Pre race thoughts

This time in two days I will have been running for about an hour in the Lakeland 100 race. I thought I would be really nervous at this point but I generally feel quite calm and just want to get running.

The taper has not been easy and for the first week and a half I felt awful. In the last week it has been very different as I have been really bouncing along on my training runs, holding back the pace and enjoying the short sessions.

Last weekend, I made my regular pilgrimage to the Open Golf Championship at Lytham. What a fantastic weekend and what a dramatic finish. I could not do any training over the weekend but allowed for that in my plan, though anyone who has been to watch a major golf event will tell you that it is a long tiring couple of days.

This week I have just had a couple of steady 5 milers and have been most encouraged with the way my legs have felt - maybe the taper has worked after all?!

With regard to the race itself, I think I have got all my kit sorted, including my drop bag for Dalemain. I have added a note with a list of things I must do at Dalemain and a list of things I might want to do, that way I hope that I will not miss anything out or leave some important kit behind in the heat of battle.

I have a rough plan in place, though it is not as detailed as when I did the West Highland Way race in 2010. Due to the terrain, it is more difficult to keep to a schedule so I have decided to only have some rough targets for the first couple of legs (mainly to stop myself from going too fast) and then run/walk/crawl as I feel I can from there.

So the training is done and I'm ready to go. Good luck to everyone taking part and I hope the weekend brings you success in whatever form you measure that.

It is almost exactly a year since I had my operation and I can remember lying on my bed in the hospital thinking about this race. BRING IT ON!!