With two weeks to the start of the Dragons Back Ultra I am pondering what does success look like? How far do I have to go to consider my participation in this awesome event a success? Being realistic, a finish might be too much to expect, this is a multi-stage event over 6 days covering 380km with 17,400 m of elevation.
What does success look like?
The obvious answer is to finish at Cardiff Castle within the cut-off, which is something I am fully focused on. My training has gone pretty much as planned and I feel in as good a shape as I ever have, so the best possible version of me will be stood nervous and excited with the competitor cohort 6am Conwy Castle 4th September.
How will I deal with failure?
Approaching each day as its own event will allow me to break down this challenge into more manageable ‘chunks’. Day 1 covers 49km with 3800m of elevation, including traversing Crib Goch to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Each of the remaining days with their magnificent geography, vary in distance between 59 and 70km. In my head each day is an ultra, so completing a stage will be a success.
There is no avoiding the fact that not completing the first day would be a failure and dealing with that will involve a long hard look at my training and my running aspirations. Of course, I would look for the positives, but I wont dwell too much on this possible outcome.
Gruelling
This is a mountain event so elevation, navigation and the weather will all play their part. Then there is the gruelling toll on the body and particularly your feet! Back in 2011, I completed the Marathon des Sables and being quite a newbie to ultra running I often suffered blisters due to soft skin. Thanks to Rory Coleman’s advice on pre-taping feet before each day’s stage, I didn’t suffer too much with blisters – please keep in mind that everything in life is relative 😊
So, I will stick to this tried and tested formula! Whilst there is obviously no sand running through the middle of Wales north to south, 380km is a lot of time on your feet for a ‘completer’ like me so I will afford my feet every possible protection…
Outside our comfort zone
To be honest, setting aside the uncertainty, I am as well prepared as I’ll ever be for Dragons Back, so whatever happens I know I will be giving this my best shot. Which is a good result right? I have read lots of blogs around self-improvement and getting out of our comfort zones to ensure continuous personal development, so this will contribute to my CPD. And what a journey this will be, however long it lasts!
Wishing you well with your own CPD.
Happy running and take care
Andy
Life is a Sine Curve 
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