Last week, I wrote about an event I am doing in September – Running Round the World With Miles. I have booked all of the travel with miles and points already and will be hitting 6 continents to run 6 marathon distances (26.2 miles) in 4 1/2 days.
The Most Difficult Part Of My Upcoming Runs Around the World
My training is ramping up now to hit the levels I need to be able to complete this in the timeframe I am shooting for. It will be quite the experience (and one I have done before – minus one run) and there are a lot of different things that can go wrong or difficult aspects of the event that will be in the way.
Some people have asked me what I think is going to be the most difficult part of the event. To be fair, there are actually quite a few things which lend difficulty to this type of endurance event:
- Running in locations that will vary greatly in temperature and weather
- Running while exhausted (the first 3 marathon distances will be done in a total timeframe of 27 hours)
- Dealing with jetlag (running in 5 different time zones spread around the world)
- Sickness
- Running at night in somewhat unfamiliar locations
- Missing a flight!!!!
The HEAT!
But, the single part that I believe will be the most difficult part of my run around the world is the 3rd marathon distance. This run will take place in Abu Dhabi. In early September. In the afternoon. To put it in numbers, last year’s temperature for the 7th of September (when I will be there running) came in at a warm 105 degrees. Running in the afternoon will make it seem the most intense.
Last year’s temperatures in Abu Dhabi for the time I will be there
The parts that will make this even more difficult is that this will be the third run of the event (from my experience last time, the third was one of the worst as it was just before the halfway point) as well as starting less than 24 hours after I will have run the first distance. I will be flying for only a couple/few hours as I go from Greece to Cairo and Cairo to Abu Dhabi.
So, as will be my routine in each country I visit, I will get off the plane, go through immigration/customs, and meet up with someone before starting to run. And run, and run, and run – for 26.2 miles. I have paced a friend before at Badwater, a 135 mile race from the floor of Death Valley to the portals of Mt. Whitney in July so I know heat and I love running in heat. The thing I do not like running in is humidity. Hopefully, that will be on the low end. I will be taking a trip to Abu Dhabi again in the near future and will get a long training run in while there.
But, it should all be ok. As long as I can make it through that run, I will have 14 hours to rest and relax aboard the beautiful Etihad A380 in the First Apartment. That should make things a bit easier and enjoyable! 🙂
Flying in Etihad’s A380 Apartment again – with miles!
