Can You Hear That Banging Sound?...........................

Well can you hear that banging sound?.........that would be my heart!

I keep asking myself.....Are you scared yet? but a little whisper of a voice 
comes back saying......................Nope but I am nervously excited, if I can just stop my knees from making that knocking sound, I might even be able to run...for a while

16 months ago I hadn't even gone for a gentle jog let alone thought about trying to run, so I really can't quite believe I am saying this, but in 24 hours I will be lining up at the start of the Fowlmead Challenge 6 hours to run as many 2.67 mile laps of the beautiful country park as you can run in the time limit.

When I chucked caution to the wind many months ago and entered this event, secretly I thought, oh well even I can manage a couple of laps, then grab a coffee and watch Mark finish (whatever insane distance he achieves), but it wasn't long before it dawned on me that Mark was, how can I put this, encouraging me to complete the whole thing and stay out there for 6 hours. 

My first reaction was 'No way' then as the weeks have gone by and my long run has increased in distance, that little voice has been starting to say things like, 'If you really tried you might be able to go for 3 laps' or 'With a bit of a push, you could do 5 laps, that would be a half marathon' by this point if you have a good imagination, you should be able to hear manic laughter.........Stop....just be quiet, this madness has to stop!!!!! I knew I was in serious trouble when I found myself consulting pace calculators to see if there was anyway I could increase my pace to be able to squeeze in enough laps (10) to do a marathon! 

Well the simple answer is No.....No way, I am just not fit enough or fast enough (this year) After finally coming to my senses, it's time to make a sensible plan.......... I know that no matter how slowly I go, I am just not able to run continuously for 6 hours, so the only way I can stay on my feet and moving is to set out with a Run/Walk strategy right from the first mile. So that is what I am going to do......will I manage 3 laps? a half marathon or more? Your guess right now is as good as mine.................but I am sure looking forward to the journey......................see you on the flip side!