Sunday 30 November 2008

w/c 24 November - Still getting ready....

Ok, ok now i can start training.

Dates have now been sorted, and it's going to be May, not June. May 22/23 2009 to be precise. Also, a spate of three weekends in a row of being away and seeing friends (and not really training) has been and gone. Whilst that's been really nice, it really is time to start training for the PBR.

I;ve done a schedule which is pretty demanding. If i can get out and do this, it'll mean I'm physically ready. It'll also mean i'm in possession of route knowledge too, much of this time is going to spent out there in Snowdonia on that testing route.

The 10,000 feet per week maxim will be met and hugely exceeded too. This time, I'll be doing far less road running and will get onto the railway and Moel Famau, even in the dark. That way I climb more feet earlier and reduce the impact of road running and the chance of injury.

Here's the plan, sort of...



Next week's goal - 5000' feet of ascent, and a good run out at the Cardington Cracker on Sunday.

Sunday 23 November 2008

It's back on!

Berlin has been and gone. I've recovered from that and the niggles are fading. Time now for some unfinished business.

And not before time! The last few weeks have been busy and stressful and my running has been taking a real back seat. Applying for a new job when my existing one is under threat has been the priority. It's clear to me now though that rather than wait for a less tumultuous time in life to start focussing on something like the PBR, now is exactly the time to do it. Running is a salve to tough times, but running well and with an exciting life-event at the end of it is more than a salve - it's a much needed rock to keep me sane.

When i have been getting out, I've run poorly. Only the Clwydian Hills and Roaches fellraces and a recent outing on the hills around Llangollen have been truly enjoyable. That tells me it's time to hit the hills again.

The first job is to work out when to do it. The most likely looking date is 5/6 June 2009. May/June is a busy time of year, with other people's 24 hour rounds and other events around that time competing for attention. This date comes a couple of weeks after Dave Sykes will possibly do his BGR and a month after the Fellsman. Perfect!

The next job is to do something of a training schedule. It's a nice job - a sort of fantasy fellrunning. It takes someone with iron confidence to be able to casually knock out a schedule with things like "30,000' climbing this week" without getting a bit daunted.

So, i'll get going on that and then start recruiting some support.

Can't wait to get started. That begins tomorrow...