Breathe - Pink Floyd

I am trying to practise what I preach and with the 45 mile Country-to-Capital ULTRA tomorrow, I've been resting and carbo-loading now for three days. I'm really looking forward to seeing how my past few months training has improved my endurance and also to running with a lot of my clients who are running the Marathon des Sables.

My tapering regime has followed my age old tried and tested Carbo-loading programme of 2.5 litres of Energy Drink per day, along with lots of Pasta.

It will be interesting to see how close to 9 hours I can get for the 45 miles and how I feel at the end of the race...

More tomorrow when it's ALL over...

Sound of Drums - Kula Shaker

Winding down is a tricky old thing right now as I am kicking and ready to get my teeth into the 45 mile Country-to-Capital Ultra on Saturday. I compromised today with a tempo 40 minutes on the treadmill at 8.30 pace to keep my legs going and the sweat rolling.

I think it's done me a world of good if I'm honest and I'm onto my Carbo-loading programme today and tomorrow will be just an easy run out with Rocky.

More then...

Will you smile again for me - Worlds Apart

It was an easy two and a bit tonight following a very full day Performance Coaching, New Clients and MdS Wannabes.

I must say that it would have been all too easy not to stretch the legs tonight but my recovery run at 9pm of just 2.25 miles really helped me get the slight stiffness out of my legs from yesterday's 26.2 miles.

Getting myself prepped for the weekend is now my aim and I start carbo-loading tomorrow!!!

More then.

Foals - Inhaler

I chose the song today as it's just ace! And is a reflection on how I feel right now - I'm really kicking. Two months post Pneumonia, and with miles in the dunes and hills in the legs and a further 26.2 with Marathon des Sables '13 Wannabe Phil Lester, today, I feel GREAT. My preparation for the weekend's Capital to Country 45 miler has gone better than I could imagine. I hope it's going to be a great run...

I'm looking forward to running with a lot of my clients and having a great day out on my 185th ULTRA-marathon and official 750th Marathon.

I'll see how my legs feel tomorrow after the past two days run to work out what else I can do this week to prepare me for Morocco, otherwised I'll taper down for Saturday's run.

Happy Days... and today's run is here . More tomorrow...

Enter Sandman - Metallica

We (Jenny, Rocky and Me) did a six mile run today with Andy and Paul, two of my MdS 2013 clients today in the sand dunes at Merthyr Mawr. It does bring it home just how hard running in deep sand really is and just how much more training like this is needed over the next 90 days prior to hitting the real thing in Morocco.

This was all done in a very cushy 8 degrees and not the usual 50+ degress that we have to endure each year in Merzougas famous 8 miles of sandy hell.

Doing this run with clients has brought it home to us just how useful this training is to ANYONE running in Morocco as the Big Dipper is the largest single sand-dune in Europe and the Merthyr Mawr is the best simulation there is for what's in store for any MdS Wannabe.

We're going to combine this with a mountain running day around Pen-y-Fan (at 886m, it's on a par with the Jebels in Morocco)on March 2nd and 3rd. I'll be updating my website with the details this week on how to get involved in this specific MdS Training that will be so useful for those who want to see just what it's like to lug a pack over some terrain that's a lot harsher than their local park can supply.

If you are interested, as some of you have already have, please let me know. I'll be going back as much as I can for more of the same as I need to get my time in on the sand as much as possible.

More tomorrow... after another 26.2 miles on yet another MdS Day :-)

19 - Paul Hardcastle

I opened my Birthday Card this morning - sent to me ,by ME, to congratulate my 19 years of alcohol abstinence. My 6939 day record (don't think that there was a leap-day in 2000) is something that I'm really proud of and I'm a long way on from where I was on that 5th of January 1994.

To celebrate I went on a very similar style run to the one I did on my very first day of fitness. It was a poignant celebration and at just 2.24 miles it reminded me of that first ever run. That night, I went out wearing my winter coat, over my day clothes and my leather work shoes... in contracts to tonight's sports kit and high mileage-trainers.

What I can say is that the satisfaction from both runs, 19 years apart, was just the same and hopefully it will stay that way for another 19...

I'm so glad I went for that run...

Skin - Rihanna

After a couple of days enforced rest with 'Extreme Nipple Damage' due to running in the gym in my cheese-grater 'Woolwich Foot Tunnel T-shirt, (which is only marginally less painful than childbirth I believe), I was back out on the Penarth 8 giving it my best shot.

It's a tough Tempo-Run for me and, following a disappointing run just before the New Year, I knew it was time to get a good run in and smash a few running demons.

Using the Saucony Mirage 2 for this run really helped me keep up on my toes and the continued thought of beating my time on 'Mapmyrun' and my own hill climb PB to beat - I really had a go at the hill back up from the Pier at Penarth uphill to the town centre.

Dodging the pedestrians and keeping off the wet slabs as the Mirage are like running in slicks, I managed a couple of minutes off my previous time and its good mental preparation for my next ultra, the 45 mile 'The Country to Capital', next weekend. I now feel quite strong and confident about my running.

Let's hope my new found confidence continues, and today's run is here...

More tomorrow.