I woke up on the banks of Loch Lomond today at around 0600, this National Park boasts some of the most stunning scenery in the world. From breathtaking mountains and glens to the vast tranquil beauty of the Loch. It was simply incredible, I seemed to have the whole Loch to myself so decided it would be rude not to take a bath and make the most of this delightful opportunity!

Day 1. Day 2. Day 3. Day 4. Day 5. Day 6. Day 7. Day 8. Day 9. Day 10. Day 12. Day13. Day15.

As an adventurer I was aware that there were plenty of Munros (mountains above 3,000ft) in the Park and the highest is Ben More at 1,174m and have had the pleasure of scaling many of them over the years which has always been great fun and can be quite challenging in the winter months too depending on route selection. So enough of the nicetys, before I could finish brushing my teeth, reality had hit me, it was day four on the road which meant it was time for marathon number four. Given how taxing the day before was and the fact I had driven over 1,200 miles since day one, I decided on the sensible option of breaking the run down again, instead of two half’s like on day three, I split them again and went for four x 10.55kilometre runs which seemed to work a treat. I had a 20-30 minute break in between runs and felt completely fine after them (well as fine as you can be having done four marathons in four days that is...). I think I will stick to this strategy for the next few days, it went well and I feel much better this evening for it too! As I have mentioned in previous blogs, much of endurance is psychological which is why I have broken my overall goal of 15 x 15 x 15 down into daily goals and then split them down into four more steps as you saw today. I find using this method has real power - the creation of small, achievable steps keeps my mind confidently on what I know I can definitely achieve, and prevents me from being intimidated by what I want to attain (crossing the line on day 15 uninjured with enough energy left to hold a pint glass) which still seems along way from now at this point.

This evening I drive to Hadrian’s Wall and have camped up next to the Roman Army Museum ready for a 5.30am start. I’m very much looking forward to what Northumberland National Park has to offer. Hopefully plenty more of the same.......goodnight and god bless!

Day 1. Day 2. Day 3. Day 4. Day 5. Day 6. Day 7. Day 8. Day 9. Day 10. Day 12. Day13. Day15.

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