Onwards and upwards: a new target.

Unfortunately a family bereavement meant I was unable to attend the Lochaber Marathon. At the time I didn't really think anything of it as there was more important priorities.

The time since then has made me realise without the metaphorical stick of impending race day humiliation I tend to fester infront of the TV watching some slightly below average show on Netflixs wondering if I should eat some more.

As an aside, surely the worst thing about running has to be that you NEVER realise how good you'll feel on your run while you're tucked up in bed- it must be some sort of lazy voodoo.

 I had thought about doing an autumn Marathon and just starting my plan over but don't really think I can muster up enough energy to complete another 16 weeks of road training. The long runs tend to get a bit tedious, and it takes up soooo much time. I also found myself getting bored of my long run routes.
 
I am looking forward towards the next challenge but unsure of what it should be. The next race I have is the Edinburgh Half-Marathon and then hopefully the Dundee Half Marathon. Both of these things are fun but not really a proper out of your comfort zone challenge. I want something that will wake me up and 'slap me on ma puss'.

So, what next I hear no one asking? Well, I've just signed up for the 'Glen Clova Xtreme duathlon'. It's described as a 'Bike and Hike'. Taking place in September. Although I have no Idea how to train or race for a Duathlon, let alone one that takes in two Munro's, my aim will be to run, rather than hike. Note, I will almost certainly walk some sections but it's all about perceived efforts and self delusion.

I was first told about this by Jurgen and thought it looked cool but way too far to the extreme side of normal. This is proper hill running up two munros. I've walked them one at a time and I was shattered. Then you add some cycling just to make sure your legs are properly smashed. Unfortunatly, once an idea has been sown it takes root.

"Maybe I'm setting my sights too low. I really enjoyed the Forfar Multi-terrain, I like hillwalking. Corrie Fee is one of my favourite places and 'Feet in the clouds' by Richard Askwith is one of my favourate books. Think of all the great places you can train in."

Thus the internal monalogue ended with me showing yet me signs of absolute delusion and signing up. I guess we'll find out what side of normal it is on 20th September. 

If anyone fancies doing this sort of thing I've heard some very favourable reviews of the event from some friends, and from a comment on the blog (thanks Philip Milne). Glen Clova/ Glen Doll is amazing and with the route taking in Corrie Fee it looks like a beautiful race, scottish weather dependant. The hope is this prompts me to get out on my bike for longer than it takes me to roll down the hill to work. It also means I need to spend some more time running hills and trails, surely this can only be a good thing. Having  done my first hill repeats session this week im not 100% convinced yet.

The training for this will be my usual mixture of attempted structure and biting reality.  I think I should aim to get out and do a long cycle once a week and a long run once a week combining them when I can in places like Glen Tilt, Dunkeld and Fundee's very own Sidlaws. I'll also add in a hill session from Julian Goater and Don Melvins book 'The Art of Running Faster'. I'll try for another run as well making sure I stick to the advice in the book of making sure my run has an aim. The book is also worth a read, though a good runner or someone that runs in a club may not learn as much as I did.

Surely that isn't sunglasses sunny.  A good book though

I think this event might be harder to train for as it's not really about building up the miles. It seems to be about getting used to hills and getting stronger. I think it might also be a good idea to get rid of a few pounds. I've never seen a fell runner with an overhang.