9 days to go…
The 10 in 10 is on and now it’s down to me to get prepared. I think the only way to even start to get ready for this challenge is to keep running marathons and sometimes back to back. So I have lined up 7 for the second half of this year, which on its own is a challenge as I have never run more than 3 in one year! I’m planning my first back to back marathons on the 25th & 26th September with Great Langdale and Anglesey, not the easiest ones either. This will hopefully give me a feel of what is in store for me in Windermere next year.
This schedule will take me to 9 marathons for the year. I would like to fit in another one, 10 would be quite physiological as that is the same number as I plan to do in 10 days next year.
The first marathon will be the Summer Enigma Trail Marathon to be held on 24th July 2010 in Milton Keynes. This event has a very small field approximately 30, most are members of the www.fetcheveryone.com running website. A very friendly personal sort of race, totally the other extreme to the London Marathon, the race director even asked me what running number I would like!
At my local running club I’m the most experienced marathon runner by far having completed 22 marathons to date. I have lots of friends but no one with the same marathon ambitions (some people would say obsessions) as me. They all consider me a bit of a marathon nutter especially after doing 2 marathons in 3 weeks earlier this year. On the positive side I do seem to command a lot of respect from them for my achievements. Even Pete the club coach laughed when I told him what I was planning, saying “how can you smile at the thought of doing 10 marathons in 10 days?”
Most of the people competing in the Summer Enigma Marathon have an enormous amount of marathon experience. Some have even done the 10 in 10 and more than once! Amongst these people I become the novice. They seem to be likeminded people to me and hopefully I will make some new running friends.
9 days to go, I’m looking forward to marathon number 3 of 2010.
