It felt serious. Sharp, direct, disabling. It was so bad that it broke my heart and forced me to pull out of an event I’d had on my calendar and trained for for three years. Turns out, my arse is just lazy. Yes it feels like a personal attack to me too. A attack on … Continue reading Injury update
Tag: ultrarunning
Lessons from my first attempt at the Tarawera 100 miler
Yes ok so it turned to shit and I didn't finish my race. I think everyone got that memo. And yes I've also reached the anger stage of the 5 Stages of Grief so bare with me here. In sorting through the emotions of falling short on such a big goal, I've been reflecting on … Continue reading Lessons from my first attempt at the Tarawera 100 miler
Time to call it: another DNF Tarawera 100 mile
It's 7 am here in Rotorua and if everything had gone to plan, I'd still be running. I'd hopefully be leaving the Redwoods aid station and completing the last 6 km of my first 100 mile race. But instead, I'm here, drinking coffee in my pjs on the back deck of an Air Bnb analysing … Continue reading Time to call it: another DNF Tarawera 100 mile
The prequel to the taper tantrum- 35 days to go!
With five weeks to go until my first 100 mile race and the panic and paranoia is starting to set in. It’s the prequel to the ultimate taper tantrum that often includes buying shit you don’t need, over analysing your training, foam rolling (because you literally have never used the thing) and research into all … Continue reading The prequel to the taper tantrum- 35 days to go!
How much does it cost to run 100 miles?
"Trail and ultra running is inclusive". There are few things at the moment that get my blood boiling as much as this sentence, especially when it comes from a middle aged white man. "Ultra marathon running attracts a certain type of person", they say when questioned about the fact that there are a significant amount … Continue reading How much does it cost to run 100 miles?
2022: A year in running
Every year at Christmas I sit down and watch the movie version of the Broadway musical 'Rent'. It's my end of year tradition. "How do you measure, measure a year?" they ask and each holiday season I asked myself the same thing. Luckily for runners, Strava has that in the bag, publishing their 2022 Recap … Continue reading 2022: A year in running
Race recap: Ultra trail Kosciusko 100k
It had been a while. Quite a while actually, since I had run 100km. It seemed like something that had become part of my identity, running long distances, of how people saw me, but I wasn’t actually doing it. The last time I completed a 100km race was September 2017, the Surf Coast Century, over … Continue reading Race recap: Ultra trail Kosciusko 100k
Pre-game: Ultra Trail Kosciusko
If there is one thing that runners embarking on the Ultra Trail Kosciusko are worried about ahead of the big dance next weekend it’s snow.Australia’s highest peak still has a dusting after getting unseasonal snow a few weeks ago. That snow has now mostly melted down to sludge and mud, a trail runners wet dream, … Continue reading Pre-game: Ultra Trail Kosciusko
WTF! They ruined my favourite shoe!
I bought a new pair of shoes this week. Hardly newsworthy or revolutionary I admit. "Runner buys new shoes" is hardly the stuff of Pulitzer Prizes. There was nothing fancy about them. They weren't a brand new make or model, a limited edition or anything with the word 'carbon' in the title (or the price). … Continue reading WTF! They ruined my favourite shoe!
Race recap: Halloween Howler marathon 2022
“Proud of you for showing up”, that was the message I got from a running buddy when I got home from Halloween Howler last night after spending 5 and a half hours doing loops of a 5k trail course. “Me too”, I thought, “that’s the hardest part”, I replied. In fairness, that wasn’t what I … Continue reading Race recap: Halloween Howler marathon 2022