Decision Time

I slept on it (sort of slept), then nearly slept on it again. Then I just thought like Archy the cockroach and said to myself 'wotthehell' and took up my place for OCC. It will be my third time in Chamonix, but my first as a competitor there. I use the term 'competitor' very loosely- I really will just be aiming to get round safely within the cutoff!

So although I haven't even started this year's training it's already time for a bit of a rethink although it won't really affect what I've planned for to take me up to Eco Trail Florence. After then I think I need a decent recovery and then aim to be getting a serious climb session in once a month May-July plus whatever hill-reps I can manage here. I'd still like to do some decent back to back runs but I didn't manage a lot of those in August last year so hopefully the fact that I won't get many this August either won't be a problem for A100.

Mileage this year is likely to be lower but that doesn't matter- I think it will be good to have more of a focus on higher quality stuff and hopefully the climb work will benefit me in A100 just in terms of being stronger and more efficient. The lumps and bumps of the Ridgeway and TP will seem very small in comparison!

Motto for the year is onwards and upwards, one day at a time.

Grumpy New Year

Not the best of starts to a new year. I pretty much had to write off the day as random fireworks into the small hours plus DOMS from a workout meant sleep didn't really happen and I've been too tired, unfocused, and growly to achieve anything.

Last year was pretty darn good, running-wise. It was also damn hard work. I got strong, gained and kept on weight (with a couple of blips along the way), and ran a 100 mile race. Even snuck in a little bit of sewing over the last few days of the year!

This year the plan is to get stronger still, keep the weight on, and run some more. Hopefully get going with a little sewing project I have in mind too.

The first main target I'm aiming for is the Eco Trail in Florence. I've never run a 50 miler before, and neither have I raced abroad so it's doubly exciting. It's got more ascent than I've done in a while so the focus for the next three months is some quality hill reps, strength work and also a speed session of some kind each week as the biggest goal of this year is to get under 24 hours for 100 miles.

I am still contemplating revisiting the 100k distance looking to go a bit quicker. It would be interesting to see how what I've learned, and the fitness I've gained, over the last 18 months impacts on my ability to complete that distance a bit quicker.

The only thing niggling at me is the fact I have a place for the OCC race in August- as long as I sign up by 3rd January. I haven't signed up. Yet. Maybe won't. It seems silly to throw away a place as likely it would be another 3 year wait before I could have another go (all depending on how the UTMB ballot process evolves) but it's not a cheap trip to make and I'm shit at going down mountains. If it's a nice day I'd be ok and get round, but if the weather was wet and cold I think there would be no certainty that I'd finish. My fella says it all depends on how much the race means to me, but that's where we differ. No race has ever meant that much to me. Not the way UTMB was to him. It's just another race. Sure it would be great to say I've run it, just like it's great to say you've done any other race. But no race has ever been everything to me.

So I guess I'll be sleeping on that decision yet another night...

Whatever you do this year I hope it's fun!

Eco Trail races

OCC