You can probably tell from this blog that I can be a little OCD when it comes to planning and preparation. The bigger the task, the more I need to prep and plan in my own mind. And with just 10 months to go until I tackle 300km, the clock is ticking... and it is ticking loud.
I've yet to receive a gpx file route map, recommended kit list, etc. These things I like to get well in advance. That way I know I least have all the gear and at least 'some' idea of what waits for me.
The gpx file is actually helpful as I can get a sense of the terrain and elevation so I can have long enough to train accordingly. How much is road? How much is hill? How much is sand? It all makes a bit of a difference in what I put particular attention on while training.
My training the last few weeks has been minimal. It fits into the category of 'rehabilitation'... so let's go with that, shall we? It's been exacerbated by a shitty ear infection which I'm hopefully now through. I've at least managed to get an hour's long run in each weekend, coupled with a Pilates session and another run in the mid week. Hardly ultra-athlete style training at this point in time, but it does appear to be helping my long standing injury. I can't get too bent out of shape though, as this time last year I was nursing a fractured ankle and severe tendonitis and didn't get to even start running until late January. The way I see it is that I have a bit of a head start. My aim the next few weeks is to slowly build up the weekly miles, keep working on the tendon issues and 'pre-hab'ing' with the pilates work to which I'll be slowly adding in some weights/resistance based training as well.
My MAF Tests are in the 3.7 to 3.8km in 30 mins while staying below 134 bpm heart rate during the last month. This is with my VO2 Max measuring around 39.5. This suggests I'm holding onto a base level of fitness at the moment. It's less than my best MAF of 4.4km in 30 mins at my peak just before the 100k, but it's further than my March scores where I was well into my training cycle.
Given the limited running (and crap eating) I'm pretty happy with this. When I started last January my VO2 Max was 32.9, so I'm certainly ahead!
That said my current VO2 Max measure is almost as high as it was going into my late stage training before I took on the Jurassic Coast 100. I'm pleased about that! The thing now is putting the distance back into the legs over time. The engine is good, but the mechanics of the chassis are where work needs to be done. It's time that is slowly ticking away. I am certainly still much further ahead than where I started from, so I'm not flapping about it, however it's important that I build the base from here and strengthen the parts that need it the most.
I have 9 months of progressively hard training ahead, which will include a 100km ultra (which I will fucking finish this time, and get my feet right) and a couple of 50km ultras that I want to tackle along the way. The recommended mileage increase per week is 10% so I am now building the mileage plan for the next 9 months. I'm also through it and it is definitely a testicles-in-throat moment seeing it all mapped out across 45 weeks.
I'll share it with you shortly.
Time is ticking and I have a shit-ton of work to do...
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