After a full Ironman and my first ultra-marathon I didn’t
understand what it meant to absorb fitness or how to strike optimal balance
between fitness and fatigue. It took
moving to North Vancouver and shifting all my runs to the mountains to force
this critical learning.
Black Canyon 100km is in 29 days and my training has peaked
at 112 km (70 miles) in 14 hours of mountain running per week. I used to think runners got faster and
stronger from running, now I understand that running exhausts the body and you
get faster and stronger through recovery.
My legs don’t hurt but they are exhausted all the time. After compression, foam rolling, and a good
night sleep they’re ready for another run up and down the mountains. I’ve learned to skip workouts if my legs are
too tired, something unthinkable to Steve Day of 2014 training for the
Ironman. I now understand that extra
rest and fresh legs will make me a stronger runner tomorrow.
After over 1,000 miles of running I’m getting physically and
mentally prepared for Black Canyon. Next
week is my final big training week, then I enter my taper and cannot wait for
the expected boundless energy and added spring in my step. Until then I’ll continue to push the limits
of physical and mental fatigue and employ liberal rest and IPAs to ensure I
absorb maximal fitness.
