The Day After/ Wasatch Lottery

My leg feels significantly less swollen today. Decided to see the physio tomorrow to give the general swelling an extra 24 hours to reduce enough for him to be able to give me a steer on the level of damage I've caused. I am hoping for a prognosis of under 4 weeks before I can commence build up again but that may be a little hopeful.

What I do know is that my hunger to get stuck in to Umstead in 8 weeks time is pretty huge. I cannot abide DNFs. This wasn't my first, in fact I have DNFd two other ultras before, both due to debilitating injury, but that was a first for 100 miles and my first since August 2007. Mentally rather than rock my confidence it's just made me more resolute about my strategy and goals for Umstead. Of course I have to get healthy again first and it will be about  being patient to allow a full recovery before I get into it.

I see I wasn't lucky enough to be drawn in the Wasatch 100 lottery but am guaranteed a place as a Grand Slam runner should I complete Western States, Vermont and Leadville. Some big names did get drawn including Tony Krupicka and Karl Meltzer who both also toed the line at RR100 last weekend. I think both those guys are also doing UTMB which is a mere 13 days prior to Wasatch so they will have 7 days less than me to recover from an even more mountainous 100. Fair play to them for throwing their names in for both. Also running are two Brits, Nicole and Ryan Brown and it will be great to share some British company at another one of the major US 100s this year.

Congratulations to everyone who finished Thames Trot, Pilgrims or Rocky Raccoon this weekend, there were some stellar performances out there although I have to say I don't think anything will come close to Ians somehow!