The Unfulfilling PB

Coach Steph's personal reflection on a marathon journey
Written by Marcus Smith
Stephanie Humphrey
Stephanie Humphrey
Nov 28, 2021
-
5
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
The Unfulfilling PB

Since joining InnerFight Endurance I have often wondered how I would perform in another marathon. I ran London in 2015 whilst working full-time in a “proper job” (office job). I was in my 20s, my running knowledge was somewhat lacking, and nights out were frequent. Nevertheless, I stuck to a training plan and bashed out a 3:26:54. It was a big tick.


15 months of the "InnerFight Effect" later, I found myself signing up for the November 2021 Abu Dhabi Marathon, alongside approximately 40 InnerFight clients and coaches. I was excited for the journey to come.


Race season in the UAE commenced in September, and I stuck to my 2021 Commitment, “Focus on key events/races and build towards them specifically (as opposed to racing everything week in week out)”. The temptation was high to jump into other races pre Abu Dhabi, watching clients and colleagues toe the line, I wanted a piece of the action. But I stuck to my plan, it was all eggs in one basket, the Marathon.


I will never say that I sacrificed things for this marathon, because I think that any adaptations I made, genuinely made me better; and I can look back at such a solid block of training. I was using food to either fuel or recover, sleep was a top priority, I had checkups at DISC to help with alignment, and I religiously ticked off my rehab and mobility.  I only missed a couple of sessions due to sickness, never for laziness or lack of motivation. Did I want to keep showing up every time? Not really. There were hard days, there were days when I was spat out of a track session, but I learnt and moved on. My weeks became incredibly structured, every day had a purpose, and everything pointed towards being marathon ready. It was my priority. I was often the first and last person on the track at our Tuesday sessions, sometimes roping other coaches or clients into my sessions.


Commencing this training block in summer I had a somewhat unknown race time goal at the beginning. However, there were 3x numbers in my head (my A, B, and C goals). With summer not really letting up, I began to lose hope on the A goal about 6 weeks out. But as the temperature adjusted things started to come right. I was hitting numbers I had never seen before in track sessions; I was cruising through 30km+ weekend long runs. It was all coming together.


As we entered the taper phase, I saw myself with 2 options, the A goal (2:59:59) or B goal (3:09:59). The A goal scared me, but I knew that if I ran at 4:30 km pace for the 3:09 I would be gutted to finish with something left in the tank, wondering “what if”. When Tom offered me his pacing services, I was blown away, and thought I would be a fool to refuse the offer.  I spoke to my coach, other coaches at InnerFight, Jack, and my Dad about the A Goal. They all believed in me, no one thought it was a mental idea and out of reach. I decided to risk it, go all in and aim to hold an average pace of 4:15 per km to get that 2:59:59. I was scared but excited.


On the morning of the marathon, I was weirdly not too nervous. I felt pretty calm and collected. I went through my normal morning routine, stayed present in everything I was doing, there was a job to be done. I wasn’t even that phased when I “lost Tom” right before the race. I told Jack to keep an eye out for when he arrived at the start, and to let him know if I had gone. I figured he would catch up no probs! Nevertheless, him and Rob jumped into the starting pen with about 2 minutes to go, we took a photo and we waited for the gun.


We cruised; the effort felt easy. I had planned for this, to not get sucked into others around me shooting off, they would come back to me. At 5km we were bang on track, it was fun, it felt good. Rob was back with us after his almost immediate toilet break, and he was bantering along at the back of the bus. Along the Corniche towards 12km we ran in a line, Tom, me, Rob. It was great. Tom would grab us water and Rob would heckle at every single person he knew. It felt like a Coffee Run. They were fully conversational, I noticed that I wasn’t. At the time I put this down to nerves or negative thoughts. I let this thought pass over me and I just stuck behind Tom as we turned the corner into the Marina passing the InnerFight support crew.


15km in, it was like a switch. I did not feel good. I was hot, but cold, my breathing was erratic, and my pace dropped. I started to panic. There was no room for error on pace for the A goal, especially this early on. I had a stabbing stitch through my ribs, and I felt too full. I was concerned. Surely this was meant to happen at about 30km, not before half way. Rob held pace, and we gradually watched him roll into the distance. As we came out of the Marina at 21km and ran back past the InnerFight support crew, I heard them shouting words of encouragement, and all I could think was “why are telling me I’m doing a good job? We have missed the target. I feel like hell, and I am only half way. Can’t they see that I am suffering?!”


Despite Tom telling me that he would not talk to me and just run at 4:15s, he knew I was in trouble. He put on his coaching hat and tried to reshape my self-talk. In all honestly, I wasn’t having negative self-talk, I just wasn’t having any self-talk. I wasn’t present. I was in so much pain, and I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling of my goal plummeting through the floor. Tom reminded me of my training, gave me form cues, and told me to forget the watch.  


