Day 30 of the challenge and I cycled 15.34 miles in really strong winds and rain which made for pretty tough cycling. Cycled a different route around Worcester which included some pretty steep hills which slowed my progress. I'm not that far from half way through the challenge now. Loads of the rugby boys have downloaded Strava to record their activities and it's great to see so many of the lads getting some good training done. The club have also started another fund-raising challenge where all club members are invited to track their running, walking and cycling to try and circumnavigate the world. Hopefully we can raise even more money for BRFC and the NHS! Cheers, Ed

Day 29 of the challenge and I ran my furthest distance so far of 7.60 miles which is great. I chose a route which allowed me long straight sections without too much mucking around around bends. Had my girlfriend alongside me on her bike today which is good for me to keep my pace up whilst running and didn't have any problems with music or Strava! I have managed to raise £900 already which is absolutely amazing and I know BRFC and the NHS will be so grateful. Thank you so much for the donations so far, hopefully together we can smash the fundraising target! The weather has taken a horrible turn which is going to make running and cycling a bit more challenging but I am still loving the challenge. It is giving me a good focus during this crazy time. All the best.

16.32 miles on the bike today in really horrible conditions. The sun has gone to be replaced by strong winds and rain which made cycling a bit difficult, but still managed over 16 miles that I am pleased with. I was back in work today which was a nice change of scenery, it was great to catch up with some of the other staff and see some of the kids too. Running tomorrow morning, hoping to be more successful than my last run, looking to get somewhere close to 8 miles. Thanks for all the support. Ed

Had a bit of a nightmare today! Issues with music automatically shuffling, Siri trying to talk to me and me forgetting to put my Strava on. I had to estimate how far I would have run in my hour after completing 45 minutes before the I realised the mistake I had made with my Strava. Worked out to about 7 miles in total which is just below what I have been averaging so far. Need to have a play around with my phone to make sure I don't make the same mistakes don't happen again. I have also bought a 'Free Train body strap' which allows me to run handsfree with my phone attached to my chest. It is working really well and makes my running a lot easier, rather than having to hold my phone in one hand. No Strava evidence on this post I'm afraid. Cheers.

Short recovery ride today to give me legs a little break. My girlfriend Kathleen came with me and we had a nice chilled cycle around Worcester, 6.49 miles covered in total. That takes my distance so far to 309.01 meaning there is 500.99 miles to go. Running tomorrow morning. All the best.

7.26 miles on foot this morning which takes me past the 300 mile mark in 25 days (25 hours) of running or cycling. Really pleased with how the running is going and the challenge in general has been really enjoyable so far. I have completed 302 miles meaning I have 508 to go, so still a big distance to cover, but looking forward to knocking some more miles off. Please donate if you haven't already by following this link:  https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/the-road-to-paris Cheers, Ed

24th day of the challenge and I cycled 16.62 miles in my hour today, got slightly lost but I turned my Strava off after an hour to make sure my exercise amount only counts for that time, made it back home in 15 minutes so wasn't out for too long. I also did a radio interview on BBC Hereford and Worcester yesterday evening, so not only have I been mentioned on a podcast, been in the newspaper, but now I have been on radio, TV next... Nearing the 300 mile mark now which is great!

Nice run this morning, 7.11 miles completed on my usual route of the racecourse, Diglis and the Worcester Birmingham canal. I much prefer running in the morning before I have eaten anything, feels a lot easier. Hoping that I can start to get closer to 8 miles in my hour but I am really pleased with consistently hitting 7 miles and above. A few more fundraising challenges for BRFC and the NHS are starting which is great to see!

15.80 miles on the bike today all around Worcester, took a pretty random route, as you can see from my Strava. This allowed me to explore areas of Worcester city I hadn't been to before, still managed to get a decent distance done too. Legs are feeling pretty heavy after yesterdays run so I am trying to dedicate some time to stretching and using a foam roller in the evenings. Not much else to report to today, hope everyone is staying inside so we can get this lock down done ASAP. Please donate, if you haven't already here:  https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/the-road-to-paris  All the best, Ed

Completed my longest run of the challenge so far with a total of 7.54 miles! I found todays runs the most challenging so far, I'm not quite sure why. It could be something to do with running at this time of day rather than first thing in the morning before eating, but still managed to run my furthest distance so far. I had a rare day in school today which was great but felt really strange to be back. I am definitely missing work and everything that comes with working at school, but there is no sign of schools reopening any time soon. There are lots of rumours about reopening being banded about, some say May 11th, some say June and some people suggesting we might not be back till September but we will have to wait and see! Attached a few pictures of me running today, check out the sweat in the last one!

The 20th day of my challenge!  I have been running or cycling for 20 consecutive days which is great, I managed 16.80 miles on the bike today in really strong winds. I experienced head winds and cross winds but unfortunately no helpful tailwinds to push me on! The wind was so strong that it nearly knocked me off on a couple of occasions. Really pleased with how the challenge is going, I am back in school for a day tomorrow which will be great so will get my run in tomorrow afternoon. Please don't forget that you can donate here: https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/the-road-to-paris   Cheers!

