Halfway... in time... beware contains running...

So this is halfway...

Six months since I set myself the faintly bonkers challenge of doing 2012km in a year...

Put that into context, 2 and a bit years ago my challenge was to do 1000km in a year...

Back then I was looking forward to my first marathon, training programmes were a near random collection of fear, terror and numbers.

Now, I'm looking forward to my first ultra-marathon, training programmes are a mix of numbers, heavy & light weeks and continual forward progress.

Six months and 1103km done...
Six months and 909km to do...

I've done my first trail race - it hurt, I was sick, I'll be back
I've done 2 marathons - one with a hill (Brutal Belfast) one with so many hills I lost count (Excalibur)

I've got leaner - not that hard, I've not had a pie since November

I've got faster - still back of the pack, but the progress for me has been great

I know myself better - I spend enough time with myself; feet pounding, lungs straining, running through my mental drills, distracting myself and keeping myself going.

And I don't know what else is to come... It used to be easy, I knew my limits and I dreamed of pushing them a bit... This year that hasn't been the case, 10k is the best example... my PB was 69 minutes... Then I took it down to 67 in a flying race... Then in a race I expected to chug along in it went down (almost my accident) to 64... Yesterday, was a there and back 10k, just to start the planned training for the ultra... 68... As a training run that was fairly comfortable.

Can I go faster, probably... It's a brave new world out there, scary, but new:-D However, speed is only part of it, I also have distance to go 50km... in one hit... 31 miles... basically Liverpool to Manchester, in one go...

This is a wistful post, as remembereances of exploits past should be, and a hopeful post as those looking forward should be. 


And to paraphrase Robert Frost - Miles to go before I rest, Miles to go before I rest.

TTFN

Paul




 

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