I had moments where I would get my stride back and I would feel like I was running properly again, then I would suddenly have a feeling that I had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t able to focus, or think, I felt disoriented and confused. I felt sorry for Tom, I was wasting his time. He was here to pace me to the A Goal, not pick me up from a 15km in.


As agreed, Tom got me to 30km, he peeled off and told me I was strong (in his more aggressive race mode tone). I wanted more than anything for this run to finish. But it never entered my head to stop at 30km with Tom. The end was 42.2km, and the only way to get there was to move. It literally became left foot, right foot in my head. I wasn’t clock watching or chasing, I was surviving. The sun was strong, but I was oblivious. The roads were quiet, I was probably swaying. I scanned the empty road hoping to stumble across a neglected water bottle because I was so incredibly thirsty. I felt like crying, but knew that wouldn’t help me get home any quicker. My heart felt broken.


Somehow the KMs ticked off and I got to 37km, I thought “sweet, a 5km ParkRun to go, I can do a ParkRun!”. (I do really wish I had remembered that I had 1 last gel in my pocket though!)  As I got closer to the finish there were people who would call out my name and offer encouragement. Some were strangers to me, some were known. Having looked at the race photos, I can confirm that I had that glazed over look in my eyes. No one was home. I heard voices, but saw no one.


I did not have the brain power to calculate what time I might finish in; I just gave it what I could. I crossed the finish line in 3:19:00. A Personal Best. Yet I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.


I turned to my left, and saw Carla walking towards me with her beaming smile and kind words. Over her shoulder I saw Jack sprinting through the race village to find me. His pride in me is relentless. In that moment I felt like I had failed. But looking back, I am not sure what I think I failed. I hit the C Goal, and I didn’t quit.


I gave myself about 5 minutes to recompose, take my shoes off and calm down. There was no point sulking. Besides, my hair was hilariously tangled. Carla had just had the race of her life, and whipped out an epic PB, coming 2nd in her Age Group. And I had a bunch of clients who were due to come through the finish line. I took myself to the finishing funnel and shouted at those with 200m to go for about 2 hours, until everyone from InnerFight was through.


About 12 hours later, Jack reminded me that I had still run a BQ (Boston Qualifying time), I hadn’t even noticed! We popped open the bubbles. Bittersweet.


In the last 24 hours I have been overwhelmed with support from near and far. Some who are in awe of the time, some who want to help me piece together the why’s and the next steps. Running is not a solo sport.


A 3:19:00 on a bad day is flattering, but not what I thought I deserved. In reality, we deserve nothing. In the blink of an eye your entire life can be turned upside down. When I am ready, we will go again. Can’t wait to see what I can do on a good day.

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 #25-17

ENGINE

Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?

GYMNASTICS

Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.

Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.

HYROX

Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.

MOBILITY

We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.

PURE STRENGTH

This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.

WEIGHTLIFTING

This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.

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 #25-17

Monday Ride

A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB

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: 1.5 hour

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

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

Saturday - Long Ride

Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.

Time: 05:59 am

Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.

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 25-17

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Tempo

This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.

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. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.

Friday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10

5mins easy jog

then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)

Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.

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 25-17

Monday:

We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.

Strength:

A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift

B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat

Conditioning:

17min AMRAP

3 Power Clean (60/40)

6 Front Squat

9 Box Jump

Tuesday:

On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.

Strength:

A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups

B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row

C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock

Conditioning:

4 rounds for time:

16 Alt KB STOH

1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry

10 Burpees Over KB

30 Double Unders

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single

B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions

Conditioning

In a 3-minute window:

15 TTB

30 wall balls

AMRAP cal row

Rest 2 mins x 3

Thursday:

On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press

B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension /  15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls

Conditioning:

For time:

120 DB Hang Snatch

Every 3 mins

15/12 Cal Assualt Bike

10 Hand Release Push Ups

Friday:

Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.

Strength:

EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar

Conditioning:

In Pairs for Time:

800m run together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

100 Cal Ski

Park Run Together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

80 Cal Ski


Half Park Run Together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

60 Cal Ski

Car Park Run (Together)

20 Sandbag Over Bar

40 Cal Ski

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
The Unfulfilling PB

Since joining InnerFight Endurance I have often wondered how I would perform in another marathon. I ran London in 2015 whilst working full-time in a “proper job” (office job). I was in my 20s, my running knowledge was somewhat lacking, and nights out were frequent. Nevertheless, I stuck to a training plan and bashed out a 3:26:54. It was a big tick.


15 months of the "InnerFight Effect" later, I found myself signing up for the November 2021 Abu Dhabi Marathon, alongside approximately 40 InnerFight clients and coaches. I was excited for the journey to come.


