13th September – Run 11 – 3.74 miles (31.72m to go)

I like to work to targets. If I don’t have a focus or a goal, I can begin to stray or lose sight of what my purpose is. Every year I focus on something – this year was the wedding, for instance. I have a list of things I want to achieve in a year, I even do it month by month. Without that, I wane, and that’s partly why I wanted to do the 60-mile challenge in September.

There was no way I’d ever run more than nine miles in three days before this month, and once upon a time, the thought of running even a kilometre without stopping would have given me palpitations. Now, it feels like it’s a bare minimum, which proves it’s amazing what the human mind and body can achieve if you really focus.

I don’t even look like I broke a sweat in this picture, taken just as I finished today, but trust me, I did! Running doesn’t come naturally, but getting out of your comfort zone is something I once learned on a management weekend almost 20 years ago. You know the things – everyone gets together and talks business bullshit for a bit, has a drink and then goes home. This one was different because I learned two lessons that I have always gone back to. The first was making sure you move out of your comfort zone and into your stretch zone. By testing yourself and stretching yourself, you will eventually find that you push the boundaries of comfort – what felt like a huge reach one day will be normal the next, like an old bit of clothing that eventually becomes too big. If you’re struggling and feel you’re stuck in a rut, perhaps that’s the thing to do. Move into your stretch zone and see what happens. It’s not easy, by the way – your comfort zone is called ‘comfort’ for a reason.

For the record, the other lesson I learned was all about feedback. We sat in a circle, 12 of us, and had to give positive feedback to each other and then a developmental point. It wasn’t negative feedback or criticism but points we needed to develop. Yeah, it sounds like bullshit, but it was a great way to frame a bollocking when I did become a manager. Not sure there’s a mental health titbit in there, I’m afraid.

Remember, I’m doing this for charity, to try to raise some money for CALM, a worthy cause helping people through the darkest times in their lives. Please, if you can spare a little, do. If you can’t, no stress, times are tough.