100 Days.....
Reflections. They are always a good indication of where one is at, who they are becoming and where they have come from. A solid learning tool to be studied, pondered and to have the ability to draw contentment in what has brought an individual to their current position.
This is where I find myself today. Day 100 of running a minimum of a half marathon a day for 100 consecutive days.
For those who are not aware, this completes Phase 1 of my preparation leading up to running from the western most to the eastern most points of Australia in 2022. Next year, Phase 2 will take place where I will run a marathon a day for 50days, but for now, lets focus on the present.
On the 22nd of September, I ran the first half marathon in this century. Initially, the plan was only 50days, ending on the 10th of November, my 38th birthday. However, once I got going and did some thinking, I realised that I had basically run the same volume in my preparation for Brisbane Valley Rail Trail this year (1000k in six weeks). Subsequently, I decided to reassess, make the challenge something worthy of pushing me, testing my commitment and have it be a greater tool to build the foundation toward my massive goal come 2022. So, 100days it was.
The first 50days went by reasonably easy. It still was a long way each day, however over the years I have adapted my body and mind to running solid volume so it was certainly achievable. Throughout the second 50days though, a number of tests presented themselves. The first was that we were moving house. The second, and the hardest week of the whole period has been the last seven days. Work over Christmas has been beyond buzy and my fatigue and tiredness on another level. The running was manageable but the depths to which I have been pushed at work running our own business The Journey was something else.
However, I forged forward. I got up every day, 90% of the time at 2:52am, completed my morning routine and got out the door and put one foot in front of the other. This morning, my mission was completed and the last half run with our crew of misfits at Skin n Bones Run Crew. I ran a minimum of 21.3km every day for the last 100days. So, what did I learn? What were the main takeaways and what can I do better going forward? Let me indulge…
1 – Recovery and sleep is vital. My recovery has generally been good because of my vegan diet but at times my sleep, not so much. I too often found myself getting close to six hours a night instead of seven or eight. This was not enough and will NEED to take priority next year in the marathon a day. Seven to eight hours will be super important to my achieving my goal.
2 – On the diet front….I obviously ate a 100% vegan diet but it was not to the standard I desire. I consumed far too much processes sugar/food, and in 2021 I really want to focus on rectifying this. The cleaner my diet, the faster the recovery as whole foods are processed by the body super quickly and it can go right onto healing muscles, joints, tendons etc strained through movement. This will be a solid focus in 2021. (In all fairness, my diet is pretty good and I have been burning 4-5000 calories a day so a reasonable amount of food was required!)
3 – Just get out the door. When in doubt, get dressed, go outside and begin to take one step, then another, then another. Before long I would find myself rolling along, ticking off k’s, getting another half done. The body is strong and often times our mind gets in the way of us completing a goal. Don't think. If you have a physical goal, get outside, start moving and the rest will happen.
4 – Be present. Do not think about tomorrow, the distance ahead of you or what you have to do that day. Be present, stay in the moment and flow. There were a number of times I found myself saying over and over, ‘Be present, enjoy this moment. Don’t worry about tomorrow of that you have to run another half. Just be present and enjoy this moment.’ We only have this moment in time and we should relish in it, whatever we are doing.
5 – Have an awesome team. I have been fortunate to gain sponsorship from Altra and their shoes have been amazing. Further to that, I have had the support of Fractal headwear, which I love, and also Coral Coast Physiotherapy. I had a solid prehab routine the team had devised for me and up until we moved, I was diligent with it. There was not a hint of the chronic hip issues I have experienced in the past. When we moved about three weeks ago though, I stopped the prehab work and got lazy with it. In the last couple of days, the hip issues have started to appear once again. Going forward, prehab takes precedence and will prevent injury.
6 – I am capable of far more than the limits I had put on myself. In the past, if I pushed any more than three or four weeks of 100miles or more in training, my body would begin to break down and protest through niggling injuries. This became a story I told myself and believed that this was my limit in training. Through this 100days however, these self-imposed boarders have been shattered. After over three months of running 150-165km per week and my body staying strong for the most part, my reality of what I am capable has been extended beyond, into the unknown. Do not be limited by your mind and the stories you, or anyone else tells you. You are far more capable of what you believe right now. There are no limits. Push them regularly.
Finally, I am super proud of what I have achieved over the last 100days. I know it is ‘only’ a half marathon a day and pretty minimal compared to what I am going to be doing come 2022, but it is still a solid distance day in, day out for a reasonable length of time. Overall, my body performed very well, my mindset was good and the support I have been offered, second to none. Things are moving slowly but strategically in the lead up to my run across Australia. I am making some good contacts, learning, growing and every day, mentally preparing myself for what’s to come.
I look forward to sharing the journey with you each week through my blog. Thank you for your support, please, check out my website www.thetattoorunner.com follow me on Instagram, Strava, send me an email at grills_1@hotmail.com if you align with what I am doing and would like to get on board and please spread the love on my mission. Thank you all for being amazing, chase your dreams and get after life, one day at a time. Peace.