Fibonacci number sequence Miles to km

8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657, 46368, 75025
--------------------------------------------

The Fibonacci number sequence and Phi (the Golden Ratio) are math thingy things that don't get mentioned enough. They pop up everywhere without being noticed, in science, nature, politics, religion, art and behind the sofa.

What is the Fibonacci number sequence? I hear you ask.

The Fibonacci Sequence is the series of numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ... The next number is found by adding up the two numbers before it.

The Golden Ratio is when we divide a line into two parts so that:

the whole length divided by the long part
is also equal to
the long part divided by the short part

It is 1.6180339887... It relates to the Fibonacci sequence in that if you divide any number in the sequence by the one before it comes to this ratio and the further down the line is ne you go the closer it gets.

As a runner do you recognise that number? The 1.618... It's near the conversion rate for miles to Kilometers. So if you want to convert miles to km quickly take any number in the Fibonacci sequence, take that as miles, and then the next number (the sum of the last two numbers) will be the equivalent in km.

The higher you go the more accurate it is...

8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657, 46368, 75025,

40 miles on my 40th birthday

Well I wasn't sure if I'd do it but once I got to 26 miles it had to be done!

I ran from my house in Wrexham to Chester, then along the Coast until I got to Flint Train Station. I caught the train back to Wrexham then ran home (with a bit added on).

When I was in Flint someone recognised me but I'm sorry, I didn't recognise him/you.

Whilst I was running I kept thinking, I'll stop soon, this is silly 😋. Why am I doing this. But then I would think of reasons to keep going; such as:
- this won't help me run my upcoming 5k any faster but I know other ultra runners who do well off long miles for shorter stuff;
- a friend from work who knew I was planning on doing 40 miles sent me a text at 20 miles in, how could I face them Monday morning!
- In ten years time I'll remember this just as I can remember doing 30 at 30.

Etc

Glad I've done it.

Sandstone Trail Challenge 34 miles

I don't blog enough! It's nice to have a record ⏺ of my life even if I just write garbage.

So, last weekend I did the Sandstone Trail Challenge. It's a LDWA event. I wasn't interested in winning, I wanted more than that! I wanted the course record 4h10m and thought it would be achievable!

The mind is a funny thing. You have to believe that you are capable of something otherwise the mind won't will the body.

How did I get on?
I started off well, I had target times etc and got to 10 miles feeling good. But then things, lots of little things, built up to eat away at my average pace.

Firstly at 11 miles I went a little off course and then after that I was hesitant at each junction / path fork and took a couple of seconds to check on my map I was going the right way. Then there was a bit of mud, not a lot, but enough to eat away at my average time. I also had to stop for a wee and stop to help a mentally disabled person who his rucksack caught on a gate! I had to stop at each check point to have my card stamped but in hindsight this was unnecessary. There were other things too. A constent headwind, too distracted by drinking enough water and carrying all the safety gear.

I was also enjoying myself! Strangely this meant I wasn't focussing on speed. I needed some competition to chase but I was out front on my own.

So, end result: a cheap win in 4h43m and nowhere near the record.
But lessons learnt and I still believe that I could get the record with better concentration.

The race reminds me of my day job a bit. I have a target 🎯 in mind for the day and unexpected distractions come up. I'm used to it in work and have strategies to fight them off.
Any trail strategy advice will be most welcome.