Wednesday 1st September- The boy just can't stop running!

10:00 am

Matt had a brilliant day yesterday, he just wouldn't stop running; the weather was good he felt good and he was enjoying it!  His total miles yesterday was 40...yes 40 miles!  He wanted to reach Lancaster and he did.

This poses a small problem with accommodation, as we'd booked in for 3 nights at the same campsite and now he's just too far away from it to make it feasible to go back.  It was over an hours journey this morning to get him back to the same spot, so by the time he's finished tonight we'll be miles away!


Weather here is good again today so I expect MM to keep running again, although he's pretty tired after yesterday!

Go Matty GO!!!........

more later...........I hope, the connection is not good so I go in search of...a) a good wifi hotspot, b) MM, c) a rubbish bin, as the landrover is starting to look like a tip!

Catch you all later....................

Tuesday 31st August

Hi peeps, sorry yesterday's blog was missing, we had no signal in the camp at all, so here I am in a lay-by, once again, trying to catch up.

It was FREEZING last night, the condensation in the tent was so bad we got dripped on....hey ho, the joys of camping.  Matt is doing well, with any luck he should reach around about the half way mark today.  His speed has increased a little but now we are back in the hills he knee might not like it much.  We'll see.  Otherwise all is fine.

Nick and Kelly joined us yesterday with the grandchildren, so I will have some company for a while, but they will be out enjoying while I'm out stalking Matt!

MM is getting VERY bored.....same thing day in day out....so if he can get a signal, why don't you try an give him a ring during the day so he has a bit of a distraction?  If you can't get through then leave him a message and when he stops he'll get back to you.

Not much else to report at the moment and I have to get on the ove again. I'll try my best to write some more later ......

6:25pm...Matt has decided to keep running....he wants to reach the city border of Lancaster, and he's less than a mile away from me so he WILL make it!!  What a BOY, what an almighty effort!   He's now HALF WAY!!!!!

I'm trying to persuade him to have a day off tomorrow or at least a 15 miler with no rushing about....I'll let you know how I get on. Not sure how long I'll have on this free wifi as Matt  will be bouncing round the corner pretty soon..

He's had a really good day, after yesterday's battle with the boredom and the brainbox, he's definitely got himself back into gear and is heading for home.......via Land's End of course!  WELL DONE R KID!!

We still have no mobile signal of any description on the campsite we are staying in at the moment.  Thursday will be the big day for photos, unless I strike lucky on the road tomorrow.....watch out Caroline, We Are on OUR WAY!!

Sunday 29th August - To the Border!

Sunday Morning:
Today is another GREAT milestone for MM...today we reach the Border and will back in England....HOOORAYYYY!!


We had a very good night in the B&B/Hotel, excellent food and accommodation and best of all...FREE WiFi.  Matty started later today as breakfast wasn't until 8 and he has to wait an hour for it to digest before he can start running.  But, on his way he is, to the border and Gretna Green.......there was some talk about marriage, but I reminded him that I was already married and it was against my religion.....so he's going to get some waif or stray as he passes.....NO NOT REALLY......just jesting on our part.  However, psychologically today will be good for MM, the race for home is on and by Tuesday, if all goes well, we will be at the HALF WAY mark. WELL DONE R KID!

For those of you our there that are worried about MM's health and the way he looks in the pictures.....please do remember that most of them are taken after he's run 30 odd miles and he is extremely tired! (and in quite some physical pain). He's not going to look his best and quite frankly I HATE the beard!  Doesn't do a thing for him....in my humble opinion of course!  Honestly, he is in fine fettle and fighting fit, as far as I can tell he has not lost any weight (he had none to lose let's be honest!), he has toned very nicely, but his face isn't drawn......never believe a photograph....the shadows under his eyes.....are just tiredness and are gone by morning, believe me.... so, don't worry, I'm looking after him and he definitely is looking after himself as far as diet and calories go, he knows his body and what he's doing. Just cheer him on as best you can with phone calls, txts, facebook and comments on these pages, it will do him good believe me......and most of all spread the word and get your friends, family, cousins, the person next door, the man in the street..to donate for these worthy causes and make Matty's Run worthwhile.

More later.................

HE'S THERE! At approximately 13:35 Matt got married to the sign.......

 And at approx. 13:50 MM stepped back into England...........All those at Sunday club in the Gardie have a drink on us!!  CHEERS!!

 

Saturday 28th August......Lockerbie in sight

Today is the day I want to pick Matt up and run with him on my shoulders........

