The stats were pretty good too - I hit 1,600 run miles on 31st December - up 36% vs. last year, with longer average run distance, slightly lower heart rate (with slightly slower average pace), but also over 50% more elevation....and my longest run (at almost 95 miles) was a tad further than I'd ever run, or believed I could!
There are 2 factors that stood out most for me though, and this is why I believe it was a pretty good year:
(1) having a plan
(2) having support
The Plan
So, the idea was to put myself in a position that would maximize my chances of getting into the ballot for the 2014 WHW race.
Key to this was meeting the entry criteria by choosing wisely which ultras to run. Having completed my first Devil in August 2012 I was keen to do it again, as I'd felt I could improve....and having enjoyed that, the next obvious step was to do the Fling, taking the mileage up, and experiencing the first half of the WHW route. What a great event - and with pretty perfect running conditions I had a great run!
Glenmore 24 was the next 'obvious', but sh!t-your-pants scary decision. I gave it much contemplation in the run up to the entries opening, and with my heart in my mouth put the entry in quickly when it opened (and then went out for a run!). For me, this was about running through the night, in a relatively 'safe' environment and to still be running when the finish horn sounded. A decision I'll never regret - what a race!
With these the key races for the year, with Strathearn Marathon thrown in for good measure (it's local and great), that mapped out my year. I'd hoped to run D33 in training for the Fling, but (unfortunately) a work trip to Madrid made that too tricky to fit in.
I'm lucky in that I'm married to a personal trainer - kinda helps when you need to work out how far, how hard, and when you ought to be training. So, the plan was built, and I tried my best to stick too it (albeit, it had to flex for work, weather etc)
The SupportSo that flows nicely into my second point - the support.
Clark, pretty much without question is the most awesome support I could ask for. Aside from clearly writing a training plan I could achieve and would help me succeed, he has stood about for hours in some pretty hideous conditions, and been 'fine' when abandoned on several weekends when I buggered off for hours on end (often many more hours than forecast) to go training. And always there, with the hot cuppa, the bath run, and the motivation and encouragement I needed to achieve my goals. He knows when to push me, getting me out the door on more than one occasion that I needed to MTFU, and just as important knows when to ease off, and encourage me to rest. All that, and fitting in his own training, and rehab from a variety of injuries and set-backs, that I can't help but feel guilty sometimes (brought on by me, not him!).
In addition to this, what a support network has grown...or I have become part of. There's too many people to mention by name (for fear of missing someone, or upsetting others). People, friends, family, who have provided support in a variety of forms this year...and I don't just mean directly to me. Folk have driven the length of the country to just 'be there' at races; stood around in storms cheering, ringing cow bells or taking photos; pulled cars or people from ditches and through rivers; dished out hugs, tears, cakes, sweeties or Red Bull as needed; picked us up and patched us up when bleeding, being sick, or generally feeling sorry for ourselves; motivated us to MTFU (when often they are injured, ill or struggling); and organized training runs, where no-one is left for dead, so that we can gain experience of different race routes or navigating through tricky conditions. Much of this has spawned through Facebook (proving to the disbelievers that there is a benefit in social networking) - people, who at the start of the year I knew only as 'virtual' friends, are now a huge part of my life...and are now a reality...to share the joy, the sweat, the tears with on a weekly basis.
It's been said on many an occasion that 'you can't do it without support' and I whole-heartedly agree....so with that set to continue to go from strength-to-strength, and another good plan, I'm on to 2014!
Bigger, more sh!t-your-pants scary than last year, but achievable!
The head is in the right place and the body will get there (just give it a chance to get over the Christmas over-indulgence first).
2014 plan looks a bit like this.......
March
April
June
September
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