Tomorrow's big plan

So what is the big plan for tomorrow you may be asking.  Well it is a big one I can assure you.  I intend to get up early, strap on a backpack with around 5kg in it, and run/walk all the way around the Zurich lake.  It is easy enough to do on a bike.  On a bike it takes around 2 hours, but walking/running it will take much much longer.

What is the motivation for this plan you may be asking.  Well I need to start training with a backpack and get used to that feeling again.  I also need to train my body for walking sections in the midst of running, because in the MDS I will most likely have to walk at least part of the time.  According to my friend who did the MDS last year, the biggest problem that the quicker runners have is when they have to walk, because they simply haven't trained for that and running uses slightly different muscles to walking.  Once they start walking it is hard for them to get running again.  The advice she gave is completely in line with other advice I have read about training for ultramarathons on the web.  They all seem to recommend doing at least some walking during your training.

Knowing that I will be doing so much tomorrow I have pretty much completely rested the last 2 days.  That should have given my muscles a chance to recover and reduce the risk of suffering an injury tomorrow.  As usual I will be constantly monitoring my body and if I see any signs of trouble, my plan will be adapted accordingly.  The most foolish thing I could do is to carry on regardless if I sense a pain in one of my joints.  I think this is unlikely though, because I will only be running for short sections and walking for the majority of the route.  The only slight twinge I have felt in the last few weeks is in the pad on the ball of my foot under my right big toe.  At times it is slightly sore as though I bruised it somehow.  That is something I am keeping an eye on, but touch wood it is not affecting my running so far.

I just checked my Garmin logs from when I cycled around the lake, and the distance is around 65km.  If I count on doing a minimum of 5km/h, which shouldn't be that hard, then I would be able to finish it in around 12 hours.