Mark me absent from Social Media, I’ve been running!
Firstly, Happy 2025 to anyone reading. Right, that’s enough holiday and festive chat, let’s get into this year. Before I do, I need to address the fact I’ve been largely absent on social media for a while now. It’s not that I haven’t thought of doing content, I do ALL day long, and I consume it ALL day long much to my dog Fern’s disgust. I’ve found it really difficult putting myself out there in cyberspace for all to see, which makes me judge myself more than any cyber bully ever could and this is disabling. Even though only a handful of people read/see/care about my content it is still a very vulnerable place to put oneself and I’m still getting used to it.
When you really get stuck into the world of ultra running content, everyone is faster, can run hundreds of km’s every week, they’re younger, prettier, funnier – you get my drift. This can easily make the ‘normal’ ultra runner feel less than, well in my experience anyway. It’s really easy to lose sight that some people think that the running I do is beyond crazy (sometimes I agree), as I spend more time consuming content of runners than connecting with those around me. I know I’m not a superstar of the sport, so over time I lost value in my own story after seeing the incredible things people in the running community are doing – or at least what they show they’re doing.
However I think that is where my story therein lies…. I am training to be a great runner, elite even, and as a 48 year youngin (I refuse ‘middle aged’ terminology) that has come through significant long term injury and weight loss (both of which I still struggle with everyday) I want to share my story of how I’m going to get there. That is the story I’ve forgotten and the one I will be sticking to largely. No longer shall I measure my achievements to the skinnier, faster, younger runners, in fact I’m going to try my best to not give one fuck about what they’re doing!!!
I want to inspire others that are in a dark place physically or mentally that running is a great free medicine and while it is difficult to get started, once you can jog comfortably it can allow you to clear the head of the consuming thoughts and strengthen the body. To have the confidence to run through busy streets and not give a fuck about other’s opinions of you is empowering. To drop a shirt size or lose a chin can be a big deal to those who have been struggling to lose weight, and running is here to be your sidekick on that journey. Anyway, enough preaching from me for one blog, let’s get into what I’m up to….
I’ve been training my bloody ass off and I’m getting there – logging about 80-90k’s a week with strength work on top. The next 5 weeks have me at 110-130k’s a week so that should be interesting to see if the previous work allows the body to hold up! My endurance is improving, still too slow for where I want to be, and my hills are still shit but that is my main focus for the next block.
As of writing, I’m 6 1/2 weeks from competing in my second Old Ghost Ultra 85km which is near home on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. This event sells out quickly and last year I had to be on the waitlist and ended up being the last person accepted into the event only a couple of days prior, which was totally nerve wracking. This time I was sensible and entered it within the first 5 minutes of it opening in June or July last year so I got into the field. I’m back to see if I can do this event better than last time (10hrs 25 secs) as I really bombed the last 3 or 4 hours with debilitating cramp. I knew this could be a factor as last year it was my first ultra in a very long time and I only had 7 months from being severely obese to losing the weight and starting to run again – I was just proud to finish that one.
I’ve been training very hard the last few months and managing a heel injury which is improving nicely. I’ve been getting superb physio from Caden Shields in Christchurch who is a 2hr13 marathoner and a senior physio and we’ve made a lot of progress, he has my trust which isn’t easily won. The first couple of blocks of 4 weeks had me training 5 times a week, with the long runs building from 2 to 3 hours. The last training block and my current one I’m at 6/7 runs a week with my current long runs looking to be around 5 hours on mixed terrain. The next 5 weeks are going to be brutal but once I’m through those I have 2 weeks to taper for Old Ghost. My weakness at present has been weight loss, as with the heel injury for the last 6 months I spent most of that time treating my body like a human garbage disposal. My next 5 weeks are super important for getting in the best shape possible and getting the unnecessary weight off. This sounds like it should be easy when you run 6 times a week but it can be tricky as you need to balance a lot of fuel, and in my case, a lot of protein to repair the body each day, so blowing out the calorie count is easy as pie!
I haven’t fully committed to races after Old Ghost, there are some factors in the air that I need to settle before I start committing to other races but hopefully I’ll have more clarity in the next few weeks. I have a goal this year of doing my first 100 mile race and knowing where and when this will be will determine a lot of my other events.
As for my social media, I’ll be posting more, and the quality won’t be amazing or highly produced like others out there but it’ll be authentically me (shit that’s cheesy sounding) and my message will be strong – that anyone can do what I’m doing, you just need to start, and need to know how. If that resonates at all, tag along for the journey. If you just want to see what stupid shit I’m up to from a voyeuristic standpoint, you’re also welcome! 🙂
As always, if you want any help getting started with your running journey then check out my coaching services. Don’t be scared to dream big as the people doing ultra’s are just normal people with a bit of dedication and know how. Get amongst it! Vaughan
Comments
2 responses to “Sorry, mark me absent….”
Good to see you getting back into the content bro. It doesn’t need to be polished. You have your own journey which 1000’s will benefit from.
Love the content Vaughan, made me laugh.
I only need a small twinge to convince me I can’t exercise