I'm back...

And so it ends...

The three weeks of rest, recovery and finding my focus I promised myself. Don the Trail26 at Rivington, wait for 3 weeks and then start again...

By my math its eighteen weeks to my date with destiny, the start line at Greenwich. As I've ranted and moaned about before this a run six years in the making, six years of marathons, ultramarathons, worn out trainers, worn through shorts, not too many blisters and far too much chafing!!!

So this is the year where I'm hoping it all comes together, I'm fit - but not race fit; I'm lighter than I was - but not as light as I can be; I'm focused - just about the right level. I've got the endurance in spades, I can walk all day (and have done many times...)

The early spring races are booked, a fun fast 10k in Southport, my Mad Dog three times its been organised, three times I've loved it. The Cambridge half, flat fast and fun... and last year nice and chilly.

The cardiologist is content with my antics, the diabetic nurse won't be seeing me until the new year - as she's not got time for me... so I hope she's ok, cos I'm going to be well into m miles by then.

I've been prepping by getting the body ready used to the times I'll have to exercise - long sessions on Sundays, evening sessions twice a week, gym sessions twice a week and climbing twice a week... Mixing it up helps stop my boredom freehold being breached.  The diet has begun to get focused again, the pasta is being weighed, the tins of soup are in the desk drawer and the porridge tubs have started appearing.

One wrinkle is that London is only the first proper length event of the year, with the Fellsman two weeks after, then Liverpool & the Intro Ultra taking me through May. So to add to my distractions I need to get to the hills and add that mix to my anti-boredom training plan.

This is all sounding fun so faršŸ˜

And that's the point, three weeks ago I was tired, dog tired. Now, the stubbornness and desire are back, the flicking through running magazines has turned into detailed readings. I'm never going to be fast by club runner standards, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to be as fast as I can be.

Edinburgh was my first, I didn't know what I could do... Liverpool was a disaster of everything apart from stubbornness and sheer guts... Belfast was brutally beautiful, that hill should've have killed any chance of a PB, but 7 min came off in rain and wind.

I don't know if London will be a PB, no runner can know at 18 weeks out, but I do know I have the skills, determination and hopefully luck to try...


So it begins...

TTFN

Paul

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