[Reposted from FB, 8 June 2023 23:07]
I'm not an ultra runner. I don't even know how to train. Things ache. I don't feel fit.
All these are thoughts that rotate through my head during the few weeks of tapering. I tend to lose focus as soon as I stop the obsessive daily routines, so rather than a structured reduction in exercise I just sort of stop, do a little bit more, and then start feeling like I should still be training properly.
At 5:30am on Saturday, me and Rob will hand in our drop bags, and line up for 6am start at Ultra Scotland 106 mile race. As ludicrous as it seems, any fears we had have surely now been proven unfounded; after a chaotic few months of training and attempted long trial runs, our 75-miler a few weeks ago surely confirmed our readiness. It was a success in every respect; no injuries to speak of, no dramas, it went to plan. Surely we can do another 31 miles.
Tapering weeks are awful. You ease off the running, with the expectation that rest and freshness will reveal a fully-conditioned, athletic body, ready to take on the challenge. What actually happens is that all sorts of pains appear, new ones each day, and your mind starts questioning your abilities. Friends think that a 5/10/20 mile run won't even register as a challenge, but then I get out of bed and my heels hurt, I walk down stairs my knees feel unhappy and I feel tired like everyone else. Am I ready?
Then the reality of life interrupts. A week of camping during the taper. Not a rest week, a week of swimming in the sea and jumping around, and off, rocks. It takes its toll, and on returning home I realise I've hurt my ankle, more than a little, with 6 days remaining. The days tick by, and the ankle still hurts. 4 days to go, and I'm quite worried. The pain eases with 3 days to go, maybe it is still doable.
Parcels of kit have been arriving for days. Nutrition. Backpacks. More backpacks, as they are all wrong. Tops. Shorts. Jackets. A strap for my GPS. Foot cream. A lot of this stuff will be getting sent back. All this in addition to the multiple variants of clothing, shoes, gadgets, batteries, torches, gels, buffs, waterproofs and poles I already own...it seems OTT, and yet also proportionate to the challenge.
Bags packed. Race briefing watched. Scotland here we come. I should really look at the route soon.
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