...from the flame

I'll admit it. I've spent the past couple of weeks wallowing in a rut. Ankle playing up, weather outside stinks, the doubters knocking my confidence and a lingering cold (actually, it was worse than that. It was manflu).

But then things happen. You see things that inspire you. Take for example Christine Bleakley from BBC's The One Show. For the past week or so we've been watching as she attempts to water-ski across the English Channel. She can barely swim!!! She hasn't got the strength to do it yet she's sticking in there.

Then there's Eddie Izzard. My favourite comedian. Running 43 marathons in 51 days! What's that all about?? Watching Eddie Izzard:Marathon Man on BBC 3 and how he struggled self-doubt, injury and poor weather got me thinking about the rut I was in.

But then you have Phil Packer. You might not recognise his name but you'll certainly know about his story. Major Phil Packer sustained spinal chord injuries while serving in Iraq in 2008 and was told he would never walk again. Last year he walked the London Marathon. The I saw him on breakfast TV last week talking about his latest challenge...the 3 Peaks Challenge (Climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 3 days). Most people struggle to climb just one of them. If ever I needed inspiration and a HUGE kick up the backside to get myself out of the rut, this was it. My problems are trivial. This guy has had to learn to walk again! Quite simply he's super human.

So this is where I am.

I've been slogging it out at the gym all week working on strength and stamina. I'm not going to lie to you, I've been waking up in complete agony some mornings this week. The jogging has resumed as well. The treadmill has taken a pounding this week. Hard, high paced sessions.

I was out running this morning. The hardest 3 miles of running I've done so far...windy, raining and cold. But it felt good once I finished. A real mental boost. And then there's the weather forecast. It looks like Spring is on it's way. Lighter evenings, warmer weather and a few free weekends coming up means the bike can finally get a regular run out.

And through it all, I keep repeating a quote from Lance Armstrong: "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever"

Until next time...

2 steps forward...

So this is where we are:

The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK have sent out their running pack and fundraising support kit. The running vest looks great with MOORE and 6 emblazoned across the back.

I've been putting in more time down the gym doing strength work. I hate doing weights (especially when there are huge meat heads walking around). But I'm starting to see the benefits of including the weights in the training routine. My back and neck hurt less now when I'm on the bike and the arms don't ache so much either.

Cycling training is taking shape. Chances of getting out on the road have been limited but luckily I had a backlog of various Tours recorded on Sky+, so I spent most of last week on the turbo trainer while watching The Tour of Oman. Definitely looked a lot warmer out there.

After my ankle twist a week or so back I've been gingerly getting back out and increasing the miles again. Sunday saw me put in a solid run from home to Tynemouth and back (just short of 5 miles). The ankle still doesn't feel great but at least I can run again.

I've come down with a cold. No amount of vitamin C or telling the kids to cover their mouths when they cough was going to stop me getting it. I went out for a run last night and although I started off comfortably and at a good pace, by the time I got to the 1 mile mark my breathing was all out, my throat was dry and I was sweating buckets. Half a mile later I turned back and by the time I had reached home I felt like I had done a marathon. By 9pm I was out for the count.

So today, I have no voice and feel like my head is wrapped in cotton wool. Maybe it's my body trying to tell me that I need to slow it down a bit. I've gone into this like a man possessed and I have to keep reminding myself that I've still got just over 6 months to go. I'm going to have a few rest days, get rid of the cold and hope to get out on the bike again on Monday evening.

The big motivation is the sponsorship side of things. £102 raised so far (which all came in a space of a couple of days). This blew me away. Thanks to those who have sponsored so far.

Until next time...

17 years on!

I've spent most of the day wondering where the past 17 years have gone. I remember the evening of 24th February 1993 clearly. I hadn't long got back from school, was sat on the coffee table. Mum was sitting on the sofa (it was a horrible green and pink flowery one). Neighbour's had just finished and then the 6 o'Clock News started

"Tonights headlines.....England's World Cup winning captain, Bobby Moore, has died..."

Mum put her hand over her mouth and started crying. I was 15 but knew enough about the importance of Bobby Moore, not just to my club, West Ham, but also to the national football team. Everything just stopped. We never moved until the news finished. Dad stood motionless, not saying a word. The way they were it was almost like we had lost a relative.

17 years on most people have forgotten about what today is about. The authorities never gave Bobby the recognition he deserved. The West Ham and Fulham fans still remember on the 24th Feb each year. It's important for us to remember The Greatest. The man was a gentleman and in today's football world of sleaze and money, a lot of footballers would do well to follow his example of how he led his life on and off the pitch.

And this is why I am doing this event. It's going to hurt. It's going to be tough. But it's the least I can do in the memory of such a great person. Since his death The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK has been working tirelessly to fight bowel cancer and the only way they can continue this fight is through people like myself trying to go the extra mile and raising money on their behalf.

I'm starting to get donations and messages of support and I've still got just over 6 months to go. It's blown me away to be honest. Let me make this clear...this is not a West Ham thing as some people have suggested. Far from it. Bobby Moore is more than just West Ham. He represented football and everything that was and is good about it.

Viva Bobby Moore!

Let the fundraising begin!

So after twisting my ankle on Saturday morning, I'm still unable to do any jogging. So frustrating. Add to that the continued cold and snowy weather and the chances to get the bike out on the road are still limited.

