Day: 115
Time: 36 Minutes
Distance: 3.2 KM
Calories: 300

Day: 115
Time: 50 Minutes
Distance: 7.1 KM
Calories: 750
One thing I have always felt bad about in this event is walking. Whenever I walked, I would go home and mention to my girlfriend that I walked and I felt guilty. There were two reasons. Firstly, this is called RUNHughRUN and technically a walk isn’t a run. Secondly, my housemate once told me I need to declare to people that I will walk some of the distances, simply as he thought if I didn’t it was cheating. Him saying this affected me.

My girlfriend, Mel, is the great soother of my sorrow. She reminds me, that this event is about exercise and getting healthy(PRIMARY GOAL NUMBER 1). Walking a few kilometres each day is a great source of exercise and it’ll burn calories. She also reminds me that ultimately, this project is for me. There are no rules, no one is going to burn me at the stake if I walk and all money is going to charity so it’s not like I am conning people.

So I don’t feel so guilty about walking. In fact, I just checked my runs and wanna know how many times I have gone out and slowly walked(ie under 6km an hour)- 9 times out of 84.

In fact- 68 of my 84 runs have been above 7km/h which is ok jogging speed. My average speed for the 700+km I have run is 7.76km/h, thats a pretty nice jogging pace.

But in the last few weeks I have found myself walking more. There are two reasons. 1) I really enjoy a nice walk. 2) My body needs days when it’s not so high impact. When you are jogging and you weigh 100kg+ (and this is the first time I have ever given any indication about what rough size I am), you can cause injuries to your body.

However, with walking days and rest days, the discrepancy between where I am in this run and where I should be is growing. I need to run 60+km a week and at the moment I am not making it. My body, as I have mentioned before, is also getting accustom to the 8-9km runs and my weight loss has slowed. But I am also getting the problems with constant running, sore muscles etc.

To combat this, from now on I am going to try exercising twice a day. Yep- 2 TIMES. One will be a run, normally around 8-10km and at a normal proper run speed. One will be a walk, 2-5km at a walking speed or perhaps a slow jog. The idea is simple, this will not only help me get fitter and thinner, it’ll also help me build up my kilometres.

On the odd occasion, this walk session will also count as to when I purposely walk a long distance which I wouldn’t otherwise, ie today- I needed to quickly go to work and then home, a total of a few km. So I counted it as I would drive this 95% of the time and today I said to myself “Walk Hugh Walk!”, its good exercise.

Because in the end, this whole quest is about a big man losing weight and getting fit. As I said on my very first post “I am doing this to try get fit and live a happier and healthier life” and walking is a part of that exercise. So although my average speed might not be a blistering pace and although I am walking some of it and not technically running, in the end I AM EXERCISING- and that’s the main thing. Getting off the couch or out of the car and burning a few calories!

Day: 81
Time: 90 Minutes
Distance: 13.4 KM
Calories: 1527

I run good!  I have only run over 13km twice in this adventure... once on a treadmill and once today. I was on FIYAHHHHHH! (Fire)

How well was I running, well around 1.6km in I ended up running the next 4-5km without stopping to a walking pace once.

The only annoying thing- I was running two gps trackers concurrently and they gave a difference of about 300m. I have taken the larger of the two( the Nike+ GPS) mainly as I have used that program more and trust it more. But hey, thats only a 2% error between the two which is pretty marginal in the end( 300 m of 13000

 So in the long run, who the heck cares- it was a good run and I feel exhausted but awesome afterwards! Fingers crossed there are some more in the future!

Day: 41
Time: 75 Minutes
Distance: 11.3 KM
Calories: 1369


So today I tried something different. I bought Skins socks, like tights but only ones that go up to your knees. I lost the main Skins and decided to run in regular shorts and normal underpants.... Boxer Shorts to be accurate.

As I jumped on the machine- It felt good. No chafing which has been a rare event in the last few weeks. But as I ran and my thighs didn't set themselves on fire, I was happy. It felt great as I smashed out kilometre after kilometre and there were no annoying little hindrances affecting my body.

So today was great- it was just what I needed to get me all enthused again. Tomorrow I am playing touch football with my mates instead of running.... Anyone got any ideas on how to record how far I run?!?! HELP!!!

Also I know my blogs and tweets have been lacking the last week, they will be back to essay length on Monday!

Malandreni , Peloponnese

2:45 AM

The only sound to be heard is feet hitting the road surface and the rushing of air from my lungs. I am not sweating as hard as I was before, as the Autumn(Fall) air has begun to cool me down. It's causing my hamstrings to cool and get stiffer. I have to fight through it. It’s been a long race so far, and I’m only just half way…only 110 kilometres to go!

