DAY 4 - 21st Sept 09 - Tain to Tore - 24 Miles

Hello again, I’m here in a remote part of the Scottish countryside relaxing after an afternoon walking. I emphasise walking as currently I have no choice,as I am suffering from some very persistant injuries which I will update you on. I did reach my destination today which was good! I had to visit a local Chiropractor as the pain I was experiencing from the overuse injuries was getting more intense. I have come approx 112miles over the 4 days and have made good progress and although confident in my ability to heal as I go the overuse Injuries and the increasing pain was starting to wear my tendons and slow my pace. My non-ability to run today was clear and at that point I decided to seek some support from an expert. After the session I felt much better but urged to use a rest day. 

My current injury status is that I have one repetitive strain injury on my right knee which i am managing fairly well. The main problematic injury is that I have significant tendonitis around my left ankle which in turn was giving me shin splints and swelling my lower leg and foot almost to the point I was finding it difficult to put my shoe on! Now I have received some treatment and some good preventative advice I will be ready for another day, however I have made the decision to walk until my injuries have made significant improvement as I do not want to jeopardise or delay my arrival into Lands’ End. I hope everyone will try to understand and support this decision. Most of you who know me know that I wanted to be running this journey and I’ve tried to view the project as a whole in making this decision. I will be making the same distance during the days and keeping to my route schedule and as such I will not be loosing any time due to this preventative action.

Once again please view today’s pics and please give me some feedback or comments in the guestbook. To view today’s pictures please click here Day 4  Many Thanks,  Ash.

DAY 3 - 20th Sept 09 - Broara to Tain - 26 Miles

Hello all! Well, I have again reached my destination which I’m chuffed to bits about! Tonight Dad and I are staying in a pleasant static caravan courtesy of one of the fantastic RDA people!!!

Plodding along

Due to my big day yesterday I decided to start a little later on today so I left Broara around 10am and reached the halfway point around 2pm. I had some lunch and set off again about 30 mins later.

My afternoon travels took me down the winding roads toward the Dornoch Firth (one of the main scottish river mouths to the north sea). The huge bridge over the water was great but took me a little while to cross. Once over, I sensed my destination was close! Coming round the corner I could smell the aroma of whisky in the air and felt my pace quicken. I knew I had reached my destination home of the Glenmorage Whisky distillery and the town of Tain.

Please check out the pictures of today’s journey by clicking here Day 3  Many thanks, Ash.

DAY 2 - 19th Sept 09 -Lybster to Broara - 33 Miles

Today was officially the longest day of the run and by far the hardest distance I have ever done on foot but I’m pleased to have finished it even with a few more blisters than expected!

I set off fairly early this morning around 8:45am and reached my half way point at Berridale just after 1pm. The first half of the journey was tough, as there were many challenging uphill sections with a particularly long section just before I stopped for lunch. Needless to say I was really feeling the strain in the second half and now with blisters on both feet and a swollen ankle I now really  understand the task I have set myself to accomplish. I reached my destination just after 7pm this evening and I was pleased dad had ordered fish and chips! Although not the most nutrishious of marathon meals I had no complaint to wolf it down. I was also able to have a hot bath to soothe aching muscles and joints aswell as treat my blisters. I am hoping a good nights sleep can help my body repair quickly but the main positive is that tomorrow is a shorter day and I am confident that my injuries can heal soon.

Please view today’s photo’s here Day 2  Many Thanks Ash.

DAY 1 - 18th Sept 09 - John O’Groats to Lybster - 30 Miles

It’s been a tough first day but I’m here in Lybster now and after a hot bath and good meal bring on tomorrow!!! After a fantastic performance of “Happy Birthday David” from the John O’Goats RDA Group I set off for my morning run around 10am. The first half of the run took me the 16 miles to Wick arriving just before 1pm. Whilst having lunch and a rest I had the opportunity to do a short radio presentation for a local radio station over the phone.

