Sunday’s London Marathon meant a lot to me. It’s probably the proudest I’ve ever been of myself.
A 26.2 mile celebration of all the work I’ve put in over the last two years and everything running has given back.
Breaking three hours was just a bonus. @On to the next one ☁️
Some reflections on the hardest challenge of my life. And why I love ultra running so much.
‘Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.’ It’s a phrase @mattyywoodd and I repeated to ourselves all weekend long.
Comforting words when you can barely put one foot in front of the other, or you’re scrambling down the side of a mountain, ticking off metres instead of miles.
Endurance running might be a solo sport, but sharing the challenge with a friend makes it something really special.
You’re there to support and lift each other up in every single moment. Sometimes by leading the march in silence for an hour, and other times by saying ‘looking strong mate’ when you’re both clearly beaten and broken.
We spent 18 hours on the trails together, and I’m not sure we talked about anything other than carbs, sodium, and the pain in our quads.
But I loved every second and there’s no way I could’ve pushed that hard alone.
The second photo in this post sums it up all up for me. It’s about so much more than the finish line or time on your watch.
#ultra #ultrarunners #trail #ultrax
New side quest completed: racing at Penn Relays.
Also my first time running the 800m flat out. A welcome change from distance running, once you get past the whole seeing stars thing and it being a genuinely awful experience.
Maybe next time I’ll avoid drinking two pints beforehand?
📸 @piercebtownsend
Four months of marathon training over. Now let’s have some fun.
Somehow managed to take my running to another level in what’s probably been the busiest period of my life. I’ll give myself some credit for that.
LA to London to Riga, back to London, then onto Philadelphia. All in the last two weeks.
It’s a common misconception with marathons that race day is the challenge. For me, it’s everything that comes before it.
What do you know about trying to hit marathon pace in the middle of a four day stag do? I don’t know either, I sacked it off.
Anyway, the hard part is done now. Let’s dance
The privilege of being tired from a life of your own choosing.
33km through London to close out the block, then straight onto the LA trails the next morning. The taper begins. 🤘
Half marathon PB. Officially joined the sub-1.20 club.
I’ve been waiting for a breakthrough run that tells me I’m on the right track for Zurich marathon, and that was it.
Went in to with the goal of running a double negative split and executed it perfectly. That was good fun.
Four weeks to go.
Floating at 3.45/KM. We’re making good progress.
Big session banked today. 32KM total in the legs, with 10KM at marathon pace and finishing with 5KM at 3.45/KM.
Feeling confident for Zurich in 7 weeks.
I’ve found my flow. The compounding effect of week-in, week-out work is real.
12 weeks of 60km+. Now into my highest mileage of the block (80+) and absorbing it well.
Up 48% on this stage last year. No big risks or ego sessions, just steady, consistent training.
I will forever push this approach as someone who mentally can’t handle being injured. 🥲
Full outfit: @postarchivefaction × @on
Glasses: @alwaysinmotion__
These are the weeks that make the difference. Early mornings, long days, and usual routine out the window. But still making time to get the work done and hit my highest mileage of the year so far.
Days like today remind me why I love running. And why you’ve got to respect the marathon distance.
I have to remind myself this every time, but the start of a training block is a *really* difficult thing to navigate.
You’ll have some training sessions that will truly humble you, and make you laugh at the targets you’ve set yourself.
If I’m being honest, doubt was creeping in a little last week. But this sport is full of lessons. It’s a game of patience and trusting that things will fall into place at the right time, if you’re willing to earn it.
That’s why you set these lofty targets. Why you start 5 months out. Why you commit to spending every weekend putting your body in the bin. I promise it’s more fun than I’m making it sound lol
There will be more wobbles and more doubt along the way, but today was a good day. They’re worth enjoying when they come.
