help me set myself an achievable but tough running challenge...

[juicychops]

i have been an on off runner for the past few years. i did my first marathon this year after training quite hard. i then had a knee operation which im now recovered from.
Im 27 and am preparing to get back into running again. i want to set myself a ridiculously tough challenge to fulfil by the time im 30 but don't know what.

Im the sort of person who will put my mind to anything until i can do it - just to prove to myself and dp!) that i can do it - i don't like giving up or failing at things!!

so i want to take this seriously and set myself a tough challenge eg - x,y, and z by the time i turn 30, or 7 marathons in 7 days, or something like that. it doesn't matter when it starts, i could give myself a year to train if i have to if its that tough, but want it to be a real challenge mentally and physically.

i want a list of suggestions so that i can pick one... your suggestions please!!!!!!

[golemmings]

I'm on a similar challenge for turning 40 in a couple of years but I'm saving the marathon for that!
Are you prepared to do multi sport stuff? You can cross Scotland in a weekend by running, mtb and kayaking. There is the two castles run in Wales too which is pretty much north to south Wales in a weekend. It's often done as a relay but can be soloed.
Sorry, on phone so can't link. will come back on computer later.

[AmINearlyThereYet]

Do you have a budget? There is an Everest Marathon or, of course, the Marathon des Sables (6 days across the Sahara). But I would imagine both are quite costly. If you are prepared to do multi-sport, you could do an Iron Man Triathlon. I've done the Welsh Castles Relay which golemmings mentioned, as part of a Club team: it was great fun, but I think would be somewhat lonely doing it as a sole runner. There are lots of other ultra-distance events though, if that interests you.

[juicychops]

hi thanks for replying guys. would love to do one of those marathons but my very small budget would probably not allow it.
i have decided to go for a different approach to help me also gradually build up my fitness at the same time so that by the time i turn 30 im in a better position to do a 10 marathons in 10 days as ive now decided this is my ultimate thing to aim towards... but not just yet.

after lots of googling my new challenge approach is .... Project 30!! i am going to spend the next couple of weeks preparing a list of 30 smaller (but NOT easy) challenges that i need to complete by the time i turn 30. They are going to mostly be sporting challenges i think covering a range of different sports but will also have to be careful of costs too as i don't have much money.

The ones i have so far are...
Virgin London Marathon for a second time
London - Brighton bike ride
Artemis Great kindrochit Quadrathlon (like what you mentioned golemmings in Scotland with the kayaking)
Bluewater 10k (ive been saying the last couple of years i would do this but they didn't do it this year for some reason)

whatever goes on my final list will be final and i will make sure i finish it by 27/10/2015

I think il post this in chat too for some extra ideas incase i decide to add a few non sport challenges too....

[juicychops]

that should be 27/10/14 not 15!

[golemmings]

I'm doing 40 things between 11/6/13 and 10/6/14. I'm working on a blog which will go live soon to try to compile my 40 challenges. Some will be sporting but others not.

I'm finding it hard not to come up with 40 things which are either expensive or cheap but require lots of time.
I'm planning on doing the devizes to Westminster canoe race over Easter 2014 and therefore need a marathon in the autumn... New York looks good!

I used to do music when I was a kid. I did my grade 6 but stopped to take my gcses. I feel a bit pathetic that I didn't get my gr8 so I'm doing that next year (but I need to find some fingering charts to remember some of the notes). I also want to develop a bomb-proof souffle.

London to Brighton bike rode is great. I did it years ago when I was daft young enough to buy a bike, do a couple of training rides and then do the 60 miles and survive!

It's fun this planning, isn't it?

[juicychops]

im loving it!! im now writing a massive list of absolutely everything i want to do and then going to pick the best and cheapest things from that and go from there. i had forgotten half the things that i had always said i'l do one day.

a blog sounds good, maybe i should think about that too, even if its just for my own benefit. you have an extra 10 things to fit in than me! you'll have to let me know some of your final choices.

ive decided not to do all sporting as it will be too much, but as long as they go in reasonable order with smaller ones leading to bigger ones, there is no reason why the smaller ones can't be part of the training for the bigger ones.

im going to spend the next few more weeks working on my list as i want it to be perfect - im going to take this very seriously!! im going to start my list on my 28th birthday on 27th oct. il pick a good one so that it's part of my birthday celebrations!

ive told a few people but i get the impression they think im a sad case

[golemmings]

I don't think you're a sad case at all. I think your friends are just lacking un imagination!
I'm planning on doing all of mine in my 40th year so I don't start until June.

I know what you mean about smaller challenges as training. I will probably put in a sub 2hr half marathon as one challenge (or faster than that if I've already got there) which will help my marathon target.

I'll try and sort my blog out this weekend and i'll let you know where it is.

[juicychops]

that will be great thanks a lot.
i may have as one of my targets half marathon is sub 2 hours too as im hoping to do another marathon and although its not going to be an official target, im going to train to try and get a time of sub 4 hours (or as close as possible to that)

and thanks for saying im not sad!! i told another friend last night and she gave me funny looks because of my enthusiasm!

[Abzs]

I can definitely recommend the Everest Marathon linked to above. I went as a marshal with DH as a runner in 2011. Expensive, but worth it.

How about the Lairig Ghru race from Braemar to Aviemore? You have to have cracked the sub 4 hour marathon, and have done enough hill walking/running for organisers to be self sufficient on the hill, but I know lots of people who've done it and loved it.

[aroomofherown]

You are most definitely not sad! What about the Marathon des Sables for a super challenge? Midnight sun marathon in Norway? Three peaks challenge? Instead of London to Brighton why not London to Paris?

You've got me thinking now...oh, I already AM 40

[aroomofherown]

Sorry, didn't see the bit about the budget and marathon des sables already mentioned.