When I first signed up for the Leadenboot Challenge, I knew I’d taken on something difficult.  It’s only now, some 2 months into training, that I realise just how bloody stupid I was!

After a 22 mile run yesterday, I’m reasonably confident that I would be able to drag myself around a ‘standard’ marathon course.  But I didn’t enter a ‘standard’ marathon did I?  I had to get all heroic and choose ‘possibly one of the hardest marathons in the country‘ for my first attempt.  What an idiot…

I’ve been reading some blogs by ‘proper runners’ who have done the Challenge in previous years, and I have to admit, I’m terrified!  If I’d read these before I signed up I can assure you I would have found an easier way to persuade you to part with your cash!

• “this was seriously tough and closer to what i’d imagine an ultramarathon to be like“
• “I’ve run a lot of marathons and I’m not sure I’ve done anything harder“
• “the amount of climb coupled with the rough terrain and length of the course combined to make this a really tough event“
• “My legs were getting very tired… I was struggling both physically and mentally… and so decided to stop at mile 19“

I’ve totalled up my training miles to date – about 215.  This seems pretty poor, especially since a quarter of those were done in the last week, but I had to build up slowly, and sometimes life gets in the way!

According to my GPS tracker app, I’ve ascended approximately 12,000 feet, which is roughly 56 feet per mile.  However, the Leadenboot Challenge (at 5800 feet overall) is four times that, at 223 feet per mile.  As you can see from the diagram, it’s steep up and down all the way.  It’s also all ‘cross country’, whereas I’ve been mostly running on roads up to now.

Originally I had some grand ideas of completing the course in a ‘respectable’ time, manfully wiping the sweat from my brow and saying ‘phew, that was quite hard’, before settling down with a pie and a pint.  I’ve now revised my ‘goal’:

“Just finish.  In any way you can.  And don’t EVER do anything like this again. You idiot.”

In the remaining 5 weeks before I enter my own private hell, I’m going to be attempting to prepare by running / walking / crawling up all the hills in the local area.

It still seems pretty daunting.

Please donate if you can, that’s the only thing that might will make me go through with it…!