Well, I'm back again and hello all (aimed at the three people who follow this blog... 'Hi mum')!.. And I've taken a couple of well needed weeks off having spent some time sat on a beach in Devon, grateful for the 6 days of sunshine we've had this shocking British Summer, Having had a bit of time to mull over how I move forward (in between keeping my mental dog from eating any child that came within 6 feet of us on the beach), I am back with a vengeance! Well... I say with 'a vengeance', and what I really mean is 'baby steps forward to avoid shit on my body breaking'.
I originally intended to start running again that week away, however my cunning plan turned to inevitable crap, the moment clotted cream, jam and scones made it onto my radar. I'm at a point in my life where I can simply say 'fuck it, I'll do it next week'. No justification needed. So I did.... not sorry either :-) That said, I am recommencing the mission and my journey on the long road and have been thinking about both the epic challenge I want to tackle, as well as how to best document it.
In an act that can only call into question my impulse control I have now committed to my next murderous act of self-harm. And it is a beauty....
The challenge....
So here it is... my epic act of insanity in 12 months time....
The Isles Ultra.
a 300km beast (that's half a million steps!!), running the length of the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. 6x back-to-back 50km Ultra Marathons across some of the most beautiful, and challenging trails in the UK.
I signed up just before writing this, and I won't lie... it's exciting, and also just a little bit scary. I'm doing this solo. I'll be supported by Rat Race International, but I'll be alone, with very little connection to the outside world for a week (the Outer Hebrides is not known for it's remarkable mobile, wifi or 4g signal).
This is why I'm choosing this location...
Pretty impressive, and very much the kind of place that I want in my memory box as having achieved when I look back on shit I did with my life.
That's it. I'm in.
....Holy shit. I'm doing this thing.
I think it'll take a few days to process what I've just committed to take on.
Am I worried? No.
Am I mental? Quite possibly
Am I committed to seeing this through? Yep.
Right now, I'm not even going to think about the logistics of HOW I do this. How I even get to the fucking Outer Hebrides is a challenge all of its own! It's the Outer Hebrides, after all. The phrase has a special place in the English language for a good reason. "where have you been, Rich... the Outer Hebrides?!" is something people would say when I pipe up in the office about 'what the fuck is a 'Love Island'?'
Well in 12 months' time, I'll be able to answer 'Yes!.. I've been in the Outer Hebrides'. And the concept of a 'Love Island' will still be thankfully alien to me.
It's a distance I'm finding difficult to get my head around in its entirety. At the end of each 30+ mile ultra marathon it is basically a rest stop. Sleep for a few hours in some wooden cabin, then up and at it again... and again... and again... and again... and a-fucking-gain. I'm finding that hard to compute. Even more so when I look at the elevation profile for some sections.
It's next-level-batshit-bonkers for me.
Notwithstanding the kit, the weather, the sea crossing, the food, etc, I have to train for this monster and I'll be laying out my plan for that in following posts.
From laser-fucking-beams, to massage, to Pilates, to multi-day-repeat-runs, to fat adapting, to Wim Hof, to sleep, to rehab, to stretching, to kit, to avoiding injury, to footcare... (and more I've not mentioned), it means going to the next level. Right now though, I'm putting all that to one side. I will address it like I do any run - one step at a time. As my second step, I will take this moment to bask in the Zen-like glory of my own madness, while taking a few days to let this sink in a bit and get my thoughts together... and to let my bowels settle down.
It’s a beautiful part of the world 👍🏻