Counting down the days

16 days to go until UTS-100M, and the nerves are building. The sun finally appeared last weekend of course, now that I've completed my recces in Snowdonia, mostly in horrendous conditions. On Sunday, I took the opportunity for one final local hill run in the Peak District, which slightly boosted my confidence for race day until I realised that my groin pain has returned. As I've been pondering whether I will be able to finish this impossibly hard race at all, let alone within the 48-hour limit, the race organiser's appointed app has predicted my finish time "goal" as 46:49 - I read that as "you might scrape it if you are lucky".

Let's revisit the facts, in an attempt to calm my nerves. It is my third 100-mile race; the hardest, no doubt, but there has been a progression here. I learned a lot, training for the Scotland last summer;  I worked up to and completed my first 24-hour and overnight run. The Scotland 100 event presented brutal heat, and some serious lessons were learned about hydration, not to mention the many logistical challenges of such a big run. 13 Valleys in the autumn presented significantly more technical terrain and greater elevation, and race day brought some hugely challenging storm conditions; I learned lessons about caring for feet, and on reflection, how knowing the route and being efficient with stops can save you hours. My training continued consistently through winter, with a couple more races thrown in. Post-Christmas, I put in a solid first 6+ weeks of the year, racking up 50-mile weeks, plenty of elevation and slotting in some big runs including a marathon distance in the hills. I segued in to a recce phase, getting out to Snowdonia every few weeks to learn the course and practice the terrain, whilst still keeping a solid routine during the weeks. The groin injury struck at an inopportune time at what should have been the peak of my training, but such hard-won endurance ability will not be lost in a few weeks of rest and lesser effort. Maybe I'm not at my quickest, but I have gained a lot more experience, and unlike those previous races, I have learned the vast majority of this course to the extent where I could talk you through the whole thing without a map in front of me.

Have I convinced myself yet? Of course not. But I will be at the start line, with a plan and a great deal of determination.