My next challenge

I've had an easy week getting back into the swing of things and have done maybe half of what I would do on a normal training week. Tomorrow I'm doing a 2 hour XL run/walk and maybe a longer run/walk on Sunday and then hopefully back to normal training levels afterwards. My next race is The Wall, then 6 weeks later I will be pacing Sebby for the last 50 miles of her hundred mile race on the North Downs and then 6 weeks after that will be the 24 hour Joust in Worcester. I'm looking forward to them all, and had emailed William and Shaun after 3 or 4 days to say that although I didn't feel 100% back to normal, I also didn't feel like I had really done very much, let alone a 100 mile race. I got a funny email back from Shaun saying he was patting himself on the back for his great training programme (and rightly so as it worked a treat) but also saying he thought he should probably make the training harder if I was feeling so well. And then they sent me a link to a race that they said not only do they think I was capable of, but that they thought I would do fairly well at.

I'll be honest, I looked at the link with an open mouth, and then put it to the back of my mind as I was at a meeting in Scotland and had to focus on that at the time. When I got home I googled their suggestion and sat open mouthed a little bit more. Their suggestion came with a proviso that it was just their opinion and by no way was something they wanted to push me into if I didn't feel comfortable about it. I was instantly flattered that they thought I had it in me to do a 72 hour race, but also knew that this year was out of the question due to the fact I have not got enough holidays at work to take the time out to do the race they suggested in September.

I then spent the next few days googling 72 hour races and tried to find out who did them, how they got on, what their blogs said etc, however I was disappointed to find very little information. The only things I could find were 5 or 6 blogs and maybe 3 or 4 races throughout the world that held such an event. I emailed back and asked if any of them knew of blogs I could read up on and William said I probably couldn't find very much as not many places in the world did these sort of races. He sent me a link to 3 of the 4 races I'd already found.

So, the 3 he sent me were Athens in March, 3 Days at the Fair in New Jersey USA in May, and Across the Years in December and January in Arizona. I googled them all, quite fancied them all, but each one had something I wasn't keen on. With Athens it was the worry of not getting vegan food, Arizona is bloody miles away and I've promised to take Luke to Jamaica for New Year and New Jersey (again) is bloody miles away! BUT, I loved the look of the course at 3 days at the fair, I loved the blogs I mananged to read about that particular race, I liked the time of year and the temperature and the best bit was the fact they stipulated they have ultra running chefs to cater for your every whim and the food would be vegan. Sold!

So, William and Shaun both gave a resounding thumbs up for a race 1 year away (ironically the race is currently on right now!), Graeme has agreed and we have decided as part of the trip to go to New York, I've found a link where they give you cheaper hotel deals because you're doing the race and already I'm looking forward to the challenge. I still can't quite believe it though!!!