One week after getting a niggle in my hip-flexor again I am slightly stressed about the run not necessarily how I envisaged but stressed about my hip.  There's one thing worrying about not being fit enough or prepared but having niggles that put doubts in your mind and worry that it will just not happen is not good.  I was very excited previous to crashing down with this slight injury so I'm hoping that a little rest and due care and attention can help solve this problem even if just temporarily.
So usual week before frustrations, fitness and niggles, doubts over the distance, planning and preparation, kit and confidence.  I still have a few bits and bobs to get that I think will make it a slightly better experience but nothing dramatic its just more psychological than anything but if they make things a little easier then I'm all for that.  I feel like I'm walking on eggshells at the moment as don't want to injure anything else and the fear of going for a little run is that I'm going to do myself more harm than good.  I don't enjoy this phase I'd rather just get on with it but since the next few days will prove important rest for my hip then I need to just go easy.
My support crew are being great, really helpful and keen which makes it easier as less to worry about.  Just want to make it a great experience for them too so we can all enjoy and you never know I might need there help again in the future if this doesn't put me off lol!!!

Reality check alert!  After such a good few weeks of training and positive thinking, planning and preparation I was firmly brought back down to earth and given a harsh reality check of what I am about to attempt.  After planning Monday as my last half decent long run so a mere 13 miles which I was expecting to be comfortable and was actually looking forward to it, I came down with a crash bang wallop!  My hip flexor reminded me it wasn't long ago that I had struggled with it and had to limp round the New Years Day 30 and cut short the Northumberland 35.  It didn't stop me from running but it did cause me enough irritation and discomfort to know I couldn't take it for granted.  What I am pleased about is that I have a couple of weeks to sort it.  I was able to run but afterwards I was in quite a lot of discomfort and had limited range of movement and the soreness was high.  Today, the day after I can barely feel it which I am very happy about it means I just aggrevated it but what it has done has given me a reality check of what I am embarking on.  I will be ok and its not serious but I have to give it some attention and give the challenge the respect it deserves.  This is one of THE hardest Ultra marathons in the UK for sure.  The terrain, and difficulty level of the course leaves it as a tough nut to crack.  Take this challenge with extreme caution.  Not for the faint hearted or fair weather runners!  Preparations and plans are being made, the schedule of events is in place I have written a timeline to suggest where I might be at what time to help my support crew judge where to meet me.  If I get these things wrong it could be the difference between finishing and not.



Over the next few days I will be concentrating on stretching and positive thinking.  The plan has to be to keep positive and believing in finishing this race.  I will be there, I will be at the end!!

Not long now and I'm starting to feel excited about this challenge, this is what its been all about, all the training all the other events and now its nearly here!  Not sure if its apprehension, fear or excitement probably all three, whatever it is I like.  I now have that sense of adventure going into the unknown, not knowing if I can do it or not.  What I do know is I will be giving it everything I have, it will take more you can count on it.  The knowledge of going into it knowing you have trained, knowing you have silly injuries and knowing you are mentally ready to take it on is a major bonus.  Providing my body allows me to push myself when I need to and doesn't pack up on me half way round all I have to do is keep making the cut-offs and I'll be there at the end.  It will be about good food, hydration and foot management to how successful I will be.  My goal is get to the end in time, after that anything is a bonus.



I think I could have done further distances in training but I'm not worried about this as happy with the way my body is working at the moment.  I feel fit, healthy and ready to have a go.  My progression over the last few months has put me in this position.  After completing the New Years Day 30 and struggling so much I didn't foresee being in this strong position I am in now, then baling out at Northumbland 35 at 28 miles but feeling good was now the right thing to do and possibly put me where I am now.  Then completing the Hardmoors 55 in such a good positive way has enabled the mental side to this journey to stay positive and has kept the dream alive.  6 months ago I had spent months pulling out of races or events due to lack of confidence in my body and fear making current injury's worse.  I bodged my way round the York Marathon and a few other events with intention of testing my recovery and seeing where I was at.  The journey was long and looking unlikely to be completed then, now its all nearly over, this is what its all been about.  The excitement builds, the pain is coming but that wont stop me enjoying my moment.  The Hardmoors Journey will soon be over, or shall I try for the 160 ha ha!  Never say never!!!!!!

