VE Day 80 challenge: Hope's three-point plan for success

The countdown is on - just over a month to go until Hope's VE Day 80 fundraising challenge begins! Starting on 18 February, she'll be taking on 5km every day for 80 days, leading up to the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May.

To get herself as prepared as possible, and start off 2025 as she means to go on, she's following a simple three-point plan for success that she's outlined below.

1. Maintain a baseline running fitness

I did quite a lot of running last year, so despite not having done any running at all over the festive period, I do have a baseline “running fitness” already (I hope...).

The plan from now until my challenge start date is to make sure I’m maintaining this baseline. Completing two to three runs per week and balancing these by flexing different running muscles should work to maintain this without exhausting my body.

Each week I will aim to complete one long run (minimum 5km in distance) and at least one recovery run (15-20 minutes of light running) - and maybe incorporate interval training if I’m feeling extra motivated.

2. Fuel my body well

My favourite part – food! Entering a new year and establishing New Year’s resolutions can often see people fall into a trap of restriction. I’ve been learning a lot recently about our microbiome, and fuelling our bodies (and all of their vital microbes) so that our bodies can function at an optimum - and restriction is not the answer.

Instead, diversity will be my mantra for the food I eat. To fuel my body in the best way possible, my aim will be to eat as many different foods as possible (nuts, seeds, fish, chocolate, cheese, eggs, pasta, bread, rice, chicken, coffee, veg, berries) - the more variety the better.

I’m lucky to like most food (if not all) and to not have any food allergies, so nothing is off-limits! The best fuel comes from wholefoods, with most ultra-processed foods (UPF) acting as “empty calories” - not fuelling my body at all. So as much as possible, I’ll focus on minimising UPFs  like crisps and ready meals, and maximising wholefoods like fruit and veg).

It’s also important that I don’t skimp on carbs. Carbs sometimes get a bad rap but they really are vital in fuelling our bodies when we take on physical challenges.

3. Build strength in my body

A great way to minimise the chance of injury during such a persistent and lengthy physical challenge is to make sure my muscles and body are strong enough to withstand the strain.

To build strength, I will be doing at least three strength workouts per week from now until my challenge start date. These will also vary to make sure I’m targeting my whole body: a lower body focused workout, an upper body focused workout, and a core focused workout - all approximately 40 minutes each (including a warm-up and a cool-down).

I will also make sure I have at least two “active recovery” days per week where I don’t run or train, and I allow my body to rest and recover. I say “active recovery” as I will aim to move my body on these days with some very low impact movement such as a bit of yoga or a short walk (or just cleaning the house, which is practically a workout in itself anyway).