Wow, is it just me or is 2017 hurtling along at crazily-fast, brake-neck speeds?! At this rate, it will soon be like the fastest cake in the world. Scone. (Yep, I went there). Unbelievable. So, yes, this is just a couple of months late... Suffice to say I will hereby sum up and cram in my very brief race update for both UTA50 and Gold Coast marathon, both of which have now come and gone.
So, firstly: UTA: what an amazing event! Bloody loved it! It was brilliant. Hard, long, and left me aching for days: but so very worth it. Such a beautiful part of the world: the race is held in the Blue Mountains, Australia, and was one of the best events of my life. Here are the before, during, and after shots, stay tuned for some more scenic shots from the course (the professional/official pics) coming soon:
So, firstly: UTA: what an amazing event! Bloody loved it! It was brilliant. Hard, long, and left me aching for days: but so very worth it. Such a beautiful part of the world: the race is held in the Blue Mountains, Australia, and was one of the best events of my life. Here are the before, during, and after shots, stay tuned for some more scenic shots from the course (the professional/official pics) coming soon:
Thanks to my amazing friend and training partner for the brilliant idea in the first place and suggesting we do UTA50: we ran the whole thing together: it was such a fun and beautiful time. We did it in a very respectable 7:27 too! So, a pb for me of my previous 50km ultra time of 7:35. Woohoo!
After UTA it was on with marathon training for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (held on 2nd July), in yes, you guessed it, the beautiful, sunny, hot Gold Coast. This was another big goal of mine for the year. Again, it was such a fun time, but mainly for the hanging/banter that took place before and after the race. Thanks again to all the legends who took part in this event and weekend, and especially the 3 legends from Melbourne. You know who you are.
The actual race was tough. Tougher than I remember when I did the marathon there last, in 2015. The heat was pretty extreme (well, compared to chilly/fresh/freezing Newcastle) and this made for a much harder run. I had aimed for a time of 3:20, and at the halfway mark I was on track for 3:16! However my body just said no. It couldn't keep up and it wasn't my day for a new pb. (My pb is 3:26.) However, I got a course pb of 5 minutes faster than in 2015, and this was my second fastest marathon ever, so I suppose it is still a great result and one that I'm pretty stoked with. Finished in 3:31 ish and was oh so glad to cross the finish line. The crowd support in the Goldy is phenomenal too. Thanks again to my friends along the route who cheered my name, as well as other supporters. This helped no end.
Here are the requisite few action shots from the weekend:
After UTA it was on with marathon training for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (held on 2nd July), in yes, you guessed it, the beautiful, sunny, hot Gold Coast. This was another big goal of mine for the year. Again, it was such a fun time, but mainly for the hanging/banter that took place before and after the race. Thanks again to all the legends who took part in this event and weekend, and especially the 3 legends from Melbourne. You know who you are.
The actual race was tough. Tougher than I remember when I did the marathon there last, in 2015. The heat was pretty extreme (well, compared to chilly/fresh/freezing Newcastle) and this made for a much harder run. I had aimed for a time of 3:20, and at the halfway mark I was on track for 3:16! However my body just said no. It couldn't keep up and it wasn't my day for a new pb. (My pb is 3:26.) However, I got a course pb of 5 minutes faster than in 2015, and this was my second fastest marathon ever, so I suppose it is still a great result and one that I'm pretty stoked with. Finished in 3:31 ish and was oh so glad to cross the finish line. The crowd support in the Goldy is phenomenal too. Thanks again to my friends along the route who cheered my name, as well as other supporters. This helped no end.
Here are the requisite few action shots from the weekend:
So now it is AAAAAALLLLL about recovery. Very much so. I've just had a wonderful post-race massage and I'm focusing on eating all the right, healing foods, combined with lots of rest and some (soon to be had) light active recovery. Going forward I have got no more future events planned for this year, gulp.... I'm going to focus on getting back to the trails and to balance out the running with more yoga and strength. Looking at a more balanced approach. Much like my nutrition advice I suppose! Haha... Wondering what kinds of food to eat pre / during / post your runs, or when to fuel/refuel, and exactly what kinds of food is best for recovery and why?? Well, soon you'll be able to sign up for my runners' nutrition program Eat To Win (suitable for all levels of runners and non-runners alike) and start this at any time: it's going to be hyper convenient and all about YOU, i.e. when is good for YOUR schedule. Watch this space for more on that one....
Yours, Lou xxx
Yours, Lou xxx
RSS Feed
