Day 10 – the one where the journey came to an end

I’ve left it a couple of days to write my final blog to try to let what happened on Sunday sink in, and get my thoughts together on what has been an amazing eleven months since I got the phone call from Aly telling me I was on the 2017 team.

Sunday was just amazing. Day 10 is the ‘lap of honour’, but it’s still a marathon and needs exactly the same preparation as the previous nine, if not more focus. I had a really tough time out on the course. I spent every step mentally fighting myself not to slow down, not to stop, not to ‘just walk this bit’.

Since the end of day 7, I’d known that if I didn’t have a disaster I was on target to run one of the fastest ever cumulative times for the 10in10. That resulted in me putting more pressure on myself over the last three days, not just to get around, but to get around in a similar time to the previous seven days with an increasingly fatigued body.

I was constantly worrying that something was going to go wrong, that I was going to hit the wall spectacularly, calculating how slowly I could afford to run the next few miles and still achieve the target. That took its toll, but to get through and complete the challenge was a feeling words can’t describe. And to get the second fastest ever time was the icing on the cake.

I had lots of wonderful support both on the course and at the finish, and it was wonderful to share that experience with all of you.

Without wanting this to turn into an Oscar awards speech, there are a few ‘thank yous’ I need to make:

• My amazing wife Emma. I did this for you, and couldn’t have done it without you. You are my rock. How you have coped with adversity over the last 18 months has been amazing, and yet still had the strength to support me in this crazy challenge. I promise to spend a lot more time with you now!
• My parents who have been cheering me on throughout, turned up unannounced on ‘apocalyptic Monday’ (Day 4), have helped hugely with fundraising and just been generally brilliant.
• Rich, who took a week’s holiday to be on the course every day supporting not just me, but some of the other runners as well. You running backwards in your cycling cleats to hand me my drinks bottle will be an image I never forget. Knowing you would be at the next box helped a lot.
• My physio Martyn. This guy is an absolute legend for putting me back together every day and getting me mentally and physically ready for another lap of the lake. There is no way I would have made it to the end without him.
• All the other members of the 2017 team. The runners, the support staff, the physios, the staff at Brathay Hall. It was an honour and a privilege to share this experience with you all.
• Everyone who has supported me through your donations, kind words, messages and cards. You cannot appreciate just how much those have meant to me. We have raised over £11,000 (yes really!) for two truly wonderful charities, which will allow them to continue their invaluable work. I know I keep saying it, but I am truly blown away by that number.

There is no doubting that is the hardest thing I’ve ever done both mentally and physically, but at the same time it has been immensely rewarding. You think you have a good idea of what your limits are, but then you do something like this and it completely changes your perceptions. As Aly says: ‘Ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things’.

I’ve shared this experience with some absolutely amazing people. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, the laughter and tears.

10in10 team 2017 – you are all truly truly wonderful. Thank you so much for a life-changing experience.

I’ve been told that the Brathay 10in10 is a bit like Hotel California. You can check out, but you can never leave. It’s certainly feeling that way at the moment.

I’ll be back next May, but only for one marathon this time!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

 

Day 9 – The one before the last one

Nine in nine. Sounds pretty crazy when you write it down. But just one to go – the ‘lap of honour’. I’m not getting carried away, I’ve still got another marathon to run with nine already in my legs.

Just got it done today. It was lovely to have Emma out on the course for the first time cheering me on. I can’t wait to see her properly after finishing tomorrow. Took me a few seconds over 3.17. I’m more than happy with that.

My legendary physio Martyn slightly foolishly said at the start of my post-race physio session that if I raised over £50 in the next 90 minutes he would fully submerge himself in the ice bath. You didn’t let me down and the video on Facebook shows just how much fun he had! (sorry I can’t get it on here).

Only a short blog today as I need to spend as much time as I can recovering. Big day tomorrow.

Thank you all once again for your support and donations. That £10k is tantalisingly within reach! See you on the other side…

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

Day 8 – The one where it got a bit overwhelming

I kind of thought / hoped that by the start of day 8 I would feel like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case this morning and for the first time this week this whole thing got a bit overwhelming.

