Next weekend I attempt my first 100 miler ultra, The Feral Pig Ultra. The race kicks off at midnight on Friday 7th November and if all goes well I’ll finish before midnight on the following day. Unlike a marathon where I can predict my finishing time with a minute or two accuracy with a 100 miler you’d be lucky to get it down to within 1-2 hours. ! With the added distance comes the added variables that can certainly change everything very quickly. add in navigating in the Australian bush and the heat of the day and it becomes a lottery as to whether you’ll finish at all. All you can do is train and train hard and hope , on the day, you also have the mental toughness to push through because in a race of this distance you will be asked questions you need to answer !

After the 24 Light Horse I’ve been lucky enough to string together a 7 week block of pretty consistent training which has physically prepared me for the challenge. Knowing I’ve put in the hard work has also helped my mental preparation as I know I’ve done the best I can in training and am now prepared to put it all on the line, when the time comes. More importantly I’ve enjoyed this training block and have added double days the last few weeks mainly because I’m just enjoying putting on the trainers and ‘getting out there‘.

In lock down it’s amazing how many races I have actually entered and I now have full calendar of events for the foreseeable future. This month is the Feral Pig 100 miler, December is the traditional 6 Inch Trail Ultra 48k(for the 11th time), January the Australian Day Ultra 100k, February The Delirious West 200 Miler, March,  Herdy’s Front Yard Last Man Standing Ultra, May it’s back to the 24hr Lighthorse and then June over to South Australia for the Irrational South another 200 miler and then August it’s Birdy’s Last Man Standing Ultra.  Add in the West Australian Marathon Club events and it looks like I’ll be sleeping with a bib on my chest.

I’m a big believer in distance, consistency and competing, get these things right and you’ll always perform at your best, unfortunately it’s a fine balancing act because get either of them wrong and your performance will suffer. You could also add in nutrition and hydration, both of which are overlooked when runners are training and racing , again ignore these at your peril. Who would have thought running was so complicated?

With distance performance improvements in running is virtually exponentially linked to this variable. If you run 50 km a week now and you start to run 100km a week you will improve, it’s that simple. This improvement will continue if you run 160km a week or more. Of course there is a ceiling of improvement and it’s not a linear improvement but up to a point improving at running is just doing it more, with the caveat of course of not getting injured and also making sure your diet reflects the increased work load.  Of course there are all types of workouts that will add to the improvement but generally just running more does the job.

Consistency over time is another big hitter in the running world. By adding distance you’re normally also adding consistency , they go hand in hand , but it’s important to realise that running daily is far better than a long run Monday and then three days of no running before another long run Friday,  you would be better splitting that total distance into 4-5 smaller runs but run daily, in my opinion. Personally I don’t like to have rest days but if you do I would recommend only one a week and make it before a harder run not a long run. The long run should normally be time on legs, so running on tired legs is normally ok.

Finally competing , nothing pushes you like having a bib on your chest and your heart threatening to explode through your rib cage ! Summed up by a classic Prefontaine quote below really.  There’s nothing more to say.

Follow me on

Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/runbkrun/