Editor's note: This is the seventh installment in a series of guest blog posts by Simon Wheatcroft, who is training for a 100-mile ultramarathon later this month, despite being legally blind for the past 11 years. For further timely updates on his progress, please follow Simon on Twitter or check out Adapting to Going Blind and Blind100.

As I start my taper and the runs become unusually short, I can't help but reflect on how far I have come physically and mentally.

Physically, I have hit some fantastic milestones during my months of training. Breaking marathon distance on a weekend run was certainly monumental. Running a minimum of one marathon a week seems so strange and sounds like an enormous distance when you think about it. My next major milestone was the 30-mile mark. In many ways, surpassing marathon distance was both a physical and psychological milestone.

That 26.2-mile distance just sticks in your head as some sort of finite distance. It’s the distance most people talk about. Inevitably, the talk eventually leads to how tough it is to run that distance. The constant reinforcement of this idea made breaking that milestone a strange one. As soon as I would fatigue slightly, I'd go Ahhhhh, it's because I'm at marathon distance, while somehow totally ignoring the fact I had not drank enough water and/or forgotten to eat. That mental block of moving past the marathon distance was important to realize and break down.

Being able to comfortably run 30 miles smashed this thought process, although "comfortably" is an extremely generous word for my first ever 30-mile run. It hit me hard and I fatigued heavily around mile 27. However, three weeks later I had shaved 40 minutes off my first 30-mile run and it now seemed wholly manageable. As long as I hit the right levels of hydration and fueling, the distance no longer seemed to matter. In fact, I now feel more comfortable at 30 miles than I ever did at six miles.

My mental state is where the biggest difference has been made. Being blind and still training alone has allowed me to push my mental limits further than I ever could have imagined. During the past year, I have gone from running one to two miles solo, to 30. That, speaking for myself, is a remarkable leap. Being able to concentrate on the nuances needed to run – even when fatigued – has put me in great shape to attempt the 100-mile run in 11 days' time.

With less than two weeks until I approach the starting line of the Cotswold Ultra 100, the hardest training is behind me and it's time to finalize my nutrition plan, engage that positive thinking and maybe relax a little.

That is, if I can find the time.

Photo: seanvennFlickr/CC