So as I have started to run, I have been reading up on running based topics. The first site I looked at was the City to Surf. This annual race attracts some 70 000 people to it. You run from the centre of Sydney to Bondi Beach. I grew up near this run. I used to go watch it each time it was on, looking at the runners and the people in silly costumes. I would clap as the first woman would run up the hill, often only  a few places behind the front runners. The run is some 14km or so and contains one of the steepest hills in running, New South Head Road, or as they call it on the television- HEARTBREAK HILL.

I thought to myself that I might try take it on next August. But then as the addiction to running increased, so did my sights!

Marathons are 42km of pain. I like the idea of a Marathon. Mainly as it’s steeped in history, for the run is named after the place where the Athenians took on the Persians and won- sending a lone runner Pheidippides to run back to Athens and tell them of their victory. It was a monumental F*CK YOU to the Persians(who would get a pseudo-revenge 10 years later). Pheidippides ran the 40 odd kilometres nonstop and was rewarded when he got to Athens with the greatest gift ever…. He died! Now- remember, he just fought in a battle or was atleast part of it and then ran 42km. That’d make anyone tired!

Now running a Marathon would be cool. Running the Athens Marathon would be amazing. If I could raise the funds to go over and do it- I totally would. An archaeologist, running the Marathon, on his way to running 3000km! Awesome! Any companies want to fly me over??

Now the next step is the Ultra-Marathon where you run longer than 42km. Most are 50-100 Km and these scare me…. But the ultimate run… the scariest… the one I dream about… is the Spartathlon!

246 Kilometers of pain! If you don’t run it in under 36 hours, you’re kicked out. That’s 6.8km+ an hour MINIMUM. The race scares the crap out of me. It literally makes me afraid! But today, as I was jogging along… I wondered! Is there any way I could actually do it? Remember Pheidippides? He ran it in a day- then ran back! A Greek-Australian is not only the record holder(22 hours) but he also has run it there and back.

So you know what? Maybe one day I could do it. I will actually be in Greece at the time next year the race is on! But at the moment I dream- and ponder- is it possible? I never thought I’d like running or be able to easily run 10km…. but now I can do it with my eyes closed. Today I ran 11.6km averaging 8.4km an hour. Hey that's well above the 6.8km/h minimum!

Check out info about the Spartathlon at http://spartathlon.gr/home.html

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Several years ago, I was 30km lighter than I am now. I was fit! I went to the gym and worked out. I had abs and pecs and all the other things that society tells men they need to have.

But over the course of several years, hundred of burgers, pizzas and doughnuts, I am not looking as good. I am unfit, overweight and my abs have turned into a nice, unhealthy keg! Gone were are the days of bounding up the stairs, which have now been replaced huffing and puffing like my Pug dog, Nyxie.

So I decided to do something about  it! I am going to run and run a lot! 3000KM in a year. It's the same distance as Adelaide to Darwin and breaks down to 8.2km every day. I wish I was running it for real, but a job, dog, girlfriend and mortgage all mean that I need to stay in Sydney. So the treadmill will be my road and the industrial strength fan will be the wind in my hair. It's not as good as the real thing, but it'll have to do!

So this is my blog! It is about the trials and tribulations of a big man running in the gym. The highs and the lows, the good and the bad! It will sometimes be funny, sometimes angry and sometimes sad. But I hope you follow me on this journey and check in every single day and see how I am going!

But there is something more important than me getting fit. It's Charity! I am doing this for two different cancer research companies. To donate, click on 'DONATE TO CANCER RESEARCH' at the top of the page!

So, if this is your first time here? Let me tell you about today!

Today, for the first time in the last few weeks, I had some time to run! I had about 1.5 hours to get into it. However, things were not smooth sailing. Firstly, I had been in the sun all morning and the heat had gotten to me. This wasn't too bad but didn't make me feel 100%.

The second and much more terrible part of the run was my lunch. I had a late lunch, and a big lunch! Let me give you up and comming runners some advice. 

A full stomach, on a treadmill, running at 10km an hour= Vomit!
I almost vomited three times. Let's be honest... if I vomited in a gym, on a fast moving treadmill, things would not be pretty. But luckily I managed to suck it up and I ran. I ran far! 10km!!! This is the furthest I have ever run. It is likely the furthers I have ever walked/run in my life. Seeing the little red numbers flash up and tell me that I had run that far made the vomit taste in my mouth worthwhile. The run was split into two legs as I had to get a drink of water... for the taste in the mouth!

