It’s getting serious

What a week it’s been.  Some great training sessions and as the clock ticks down, 47 days to go, the mileage begins to build.  On Friday I headed off to Ben Lawyers with my friend and guide Michael Martin.  With a weather front coming in for the weekend I rescheduled my training so that we got the best weather for the mountains.
In the morning the mountain was clagged in and no view available - nothing new there for me!  It was very windy on the summits and having had my cap blown off 3 times, I put it away.  1,800 metres of climbing and 28km covered in 5 hours 15 mins.  We spend a considerable time either traversing the mountains or cutting through boggy ground which sapped the strength from our legs and  twisted our ankles while our quads were grumbling with the pressure of heading down hill.
Saturday was always going to be a mental day. It wouldn’t have been safe in the mountains on my own with wet weather forecast so I stayed local.  I ran up and down Tinto four times - mind numbing but that’s part of the preparation.  It’s slightly higher elevation in total than the day before but the distance is similar.
This morning was 3 laps of Chatelherault which was tough having put my legs through a lot in the previous two days.  I was starting to flag when I met a runner on the final lap.  We finished the last lap together and when I checked my stats afterwards it was my quickest lap!  It’s always good to have someone to push you when you’re tiring - thanks Lorna!
My coach has been busy and since I’ve got home and got cleaned up and fed, she’s been sending me my schedule for the next few weeks.  It’s going to be tough for the next two weeks, very tough.  Major miles to be run and tomorrow morning I have 3 hours to complete before work.  My legs have held up well which shows the gym work is paying off.
I’ve also been deciding on equipment based on how my kit has been performing in my long runs.  This weekend decided my top and shorts. These are important decisions and I have to take into account the conditions I’ll be running in.  It’s getting close but I still have to put the miles in so the next two- three weeks will be brutal and critical.  After that my body will start to recover and feel amazing, but I’ll need to get their first.  What a journey!