My First Ultra Experience

Reflecting on marathon and training experiences
Written by Marcus Smith
Stephanie Humphrey
Stephanie Humphrey
May 23, 2021
-
5
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
My First Ultra Experience

PART 1


I decided to start writing this article before actually running the distance as I wanted to fairly document the lead up to this 50km, as opposed to viewing my preparation and pre run feelings through post run tinted glasses.


Running a marathon was once on my bucket list. I was 26 and living in London when I secured an entry into the London Marathon. I had watched the race most years growing up, either on TV or on the packed streets of London, and there was just something about it that made me want it. I saw the suffering and the gratitude that it brought to runners, and I figured that is what I was aiming for with my weekend warrior miles. My goal was run sub 3 hours 30mins, and on Sunday 26th April 2015 my social media post was a photo of that medal around my neck and a caption that said “Bucket List: Run a marathon in sub 3hr 30. Check! 3hrs 26. #Neveragain”


I truly meant it, never again! I remember when I crossed the finish line, I did not get that wave of emotion or euphoria that you saw from the sidelines. When I saw my family I said, “I am not sure why I just did that!”. It was painful, and quite frankly, it was lonely. Yes, I had family and friends eagerly cheering me on throughout the 26.2 miles (42.2km), but all my training was done solo, as was my race. I also knew that the marathon training had brought huge structure and discipline to my week (for 4 months), and that structure was now gone. I hadn’t thought past this race, I didn’t have another goal.


The days after the marathon it started to settle in what I had achieved, I was proud of myself. But I was also sick as a dog, my immune system was shot. I lost my voice, was bed bound and diagnosed with laryngitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. I had gone from being in what I deemed “the best shape of my life” to texting my housemates asking them to bring me a glass of water.


So, fast forward 6 years, here we are in 2021, and in 2 days I am running 50km. What has changed since the that social media post in 2015? A lot. Firstly, this run is not an “A Goal” of mine. I have just finished a successful race season in Dubai, where my I focused on 10km races, with the main aim to PB over this distance, and finally dip sub 40mins. Throughout the season I PB 4 times and finished the season at 38:43. I learnt a lot, and deep-down feel that if we had a couple more weeks of the winter weather, I would be capable of sub-38.


I concluded my last race at the end of April and every part of me wanted to collapse in a heap and take a couple of weeks off, but this 50km was just 3 weeks away, and 10km training is not quite like 50km training. So, did I feel underprepared? You bet! I swiftly shifted my training to focus on time on feet, not caring about pace nor distance. I just wanted to physically and mentally get accustomed to long runs being long, like actually long. My crash course ultra-training took me to a 30km long run. And quite frankly, it was not fun. I had been enjoying all my running prior to this, but this run was shocking. It was humid, I ran out of water, and I can only describe it as feeling hungover for the next 24 hours. Not quite the confidence boost I was after. I analysed my sleep and nutrition for this run and decided to make some amends for the pending 50km.


Part of me feels silly for not prioritising this distance in my race calendar, but the other part of me feels super relaxed about it. I have never felt so at ease going into an event. I know things can go wrong, and I know I will need to deal with whatever life throws at me when it gets hard out there in the pitch black 50km loop of the Al Qudra desert. But I am excited for the challenge, and I am excited to run for a completion goal, instead of a time goal. I am willing to hustle for as long as I can to not get dropped by the other coaches. Whilst this run could be 1000% times lonelier in reality than the London Marathon, I know that I will not be alone. 6 InnerFight coaches will be on the start line on Thursday night. Each with amazing crew willing to support us throughout the night. Nothing says team better than that.


PART 2


4 hour and 28 minutes of work, and I am officially in the Ultra Club. Like most runs, I learnt a lot out in Al Qudra on Thursday night. Firstly, this run cemented the belief that I truly do love the sport running. It’s so incredibly simple, but yet precise, calculated and unknown.


I made it to the meeting point in Al Qudra just before the bikes set off for their 50km. The energy was apparent but calm, and this energy remained constant until they came back and it was time to run. There was no fancy start, just Rob Jones ran off and we followed him. I don’t think I even said goodbye to anyone, I just started my watch and followed.


For the first couple of KMs the boys chatted away about the bike, and I started to wonder if they had even noticed I was with them. I also hadn’t really said a word. I still wasn’t nervous about the distance and the pace felt comfortable. I just wondered when people might start to kick. Naturally Rob F was long gone, cruising his way to a sub-4 hour 50km.


From 10km in the rest of us had separated, not fully, as we were all basically running at the same pace but just about 50m apart. It was fine, but I knew I was on my own, there was no one to chat to anymore (or listen to!). I can only describe 10km - 40km as a bit of a blur. It was simple, I was running in Zone 2, I wasn’t stressed, and Jack and I had nailed the restocking of my fuel and hydration. I would give him my empty bottle, tell him what to replace it with, and he’d hand me another along with my next bit of nutrition. He would then then drive 5km further down to do it again.


Every time I saw the car drive off down the track I would think “ok I just need to get there now”. I would occasionally be surprised by other cars or cyclist who would nip by and share some words of encouragement, that was nice. But nothing was as great as the ice-cold sponge from Andrea at approx. 25km. She appeared from nowhere with that!


I knew that from 30km I would be in unknown territory, and I was nervous about “hitting the wall” but I was confident in my current pace. I could occasionally hear Marcus and Rob J bantering away and I kept thinking they were going to sail past me, this was their soil, and they know ultra-life. I noticed that they were stopping at the support cars, as opposed to my tactic of running through. I wondered if I was doing it all wrong, but I also worried that if I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to get going again.


Still plodding along, I made it to the mosque (which I have heard people talk about as a landmark), and then knew I was getting close to the end. This part of the route suddenly felt familiar, which I think mentally made it harder. I remembered running along this part on previous “litter pick-up runs” with InnerFight. I then heard Tom’s voice literally next to me. I was confused, he was on a bike, but seemed happy?! Maybe I was just happy to see a familiar face? We had a bit of a chat, I made a joke about something to do with running a 10km TT to the finish, and he left me to it. I was certainly tired at this point. I closed my eyes a couple of times and felt like I could sleep! I knew it was late, way passed my bedtime! But I need to concentrate to get the end now. The Marathon mark of 42.2 ticked over, it wasn’t celebrated but it was acknowledged. More like a “huh look at that, I just ran a marathon”.


