Simon's 1,718km in 17/18

Drip, drip, drop, little April Shower Today is first day I'm putting off a run due to bad weather (view from my office along with symbolic red lights) - poor excuse I know I feel bad, especially as I expect this won't be the last time it rains before 5 April 18. Still it's not all bad as I fitted in a good walk before work, so have already covered my 4.7k needed for the day.

Ran my 3rd parkrun today at Hatfield Forest , and my first parkrun since June 2016. Ran with a friend of mine Luke Shepherd who has run 57 parkruns and also volunteers, while his normal times are around 25 minutes we ran together, aiming for 30 minutes as on my own runs I can manage an average of 6 minute kilometres.  Finished in 28.47, only 4 seconds above the course average. Looking forward to plenty more parkruns and seeing if I can get that time to around 26 minutes. Checked my total distance since 6 April: 95k, so only 5k to the first 100k! Good luck to all those running the London Marathon

Step on Step up, step up to the call Step up, get up after a fall; Step up And step on Step down, step aside from a fight that isn't yours Step down, down the stairs and get outdoors; Step down And step on Step out, out of your home, out of your door Step out to wood, field, beach or moor; Step out And step on Step in to your new ideal Step in, make it yours, make it real; Step in And step on Step on the road, step on the track Step on the fools holding you back; Step on And step on Step off the gas, off the nine-to-five Step off the beaten-track and feel alive; Step off And step on Step back, take a breath and ruminate Step back, have a walk and meditate; Step back And step on Step beyond, beyond limits, beyond the wall Step beyond, stand firm, stand tall; Step beyond And step on Step on, keep going, never cease Step on and find your inner peace; Step on And step on

It's not all doom and gloom; I'm conscious that I've been focusing on the seeming enormity of the challenge for the year ahead. In pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, I'm hoping to see more places close to home and far away that I might not have seen otherwise. Had a quick 3.5k run yesterday that ended up going unexpectedly cross-country near Great Canfield: perhaps its best to plan those ahead next time! As you can see from the photos, Spring has certainly sprung.  Looking forward to seeing the changes as the seasons change.

I'm unlikely to be injured in a heavy machinery accident at work. Fire or hijacking are also unlikely perils of the job as an accountant. However the long term impact of a sedentary working environment continue to be reported.  While I can't complain about the chair and desk I have at work, they are just that, ways to keep comfortable while sitting.... Had a conference all day today so only managed to do some walking around the house while tidying up this evening. About 35k tracked so far since 6 April. See Alzheimer's Research UK's page on Risk Factors to explore the impact of exercise, healthy lifestyle and other factors to reduce risks of Alzheimer's.

3 days in and I've hit 20k! Hopefully I can keep up an average of around 7k during the next 6 months so that when it is colder and darker I don't have to hit 4.7k daily average. My wife, Kasia Lovick , officially joined the challenge today as she downloaded the fitbit app and went for a run along the Flitch Way near our home. Not that easy for both of us to run back-to-back but we still got both boys to bed by 8pm. People I've spoken to about the target, 4.7k a day, about 20 miles a week agree that in theory it shouldn't be unachievable.  However the 'sitting down at work' and 'sorting out kids in mornings/evenings' has been enough of an excuse for me in the past.  Maybe they're reasons; mitigating factors, not excuses.  Either way, I should still be able to give back to my body through exercise. Ok, so I was quite stiff after the first 8k run for more than a day and it's a bit early to start preaching about benefits of exercise on s

First day done. First run run. 6 of us from Price Bailey ran from the Alzheimer's Research DDI next to Addenbrookes Hospital to our office, 8.2k along Hills Road into the city, turning right at Magdalene College then finding Milton Road. Arrived feeling surprisingly refreshed....we'll see how long it takes me to recover.  Looks like my total for the day will be over 12k, lets hope I can keep up this pace.

Tomorrow is the big day: day one! A team of 6 Price Bailey colleagues will run from the Alzheimer's Research UK DDI (Drug Discovery Institute) on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus through the city centre, to our office on Cambridge Business Park: a route of just over 5 miles (or 8.3k since I ought to be thinking in ks). Look out for us in ARUK and Price Bailey tops and cheer us along. I happened to have a half-day off today and did some walking in the morning.  In total my phone tracked 5.02k today, which is not bad but really shows that the 4.7k a day would be fine if I didn't have an office job.  Maybe the future of office-based work will feature treadmill desks, or standing desks. Still, I reckon that 5k a day is not enough for the Summer months with more daylight.  I think I should be aiming around 7k a day in this first 6 months. It all starts with the first step......