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.