I would say the pain settled in about 5km to go. Quite frankly, I was a bit over it, but I was still driven by the thought of Marcus and Rob giving me sh!t if they caught me in the final stretch.  I hustled on and wanted to vomit for the last 3km. Maybe this was a nutrition issue, maybe it was fitness or stress related, who knows really, but I did not feel good! I made it back to Zads, did a quick 200m around the carpark to ensure my watch said 50.0km, and was surrounded by members of InnerFight clapping and cheering. (Andrea also appeared again with those iced sponges, legend!).


My first word was “ouch”, then I just lay down for a bit on the bench.


All in all, a bizarre experience really. I realised that maybe I hadn’t given my training enough credit prior to this 50km. I have been running consistently week in, week out, for months now, and I have worked up to just under 80km a week. Whilst I might have had a focus on 10kms all season, I was consistent and dedicated to my training. I turned up every day and loved the process. So, I was trained for this 50km, I just didn’t know it.


Was I naive going in? Maybe. But was I reckless, absolutely not.


I was outside of my comfort zone, all thanks to InnerFight. I see my team and the array of clients we have challenge themselves so frequently, and this inspires me. Being part of this community is something that I am grateful for daily.


Ultra you are alright! My true love is still with the shorter faster stuff, but I will be back.


#NoWeakness

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Specialty Class #25-25

GYMNASTICS

This Tuesday, we’ll focus on pull-up development. Whether your goal is to continue building strict strength or you’re working to increase kipping capacity, we will cover progressions to help you advance your pull-up performance.

Thursday, we’ll work on handstand walks. Get ready to refine technique, build control, and develop confidence while moving upside down.

HYBRID FITNESS

This week's hybrid session involves combining multiple elements from racing to understand the feel of transitioning between disciplines, followed by a lower-body endurance EMOM.

MOBILITY

Take your front squat mobility to the next level with this progression class focused on dynamic flow, stability, and control. Building on the foundations established in our previous session, we’ll reinforce improved mobility in the ankles, hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders while introducing active movement patterns and stability drills that directly translate to enhanced squat performance. Expect to move through controlled flows, tempo holds, and mobility-activation sequences.


WEIGHTLIFTING

Weightlifting this week is cleans. Working on speed under the bar and catch position, in the full squat. Spicy complex of clean pull, hang power clean, squat clean. Followed by some heavy clean pulls. Finishing with doubles on the back squats.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Endurance #25-25

The Monday Ride

Our community program is delivered via TrainingPeaks for AED 750 p/month. If you're interested to have a plan to follow, email tw@innerfight.com

Time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Nad al Sheeba

Track Tuesday

Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.

Time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1 hour

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

Wednesday - Indoor Ride

Our community program is delivered via TrainingPeaks for AED 750 p/month. If you're interested to have a plan to follow, email tw@innerfight.com

Thursday - Endurance Strength

A strength class focused on key movements for endurance athletes to help avoid injury, build speed and develop strength.

Time: 06:30am

Location: This is a paid class session at InnerFight HQ. If you're interested to join, email winning@innerfight.com

Friday - Coffee Run

Our weekly tempo run.  Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.

Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time
: 05:59 am

Start Location: Common Grounds

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Ladies Run Club 25-25

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Session: LRC Tempo

This week we will be holding the tempo pace (7/10 effort) for 6 mins with a 1 min recovery. The sequence will be repeated 5x. Evening session only this week!

Tuesday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

Session: Track Tuesday

This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. Come ready to run fast and have fun.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

Today we will be running 800m intervals off a 2 min rest.

Friday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

Today we will bridge repeats with IFE. Hill running is a great way to build some strength and power in your legs.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Daily Workout 25-25

Monday:

Nothing like kicking off the week with some Back Squats! Before we get the engine fired up for some repeatable efforts! What will your times look like?

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 5/4/3/5/4/3 front squat

Conditioning:

Every 5 minutes x 6 Alt between

A: Park Run + 25 Wall Balls

B: 30/25/20 Cal Ass Bike + 25 Wall Balls

Tuesday:

Strength accessory to get the session started before we build to some heavy deadlifts! Then we hit a fast and furious workout.

Strength:

A) Every 75 sec x 12

1: 12 Incline DB bench press

2: 30-45 sec glute hamstring bridge

3: 20 sec straight arm side plank/arm

B) Deadlift Every 2:00 x 6 - 2/2/1/1/1/1 reps

Conditioning:

FOR TIME

30 Power clean

30 Burpees over the bar

Wednesday:

We're building to a tough single in the push press before we partner up for some working out!

Strength:

EMOMx10 - 1 Push press

Conditioning:

In pairs every 5 mins x 6 on a rolling clock

4 rounds

YGIG

6 STOH (60/40)

6 TTB

AMRAP - Cal Ski

Thursday:

Legs, legs, legs, then into a 12-minute workout where you rest during the run!!!

Strength:

A) Every 90 sec x 8 - 8 DB Box Step Up

B) Every 90 sec x 5 - 6 Alternating Barbell Reverse Lunges

C) EMOM x 8 Alt - 5 Goblet Spanish Squats & 3-5 strict knee to elbow

Conditioning:

12min AMRAP

3 Devils Press

6 DB Hang Cleans

9 DB Front Rack Squats

Car Park Run

Friday:

Long Weekend, so we're going to bring the fire this Friday to kick start the long weekend! See you on the floor!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
My First Ultra Experience

PART 1


I decided to start writing this article before actually running the distance as I wanted to fairly document the lead up to this 50km, as opposed to viewing my preparation and pre run feelings through post run tinted glasses.


Running a marathon was once on my bucket list. I was 26 and living in London when I secured an entry into the London Marathon. I had watched the race most years growing up, either on TV or on the packed streets of London, and there was just something about it that made me want it. I saw the suffering and the gratitude that it brought to runners, and I figured that is what I was aiming for with my weekend warrior miles. My goal was run sub 3 hours 30mins, and on Sunday 26th April 2015 my social media post was a photo of that medal around my neck and a caption that said “Bucket List: Run a marathon in sub 3hr 30. Check! 3hrs 26. #Neveragain”


I truly meant it, never again! I remember when I crossed the finish line, I did not get that wave of emotion or euphoria that you saw from the sidelines. When I saw my family I said, “I am not sure why I just did that!”. It was painful, and quite frankly, it was lonely. Yes, I had family and friends eagerly cheering me on throughout the 26.2 miles (42.2km), but all my training was done solo, as was my race. I also knew that the marathon training had brought huge structure and discipline to my week (for 4 months), and that structure was now gone. I hadn’t thought past this race, I didn’t have another goal.