Race season in the UAE commenced in September, and I stuck to my 2021 Commitment, “Focus on key events/races and build towards them specifically (as opposed to racing everything week in week out)”. The temptation was high to jump into other races pre Abu Dhabi, watching clients and colleagues toe the line, I wanted a piece of the action. But I stuck to my plan, it was all eggs in one basket, the Marathon.


I will never say that I sacrificed things for this marathon, because I think that any adaptations I made, genuinely made me better; and I can look back at such a solid block of training. I was using food to either fuel or recover, sleep was a top priority, I had checkups at DISC to help with alignment, and I religiously ticked off my rehab and mobility.  I only missed a couple of sessions due to sickness, never for laziness or lack of motivation. Did I want to keep showing up every time? Not really. There were hard days, there were days when I was spat out of a track session, but I learnt and moved on. My weeks became incredibly structured, every day had a purpose, and everything pointed towards being marathon ready. It was my priority. I was often the first and last person on the track at our Tuesday sessions, sometimes roping other coaches or clients into my sessions.


Commencing this training block in summer I had a somewhat unknown race time goal at the beginning. However, there were 3x numbers in my head (my A, B, and C goals). With summer not really letting up, I began to lose hope on the A goal about 6 weeks out. But as the temperature adjusted things started to come right. I was hitting numbers I had never seen before in track sessions; I was cruising through 30km+ weekend long runs. It was all coming together.


As we entered the taper phase, I saw myself with 2 options, the A goal (2:59:59) or B goal (3:09:59). The A goal scared me, but I knew that if I ran at 4:30 km pace for the 3:09 I would be gutted to finish with something left in the tank, wondering “what if”. When Tom offered me his pacing services, I was blown away, and thought I would be a fool to refuse the offer.  I spoke to my coach, other coaches at InnerFight, Jack, and my Dad about the A Goal. They all believed in me, no one thought it was a mental idea and out of reach. I decided to risk it, go all in and aim to hold an average pace of 4:15 per km to get that 2:59:59. I was scared but excited.


On the morning of the marathon, I was weirdly not too nervous. I felt pretty calm and collected. I went through my normal morning routine, stayed present in everything I was doing, there was a job to be done. I wasn’t even that phased when I “lost Tom” right before the race. I told Jack to keep an eye out for when he arrived at the start, and to let him know if I had gone. I figured he would catch up no probs! Nevertheless, him and Rob jumped into the starting pen with about 2 minutes to go, we took a photo and we waited for the gun.


We cruised; the effort felt easy. I had planned for this, to not get sucked into others around me shooting off, they would come back to me. At 5km we were bang on track, it was fun, it felt good. Rob was back with us after his almost immediate toilet break, and he was bantering along at the back of the bus. Along the Corniche towards 12km we ran in a line, Tom, me, Rob. It was great. Tom would grab us water and Rob would heckle at every single person he knew. It felt like a Coffee Run. They were fully conversational, I noticed that I wasn’t. At the time I put this down to nerves or negative thoughts. I let this thought pass over me and I just stuck behind Tom as we turned the corner into the Marina passing the InnerFight support crew.


15km in, it was like a switch. I did not feel good. I was hot, but cold, my breathing was erratic, and my pace dropped. I started to panic. There was no room for error on pace for the A goal, especially this early on. I had a stabbing stitch through my ribs, and I felt too full. I was concerned. Surely this was meant to happen at about 30km, not before half way. Rob held pace, and we gradually watched him roll into the distance. As we came out of the Marina at 21km and ran back past the InnerFight support crew, I heard them shouting words of encouragement, and all I could think was “why are telling me I’m doing a good job? We have missed the target. I feel like hell, and I am only half way. Can’t they see that I am suffering?!”


Despite Tom telling me that he would not talk to me and just run at 4:15s, he knew I was in trouble. He put on his coaching hat and tried to reshape my self-talk. In all honestly, I wasn’t having negative self-talk, I just wasn’t having any self-talk. I wasn’t present. I was in so much pain, and I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling of my goal plummeting through the floor. Tom reminded me of my training, gave me form cues, and told me to forget the watch.  


I had moments where I would get my stride back and I would feel like I was running properly again, then I would suddenly have a feeling that I had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t able to focus, or think, I felt disoriented and confused. I felt sorry for Tom, I was wasting his time. He was here to pace me to the A Goal, not pick me up from a 15km in.


As agreed, Tom got me to 30km, he peeled off and told me I was strong (in his more aggressive race mode tone). I wanted more than anything for this run to finish. But it never entered my head to stop at 30km with Tom. The end was 42.2km, and the only way to get there was to move. It literally became left foot, right foot in my head. I wasn’t clock watching or chasing, I was surviving. The sun was strong, but I was oblivious. The roads were quiet, I was probably swaying. I scanned the empty road hoping to stumble across a neglected water bottle because I was so incredibly thirsty. I felt like crying, but knew that wouldn’t help me get home any quicker. My heart felt broken.


