I've been overwhelmed by the support I've received from everyone, after telling them about my place in the Brathay 10 in 10. Obviously, there have been people who are (naturally) concerned for my sanity in signing up for something so extreme, but even they have been supportive if not a bit bemused ;)
I've also got incredibly enthusiastic and excited about the challenge ahead, both about getting ready for such a punishing event, and also about fundraising as much money as I can for the Brathay Trust. Despite the fact that I still have 10 months to go, I have already created my sponsorship page, written an email (which will probably stay in draft for months) asking for donations, put some thought into a training plan for next year, and joined the appropriate Facebook group! Incidentally, if you do want to sponsor me (it would be very much appreciated!) you can just click through to my justgiving page here:
All of the money that I raise will be going straight to the charity as I'm paying the £800 that it costs per person to stage the event out of my own pocket - I think it's important that people know their sponsorship isn't going to fund my running adventures!
Anyway, although I'm getting a bit carried away with the whole concept of the 10 in 10, I keep reminding myself that I'm mustn't lose sight of the fact that I have very important races coming up and I need to make sure that I'm properly prepared - my 30 miler is in just 10 days, and my 50 miler is in just 3 and a half weeks.
I think I've got a bit blasé about the 30 miler, but it's going to be an enormous challenge - further than I've ever run before, a race of short laps, middle of the day and so potentially warm, and all without a proper taper! However, I think I can trust in my training to get me round - the bigger challenge will be not going out too fast, and trying to really treat it as a training run so I don't burn myself out before the big one...the 50! I'm not in the least blasé about that one though - it's going to be an absolute journey into the unknown and as such, is still a bit of a frightening prospect!!