My Everest

I stood in the middle of the field, miles from home. 

Stopping to catch my breath and take a quick picture I faced the question that all runners do, "how did I get to be stood here?" 

Well let me take you back a few years. The Icknield Way Trail runs right behind my house and I've always trained on it, heading south on the trail to its finish about 7 miles away. But I never thought about which way it went the other way. 

What happens if I head north?

So after contacting the people that manage the trail, I bought myself a guide to its route and an idea which had seeded years ago, took shape. 

I could run this. The full trail is 110 miles long and linking Norfolk to Buckinghamshire via 4 other counties. It is well marked and sign posted, and just waiting to be run on.

So far I've covered about 16 miles of the route and I know there is a lot more to recce but this is my Everest (until I decide to climb Everest). I've been back in touch with the Icknield Way association and they like the idea of it being run and mapped. Apparently, the original trail hasn't been run in its entirety and they'd like it written up and photographed. 

So the goal is set and the passion is there. Only two questions remain....

When will I do it?

And who is coming with me?

Kids, at times in your life you'll find yourself faced with a challenge so huge it casts a shadow over other things you have done. My advice when faced with shadows is to shine bright. Identify your goals and don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve them.