Past 10in10ers try to explain what it’s like to live in the ‘Brathay bubble’, but having now experienced it myself for over a week, it’s not something you can put into words. There are ups and downs, highs and lows, laughter and tears all rolled up into a load of marathons.

But we are all in it together. The support from the other runners, as well as the support team and family and friends keeps us going, putting one foot in front of the other and running from drinks box to drinks box. And that’s exactly what I did today, each box moving me closer to the finish line on Sunday.

I also knew that I was going to see Emma at the finish for the first time this week, having not seen her since last Wednesday. I was really looking forward to that, so that was very good motivation to keep going.

And so another marathon is done, in just under 3.14.

I’ve mentioned my physio Martyn in a few of my previous blogs. This guy is an absolute hero, as are all the second year students from the University of Cumbria. They spend around four hours every day getting us ready to run in the morning, and then putting us back together each afternoon so we can do the same thing to ourselves the next day.

Photo: Eight down and Martyn joins me in the ice bath

The only reason I’ve been able to get this far is because of everything Martyn has done, and he will make sure I make it across the finish line on Sunday. He puts me through a lot of pain on the bench in the clinic, but I know it’s what I need to keep me going. I can’t thank him enough.

What is also keeping me going are all the donations. We are nearly up to £9,500, in sight of my new target of £10,000. I like numbers, and raising £10k as runner number 10 for the 10in10 has a rather lovely ring to it!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

 

Day 7 – The one where it really started to feel like groundhog day

You might think that with having a full day to run a marathon there would be lots of time to chill out and relax. Unfortunately, that is absolutely not the case! Below is the rough timetable of my day:

7.30     Alarm goes off, head down to breakfast of bagel with peanut butter on, banana and pain au chocolat if Mat has got up early enough to put them in the oven. Make my jam sandwiches for when I finish. Come back to my room, get everything prepared for the run, clean my teeth and head down to the clinic.

8.30     Arrive at the clinic for the standard morning flush out with Martyn. If anything is particularly sore compared to the previous day we will spend more time on that. Finish with a stretch out.

9.30     Get into the athletes room and get into my running kit and go through my final pre-race routines.

10.15   Leave the athletes room and walk down to drive to the start.

10.30   Start another marathon.

13.45   Finish another marathon.

13.46   Start getting stretched out by Martyn, on the lawn if it’s a nice day so I get to chat with my supporters.

14.00   Into the ice bath. I actually quite enjoy this. It was 14 minutes at 5 degrees today.

14.15   Back into clinic for the post-race pain ritual. Flush out all the muscles (my quads are particularly troublesome and today I had both Martyn and Alan working on one each which made me feel a little bit sick). Look at any other areas that are sore. Also did a weigh in today. I appear to have put on weight!

Photo: Double physio trouble

16.30   Escape the pain chamber and head back to our lodge for a shower.

17.00   Make up drinks bottles for the next day.

17.30   Head down to the bar to write my blog and catch up with social media as there is no wi-fi or phone signal at our lodge (this is really hurting me!).

18.30   Dinner.

19.30   Back to the bar just to finish off blogging and social media duties.

20.30   Return to our lodge, get ready for bed and watch the previous night’s episode of Great British Menu.

21.30   Bed time.

Then repeat. Again and again.

Today’s run was good, but I’m so very tired. Went off steady, and was running with Gary all the way to the top of Devil’s Gallop where I had a wee and he got ahead and pulled away. As I’m not looking at my pace when I run, I wasn’t sure whether Gary was going quicker, or I was going slower, or if it was a mixture of the two.

I trusted my heart rate, and how my body was feeling and ran my own race. It turns out Gary was absolutely flying and set the quickest time of the week so far. Chapeau! I was twenty seconds quicker than yesterday which was very satisfying.

Lots of lovely spectator surprises today. My parent were back, and will now be around for the rest of the week. Rich was a legend with drinks bottles again. And then Ade and Rob from work turned up which I had absolutely no idea was happening. Traffic issues meant they literally just made it for the start but it was great to see them round the course.

