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