This was the first time I'd done back to back marathons. It was flipping cold on the Saturday and rained for most of the Sunday.

The Nottingham Christmas Marathon was held at the national water sports centre at Holme Pierrepont. The marathon consisted of just under 9 laps of 3 miles each.

Another race up near Leeds with ItsGrimUpNorthRunning. 3 laps of just under 9 miles with a mixture of road and trail. 

Marathon No. 20 was the Nottingham marathon. This was a large event which encompassed the half marathon as well. Some of my fellow club members also ran so it was great to meet up at the end.

This was a trail marathon that looped around Thetford and headed out in the countryside. Luckily I had programmed the route into my new GPS watch so didn't get lost too much.

The Team Manvers Dawn to Dusk event was a 12 hour challenge running laps around a giant lake in the dearne valley for 12 hours.

The event ran from 6pm until 6am the following morning so I had the opportunity to use some LED juggling balls.

Unfortunately, shortly after this photo was taken I Joggled straight into a wall and the wall won!. 

A gentle 35 miles across the rolling hills and country estates of Northamptonshire.

This was like running through an episode of Downton Abbey. Too hot for first few hours, then too wet, but stayed focused on the checkpoints every 10k. Sausage rolls, pasties, cakes, gels, sweets – will put on weight at this rate. Last 10 miles uphill and tough but big chunky medal and running top at finish. Just under 7 hours.

Great atmosphere and crowd heading out of Edinburgh towards the coast. Blisteringly hot weather so everyone’s outside cheering. After 9 miles reach Musselburgh and run past the finish line at the start of a 17 mile out and back loop. After 12 miles see the leaders heading back, only 12 miles ahead looking fresh as daisies. At 20 miles go for it, 90 seconds a mile quicker – trying to encourage the tortured souls walking towards me 2 hours behind. Finish with a flourish – designer goody bag, big medal and t-shirt. Knackered, sun burnt but happy.

At the finish of the Edinburgh Marathon 2017.

Cabbage, cabbage everywhere and not a thing to eat. Welcome to the Boston marathon; not the glamorous one with thousands of runners in Massachusetts; but the flat course running through the Lincolnshire countryside.

It's definitely a race for personal bests, flat as a budget pancake and away from the bustle and traffic of a large town or city race.

Searching for my first marathon on 2017 I stumbled across a company called 'It's grim up North running', which it probably is on a cold and murky grey winter morning. The company organises a variety of multi distance events throughout the year, each event usually consisting of a 10K, Half and Full marathons, and an Ultra-Marathon option. 

The canal canter in March started in Kirkstall in Leeds and headed out following the Leeds-Liverpool canal path for 10 miles to Saltaire, before turning back into Kirstall, through the finish area(!), and then into Leeds City centre for 3 miles before returning to the Finish area for good this time.

What can I say, the wildlife is tough up north for a start. I encountered several geese blocking the path at one stage, and no amount of shooing or gesticulations make any difference (not that I could gesticulate much whilst juggling along). They just looked at me like I was the village idiot and made it clear that it was me that going to have to take the detour across the grass.