 At around 2pm I set off once more to attack the remaining 14 miles to Lybster. I found this second half a lot harder than the first and ended up resorting to a walking pace as I wanted to reduce the risk of early injury and blisters. I arrived in Lybster just before 6pm and was pleased with my progress. I’m off to bed soon as I intend to begin the 33 miles to Broara and the longest distance of the project at around 8:30am. So I’ll be posting again tomorrow evening until then goodnight. Also many thanks to the RDA representatives who have offered up their homes for a night to accomodate me and my father. Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dad. X

Please check out today’s photos here Day 1 to view all the pics please visit the gallery section. Cheers Ash.

Hello Everyone! Well, we’re here in John O’Groats now and BFF 09 has really begun! My father and I left Winchester on Wednesday (16th) and begun our journey north to Stirling, stopping off at the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) national office in Warwick. Whilst there we enjoyed a well needed lunch, we met with the team who have been and continue to be a fantastic support to the project. I also had the opportunity to meet the regional chairs and the National directors and make a short presentation on what the project is about. From that presentation and contacts recieved we were able to muster up support from the regional chairman and local RDA groups also sorting out our first 3 nights accommodation and evening meals. So a huge thank you to all of the RDA for your support!When we finally arrived in John O’Groats yesterday afternoon we were met by warmth and hospitality along with a hearty dinner and a good bed ready for the first day running.

This promo video was created and produced by Simon Byrnes – Many Thanks for you hard work Si!

You are cordially invited to a Welcome Party 

‘40th Anniversary of Best Foot Forward and RDA’ 

Saturday 24th October – The Lands’ End Hotel (Function Room) 

1pm – 5pm 

This will be an afternoon event which is free for everyone who has contributed to the sucess of the project, this invitation / this event is also open to anyone who wants to attend.

 There will be a couple of speeches including reps from the RDA (charity im raising money for) and also a presentation from my father David Ryder. Just before my arrival into Lands’ End and the completion of the charity run, there will be free cream teas and cakes available. Also a local band will be playing to make it a fun and atmospheric event. 

If you know you will be attending this event please either confirm your attendance on the facebook event page (CLICK HERE) or alternatively please send me a quick email so I can ensure there are enough scones ordered in! If  you would like a program I can email one to you. My email address is on the contact tab.

My Best Wishes, See you at Lands’ End! 

Ashley Ryder

Route Page Up!!!

Please Check out my route page. You can view a more detailed map using google maps if you follow the link. Also see if my Journey takes me past where you or friends live on the way. Please remember that I will welcome offers of places to stay along the way as it will offer a huge support for the project. If you can help or provide details of someone that can put me and my father up for the night please do not hesitate to contact me via the contact page.

For a more detailed route map from Google Maps please ( CLICK HERE )

For the remainder of the route please ( CLICK HERE )

Hello all,

Here’s an update on how training is going and what I have been doing over the last few weeks. Over the last 4 weeks I have been training regularly, running distances of approximately 10 miles equating to around 40/50 miles a week.  On Saturday I ran 20 miles over 3 1/2 hours and I’m feeling good! 

Last week I also had a consultation at Alexandra Sports in Portsmouth. During the session they conducted Bio-mechanics assessments to analyse how I’m running and the stresses / impacts that my joints are subjected to whilst running. They also gave me advice on performance running shoes, anti-blister socks, anti chaffing balm, and appropriate clothing.  

Each day of the run I have a target of 25 miles, over 7/8 hours this distance is achievable; However if i want a rest day I will have to earn it by achieving a greater distance. The are many challenges within this run as I’m sure you are aware, In my mind the greatest obstacle will the repetitiveness of impact on my joints mainly on the ball/heel of the foot and the impact on the knees. As the risk of injury is increased I have been putting a lot of time into researching diet including fluids and injury reduction options. I have an appointment lined up this week with a physio and injury specialist where I hope to get some more valuable information and advice.

Hello all the website is more or less finished now, updates, news feeds and pictures will follow as we progress. I just wanted to put this post up to say a few deserved thank you’s. 

The first big thank you has to go out to Ben at Pontifex media for constructing the site and giving me some tutorage on how to update things. I now know im not technically minded so it must have been very tedious for him to explain things, but hey im pleased we got here. Cheers Ben!

Also the other big thank you has to go out to my parents; David Ryder who I’m sure you’ll find more about on the website for inspiring me to do this run and helping in preparation. Also my mum Jacqui Ryder ,who has been and continues to be a fantastic  support to the project’s operation.