It’s the morning of the day before my first official ‘ultra’ marathon. I’ve chosen ‘Run to the Castle’, as it promises to be a very scenic route up the Welsh coast, to Harlech Castle; a nice, cool 40 miles. Also it will count towards the prestigious ‘100 marathon Club’, which I would love to attain quickly.
I hate this bit; packing. It always fills me with dread. You wouldn’t expect to need a lot with you to compete in a ‘running’ race, but the thought of travelling over 100 miles away to the start line and realise you’ve forgotten to bring your trainers is enough to eat at your mind. Maybe this is just me? Maybe I am just paranoid and have no faith in my own mind, but right now my mind is racing, trying to think of every conceivable thing I might need.
The compulsory equipment for these races always makes me laugh; a compass, a whistle, maps and a fully charged mobile phone with GPS (surely this last one negates all of the others..); isotonic drinks, gels, a watch (forgotten that one before), spare safety pins, apparently there might be a £1 fee for a toll bridge on route now… Arrgh! My head hurts. What food do I bring for mid-race?
Right, packed. I think. Have I? … I don’t know, I’ll just get this train and see what I’ve forgotten when I get there. The silver lining in all this is I’ve kind of forgotten to worry about the minor detail of a 40 mile run. Thank god for packing ey.
Dan