Somehow the KMs ticked off and I got to 37km, I thought “sweet, a 5km ParkRun to go, I can do a ParkRun!”. (I do really wish I had remembered that I had 1 last gel in my pocket though!)  As I got closer to the finish there were people who would call out my name and offer encouragement. Some were strangers to me, some were known. Having looked at the race photos, I can confirm that I had that glazed over look in my eyes. No one was home. I heard voices, but saw no one.


I did not have the brain power to calculate what time I might finish in; I just gave it what I could. I crossed the finish line in 3:19:00. A Personal Best. Yet I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.


I turned to my left, and saw Carla walking towards me with her beaming smile and kind words. Over her shoulder I saw Jack sprinting through the race village to find me. His pride in me is relentless. In that moment I felt like I had failed. But looking back, I am not sure what I think I failed. I hit the C Goal, and I didn’t quit.


I gave myself about 5 minutes to recompose, take my shoes off and calm down. There was no point sulking. Besides, my hair was hilariously tangled. Carla had just had the race of her life, and whipped out an epic PB, coming 2nd in her Age Group. And I had a bunch of clients who were due to come through the finish line. I took myself to the finishing funnel and shouted at those with 200m to go for about 2 hours, until everyone from InnerFight was through.


About 12 hours later, Jack reminded me that I had still run a BQ (Boston Qualifying time), I hadn’t even noticed! We popped open the bubbles. Bittersweet.


In the last 24 hours I have been overwhelmed with support from near and far. Some who are in awe of the time, some who want to help me piece together the why’s and the next steps. Running is not a solo sport.


A 3:19:00 on a bad day is flattering, but not what I thought I deserved. In reality, we deserve nothing. In the blink of an eye your entire life can be turned upside down. When I am ready, we will go again. Can’t wait to see what I can do on a good day.

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 #25-17

Monday Ride

A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB

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: 1.5 hour

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

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

Saturday - Long Ride

Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.

Time: 05:59 am

Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.

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 25-17

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Tempo

This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.

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. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.

Friday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10

5mins easy jog

then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)

Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.

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 25-17

Monday:

We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.

Strength:

A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift

B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat

Conditioning:

17min AMRAP

3 Power Clean (60/40)

6 Front Squat

9 Box Jump

Tuesday:

On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.

Strength:

A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups

B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row

C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock

Conditioning:

4 rounds for time:

16 Alt KB STOH

1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry

10 Burpees Over KB

30 Double Unders

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single

B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions

Conditioning

In a 3-minute window:

15 TTB

30 wall balls

AMRAP cal row

Rest 2 mins x 3

Thursday:

On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press

B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension /  15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls

Conditioning:

For time:

120 DB Hang Snatch

Every 3 mins

15/12 Cal Assualt Bike

10 Hand Release Push Ups

Friday:

Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.

Strength:

EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar

Conditioning:

In Pairs for Time:

800m run together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

100 Cal Ski

Park Run Together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

80 Cal Ski


Half Park Run Together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

60 Cal Ski

Car Park Run (Together)

20 Sandbag Over Bar

40 Cal Ski

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 #25-17

ENGINE

Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?

GYMNASTICS

Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.

Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.

HYROX

Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.

MOBILITY

We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.

PURE STRENGTH

This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.

WEIGHTLIFTING

This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.

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
The Unfulfilling PB

Since joining InnerFight Endurance I have often wondered how I would perform in another marathon. I ran London in 2015 whilst working full-time in a “proper job” (office job). I was in my 20s, my running knowledge was somewhat lacking, and nights out were frequent. Nevertheless, I stuck to a training plan and bashed out a 3:26:54. It was a big tick.


15 months of the "InnerFight Effect" later, I found myself signing up for the November 2021 Abu Dhabi Marathon, alongside approximately 40 InnerFight clients and coaches. I was excited for the journey to come.


Race season in the UAE commenced in September, and I stuck to my 2021 Commitment, “Focus on key events/races and build towards them specifically (as opposed to racing everything week in week out)”. The temptation was high to jump into other races pre Abu Dhabi, watching clients and colleagues toe the line, I wanted a piece of the action. But I stuck to my plan, it was all eggs in one basket, the Marathon.


I will never say that I sacrificed things for this marathon, because I think that any adaptations I made, genuinely made me better; and I can look back at such a solid block of training. I was using food to either fuel or recover, sleep was a top priority, I had checkups at DISC to help with alignment, and I religiously ticked off my rehab and mobility.  I only missed a couple of sessions due to sickness, never for laziness or lack of motivation. Did I want to keep showing up every time? Not really. There were hard days, there were days when I was spat out of a track session, but I learnt and moved on. My weeks became incredibly structured, every day had a purpose, and everything pointed towards being marathon ready. It was my priority. I was often the first and last person on the track at our Tuesday sessions, sometimes roping other coaches or clients into my sessions.


