How DO you train for spending 100 miles on your
feet? The cut off is 37 hours... there is 5700 meters of elevation (18,000ft)
and temperatures varying between 5 and 50'C over the event history...
Obviously you run, walk,
drink and eat. These are all things you have to practice over and over for an
event like the Addo Elephant Trail Run, aka #AfricasWildestUltra. Practice
doesn’t always make perfect… but it does help improve how your body reacts.
In 2018 I ran for
myself... I ran (or walked most of) Washie 100 and then trained for a marathon
PB of 3h29.54 on 1 December 2018 at the PE City Marathon. After 4 days of rest,
I started training again... and began a #runstreak thanks to Bradley of
Trailbusters in Nelson Mandela Bay. This may have been the best or a bad thing…
In the first build up of
my Addo training I started to experience tightness in my fascial pathways. This
could have been triggered by any number of things: stress, sleeplessness,
overtraining, or just a little accident. When it didn't go away, I thought I
might need some professional help... and thanks to #parkrun friends I found a
biokineticist who got me through the Van Stadens Mountain Marathon
(1750m/5700ft elevation over 42km) without being further hurt. In fact I felt
stronger and more prepared for #Addo100!
And then I slept. Sleep
is such an important part of recovery. And its fun when you get it right!
Ilona Hearne Biokinetics
have now assessed my strengths and weaknesses and we've been working on a few
areas to even out the imbalances in my body... This will help me run further,
harder and faster. Maybe not before Addo, but I'll be damned if I don't finish
with their help.
And of course a huge
part of training for 100 miles is to know WHY you're doing it. And that is the
reason for #RazeABar.
I do it because I want to, because I want to test my limits (I believe I can,
but there is a 30% drop out rate at Addo) and I want to be able to highlight
great causes and enable others to give back to professionals that give
effectively!
An important part of
training is work... because you have to be able to afford it all! Nothing in
life is free. But trail running, because of its remote nature, is not cheap.
The kind of people you meet and sights you see are amazing and well worth the
sacrifice. And I'm glad I enjoy my work at Cellucity. 
And so I encourage you
to donate through my campaign... but more importantly to consider a long term
relationship with a charity that touches your heart! I've been involved with
Christmas Cheer for over 20 years, and with One Land Love it since 2015. Let's
make a difference together...
I think it goes without
saying that if you want to run 100 miles (160.934km) that you must run. And if
you're like 99% of people, you should probably train walking as well, because
running 100 miles is a long way. See Knights & Unicorns...
There's a lot of science in being able to run 100 miles - but the self discipline and passion to build a foundation in training gets you to that start line. You've shown bucket loads of both Steve. OLLI supports your efforts for good Steve.
ReplyDeleteI think its often just bloody-minded stubborness! Thank you for the vote of confidence and support! #OLLI rocks
Delete