Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 100km

I am strangely positive about this weekend’s race. Given my poor physical circumstances, it will be a miracle if I get round, but I am excited for it.

Those that know me will know that I am not sandbagging when I say that to finish will be a miracle. The menopause combined with arthritic knees makes training a game of hide and seek. I am constantly seeking the energy needed to train, and the strong knees of three years ago are so well hidden, I’ll never find them.

Despite this, I still have the urge to push myself beyond reasonable limits. I still have a fire in my belly to go for ridiculously long distances.

I feel I should write more about the menopause, but in all honesty I’m sick to death of it. Nothing has really changed in 3 years, despite being on HRT and testosterone, that “magic” formula. I’m still exhausted most of the time. I just live with it now, still in the hope that I’ll pop out the other end, a beautiful and energetic butterfly, past the slug stage (both mental and physical).

It does make me more determined not to be restrained or restricted by it. If I need to hike this race, I bloody well will so long as I can stay ahead of the cut offs. I did a 27 mile recce in February, so I KNOW I can do distance. And I did it within target pace too.

The last time I ran anything over 50k was in 2019 when I did the Fellsman. Doing a silly long race with a silly pointy profile still gets my heart racing and I am excited to test my mental strength against this broken body.

Mentally forcing myself to do things is probably what got me into this position in the first place. But I think I have learned some lessons and I have got myself in the best place I can be, to give myself the best chance of finishing. Because there is a faint chance of finishing and that is what I will be chasing on Saturday.

So if you feel like watching the slowest ever dot move across one of the harshest landscapes the UK, then I would welcome your support ❤️

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