Tomorrow I begin stage two of my rehabilitation. This involves alternating 5 minutes running with 5 minutes walking for a total of 40 minutes. This will increase to a total of 70 minutes on 28 February (all being well). Feel good but still nervous.
On Friday I attended the Otley AC Annual Presentation Evening at Korks in Otley. It was a very enjoyable evening and I was extremely surprised to walk away with the prestigious President's Trophy ... not least because his business is sponsoring me (http://www.thedivancentre.co.uk/) and I can't run in the first race of our informal agreement.
Been thinking about sponsorship a bit over the past couple of days. Is now a good time to try and attract another or would it be better to wait a few weeks until I'm fitter ?
2 comments:
what do you need sponsorship for?
You may be aware that in 2009 there is going to be a Commonwealth Championship for ultra marathons which will be held in Keswick,England. At present I am ranked number 4 in England (England, Wales and Scotland will probably send 3 runners each) so I need to improve a bit yet to ensure selection - this is where sponsorship would help.
In this country (UK) there are only two 24 hr races so travelling is a necessity - possibly even to a race in mainland Europe.
My main expenses are four fold: sports drinks (during a 24 hr race I consume approx 16 litres of isotonic and recovery drinks), entry fees, travelling to races and the overnight accommodation necessary for me to perform at my best.
Taking last year as an example my ultra races were in Hull, London and Rotherham. Entry fees were £33.00, £27.00 and £10.00. My travel expenses were £23.20, £56.90 and £15.90. My accommodation fees were ----, ---- and £4.00
For Hull I camped on the grass infield, for London I went down on the day of the race and came straight back home afterwards, for Rotherham I slept on the floor of the sports centre which is the race HQ. I could do so much better racing after a decent night's sleep in a proper bed.
My original plans for 2008 included a 12 hr race in Crawley (Sussex) in March, 24 hr race in London in October, one other 24 hr race (possibly two). Other possible races include a 35 mile canal race from Sowerby Bridge in June, a 50 mile XC event from Driffield in April and a 100 mile trail event from Skipton in May. Priority though is seeking qualification for the Commonwealth Championships.
Details of the Commonwealth Championships can be found at http://www.englandathletics.org/commonwealth-games/ultra-distance-and-mountain-running/
Other examples of ultra runners with personal sponsorship include William Sichel and Sharon Gayter and their websites are http://www.williamsichel.co.uk and http://www.sharongayter.com.
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