Time to go a bit mental...

One year, hopefully 2014, I'm going to sit and write how all of my training for a marathon has gone swimmingly, how the miles have gone flying and how my body has held up brilliantly...

However, not right now...

I had a cracking week in the Lakes back at the start of the month, 70 miles of walking and running to get me back in the groove... Then a weird cold thing took a week out, then a rogue biker almost took me out - I was jogging on the pavement, they were cycling... Apparently they had right of way, and that way went through my right hip...

So 10 days of gingerly bending and flexing it, building up the walking as a compensation and it seems to be working. A couple of gym sessions to test the joints out and it all seems to be fine... Which leaves me two weeks from a trail marathon with bugger all in my legs apart from a reasonable 10km... As people can see I ended up doing a modified Galloway of 900m run, 100m walk - until I warmed up and blasted the last 2km in something that felt like a proper run...



However, its my 6th fastest ever, and in conditions that don't work for me - warm, humid and dry... come on British weather, give me a break!

This weekend is a two day charity meeting, and should be part of my taper - so gently does it.

All of which means that there's not a lot physical I can do now, keep loose, keep walking and a few short runs. And focus on the mental side of things...

This is the tough bit, I run on confidence that I get from my running... So tapers are always a pain, and I'm still thinking of just binning the whole idea of a taper, and just stepping down (a lot more gradually than this time!) a bit.

However, confidence is the issue so I need a daily mental routine... So my promise to myself, and you my reader, is that:

Each day I will review the map of the Rivington Trail Marathon - knowledge is power

Each day I will rerun the Garmin connect players of the 100 mile run - if I can get through that I can get through anything

I will visit the Facebook/blogs/websites pages of those who've inspired me; some are dead, most would never think that they could inspire someone over 26.2 miles, and some are as mad as me.

I will run through my kit, time and time again... I'd do that anyway, but I'm a nerd at the best of times! ;-)

And I will for the next fortnight focus on all that I've done, and not that which I haven't - this is just 26 miles with 3700ft of up and down... I know I can do that!

And mentally I will recite the ultra-runners mantra - at some point it will hurt, and at some point the hurt will stop.

Thirteen days and counting...

TTFN

Paul




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