20. Run between Leeds and Keighley - COMPLETE

I like to live a healthy life. I eat sensibly, and exercise regularly. For that reason when people at work said I would need to do some considerable extra training before running a marathon, I set out to prove them wrong.

I worked out that from my parents house in Keighley to my house in Leeds it was about 21.2 miles. Although not a full marathon (which is just over 26 miles) it seemed a challenge to do the journey I normally do by car/train/bus and instead do it on foot. Also, if I could do 5 miles short without training, I was pretty sure I could run a marathon without training.

So on Sunday morning on the 26th September 2010, I got up early and got on the train to Keighley. Then at 11am, I set off from my parent's house and began my journey along the Leeds Liverpool canal to my house in Leeds.

Previously I had only ever run a maximum of about 7 miles before so the step up was quite a jump. The first 10 miles felt good, and the next 5 miles after that weren't bad, but the last 6...ouch! In kicked the inner thigh chaffage, the blisters and the ache in my legs. Everytime I stopped for traffic, to start up again was agony. But after 3 hours and 30 mins I dragged myself up the hill to Chapel Allerton, and collapsed in my front door.

I'd done it, I'd run the 21.2 miles between Keighley & Leeds and ticked another thing off my to do list.

12. See a film at the cinema, alone - COMPLETE

Another challenge completed today.

At 1pm on the 10th of September 2010 I went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D in Vue at the Leeds Light all by myself. It set me back £7 (should have been £8.50, but I had a coupon).

Even though there were maybe 10 people in the cinema, it was still a very scary experience. I can't help but feel people are judging me and that makes me nervous. Why would they though, would anyone of them remember I was even in there.

Well, it's done and I've overcome another obstacle of my life. I can now go to the cinema alone, knowing that I've already done it once. Oh, and the film was excellent...I do love 3D!

15. Get naked for Art - COMPLETE

Well, I have managed to knock off one of my 101 things to do before I die, and quite an extreme one at that.

OK, so I added it to the list when I knew Spencer Tunick was doing one of his mass nude photographs at the Big Chill festival but if I hadn't had gone through with it I wouldn't have been able to cross it off would I.

What a memorable event it was, definitely the highlight of my festival. I woke up at 6am on the Sunday morning, full of nerves, deliberating whether I should be go and take part in the photograph. I was going along as non of my friends wanted to do it. At 7am I convinced myself that if I didn't do it, I would regret it, so I unzipped my tents and headed off into the glorious morning sunshine.

When I reached the event, I sat amongst 700ish fully dressed strangers awaiting the call to disrobe. I got chatting to an older gentleman (40s/50s) who seemed a bit strange. He told me he had only £2.50 left for the entire festival. If listening to his stories wasn't bad enough, he then asked me what I had done the previous night. I should have just said hung around and drank. Unfortunately I told him that I had watched the film "Donkey Punch". Now if you don't know what the film is have a read here and then you'll realise how awkward it was trying t explain the plot to an eccentric older gentleman who I was just about to get naked with.

However, the call came to disrobe and after a couple of seconds of looking around I whipped off my clothes and went over to the tent to smother black paint all over my body. I then spent the next hour or so amongst the other naked people having my photo taken.

Highlight

The two gorgeous black painted women who I had lying on top of me.

Lowlight

Laying my head on the inner thigh of another gentleman very close to his genitals