Friday, May 13, 2011

GUCR Bound

I am 2 weeks away from a quick trip to the UK to run the GUCR 145-mile race. I leave at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, land in London on Thursday, May 26 at 1:35 p.m. and start the race at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 28.

To say that I am excited is an understatement.

There is something about the UK that captivates me. I have now started 3 races there, the June 2009 Thames Ring 250M (I stopped at 183 miles), the May 2010 GUCR 145M (I finished in 43:22) and the September 2010 South Downs Way 100M (I got lost at 56 miles) and finished just one so you may well ask me what it is about the UK that draws you back there again and again. Maybe it was all the Enid Blyton books I read as a kid and which enamored me so much with the English countryside?


I am now one of the starters of the Ultra Trail South West race on June 23, 2012. Yes, I signed up for a race in the UK 14 months in advance!!

Back to the GUCR. I am hoping to finish in under 37 or 38 hours. Over the years I have come to realize that one race does not a year make (or break)! So if I do not finish in under 38 hours (or not even finish at all!) I will take it in my stride. Life is much more than a race or a goal. I do not define myself by achievements alone. I see myself as a person who starts an adventure, called the GUCR 145M in this instance, and has fun every step of the way. If the adventure ends early so be it.

Let's see what Memorial Day weekend has in store for me. All I know is that I will be running in good old England once more and that is one of the best gifts to myself!


Stay tuned.