The days after the marathon it started to settle in what I had achieved, I was proud of myself. But I was also sick as a dog, my immune system was shot. I lost my voice, was bed bound and diagnosed with laryngitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. I had gone from being in what I deemed “the best shape of my life” to texting my housemates asking them to bring me a glass of water.


So, fast forward 6 years, here we are in 2021, and in 2 days I am running 50km. What has changed since the that social media post in 2015? A lot. Firstly, this run is not an “A Goal” of mine. I have just finished a successful race season in Dubai, where my I focused on 10km races, with the main aim to PB over this distance, and finally dip sub 40mins. Throughout the season I PB 4 times and finished the season at 38:43. I learnt a lot, and deep-down feel that if we had a couple more weeks of the winter weather, I would be capable of sub-38.


I concluded my last race at the end of April and every part of me wanted to collapse in a heap and take a couple of weeks off, but this 50km was just 3 weeks away, and 10km training is not quite like 50km training. So, did I feel underprepared? You bet! I swiftly shifted my training to focus on time on feet, not caring about pace nor distance. I just wanted to physically and mentally get accustomed to long runs being long, like actually long. My crash course ultra-training took me to a 30km long run. And quite frankly, it was not fun. I had been enjoying all my running prior to this, but this run was shocking. It was humid, I ran out of water, and I can only describe it as feeling hungover for the next 24 hours. Not quite the confidence boost I was after. I analysed my sleep and nutrition for this run and decided to make some amends for the pending 50km.


Part of me feels silly for not prioritising this distance in my race calendar, but the other part of me feels super relaxed about it. I have never felt so at ease going into an event. I know things can go wrong, and I know I will need to deal with whatever life throws at me when it gets hard out there in the pitch black 50km loop of the Al Qudra desert. But I am excited for the challenge, and I am excited to run for a completion goal, instead of a time goal. I am willing to hustle for as long as I can to not get dropped by the other coaches. Whilst this run could be 1000% times lonelier in reality than the London Marathon, I know that I will not be alone. 6 InnerFight coaches will be on the start line on Thursday night. Each with amazing crew willing to support us throughout the night. Nothing says team better than that.


PART 2


4 hour and 28 minutes of work, and I am officially in the Ultra Club. Like most runs, I learnt a lot out in Al Qudra on Thursday night. Firstly, this run cemented the belief that I truly do love the sport running. It’s so incredibly simple, but yet precise, calculated and unknown.


I made it to the meeting point in Al Qudra just before the bikes set off for their 50km. The energy was apparent but calm, and this energy remained constant until they came back and it was time to run. There was no fancy start, just Rob Jones ran off and we followed him. I don’t think I even said goodbye to anyone, I just started my watch and followed.


For the first couple of KMs the boys chatted away about the bike, and I started to wonder if they had even noticed I was with them. I also hadn’t really said a word. I still wasn’t nervous about the distance and the pace felt comfortable. I just wondered when people might start to kick. Naturally Rob F was long gone, cruising his way to a sub-4 hour 50km.


From 10km in the rest of us had separated, not fully, as we were all basically running at the same pace but just about 50m apart. It was fine, but I knew I was on my own, there was no one to chat to anymore (or listen to!). I can only describe 10km - 40km as a bit of a blur. It was simple, I was running in Zone 2, I wasn’t stressed, and Jack and I had nailed the restocking of my fuel and hydration. I would give him my empty bottle, tell him what to replace it with, and he’d hand me another along with my next bit of nutrition. He would then then drive 5km further down to do it again.


Every time I saw the car drive off down the track I would think “ok I just need to get there now”. I would occasionally be surprised by other cars or cyclist who would nip by and share some words of encouragement, that was nice. But nothing was as great as the ice-cold sponge from Andrea at approx. 25km. She appeared from nowhere with that!


I knew that from 30km I would be in unknown territory, and I was nervous about “hitting the wall” but I was confident in my current pace. I could occasionally hear Marcus and Rob J bantering away and I kept thinking they were going to sail past me, this was their soil, and they know ultra-life. I noticed that they were stopping at the support cars, as opposed to my tactic of running through. I wondered if I was doing it all wrong, but I also worried that if I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to get going again.


Still plodding along, I made it to the mosque (which I have heard people talk about as a landmark), and then knew I was getting close to the end. This part of the route suddenly felt familiar, which I think mentally made it harder. I remembered running along this part on previous “litter pick-up runs” with InnerFight. I then heard Tom’s voice literally next to me. I was confused, he was on a bike, but seemed happy?! Maybe I was just happy to see a familiar face? We had a bit of a chat, I made a joke about something to do with running a 10km TT to the finish, and he left me to it. I was certainly tired at this point. I closed my eyes a couple of times and felt like I could sleep! I knew it was late, way passed my bedtime! But I need to concentrate to get the end now. The Marathon mark of 42.2 ticked over, it wasn’t celebrated but it was acknowledged. More like a “huh look at that, I just ran a marathon”.


I would say the pain settled in about 5km to go. Quite frankly, I was a bit over it, but I was still driven by the thought of Marcus and Rob giving me sh!t if they caught me in the final stretch.  I hustled on and wanted to vomit for the last 3km. Maybe this was a nutrition issue, maybe it was fitness or stress related, who knows really, but I did not feel good! I made it back to Zads, did a quick 200m around the carpark to ensure my watch said 50.0km, and was surrounded by members of InnerFight clapping and cheering. (Andrea also appeared again with those iced sponges, legend!).


My first word was “ouch”, then I just lay down for a bit on the bench.


All in all, a bizarre experience really. I realised that maybe I hadn’t given my training enough credit prior to this 50km. I have been running consistently week in, week out, for months now, and I have worked up to just under 80km a week. Whilst I might have had a focus on 10kms all season, I was consistent and dedicated to my training. I turned up every day and loved the process. So, I was trained for this 50km, I just didn’t know it.