Commencing this training block in summer I had a somewhat unknown race time goal at the beginning. However, there were 3x numbers in my head (my A, B, and C goals). With summer not really letting up, I began to lose hope on the A goal about 6 weeks out. But as the temperature adjusted things started to come right. I was hitting numbers I had never seen before in track sessions; I was cruising through 30km+ weekend long runs. It was all coming together.


As we entered the taper phase, I saw myself with 2 options, the A goal (2:59:59) or B goal (3:09:59). The A goal scared me, but I knew that if I ran at 4:30 km pace for the 3:09 I would be gutted to finish with something left in the tank, wondering “what if”. When Tom offered me his pacing services, I was blown away, and thought I would be a fool to refuse the offer.  I spoke to my coach, other coaches at InnerFight, Jack, and my Dad about the A Goal. They all believed in me, no one thought it was a mental idea and out of reach. I decided to risk it, go all in and aim to hold an average pace of 4:15 per km to get that 2:59:59. I was scared but excited.


On the morning of the marathon, I was weirdly not too nervous. I felt pretty calm and collected. I went through my normal morning routine, stayed present in everything I was doing, there was a job to be done. I wasn’t even that phased when I “lost Tom” right before the race. I told Jack to keep an eye out for when he arrived at the start, and to let him know if I had gone. I figured he would catch up no probs! Nevertheless, him and Rob jumped into the starting pen with about 2 minutes to go, we took a photo and we waited for the gun.


We cruised; the effort felt easy. I had planned for this, to not get sucked into others around me shooting off, they would come back to me. At 5km we were bang on track, it was fun, it felt good. Rob was back with us after his almost immediate toilet break, and he was bantering along at the back of the bus. Along the Corniche towards 12km we ran in a line, Tom, me, Rob. It was great. Tom would grab us water and Rob would heckle at every single person he knew. It felt like a Coffee Run. They were fully conversational, I noticed that I wasn’t. At the time I put this down to nerves or negative thoughts. I let this thought pass over me and I just stuck behind Tom as we turned the corner into the Marina passing the InnerFight support crew.


15km in, it was like a switch. I did not feel good. I was hot, but cold, my breathing was erratic, and my pace dropped. I started to panic. There was no room for error on pace for the A goal, especially this early on. I had a stabbing stitch through my ribs, and I felt too full. I was concerned. Surely this was meant to happen at about 30km, not before half way. Rob held pace, and we gradually watched him roll into the distance. As we came out of the Marina at 21km and ran back past the InnerFight support crew, I heard them shouting words of encouragement, and all I could think was “why are telling me I’m doing a good job? We have missed the target. I feel like hell, and I am only half way. Can’t they see that I am suffering?!”


Despite Tom telling me that he would not talk to me and just run at 4:15s, he knew I was in trouble. He put on his coaching hat and tried to reshape my self-talk. In all honestly, I wasn’t having negative self-talk, I just wasn’t having any self-talk. I wasn’t present. I was in so much pain, and I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling of my goal plummeting through the floor. Tom reminded me of my training, gave me form cues, and told me to forget the watch.  


I had moments where I would get my stride back and I would feel like I was running properly again, then I would suddenly have a feeling that I had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t able to focus, or think, I felt disoriented and confused. I felt sorry for Tom, I was wasting his time. He was here to pace me to the A Goal, not pick me up from a 15km in.


As agreed, Tom got me to 30km, he peeled off and told me I was strong (in his more aggressive race mode tone). I wanted more than anything for this run to finish. But it never entered my head to stop at 30km with Tom. The end was 42.2km, and the only way to get there was to move. It literally became left foot, right foot in my head. I wasn’t clock watching or chasing, I was surviving. The sun was strong, but I was oblivious. The roads were quiet, I was probably swaying. I scanned the empty road hoping to stumble across a neglected water bottle because I was so incredibly thirsty. I felt like crying, but knew that wouldn’t help me get home any quicker. My heart felt broken.


Somehow the KMs ticked off and I got to 37km, I thought “sweet, a 5km ParkRun to go, I can do a ParkRun!”. (I do really wish I had remembered that I had 1 last gel in my pocket though!)  As I got closer to the finish there were people who would call out my name and offer encouragement. Some were strangers to me, some were known. Having looked at the race photos, I can confirm that I had that glazed over look in my eyes. No one was home. I heard voices, but saw no one.


I did not have the brain power to calculate what time I might finish in; I just gave it what I could. I crossed the finish line in 3:19:00. A Personal Best. Yet I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.


I turned to my left, and saw Carla walking towards me with her beaming smile and kind words. Over her shoulder I saw Jack sprinting through the race village to find me. His pride in me is relentless. In that moment I felt like I had failed. But looking back, I am not sure what I think I failed. I hit the C Goal, and I didn’t quit.


