This is the first day in a long while I’ve not done any running, cycling, kayaking or other activity – because I’ve just completed this year’s 5×50 Challenge.
The unusual charity event, launched in 2012, sees participants doing 5km of activity a day for 50 consecutive days.
By cycling to work most days, most of them take care of themselves but some days provide a different sort of challenge, including fitting your run or whatever around family life and other commitments.
I clocked a total of 941km over the last 50 days, an average of 18.8km (11.5 miles) a day, with a mix of running, cycling and a couple of days kayaking and canoeing.
However, the hardest part of the challenge for me was the final day. I’d been away for the weekend at a family wedding – managing to sneak in a couple of good runs thanks to an understanding wife and good planning – and was shattered after a long day on the road getting back to Inverness.
Getting out on the bike for that final 5km was a real mental challenge but once I got going it was thoroughly enjoyable and made it feel like I’d really achieved something in my own 5×50 Challenge. It probably also helped that the weather was decent when I got in the saddle for that quick ride!
I was sorry to miss the more sociable final day event at Bught Park this time but I would encourage anybody to take up the next challenge. Take a look at the website at 5×50.co.uk