Back to square 1

One minute you are up, the next you are down !From having won Round 5 of the Walking League at Andreas the other week on the handicap and being happy with my progression fitness wise, I have had a poor week. And boy has it got me down !

I have injured my back and haven't trained properly for almost a week, except for a half hour session at the NSC this evening which depressed me further ! I have lost a lot of condition and positivity in this short space of time and I feel I am back to square one.

However, a lot of this could be down to my state of mind too as I have had a trying week. I was also aboard the Sea Cat last Saturday which somehow managed to crash into a bulk container on the Mersey Estuary. I am not ashamed to say it was the most terrifying moment of my life as I was sure the ship was going to sink. Thoughts of finishing the Parish were far from my mind at that point ! But, thankfully, it all turned out fine in the end and I have never been so pleased to get back on terra firma. Hopefully, the enquiry will be thorough and lessons will be learned from this potential disaster.

Rant and whining over,with no training and only treatment on my back ( can highly recommend fellow blogger Mark Hempsall's sports massage to ease aches and pains ) I have had time to ponder the logistics of the race this week.This is an area which concerns me greatly as a novice as there are so many variables and situations to cover over the 85 mile slog. What do I drink besides water ? What do I need to eat ? How much do I need ? How many changes of clothing should I take ? What if I need a number two ? The list of questions goes on and on !

I seems to me that you can do all the training under the sun but if your back-up is not prepared and on the ball, then you will fail. At the moment, only Mrs Mackey has volunteered for back-up service( does she know what she has let herself in for ?) but there is no way of earth she can manage it all day and night, especially with two small children to amuse !They will have to sleep at some time !This is something that we, as a family, will have to sort out as the race beckons.All other help is futile -my mother wouldn't know how to get to Ramsey, my father-in-law is competing, while all my mates will be in the pub as it's a Saturday ! All I'd get as support from them is abuse and bottles of Becks !

It's going to take organisation of D-day landing proportions but I am determined to get it right. I don't intend to waste seven months of training on a simple oversight !