Another early start today, away from the camp at 7.15 ish.....definitely not enough sleep!  Very cold last night although Matt says he wasn't too bad. I had to cover my head up with my sleeping bad to stop my nose and cheeks from freezing!  Brrrr, the evenings and the the mornings are certainly getting cooler.

MM is very tired today, but is still running and looking forward to his cold bath tonight!  (I think by the end of this trip both of us will be insane, out with the white jackets with the funny sleeves).  Sometimes we are so tired we can't speak properly, let alone think......even a simple question either results in the wrong answer or the brain in total shut down.....we just end up shaking our heads and laughing at each other.......never mind, nothing a good sleep won't cure.

MM,s knee is playing up again today, just as we thought everything was settling down nicely.  It's been the cause of most of his problems so far and it doesn't seem to want to play ball.  All we can do is strap it up and give it some TLC when he's stopped running, i.e. hot and cold treatment and a massage with pain killing cream.  Spirit wise, he's having a tough day; this morning was fine, but the pain gets to him  after a while and Matt doesn't like running slow. All we can do is take one day at a time and overcome any challenge that is sent our way, whether injury or accommodation, just to plain old tiredness.

MY GOODNESS!!!!  What a dreary entry this is!!

I stopped in a bus stop a while ago in the middle of nowhere, there just happened to be one house there, after a while a man knocked on my window and offered a fiver for the run...now how cool is that!  He'd come out of his house and said, 'you never know when you are going to need those services, please take this for the pot'......and duly placed it in our collection box.  He used to play ruby apparently and also has a dodgy knee himself so he knows how MM is feeling, does a lot of walking too and is planning to walk across the Sahara........wow..

The weather is a bit 'on and off' today, first rain, then sun, and a bit of wind to top it off...no, it's not the beans MM had for breakfast yesterday! So, have been doing a lot of short hops today, leapfrogging MM so he can change his clothes or get some more water, or check his ankles and feet and have some cream rubbed in.  So, sitting here in a lay-by waiting for him to jog round the corner again.  Sometimes he doesn't stop, just runs on, so I drive on a few miles and wait for him again.....and so the day goes on until the 30 miles are up.  Today we haven't got to make camp as we are staying in a hotel in Lockerbie.  That will be good for MM as he can have a proper bath and rest.

That's about it for now...I should be able to get some pictures on tonight with any luck, so pop back and check.  Thanks to all who have donated so far, please keep it coming.

...MM just dropped by and I asked him what he wanted to say to all you bloggers.......he says " It F*****ng hurts!"....end of quotes, then he was gone again........

Signing off at 14:50...and hoping it doesn't rain any more...

MM's country residence

Camp at Aviemore...ground like concrete!

Hi Jan, thanks for dropping in.....

I'll catch the bugger if it kills me!!  ?ang on Matty, wait for me!!!!!!

MM in the wilds of the Scottish moors....run Matty Run!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Ahh...nice...............

soggy camp :-(

MM's Lucky Mascot....she has a kilt! och....

you pronounce it as you will, Matt and I have our own way of saying it, you'll have to ask when we get back!

Come back Matty!  I promise I'll put my thumbs away!!

a little goldfinch having his lunch

And, finally, from the man himself...the wildman of Borneo.......

Hello everyone its me taking a break from putting one foot in front of another for a sec. Well nearly done two weeks running and nearly got through one country and nearly halfway through!! All good news but its horrible, running everyday for about 10hours as injuries are slowing me down....but hey ho was never going to be easy so its head down and keep plodding on and turning those miles over......don't think I will every run again! Long way to go so support is a must....it seems like a life time....highs and lows everyday but all for a good cause so watch this space to see if I can do it xxx

JB here again,  bye for now as we are knackered and need to sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppppppppppppzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Friday 27th August - Shhhhh

Don't say it too loudly.............."THE SUN IS SHINING"....SSHhhhhhhhhh!  A very late night last night, by the time we'd driven 50 odd miles to the campsite, set up, showered eaten, washed up, done the washing and the drying....massaged limbs, caught up on phone calls.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Early start too, as we had to travel 50 miles back to the drop off point for 8am! So, up, wash, tea and breakfast in bed for Matty (so, so spoiled!), then hit the road.  We are having to play 'catch up' a bit, as we are a bit behind on the miles side of things due to Matt's injuries. However, by the time we reach Preston and stay at Caroline's we should be back on track and only a couple of days behind.  so, what's a few extra miles by car?  I hope you are all keeping tabs on the movements so you can make a good guess at the total car mileage competition in the Garden House?  Are our postcards getting through?