Was I naive going in? Maybe. But was I reckless, absolutely not.


I was outside of my comfort zone, all thanks to InnerFight. I see my team and the array of clients we have challenge themselves so frequently, and this inspires me. Being part of this community is something that I am grateful for daily.


Ultra you are alright! My true love is still with the shorter faster stuff, but I will be back.


#NoWeakness

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Endurance #25-25

The Monday Ride

Our community program is delivered via TrainingPeaks for AED 750 p/month. If you're interested to have a plan to follow, email tw@innerfight.com

Time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Nad al Sheeba

Track Tuesday

Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.

Time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1 hour

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

Wednesday - Indoor Ride

Our community program is delivered via TrainingPeaks for AED 750 p/month. If you're interested to have a plan to follow, email tw@innerfight.com

Thursday - Endurance Strength

A strength class focused on key movements for endurance athletes to help avoid injury, build speed and develop strength.

Time: 06:30am

Location: This is a paid class session at InnerFight HQ. If you're interested to join, email winning@innerfight.com

Friday - Coffee Run

Our weekly tempo run.  Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.

Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time
: 05:59 am

Start Location: Common Grounds

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Ladies Run Club 25-25

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Session: LRC Tempo

This week we will be holding the tempo pace (7/10 effort) for 6 mins with a 1 min recovery. The sequence will be repeated 5x. Evening session only this week!

Tuesday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

Session: Track Tuesday

This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. Come ready to run fast and have fun.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

Today we will be running 800m intervals off a 2 min rest.

Friday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

Today we will bridge repeats with IFE. Hill running is a great way to build some strength and power in your legs.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Daily Workout 25-25

Monday:

Nothing like kicking off the week with some Back Squats! Before we get the engine fired up for some repeatable efforts! What will your times look like?

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 5/4/3/5/4/3 front squat

Conditioning:

Every 5 minutes x 6 Alt between

A: Park Run + 25 Wall Balls

B: 30/25/20 Cal Ass Bike + 25 Wall Balls

Tuesday:

Strength accessory to get the session started before we build to some heavy deadlifts! Then we hit a fast and furious workout.

Strength:

A) Every 75 sec x 12

1: 12 Incline DB bench press

2: 30-45 sec glute hamstring bridge

3: 20 sec straight arm side plank/arm

B) Deadlift Every 2:00 x 6 - 2/2/1/1/1/1 reps

Conditioning:

FOR TIME

30 Power clean

30 Burpees over the bar

Wednesday:

We're building to a tough single in the push press before we partner up for some working out!

Strength:

EMOMx10 - 1 Push press

Conditioning:

In pairs every 5 mins x 6 on a rolling clock

4 rounds

YGIG

6 STOH (60/40)

6 TTB

AMRAP - Cal Ski

Thursday:

Legs, legs, legs, then into a 12-minute workout where you rest during the run!!!

Strength:

A) Every 90 sec x 8 - 8 DB Box Step Up

B) Every 90 sec x 5 - 6 Alternating Barbell Reverse Lunges

C) EMOM x 8 Alt - 5 Goblet Spanish Squats & 3-5 strict knee to elbow

Conditioning:

12min AMRAP

3 Devils Press

6 DB Hang Cleans

9 DB Front Rack Squats

Car Park Run

Friday:

Long Weekend, so we're going to bring the fire this Friday to kick start the long weekend! See you on the floor!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Specialty Class #25-25

GYMNASTICS

This Tuesday, we’ll focus on pull-up development. Whether your goal is to continue building strict strength or you’re working to increase kipping capacity, we will cover progressions to help you advance your pull-up performance.

Thursday, we’ll work on handstand walks. Get ready to refine technique, build control, and develop confidence while moving upside down.

HYBRID FITNESS

This week's hybrid session involves combining multiple elements from racing to understand the feel of transitioning between disciplines, followed by a lower-body endurance EMOM.

MOBILITY

Take your front squat mobility to the next level with this progression class focused on dynamic flow, stability, and control. Building on the foundations established in our previous session, we’ll reinforce improved mobility in the ankles, hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders while introducing active movement patterns and stability drills that directly translate to enhanced squat performance. Expect to move through controlled flows, tempo holds, and mobility-activation sequences.


WEIGHTLIFTING

Weightlifting this week is cleans. Working on speed under the bar and catch position, in the full squat. Spicy complex of clean pull, hang power clean, squat clean. Followed by some heavy clean pulls. Finishing with doubles on the back squats.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
My First Ultra Experience

PART 1


I decided to start writing this article before actually running the distance as I wanted to fairly document the lead up to this 50km, as opposed to viewing my preparation and pre run feelings through post run tinted glasses.


Running a marathon was once on my bucket list. I was 26 and living in London when I secured an entry into the London Marathon. I had watched the race most years growing up, either on TV or on the packed streets of London, and there was just something about it that made me want it. I saw the suffering and the gratitude that it brought to runners, and I figured that is what I was aiming for with my weekend warrior miles. My goal was run sub 3 hours 30mins, and on Sunday 26th April 2015 my social media post was a photo of that medal around my neck and a caption that said “Bucket List: Run a marathon in sub 3hr 30. Check! 3hrs 26. #Neveragain”


I truly meant it, never again! I remember when I crossed the finish line, I did not get that wave of emotion or euphoria that you saw from the sidelines. When I saw my family I said, “I am not sure why I just did that!”. It was painful, and quite frankly, it was lonely. Yes, I had family and friends eagerly cheering me on throughout the 26.2 miles (42.2km), but all my training was done solo, as was my race. I also knew that the marathon training had brought huge structure and discipline to my week (for 4 months), and that structure was now gone. I hadn’t thought past this race, I didn’t have another goal.


The days after the marathon it started to settle in what I had achieved, I was proud of myself. But I was also sick as a dog, my immune system was shot. I lost my voice, was bed bound and diagnosed with laryngitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. I had gone from being in what I deemed “the best shape of my life” to texting my housemates asking them to bring me a glass of water.


