11 weeks, 56 miles and a healthy amount of nerves for next week

I was pleased to manage a steady 5.4 miles on Monday evening after only taking Sunday as a rest day after the Beer Ultra. This was then repeated on Tuesday and Thursday which I found quite comfortable each time. I had a small knot in my left calf muscle on the first 2 outings but it was more of a inconvenience than anything I would struggle to run on.

Yesterday I did 8 laps of a 2 mile route in Wythenshawe Park. This was great as the weather was warm but not overly bright, I managed to settle into a rhythm for most of it and listen to a Talking Comics podcast for 90% of it. The passion what the hosts have for the comics they have read recently and how they can transport you into the world of that comic really held my attention. I had a bottle of coke after 4 laps and again at the end.

I decided to do 24 miles instead of 20 this morning so I could divide up my rest breaks easier. Essentially I followed the same approach as yesterday with a drink and snacks every 8 miles. Without sounding complacent, this was never going to be overly difficult considering the amount of elevation involved.

Next Sunday I have the St Illtyd’s 100km Ultra starting at 6am to worry about. This has a lot more elevation than London to Brighton did last year although it is spread out over lots of smaller hills rather than horrendous big hills. My usual dependence on my favourite expression about “If you can run it in a week, you can run it in a day” isn’t holding as much conviction as it usually does because of the total elevation. Although I have covered 100km most weeks since the start of February, only a handful of those are close to the total elevation of this race.

I am quite assured in the fact that as long as the cutoffs are within reach I will keep persevering and hopefully willpower will make up for the lack of extra elevation in my training. Considering only one runner finished the 100km course last year, reason and logic may not be on my side but I have found a quote for next week that will help with the perseverance