The Road to 100 #002
Well, this post came around faster than I was ready for…
I suppose it’s a good time to explain the rhythm these monthly updates will take. As returning readers will know, there’s a master spreadsheet behind all this. Every day mapped out, every session accounted for.
I’ll share what the plan was, what actually happened, and then dig into the notes I made along the way for each week. Finally, I’ll wrap up with the main reflections, the lessons I’m carrying into the next month.
After taking June “off” as a mental and physical break following the 100k in Bakewell, the goal for July was simply to ease back into training, get the good habits back in place, and slowly start building again. I also knew a trip to England would take a good chunk out of the month, so I went in a little more relaxed about targets than usual.
The Plan…
The Reality…
Week 1
This week was a mix of progress and frustration. I hit my elevation target, but I’m still running too fast when I need to be spending more time on my feet. Sleep is slipping, too. I keep saying I’ll get to bed earlier, but the late nights keep winning.
Strength work hasn’t started yet, though I keep promising myself it will next week. My body still feels heavy, with echoes of Bakewell lingering, and my diet hasn’t been as sharp as it should be.
It’s hard to restart everything at once. My hope is that now the running is back, the other habits will follow. But I keep tripping over the same small, unhelpful choices before I even realise I’ve made them.
It’s not perfect, but it’s movement, and for now, that’s enough.
Week 2
This was always going to be a bit of a wasted week for running. I’d been looking forward to my trip to England for the Festival of Speed at Goodwood, and even managed to indulge my Shakespeare habit with Romeo and Juliet at the Globe.
Part of me felt frustrated, like I’d stalled before I’d really got going. But it was also the first trip in six years that didn’t revolve around a run—and it was refreshing. Maybe it was the chance to rest, the prose, or the intoxicating mix of burnt rubber and petrol, but I came home feeling, for once, both mentally and physically at peace.
(scroll to the end to see the effects of the aforementioned burnt rubber)
Week 3
This week felt a lot like week one. I’d had my fun, and now it was time to get to work.
Sleep and work pressures added to the strain, and I can feel old patterns creeping back. Time management slipped through my fingers like sand, and suddenly it was Thursday, and I hadn’t done a single one of the two strength sessions I’d planned.
Week 4
The momentum kept building, though I managed to throw a few hurdles in my own way. I put on a couple of information evenings for club members taking on the Wicklow EcoTrail in September, a lot of them new to trail running, full of questions, and looking for guidance.
Helping others along the way is always rewarding, but it did squeeze the time I had left for my own training. Still, I managed to get a proper long run done on Saturday. Not sure when the first day of the weekend will ever be less than 30km again, so it felt good to tick the first one off.
Week 5
This week felt like I finally found my stride. I’ve edged back towards a 100km week with the elevation I needed, and it felt good. As I write this, I’ve yet to do Sunday’s run but there’s nothing suggesting it’s anything beyond a formality.
My ideal routine still eludes me, though. I haven’t settled into that calm rhythm that would let me turn in early, my anxious habit is to stay up late and “put tomorrow off,” which of course only makes tomorrow harder.
June was meant to be a transition, and July’s goal was simply to re-establish the habits that serve me. In some ways, that’s working: I’m running six days a week, mostly at the right effort and elevation. But my sleep is poor, my diet could be sharper, and my mind is in overdrive.
I’m a little disappointed to have only done three strength sessions, but that’s also three more than I’ve ever managed in any training block ever, which feels like a quiet milestone in itself.
Reflections
As August begins, the focus has to shift, not just to more miles, but to the discipline that will hold it all together as the training load rises. I want to raise the baseline, make 1,500 metres of elevation the weekly minimum, and finally hit the strength sessions I keep promising myself I’ll do.
But there’s another challenge: learning to relax. Anyone who knows me well will tell you I’ve been trying to do that for more than a decade, usually with mixed results. I’m wired to keep moving, to plan, to fill every quiet space with something.
Maybe this month I’ll find the balance, building the discipline I need while easing off just enough to enjoy the process.
