My log: Training for a sub 3.30 marathon

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

What a day! It rained hard for the first 2hrs and I got quite cold. The downpour also turned the first half of the course into an unrunnable, slippery mud bath. I think we were all pretty happy when the sun came out about 15km into it, a lot of very guys I talked to during the first half were already mentally struggling - it was tough out there. A few blokes I ran with during the first half of the race told me they were 'absolutely fucked', one of them had even been crying.

I was okay; had zero low points or rough patches although I was a bit concerned at one point after it took me just over 30mins to cover just 2km (kilometres 23-25)!

 

[BrotherIron]

Good to see you still going hard.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Thanks BI. The finish line was the most special part of the day, quite emotional for me. So much love in this photo

Will sign up for the St James 100km mountain race next week, will be my first attempt at that distance and I truly don't know if I can do it. But guess that's half the 'fun' of it.

 

[BrotherIron]

Push yourself MF. I don't know if I told ya, but my brother used to run ultra marathons and has moved up to centuries.

 

[woodswise]

Good luck next week MF!

 

[fit_dynamite]

This is dope! Props to you! WTG! Love that pic of you and your daughter. Sweet photo!

Oh yea you can will do this next week! Keep that focus!

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Game on now.

Entered the St James 'High Country 100km' race which takes place on January 20th. Tough race with lots of climbing and a 16.5hr cutoff time... I have been accepted.

 

[BrotherIron]

Game on now.

Entered the St James 'High Country 100km' race which takes place on January 20th. Tough race with lots of climbing and a 16.5hr cutoff time... I have been accepted.

Congrats that's awesome

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

4 weeks out from the race, feeling under-trained but I'm healthy and injury free so I can't complain there.

This week has been better, did a couple of back-to-back 25km runs earlier in the week and one of them was up in the hills with close to 1,000m elevation gain. Hoping to do another 50km or so this weekend all being well. Happy Christmas everyone

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Well the race was last Saturday, all went okay despite going into it with an ankle injury. Got to the finish line but not quite the 100km so it was all a bit bittersweet

Got to the final cutoff at the 80km mark in time (I actually had 20mins to spare), but had to be truthful and tell the medics that I'd need to walk the last 20km as my ankle wasn't in the best shape. Had no intention to drop out so they made the call to send me out on a shorter loop to the finish line. Brutal hills and numerous deep river crossings (where I fell completely into one and got taken downstream for a few metres), baking hot all day with temperatures close to 40° and zero shade anywhere but the scenery out there was absolutely stunning...

All up my day out was 87km in 15hr 33.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Another race done yesterday after coming off a decent training block. My goal was 4hr30, and for the first 2/3 I was on track for hitting it. Ended up getting pretty hot out there and I think many of us started to feel it around the 3hr mark. Lost a bit of time and slowly but surely drifted off what I had set out to achieve.

However, happy with the fact that I managed to stay focused and hang on - got both a new marathon PB along the way and a new 50km PB

 

[BrotherIron]

Damn dude... congrats on that. Don't know how you do it. That's some serious mental toughness.