5 weeks to Craze Ultra Marathon (12 - 13 Aug 2017)

INTRODUCTION

I am left with the last 5 weeks to train for Craze Ultra 101km. For the 2017 event, I had started my training plan much earlier than last year. This post records the training that I have done from Week 11 to Week 6.

TRAINING SO FAR

A quick recap of my training plan (refer to my previous post) - I intended to clock huge weekly mileages of about 60-70km every week until a month before the event. Also, I wanted to do a back-to-back run (B2BR)(25 -30 km each on Sat and Sun) at least 3 weeks before the event.

Unfortunately, my crazy work-life schedules did not allow me to execute my initial training plans. I ended up clocking lower than expected mileages for consecutive weeks. In the end, I had to adjust my training plans to compensate with even higher weekly mileages with more B2BR.

In the past 6 weeks, I have clocked 5 B2B Runs (21km+11km, 21km+21km, 15km+11km, 25km+23km and 30km+21km). Clocking more B2B runs is certainly tougher, the heart rate for many of the second-day runs are also much higher and enduring than I have expected. For now, these B2BR have certainly increased my endurance level and lesser recovery time is needed before I resume my next run. Also, many of my runs have been done in the most unpredictable tropical weathers.  These have prepared me for any possible kind of climate on race day.

TRAINING FOR THE NEXT FIVE WEEKS

So what's time for the next five weeks? I guess I'll have a few more Long Slow Distance (LSD), a few more B2BR (probably 21+21) and also strengthening/conditioning training to toughen my weaker body parts (i.e. my recovered ankle still suffered from stiffness all this while, and my left inner thigh felt weaken after every long distance). Hopefully, I could regain some strengths and speed that I have been gradually losing in the past few years.

CONCLUSION

I was unable to stick to my original training plan and had to re-adjust it to suit my hectic work-life schedules. It seems that the adjusted training plan was effective and should prepare me sufficiently for the event. But I will never know the effectiveness of this adjusted training plan until I run the actual event on 12 Aug 17.

For now, all I can say is that I shall train hard and avoid getting myself injured.

See you all on race day! :)