There is nothing worse than someone telling you “I told you so”. It’s infuriating, frustrating and generally speaking quite annoying and a little patronizing.

 

So two weeks ago when things started to fall off the wagon and I felt tired and a little run down, I chalked it up to what it feels like to train for a 100 mile run. It’s hard and you will be sore, you will be tired and you are constantly straddling the line of pushing just enough to improve but not so far that you get injured.

 

Well as it turns out, my body had crossed the line and I was too dumb or too deaf or just too busy running to listen.

 

After the You Yangs Rock Around the Clock marathon I felt great. I had a day off and got straight back into the program. I was actually really proud of myself because I hadn’t gone out so hard that I had ruined my training block.

 

I went out a few days later and must have pushed it a bit hard and there it went, all my ultra dreams out the window. I know it sounds like I’m being dramatic but this is seven years of building to get to this point and to potentially be “injured” four weeks out is not at all ideal.

 

So what did I do? I kept running of course. I ignored the pain, which was really only in the first few steps to start running and then I could quite easily trot in a comfortable rhythm and then I ran a 56k ultra trail marathon, Two Bays 56K Ultra. I can hear my coach yelling all the way from New Zealand.

 

I clocked 94km. My biggest training week to date.

 

Now I have a very sore abductor muscle on my left thigh. Well I think it’s an abductor muscle. Full disclosure, it could also be a groin. I’m not quite sure, I only just realized that a “groin” is not a male part! Yes I know, I can literally hear you laughing at me. But it’s always associated with football player injuries so I figured you groin was somehow attached to your balls!

 

Anyway, I have a sore leg. So next week, week 9 is all about recovery. I’m taking a full week off running. I know I said that I was taking it easy last week but this time I’m serious. My 100 mile dreams at Tarawera are counting on it.

 

Stay tuned for my Week 9 recovery week review and the Two Bays 56K trail marathon race recap as well.

 

In the mean time, there are 26 days to go, so please, pray to whatever god you believe in to fix my balls (or the thing attached to them anyway!)