Just finished the Cabot trail virtual challenge which is part of the conqueror events series. It was a 186 mile trip around Nova Scotia which took me 41 days.
This was the first conquered event that I have done. It was simple to keep track of my progress on their app which integrated extremely well with Strava.
On March 1, I will begin my next conqueror virtual challenge. I will be doing the Camino de Santiago to benefit the Notre Dame & St. Mary’s Fund in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
On December 30, 2020, I will begin my next virtual challenge on the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia. The trail is 186 miles long and I have set a deadline of 7 weeks. This should be a fairly comfortable deadline, but you never know with injury and weather restrictions.
The Cabot Trail Virtual Challenge will take me along the natural beauty of the Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia, Canada. Popular trails include the Franey Trail near Ingonish and the Pleasant Bay which is known for its spectacular sunsets.
In order to complete the challenge by the deadline, I will need to average 26.5 miles per week.
I finished the 268 mile Pennine Way Virtual Challenge on December 20 with a 6 mile run at Stonewall Resort in Lewis County, West Virginia. Although it was a few days after my deadline of December 15, I thoroughly enjoyed the event which began on October 19.
I struggled with a toe injury for much of the challenge, which is the main reason I did not hit my goal finish date. However, the toe improved steadily as the event went on and is now almost 100% healed.
I’m going to take a little break now over Christmas but I’m definitely going to continue to take part in these virtual challenges. They are great motivators for my running and walking efforts.
I have hit the 100 mile mark in the Pennine Way Virtual Challenge. It took me four weeks but it has not been easy. I hit my foot against a tree root the day before the challenge started and I have not been able to recover. I didn’t think much of it when I first did it, so I just carried on for two weeks. When it wasn’t getting better I really cut back. It improved greatly that week so I increased mileage again but it is not right. I’m not sure how I should handle it now but I think the deadline of December 15 is going to be difficult to manage.
After completing the Lands End to John O’ Groats virtual run/walk, I have decided to do another event from End to End. On Monday, October 19, I will start the Pennine Way Virtual Challenge. This is a 268 mile trek on an iconic trail through the heart of England.
This is a 268 mile trek on an iconic trail through the heart of England. There is a 5 month official deadline on the event. My goal is to finish before my birthday on December 15. That gives me about 8 weeks. I’m hoping this event will be as motivating as the LEJOG Virtual
On Tuesday, September 29 I finished the Lands End to John O’ Groats Virtual run/walk. I really enjoyed the challenge. It gave me tremendous motivation to exercise and I’m missing it since it ended.
I finished the event in just under five months. After a poor first month, I did wonder whether I would meet the six month deadline, but as my fitness improved so did my mileage.
I’m going to start looking for a new event. I will let everyone know soon what it is. Thank you to the organizers of the LEJOG Virtual.
I hit the 800 mile mark with a late walk through Nutter Fort, WV. I have 74 miles to go to get to John O’ Groats. I have set a goal to finish by the end of September. Hopefully, I can get that done. We will see.
Hitting 74 miles in 14 days would not have been a problem over the Summer when I had plenty of time for physical activity. Now my work and coaching schedule are in full swing, I don’t have as much time to log the miles. Between the two teams that I coach, I am regularly standing on the sidelines for 4 or 5 games per week.
I’ve been pleased with the way I have felt over the past few months doing this challenge. I’ve been nursing a slight calf strain over the last week. I will have to balance getting the miles in but not overdoing it during the next few days.
I passed the 700 hundred mile mark with a 10 mile run through Bridgeport, West Virginia. The last time I ran through Bridgeport, I passed the 600 mile mark.
I have not been able to hit 50 miles for the past two weeks. Soccer preseason and returning to work do not allow as much time for activity. I have been able to continue to break 40 miles per week which is still taking me towards the finish line.
I currently have 166 miles to get to John O’ Groats. My goal is to finish by the end of September.
I broke through the 600 mile barrier with a run in Bridgeport, West Virginia. I’ve been feeling really strong this month and I’m averaging 51 miles per week. I’m continuing to enjoy this huge challenge.
I’m going to continue to try to average 50 miles per week, but it is going to become challenging when soccer preseason starts on Monday. I coach a middle school and a high school team so I won’t have as much time due to the daily training sessions. I’m hoping COVID-19 does not interfere too much with soccer. However, I’m doubtful that we will complete the season.
July was a successful month taking me past the 300, 400, halfway, and 500 mile marks. I finished off the month with my longest single activity, a 10 mile run through the local park.
July will probably be my highest mileage month. Although I have two more weeks working from home, I am scheduled to return to work mid-August. Working from home has really allowed me to be very flexible with how I have completed tasks and I’ve been more productive with work assignments and with my running/walking activities.
I have now completed 514 miles. I have three months left to complete the final 360 miles. I’d like to think I can do it in two, but I’m not too worried about it.
I passed the halfway point on the way to John O’ Groats with a 7 mile run through Nutter Fort, West Virginia. I’ve done three 50+ miles in a row now and am on track to do another this week. So far, July has been going well.
The unrelenting heat has made things a little more difficult than I had hoped but doing several shorter activities in cooler parts of the day has been my strategy. I’ve also done some treadmill runs or walks in the afternoons when the premier league games are on.
I’ve really enjoyed this challenge and it is providing tremendous motivation to keep moving. Thank you to the organizers.
I just finished my first 50+ mile week with a Sunday evening run through Nutter Fort and Stonewood, West Virginia. It was about a 50/50 split between running and walking for the week, but in the Lands End to John O’ Groats Virtual, every mile on foot counts
I am trying to get as many miles as possible in July while I still have some flexibility with my work schedule. When August arrives I start coaching my soccer teams at the beginning of the month and school starts again in the middle of August. July is crucial to the LEJOG challenge.
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I passed the 300 mile mark with a run through the city park and streets of Bridgeport, West Virginia. Despite what the postcard I received depicts and the extremely hot weather we have been having recently, I have been feeling good.
On the virtual map, I am coming up through the midlands and I’m about as close as I’m going to get to the city I grew up in. I left Derby in 1994 to go to university in West Virginia on a soccer scholarship. I have been in the USA ever since.
The plan for July is to increase the mileage to 45-50 miles per week. I’m definitely going to do it for the first week of the month. Hopefully I can continue it for the whole of July.
I managed to do just over 60 miles more this month in the Lands End to John O’ Groats Virtual. I felt strong during most of the activities. I think increasing the mileage in July is going to be difficult but I’m willing to give it a try.
I did some form of activity, whether it be running or walking or a combination of both, every day in June. I’m finding being part of the Lands End to John O’ Groats Virtual gets me out the door even on days I’m not really feeling like it. It has been very motivating.
I passed the 200 mile mark on the Lands End to John O’ Groats Virtual with a run at Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, West Virginia. I’ve been pleased with how the month of June has been going averaging 40 miles per week on the journey up the length of the UK.
I’ve still got a very long way to go and I see this challenge lasting through the majority of October. It’s amazing that there have already been four finishers in the event.
Stonewall Resort continues to be one of my favorite places in the area to run. There is a nice variety of trails and the roads are not very busy. The views are great also.
I’m going to continue to try and average 40 miles per week for the rest of June and hopefully increase that for July. I was supposed to do a half marathon on July 11 but that has now been cancelled so I will keep chipping away at the 874 miles for the virtual run.
Big Head Running