So, fast forward 6 years, here we are in 2021, and in 2 days I am running 50km. What has changed since the that social media post in 2015? A lot. Firstly, this run is not an “A Goal” of mine. I have just finished a successful race season in Dubai, where my I focused on 10km races, with the main aim to PB over this distance, and finally dip sub 40mins. Throughout the season I PB 4 times and finished the season at 38:43. I learnt a lot, and deep-down feel that if we had a couple more weeks of the winter weather, I would be capable of sub-38.


I concluded my last race at the end of April and every part of me wanted to collapse in a heap and take a couple of weeks off, but this 50km was just 3 weeks away, and 10km training is not quite like 50km training. So, did I feel underprepared? You bet! I swiftly shifted my training to focus on time on feet, not caring about pace nor distance. I just wanted to physically and mentally get accustomed to long runs being long, like actually long. My crash course ultra-training took me to a 30km long run. And quite frankly, it was not fun. I had been enjoying all my running prior to this, but this run was shocking. It was humid, I ran out of water, and I can only describe it as feeling hungover for the next 24 hours. Not quite the confidence boost I was after. I analysed my sleep and nutrition for this run and decided to make some amends for the pending 50km.


Part of me feels silly for not prioritising this distance in my race calendar, but the other part of me feels super relaxed about it. I have never felt so at ease going into an event. I know things can go wrong, and I know I will need to deal with whatever life throws at me when it gets hard out there in the pitch black 50km loop of the Al Qudra desert. But I am excited for the challenge, and I am excited to run for a completion goal, instead of a time goal. I am willing to hustle for as long as I can to not get dropped by the other coaches. Whilst this run could be 1000% times lonelier in reality than the London Marathon, I know that I will not be alone. 6 InnerFight coaches will be on the start line on Thursday night. Each with amazing crew willing to support us throughout the night. Nothing says team better than that.


PART 2


4 hour and 28 minutes of work, and I am officially in the Ultra Club. Like most runs, I learnt a lot out in Al Qudra on Thursday night. Firstly, this run cemented the belief that I truly do love the sport running. It’s so incredibly simple, but yet precise, calculated and unknown.


I made it to the meeting point in Al Qudra just before the bikes set off for their 50km. The energy was apparent but calm, and this energy remained constant until they came back and it was time to run. There was no fancy start, just Rob Jones ran off and we followed him. I don’t think I even said goodbye to anyone, I just started my watch and followed.


For the first couple of KMs the boys chatted away about the bike, and I started to wonder if they had even noticed I was with them. I also hadn’t really said a word. I still wasn’t nervous about the distance and the pace felt comfortable. I just wondered when people might start to kick. Naturally Rob F was long gone, cruising his way to a sub-4 hour 50km.


From 10km in the rest of us had separated, not fully, as we were all basically running at the same pace but just about 50m apart. It was fine, but I knew I was on my own, there was no one to chat to anymore (or listen to!). I can only describe 10km - 40km as a bit of a blur. It was simple, I was running in Zone 2, I wasn’t stressed, and Jack and I had nailed the restocking of my fuel and hydration. I would give him my empty bottle, tell him what to replace it with, and he’d hand me another along with my next bit of nutrition. He would then then drive 5km further down to do it again.


Every time I saw the car drive off down the track I would think “ok I just need to get there now”. I would occasionally be surprised by other cars or cyclist who would nip by and share some words of encouragement, that was nice. But nothing was as great as the ice-cold sponge from Andrea at approx. 25km. She appeared from nowhere with that!


I knew that from 30km I would be in unknown territory, and I was nervous about “hitting the wall” but I was confident in my current pace. I could occasionally hear Marcus and Rob J bantering away and I kept thinking they were going to sail past me, this was their soil, and they know ultra-life. I noticed that they were stopping at the support cars, as opposed to my tactic of running through. I wondered if I was doing it all wrong, but I also worried that if I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to get going again.


Still plodding along, I made it to the mosque (which I have heard people talk about as a landmark), and then knew I was getting close to the end. This part of the route suddenly felt familiar, which I think mentally made it harder. I remembered running along this part on previous “litter pick-up runs” with InnerFight. I then heard Tom’s voice literally next to me. I was confused, he was on a bike, but seemed happy?! Maybe I was just happy to see a familiar face? We had a bit of a chat, I made a joke about something to do with running a 10km TT to the finish, and he left me to it. I was certainly tired at this point. I closed my eyes a couple of times and felt like I could sleep! I knew it was late, way passed my bedtime! But I need to concentrate to get the end now. The Marathon mark of 42.2 ticked over, it wasn’t celebrated but it was acknowledged. More like a “huh look at that, I just ran a marathon”.


I would say the pain settled in about 5km to go. Quite frankly, I was a bit over it, but I was still driven by the thought of Marcus and Rob giving me sh!t if they caught me in the final stretch.  I hustled on and wanted to vomit for the last 3km. Maybe this was a nutrition issue, maybe it was fitness or stress related, who knows really, but I did not feel good! I made it back to Zads, did a quick 200m around the carpark to ensure my watch said 50.0km, and was surrounded by members of InnerFight clapping and cheering. (Andrea also appeared again with those iced sponges, legend!).


My first word was “ouch”, then I just lay down for a bit on the bench.


All in all, a bizarre experience really. I realised that maybe I hadn’t given my training enough credit prior to this 50km. I have been running consistently week in, week out, for months now, and I have worked up to just under 80km a week. Whilst I might have had a focus on 10kms all season, I was consistent and dedicated to my training. I turned up every day and loved the process. So, I was trained for this 50km, I just didn’t know it.


Was I naive going in? Maybe. But was I reckless, absolutely not.


I was outside of my comfort zone, all thanks to InnerFight. I see my team and the array of clients we have challenge themselves so frequently, and this inspires me. Being part of this community is something that I am grateful for daily.


Ultra you are alright! My true love is still with the shorter faster stuff, but I will be back.


#NoWeakness

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Ladies Run Club 25-25

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Session: LRC Tempo

This week we will be holding the tempo pace (7/10 effort) for 6 mins with a 1 min recovery. The sequence will be repeated 5x. Evening session only this week!

Tuesday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

Session: Track Tuesday

This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. Come ready to run fast and have fun.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

Today we will be running 800m intervals off a 2 min rest.

