The time has come

It’s time.  All the training and planning are done and in 18 hours time I will be standing at the start line of an amazing adventure - the Tahoe 200.  It’s hard to explain how I feel at the moment; a mixture of nervous excitement at taking on such a challenge and wanting to perform well and not to get lost.  More importantly I don’t want to meet a black bear.  A lot of our briefing was about black bears who are becoming more of a nuisance in the area as they get used to us humans.  We all decided not to leave our drop bags at the start of the race overnight as there was a good chance the bears would get them!  That’s a new challenge for me.
Fiona and I have spend hours going through the logistics and they are complicated.  The aid stations are fully stocked with food, burgers, spaghetti meatballs, soup etc (think I may have to suffer garlic!) but it’s making sure you have enough food for the 20 mile stretches in between that may take 8/10 hours depending on the terrain.
One of the water pumps isn’t working between aid stations so that means you’ll have to carry enough water for 17 miles.  The weather forecast is variable but the one thing I do know is it will be warm during the days and potentially below freezing at night.  Bad weather including snow is forcast with high winds on Sunday-Monday but that will be like a normal weekends training for me.  Fortunately I have the warmest mitts in the world so should be fine.  We start at 6,500 ft and go up topping out at a fraction below 10,000 ft.  In total 10,000 ft of ascent and the same in descent.
I’ll be spending hopefully only 3 full nights in the dark and with the latest GPS technology (that I didn’t set up) I shouldn’t get lost.  I have to survive the first 63 miles on my own before my pacer joins me and Becky, who is local and a very experienced runner, will run the next 100 miles with me.  I then have Reggie who will run 20 miles leaving me 11 miles to finish on my own.  The last 30 miles are brutal but that’s the challenge.
The chief medical officer said this race “takes place from the neck up and the ankles down” and I’m sure he’s right.  I will be pushed harder than ever before and when you’re in this space it’s an incredible feeling.  That’s why I come back for more.  The medical officer also said you will “discover yourself” in the race.  Bring it on.
As you know I’m running this race to raise money in memory of my friend Carol O’Docherty and I know she will be there pushing me on my way along with so many of you who have supported me along this journey - thank you.
I’ve got to the start line so my first goal is achieved.  I’m fit and healthy so the second goal is achieved.  All I need to do now is trust in my preparation and put one foot in front of the other for up to 100 hours.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and you can track me if you’d like by going to www.tahoe200.com .  That’s me signing off.  See you on the other side.