24/3/2023 Noosa Ultra Trail 20233, 2, 1 Let's go!
Tomorrow marks the start of my 2023 racing season and I am buzzing with excitement! I am tackling the Noosa Ultra Trail 100km and the race is a local one, the star/finish chute is only a 2 km jog away from my house! That's my dream coming true. After my disappointing 100km race back in October, I took some time to heal from the little injuries and niggles that had been bothering me. Now, I feel physically strong and mentally calm. I'm ready to give it my all on the course, pushing myself while still having fun. Nobody is forcing me to run 100km - the heat, humidity, rain, and tough sections of the course are all just part of the experience and the fun, I am really open to embrace all of that. Of course, that's easy to say that while I'm sitting well rested writing on my laptop. I know that I'll need to remain mentally strong and focused throughout the race, but this time feels different. Something inside me tells me that my positive attitude and mindset are more conscious than they have ever been before. One of the things I'm most looking forward to is the last stretch to finish line, where I'll hopefully be able to run the last 2 km with my kids. Sharing my love of running with the people I care about is truly a gift in my life. As I prepare to embark on this new season of racing, I feel grateful for the journey that brought me here. Running has taught me so much about myself, and I'm excited to see what other learnings 2023 will bring. 22/3/2023 Carried Away By Busyness
Just because you are busy doesn't mean you are productive. [Grethen Rubin]
You could say that about my day as I write my daily thoughts at 9 PM. I wasn't that productive towards my life goals, sure, but I made time for connections that are worth my life.
What are the moments I appreciate most in my day?
During my short run this morning, I reflected on this question. With an upcoming race this Saturday, I should rest and feel little/no desire to go out running and embrace the "tapering" instead. So why do I feel most at peace running? I know the answer already of course. I am attuned to the fact that running is not at all about racing, performance, training, physical fitness for me. I often loosely referred to running as my meditation practice. But today, possibly for the first time, I consciously realized and appreciated that it actually is. Being fully absorbed in the running movement of my body, particularly when running outdoors in nature, is a fulfilling way for me to witness the flow of passing moments. Without the need to interfere, I do not have to fill those moments with anything else except for just being, with no thoughts. What else in my daily life do I appreciate with the same intensity and lose myself in? Only few things as it turns out: - Hugging my kids first thing in the morning and last thing at night before they fall asleep - Holding hands with Lidia - Moments of silent meditation, reflection. - Moments of engaged listening and learning Yes, this list is too short. There is an infinite amount of moments in my day that I can claim back instead of filling them with mostly passing thoughts of the past or future. It is common for runners and ultrarunners to suffer from iron deficiency, and there is still ongoing debate about the root causes of these deficiencies.
Recently, an article appeared on my feed, discussing two possible causes I had never heard before. One is iron loss through sweat, which can be a cause of iron deficiency for endurance athletes who sweat profusely during prolonged exercise. The other is foot strike hemolysis, which is the destruction of the red blood cell membrane and the consequent release of both hemoglobin and iron into the surrounding plasma. While these theories make some sense, I have not verified the information and it could be partially or completely BS! Nevertheless the consequences of iron deficiency in runners are real: fatigue, weakness, poor athletic performance, and a weakened immune system. Personally, I found that the best way for me to stay on top of my iron levels is by using supplements every few months. I also encourage the runners I coach to have frequent blood tests, particularly during intense period of training. 17/3/2023 Cookie Jar Run
My physiotherapist, Mark Green from The Body Mechanic, explains it perfectly: "Imagine your body is a cookie jar. Life is a constant balancing act of putting cookies in, and taking cookies out. You need your cookie jar to be ¾ full most of the time. If it is less than half full you’ll be feeling run down, picking up colds and flus, and lacking energy. If your cookie jar is empty, then you’re dead!"
I believe that the two weeks leading up to a race is the ideal time to fill up that cookie jar with a different type of cookie, the most important one - the right mindset. By that, I mean acknowledging all the hard work we've put in during your training, for weeks, months, or even years, just to be at the starting line. Even if the lead-up to the race wasn't perfect or we plan to adjust our training strategy in the future, we've done the best we could do at this point. Acknowledge all the greater obstacles we've already overcome in your life, greater than anything "a run" can ever throw at us. Ultimately, no matter how important a race may feel, in the grand scheme of things, for most of us, it's just a run. It has little to say about our worth. And when one race day we are in doubt, we feel like we can't possibly push harder or can't take one more step, that's the time to take a deep breath and a big bite of that mindset cookie. We, YOU are awesome. We, YOU can do anything. And if this time we fail, that's ok too. |
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PO BOX 110 Tewantin QLD 4565 AUSTRALIA - ultraturrini@gmail.com