Friday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

Today we will bridge repeats with IFE. Hill running is a great way to build some strength and power in your legs.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Daily Workout 25-25

Monday:

Nothing like kicking off the week with some Back Squats! Before we get the engine fired up for some repeatable efforts! What will your times look like?

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 5/4/3/5/4/3 front squat

Conditioning:

Every 5 minutes x 6 Alt between

A: Park Run + 25 Wall Balls

B: 30/25/20 Cal Ass Bike + 25 Wall Balls

Tuesday:

Strength accessory to get the session started before we build to some heavy deadlifts! Then we hit a fast and furious workout.

Strength:

A) Every 75 sec x 12

1: 12 Incline DB bench press

2: 30-45 sec glute hamstring bridge

3: 20 sec straight arm side plank/arm

B) Deadlift Every 2:00 x 6 - 2/2/1/1/1/1 reps

Conditioning:

FOR TIME

30 Power clean

30 Burpees over the bar

Wednesday:

We're building to a tough single in the push press before we partner up for some working out!

Strength:

EMOMx10 - 1 Push press

Conditioning:

In pairs every 5 mins x 6 on a rolling clock

4 rounds

YGIG

6 STOH (60/40)

6 TTB

AMRAP - Cal Ski

Thursday:

Legs, legs, legs, then into a 12-minute workout where you rest during the run!!!

Strength:

A) Every 90 sec x 8 - 8 DB Box Step Up

B) Every 90 sec x 5 - 6 Alternating Barbell Reverse Lunges

C) EMOM x 8 Alt - 5 Goblet Spanish Squats & 3-5 strict knee to elbow

Conditioning:

12min AMRAP

3 Devils Press

6 DB Hang Cleans

9 DB Front Rack Squats

Car Park Run

Friday:

Long Weekend, so we're going to bring the fire this Friday to kick start the long weekend! See you on the floor!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Specialty Class #25-25

GYMNASTICS

This Tuesday, we’ll focus on pull-up development. Whether your goal is to continue building strict strength or you’re working to increase kipping capacity, we will cover progressions to help you advance your pull-up performance.

Thursday, we’ll work on handstand walks. Get ready to refine technique, build control, and develop confidence while moving upside down.

HYBRID FITNESS

This week's hybrid session involves combining multiple elements from racing to understand the feel of transitioning between disciplines, followed by a lower-body endurance EMOM.

MOBILITY

Take your front squat mobility to the next level with this progression class focused on dynamic flow, stability, and control. Building on the foundations established in our previous session, we’ll reinforce improved mobility in the ankles, hips, thoracic spine, and shoulders while introducing active movement patterns and stability drills that directly translate to enhanced squat performance. Expect to move through controlled flows, tempo holds, and mobility-activation sequences.


WEIGHTLIFTING

Weightlifting this week is cleans. Working on speed under the bar and catch position, in the full squat. Spicy complex of clean pull, hang power clean, squat clean. Followed by some heavy clean pulls. Finishing with doubles on the back squats.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Endurance #25-25

The Monday Ride

Our community program is delivered via TrainingPeaks for AED 750 p/month. If you're interested to have a plan to follow, email tw@innerfight.com

Time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Nad al Sheeba

Track Tuesday

Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.

Time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1 hour

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

Wednesday - Indoor Ride

Our community program is delivered via TrainingPeaks for AED 750 p/month. If you're interested to have a plan to follow, email tw@innerfight.com

Thursday - Endurance Strength

A strength class focused on key movements for endurance athletes to help avoid injury, build speed and develop strength.

Time: 06:30am

Location: This is a paid class session at InnerFight HQ. If you're interested to join, email winning@innerfight.com

Friday - Coffee Run

Our weekly tempo run.  Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner. We start together, run hard then finish together and chat about it over a coffee and breakfast.

Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time
: 05:59 am

Start Location: Common Grounds

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
My First Ultra Experience

PART 1


I decided to start writing this article before actually running the distance as I wanted to fairly document the lead up to this 50km, as opposed to viewing my preparation and pre run feelings through post run tinted glasses.


Running a marathon was once on my bucket list. I was 26 and living in London when I secured an entry into the London Marathon. I had watched the race most years growing up, either on TV or on the packed streets of London, and there was just something about it that made me want it. I saw the suffering and the gratitude that it brought to runners, and I figured that is what I was aiming for with my weekend warrior miles. My goal was run sub 3 hours 30mins, and on Sunday 26th April 2015 my social media post was a photo of that medal around my neck and a caption that said “Bucket List: Run a marathon in sub 3hr 30. Check! 3hrs 26. #Neveragain”


I truly meant it, never again! I remember when I crossed the finish line, I did not get that wave of emotion or euphoria that you saw from the sidelines. When I saw my family I said, “I am not sure why I just did that!”. It was painful, and quite frankly, it was lonely. Yes, I had family and friends eagerly cheering me on throughout the 26.2 miles (42.2km), but all my training was done solo, as was my race. I also knew that the marathon training had brought huge structure and discipline to my week (for 4 months), and that structure was now gone. I hadn’t thought past this race, I didn’t have another goal.


The days after the marathon it started to settle in what I had achieved, I was proud of myself. But I was also sick as a dog, my immune system was shot. I lost my voice, was bed bound and diagnosed with laryngitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. I had gone from being in what I deemed “the best shape of my life” to texting my housemates asking them to bring me a glass of water.


So, fast forward 6 years, here we are in 2021, and in 2 days I am running 50km. What has changed since the that social media post in 2015? A lot. Firstly, this run is not an “A Goal” of mine. I have just finished a successful race season in Dubai, where my I focused on 10km races, with the main aim to PB over this distance, and finally dip sub 40mins. Throughout the season I PB 4 times and finished the season at 38:43. I learnt a lot, and deep-down feel that if we had a couple more weeks of the winter weather, I would be capable of sub-38.


I concluded my last race at the end of April and every part of me wanted to collapse in a heap and take a couple of weeks off, but this 50km was just 3 weeks away, and 10km training is not quite like 50km training. So, did I feel underprepared? You bet! I swiftly shifted my training to focus on time on feet, not caring about pace nor distance. I just wanted to physically and mentally get accustomed to long runs being long, like actually long. My crash course ultra-training took me to a 30km long run. And quite frankly, it was not fun. I had been enjoying all my running prior to this, but this run was shocking. It was humid, I ran out of water, and I can only describe it as feeling hungover for the next 24 hours. Not quite the confidence boost I was after. I analysed my sleep and nutrition for this run and decided to make some amends for the pending 50km.


