#iwillbeready

No London Marathon for me today just 6 steady miles in the New Forest to keep the wheels spinning ahead of the @centurionrunning Thames 100. Just six days to go now and there's not much to be done apart from wait and get the mind right for 24 hours of relentless forward motion. I take huge inspiration from all the amazing people who ran London today. I never get bored of watching runners strive out there on those London streets. So many stories written today, memories made, battles fought and, no matter what time you got out there, if you have that medal you're a winner. That's the mentality I'm taking into next week. #nevergiveup #runchat #100MileMachine #iwillbeready (at New Forest)

Can't believe there are only 31 days left until the Thames Path 100 miler. The minute the race gets this close the questions start. Have I done enough? Should I push harder now? Am I good enough to achieve my goal? What happens after mile 62? It's all part of the process and I find you just have to trust the training. The hard work put in over a four month training cycle will work. But also don't expect perfection, shit will go wrong and it's how you deal with it on race day that counts. The next 31 days are all about that final fine tuning a lot of it the mental prep. #iwillbeready #100MileMachine #ultratraining

Another one for the back of the spare bedroom door. Happy with a 1:36 at the @salomonrunning Richmond Half this morning. Wasn't all out racing but did put in some good miles, inspired by pre-race pep talk from @mikesawh. With 41 days to go until the Thames 100 miler the confidence is building. Being in the right mental shape at the start line is as important as physical condition. For these longer races you need both. It's always a good sign if you can't wait to get racing. #iwillbeready #100MileMachine #running (at Richmond Upon Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom)

If I've learnt one thing (apart from never to take Vaseline from another runner's pot) it's that achieving your goals is as much about doing things you don't like as it is about doing those you love. I'm not a big fan of the weights but I know it helps me to perform how I want to when the racing starts. Just doing the bits you enjoy doesn't = success. 60 days until the #TP100 #iwillbeready #100MileMachine . (at Fitness First Baker Street)

According to Google, which is never wrong, the average person takes 2000 steps to walk one mile. So during the 100-mile Thames 100 I'll take something like 200,000 steps. Fortunately none of them will be like the 14kg loaded box step ups I put my legs through today. But hauling my considerable ass onto that box 96 times today will help with every one of those steps on 29 April. 64 days to go... #iwillbeready #100MileMachine #running (at Fitness First Baker Street)

7am start, 40 min drive on an empty M4 and then 18 miles with @techadventurez starting from Fat Duck Bray and following the winding Thames up towards Henley. My first reconnaissance mission to see what's in store in the second 50 miles of the #Thames100. The answer is mixture of mud, tarmac, river paths, puddles and beautiful views. Pancake flat and plenty of sights to feed the ultra spirit. Nice easy pace the whole way and a couple of minutes per mile faster than I'll be aiming for on race day but feeling stronger with each session. Body fat percentage is still too high for my liking but will continue to work on that. 75 days to go. #iwillbeready #100MileMachine #running (at Bray, Berkshire)

Phase 2 of the #Thames100 training plan sorted. Time to introduce a few hills into the mix. Starting today. Can't say I'm looking forward to bringing back that pain session but an hour of pounding up a 400m incline carrying 4-8kg on my back was what got me ready for the Marathon Des Sables. So I figure I've got to go back there. 76 days to go... #iwillbeready #100MileMachine

So that's January done. Fairly happy to have clocked 22 out of 31 training days. Finally found some consistency and built a solid base. Lifting heavier, running faster and more freely than I have for a long while. Still a lot of hard work to be done in the 87 days to #Thames100 race day, not least in the kitchen where my nutrition still needs improvement. But so far so good. #iwillbeready #running #100MileMachine #manvmiles