Matt's going great guns today, in fact he's just passed me again.  I expect by the time I've finished this he'll be another 5 miles ahead of me...that man can MOVE when he puts his mind to it.   I'm afraid he just doesn't get the time to blog at the moment, perhaps Saturday he'll have a look and write something for you all if I pester him!  I'll also be able to upload some pictures I hope as we are staying in a hotel again so Matty can have a good soak and cold baths again...Brrrrr.  Speaking of cold...really getting cold up here at night now.....loads of condensation inside the tent......drip, drip.

MM (Matty Moon) blisters have almost healed, his heel doesn't hurt once he gets going, his shins don't bother him any more, but he is still having trouble with his left knee....duly strapped and taken care of.........his calves are definitely stronger......all-in all.....considering the task, he's doing jolly well!

Please keep those donations coming in....it's what this is all about.....The Air Ambulance, which saved Taff's life, the Critical Care Unit that brought him through those first vital weeks, and the Specialist Rehabilitation Hospital where Chris is now making progress.......................we never know when we might need them.

Talk again soon...............the intrepid two.........

Thursday 26th August - Round and round we go!

Oh boy, what a day!  We left our campsite at Craigendmuir at about 7 this morning.  Jan was off back to Norfolk, thanks Jan for all your help, (and the wine) I don't know what I would have done without you....a couple of real tough days!

Matt and I made our way to the drop off point, duly found, and all was well.  However, Glasgow is a nightmare at the moment, there are more roadworks than you can shake a stick at.  And getting onto roads that don't exist any more because they dug them up is no easy feat.  The long and the short of it all is that Matt and myself ended up going round, and round, and round, and round bloody roadworks for about 2 hours and not getting any further south!  Signs? WHAT signs?  I thought Norfolk was bad for road signs, but on the whole Glasgow takes the winning ticket....hardly any at all!  Thank goodness for mobile phones else today would have been the day I lost Matty Moon.....left alone, for ever to wander the streets of Glasgow in ever decreasing circles.

On a lighter note, once we found each other and had a good moan, Matt had some lunch and pushed on....easy when you know where you are going.  He's making very good progress and aches and pains, although still there, don't seem to have held him back today.  The only thing is time as we've lost a couple of hours so he'll have stop so we can drive to camp and pitch up for the night.

Not a lot else to report really today.....except we are both very tired...zzzzzzzzzzzz.......IF I can get a WiFi connection tonight, I'll upload some pics, we have some crackers, so keep dropping by..........................

Wednesday 25th August- Dry at Last!

At last, a dry night and a drier morning. Tents dry, de-mudded and packed away.  Matt had a restful night in the B&B.  Thank you to K Johnson at Glenae, Ewenfield, Crief for looking after Matty so well and giving us a discount. I would highly recommend staying there if you are ever in the are, the house is ~GEORGOUS!  And up for sale if anyone is interested!!

Matty paraded for inspection this morning after his cooked breakfast and yet another cold/hot bath treatment. His blisters are remarkably good and healing well. His swollen ankle is not so swollen  and his shins hardly bother him at all.  However, his muscles are still quite stiff, but as he was almost fell running yesterday and not on a flat surface, only to be expected really.  He is still having problems with his left knee, which has been the cause of all his other injuries, but on the whole he has improved and is looking good.  If sheer grit and determination had anything to do with it, Matty would be at Land's End today!

He's having a 'rest' day today and only doing 15 miles or so...then another 30 tomorrow.  We are playing it by ear and taking one day at a time.  In total we are only a day behind schedule so that's very good.

Jan and I had a 'busy' evening as the campsite we had booked did not mention that they didn't allow cars to be parked next to tents, and the car park was about 250 yards away!  I tried to tell him we were not 'on holiday'  and that ALL our equipment was in the Landrover and it was impossible to transport everything by hand, and also, what we were doing and why, but he would have none of it...the final straw was when he said he would get a 'man' to help carry the stuff, I told him to stick it and we'd go elsewhere!  (I was tired......) We happened to find a lovely sight about a mile or two down the road called West Lodge.  I would highly recommend this site.  The owners couldn't have been more helpful and even offered to dry one our tents under their canopy for us. (they were still soaking and dripping from the previous morning).  Everything there you could need, nice showers, laundry facilities, all kept clean and in order.  I'd definitely go back again.

I'm still waiting for a WiFi connection to upload more photos, so please be patient, they are in the pipeline.  My mobile phone is perfect for keeping you up to date but doesn't have the speed for picture uploads....it takes AGES!


Well peeps, Matt should arrive soon at his ten mile mark, so I will sign off and get his lunch and drinks ready...seen you all soon......