Part of me feels silly for not prioritising this distance in my race calendar, but the other part of me feels super relaxed about it. I have never felt so at ease going into an event. I know things can go wrong, and I know I will need to deal with whatever life throws at me when it gets hard out there in the pitch black 50km loop of the Al Qudra desert. But I am excited for the challenge, and I am excited to run for a completion goal, instead of a time goal. I am willing to hustle for as long as I can to not get dropped by the other coaches. Whilst this run could be 1000% times lonelier in reality than the London Marathon, I know that I will not be alone. 6 InnerFight coaches will be on the start line on Thursday night. Each with amazing crew willing to support us throughout the night. Nothing says team better than that.


PART 2


4 hour and 28 minutes of work, and I am officially in the Ultra Club. Like most runs, I learnt a lot out in Al Qudra on Thursday night. Firstly, this run cemented the belief that I truly do love the sport running. It’s so incredibly simple, but yet precise, calculated and unknown.


I made it to the meeting point in Al Qudra just before the bikes set off for their 50km. The energy was apparent but calm, and this energy remained constant until they came back and it was time to run. There was no fancy start, just Rob Jones ran off and we followed him. I don’t think I even said goodbye to anyone, I just started my watch and followed.


For the first couple of KMs the boys chatted away about the bike, and I started to wonder if they had even noticed I was with them. I also hadn’t really said a word. I still wasn’t nervous about the distance and the pace felt comfortable. I just wondered when people might start to kick. Naturally Rob F was long gone, cruising his way to a sub-4 hour 50km.


From 10km in the rest of us had separated, not fully, as we were all basically running at the same pace but just about 50m apart. It was fine, but I knew I was on my own, there was no one to chat to anymore (or listen to!). I can only describe 10km - 40km as a bit of a blur. It was simple, I was running in Zone 2, I wasn’t stressed, and Jack and I had nailed the restocking of my fuel and hydration. I would give him my empty bottle, tell him what to replace it with, and he’d hand me another along with my next bit of nutrition. He would then then drive 5km further down to do it again.


Every time I saw the car drive off down the track I would think “ok I just need to get there now”. I would occasionally be surprised by other cars or cyclist who would nip by and share some words of encouragement, that was nice. But nothing was as great as the ice-cold sponge from Andrea at approx. 25km. She appeared from nowhere with that!


I knew that from 30km I would be in unknown territory, and I was nervous about “hitting the wall” but I was confident in my current pace. I could occasionally hear Marcus and Rob J bantering away and I kept thinking they were going to sail past me, this was their soil, and they know ultra-life. I noticed that they were stopping at the support cars, as opposed to my tactic of running through. I wondered if I was doing it all wrong, but I also worried that if I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to get going again.


Still plodding along, I made it to the mosque (which I have heard people talk about as a landmark), and then knew I was getting close to the end. This part of the route suddenly felt familiar, which I think mentally made it harder. I remembered running along this part on previous “litter pick-up runs” with InnerFight. I then heard Tom’s voice literally next to me. I was confused, he was on a bike, but seemed happy?! Maybe I was just happy to see a familiar face? We had a bit of a chat, I made a joke about something to do with running a 10km TT to the finish, and he left me to it. I was certainly tired at this point. I closed my eyes a couple of times and felt like I could sleep! I knew it was late, way passed my bedtime! But I need to concentrate to get the end now. The Marathon mark of 42.2 ticked over, it wasn’t celebrated but it was acknowledged. More like a “huh look at that, I just ran a marathon”.


I would say the pain settled in about 5km to go. Quite frankly, I was a bit over it, but I was still driven by the thought of Marcus and Rob giving me sh!t if they caught me in the final stretch.  I hustled on and wanted to vomit for the last 3km. Maybe this was a nutrition issue, maybe it was fitness or stress related, who knows really, but I did not feel good! I made it back to Zads, did a quick 200m around the carpark to ensure my watch said 50.0km, and was surrounded by members of InnerFight clapping and cheering. (Andrea also appeared again with those iced sponges, legend!).


My first word was “ouch”, then I just lay down for a bit on the bench.


All in all, a bizarre experience really. I realised that maybe I hadn’t given my training enough credit prior to this 50km. I have been running consistently week in, week out, for months now, and I have worked up to just under 80km a week. Whilst I might have had a focus on 10kms all season, I was consistent and dedicated to my training. I turned up every day and loved the process. So, I was trained for this 50km, I just didn’t know it.


Was I naive going in? Maybe. But was I reckless, absolutely not.


I was outside of my comfort zone, all thanks to InnerFight. I see my team and the array of clients we have challenge themselves so frequently, and this inspires me. Being part of this community is something that I am grateful for daily.


Ultra you are alright! My true love is still with the shorter faster stuff, but I will be back.


#NoWeakness

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
My First Ultra Experience

PART 1


I decided to start writing this article before actually running the distance as I wanted to fairly document the lead up to this 50km, as opposed to viewing my preparation and pre run feelings through post run tinted glasses.


Running a marathon was once on my bucket list. I was 26 and living in London when I secured an entry into the London Marathon. I had watched the race most years growing up, either on TV or on the packed streets of London, and there was just something about it that made me want it. I saw the suffering and the gratitude that it brought to runners, and I figured that is what I was aiming for with my weekend warrior miles. My goal was run sub 3 hours 30mins, and on Sunday 26th April 2015 my social media post was a photo of that medal around my neck and a caption that said “Bucket List: Run a marathon in sub 3hr 30. Check! 3hrs 26. #Neveragain”


I truly meant it, never again! I remember when I crossed the finish line, I did not get that wave of emotion or euphoria that you saw from the sidelines. When I saw my family I said, “I am not sure why I just did that!”. It was painful, and quite frankly, it was lonely. Yes, I had family and friends eagerly cheering me on throughout the 26.2 miles (42.2km), but all my training was done solo, as was my race. I also knew that the marathon training had brought huge structure and discipline to my week (for 4 months), and that structure was now gone. I hadn’t thought past this race, I didn’t have another goal.


