Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Setting An Achievable Target

by Russell Turner - 11:59 on 30 June 2024

In two weeks, by this time (barring disaster) Matchgirl and I will be 100k ultramarathoners. I’m still not overconfident, but after reassessing my finish line hopes I’m less gloomy about the outcome than I have been recently.

Instead of fixating on a Race to the Stones finish time – even one with a three-hour range – my race target is simply to complete the distance: anything else will be gravy. Finishing before sunrise (around 20 hours) would be nice, but if it takes longer, that’s life. The final finisher of the recent 100k Race to the King took 26 hours, and she looked delighted.

Although Matchgirl would hate to come last, her approach has been less time-driven than mine, with the result that she looks set for a jolly day out. Assuming I don’t get lost, can avoid injury, and am able to eat and drink enough to fuel me, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t reach the end too, as long as I can ditch my marathon mindset.

Now the only thing to worry about (apart from my bruised toes and still sometimes hurty back) is something we can’t control – the weather. Last year featured blazing heat, thunderstorms, chill wind and patches of slippery mud. The BBC’s forecast is for sunny intervals and a gentle breeze at the start and finish with the temperature peaking at 23ºC, when with luck we’ll be around the halfway point and can take a break at basecamp, if necessary. The preceding days show only occasional light rain on most of the route, a little more over the last quarter, so we might avoid any muddy quagmires.

Let’s hope that the more accurate Met Office, which looks just a week ahead, is equally optimistic.

The conditions were less kind yesterday for what should have been a 15k effort. Cold wind and drizzle meant I cut it down to 10k. By this point, a few kilometres here or there won’t make any difference to my race day fitness. I hope. I could have done them today but a late home time after a Buckie gig last night left me disinclined to pursue activity. Matchgirl, on the other hand, is out running 8+ miles. What a star.

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