Le Petit Jog

I'm on the train.  Five and a half hours to Exeter for a stopover tonight, then a further three hours to get to Hayle in Cornwall to check in for the registration at 3pm tomorrow, ready to start at 7am at Lands End on Saturday.  This last week has been a bit of a blur. Last minute reflections with my coach, as well as going through all the lists and thoughts of what I need to take that I've been imagining and making over the last year. It's now all become a reality. It's like deja-vu, but all of my own making. All the advice was to halve what you think.   I can't quite believe that I've made it this far, and I haven't even started.  Although, passing through Leeds station, I thought I was already there! I'll put a link to the dot-watching live tracking on the blog home page as soon as I have it, and any updates for anyone joining me on the run itself at https://lepetitjog.blogspot.com/p/thinking-about-oining-me-on-run-itself.html Thanks for reading this ...

Less than two weeks to go.  A triple back-to-back weekend completed at the start of May. It was 82 miles with nearly 3700m of elevation in 3 days. Lots of learning from it, including from spending a day with Matt, who is the one who originally got me believing I could do this when he returned from completing LEJOG himself nearly 2 years ago.   I did a final marathon distance slow trail run in Wensleydale this week, followed by a 20 mile endurance run 3 days later this weekend.  Everything intact.  Now it's taper time.  Things on my to do list during these next two weeks: Control the maranoia which pops it's ugly head up from time to time. Maranoia (n): Mental anxiety found in marathon and endurance runners, characterised by the irrational belief that last-minute disaster is imminent. Sort any last minute work issues out so my mind is freed whilst I'm away.   Lay all my kit out several times again, in a slightly obsessive way, and decide what's nec...

Just less than five weeks to go now!! I'm not feeling totally confident (it's still very daunting) but I am feeling quite contented. I've been putting in the miles. I've been testing things out. I've learnt so much. I'm nearly ready. Next weekend is the big one before I start tapering: three back to backs. 40:50:40 km each day over the bank holiday weekend. Living out of the bags in some dodgy B+Bs. Completing the Cleveland Way. I do have a very understanding and supportive wife don't I? Back to this weekend though. Where have I been?  Maybe Scotland?  Maybe Japan?  Maybe New Zealand? Or maybe even to Cusco in Peru? No.  Just Blighty.  All in a day's work on the Nidderdale Way on a 26 miler across to Pateley Bridge.  Just a reminder that you can donate to the charities I'm supporting, if you haven't already (and thanks to those who already have!) by clicking or copying the link below.  https://www.justgiving.com/team/brucelepetitjog Also, on the ...

Eight weeks to go. The training is progressing though sometimes it feels like really hard work. I've been going through these gates a lot recently. But are they the gates of heaven or hell? Going one way leads through into the deer park. Past the church and the obelisk. It can lead to a wonderful world of antlered deer stags, ice houses, world heritage, buzzards, the foothills of the dales, and a cafe with scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Heaven on earth.  But it also leads to a very long mile uphill - the 'Studley Mile', up to it's very own Barkley gate at the top which I have to touch to complete a strength sapping speed interval. Eight minutes of hell doing each hill effort. Only to have to turn around and repeat, again and again. Or onwards through those gates at the top to do another 23 miles to complete a back-to-back-marathon-long-slow-trails-weekend. The thought of doing it is daunting.   Going the other way through the gate is usually good. It'...

I had some good news from my recent webinar with the crew and participants for the run in June.  The longest day is shorter than I thought!  40 miles rather than 44.  That will make a huge difference.  That made me smile.  Also, I'm not sure whether this is good news or not, but with all the mileage I'm doing, everything else but my knee hurts! How to prevent injuries and treat anything that does occur has been part of my learning. With this in mind, a while ago I had a chat with Chris Finill (thanks for the introduction Graham).  Google 'The 3000 mile men' and watch on youtube.  'Wow' is all I could say.  He got me to read James Shapiro - Meditations from the Breakdown Lane: Running Across America - the book that inspired Chris to run across USA in 2011.  3100 miles in just under 80 days.   Not that this is Chris's only achievement.  He is no ordinary runner.  He's the Guinness World Record holder for consecutive sub 3 ho...

No. Not a crime.  Today's the day I'm committing to doing this challenge.  It's three months to go and my training is going well. Various long distance hilly, slow and steady  jaunts in the bag. The knee is holding up. Back-to-backs and triple back-to-backs planned.  190 miles ticked off in February.   Quite frankly, up until now, there was always a grey doubt-cloud hanging over me with my knee. I can't believe how far I've come, both in distance and confidence,  from only a few months ago.  A few days in Scotland on the Applecross Peninsula. 18 miles over the pass in the rain, making new friends with the animals.... ...to be rewarded with a lovely view of Skye as the rain clears and the run ends.  This is why I do it.  Another 26 miles back near home, running down memory lane as I do a loop around the Washburn Valley, up and along the Chevin, down to Menston (where I grew up) along the moors to Ilkley, and back to Timble.   Su...

I think of Wanda as I wander.  I wonder whether walking really works wonders for wishes, or whether wishing whilst walking really is the real wonder. I ponder what would Wanda wonder? More on Wanda, whoever she is, later.  Whether it's walking or running, my wish does seem to be coming true.  I've been spending more time on my feet, getting the miles in, whilst still doing hill repeats, strength and speed work.  The long sessions have increased week on week, with my latest venture being 22 miles, after which I felt remarkably OK.  Plenty of time to wonder whilst wandering.  These long routes have been a mixture of running on the flat and downhills, and marching up the hills, getting the right ratio of elevation gained to distance for the hardest days on my petit LEJOG.  All with a focus on enjoyment, whilst using my muppet poles of course, and keeping within the cut-off pace for LEJOG.  I managed 141 running miles in January and my knee seems to b...