Four weeks today Warren Mauger and I will be starting our week of marathons in Guernsey. At 9am on Monday 18th August we will be at the start line for the first 26.2 miles of our 183.4 mile week.
With a total area of approximately 24.5 miles, finding five suitable marathon courses was not an easy task. You may be thinking why we only have five? This is down to marathon number seven being the Guernsey Marathon, which we are also running in reverse as one of our courses.
Warren and I have just two more big weeks of training before we begin to taper down and let our bodies rest before embarking on the biggest physical and mental challenge of our lives. I hit a low point over the past weekend on the back of a 94 mile week, my body telling me very clearly that a rest day was needed after 8 days without a day off from running. In hindsight this was probably a positive experience as I am certain there will be times during the week of marathons when things are not all rosy and straight-forward and we have to dig in, grit our teeth and not give up.
The training plan for this week is 88 miles, then I have 95 miles to run whilst on a family holiday in Portugal. Looking at the weather forecast for late July in the Algarve most of my runs will be starting at 5:30am.
All 183.4 miles that Warren and I will run are outlined below. We have been amazed by the support we have received so far and continue to receive for friends, family and strangers who shout encouragement at us when we are on our training runs. If we are passing your house, work or school on one of our routes we would love if you were able to give us a cheer and a wave as we run past during our week of marathons.
Marathon 1 – Monday 18th August
Marathon 2 – Tuesday 19th August
Marathon 3 – Wednesday 20th August
Marathon 4 – Thursday 21st August
Marathon 5 – Friday 22nd August
Marathon 6 – Saturday 23rd August
Marathon 7 – Sunday 24th August
We are aiming to raise £20,000 through our challenge, with four weeks to go we have raised just under £7,000. Every penny we raise will go directly to projects that will change lives in Guernsey and Africa through The HUB and our very own projects at This Is EPIC.
In the 12 months up to June 2013, 408 young people accessed The HUB’s service, with 33% of the young people were identified as vulnerable or at risk from harm. This is a shocking statistic that outlines the importance of the work provided by The HUB to the young people of Guernsey. Half of the £20,000 we raise will go directly to The HUB to support their annual running costs in order to enable them to continue to support 11-16 year olds in Guernsey.
At This Is EPIC the other £10,000 will enable us to move ahead with our Village Savings and Loans projects in Tanzania. Our 15-20 Village Savings and Loans projects will have a positive impact on over 2500 in the community by enabling individuals and families overcome extreme poverty. Our projects empower rural communities to take control of their personal finances and provide an opportunity to develop sustainable income generating activities. Each member of the Village Savings and Loans group saves, takes out loans, repays loans with interest, and invests in income generating activities. Group members save money for their children’s education, invest in livestock, or start small businesses that have a positive impact on individuals, families and the whole community.
Please help both This Is EPIC and The HUB continue to change lives by donating to our 7 Marathons in 7 Days Challenge and help us reach our £20,000 target.