Just a few days until I will be taking on the South Downs Way 100 mile ultramarathon with my good friend Mike. 

The month before I left for Japan, 2 years ago, I decided to do a 100 mile ultra, on very short notice (just over a month after finishing my first ever one) and enlisted the help of Mike to pace me through the night sections.

This race was in honour of my Grandad who passed away shortly before, and together Mike helped me come in at 21 hours, earning 4th place.

I was ecstatic, and left for Japan happy that I had given my all.

Now we will be running the whole race together and rather than trying to position or to get a particular time, simply finishing will be the goal. 

It will now be my goal to help Mike finish his first 100 miler! 

With some nasty injuries (I have only run 10km in almost two months), a couple of years away from this distance, bad weather scheduled, and a tough event looming - we intend to pull each other through and finish a 100 mile event for the first time together. 

I’m looking forward to the highs and lows and seeing if I’ve still got the mental strength that used to help me so much in life!

This time the race will be in honour of my Nan who died in pretty bad circumstances earlier this year while I was in Japan. Sadly I was unable to attend the funeral and hadn’t spoke to her since before I left the UK which I regret. 

She was always so supportive of my decision to leave the UK, even when others weren’t, and I enjoyed long phone discussions with her about this after my grandad had passed. 

It was always so interesting having her asking me so many questions about Japan, the culture, the food, the people, the history etc - not out of scepticism but pure intrigue and interest, but as she hadn’t travelled much, it was as if it was some far off distant planet! 

David