A member first asked me what training they'd need to do to run a half marathon on four consecutive days back in Summer 2022.
I scoffed and said it was a ridiculous idea...you'd get injured and waste a lot of money in the process.
At the time I was around 4 months into an achilles injury which would continue to prevent regular running until January 2023.
7 months on and I'm rebuilding fitness, managing the achilles but making good progress in both distance and speed.
When the Run2Paris idea resurfaced in Spring I agreed to reach out to race organisers and find out exactly how demanding the event would be, both physically and logistically.
I still don't know if my achilles will hold out, whether a new injury will arise or whether the sheer time required to build fitness will place too much strain on other commitments.
As well as running Cheltenham Running and Walking Club, I'm also the Development Officer for Bishops Cleeve Colts Football Club and coach both my son's and daughter's team.
Processing around 360 children enquiries per year, supporting new volunteers with launching new teams, posting to social media and updating the website all take a significant amount of time.
I have running clients who need regular support and a loving family with a wife, two children and 2 dogs.
Everyone is busy and training for Run2Paris is going to place significant time demands on my week but I'm taking this as an opportunity to improve my health, build club dynamics and raise funds for two worthy charities.
In order to finish Run2Paris without injury, I am putting more time than ever into injury prevention.
3 x 5am strength and mobility sessions per week and 2 x 5am focussed work sprints enable me to do tasks which would usually be deprioritised if they were carried out in my contactable hours of the day.
I'm certainly not complaining. I love everything about my active life and the benefits of preparing for Run2Paris, but it will be a stretch.
I rarely ever ask for donations but if you want to show your support for the efforts I'll be putting in between now and May 23rd then the best way is to donate.
You'll not only be supporting some great charities but sharing your appreciation for a productive and hopefully inspiring journey towards the unknown.
Thank you
Good luck in your amazing adventure!