Running is about ups and downs, highs and lows. Today, despite the problems... was definitely a high. But tomorrow is a new day and I am planning one hell of a lunch!
Day: 12
Time: 75 Minutes
Distance: 10 KM
Calories: 1142

Finally, I want to say a massive thanks to my mate Ben Fordham for letting me go on his radio show and promote this website. He is a top bloke for doing it and it meant a lot to me. Sorry if I was not the most amazing radio show guest!
Follow me on twitter: @run_hugh_run

Day: 9
Time: 65 Minutes
Distance:8.8 KM
Calories: 1026

About 1km in I saw them. I was gazing around the gym and in the mirror I saw them. Staring back at me. The most intense and amazing eyes I have ever seen. For the next 45 minutes, we stared at eachother on and off. But whenever I would turn and look back, they would be looking back at me. A twinkle in the eye. Kind but also powerful. They helped me get through the session. They gave me something to focus on apart from my aching legs.

It was 1km in that I began staring into my own eyes. 2km in- I realised it was creepy! But I didn't stop looking...

When I run at the gym, I find it hard to concentrate. I listen to music and as such the tvs that surround me on the machines mean little. I look up and there is a bunch of large bottom girls shaking their bums at whatever rapper is hot these days... little bow dog bizzy or something like that!
So as I run, especially when I am up over 10km an hour(which is fast for me), I try and focus on something so I can just zone out. Most of the time- It's my own eyes. Sounds weird, but I find it calming to stare at myself. I am like the gym version of Narcissus. Lost in my own eyes! But ultimately- they don't move and are fairly static so I find it helps me concentrate.
The other thing I realised- I look bloody angry when I run. My jaw juts out and my eyes squint slightly and I turn from an average looking guy into someone you'd see in the streets of London rioting after Manchester United loses the Premier League due to a poorly given penalty. I scare myself when I look like that and it happens for 45 minutes of the day. No wonder girls don't like running next to me....

A quick non-run blog!On twitter, @CassLynee suggested I try a product called Body Glide, a product that is supposed to stop chafing. When I retweeted that the name sounded rude(The PC way of saying it sounded like sex lubricant), the company Bodyglide tweeted me. 

Now, that's cool! I love tweeting corporations. I follow a couple, Like Crust Pizza... (which I plan to demolish this weekend as a 2 week celebratory dinner!) But what would have been better was if Body Glide said to me- Hey, you are doing this for charity... let us, with our million dollar company, donate a little bit to a good cause!

Now I am not paid by a corporation, I am not some stupid online marketing experience. I am a real person, trying to get fit and raise some money for charity. As such, I will sell my soul in order to raise money. Why? Because I, like many people, have had family members who have been affected by cancer. It is a terrible, sad, and destructive disease that needs to be wiped of the face of the planet. I specifically support the Prostate Cancer foundation as so many men die from Prostate cancer(more than women with breast cancer), yet everywhere you look, money is raised for breast cancer and not prostate cancer. I'm not saying raising money for breast cancer is bad- it's just there are so many forms of cancer and all of them need to be lead out into the field and Old Yellered! That's why you can donate(click here) to both the Prostate Cancer Foundation and also the wider reaching Cancer Council.

So I say to you large corporations. If you donate some money to charity(and heck you can throw me a free whatever if you so wish hahaha). I will work out some way to promote your company on here ie put your logo on the background etc. 

I feel not enough companies donate to charity and if a little free advertising will get you to cough up some cash for Cancer Research, I will do it. So email me, lets work something out, and lets get as much money for cancer research as possible. I'll do my bit and keep on running/blogging/making a fool of myself, you do your part and get behind and support this! 

I am off for my run in 2-3 hours so keep an eye out for the new post-run blog in 4-5 hours!

Day: 6
Time: 65 Minutes
Distance:8.1 KM
Calories: 943


Last night I drank some beer. A lot of beer! I was like the Lance Armstrong of drinking... Beer was my mana, my ambrosia, my everything.
I had a lovely night with mateS drinking and eating amazing Greek food and, as I have been known to do on the odd occasion, hit some Macdonalds on the way home. 
Now this is bad for diet... but apparently is very good for me running! The first time I ran, just 6 days ago, I could only run for 5 minutes before needing to walk. Today, I walked 5 minutes to warm up. Then ran for 15 minutes. Then walked for 5 minutes, then ran for 15 minutes. Guess what I did next?!?!? I walked for 5 minutes and then I ran for 20! Quite a big improvement! The good thing is I am up to the 8km mark. I need to average 8.2km every single day of a year to make it to my goal. So it's nice to know I am up in that area now.

