According to my schedule, I am just about 11 weeks away from Hope 24

(PLEASE DO CONSIDER SPONSORING ME).

Eleven weeks. And it looks something like this

As always, any training plan has its adjustments, and this one is no exception. A wedding instead of a long run. Somehow, and I am not sure how, I am still figuring out how I will get the miles in that week.

When I set out on this schedule I could barely comprehend being able to run 16 miles on Saturday and then 10 on Sunday. Last weekend, and indeed this weekend coming, and the next one, the distances are 28M+16M. In the grand scheme of serious training, 65 miles is not that high for weekly milage. But then I have never trained this seriously.

The results are outstanding.

Sure I am shattered this week, and am once again starting the process of building up the mental strength and agility to get through another 44 mile weekend, BUT, two days ago, I nearly broke through the 20-minute mark for a 5K. When I started, I was stuck at 23-minutes.

I have yet to try a fast 10K, but I think I must be close to breaking through the magical 40 minute mark (current PB is 42:19). All this has inspired me to think about a sub 1:30 autumn half marathon.

A couple of runs back I enjoyed 10 miles on Woodbury Common, somewhere the local Royal Marines spend a lot of time training. The Common was sodden, and I spent large amounts of time knee deep in rivers, bogs and mud. As a teen, I spent huge amounts of time on the Common, so know it pretty well, and this was an advantage as I bombed around!

There was plenty of this, the closest we get to gorges.

By the end, my feet were a little trashed! my shoes were so full of sand and mud it took an age to get it all out, but, well, it was the best fun!

 

My last 28 miler involved some glorious hills, roads and roads distorted by three months of constant rain (you can find the run on Strava). The joy of running at 5AM means you get to see some great sun rises.

So the training rolls on, Hope 24 gets ever closer, and I still have some serious work to do on race day nutrition. Any suggestions?

AND, thank you so much to a whole host of generous supporters, your contribution to my efforts really does help keep me motivated.