To this day I’m still not sure what inspires me to do long distance running. I never liked it as a kid and was never very good at it. And when I get asked, ‘why do you do it to yourself’ I don’t have an answer.<\/p>\n
In 2015 I started with City2Surf and have since run in a half marathon and 3 marathons. I guess the natural progression is an ultra-marathon and while I decided not to enter a specific event as I wanted flexibility on the date I would complete the run, I did choose to set myself the challenge of running the whole way (65 km’s) without stopping.<\/p>\n
Training for this distance requires more time than a marathon as 3 – 4 months is usually enough to prepare for 42km’s but an ultra requires 6 months, especially as I had let myself go since my last run in September 2018.<\/p>\n
Last year I had some chronic back issues that took 6 weeks of physio and special exercises to recover. 2020 just wasn\u2019t the year for this run even though it was the original plan. 2021 had just begun when I finalised my plan and over 6 months, I was going to transform my body and mind.<\/p>\n
By the end of the training, I needed to be running 70+ km\u2019s\/week. But it isn\u2019t all about running either, your legs will keep going but if your core strength isn\u2019t where it needs to be, your form drops as the fatigue kicks in, and the chances of injury increase drastically. Something I had learnt from previous runs.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to the day of the run and while there were some setbacks over the 6 months\u2019 (sickness and injury), I was ready.<\/p>\n
With the latest Covid restrictions, the final route had to be adjusted multiple times. To be honest, I was lucky this could even go ahead as I live in the Penrith LGA (Local Government Area), but not in one of the suburbs that have the strict lockdowns in place. With the route finalised it was time to plan the nutrition. Over this distance I was likely to burn between 6,000 and 7,000 calories so ensuring that you are fuelling yourself is critical. Another lesson I had learnt the hard way from a previous run which meant I barely made it to the end of the race. Carly (my wife) loves to write lists to stay organised so we both worked together to plan out what I needed throughout the run, so she knew where to meet me and drop off the supplies.<\/p>\n
We decided that 20km\u2019s, 36km\u2019s, 51km\u2019s and 58km\u2019s would be the drop off points and calculated how much I needed to carry so that I could consume between 200 \u2013 300 calories\u00a0an hour.\u00a0This doesn\u2019t add up to what I was going to burn but your body can only absorb\u00a0this amount so there isn\u2019t much point in\u00a0eating\/drinking anything more\u00a0then\u00a0required. Especially as it is difficult to digest\u00a0solids when most of the blood in your body is focused on\u00a0the muscles that allow you to run.<\/p>\n
All things were set for the 6:30 am start\u00a0and on the way there we got to see the most amazing sunrise\u00a0which Lilly and Layla (aged 9 and 5) loved.<\/p>\n
I ran off with everything I needed to get through to the 20km mark. The first kilometer flew by in just over 5 minutes and straight away I realised I needed to take my foot off\u00a0the accelerator as that pace would\u00a0surely cut this run short. The nerves and adrenaline are to blame and something that needs to be controlled\u00a0if you want to avoid falling short.\u00a0I had spent a lot of time preparing the music as this is\u00a0the\u00a0biggest advantage\u00a0when things get tough. I deliberately selected more\u00a0relaxed\u00a0tunes\u00a0for the first half of the\u00a0run, so I didn\u2019t get carried away.<\/p>\n
I was running a 4 km stretch back and forth through Luddenham as this was the only way to stay within the unrestricted LGA.\u00a0After 5 trips,\u00a0I would reach the 20km mark and was delighted to see Carly, Lilly and Layla waiting there with supplies. Lilly was ready with 2 Powerade bottles and we had practiced\u00a0running\u00a0together\u00a0like a relay\u00a0to transfer the\u00a0various items. Layla was further up with 2 running gels and a sandwich.\u00a0Unfortunately,\u00a0it didn\u2019t go as planned as I took too long to get the Powerade bottles\u00a0into my bag and although\u00a0this was\u00a0the point that I turned around, Layla didn\u2019t realise and thought that she had missed me. On the way back I passed\u00a0her,\u00a0and she was\u00a0really upset but I was still able to grab the fuel and keep going. I felt for\u00a0her but had to keep running off as she stood there in tears. I knew she would be over it\u00a0soon,\u00a0so I refocused on\u00a0the run and tried to relax as it was still early days. I reached 21km\u2019s shortly after at a time of 2 hours and 20 seconds.\u00a0A little disappointed that I didn\u2019t break the\u00a02-hour\u00a0mark for the half\u00a0marathon,\u00a0but I was way ahead of\u00a0time,\u00a0so\u00a0I didn\u2019t let that thought linger for long. Negative thinking doesn\u2019t mix with\u00a0a challenge like this.<\/p>\n
