Heartbreak Hill and pray there is nothing similar to tackle on the day!

Best wishes

The Silver Surfer

Running the Fine Line....

Matt Barker:

Hello again to everyone! Matt Barker here updating the interweb with his training 'goings on'.

Hows training going??? That is what everyone keeps asking....Well, er...it's ok but not as well as I would like. While I am confident I can and will complete 65 miles on the day, I will always think I need to do more quality training.

I am treading the fine line at this stage of affairs, where I want to train hard enough to be confident and at ease with the task at hand but not so hard that I injure myself or become ill for it. I have been suffering from a head cold for the last 2 weeks so have only ran when I have felt like it... essentially starting my taper a little early maybe. There is much debate regarding running when you are feeling like crap.

Lots of people say DON'T, as it will set you back further, others, such as Dean Karnazes say that "unless you are running a high fever you should try". I opted for the 'rest' option with the idea that I still have a few weekends left. As a result I am feeling better and more positive despite having to adjust my taper plans.

I have been told a great tip by an ex-elite triathlete who recommended that to save my knees, build my quads and strengthen supporting muscles, I should cycle say 30 miles, then run 20. The idea being that you get the cardio workout over the distance as you would if you ran it but it would take less time, save joints from being battered and reduce the chance of injury.
An excellent idea for a time pressed family guy with a two busy jobs!!

The buzz coming from the organizers at the moment including emails and information packs is bringing the reality home now but also stirring up real positivity and energy for me. The last few months have flown past for me and I am truly excited and honoured to be part of this. I am doing well with sponsorship now having completely smothered the local town's shops, bars, fire stations, leisure centres etc. with posters.

Finally I am wondering what I will do once this is all over. Will there be a Project 66?!

Ham and Jam!

Matt

The Silver Surfer is still in trouble.

Doc Chalmers:

Cycled over to Croxby tonight for my little 4.2 mile run, it was the 100th running of it and a very special night locally. The weather was windy and the 12 mile cycle took an hour due to the cross wind. 34 minute run was quite acceptable given that 1/3 of the run was full on into the wind. At least the 1:6 hills were cross wind. I passed my ever helpful coach Mike Hall taking photographs who told me to get moving, stop smiling as I obviously wasn’t working hard enough and reminding me I still had another 50+ to go. Thanks Mike, just what mates are for!

Then a quick shoe change and a 12 mile bike home, fortunately some was down wind. Arrival home for the “silver surfer” meant a bad day at the office got a whole lot worse. You couldn’t write a “soap” like this but my youngest daughter has fallen off a horse again. She has broken her wrist for the 3rd time and this needs to be added to the elbow fracture (which I diagnosed) and the shoulder fracture (that I missed!)

My wife wasn’t too chuffed as I was obviously uncontactable and the youngest has a swim completion, piano exam and violin exam and SATS all fairly soon! Mind you when I mentioned her Christmas present is now sorted as we could buy her a rocking horse instead of a real horse she really lost the plot!

My mad cycle mate gave me some helpful hints, makes a change from the Vaseline and plasters comments, regarding a rather curious concoction, non-steroid anabolic mega pack, from allsports (not the bucket high street shop) but an online store. He claims it’s the “biz” and legal so what the hell! Lets give it a go! On the ethanol front, amazed one of our number managed nearly 6 months sans alcohol, regrettably 6 days is nearer the case for me! Another case from the doctor of don’t do as I do, but as I say!

Anyway still have to plod on, feet to pickle, long run Saturday and a sprint tri on Sunday!

The Silver Surfer is in the dog house!

Doc Chalmers:

I’m now officially worse than Osama Bin Laden in the eyes of my family. We have a Chocolate Labrador who eats sleeps and exercises only when the cattle prod comes out as well as goldfish, a tortoise and rabbits. We nearly added a family of mallard ducks to the list.

Doing some grouting my youngest shrieks that we have 8 baby ducks that have been abandoned and I must immediately do something to help (I thought about a roasting tin!) I told her they were not abandoned but likely to be left while the parents went feeding. Not to be fobbed off she kept a close eye on them and then forced me to do something as they waddled off towards the main road. Cue the farcical chase of 8 baby ducks, and, boy, can they shift!!

Having finally caught all 8 they needed to be loved, cared for, fed, watered etc! They couldn’t be left out as it was cold so had to come into the house. I was getting more “narked” by now as they were being treated better than me!

Additionally my helpful teenage daughter used them as an excuse to avoid revision claiming they needed round the clock 1 to 1 care! I spent early Sunday running hoping to arrive back to find the parents had returned and claimed their children - no such luck and my attitude hardened. I struggled to get them re homed but managed it although they did have to spend another 24 hours being pampered by the family. My vigorous waving and cheering as they left in the RSPCA van on Monday was not appreciated!

We need to encourage J Ross and his worries. I felt exactly the same on my first marathon, my first triathlon and my first ironman event: worries about training volumes, fluid, nutrition, psychology, blisters etc are normal. I’ve seen many training schedules and they are all different.

I’m so bored of the long steady runs currently than I tried to blag my way into a short triathlon. Lincoln was 'pulled' due to 'floater' in the pool so I’m off to Woodhall Spa this w/e. I may hold back on the cycle as a spirited ride and crash into the bushes is not plan A at the moment! He is not alone; I just hope, for me, all of the x training pays dividends on the day.

I’ve also gone with my local running club on some short sharp routes at 7 min/mile pace and as a consequence I feel inadequately compared with all those piling in the miles but know my knees wouldn’t stand a battering on roads day in and out. Remember DNF is not an option as pain is only transient, quitting is permanent!

Best wishes to you all

Runner's information Packs now available to download!!!

Note from the Editor:

The runner's pack is now available to download from the Project 65 website. Go to http://www.project65.net/run/runners-info in order to get any info that you might be missing.

Cheers and stay fit!