Thursday 19 March 2009

The sacrifices alluded to earlier

Much personal agonising followed the change of the Wuthering Hike date to the 14th March after the initial incorrect date being published on the Runfurther website. The Vasque 2009 series Grand Slam had already been playing on my mind for a long time and the Wuthering Hike now clashed with the 2nd running of the Coyote Two Moons 100mi. in Southern California, for which I was already registered. I’d done it before, but the Grand Slam was a new challenge that brought a whole load of new, tough events in its own right. More than that, I was already registered for the Western States Endurance Run 100mi. and I was almost certainly going to get a place in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (since confirmed). Two major foreign ultras should be more than enough to be going on with. After a week of mental agonising and discussing the pros and cons with Jez, my mind was made up: withdraw my entry to C2M. That’s done it. I was committed. It was time to get the Vasque series events entered and take the challenge seriously for the first time.

Sacrifice number 2. I have never missed an LDWA 100, always held in late May, since my first one in 2000 (apart from in 2003 due to personal circumstances out of my control). Here for the first time I have chosen not to enter THE annual hundred, which this year is the Wessex 100. Running that on top of the Marlborough Downs Challenge and the Fellsman in the preceding two weeks would surely finish me off. It was time to curtail my greed for the ultras and try to stay injury free. Let's hope I can.

3 comments:

  1. As a veteran of some 6 half marathons, which together don't add up to 100 miles, I'm obviously well qualified to judge that you made the right decision. You're going to have to change your profile now: quality, not quantity, is the new name of the game.

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  2. But I've only just created that profile, all of two days ago. I still stand by it. I don't do quality training (real speed work). I find it boring, tedious, uninspiring, a chore and too much on top of what I already enjoy. It leads to unacceptable risk of injury. I run for enjoyment, not obligation. I thank you (steps off soap box and gets coat).

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  3. OK Julian, you may be a bit right. I'm more quality than I've ever been, but compared to 'real, serious runners' it's still nothing. Therefore I tempered my profile with a question mark :-)

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