After another 4 laps I would meet the team again.\u00a0Carly and the girls drove past and beeped the horn\u00a0getting my attention. I was about 3km\u2019s from the\u00a0next\u00a0drop off point\u00a0and on came one of my\u00a0favourite\u00a0tracks released this year\u00a0Ben\u00a0B\u00f6hmer<\/strong>\u00a0– Beyond Beliefs<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0Nothing beats a good tune for taking your mind off the pain that is slowly creeping in.<\/p>\n Over this section I thought of one of the quotes that inspired me during the preparation.\u00a0Eliud Kipchoge\u00a0who I had recently watched win\u00a0gold in\u00a0the Tokyo\u00a0Olympics and become the greatest\u00a0long-distance\u00a0runner of all time,\u00a0says\u00a0that\u00a0teamwork\u00a0is more important than anything else.<\/p>\n \u201cUnless you are a genius, it is impossible to train on your own and achieve the same level of results,\u201d Kipchoge said.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cMy best philosophy is that one percent of the whole team, is more crucial than 100% of myself, that\u2019s teamwork.<\/em><\/p>\n “I value teamwork more than anything else,\u201d\u202f<\/em> Eliud Kipchoge\u2019s<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n This time Layla was first with the fuel and things panned out much better. Although I did drop the running gels so had to pick them up\u00a0on\u00a0the way back. At least it was\u00a0smiles all around. Carly finished\u00a0by giving me sunscreen which was\u00a0important as the sun was already starting to\u00a0kick in.<\/p>\n Now it was time to complete the final 2 laps up and down Luddenham before I could head up the Northern Road towards Penrith. This was a great milestone to reach mentally as I had been going back and forth the same stretch since 6:30am and it was just after 10am now so I was really looking forward to some new scenery. It was also the section that I would reach 42km\u2019s which meant that everything beyond that point was unknown territory. I had never run further than this, but I was still feeling good, and my pace was still consistently under 6 minutes and 30 seconds per kilometre.<\/p>\n As I passed the 42km mark, Arty and Matt Zo\u2019s\u00a0– Rebound came on<\/strong><\/a>. Another track that I knew would lift me mentally and it did the job. But it wasn\u2019t much longer before things started to get tough.<\/p>\n I was coming up to the hardest section of the run.\u00a0Bradley St\u00a0leads into Glenmore Park and is a very long and steep hill. Before reaching\u00a0it,\u00a0I felt a blister pop on my left\u00a0pinkie\u00a0toe\u00a0and from the pain shooting up my\u00a0foot,\u00a0I knew it was a bad one. I needed to regather my form as this was making me run with a limp\u00a0which will only lead to injury. I managed to regain control by the time I hit Bradley St and\u00a0now the focus shifted to the hill.\u00a0\u00a0I had eaten my second\u00a0sandwich\u00a0around 20 minutes earlier as I knew this\u00a0hill\u00a0would sap the energy out of me. Eating food while running was\u00a0something I had practiced\u00a0in\u00a0the longer runs throughout training. Not a very enjoyable experience\u00a0but you can\u2019t\u00a0survive\u00a0on\u00a0running gels and\u00a0Powerade\u2019s\u00a0alone\u00a0over this distance.<\/p>\n I made it to the 51km\u00a0mark,\u00a0and this time Carly\u00a0restocked me as the girls played at a\u00a0park.\u00a0Peanut\u00a0M&M\u2019s\u00a0seem like a strange thing to eat during a run, however, during my research I\u00a0had seen this come up\u00a0a number of\u00a0times.\u00a0\u00a0They\u00a0are loaded with carbs, protein,\u00a0fat,\u00a0and\u00a0caffeine so are supposably\u00a0really good. I wouldn\u2019t know though as I couldn\u2019t stomach\u00a0them,\u00a0and I am glad I didn\u2019t as they may never had tasted the same.<\/p>\n \u201c2 more hills\u201d was the thought in my mind as I started the next stage. My legs were gone now, and I knew my form was dropping. The pain in my shoulders, neck and back was really intense. Just as I finished the second hill another blister, this time, on my right pinkie toe, popped and sent me into a dark place. I was also getting sharp shooting pains down my left hip which was something I had experienced during my training but never had I experienced so many different pains hitting all at once. This is when mind over matter really counts. I knew none of these pains were from serious injuries and that my body could push on, even though my mind was screaming out otherwise.