The First 100 Miles by Mart Carrick

As I have just passed the first 100 mile checkpoint, I thought I would write an update.  I have slacked on this - writing only one update about the time my bag opened on Blackfriar's Bridge and all my clothes fell out - and for that, humble reader, I apologise.

The first 100 miles have been pretty steady.  I worked out that if I run home from work, it is exactly 5 miles, so I've been doing that twice a week and grinding out some weekend runs as well, upping my total fairly quickly.

There have been a few weeks when I've been a bit lazy, though.  Most notably last week, where after turning 30, it took me a week to recover.  I am not a young man anymore!

The only injuries I've sustained so far have been a bit of chaffing from my work bag while running home, and bleeding nipples.

Yep, bleeding nipples.

This is something that has happened to me quite a lot, actually.  Once in my old gym in Waterloo, I was running on the treadmill.  My nipples were sore but I didn't think to look down at them.  Then, after my run, I was walking to the changing rooms, and a woman looked at me with a face that said "I am absolutely horrified by something about your personal appearance, but from the look on your face, you do not yet know what it is yet.  But you will.  Soon."

I looked down, and not only had both of my nipples bled, but they had bled A LOT.  And they had bled a lot, on two of the white stripes of the Newcastle United top that I was wearing in the gym.  This made it look like an AC Milan top, and I laughed.  But then I realised that I had literally rubbed off the front skin of both of my nipples, and I stopped laughing.

My nipples were constantly erect for two months.

Anyway, 100 miles done, feeling good, hoping to get my 5 mile time down under 42 minutes before the end of the year (it's gone from about 51 minutes to 47 in the three months so far).

Marty Outy