Loads more donations and kind words over the last day, they honestly mean the world and are helping take the pain away! Keep them coming.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

Day 6 – The one where I was sawn in half

Today was tough, really tough. More mentally than physically, and I had to talk myself out of a couple of mini-meltdowns. But I pushed on and ticked number 6 off. This is a punishing challenge, but it’s for an amazing cause and I can’t lose sight of that.

After physio yesterday, I had a little niggle on the top of my left knee-cap. It didn’t get any worse overnight, but I could feel it walking down the stairs at our lodge this morning. I went to morning physio slightly earlier so that Martyn could have a look at it to try and fix it before I started running.

This involved a good bit of poking and prodding, and a diagnosis that tightness in my left glute was pulling down the outside of left leg and leading to some slight misalignment. To loosen this off, I had Martyn and fellow physio Trent, each digging into a glute, rocking me from side to side like they were trying to saw me in half! It was pretty painful, but seemed to do the trick and the knee was much improved.

The knee was certainly playing on my mind before we started, as I had no idea how it was going to cope. Head physio Adam said he would go out to mile 4 at Hawkshead and if it was hurting at that point he would tape it to relieve the pressure. Fortunately, after a little bit of discomfort right at the start, it was feeling good when I saw him, even after the long downhill. Adam said my running style looked fine so I kept going.

I was under strict instructions from Martyn to take is easier on the downhills to protect both my knee and my quads, which are still taking a lot of hammer and are quite stiff as a result. I was well behaved and did that, but was still struggling to enjoy myself. It was just head down, game face on, and I wasn’t my usual smiley self when I was taking my drinks bottles from the support team.

I had Rich and Lucy on their bikes today, and they kept whizzing past on their way to the next drinks station, so that helped take my mind off things, and then friends Martin and Lesley were on the hill just after the centre of Bowness to cheer me on. That was exactly where I needed them.

Crossed the line, a few deep breaths to compose myself, and then started the stretches on the lawn so got a chance to talk to Rich, Lucy, Martin and Lesley which was nice. Then into the ice bath (17 minutes at 6 degrees today) and onto the physio table. I ended up in recovery for almost exactly the same length of time as I was running for today – 3 hours 15!

Photo: Icing the knee

Another one ticked off, well over half-way and four to go. I’ve done four in a row before. Should be fine…

I’m also now over £9,000 on my JustGiving page, this is just wonderful. Every day I get back to more fantastically generous donations and it gives me such a massive lift. When the going gets tough, thinking of everyone who has supported me gives me so much strength. Please keep it coming!

 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

Day 5 – The one that was a step into the unknown

Day 5. This would take me to halfway. I’d run four marathons in four days in training, so this was going to be a step into the unknown.

The day started with the sad news that Malc had been forced to withdraw due to the knee injury he was carrying when he arrived. Unfortunately, it hadn’t improved over the first four days and the difficult decision was taken to drop out. That was a tough start to the morning.

The weather was still a bit damp, but warmer than yesterday. I’d tweaked my recovery yesterday to try and help my stomach pains, and it seemed to have helped as overnight and this morning it was starting to feel more settled and less bloated.

I also completely changed my fuelling strategy, and rather than carrying my bottle with electrolyte in I just took my first gel and relied on the water I had in the drinks boxes. Normally I have gels at 8 and 16 miles, but today I went for 8 miles, 14 miles and 20 miles.

That seemed to work well, but I did still need the ‘pit stop’ at mile 16 again! I set off a little bit quicker, and carried that on all the way to finish in my fastest time of the week – just over 3.11.

Before leaving Sheffield, I had asked Emma to create some playlists for me to listen to while I was running. I purposely didn’t look at them beforehand so had no idea what I was going to get. Emma has got an ‘interesting’ music taste and yesterday I went from ‘Lancelot – He Likes to Prance-a-lot’ from the music Spamalot straight into Vengaboys ‘Boom Boom Boom’. It did make me chuckle!

So that’s it, I’ve made it to halfway. My quads and glutes are taking most of the brunt of the course and it was two and a half hours of painful physio today. I’ve got the bruises to show for it. It’s also ladies’ day, so all the male physios were wearing dresses today, which was interesting to say the least!

