If a small book like The Hobbit can be made into 3 films,
then my paltry 8 hrs on the Spine course this year can be spread over 3 parts.
So here goes
Part 1: An Unexpected Journey
When I wrote my last blog on the Friday before the race, I was feeling
really good. My training done, I was feeling fit, strong and mentally prepared.
I had a plan. I was ready to really have a go at the Spine, to perform as I
know I can. Secretly, I had hopes of a top 5 finish.
I went for a short run later that day and was relatively slow having done
little that week but I didn’t think much of it.
The next morning, I woke with a sore throat and some vague cold symptoms.
I wasn’t too bothered as I tend to get over these things pretty quickly. I was
a bit worse on Sunday and felt tired. Jenny
came back from her cruise to Dubai with a filthy cold and we made a tactical
decision for me to sleep in the spare room. I didn’t want to catch hers as well
and I didn’t want her to catch mine, bearing in mind her impending trip to
Minneapolis.
I seemed to be on the mend on Monday. Jenny was worse and spent the day
in bed.
On Tuesday, I drove over to Newcastle for work. I felt dreadful; full of
cold and absolutely wiped out. I had to leave late morning as I wasn’t capable
of anything. Doubt started setting in. “Surely not the week before the Spine.
Surely I can’t the miss the race”. I cancelled my trip to London on Wednesday but
felt no better. I was really doubting whether I’d be OK for the weekend.
Would I be OK for The Challenger? Would it be possible to change? But
that that would mean a day’s less recovery… but I couldn’t miss the race
entirely… could I?
Thursday, I woke feeling great. Completely better. Brilliant. I messaged
Scott, “Just to confirm that I’m better and will be on the start line of the
Spine on Sunday”. I opened my secret Spine kit box and packed my kit. It didn’t
take too long – I’ve got my Spine kit fairly well sorted. Food was left for
Friday. I felt so pleased and really positive.
I woke on Friday with all kind of negative thoughts and doubts. Was it
sensible to do a week long event straight after a viral illness? Did I really
want to be out for a week? Was it fair on Jenny – she was still poorly and there
was lots to do the following week on our barn renovation and then she was off
to Minneapolis for 5 weeks on Saturday. Shouldn’t I be at home with my lovely
wife? Shouldn’t I be at home to take her to the airport?
By 10am, I was in a mess; so confused and unable to make a decision. I didn’t
want to miss the whole and if I did the Challenger I would be back by sometime
on Sunday/Monday; but would it be possible to swap into the Challenger? A quick
message to Scott confirmed that it could be done. Of course, I had no accommodation
for Friday night so it would be on the floor at the Field Centre in Edale.
At 11am, Jenny asked me what I was going to do. I didn’t know. I was totally indecisive, unable to think straight. Eventually Jenny made the call – I was doing the Challenger.
I now had an hour to sort out my food supplies before leaving to catch
the train to Edale. I just threw everything into a bag; I would sort it out
later. All this concentrated the mind and I knew it was the correct decision…
even if I hadn’t actually made it. I was getting excited about the prospects of
racing the Challenger.
On the way to the station, I rang up my B&B and cancelled my room for
Saturday night. Amazingly they had a free single room that night and even
better wouldn’t charge me for it. Brilliant – I’d have space to sort “my stuff”
and a bed to sleep in.
Jenny dropped me at Oxenholme and I was off on my unexpected Friday
journey to run the Spine Challenger.
Part 2 coming soon…
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