The days after the marathon it started to settle in what I had achieved, I was proud of myself. But I was also sick as a dog, my immune system was shot. I lost my voice, was bed bound and diagnosed with laryngitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis. I had gone from being in what I deemed “the best shape of my life” to texting my housemates asking them to bring me a glass of water.


So, fast forward 6 years, here we are in 2021, and in 2 days I am running 50km. What has changed since the that social media post in 2015? A lot. Firstly, this run is not an “A Goal” of mine. I have just finished a successful race season in Dubai, where my I focused on 10km races, with the main aim to PB over this distance, and finally dip sub 40mins. Throughout the season I PB 4 times and finished the season at 38:43. I learnt a lot, and deep-down feel that if we had a couple more weeks of the winter weather, I would be capable of sub-38.


I concluded my last race at the end of April and every part of me wanted to collapse in a heap and take a couple of weeks off, but this 50km was just 3 weeks away, and 10km training is not quite like 50km training. So, did I feel underprepared? You bet! I swiftly shifted my training to focus on time on feet, not caring about pace nor distance. I just wanted to physically and mentally get accustomed to long runs being long, like actually long. My crash course ultra-training took me to a 30km long run. And quite frankly, it was not fun. I had been enjoying all my running prior to this, but this run was shocking. It was humid, I ran out of water, and I can only describe it as feeling hungover for the next 24 hours. Not quite the confidence boost I was after. I analysed my sleep and nutrition for this run and decided to make some amends for the pending 50km.


Part of me feels silly for not prioritising this distance in my race calendar, but the other part of me feels super relaxed about it. I have never felt so at ease going into an event. I know things can go wrong, and I know I will need to deal with whatever life throws at me when it gets hard out there in the pitch black 50km loop of the Al Qudra desert. But I am excited for the challenge, and I am excited to run for a completion goal, instead of a time goal. I am willing to hustle for as long as I can to not get dropped by the other coaches. Whilst this run could be 1000% times lonelier in reality than the London Marathon, I know that I will not be alone. 6 InnerFight coaches will be on the start line on Thursday night. Each with amazing crew willing to support us throughout the night. Nothing says team better than that.


PART 2


4 hour and 28 minutes of work, and I am officially in the Ultra Club. Like most runs, I learnt a lot out in Al Qudra on Thursday night. Firstly, this run cemented the belief that I truly do love the sport running. It’s so incredibly simple, but yet precise, calculated and unknown.


I made it to the meeting point in Al Qudra just before the bikes set off for their 50km. The energy was apparent but calm, and this energy remained constant until they came back and it was time to run. There was no fancy start, just Rob Jones ran off and we followed him. I don’t think I even said goodbye to anyone, I just started my watch and followed.


For the first couple of KMs the boys chatted away about the bike, and I started to wonder if they had even noticed I was with them. I also hadn’t really said a word. I still wasn’t nervous about the distance and the pace felt comfortable. I just wondered when people might start to kick. Naturally Rob F was long gone, cruising his way to a sub-4 hour 50km.


From 10km in the rest of us had separated, not fully, as we were all basically running at the same pace but just about 50m apart. It was fine, but I knew I was on my own, there was no one to chat to anymore (or listen to!). I can only describe 10km - 40km as a bit of a blur. It was simple, I was running in Zone 2, I wasn’t stressed, and Jack and I had nailed the restocking of my fuel and hydration. I would give him my empty bottle, tell him what to replace it with, and he’d hand me another along with my next bit of nutrition. He would then then drive 5km further down to do it again.


Every time I saw the car drive off down the track I would think “ok I just need to get there now”. I would occasionally be surprised by other cars or cyclist who would nip by and share some words of encouragement, that was nice. But nothing was as great as the ice-cold sponge from Andrea at approx. 25km. She appeared from nowhere with that!


I knew that from 30km I would be in unknown territory, and I was nervous about “hitting the wall” but I was confident in my current pace. I could occasionally hear Marcus and Rob J bantering away and I kept thinking they were going to sail past me, this was their soil, and they know ultra-life. I noticed that they were stopping at the support cars, as opposed to my tactic of running through. I wondered if I was doing it all wrong, but I also worried that if I stopped, I wouldn’t be able to get going again.


Still plodding along, I made it to the mosque (which I have heard people talk about as a landmark), and then knew I was getting close to the end. This part of the route suddenly felt familiar, which I think mentally made it harder. I remembered running along this part on previous “litter pick-up runs” with InnerFight. I then heard Tom’s voice literally next to me. I was confused, he was on a bike, but seemed happy?! Maybe I was just happy to see a familiar face? We had a bit of a chat, I made a joke about something to do with running a 10km TT to the finish, and he left me to it. I was certainly tired at this point. I closed my eyes a couple of times and felt like I could sleep! I knew it was late, way passed my bedtime! But I need to concentrate to get the end now. The Marathon mark of 42.2 ticked over, it wasn’t celebrated but it was acknowledged. More like a “huh look at that, I just ran a marathon”.


I would say the pain settled in about 5km to go. Quite frankly, I was a bit over it, but I was still driven by the thought of Marcus and Rob giving me sh!t if they caught me in the final stretch.  I hustled on and wanted to vomit for the last 3km. Maybe this was a nutrition issue, maybe it was fitness or stress related, who knows really, but I did not feel good! I made it back to Zads, did a quick 200m around the carpark to ensure my watch said 50.0km, and was surrounded by members of InnerFight clapping and cheering. (Andrea also appeared again with those iced sponges, legend!).


My first word was “ouch”, then I just lay down for a bit on the bench.


All in all, a bizarre experience really. I realised that maybe I hadn’t given my training enough credit prior to this 50km. I have been running consistently week in, week out, for months now, and I have worked up to just under 80km a week. Whilst I might have had a focus on 10kms all season, I was consistent and dedicated to my training. I turned up every day and loved the process. So, I was trained for this 50km, I just didn’t know it.


Was I naive going in? Maybe. But was I reckless, absolutely not.


I was outside of my comfort zone, all thanks to InnerFight. I see my team and the array of clients we have challenge themselves so frequently, and this inspires me. Being part of this community is something that I am grateful for daily.


Ultra you are alright! My true love is still with the shorter faster stuff, but I will be back.


#NoWeakness

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep

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