Unintentional Ultra Runner

  "Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today" Tim Fargo   Monday 25/03: I can’t remember the last time I ran in the sun but this week is living up to forecasts and today was a NICE run!! Temperature was a near perfect 13 degrees and sunny without wind. Better still, it was daylight for 90% of it. A quick loop of the airfield to get the hound’s exercised and then straight back out for the extra 15 miles. Heading out I was a little still unsure if I’d do the longer loop and turn the 15 miles into 18 miles but when it came to the proverbial fork in the road it was, sad to say, the shorter one. Not because I wimped out, but more that I wanted to see if I could get back without having to brighten the route with a headtorch. I took the opportunity to try out some different nutrition en route. Pip & Nut is, in essence just peanut butter in a sachet. There’s no way you can neck it in one but the occasional slurp was goooood. I...

“Preparation, I have often said, is rightly two-thirds of any adventure.” Amelia Earhart   Let’s start a little differently this week and talk kit now that I have mine 99.9% tested & sorted (or scroll down to the week’s update :0) ) Ultra ultra distances are without doubt a science. I started learning about this properly when I began this epic journey 9 months ago. I’m absolutely by no means a guru BUT I have a deeper respect and understanding for what works / doesn’t work for me. I say that because, what works for one may not work for another, although, having guidelines from experienced ultraletes ( I think I’ve just made a new word) is a great nugget to have it still boils down to you as an individual. Sure I’ve done a few 100km+ ultras but never anything like this or in such hostile conditions. My CV of ultras was mostly founded using the “wing it” approach and, although I’ve never DNF any of them, I’ve not always fared well during or afterwards. Thi...

“ I think what endurance sports teach you is to stay dedicated, stay focused, and also to understand you're going to have ups and downs, but you need to keep running right through them.” Kyrsten Sinema Goals for the Week were:  Monday is going to be a 20+ miler. Tuesday teaching at the dojo Wednesday will be a 10 mile minimum Thursday will be a 15 miler Friday 6 – 10 miles Saturday is planned to be 10 x circuits of the Buster Hill Half Pipe (seriously not looking forward to this one. eeeeek!) Sunday rest day!!!!!!! Here's how it panned out....     Monday 11/03: After a decent rest day and work wrapped up for the day, i had the route for tonight figured out quite early on. I often find that visualising the session and mentally getting it in my head usually puts me in good shape just to crack on and get the job done. Route meant taking in the a...

“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” – Rikki Rogers Right, let’s put all this bloggy stuff in perspective.   I’m an absolute novice when it comes to multi-stage Ultra marathons. Sure, I’ve done four ultras previously but when it comes to self-sufficient multi stage events, well, that’s completely out of my comfort zone and never done one but ya have to start somewhere right?   The reason for blogging was ultimately to be accountable to myself and those who enjoy reading about my experiences. This whole journey has taken me to places both mentally & physically I didn’t think I’d ever go, but with the guidance from new found friends and experienced ultra veterans I think I have a better shot at things and hopefully be able get the job done with as little pain as possible. Another great spin off from the blog has been the remarkable support from readers here in the UK a...