The past few days has brought some great weather so I felt I had to take the opportunity to get out as much as sensibly possible and get some training in.  I am having a rest day today as my legs feel slightly tired and ache a bit.  Last week I kept up my normal safe run which is about 4 miles and makes me feel good and allows me depending on the day to either push hard or just go with the flow and enjoy the run.  I think it is important to have a route like this that you can turn to especially on days when your tired or not up for it.  It motivates me but still makes me feel I have done something worthwhile.  Following these few short runs, whilst staying at my parents who live on the Yorkshire Wolds I ventured out with the map and headed off on a trail run.  This was great fun and the weather was perfect. Heading out of their village and up the hill, veering away more and more which left me feeling slightly apprehensive but I continued and trusted my map reading skills ( not to be done lightly ha ha!)  With a few little up's and downs the route brought me beautifully back to there house with the 'wiff' of my mothers cooking drifting through the village.

Saturday and Sunday brought good training days with a decent 8 miler on Saturday afternoon after work so tired legs then a good 11 miler Sunday morning with even more tired limbs!  This is important training for a few reasons really as it prepares yours legs for feeling tired and continuing, its good strength training as you have to dig in and motor on, and more importantly than any other its good mental strength training. If your not used to it being hard and tough going how are you going to cope on the day.  You need to learn coping strategies, I have talked about this before.  You need knowledge or experience of how it feels then you need coping methods to get you through it.



Mental strength is now what it is about, physical preparation is a must over the next few weeks but my coping mechanisms is what I will be concentrating the most on.

Two weeks on since the HM55 and I am well and truly back to the training for the 110.  After a steady week of resting and a few little runs just to get the legs moving again I decided it was time to be more productive in my training.  This meant, being more specific to my needs, having not done this distance before its all a bit of guess work to what suits me and how I get the best out of the time left.  My decision has been to maintain medium and short runs with varied pace therefore trying to push hard on shorter runs to improve my pace and work my body harder.  I am also doing rest/run training as what I found on the 55 was due to the terrain my tendency was to have to walk weather uphill or on the flat just after a hard section to recover then to run for a section before the next tough bit.  This proved incredibly worthwhile as what I did was run hard for 3/4 mile so 8 to 8.5 min miles (which is good for me before anyone says that's not hard) then a recovery period of 1/4 mile which power walked as hard as I could.  Then repeated this process 8 times.  I felt great at the end and really feel I benefited from this as was thoroughly exhausted at the end feeling like I had achieved my goal.  This I will definitely be doing a few times more and for longer.

Feeling so good with my training and where I was with it all I felt I needed a challenge and that the terrain was important this time as over the next few weeks its about getting my body adjusted to hill work and non-level footing. I decided to head to the Dales and attempt either all 3 peaks or some of it.  After arriving in Horton at 6.30am which meant I left home at 4.30am  I set off up Pen-y-Ghent and decided that was all I was going to have time to do.  This was great, the hard work my legs went through on the uphill plus working my heart rate thoroughly was irreplaceable, and then the downhill section was great experience and workout for my quads and getting some much needed downhill running practice.  This sounds like it should be easy but its the down hills that trash your legs so putting yourself through it and trying to get used to it before the event should hopefully pay off.

Next for days I will be looking to just top the miles up a bit before doing anything specific again.  This last week has been great training what I have learnt my just get me round the 110.  Whats left, well its the psychology training now over the next few weeks and mentally being prepared and then the planning of where to have my support crew stationed and which sections I want to utilise them as runners.  Interesting times, exciting, can't wait for this challenge now I actually feel I am capable and have the experience to get it done!  I am well and truly in the thick of it now!!!