I gave myself about 5 minutes to recompose, take my shoes off and calm down. There was no point sulking. Besides, my hair was hilariously tangled. Carla had just had the race of her life, and whipped out an epic PB, coming 2nd in her Age Group. And I had a bunch of clients who were due to come through the finish line. I took myself to the finishing funnel and shouted at those with 200m to go for about 2 hours, until everyone from InnerFight was through.


About 12 hours later, Jack reminded me that I had still run a BQ (Boston Qualifying time), I hadn’t even noticed! We popped open the bubbles. Bittersweet.


In the last 24 hours I have been overwhelmed with support from near and far. Some who are in awe of the time, some who want to help me piece together the why’s and the next steps. Running is not a solo sport.


A 3:19:00 on a bad day is flattering, but not what I thought I deserved. In reality, we deserve nothing. In the blink of an eye your entire life can be turned upside down. When I am ready, we will go again. Can’t wait to see what I can do on a good day.

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 25-17

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Tempo

This week will be dialling into that Tempo effort (7/10 RPE) for 8 mins blocks. You will take a 3 min recovery after each block and repeat the sequence 3x.

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. This week we will be running 200s and 600s at 3km and 5km pace. We will help you identify the best pace group for your ability at the session.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

Today we have intervals in the morning and evening. We will be running1km at effort, into 4 x 400s and then back to 1km of effort. Push hard on the 400s, these should be a 9/10 RPE.

Friday

Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

This week we will be running
10X
1min @ 9/10; 1min @ 3/10

5mins easy jog

then,
4X
4mins @ 7/10; 1min @ 1/10 (easy jog/walking)

Coffee post session at Common Grounds at 7am.

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 25-17

Monday:

We start the week with some single-leg deadlifts into a power clean front squat complex, followed by a leg-focused workout that is sure to set the tone for the week.

Strength:

A) Every 2:30 x 5 6/6 Single Leg Deadlift

B) Every 90secs x 5 2 power clean + 2 front squat

Conditioning:

17min AMRAP

3 Power Clean (60/40)

6 Front Squat

9 Box Jump

Tuesday:

On Tuesday, it's all about push and pull in the strength work, with pull-ups, bench press, gorilla rows, and some static overhead strength.

Strength:

A) EMOM x 6 - 15-20 sec UB kipping pull-ups

B) Alt EMOM x 10 - 8 DB Bench Press / 12 Alt Gorilla Row

C) Alt EMOM x 9 -M1 - 30 Sec Dual KB OH / 30 sec hollow hold / 30 sec arch hold/rock

Conditioning:

4 rounds for time:

16 Alt KB STOH

1 Lap Car Park Farmers Carry

10 Burpees Over KB

30 Double Unders

Wednesday:

On Wednesday, we will start with some heavy squats, followed by work on both the GHD hip extension and the GHD sit-up, and then a tough interval workout.

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 6 - 3 2 2 1 1 back squat + 1 set AMRAP @ 80% of top single

B) Alt EMOM x 12 - 5/10 GHD Sit Ups / 30 sec Pallof Press L&R / 10-15 Hip Extensions

Conditioning

In a 3-minute window:

15 TTB

30 wall balls

AMRAP cal row

Rest 2 mins x 3

Thursday:

On Thursday, we have some bodybuilding in the strength work, followed by a real test of grip and capacity in the workout with high-volume dumbbell snatches.

Strength:

A) Every 2 mins x 5 6/6 DB Strict Press

B) Alt EMOM x 9 - 30 sec banded tricep extension /  15-20 DB Lateral Raise / 15-20 Barbell Bicep Curls

Conditioning:

For time:

120 DB Hang Snatch

Every 3 mins

15/12 Cal Assualt Bike

10 Hand Release Push Ups

Friday:

Finally, we conclude the week with an awesome partner workout that combines aerobic work with strongman exercises.

Strength:

EMOM x 5 6 Sandbag Over Bar

Conditioning:

In Pairs for Time:

800m run together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

100 Cal Ski

Park Run Together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

80 Cal Ski


Half Park Run Together

20 Sandbag Over Bar

60 Cal Ski

Car Park Run (Together)

20 Sandbag Over Bar

40 Cal Ski

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 #25-17

ENGINE

Double Mikko’s Triangle. We’re doubling the time and aiming to double the calories. Can you match your pace and hold on?

GYMNASTICS

Tuesday morning, we're diving into all things handstand push-ups with both strict and kipping variations, plus some fun progressions to challenge your upside-down game. Expect overhead strength work and spicy core finishers, too.

Toes-to-bar will take centre stage on Thursday evening with drills on the low bar and rig to sharpen your skills. Then we’ll move on to capacity work before wrapping it up with core and lat work to boost strength, control, and coordination.

HYROX

Build the Upper body strength you need for HYROX with a focus on sled pulls, farmers carries, push-ups (to power through your burpees), push presses (for stronger wall balls) and SkiErg conditioning.

