Great run out at Dalby Forest with Sarah, my rock! I'm very lucky as she keeps me grounded when I become obsessed with my training and it kind of makes me one dimensional.  She is brilliant though, as she supports me all the way but also reigns me in when I get a bit addicted.  I'm in a phase at the moment where things feel like there going really well and I'm improving at a good rate and I'm really feeling the benefit of the consistency and variety that my training plan gives me plus at the moment I'm loving putting in the efforts as the hard work is paying off.  Since the new year I've an effort to get my weight down, not because I want to be skinny but because I know I'm carrying a little bit more than I should and I know by dropping a few pounds it will make it better for me.  The weight has been coming off steadily and I'm now nearly at my target weight.  I started the year at 94 kg's and I'm now 88.5kg's with the goal of 83.  I now feel in a position to really start getting excited about the race as I feel I have put myself into a position of being able to complete it as long as I can stay injury free.  What I have to do though is remember I have a family who needs me and a gorgeous fiancée that needs me.  So my training needs to be done when it doesn't effect everyone else.  Sarah is great, she supports me endlessly and tirelessly even when I became unbearable lol!  It takes a lot but she's amazing as works full time and looks after the kids.  She deserves a medal putting up with me lol!!!

The training at the moment consists of hill reps to build my strength and lung capacity, speed work to try increase my overall slow pace to a little faster and long run endurance work.  I've recently been using a heart rate monitor purely because it interests me to see what is happening during my runs but also with the idea of it assisting my training.  When Sarah joined up at the gym she got one of these 'Blaze' belts which is a heart monitor with a special app that is used in one of the circuit training classes that uses heart rate zones to judge your level of effort during the class so you can push yourself harder and I guess become more accountable.  Anyway I haven't used it in the class yet although I intend to at some point but I am finding it good for when I go out on runs to see how hard I'm working and whether I can actually try a bit harder at certain times.  It is also quite good to see how hard my heart is working during exercise and the efforts.

What's next?  Well I want to now try and push a little harder in my speed work as I feel this is starting to become more important now I've increased my fitness levels.  I also want to maintain my long run once a week even a little trickier now with work, and I want to get the rest of my body stronger and more able to cope with the rigours of long distance running.  I also need to stay strong with my weight loss but maintain healthy balance of eating enough of the good stuff!

Happy days!!!

This is it now, I'm in this neck deep.  I'm now fully committed to this challenge, I've fully bought into this and I've put down the marker and said I'm going to do it.  I'm now in a great position, I've put the work in to build my base level of fitness.  For some reason, I never feel fit enough, I'm not sure why this is.  Maybe its my expectations of what I think I should be like or to be able to do what I think I should be able to do.  I don't know, but I'm going to keep working at it at pushing myself harder, further and more intensely.  I'm already using pretty much all my spare time trying to improve whether that's being out there and running, in the gym doing strength work or stretching or rolling or having massages or reading book after book after book about this stuff.  I kind of feel its time to put up or shut up, I need to succeed at this more than ever now.  I need to achieve this for myself, for me to carry on trying to achieve more and greater things.  I'm also going back to my first reasons for doing all this.  My daughter, she was my motivation once before and she is again.  She currently has her own battles going on that I can't do much to help her with.  I want to show her about committing yourself to something so far out of your comfort zone that you have put everything you have into to it.  I want to show her that we all have something inside of us that we can uncover, harness, and use to our own advantage.  I want to show her that even when it looks impossible you can still achieve things, great things.  I want to show her that I get up at 4am in the morning to train because I have to if I want to do this and achieve it.  I want her to see that if you commit yourself fully, doing all the horrible things, training early mornings, training in the wind, rain and snow and the cold, aching all the time and getting on with things then you can do it.  Most of all I want her to be as proud of me as I am of her.

The fire is truly lit inside my belly now. I  now feel ready for the task I have put in front of me.  So what am I going to do now, what can I do from here.  I want to keep on top of my training, do the right things to keep my body healthy and injury free.  I now know that this is going to be a mental game, and that is my strength!  Don't get me wrong, my fitness level needs to be greater than its ever been before and needs to be at point that I believe in my own ability to be able last the distance.  Those cut-off's are going to be my enemy and will be taking them on one at a time.  I have the mental strength to push on when others may stop but I need coping strategies that will empower me at the right times.  The times is now, and I'm ready!!!!

Bring it on!!!!!

The last few weeks has  been great.  Although I've had to manage a few minor injuries, which haven't necessarily held me back but I haven't been able to do exactly what is in my plan from Ronnie.  What I've really enjoyed recently is getting some long runs in consistently along with the shorter ones around near the house.  The long runs have been great fun and what I enjoy the most.  I get to use the map a bit and explore new routes and get lost now and again ha ha! The 160 is nearing, each day I feel like I am now on count down.  8 weeks to go till the 55 so its about 16 weeks till 160 eeeekkk!  The question is, am I any further on or in a better place than I was a couple of years ago.  Yes!  Without a doubt.  I feel more confident at the moment as my training seems to be improving each week and I don't just mean speed I mean the whole thing.  Fitter for sure, stronger yes, faster marginally, healthier definitely and not injured!  Whats the plan at the moment? Well I want to keep up with schedule Ronnie has written for me but I want to make sure I don't start over doing as is my way and get injured.  I need to listen to my body and rest when needed and work hard when I can.  My work schedule and family life are important to me so I am trying my hardest to work it around everything which means at times running when I don't want to or when its uncomfortable.  On the flip side to that, I think that is a good thing as it will make me stronger and more capable of coping with 'uncomfortable' which basically is Ultra Running!