Thank God for the turbo trainer. I hooked the bike up to it yesterday afternoon,put one of the stages of the Tour of Qatar on the TV that I had Sky +'d and cycled for an hour. It is the most mind-numbingly boring things to do, worse than running on a treadmill, but I find it a lot easier to do it when watching the cycling on TV.

Having worked out my route for the ride and working out that day 1 will cover up to 175miles and day 2 130miles, I have had a slight seed of doubt as to whether I am biting off more than I can chew.

BUT, this is what a challenge is all about. If it was easy there would be no point in doing it.

I've now set up the fundraising page at JustGiving which can be found at www.justgiving.com/bobbymoorebiathlon. I've also placed a widget on the blog front page too. For those who are on Facebook, I've set up a page on there too. Just search for Jamie's Bobby Moore Biathlon and you should find it.

I would be grateful if you could share the blog, fundraising page and Facebook page with as many people as you know.

No training today because of work but I'll be back in the gym tomorrow.

Until next time....

The First Setback

OK, so I had 2 days rest instead of 1. There is such a thing as over-training. In all seriousness I just didn't feel right yesterday. Might have been a bit of fatigue.

On the plus side though, I received confirmation from The Great North Run that Cancer Research UK have entered me into the run. So, it's all confirmed now. This is definitely happening. With that in mind (and the latest weather forecasts suggesting another arctic blast) I decided to head to my local sports shop and pick up some winter running gear. Just as well really considering the snow flurries I watched last night.

But that wasn't going to deter me. I woke up nice and early this morning, saw a dusting of snow outside and decided that it would be OK to try a new jogging route I'd planned which would take me along the North Shields Fish Quay, up past the Priory to Tynemouth Longsands and back home to the Royal Quays.

All was going well until I got to about half a mile. Crossing a side road, my right foot slipped on some ice. I managed to keep on my feet but in doing so turned my right ankle over. My first reaction was to look around to see if anyone had watched my performance. Luckily, no and luckily my ankle felt OK.....until I started running again.

My normal approach to these things is to try and run it off but after a few hundred yards I decided to turn back and lightly jog back home.

So, the first setback. To say I'm frustrated is an understatement. At least it shouldn't prevent me from putting the bike on the turbo trainer. Some time in the gym should also keep the training on schedule. I'll take a look at the ankle on Monday and see how it feels. Fingers crossed that a few days off the running and it should be good as new.

Now where's that ice-pack??

Another cold start

My wife, Jo, nudged me this morning. "Are you dropping my car off for it's MOT for me? You could use it as a training run!" I took that to mean, "I'm on holiday and I'd like to stay under the warm duvet".

So, 8am, at the garage on The Cobalt in North Shields, standing in the reception area of the garage with the staff staring at me like I had a screw loose. You see, like yesterday, it was -2 but crucially foggy too. It was absolutely freezing and I was wearing shorts!

Keys handed over and off I go...like bambi!! Torvil and Dean would have felt at home on the pavements. I suppose it worked to my advantage as it kept my pace lower than normal but still it wasn't the most comfortable run ever. It was a useful exercise to see how I coped after 3 days of training and running 24 hours after the first training session on the bike.

The answer? I felt ok. A bit stiff to begin with but by the time I was arriving home 4 miles later, I felt good. I'm going to have a rest day tomorrow and then look to put some gym time in on friday.

I've decided on the route for the bike ride now. Day 1 will see me cycle from St James' Park to Sleaford in Lincolnshire and then Sleaford to The Boleyn Ground on Day 2. I'll get the maps posted up at the weekend.

Once I've received the fundraising pack from The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK, I'll post up a link to the fund raising page

Until next time...

Anyone for potholes??

The cycling training started today. Taking advantage of the car going into the garage I put the bike into the back, dropped the car off in Cramlington and set off. The thermometer on the car read -2 degrees. There had also been a weather warning about icy roads. But the ice was the least of my problems.

My route: From Cramlington, i headed out to Blagdon, Ponteland and out to Dissington Hall before turning back and heading back to North Shields. The air was freezing cold but at least it was sunny and once out of the town and onto the open road the cold was soon forgotten. I'd not been out on the road since October so this was heaven.

However, I had not taken into account the state of the roads around South Northumberland and North Tyneside. Last summer they were bad...now after the snows....unbelievable!! I had to keep an eye out for not only patches of ice but huge craters. Add to that the morning traffic and I was left with very little room for error. I swear these roads are worse than the worst roads in Outer Mongolia!

I was also reminded of the impatience of some drivers...pulling out at junctions right in front of me, overtaking and not leaving any room but worse were those with a mobile phone clamped to their faces and not taking a blind bit of notice about me or anyone else for that matter.

Aside from these irritations out in the country it was a superb ride. No really tricky climbs but plenty of chances of hammering it on the long straights.

So, ride number 1 = 37miles. Which is probably just about right for the first ride of the year. I'll gradually increase the mileage and hope to be hitting the 100 mile mark by June. To be honest, the ride down to London isn't going to have many big climbs so today's ride was probably a good representation of what I'll face.

I have a training ride planned for a couple of weeks time from home in North Shields up to Carter Bar on the Border which finished with a devilish climb. Can't wait!

Over the coming few weeks I hope I'll add a few photos, post up the planned route for the bike ride part of the challenge and also (and most importantly) the fund raising page.

Until next time....