MOBILITY

We have been quite dominant with mobility for the lower body; per request, we will stick with the flows, but make sure we hit the upper body harder this weekend. This session will be aimed towards the people that have shoulder niggles.

PURE STRENGTH

This week's pure strength session marks the start of the deadlift cycle, following high-volume RDLS. We also have some heavy box squats and volume reps to finish up on Monday. On Wednesday, we will start a paused bench press progression, incorporating some overhead presses and barbell rows as accessories.

WEIGHTLIFTING

This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on developing the split jerk technique. Followed by a classic complex of clean + front squat + jerk.

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 #25-17

Monday Ride

A ride dedicated to group riding skills and some fitness. Coach Rob Foster leads this ride, if you'd like to join email Rob Foster

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB

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: 1.5 hour

Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park

Entrance fee

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

Saturday - Long Ride

Our weekly endurance ride.
Please email Rob Foster for more details.

Time: 05:59 am

Location: Bottom of the Stick, Al Qudra.

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
The Unfulfilling PB

Since joining InnerFight Endurance I have often wondered how I would perform in another marathon. I ran London in 2015 whilst working full-time in a “proper job” (office job). I was in my 20s, my running knowledge was somewhat lacking, and nights out were frequent. Nevertheless, I stuck to a training plan and bashed out a 3:26:54. It was a big tick.


15 months of the "InnerFight Effect" later, I found myself signing up for the November 2021 Abu Dhabi Marathon, alongside approximately 40 InnerFight clients and coaches. I was excited for the journey to come.


Race season in the UAE commenced in September, and I stuck to my 2021 Commitment, “Focus on key events/races and build towards them specifically (as opposed to racing everything week in week out)”. The temptation was high to jump into other races pre Abu Dhabi, watching clients and colleagues toe the line, I wanted a piece of the action. But I stuck to my plan, it was all eggs in one basket, the Marathon.


I will never say that I sacrificed things for this marathon, because I think that any adaptations I made, genuinely made me better; and I can look back at such a solid block of training. I was using food to either fuel or recover, sleep was a top priority, I had checkups at DISC to help with alignment, and I religiously ticked off my rehab and mobility.  I only missed a couple of sessions due to sickness, never for laziness or lack of motivation. Did I want to keep showing up every time? Not really. There were hard days, there were days when I was spat out of a track session, but I learnt and moved on. My weeks became incredibly structured, every day had a purpose, and everything pointed towards being marathon ready. It was my priority. I was often the first and last person on the track at our Tuesday sessions, sometimes roping other coaches or clients into my sessions.


Commencing this training block in summer I had a somewhat unknown race time goal at the beginning. However, there were 3x numbers in my head (my A, B, and C goals). With summer not really letting up, I began to lose hope on the A goal about 6 weeks out. But as the temperature adjusted things started to come right. I was hitting numbers I had never seen before in track sessions; I was cruising through 30km+ weekend long runs. It was all coming together.


As we entered the taper phase, I saw myself with 2 options, the A goal (2:59:59) or B goal (3:09:59). The A goal scared me, but I knew that if I ran at 4:30 km pace for the 3:09 I would be gutted to finish with something left in the tank, wondering “what if”. When Tom offered me his pacing services, I was blown away, and thought I would be a fool to refuse the offer.  I spoke to my coach, other coaches at InnerFight, Jack, and my Dad about the A Goal. They all believed in me, no one thought it was a mental idea and out of reach. I decided to risk it, go all in and aim to hold an average pace of 4:15 per km to get that 2:59:59. I was scared but excited.


On the morning of the marathon, I was weirdly not too nervous. I felt pretty calm and collected. I went through my normal morning routine, stayed present in everything I was doing, there was a job to be done. I wasn’t even that phased when I “lost Tom” right before the race. I told Jack to keep an eye out for when he arrived at the start, and to let him know if I had gone. I figured he would catch up no probs! Nevertheless, him and Rob jumped into the starting pen with about 2 minutes to go, we took a photo and we waited for the gun.


We cruised; the effort felt easy. I had planned for this, to not get sucked into others around me shooting off, they would come back to me. At 5km we were bang on track, it was fun, it felt good. Rob was back with us after his almost immediate toilet break, and he was bantering along at the back of the bus. Along the Corniche towards 12km we ran in a line, Tom, me, Rob. It was great. Tom would grab us water and Rob would heckle at every single person he knew. It felt like a Coffee Run. They were fully conversational, I noticed that I wasn’t. At the time I put this down to nerves or negative thoughts. I let this thought pass over me and I just stuck behind Tom as we turned the corner into the Marina passing the InnerFight support crew.


