Well first things first. Tw0 of my coaching clients took part in their first Ultras at the weekend. Becky did really well at theTT so proud of her, job well done, just fantastic and to make it even more magical she had her family at the finish line waiting to cheer her in – emotional or what. Many many congratulations a wonderful achievement. Steve completed the first day of the Pilgrims Challenge in an excellent time, fan-bloody-tastic great news and is off for another one this weekend. May it be the start of many more adventures.
Well, what a week of anticipation and excitement.
A few weeks ago I put in my application for The Spartathlon then the waiting and pacing began waiting for the email to say I had got a place. Last week the applicants from Greece started to get their bib numbers, then fellow UK runners …….where was mine……bib numbers were popping up on FB and I began to worry that perhaps I wouldn’t get a place. Finally on Sunday morning my email arrived (just in time as I have worn out 2 pairs of Hokas just pacing round the house!!) I’m bib No. 104 a fantasticly marvellous number.
I took part in this iconic race in 2011 as James Adams persuaded me it would be an amazing experience. I had been putting off entering the Spartathlon since 2004 as I never considered myself fast enough to make all the cut-offs. Thankfully I plucked up the courage and ran the 153 miles from Athens to Sparta and luckily for me had the honour of kissing the foot of King Leonidas, I was so thrilled and amazed he got a snog!!
The finish of this race is like no other. The statue never seems to appear but finally when you catch a glimpse of it as you run down the road, surrounded by kids on their bikes, cheering from spectators and fellow runners the emotion takes over and you can finally allow yourself to enjoy the moment of finishing. I tried really hard not to blub as I ran down towards the finish but the tears just flowed.
Looking at the entries so far from the UK I think the boys will finally out run the girls!!!
Another piece of exciting news is I have taken the leap and entered The Spine Race The Spine is Britain’s most brutal race. The longest, coldest and most demanding mountain marathon in Britain. 268 miles of ice, snow, cold and savage winds. Competitors have 7 days to complete the race.
I have been thinking about it for ages, weighing up whether it was a sensible decision as my navigation skills aren’t the best and I’m really not very good in wet cold, but I also believe that in order to grow you have to challenge yourself and by entering this race I will be completely and utterly outside my comfort zone. When I entered my first big ultra in 2001 I didn’t know whether I could complete it or not but I tried and succeeded, this will be no different , its very easy to stick to what you know, I have to give it a go to test myself and its one hell of a challenge.
My training last week was good except for one session when I was supposed to be doing my long run managed 15km before going home feeling rather pathetic, but my legs felt empty so the run would be have been “junk” miles. The following day I did my long run along the beautiful North Downs Way, very muddy and windy but legs felt much better – perfect!
I wonder what excitements are in store for this week!
Happy Training
