The ten-hour target

ACCORDING to AA Route Planner, I should be able to travel the 79.6 miles from Skegness to Kettering in just over two hours. I don’t know how the AA does its maths, but I’m sure it’s not the sort of elitist organisation that assumes everyone has a car, so I suppose the estimate is based on a brisk walking pace.

So, running three marathons (which amounts to one mile less than the epic Skeg-Ket voyage) in less than ten hours should be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, my experience of this year’s marathon suggests the speeds I’m capable of are rather slower than the AA’s required 40mph.

I finished the London race in 3:33, 13 minutes outside “three marathons in ten hours” pace. Must do better.

Running three also comes with extra problems – not only do I have to beat my personal best by 13 minutes, I have to do it three times in three weeks (unless I become the first person to break the two-hour barrier in the first one, in which case I can take it comparatively easy in the next two if I’m still alive).

My cunning plan to become the world’s greatest ever marathon runner will be devised by my friend Dave Saunders of Salus Fitness. If last year’s plan is anything to go by, his training regime will involve a large amount of running, which is both boring and painful.

However, I’m optimistic this year’s regime will include less of that and more eating chips. I’ll publish the plan and some of his diet tips when I get them.

I won’t update the site for a couple of weeks now because I’m off toEurope, where I plan to eat my body weight in local delicacies. Feel free to suggest any errands you’d like me to do while I’m away. Training starts when I get back.

Running Total: Unknown – haven’t counted for a while, but it must be more than £100!

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