So it's a new year (already!) and the first month is nearly over. This post is a brief look at what I've got planned for the year and what's happened so far.
Top news is that I didn't get selected in the lottery for the
Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc (UTMB) 2012 which is a shame, especially as my mate Dave is doing the impressive La Petite Trotte à Léon
(PTL) and would have been over in Chamonix at the same time. Hopefully, this means that I'll get automatic entry for next year's event but with the massive oversubscription the race could be almost full with just the carry-overs from this year. It wouldn't surprise me if they changed the rules on automatic entries.
On a brighter note I got into this year's
Lakeland 100 so I've got that to look forward to. I'm also doing the Grindleford Gallop for the third consecutive year. I've done well in this so far, coming third and second in the club. Looking at the large number of club entries for this year I somehow don't think that this trend will continue to first place.
As consolation to the UTMB I will probably enter a new event in Switzerland the
Baechli Sardona Ultra Trail being organised by my friend Umberto. I've also got the offer of going over in the spring to recce the course and hopefully help with planning if I can.
I might squeeze in the 56 mile
Bullock Smithy in August. I've got a 12 hour target to beat there. Apart from that there's a weekend recce of the latter half of the Lakeland 100 in June but nothing else planned.
The first three months of this year is the 3Ss: Speed, Strength and Suppleness. Well that was the plan. I've had a couple of cold/flu spells and an aching flank (hopefully not my dead kidney playing up) that spoiled the first part of January. I'm getting back into the swing of things now by putting in 5 or 6 five milers per week in the last two weeks. I need to get into a more rigourous pattern of training though.
Well I've no doubt bored you enough now so, until the next time, get off your bum and go for a run.