Early morning run today, covered my furthest distance so far of 7.28 miles. I sweat a huge amount when running, see a picture below! There are some great running routes around Worcester, today I ran around the river side of Worcester Racecourse and back to Perdiswell via the canal, the weather was much better than yesterday. Running was followed by an online Yoga class and a food shop. Thats about as exciting as another Sunday in Lockdown is going to get. Yesterday was supposed to be our last game of the season for BRFC,  away at Peterborough Lions followed by a Bay Watch social. Really missing rugby, can't wait for that first game of next season at a sunny Finstall Park!

16.14 miles on the bike today. Weather was pretty grim out there, grey and wet but still managed to cover a good 16 miles. Listened to a really interesting episode of The House of Rugby podcast talking about the struggles of grass routes rugby clubs in this unprecedented time and the general challenges to the grass routes game. Worth a listen for sure. Quiz tonight, couple of beers and then running in the morning. Onwards!

7.12 miles run this morning, really enjoyable stint. Feels great to be over the 200 mile mark! 8.25 minutes per mile seems to be a pace I can keep up for a decent period of time, but hoping I can reduce this slightly to cover a slightly bigger distance. It will be interesting to see how far I am running in a month or two. Another week done in lockdown and at least another 3 weeks confirmed yesterday, I think we could still be in this for a while. Just got to try and make the most of it. Cheers for all the continued support!

Sixteenth day of the challenge, completed 15.99 miles in my hour. Did not have much energy on the bike today and found even this short distance a bit of a struggle. I think the run yesterday as well as the squats and lunges as part of the CrossFit workout took their toll on my legs. Amazing to see so many challenges being completed by loads of different people including Captain Tom Moore's 100 laps of his garden raising around £14 million which is incredible and Geraint Thomas who is doing three twelve hour swifts on his bike on three consecutive days. All the money is going to our amazing NHS which is absolutely awesome, I will be donating a chunk of my money to the NHS too! That brings my total to 200.85 miles completed in 16 days!

I ran 7.03 miles this morning which was an enjoyable run. My glutes and hamstrings felt pretty tight from some other workouts I have been doing but still covered a good distance in my hour. Hoping to keep increasing my distance and reduce my average pace per mile. Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. I'm trying to make the most of this opportunity as we might not ever get this period of time away from work again. There are obvious and necessary constraints but I am still trying to enjoy this period as much as possible. I'm missing my friends, family, the kids at school and rugby but still in good spirits. All the best.

It is the 14th day of my challenge today and I completed 17.71 miles through Worcester and Kempsey. It was a pretty chilly morning but managed to cover a good amount of distance in the recommended hour. The news suggests that the lockdown is being reviewed at the end of this week, I can't see too much changing with some rumours suggesting 3-6 more weeks in the same conditions. At least I will be able to focus on knocking some miles off my target. I have also be trying to complete some more rugby specific workouts during lockdown as well including some at home CrossFit sessions, I have attached a picture of the one that I did today with my girlfriend Kathleen, tough graft! I have either run or cycled every day for 2 consecutive weeks which I am really pleased with, it is a good start to my challenge.

Covered 7.19 miles on my morning run today. Really starting to enjoy the running, managed my quickest 10K time and second quickest 5K time. Hoping that I will continue to increase my running distance over the next couple of months. My instagram feed is full of people out running 5K's for the NHS which is amazing to see. I also did an online Yoga class today lead by my friend Rach who has recently become a Yoga teacher, it was a great stretch and recovery after my run. Hope everyone has had a good bank holiday. Ed

Recovery ride today with my girlfriend Kathleen, we completed an easy 7.92 mile recovery ride followed by a decent Easter lunch. Good to see my mate Lewis out running a 5K for the NHS. We have taken the decision to donate some of the money raised through various challenges to local Bromsgrove Charities and the NHS. Thats 152.93 miles completed so far. You can see a picture of the spreadsheet I'm using to record my distances below. Thanks for the continued support!

17.67 miles on the bike today, felt great to get back on the bike after a couple of days of running. Got out just before lunch and it is another beautiful day out there. Took on a slightly different route today which got me close to breaking the 18 mile mark, but couldn't quite do it, going to keep trying. My friend Will has set me up a really helpful spreadsheet to record my milage, total it up and tell me how many miles I need to achieve each day to achieve my target, it sits at around 6 miles per day till the deadline of August 1st. Thanks for all the continued support!

An Easter Bank Holiday weekend like no other! Hope everyone is staying safe and staying inside, however tempting it is to get out in this amazing weather. We can all make up for it when this is over! 6.68 miles running completed this morning along my usual route down the river. The trainers I bought have been brilliant and I am so glad I invested in them. I am running just under 9 minutes for a mile which is a fairly comfortable run to do for an hour, I think I am starting to enjoy running which I never thought I would say. Out of interest, I had a look at Eliud Kipchoge's pace for his sub 2 hour marathon, he ran 4:34 which is incredible, I've got a way to go yet. Have a great Bank Holiday weekend, stay safe. Ed

Back to running today, in my new trainers, they were great and had no pain or blisters at all! Completed 6.63 miles in my hour today which I am pretty pleased with.  I think if I can stick to doing 5-7 miles running and 15-18 on the bike on alternate days then that will be pretty good going. Really enjoying the challenge, even if my body is starting to ache, will continue to user the foam roller and stretch as much as possible.