How's it going at the moment? Well mileage wise I've just done a 60 mile week which is something for me.  I don't think I've ever done that many miles in a week for training.  Which is why I'm now being overly cautious about strains and niggles as I can feel soreness in my archilles tendon on both legs.  So as good as last week was I'm now just going to ease off again slightly.  My toughest part of training it seems is the speed work.  I just don't adapt well to it and I really have to force myself to push harder during a run whereas my natural state is go steady and save some in the tank because I want to make sure I finish comfortably.  I guess that's the clue right there though, 'comfortably' for me to improve my work rate and achieve the goals I've set I need to force myself out of these mind sets of comfort and make it more about long term improvement and not about short term satisfaction.

I'm now starting to think about the race more and more.  Just little things related to where I want to train more and what sections I really need to be doing better at.  A little test that I'm going to be putting myself through is pushing harder than normal on the 55 again to make it uncomfortable and to see what kind of time difference this will make.  This is mainly because on the 160 I want to be doing the first 60 miles ish a bit quicker than last time, either to give me more rest time at Ravenscar or so I can get Saltburn a bit quicker.  My plan is to not go crazy in that first section but not to be dilly dallying around which I felt I did last time and took too much time getting to Scalby and on to Ravenscar.  I need to put some measures in place for coping mentally after Ravenscar as this was the main problem last time, I just had a melt down and I need to prevent this from happening by putting coping mechanisms in place to deal with it.

One thing is for sure my amazing Fiancee is now also my amzing crew.  I couldn't do it without her and knowing she is there at each meet point is my drive to get there.  I just don't want to let her down.  Always supporting and pushing me to do more and letting me carry on doing this craziness ha ha!

Back out there again today plodding away, wading actually is probably a better description, at the miles.  Since taking on Ronnie Staton as my coach my improvement is starting to reveal.  One of the main reasons I went to Ronnie for help was for consistency and structure.  Its quite interesting though as I feel quite under pressure to fit the runs in or the training, but now I'm clocking up the miles by getting some structure I feel like I'm going to have a chance and doing this thing.

Today I was scheduled to do 3-5 hours endurance Hike/run, it was actually for another day but I swapped the days round to fit me.  I'm trying to get into the routine of Thursdays being my long run day, I just need to get out a bit earlier as its not quite giving me enough time to get the extra distance or to do anything else at home.

Sarah as always is being great, although she looks at me a bit weird when I say what I've either got planned to do or say what I've done.  Her support is amazing and I really feel now that we get out on most Sundays for a joint run that we are both getting some good habits.  It is a strain sometimes as I see how hard she works and how difficult it sometimes is with the kids, then I say I'm just popping out for a run 'see you soon'!  Probably doesn't help...

Today I revisited my running route from last week, starting in Hutton-le-Hole and heading out to Bransdale from Gilamoor and across the top of the Moors before coming back via Church Houses and Low Mill.  Its now become my steady Thursday long run route, I've stolen it really from the Hardmoors race series.  This particular route I'm using is the Farndale half marathon which is about 16/17 miles and its fit for purpose really.  At the moment its a good distance for me to step up to and its hilly with some good lung busting climbs.  I'm hoping over the next few weeks to increase the distance by using some of the marathon route which I don't want to rush into as I feel I could end up over doing it then being injured.  I'm also thinking of using the Goathland route to mix it up a bit too which will be fun as I've not done any of this before.

Something that was interesting today and something that has been lacking in the past a bit was the repeating of my mantra.  "I can, I will!!"  and a new one which was very simple but to the point "Finish!!!" All I could think was  'just bloody finish it this time!' .  This made me realise how important this little constant reminders are as they push you harder and further, because they constantly motivate you as they matter to you.

Whats great or what I've been finding is even though I've been keeping my speed steady if not slow over these longer runs my legs are feeling strong and can cope with the distance fine.  I do feel I need to try and push myself on one of these longer runs to find out what I can actually do.  In my training he has me doing shorter runs but with a number of (sprints) or faster sections that I find quite hard but I'm reaping the rewards now I guess by feeling stronger and more capable.

My main concentration now is, weight, I want to start dropping some Kg's and keeping injury free while pushing myself in the shorter runs when required.  I really want to be in a good place ready for the Hardmoors 55 in March.  Its game time and I'm getting geared up for the battle!!!!

Consistency - and Structure that's the key!

Here we go again!

So once again I've signed up to put my body through hell.  The Hardmoors 160 is the challenge, unfinished business.  This time with much greater knowledge, better training and a new plan.  I will be taking this on with a renewed sense of challenge and exciting but with a lot more determination.  The thought of dnf'ing again is my motivation, I want this!

