It has been a busy one! Less trig points but more, many more miles accumulated! Managed to check off a bucket list item by completing a 100-mile ultramarathon – the EPONA 100. I’m ending the year much as I started it – with more challenges on the horizon…
Not one, but 2 100-mile ultramarathons! The EPONA 100 (in reverse this time) and the SIRONA 100 ultramarathon!
I’ll be sprinkling a few inspirational and motivational quotes from the legend that is David Goggins throughout this as, when you’re in this world, nothing rings truer than this man’s words, starting with…
“We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse.”
Now I know I can do it, I’ve got the bug. Another year older, a bit slower – but fitter than I’ve ever been! Since May, I’ve actively been clocking 100 miles a week, running, walking and biking. In addition to this, 4 / 5 gym sessions a week and 4 Rokman challenges a month too. The grind continues!
As I’ve discovered, following other amateur ultra-athletes on Instagram, training for an ultramarathon means something different to each individual. I regularly see long, trail runs being completed, I mean, 10, 20 or 30+ mile training runs. I haven’t got the luxury of such training, mainly due to an extremely busy life. Most of my training is done hyper-locally, in the mornings, from 5am – 8am. It’s the only time I can keep to a routine. Plus, I like getting it done – it means it isn’t hanging over me all day and therefore I can’t talk myself out of it.
“Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Take aim at what you are willing to earn.”
Wake up. Get up. F*ck sh*t up.
I convinced myself at the turn of 2024 that as long as I kept moving, conditioned my legs to keep going – I’d do alright in any ultramarathon. Nearly all my training is done on the roads / paths. I’m pounding the concrete a lot. For me personally, it’s a tougher surface than the bouncy trails. When I ran the London Marathon in 2022, that was painful! The road running really f*cked me up, whereas every other ultra, almost twice as long as the London Marathon, seemed a breeze in comparison! No, honestly!
So, I drew the conclusion – if road running is twice as hard – then I only have to do half as much. Worth noting that ‘half as much’ is still a lot – like usually 40-50 miles a week running and walking. A bit of a cavalier attitude but I convinced myself that what I was doing was enough – despite the trail miles fellow participants were clocking up.
Method Behind the Madness
I cycle to make me a better runner. Walking is active recovery and strength training contributes to general fitness and conditioning. The volume was plenty, I never missed a session, run, walk or cycle. These miles crept up and up and it got easier and easier.
I did mix it up with tempo and ‘zonal’ running. Rokman challenges offer bonus points for weighted runs so there was that as well. Plus, a bit of sprinting and fartlek training. Basically, anything that would make any ultramarathon more ‘enjoyable’. By ‘enjoyable’, I mean undertaking it without it hurting ‘as much’!
Did I also mention that I ‘completed’ Rokman too?! Check out the achievement here!
Diet
I can’t fault my ketogenic diet. Sure, I eat the same sh*t day in, day out, at the same time… Everyday. Yes, it’s a little boring but I can’t knock it as it works! I don’t miss junk – I can always make zero / low carb spins on food I want soooooo… It gives me the energy I need and keeps me full so I never crave or binge on things just to scratch an itch. I have a week off over Christmas to indulge – but the funny thing is, since being on the keto diet since 2017, I don’t miss much.
I imagine scoffing all manner of crap, but a couple of Celebrations, Heroes, biscuits and crisps – and I’m done. Plus, there’s the fact that on January 1st, I’m back on strict keto. If I’ve dropped out of ketosis, getting back into it and the dreaded ‘keto flu’ is an absolute b*tch. I don’t go mad because of this, as January 1st will be a training day as usual. Can’t not do it because feeling a bit bad. Only got myself to blame and as David Goggins said, ‘Do you wanna be a b*tch today? Do you wanna walk around all day knowing that you could – but you didn’t?’ rings true. Go get at it!
I’ve had a decent year, as Strava was kind enough to summarise here:
…But that has happened. It’s what needs to happen to keep going 0n and so…
“Nobody cares what you did yesterday. What have you done today to better yourself?”
Hopefully, in 2026, perhaps a 200 mile ultramarathon might put itself on my radar. See how 2025 goes first!
Check out my Coros Year in Review – ignore the comparisons from last year, Reason – I was trig bagging so wassn’t really ‘exercising’ but this year I went all out!
