5 days and counting.....

So with only 5 days until I take part in my first challenge to raise money for Springboard Opportunity Group and I was feeling pretty confident, that was until I looked at last years results for the Country to Capital Event.

This event does not attract big numbers presumably down to the fact that it is 44 miles and has a cut off of 12 hours. So unlike the 34,000 people taking part in the London Marathon there will be around 200 of us attempting this, many of who are seasoned ultra runners. But it's not the number of people that has got me nervous but the winning time for the event last year which was around 5 and a half hours!!!

I think I've trained pretty hard to get into some sort of shape to even contemplate doing such an event and have completed 485 miles since the end of October but 5 and a half hours! Really!!

I have a strategy outlined in my head but it is nowhere near the pace of the front runners and will see me at the back of the group. I plan to make sure my pace is no slower than 15miles in 3 hours, something that I think I can do providing everything goes to plan.

Having looked at the checkpoints today they are roughly every 7 miles which is quite a nice way to break the race up. So a quick refuel and possible change in to dry clothes.

I wouldn't really class myself as a novice runner but the clearly ultra runners are a different breed which I'm sure I will update you on after the race on Saturday.

I'm pleased to say that I have a support party for the race and all I can say is I'm sorry for being so slow!! Also having looked at the weather report I think thermals maybe in order!!

So my support team are my wonderful wife and kids and Viv and Martyn Hodges the proud grandparents of Eva, my inspiration for this challenge who has benefitted from the great work at the Springboard Opportunity Group.

This challenge has also taken me to a place I last saw at university and that is a library! This was not to read up on how to run properly but I actually thought I would be a little more prepared than the London to Brighton event and get an OS map to check out the route. The fact that the first part of the race is across fields I thought I'd better check it out as I'm bound to have to dust off my map reading skills as well as learning to breathe out my arse!

My running this week sees me doing very little just some short runs to keep ticking over but nothing more and then from about wednesday I will start to carb load.

That's it for now but I will post a couple of updates this week ahead of the start when the nerves really kick in!