42. Have a professional massage - COMPLETE

Oops I nearly forgot to upload this one. On Friday 8th July 2011 I had my first professional massage at the New Orchid in Leeds. Although very scared at first, by the end I was on another planet.

I got the massage through purchasing a lovely voucher on Groupon and before you ask...no there was no happy ending just another thing crossed off my to do list!

38. Run a Marathon in under 4 hours - COMPLETE

Ladies and gentlemen, on the 11th September, 2 days before I turned the grand old age of 27 I completed the Nottingham Marathon in the time of 3 hours 51 minutes and 25 seconds thus completing my challenge of running a marathon in under 4 hours.

Especially for the ladies, here is a link to pictures of me running the marathon and video of my impressive sprint finish - Ben's Marathon Photos.

What I think you'll find most impressive is that in the year 2011, before this race the maximum I had run was only 13 miles, so after the half way point, I was pretty much entering the unknown.

I would also like to say thanks to (and apologise to) my super handsome housemate Michael Addington for running with me for the first 20 miles, before I sped off - you see Mike, I told you all that training you were doing was unnecessary. I would also like to thank the beautiful and uber enthusiastic Laura Stubbs for forcing me to run the 10 mile journey back from work multiple times before the race and demanding that I went sub 4 hours. That little bit of training we did paid dividends.

Another one ticked off the list :)

8. Give Blood - COMPLETE

Ok, it's been a while since I've updated this blog...and also a while since I gave blood, but I have done and here is my donor card to prove it :)

60. Go a whole month (30 days) without drinking - COMPLETE

Actually, I managed to go 31 days without drinking.

Starting on the 3rd January 2011 until the 2nd February 2011, not one drink of alcohol passed my lips. It was an interesting month. I had attempted numerous times before but the longest I been before was 18 days. After a first weekend of torture, it got a lot easier and I learnt the following from not drinking for a month:

• I spend too much money on alcohol
• I feel much healthier when I don't drink
• I'm more productive and less tired when I don't drink.
• The occasional drink can be good for stress levels
• Not drinking can show someone special a different side to you
• There are not enough places in the evening that encourage non drinking

So in future, I will be drinking more sensibly, as I'm loving the extra money I have :)

44. Visit 10 Countries (10/10) - COMPLETE

Yeah, I was just listening to England beat the Aussies in the Ashes (quality) and thought I'd check my to do list. Turns out I have completed another one on the list without actually doing anything. You can see my progress on countries visited by clicking here.

This one's for the Barmy Army. Well done on a terrific ashes 2011 win (providing you get the last wicket, and be quick, I have to get up early tomorrow)

40.Grow a Moustache - COMPLETE

Well I grew a moustache for 30 days for the month of Movember. Check out my Movember profile here and feel free to donate.

Here is a picture of me with my full grown moustache on day 30