The first week back at work after Christmas is always a struggle. This morning, as I carried my bike down five flights of stairs because of a broken lift, I realised that this ultra marathon I’m doing is getting quite close. A week ago I could still think of it as being ‘next year’. Today it’s now ‘next week’. And that’s very soon indeed.

My last long run was ticked off on New Year’s Eve. I ran the Flitch Way Marathon with my friend Katie and used it as a bit of a practice for Country to Capital. It was an out and back trail marathon so we couldn’t get lost (though we made a valiant attempt on the return leg before being called back by another runner). The trail gave me a chance to try out my kit in the mud and we ran at the slower pace that I’ll be aiming to run for 45 miles.

The ground was covered in ice when we arrived at the start and we were both reluctant to get out of Katie’s car. We’d had a discussion the day before about what bottoms to wear: “Is it too cold for a capri?” Katie had asked. I’d opted for thermal tights and she followed suit. After a few miles I warmed up enough to take off my gloves, which helped me avoid orange gloves as I ate a packet of Wotsits while running between miles 13 and 14.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself for managing to eat real food (not gels) on the run without choking. But when Katie pointed out that the 98 calories that the bag contained was probably less than I’d used up eating them, I grabbed another Snickers.

We finished just under 4 hours 50 minutes after a final push up the only hill we’d seen all day. My kit had kept me warm and my shoes had kept me upright, so all in all it was a successful day out.

Marathon number 11 is the first time I’ve ventured outside the traditional marathon seasons of April-May and September-October. Had it been raining, it might have been another story, but for now I’d say: don’t let the winter stop you running long distances. Get some warm kit and you’ll be fine.

Thanks to Inov8 for the Race Ultra shoes and Race Elite jacket I wore, and Sweaty Betty for the thermal tights. The Mountain Hardwear race vest and entry to the race I bought myself.