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...
So, the training is going well. 
The miles are ramping up, slowly but steadily. Still with plenty of strength work, stretching and some speed sessions. I'm doing something everyday. The knee is holding up (although there's an annoying ache which seems to come and go unexpectedly, and not related to what the session before had in stock).
I've got some new friends to help guide me though:
I look a right muppet carrying these poles around but they're light, sturdy and help take the load from my knees on hills and provide some forwards propulsion on the flat. When running 1030 miles I've got to be efficient with the load on my legs by spreading the forces around the rest of my body as much as I can. The clip is for some gloves to hook into, by the way.
I can't decide if they remind me of Beaker or a rooster? .
See if you can spot the odd one out from the selfies below. One's taken on an early run on Christmas Day, before the turkey even got into the oven, one on a very windy day in Upper Nidderdale, one in the middle of a field in minus 2'C, and the other is of my other new friend, who keeps popping up to say hello on my walk down to the gym.
For those who are interested, I've collated a bit more information about the run itself here, with an overview and some more details on the daily routes with maps and elevations. It's based on last year's route - so may change a little.
It's all starting to get very real.
Back to the selfies. Llama tell you, I can't help thinking that when it's icy and -2'C and there's no one else around in the middle of a field, in the middle of nowhere, and I'm being propelled along by two muppets, that it's me who's the odd one out.
No more dad jokes I promise.... Alpaca my bags.
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