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#Get Outside Challenge Accepted – 100kg to 100km

By Dave Roberts   

on February 9, 2016    No ratings yet.

#Get Outside Challenge Accepted – 100kg to 100km

If you’ve been following us on our social media accounts, then you may well know that the Ordnance Survey have chosen me as one of their #GetOutside Champions for 2016. I was fortunate on Tuesday to meet an inspiring group of people for the Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champions photoshoot in London. While I’d been planning to walk/run 2016km in 2016, this challenge, even if it would be my best total yet, just didn’t seem enough! So thanks to their inspiration, I’ve decided to up my game another notch in 2016 by building up my fitness to run at least a 100km ultra distance run. It won’t be a race, I’ve already got a 100 km route plotted out along mid level paths in Snowdonia – the Eryri Way Loop (all will be revealed!) – as I love the scenery that route takes through Snowdonia.

We’ll be using the hashtag #100kgto100km as I’m also hoping to lose some weight on the journey, as well as eating healthier along the way. I’ll still be leaving space for a few beers or two, and I know you can eat and live healthily and still enjoy it. I won’t be going dry for anyone, but meat free, perhaps!

I’m aiming to run a 50 km plus, sometime in late Spring, with the 100 km sometime before next February. I’m going to listen to my body, and ensure that when I do run the distance that I enjoy it. If I don’t enjoy it, I wasn’t fit enough to run it in the first place!

runningdave (1 of 1)Just to put some perspective on this, I’ve only just broken 50km a month over the last five months, with many of my runs being short, and no real reason for this slump. So I’m going to have to set this off slowly, but also not too slowly. With seven good years running in the legs, I should easily be able to set out on runs of over 10km rather than sticking to the short 5k runs. While my approach isn’t one for someone with no running under their belt, I decided that I’m just going to go out and run to back to back 16 k runs as a starter!

Worried that this decision was more exuberance than experience, I still set off, in the rain for Aberesach. Towards the final few km, my legs were feeling it, but I was suffering more as I was dehydrated and hungry. So while I may be pig-headed enough for the mental side of it, I still need to sort out my hydration and nutrition! Any bananas in the kitchen stood no chance on my return!

With a slightly shorter, but significantly hillier run up Mynydd Cilgwyn on Sunday, I think that’s a good start!

I’ve sort of got a training plan in place, once I ignored the half of the internet who seem to think you need a 3 hour marathon before even considering a challenge like this! It’s not about speed, it’s just about getting out there and enjoying it. I’ll get to see some wonderful scenery, as well as improving my fitness in the process. That can only be good!

Keep your eyes peeled for #100kgto100km on Social Media – and see how we get along! We’ve got some interesting kit to review along the way, as always!

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Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts founded Walk Eryri in 2004, with the aim of providing routes that are off the beaten track. Walk Eryri is now part of Mud and Routes which continues to provide more off beat routes and walks in Snowdonia and beyond. Dave has been exploring the hills of Eryri for over thirty years, and is a qualified Mountain Leader. Dave also established Walk up Snowdon, Walk up Scafell Pike and Walk up Ben Nevis just to mention a few.

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