Murphy's Law

So what do you do when it all goes to pot two weeks before a major race & you pick up an injury - a visit from Murphy!

There are a few things to consider here, this is my current situation & my personal view:

I am carrying a pesky hip flexor strain following a slip on greasy surface during a recent hike, I didn't realize it at the time but it became an issue the following weekend during a tough 40 miler - by the time I got to 17 miles it was time to call it a day - that was a sensible decision, that 40 miler (which was a beauty of a race I will return) was simply the last long run before Chester. I have been resting as in no running since last Saturday along with stretching, self massage & hot/cold treatments.

My strategy & mindset have had to change given this injury - its always difficult as any injury/niggle puts doubt into your mind, however I firmly believe I can achieve the result and will fully commit to the start & finish.

The Chester 100 miler ultra on the 18th May is my first big distance training race ahead of this year's target King Offa's Dyke 185 - I say training race which to describe a 100 miler as a training race seems ridiculous, however I have gotten my head around this fact by breaking it down - breaking things down into manageable chucks is a valuable ability no matter your chosen distance.

So, if I were doing a 100 miler race as my main target - my highest training race would be a 50 miler - half the distance, therefore a 100 miler (with generous cut off) is just a tad over half the 185 + I can expect to cover in KODR in September - now the distance makes sense becomes manageable & is just another training race. Viewing this as a training race (run) takes pressure off, its just an opportunity to test kit, see where I'm at and get the miles into my legs, already I'm more relaxed & looking forward to race day.

Its positive that I have time on my side to rest the injury, I also know that not running for two weeks frankly will make no difference to the outcome, my training is done from January to the end of April, whilst this year my mileage might be less than previous - my strength & conditioning training time has doubled. I have a good base level fitness & just need to work with what I've got - bearing in mind on a 185 miler I am very likely to pick up a strain or niggle and this will be great experience in managing niggles not over straining my body and building confidence in my ability to cope.

So my plan - continue to rest the hip flexor, approach the race with a run/hike from the off - time on feet training run, value for money - fully commit to the finish & embrace the adventure.

Hold the vision - trust the process

#neveraverage #chesterultra100 #gbultras #100miler #mindset

ChesterUltra 100