The concept of being a runner never really caught on to me.

I have asthma. Haven’t done any checkups lately but before I started running I had 75% lung capacity, compared to what I should have at my age and size. The doctor expected that I could improve it a bit by training, but it’s pretty clear that I will never be a physical beast that can push and push.

A few years ago I found out that I have type 2 diabetes. My metabolism doesn’t breakdown carbs as it should. Which translated to terms of exercise means that I can’t get energy like normal people do.

My right knee hardly have any meniscus, which is a good thing to have for a runner. A reminder from youth, late nights, parties and feeling bulletproof. Well, time wounds all heels, or how is it the story goes? My knee took the blow of me doing a bad turn and the meniscus was shattered into something the surgeon couldn’t stitch together.

But what I do have is experience of some seriously difficult and hard work from over 20 years in the IT industry. I have been able to deliver in multiple “impossible” project, found solutions to problems other people can’t even describe in words, broken new grounds by delivering the first PoC several times, and more. Project management, infrastructure architecture, general IT architecture, breaking down indescribable epics to doable tasks, pushing forward, enduring, breaking down and continuing onwards. Grit, grit, grit.

And I have trained, planned, done visualisation, to complete Kullamannen Ultra for quite a while now. A year ago I did my first Ultra Trail at Trail Uewersauer, just to get a taste for some more serious elevation in a trail run. It was more hight meters than summiting the highest mountain in Sweden, from sea level, and then of course running back down again. Yet, that race was only half the elevation of Kullamannen.

One more mind-blowing, hope draining, gruesome feature of Kullamannen Ultra is the long transport stretch where you can see the hills you are running towards, but you are in fact running away from it. Strange and really difficult for the mind. When you finally reach the hills you must first run to the far most end, covering some of the most difficult climbs before you reach your drop bag and some nice refreshments. Then you must convince your mind and body to go out and do three rounds on the same difficult terrain. It really is a beast, a slayer of strong men. No wonder it gets you 6 ITRA points. Rated in highest difficulty category of any race in the world.

So, will my preparations be sufficient? Have I gotten enough tools and techniques to cope with all problem I will run (crawl) into? Well I will try my best and give up early. Abandon all hope. Let go of any illusion. Face the brutal facts. Go step by step. Take it easy. Be calm. One more step, and then one more.