With only 14 weeks to go there is light at the end of the training tunnel, but things are getting tough as my training starts to peak. I have had a tired and hungry week so far this week. A 6 mile beach run on over 24 hours without food due to bad timing on one of my fast days was tough; and the planned easy session the following day (2nd fast day) was cut short as the energy just was not there.
In 2010 Clyde Stride ultra was my first ultra. I completed it which was great, but it was not one of my better moments and there was plenty to learn from it. I entered for the following year but had to withdraw about a month before the event due to a knee injury. I duly entered for 2012 and was a DNF (did not finish) at 20 miles due to energy problems (which I subsequently found out were caused by a magnesium deficiency. So, was 2013 going to be my year?
This is the final taper towards the Clyde Stride, a 40 mile race along the river Clyde (along the River Clyde Way) from Partick to New Lanark.
In previous posts I have alluded to 'the perfect run'. It is one of those rare things that happens occasionally when a numbers of factors or conditions come together. My long run on Saturday was, unexpectedly, one of those occasions.
So, how do you prepare for running on snow in Antarctica during British summer time?
Answer: run on the beach, something that had not occurred to me initially, but which with hindsight is quite obvious. John Killingworth, a previous Antarctic Ice Marathon participant suggested this to me, so many thanks for the tip.
For someone with such an epic challenge coming up I seem to be taking things remarkably easy at the moment. Not only that but the Clyde Stride 40 (July) is approaching at great speed, so really, I should be getting a bit of a move on.
One could argue, looking at my training log that I have been on one long taper for the Hoka Highland Flingsince the D33 in mid-March. So, as I have previously noted I am most probably under trained for the Fling, and will be happy to make the check point cut off and finish.
On April 27th I am participating in the Hoka Highland Fling. This will be the first time that I have taken part in an event on the West Highland Way. At 53 miles it will also be the longest ultra that I will have attempted.
What a delight yesterday’s training run was. Sunny, dry and cold with not a cloud in the sky. I relaxed into it and did not bother about time or pace.
First race and first ultra of the year: the D33 is, strangely enough, a 33 mile race along the Deeside Way starting and finishing in Duthie Park, Aberdeen, with a turning point at Banchory.
