If there would be a theme for this July and August, FOMO (the fear of missing out for those not up with internet acronyms).

Western States, Hard Rock, my husband going on a massive holiday without me, UTMB, oh my!

And it’s really bloody hard to not throw your own pity party and sit at home, eating the new Vegan Ben and Jerry’s Sunday, in the bath tub wondering what you are doing with your life.

I was patiently impatient throughout July, adding in the extra work, the 1% ers, and slowly building back up to Peaks and Trails 50k.

It’s funny how each day, each run just blurs into the next. Nothing fancy, nothing remarkable or what would make anyone on Strava 😳, just basic consistency of getting out each day and keeping the volume and consistency there. Super boring.

I bought the run/walk back after Peaks and Trails to recover and make sure I didn’t aggravate my knee again.

But generally speaking, training wise, August was super boring too, as it should be.

I haven’t decided what my next goal will be. (Yes of course I’m entered into Tarawera miler. I’m sure I’ll finish it eventually!)

For a few days there it was focusing solely on the UTMB live stream!

I have the stones to enter the lottery from UTK and UTA this year but I’m a bit scared I’ll be pulled out first go. I’m not sure I want to or am ready to run UTMB in 2024.

I wouldn’t be upset if I got magically pulled out of the Western states lottery though. With one ticket and a 1% chance, I think it’s extremely unlikely, but wouldn’t it be a good story if I ran my first marathon on my 30th birthday and I completed my first 100 miler, at WSER, a week shy of my 40th birthday!

I have the course profile as my desktop image at work so everyone asks about the race. Maybe it’s manifesting, maybe it’s false hope, would be pretty amazing. Maybe I’m the 1%?

I even have an idea and location of my WSER tattoo. Put good vibes out into the universe for me folks, lottery gets drawn December 2.

Anyhow, I had this loose plan of races as training runs in the lead up to Kosci in December. Yes I’m going back for redemption. Hopefully there will be no emergency course changes due to unseasonable snow and I’ll be able to make it to the top of Australia’s biggest mountain. There will also be no running on the cheese grater. Lesson learnt on that one for sure.

Peaks and Trails was the first of the races in the lead up. I had pencilled in Surf Coast Century 50k after that. But I just couldn’t get excited for the 50k, the stoke was burning for the 100, so with a few days to spare I signed up, and smashed it. (You can read about that here)

The race was mostly great, the recovery though has been brutal. It’s been just over 2 weeks and I’m only just getting over it. First it was the 100k in the heat, then I got a head cold and then my period. It’s been an adventure friends.

I took it easy and only rode my bike or walked the dog for the first week.

When I started running again my legs and general body was fine, my nose was just a bit congested.

It took at least 2 weeks to start feeling normal again and by then I was more than ready to focus on the next big thing, I just don’t know what that is yet!