Sounds arrogant, but I am really proud of myself. I have never run for 20 continous minutes. Yeah it's not fast, yeah it's not that long. But for me, it's a big deal! Only problem- I am super exhausted in my legs and because the gym shuts at 1pm tomorrow, I will need to run in the morning. Which means I will only have just over 12 hours to rest. You know what may help?!?!

BEER!!!!!!!!!

Oh- BY THE WAY. ANOTHER GIRL WAS WEARING THE SAME SHORTS AS ME! DID I BUY FEMALE SHORTS?!?!?

Day: 2
Time: 60 Minutes
Distance: 7.6 KM
Calories: 832

Today, I ran! I ran hard! I ran so hard, I chaffed my nipples! Jogging along, I remembered the scene from the Office(US Version) where Andy is running and is bleeding from his nipples. For the first time in my life, I felt sorry for him. Then I googled it and found this! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ivans_Lisicins_in_2010.JPG
Be warned, it's graphic!
WTF? Why Nipples, Why? You do literally nothing(on a man) yet you are now demand so much. So soon, I guess I will have to buy some proper running shirts! Nipples beware, your chapped days are over and I can go back to ignoring you.

Part of the reason for the chapped nipples was Camperdown Fitness. This gym, appears to dislike its airconditioner. So it's always so fricken hot. I always wondered why runners stuck to the machines in the middle of the bank of treadmills and today, perched on the last machine, I realised why. They middle machines get the most fan coverage. Glorious fans!
Now for the fit and attractive people, this doesn't matter. A little run, a little sweat and suddenly you look amazing. For the fatties like me, their needs to be a priority system for the center treadmills. We demand it!!! FATTIES UNITE!!

I am proud of myself today. I went 600m further than yesterday in the same time. It's not much, but its an improvement and that's the main thing. I also burnt a shite load of calories! My only issue is yesterday afternoon, I somehow hurt my foot. I was just walking along and noticed it was suddenly hurting. It's just localised on the side of my foot, but it hurts! Anyone got any ideas what it is? Any ideas on how to make it get better?

Anyways, I am off to research the latest in nipple protection.

I also want to say a big thanks to Natalie Tran, who tweeted about me! Any support you can give me is much appreciated- IT IS FOR CHARITY YOU KNOW. It also keeps me going. Also please comment below, I'd love to hear some feedback or nipple protection ideas.


Also good luck to Ole in Denmark, who let me know he now is going to sign up to a gym, create his own goals, and run along side me! CHAMPION!

Day: 13
Time: 71 Minutes
Distance: 9.7 KM
Calories: 1166

I love food. It's part of the reason that I am a bigger gentleman. Today, I ate! I ate well!
It started this morning when I took my always fantastic girlfriend Mel to Yum Cha! I love Yum Cha! Dumplings, pork buns, spring rolls and more. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it... It's 12:30 in the morning but I could go to Yum Cha right now and eat up a storm! Hmmm are there all night Yum Cha restaurants in Sydney?

Apart from that, I had an awesome pizza for dinner! Tonight was a treat night. I needed a night with my mate and my girl, pizza and beer! Through a few random tweets- CRUST PIZZA, decided to give us a massive discount as a sort of reward for what I am doing. I think they are going to donate some cash to the Cancer Council of Prostate Cancer Foundation too! I am not paid for by them, but it was a really lovely thing for them to do! They treated me really well and the pizza went down a treat. So did the numerous beers I had....

So, the run! It wasn't the fastest I have run but I built it up throughout the run. I actually ran 65 minutes then walked off and had a drink and decided to add another km or so onto the tally so I sprinted a kilometer in 6 minutes. Well sprinting for me- jogging for most!

So today was the second day I have run further than I need to. I have run 19.7KM in just 2 days. Thats almost the same distance I ran on the first three days. I am tired but feeling ok. It's funny, I told this to my housemate and he mentioned he was impressed with it- then told me he thought I would have crumbled days ago. I love proving people wrong. I hope I still feel like that in another 50 weeks! 50 WEEKS! SHEESH! THAT'S A LOT OF RUNNING!

But to make sure I really worked off all the 'treat' food I had today, I followed the gym up with a walk in the park with my dog and girlfriend. In the end it was a little over 2KM! I didn't add it to my tally but I was walking like an old woman by the end of it. I have to admit, being in the sun, with the trees and the birds. It really made a wonderful change from the fairly harsh environment of the gym. I realised why people like running outside.

So hopefully I shall keep up the big distances I am running at the moment. But time will tell- and also I had a lot of beer tonight!!! There may be vomit tomorrow!