Thank you so much for your continued support, I’ve nearly made it to £9,000 which is just blowing me away. It also keeps me focussed and motivated each day. I love you all!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

 

Day 4 – The one that was wetter than an otter’s pocket

It was wet today. Very wet. As my good friend Rich would say, it was wetter than an otter’s pocket. I didn’t feel too bad this morning, my quads had eased overnight and the final flush out with Martyn this morning helped. I slept reasonably well, but there is a level of general fatigue setting in.

Got properly wrapped up at the start, with waterproof, hat and gloves all on. Went off steady and was pretty much soaked through by the time I’d got to the Aly & Paul wave through at one mile. Then had a lovely surprise at the drinks box at 2 miles where my parents were waiting to cheer me on. I wasn’t expecting to see them so that was nice a boost. They then appeared at lots of other points round the course with Rich. On a wet Monday morning that was a huge help.

Ran well through to my first gel at 8 miles, but then on the last section on the west side of the lake my stomach started to feel a bit dodgy, and I was finding it harder to take on food and fluid. It got gradually worse until I was forced to take an emergency pit stop at the toilets just after 16 miles. That really helped and managed the rest of the run without any further dramas, and was still going strongly over the last four miles.

That’s possibly the wettest I’ve ever been on a run. Got soaked by a car going through a massive puddle at 23 miles. I could see the tidal wave of water coming towards me but there was no way of getting out of the way. I almost chased after the car but decided it wasn’t worth it, hopefully they will get their karma payback elsewhere. Apparently there was an inch of water in the drinks box at the top of Ice Cream Mountain when I got there.

Crossed the line slightly slower than yesterday, but with a lower average heart rate. Quads quite sore again, so Martyn spent a lot of time putting me through the ringer to get them sorted. It was very painful, but I tell myself it’s all worth it.

Stomach improving as the afternoon has gone on. Since my issues on day 1 I’ve been drinking a lot of electrolyte in the evening and morning to make sure I’m well hydrated. I don’t normally do this and I may have gone a bit far. Going to stick to water tonight and see how I get on tomorrow.

Day 5 is a big step into the unknown. I did four marathons as part of my training, but this will be most I’ve ever attempted. At least by the end of tomorrow I’ll be half way through.

As always, your donations and kind words are inspiring me to keep pushing each day when the going gets tough. Please keep them coming!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

Day 3 – The one I was looking forward to

I was looking forward to today. I’d got my confidence back after yesterday, and I also knew that I was going to have lots of support from friends and family on the route. It was sunny again, not quite as warm as Friday when we set off, but it was certainly warm in the sheltered spots on the east side of the lake.

The plan was to set off very conservatively, and make sure I made it to Newby Bridge feeling fresh, ready for the lumps between 14 and 17 miles. I was also drinking right from the first box at two miles, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as day 1!

I felt like I took it easy down the west side of the lake, the miles were ticking by nicely and my heart rate was in the right zone. Hit Newby Bridge and the cheer squad in fine fettle, and settled in for the hills. They went by quickly and before I knew it I was in Bowness and over the top of Ice Cream Mountain. Then I enjoyed the last four miles home.

I’d not looked at the time on my watch at all today, as I knew where my fuelling points were and was letting my heart rate and perceived effort level dictate the pace. So I was very surprised and delighted to cross the line and run slightly quicker than yesterday but at a lower average heart rate. Happy days!

My quads were quite stiff on finishing today, the downhill’s on this course are quite punishing. So Martin spent a lot of time working on them, and I spent a good portion of that time screaming, but they are feeling much better now. Thanks Martin!

I had loads of amazing support out on the course today which made a huge difference. Dave and Heather, Rich and team Jaywing were all present and kept popping up all around to lake to cheer me on. It was also great to see Nick Taylor for the first time in ages, Dave Harrison at the start and Lucy Spain at the finish. It honestly makes a huge difference so I can’t thank you all enough.

I know tomorrow is going to be mentally tougher, as it’s going to be quieter out on the course, but I’ve been preparing myself for that so hopefully I’ll be able to cope. The plan is definitely to ease back slightly.