Christmas is a great time of year I love it.  Apart from being with the family and getting to do all the festive things I also get the opportunity to get some good training in.  I have now taken on Ronnie Staton as a coach with the aim of not just completing the Hardmoors 160 but to also go on and achieve some new goals I've set.  I now have a much more structured programme involving different workouts and durations which I am trying to incorporate.  My training was building up great, readying myself for the Hardwolds 80 which I was doing as a tester really.  Regrettably though I came down with flu or a virus that completed knocked me for six.  I waited right to the last minute, having this annoying mental battle all day on the Friday before I finally came to the conclusion that I was in no fit state to attempt an 80 mile ultra race let alone a 13.1 mile half marathon.  Its an incredibly difficult decision to make when you can still move around ok and always believe in being the kind of person that will always try before accepting defeat.  In this case though it would have been dangerous to have even tried and irresponsible, plus unfair on the people organising the event.

A couple of weeks had passed and this flu was still lingering.  I couldn't shake it, and my training was beginning to lessen as time went on.  After nearly 4 weeks I was able to start getting back into but now we were entering the Christmas season and this was going to hamper it yet again.  I've manage to just about keep up with the schedule but I stupidly went out one cold morning this week with intention of doing hill sprints as my scheduled training.  The idea was to do 1-3 miles steady warm up followed by 14 medium 10 second sprints then a 1-3 mile cool down.  Well I was up against it for time with trying to fit everything in and I didn't take care of myself.  I only allowed for a minimal warm-up, barely even a mile but I convinced myself this was fine.  I began the sprints, 3/4 effort was what was required but I think mine was more like 90%.  I managed 8 before I felt a tweak in my hamstring, at the time it didn't really feel like much so I tried another before pulling up and deciding that was enough and just headed back home in a straggling slow jog looking like a lame dog.

Where am I now? Well I've luckily had a few days off work for New Year so I've used the time to rest altogether allowing it time to mend.  I'm hoping to get out tomorrow for a run/hike and to test it.  It was a big strain so I'm hoping the few days off will have been enough.  Lesson learnt!!!!

Tough couple of weeks in the Barker-Wyatt household that's made training difficult as motivation has been low.  I've still managed to set small targets and get out there running and a bit of gym but my weight loss has halted.  This is going to get back on track today with some commitment to the task.  Its mind set and I have strong qualities that I need to tap into here and become more disciplined with myself and start looking after myself better.

The PROCESS is going to involve more running than I've done in training over the last 2 years combined with a bit of gym work.  The conditioning I can start to do more of at home and some early morning runs.  The weight will come off as a bi-product of good discipline and training regularly.

I've just started reading a book by Travis Macy called The Ultra Mindset so I'm hoping to get some good tips and strategies from this to implement in my training.   I guess my current battle is just about achieving some of my dream goals, I feel I've got to a point where I need something else in my training or psychology.  I feel I am capable of achieving some more great things and that I'm not beaten yet.  How do I draw on my emotions to dig in deeper?  How do I become a stronger phyisica runner and a more mental strong runner?

Consistency = Fitter + mentally stronger

Here we go again!

So I'm finally back at it after a summer of disappointing finishes starting with the Hardmoors 110 where I had to stop at 95 miles after getting timed out at Square corner just after Osmotherly and the Lakeland 100 where I only managed 33 miles before being timed out.  The simple fact is I am not good enough and have found temporary limitations to my running.  The question is, what am I going to do about it and can I learn from past experiences.

Last week I started the process of training again.  This began with weighing myself and having a minor shock or reality check whatever you want to call it but basically I haven't done myself any favours over the last 6 weeks of summer. Urrrgghhh!!!  This means I'm half a stone over my base level weight and a stone over where I want to be so weight is on my priority list to get lower.  In theory this should happen with training again and getting off the booze, AGAIN!!!

My entry is in for The Lakeland 100 next year and I will be entering the Hardmoors 160 again.  This means hard work over 8/9 months with doing more specific training and more mileage and losing the additional pounds to get where I want to be.  I have about 9 weeks till the Hardmoors 80 which will give me a good base before Christmas and a good focus for training over the next month or so.  It will also be at a good point to see how I'm fairing also to decide whether I need up my game or keep going and maintain.  Hill work, cardio, leg strength and weight!! These are my main focus points over the next 8 months.  Distance runs will also be very important but I have the 80 then the 55 so just need a couple of 30's in between.

Over the last week I have managed to get back out and running, which to be honest was a bit difficult as motivation was low and my mind wasn't really on it.  Once I got out there it felt great, I suddenly remembered why I liked it and that I definitely need to keep this up. My plan was to try and be consistent over the first couple of weeks just to rebuild some muscle memory and to not shock my body too much and end up injured straight away.  I not only soon realised how much I needed my running but I also quickly remembered how tough it was when you don't do it regular and like in my case have to carry too much excess weight.  Its time to stop the rot, and get back in the game!!!

The Hardmoors 160 is going to be really really tough and possibly out of my reach yet again but I'm going to give it my best shot even if it takes me another 2 or 3 attempts!