3 weeks to go

This time in three weeks I should be suitably tired. On Saturday I ran my last long run and now progress to the taper part of my training. I will use these three weeks to freshen up and finish the mental and physical preparations for my first 100 mile trail race. To do this I will reduce the overall volume of my training runs and add in extra rest days to allow my body (and mind) to recover from the rigours of training that I have subjected myself to for the last couple of months.

After last week's battle with fatigue I knew that I was walking along a razors edge. On one hand I wanted to get one final decent week of training completed before the taper, otherwise my last week of hard training would end up being 6 weeks prior to race day and would be less beneficial than if it was at 3 weeks to go. But, on the other hand I knew that with 6 big weeks of continuous accumulated training, if I pushed too hard I risked burn-out or injury.

I started the week with an easy 10km recovery type run on the Monday with some undulations. My body had recovered quite well and I was not too sore or tired. I was a little unsure if I should continue my Tuesday hill session routine and run up Mt Archer, especially as the head cold I had picked up on Saturday was starting to get quite bad. Funnily enough running is one of the activities that makes me feel better. So I did what any Ultra runner would do, I ran up Mt Archer again. I started at about 10:00am and it was a very pleasant 24 degrees or so with a slight breeze. It took me about 7.5km to reach the Pilbeam Drive turn off which marks the start of the main 5km climb. I made a time check and ran up concentrating on staying relaxed and not breathing too deeply to prevent a coughing fit. Well, I managed to keep all of my kilometre splits below 6min 45 and made it to the end time check in 32mins 48secs which is a new record for me. Wednesday was another easy 10km followed by a 26km flattish run on Thursday. Friday was another day off with my last long run scheduled for Saturday.

It was very difficult to motivate myself for Saturday's run. I had gotten up at 4:45am for work, finished my early shift at 2pm and when I got home I made the mistake of lying down on the bed while I talked to Mel about her day. I thought about having the day off training as the prospect of running by myself for four hours after work was not very attractive. BUT, I needed to prove to myself that I was committed to the miler and thought that running on tired legs and when mentally exhausted would be good preparation. I'm glad I laced up the Kayano's and got my butt out the door because I ended up having a pretty good run. I made up my Hammer perpetuem drink and a hand-held of water and strode out the front door. I was also wearing my new pair of Skins A400 running half-tights and calf guards.

The first 8km were not easy and I seriously considered calling it quits a few times. My legs were very heavy and tired, my mind was tired and I was dealing with a few niggles. But running long is not about giving in when it gets tough, it is about persevering and challenging yourself to keep going even when your mind and body are trying to trick you into stopping. By about 8km though I had settled into a comfortable rhythm and began to really enjoy myself. I was really proud of myself for firstly getting out the door and secondly for not giving up. The course was mainly flat with a few smallish hills and undulations to break it up a little. The perpetuem worked a charm yet again and not a hint of stomach upset. I ended up running 45.05km in 3hrs 49mins 19secs. That works out to be an average pace of 5:05mins/km and had me go through the marathon point in 3hs 34mins which is quicker than I anticipated and much much quicker than my goal GH100 pace.

After another early shift at work and a 30min power nap I ran with Geoff on Sunday for a 12.8km recovery run that ended up being pretty quick. I ran with the Skins tights and calf-guards again (yes they were washed in-between runs) to determine if I like them. The idea of running with compression clothing is to reduce muscle fatigue and damage which over the course of 160km is pretty important. I will write up a proper review after I have logged more hours in them but at this point I have had no real issues with the Skins and am looking at wearing them on the 10th September.

After last week's amended easy week I am pleased that I was able to log just under 130km for my last medium to big week before the taper. It means that my last six weeks have consisted of:

142.60km (45km long run)
151.84km (51.3km Flinders Tour race)
102.08km (45km long run)
175.80km (68.25km long run)
101.20km (30km long run)
129.06km (45km long run)

This is the largest and most consistent six week period of running I have ever done and has given me a total of 803.30km.

Weekly totals

Monday - 10.06km - 51mins 45secs - flat easy run with undulations
Tuesday - 25.05km - 2hrs 09mins 37secs - hill run including Mt Archer
Wednesday - 10.05km - 51mins 38secs - same as Monday
Thursday - 26.05km - 2hrs 13mins 57secs - flattish including RRR group run
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - 45.05km - 3hrs 49mins 19secs - long run solo around Rocky
Sunday - 12.80km - 1hr 03mins 46secs - Sunday group with Geoff

Totals - 129.06km - 11hrs 00mins 03secs

Now that all the hard work is behind me, I can rest more and start working on my mental preparation. I start night shift on Tuesday night which will throw my body clock out a bit, but thankfully it will not be as significant as if I was attempting big mileage this week. Also my in-laws are arriving on Wednesday so I am very excited about that and with reduced mileage it means that I get to hang out more with them, Mel and the kids.

I am getting really excited about the race and with 75 people currently listed as entrants in the 100 mile race alone there will be lots of people to run with and learn from. I'm looking forward to catching up with some of the Ultra runners I have met at previous races (and on-line) and am looking forward to meeting a few more.

I'm also very excited to mention that tomorrow marks the start of Andy Bowen's 33 Marathons adventure which will see him run 1,400km's in 16 days as he plays a round of golf on the Nullarbor Links golf course to raise money for charity. So please visit his web page (www.33marathons.com) or visit the 33 Marathons Facebook page and send him a message of support and donate to one of his very worthy charities. All the best Andy, run strong and I look forward to reading the updates of your very inspiring adventure.

Keep running.