Time for more food, fluid, stretching and sleep before we go again tomorrow!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

Day 2 – the one that felt like yesterday should have

It’s fair to say I was quite apprehensive about today. I really wanted to run well so that I could put yesterday behind me and focus on the rest of ten days. With feeling so bad after I finished yesterday (I’ve subsequently been told I looked a bit grey), I was struggling to stomach fluid and food which wasn’t ideal for recovery.

After crossing the line I managed 5 minutes in the ice bath, but was really shivering when I came out (Martin said my lips had gone blue). I then went straight into the clinic and had my treatment. He kept making me eat and drink which helped, and by the time we had finished I was feeling a bit better. Then I tried to get as much fluid and food in as I could over the rest of the evening.

Whilst I appreciate my night-time toilet routine probably isn’t something you want to read about, I did have to get up a few times which encouraged me that I was starting to get rehydrated. I slept well, had another good session with Martin this morning and then it was time to get started.

It was lovey surprise to see ‘Team Jaywing’ outside when we walked out the front door with their ‘Go Mike’ balloons. That gave me a huge boost. I still had no idea how I was going to feel running, but decided to have a systems check at Hawkshead and make the necessary adjustments at that point.

I’d put something in every box today, and even though it was cloudy and cool (with a few spots of rain) I did take my bottle from most of the boxes and drink at least a few sips. That seemed to make a huge difference and the first twelve miles went by very smoothly. My heart rate was significantly lower for a similar pace.

It was great to see my friend Rich at Newby Bridge, and then my brother overtook me near Fell Foot. They then followed me up the side of the lake, stopping at the drinks boxes and cheering me on. That was a huge help. Before I knew it I’d summited Ice Cream Mountain and then it was the last four miles back to Brathay.

Enjoyed these a huge amount more than yesterday! Crossed the line in a much better place, and was able to start drinking and eating straight away. This was what I’d hoped to happen yesterday. But hopefully I’m now back on the right track, and the lessons I learnt yesterday will be valuable over the rest of the days.

Fingers crossed for more of the same tomorrow.

And another huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored me since yesterday. I’ve even had a couple of donations from all the way over in Australia which is amazing. I’m also getting my brain warmed up to work out ‘Ade’s donation pattern game’!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot

Day 1 – the one that should have been easy but wasn’t

The idea was that today was going to be a nice easy run around the lake to tick off day 1, not to expend too much energy and be ready for the next nine days. We had been reminded lots and lots of times not to go off too quickly on day, it’s a recipe for pain later on in the week.

And I didn’t do that. I went off at what felt like a steady pace. My heart rate was a little higher than it would normally be, but I put that down to being well rested. It was a warm day, and the first six miles off the course are quite exposed. I think this is where I made my mistake and didn’t take on enough fluid.

Thinking back to yesterday, I didn’t drink enough. I possibly got a bit carried away in the excitement of arriving at Brathay, and spent too much time outside enjoying the sunshine. The fact that I only had to get up for one wee in the night should have been a warning sign.

Things went well until just after 16 miles, but then I started to feel a bit off. I shouldn’t feel like this on day 1, 16 miles into 262 miles. I’d made an error and not put any fluid in the box at 18 miles so it was 20 miles before I could get any water. Drank all that before the box at the top of Ice Cream Mountain at 21.5 miles, where I had put another water and an emergency gel.

Took the gel and drank the water and that helped perk me up, which lasted until just after 25 miles. The last mile wasn’t great.

So not an ideal start, but a valuable lesson learnt. The sole task for this evening is to take on lots of fluid, and get lots of calories back on board. The weather forecast for tomorrow is much cooler, and I’m now putting something in every box. Another valuable lesson learnt!

On a positive note, my legs feel fine after finishing, and the ice bath and the massage from my physio Martin have helped flush out the toxins. I’m a little apprehensive about tomorrow now, which isn’t great as I was hoping to get through the first three or four days without any dramas.

But what did cheer me up massively was to finish and find out I’d had over £90 of donations while I was out running, taking my fundraising total to over £8,100. Thank you very much indeed! My brother timed his donation very well yesterday to take me over my £8,000 target. Thanks bro!

I’m really hoping tomorrow is a much smoother experience – watch this space!

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/10in10MikeSprot