Legs feeling very heavy today after a couple of home workouts and all the cycling I have been doing. Completed a tough 16.79 miles in my hour, however the weather was incredible! I'm having to work pretty hard on the bike to get this amount of distance in, essentially a time-trial to see how far I can go in my allotted time. Averaging about 16- 17 miles which is pretty good going I think! My running shoes have arrived so I am going to run tomorrow, looking forward to the change from cycling, as thats been 3 days on the spin now.

17.80 miles on the bike today. Took on the same route as yesterday in an attempt to complete an 18-20 miles loop but can't seem to break the 18 mile mark in an hour. I am halfway towards my fundraising target of £1000 and hope I can surpass that mark. Thanks for all the support so far, it is really motivating me to keep going, especially DHC Services as the main sponsor of my challenge! I was also fortunate enough to receive a shout out on the BBC 5 Live Rugby Union Weekly Podcast, promoting the challenge! It was great to hear Danny Care, Ugo Monye and Chris Jones supporting my fundraising challenge for Bromsgrove Rugby Club, a massive thank you to BBC Rugby Union Producer Louise Gwilliam for sorting it all out.  Follow the link to give it a listen, the shout out is in the last 6 minutes. Trainers are on the way, so I can get some running miles completed as well! All the best. BBC 5 Live Rugby Union Weekly Podcast:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p088tsg2 

Decided to cycle again today because my feet still aren't in great shape, completed 17.44 miles. I have taken the decision to invest in some decent running trainers, as opposed to my £20 Sports Direct trainers that were shredding my feet. They should get here in a couple of days which will allow my feet to recover and I can get some more miles in on the bike in the meantime. Quite windy out on the bike today but a really enjoyable ride.

17 miles completed today through the Worcestershire countryside, beautiful morning and really enjoyable ride. The weather is supposed to be great this week so it will be nice to get out and do some miles on my feet and my bike. I've developed some decent blisters from the running I have been doing, and I've only just started, if anyone has any advice for blisters I would really appreciate it. Still feeling good and loving it, hope everyone is staying safe. All the best.

Second run of the challenge complete with a total of 7 miles covered. I ran round raven meadow golf course which was a nice run, however quite a winding route, I am still looking for a route which will allow me to cover a larger amount of miles in my designated hour. While I am running I tend to listen to podcasts and today I was inspired by David Goggins, an ex Navy Seal, being interviewed by Joe Rogan. If anyone doesn't know about David Goggins, he is a crazy bloke who runs massive distances, and takes part in mad fitness challenges,  including eight 100 mile races in 8 consecutive weekends! I don't think I am quite on his level yet but he certainly kept me motivated today! Thanks for all the support so far. Ed

Completed 16.13 miles in just over an hour in my second cycle of the challenge. A slightly more challenging ride today including my chain coming off, flies in the eyes and I also got a bit lost.  I am making sure I try and stop my STRAVA recording my distance when I get to the hour mark. Thank you so much for the donations so far, I am nearly at 50% of my fund-raising target already!

Today I decided to use my allotted hour to go for a run and see how many miles I could shave off the 810 mile target. I managed to run for the whole hour without stopping and managed 6.76 miles. I am by no means a confident runner and this is comfortably the furthest and longest amount of time I have run in one go and I'm pretty pleased with it. Already got a couple of blisters but feeling good! I also ended up running past one of the other Bromsgrove lads, Will, good to see the boys are trying to stay fit in this crazy time, some of them at least!

As you know, it was recommended that we only do an hour of exercise outside per day, which makes this challenge a bit more interesting! Today I achieved just over 15 miles in my allotted hour, meaning I only have the small matter of 795 miles to complete my round trip. I have also received incredible support already and have secured DHC Services as my main sponsor for my challenge. Thank you so much to Dave Hodges and everyone at DHC Services for their amazing support for Bromsgrove Rugby Club. Don't forget that you can donate to my fund-raising effort by following this link:  https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/the-road-to-paris    

My story My name is Ed Spalding and I am the Bromsgrove 1st XV captain. We all find ourselves in a very challenging situation. First and foremost make sure you are staying safe in these unprecedented times. I have been a part of Bromsgrove Rugby Football club for 6 years and it has become a hugely important part of my life. These are incredibly difficult times for our club and lots of other rugby clubs all over the country. The immediate effect on BRFC is that we are unable to open for the foreseeable future which is going to have huge financial implications for the club. Therefore I have decided to start a cycling and running challenge to raise money for BRFC and our amazing NHS over the next 4 months. I will be aiming to cover the distance between BRFC's home ground Finstall Park and The Stade de France, the venue for the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final. I will be starting my challenge on the 1st April, aiming to finish by the 1st August, the distance is 810 miles in total