Coast to Coast day day -1

 So I arrived on a long train journey up to St Bees Head in Cumbria the afternoon before. I was full of doubt. What if the legs weren’t up for it? What if my bag got lost in transit? What if the sole came off my shoe mid run? So many what ifs and doubts going around my head.

I had this idea 2 years ago to run Wainwright’s Coast to Coast for my 50th birthday. The route is 192 miles and the 6000 or so pilgrims who attempt this each year do so by walking, usually over 14 or 21 days. I intended to run it….in 7 days. It was to be (including having to get from the route to my hotels each day, just under 50km a day and 27,000ft of hills. For 3 months leading up to it, the planning, the resources and the training never felt enough. Here I was at a cute little B&B half a mile from the sea, ready to start tomorrow. 

I calmed my nerves by having a sticky toffee pudding and collecting the all important pebbles that you pick up in St Bees and drop into the sea at Robin Hoods Bay on the other side of the country. I had one for each of the 3 amazing girls in my family and one for myself

I then went to pack, repack and repack again. All I could now think of was the broken duffle bag where the zip split on the journey up here. 

I had a really early night!