<\/p>\n I refocused on the music playing and tried taking slow deep breaths\u00a0to keep my heart rate as low as possible.\u00a0As I reached the end of Glenmore\u00a0Park,\u00a0I knew\u00a0I still needed to get through Factory Rd. A long straight from Regentville down to Nepean River that had\u00a0been brutal during my training runs. Because the road isn\u2019t very wide,\u00a0every time\u00a0a car\u00a0passes,\u00a0I\u00a0needed\u00a0to run on the grass which was not at\u00a0all flat and\u00a0wreaks havoc on the knees and ankles.\u00a0I could see smoke\u00a0coming from the Mountains\u00a0from the back burning\u00a0that was planned over the weekend.\u00a0It was a surreal moment where my eyes were playing tricks on\u00a0me,\u00a0and things\u00a0didn\u2019t quite look normal. It is hard to describe but almost as though everything was happening in slow motion.\u00a0Another track\u00a0came on (Sean Tyas – Banshee)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0which\u00a0took my mind away\u00a0and allowed\u00a0me a small moment of relief.\u00a0I had finally reached the Nepean River.<\/p>\n As I ran past the restaurants by the\u00a0River,\u00a0I thought about the original plan to\u00a0enjoy a meal and some drinks with friends and family.\u00a0Of course, this was no longer an option with the lockdowns but the thoughts of friends and family and all the people who had shown support in\u00a0many ways\u00a0really helped. I ran up to the final checkpoint and Lilly and Layla were standing there\u00a0together with smiles on their faces. Carly started running beside me\u00a0and handed over some Panadol,\u00a0sunscreen,\u00a0and a can of Red Bull.\u00a0A moment of emotion took\u00a0hold, but I didn\u2019t let it show as I didn\u2019t want Lilly or Layla to be concerned.<\/p>\n I washed down 2 Panadol with the Red Bull.\u00a0I hadn\u2019t\u00a0drunk\u00a0Red Bull in\u00a0years;\u00a0however, it was\u00a0surprisingly\u00a0refreshing and\u00a0helped to\u00a0relieve\u00a0the\u00a0nauseous feeling in my stomach.\u00a0One lap of the\u00a0river\u00a0was remaining (just over\u00a06 km\u2019s)\u00a0and it was time for the final challenge to kick in. The heat from the sun was intense and I hadn\u2019t been able to train at this\u00a0temperature,\u00a0so\u00a0I wasn\u2019t used to it. To top it off, the smoke from the back burning had settled and there\u00a0was very little shade or wind to provide any kind of relief.\u00a0I was getting a few strange looks from people who walked by, they were probably wondering why I was\u00a0still running when the pain was\u00a0obviously consuming me.\u00a0I didn\u2019t care though as I knew it would soon be over.<\/p>\n 3km\u2019s left and my\u00a0pace had dropped to around 9 minutes\/km. So less\u00a0then\u00a0half\u00a0an hour before I could\u00a0finally stop and\u00a0rest. It was all coming to an end. 6 months of\u00a0discipline and\u00a0dedication\u00a0had led me to this\u00a0point,\u00a0and I\u00a0took this time to think about our beloved\u00a0black Labrador (Borris). Animals\u00a0bring so much joy to our\u00a0lives,\u00a0and I\u00a0am\u00a0so grateful to be able to raise money for\u00a0RSPCA Australia<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Along with the support shown by friends and family, I am\u00a0truly lucky to work at a company (Exigo\u00a0Tech) that sponsored\u00a0me,\u00a0and\u00a0it filled me with motivation knowing that\u00a0everyone\u00a0of my workmates\u00a0was cheering me on.<\/p>\n Going Ultra is a mindset\u00a0that can be applied\u00a0to anything in life, whether it is work or personal,\u00a0and I hope this story inspires people to\u00a0push themselves beyond\u00a0what they feel is possible.<\/p>\n Thanks again to all who contributed and helped raise over $2,100 for all creatures great and small.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To this day I’m still not sure what inspires me to do long distance running. I never liked it as…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":55246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-media-feed"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21992"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58323,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21992\/revisions\/58323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exigotech.co\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Stage 3<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Stage 4<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Final Leg<\/strong><\/h3>\n