Head Down, Bums Up — Getting On With It
Over the past few weeks I’ve been pretty quiet on here, and on instagram as well.
The last update I shared was around an achilles niggle and the decision to pull out of Lake Sonoma. At the time, it felt like a big call and pretty annoying. Not just missing a race, but interrupting a bit of momentum. Those moments always force you to zoom out, to make sure you’re taking in the big picture.
The good news is it turned around quickly . A big part of that was getting on top of it early and leaning on the right people. Marcos my physio and strength coach from Rehab Co played a huge role in getting things under control and building again in the right direction. It wasn’t about rushing back, but about doing things properly. That made all the difference.
I spent a couple of solid weeks cross training on the bike and time on feet in the bush, which, in a strange way, ended up being a bit of a reset. I was still able to get back into reduced running and I felt like a proper Euro on the edge of a cold winter. The cross training helped bridge that gap back into full training and I feel like my fitness base held strong.
Since then, things have been smooth and have taken a pretty positive turn. The achilles is a weird thing. For me it felt very black and white between it feeling right and wrong. Once I knew I was on top of things, I knew. Since that point, I’ve been able to string together some of my biggest weeks. The biggest being 243km of running, alongside around 150km on the bike and of course my strength work. I know this sounds somewhat irresponsible coming off injury but I have my goal to win Western States and I want to try some things.
So back to that big week (which I want to continue to replicate. That included a double threshold day, a long run progression, and a lot of time on feet. Nothing overly flashy on its own, but stacked together clicked off the kms.
An insight into the week
Monday
Morning Run — 24.5km (995m)
Afternoon Run — 11.2km (177m)
Tuesday (Double Threshold + Volume)
Strength
Treadmill: 6 × 3min sub-threshold (3min float) — 11.2km
Afternoon Ride Commute — 23.5km
Track/Workout: 4 × 800m + 200m w/ 400m floats, 1km hard finish — 17.0km
Evening Ride Commute — 23.6km
Wednesday
Long Run (Technical & Vert in the Tararuas) — 39.8km (1,905m)
Thursday
Easy Run (Stroller) — 15.1km
Afternoon Ride Commute — 17.7km
Strength
Afternoon Ride Commute — 20.8km
Friday
Long Run w/ 10km Tempo — 44.7km (604m)
Indoor Trainer + Heat Suit + Sauna — 53min
Saturday
Long Run (Vert + Stair Focus) — 50.6km (1,793m)
Sunday
Recovery Run — 20.0km
Indoor Trainer + Heat + Sauna — 1hr
I will note: Strength work has been a non-negotiable. It looks underwhelming sitting up there in that list, but I’m being 100% when I say I really rate it as a must to complement my training. And, not just in this block, but really across this whole year, and even building from last season. The goal isn’t just to be fit, it’s to be durable. To be able to handle weeks like this and come out the other side still moving well.
Having Marcos from Rehab Company in my corner has been huge in that respect. I probably sound like a broken record mentioning it, but it’s made a genuine difference not just reacting to issues, but staying ahead of them.
That being said, there’s no getting around the cost of weeks like this. It’s physically draining. You feel it stacking day by day, not always in a dramatic way, but in that constant underlying fatigue. And then there’s the challenge of fitting life around it all. Everything else still ticks along and we’re enjoying this time together. Hudson is growing up fast.
So with that being said, now that things are rolling, there’s no backing off. There will be some de-load weeks and stepping stone races. That starts straight away. I’ll be lining up at Faultline 50km tomorrow (actually I didn’t post this immediately, it was three days ago), less about the result, more about supporting our local ultra and catching up with a fantastic community. It’s a nice motivator for my Sunday long run. From there, the travel begins. A training camp in Falls Creek, then into UTA 50km, and after that heading over to Flagstaff in the US, where things will simplify even further and the focus really narrows in.
Somewhere along the way recently, I came across the origin of the word passion. It comes from the Latin passio, to suffer, to endure. And it stuck with me.
Because running is my career, but it’s also my passion. And right now, this is exactly what that looks like. Long days because they’re long. Hard sessions because they’re hard. Fatigue that doesn’t really go away, just shifts shape. It’s not always enjoyable in the moment, but it’s meaningful.
And right now, I’m right in the middle of it.
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We’re constantly in comms around how to maximise my performance in training & race day, it truly feels like an “athlete-first” approach. If you’re keen to get an understanding of how to weave their products into your training & racing - check out their planner: PF & H Planner
Are you still running UTA?
Inspiring. 👊