Spine Blog 7 - a continuation of distance? conundrum

Its got to about 4 weeks out now. Not long to go at all. I'm continuing to be a little wary of the tendonitis which basically scuppered my training throughout November. I'm really really aware that if I go out and do a very heavy long run now, there is a chance that I could end up with a reactive tendonitis that would pretty much rule me out of the race altogether.

This may well be something that I wouldn't normally think about, but is also a bit of a problem that I find with runners and cyclists in my physiotherapy practice. Being a few weeks out from the race, or the big event - a niggle appears and the immediate thought is just to "run through it".
Maybe this is a good thing, maybe this is the worst thing you can do.

In all honesty, if the race was this weekend, I reckon I might just be able to muddle my way through. It isn't actually the fitness that I am worried about. It shouldn't be for anyone else really. If you're worried about fitness in a 108 mile race, you shouldn't be doing it. You should be doing a much, much, much shorter race.

The question is, at this stage, will a 50 mile training run get me in better shape for the Spine Challenger? I don't think it will. I suspect it might break down a few muscles, it might make me stronger in the head - which is really where it needs to be, but will it make me any fitter? I'm not entirely convinced. It'll probably just take too long to recover from it to do any real good.

At this point, I'm going to try keeping fit with a series of shorter runs with all my kit - making sure that I know where everything is, making sure the clothing systems work, the lighting systems work, that I know where my batteries are, and the food, and the water etc. And, perhaps most importantly, that I know where the heck I'm going.

Yes, of course fitness is ridiculously important here, however, headspace is so much more of the issue once you get going. After 50 odd miles, its not really going to be a question of are you fit enough, it's going to be a question of is your head in the right place, have you got your nutrition sorted, and do you know where you are, and where you are headed.

That being said, the longest I've ever run before is 55 miles, so who knows, maybe I'm talking nonsense, we'll see what happens on January 9th.

WHY?

As ever, a plug for Glossop Mountain Rescue - I'm doing this, the inaugural Spine Mountain Rescue Challenger as a part of Glossop Mountain Rescue, and raising funds for the team. We are all volunteers and give our time freely to help those in need in the wild places around the place we call home. Our patch includes Bleaklow, in essence, 250square km of high bog, and we are using this challenge to specifically raise money for the less glamorous aspects of MR.
The medications that go out of date and need to be replaced. The MOTs for the Landrovers. The replacement waterproofs that get worn out by team members. The radios that get mud and waterlogged etc. We rely on donations to keep our charity going.
Head on over to the justgiving page to find out more.