Back in Cumbria, I continued my connection within nature. I felt different with more inner strength, connection and self-belief than I have ever had before; becoming comfortable in my own skin and trusting my gut feelings. The year before,
I had read some books on ultra-running and somehow the seed was planted that I could do this too.
I entered the Windermere Marathon and Lakeland Trails 55Km.
My excitement was less about placement; it was more about self-potential.
My physical advantage was that I had cycled often around the ‘honey pot’ of the Lakes District so I was not a couch potato to ultra.
The only problem was that I didn’t really enjoy running and the furthest I had run was approximately 9 miles, six months earlier.
If I am honest, I was secretly happy to have it confirmed that there was very little time to train the ‘conventional way’ for an endurance run. Upon this news, I decided to be different and train a very different way.
My training
I made my training about aligning myself with nature’s rhythms.
It was about investing in myself, stepping outside the conditioned mind, cultivating self-understanding and honing a positive mind-set.
Part of my investigation was to pioneer new ways of feeling relaxed and feeling abundantly connected to my body and to nature, in a way that could actually be simpler than what we have been taught in the past. As ground-breaking as all these technological innovations in tracking apps and GPS watches may be, I found it more powerful to have a more simple and primitive approach.
I knew that after my experiences in Poland and on the Camino that if you really wanted to soar, look within. Deep within. I knew I could do this.
