Plans are afoot

I've been making plans lately - so it's probably time to 'fess up and explain what I have in mind for 2014.

Having said 'never again' after the Bath half-marathon in 2011 (when I got cramp in my calf after 9mls exactly as had happened in 2010) I have had a change of heart. My running has been going well this year and I am well on course to reach my target of 500mls. The scores on the doors show I'm currently at 481mls so I should reach my target in the next couple of weeks (I must try and remember to take a photo when I get there for the '500mls in 2013' thread that I post on). So, having been able to train regularly and managing to get a PB at the Tring Ridgeway Run (9.7ml) in October, I have taken the plunge and entered the Bath half-marathon which is on 2nd March 2014.

I worked out earlier that the Bath HM is only 13 weeks away but I'm currently managing 8mls on my long runs. So I feel better prepared than in previous years and have put together a training plan - the main aspect of which is gradually increasing the distance of the weekend long runs to a maximum of 14mls. I'll try and remember to pop back here regularly and post updates on how the training is progressing.

Once the half-marathon is out of the way there is another challenge I have set myself. It will also need a training plan of some sort with ever-increasing distances. After the Thames Path in 2012 and the Ridgeway in 2013, my goal for 2014 is to complete Wainwright's Coast To Coast path. I've booked with a company that transport your luggage and provide a guide. These were concessions that I allowed myself as the path isn't marked like the previous ones I've done. And the route from St.Bees on the east coast, via the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors to Robin Hood's Bay on the east coast, is 190mls long and involves lots of climbing. There are some long (20ml) days where we will be out walking for anything up to 9hrs. So preparation (and lots of it) will be the key. But before that, there will be a visit to Cotswold Outdoor very soon to get some new walking boots and get them worn in.

The C2C is something I have dreamed about doing ever since seeing some 'coast to coasters' near Ennerdale while on a walking holiday in the Lake District. I promised myself I would do the C2C myself one day and the time seemed right so I decided to get it booked and do it rather than keep dreaming about it. Again, I'll try and remember to pop back here and post updates on how preparations are progressing.