Apologies for the tardiness of this weeks post & thanks to all of those who have enquired as to its whereabouts.....good to know there are followers out there!
I'll cut straight to the chase and let you all know how Sunday's 30 mile Ultra went.
In one word: Slowly.
In three words: Slowly & Painfully.
Simply put, it was a long hard struggle. I had faced a race against time to get my legs back in shape after the marathon I ran in training two weeks beforehand. Ultimately, I ran out of time.
Significantly, it wasn't only my legs which hadn't recovered but also my head. I just wasn't in the right mental place to have an enjoyable race.
For those of you who like race stats - I went through the 1st loop of 15 miles in 2 hours 13 mins (so bang on target pace) and then things went seriously downhill - leaving the second 15 miles to be a real drag at 2 hours 41 mins!
The sharp ones amongst will work out that the finish time was 4 hours 54 mins - considering my road marathon PB is 3 hours 22 mins - the implosion is clear to see!
Although a target time wasn't the key objective - it is slightly disappointing to post a time of close to 5 hours on what was a relatively easy off-road course.
However.....I am taking loads of positives out of not just Sunday but the year to date.
I set myself a goal of completing an Ultra marathon in 2009 - done!
I set myself a challenge of training & racing consistently throughout the winter months - done!
I wished to establish a strong endurance base before hitting the tri season - done!
There have been a couple of high volume weeks plus two marathons in three weeks is something I'm quite proud of (although also a little embarrassed at my stupidity!)
So, do I feel in a better position than this time last year? - yes!
My swimming is unrecognisable from several months ago, I've cycled pretty consistently throughout winter (including some new off-road stuff) and my running is stronger than ever. So, all in all, I am happy to have hit my Q1 targets with a month to spare!
The key lesson I have taken out of the last few weeks is not to have my best game in training.
The marathon I ran two weeks ago was on a tougher course than Sunday, and I ran it far stronger, unfortunately I couldn't repeat this on race day. I'm not hugely competitive but I am more disappointed at not giving a good representation of myself and also taking some of the enjoyment out of what should have been a really enjoyable day by being in an unhappy place for about 20 miles.
As you all know, I love to train. I don't train to race well, I train because I love the lifestyle and all the things attached to it. However, I do need to get more focused on performing to my best at the key events I've identified. So, Bala Middle Distance on 14 June is my next target. I want to perform well, set a PB and come away feeling satisfied with my performance. Two of the measures are qualitative but I will know within myself whether I have met them - and thats all that counts.
When I was struggling on Sunday, one of things that kept me going was imagining that this is what the marathon leg of an Ironman-distance race must feel like (please don't tell me its worse!) So, I saw this as mental strength training for Challenge Roth. Every challenge has a positive option.
Speaking of Ironman-distance races, I want to send out a message of love & belief to my buddy John. John is racing at Ironman New Zealand this weekend and is aiming for a Kona slot. John - we all believe you can do it mate, believe it yourself and it will happen.
See you next week folks,
Sparky
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