We get stronger in running endeavors by stressing the body and allowing it to recover. In training though you need to consider all the stress around you as it will have an impact on your training. Well, all that life stress has caught up I think and currently there’s seemingly no escape. Running has become extremely difficult. I normally pop off a 20 plus mile trail run like it’s nothing. Monday I made it 16 and felt like complete crap for the entire thing and it’s not because I’ve lost fitness having an erratic week or two of training, it’s life stress. There is no escape or recovery besides time. 

95% sure I’ll drop out of UTS 100, I just can’t effectively train for it. I’m considering a late summer 100. Possibly North Downs Way 100 which I’ve never done or maybe Autumn 100 as it’s a convenient out and back set up. Both races have low vert and probably easier to train for. I really enjoy these but I’d like to enjoy the experience and without the ability to train it’s not going to happen. I’m not upset at all, just being realistic I guess. Life happens. 

For now I’m just trying to run when I can and keeping it easy. It’s hard knowing how I “should” be feeling and having no control over it. I can’t just rest a few days, eat more, self massage, etc. it is what it is I guess. 

Two photos that’s aren’t that great but may be interesting. First is the tail end of a deer that lives here, it’s funny seeing them compared to a mule deer or a white tailed deer as these things are the size of a dog! Tiny! Second is my sprints hill I normally use one a week. It’s on a farm that’s used for motocross. It’s steep and fairly short but I can get a minute plus of straight up sprinting on it so good enough for my needs. It goes lower and higher too. Crap photo really! Hill sprints recruit fast twitch muscle fibres, short sprints (10-60 seconds) with a full 3 minutes of recovery keep the aerobic system off line and train the anaerobic system. Lungs don’t even feel like they are working until the end of the sprint but the legs need to burn.