15km in, it was like a switch. I did not feel good. I was hot, but cold, my breathing was erratic, and my pace dropped. I started to panic. There was no room for error on pace for the A goal, especially this early on. I had a stabbing stitch through my ribs, and I felt too full. I was concerned. Surely this was meant to happen at about 30km, not before half way. Rob held pace, and we gradually watched him roll into the distance. As we came out of the Marina at 21km and ran back past the InnerFight support crew, I heard them shouting words of encouragement, and all I could think was “why are telling me I’m doing a good job? We have missed the target. I feel like hell, and I am only half way. Can’t they see that I am suffering?!”


Despite Tom telling me that he would not talk to me and just run at 4:15s, he knew I was in trouble. He put on his coaching hat and tried to reshape my self-talk. In all honestly, I wasn’t having negative self-talk, I just wasn’t having any self-talk. I wasn’t present. I was in so much pain, and I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling of my goal plummeting through the floor. Tom reminded me of my training, gave me form cues, and told me to forget the watch.  


I had moments where I would get my stride back and I would feel like I was running properly again, then I would suddenly have a feeling that I had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t able to focus, or think, I felt disoriented and confused. I felt sorry for Tom, I was wasting his time. He was here to pace me to the A Goal, not pick me up from a 15km in.


As agreed, Tom got me to 30km, he peeled off and told me I was strong (in his more aggressive race mode tone). I wanted more than anything for this run to finish. But it never entered my head to stop at 30km with Tom. The end was 42.2km, and the only way to get there was to move. It literally became left foot, right foot in my head. I wasn’t clock watching or chasing, I was surviving. The sun was strong, but I was oblivious. The roads were quiet, I was probably swaying. I scanned the empty road hoping to stumble across a neglected water bottle because I was so incredibly thirsty. I felt like crying, but knew that wouldn’t help me get home any quicker. My heart felt broken.


Somehow the KMs ticked off and I got to 37km, I thought “sweet, a 5km ParkRun to go, I can do a ParkRun!”. (I do really wish I had remembered that I had 1 last gel in my pocket though!)  As I got closer to the finish there were people who would call out my name and offer encouragement. Some were strangers to me, some were known. Having looked at the race photos, I can confirm that I had that glazed over look in my eyes. No one was home. I heard voices, but saw no one.


I did not have the brain power to calculate what time I might finish in; I just gave it what I could. I crossed the finish line in 3:19:00. A Personal Best. Yet I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.


I turned to my left, and saw Carla walking towards me with her beaming smile and kind words. Over her shoulder I saw Jack sprinting through the race village to find me. His pride in me is relentless. In that moment I felt like I had failed. But looking back, I am not sure what I think I failed. I hit the C Goal, and I didn’t quit.


I gave myself about 5 minutes to recompose, take my shoes off and calm down. There was no point sulking. Besides, my hair was hilariously tangled. Carla had just had the race of her life, and whipped out an epic PB, coming 2nd in her Age Group. And I had a bunch of clients who were due to come through the finish line. I took myself to the finishing funnel and shouted at those with 200m to go for about 2 hours, until everyone from InnerFight was through.


About 12 hours later, Jack reminded me that I had still run a BQ (Boston Qualifying time), I hadn’t even noticed! We popped open the bubbles. Bittersweet.


In the last 24 hours I have been overwhelmed with support from near and far. Some who are in awe of the time, some who want to help me piece together the why’s and the next steps. Running is not a solo sport.


A 3:19:00 on a bad day is flattering, but not what I thought I deserved. In reality, we deserve nothing. In the blink of an eye your entire life can be turned upside down. When I am ready, we will go again. Can’t wait to see what I can do on a good day.

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
The Unfulfilling PB

Since joining InnerFight Endurance I have often wondered how I would perform in another marathon. I ran London in 2015 whilst working full-time in a “proper job” (office job). I was in my 20s, my running knowledge was somewhat lacking, and nights out were frequent. Nevertheless, I stuck to a training plan and bashed out a 3:26:54. It was a big tick.


15 months of the "InnerFight Effect" later, I found myself signing up for the November 2021 Abu Dhabi Marathon, alongside approximately 40 InnerFight clients and coaches. I was excited for the journey to come.


Race season in the UAE commenced in September, and I stuck to my 2021 Commitment, “Focus on key events/races and build towards them specifically (as opposed to racing everything week in week out)”. The temptation was high to jump into other races pre Abu Dhabi, watching clients and colleagues toe the line, I wanted a piece of the action. But I stuck to my plan, it was all eggs in one basket, the Marathon.


I will never say that I sacrificed things for this marathon, because I think that any adaptations I made, genuinely made me better; and I can look back at such a solid block of training. I was using food to either fuel or recover, sleep was a top priority, I had checkups at DISC to help with alignment, and I religiously ticked off my rehab and mobility.  I only missed a couple of sessions due to sickness, never for laziness or lack of motivation. Did I want to keep showing up every time? Not really. There were hard days, there were days when I was spat out of a track session, but I learnt and moved on. My weeks became incredibly structured, every day had a purpose, and everything pointed towards being marathon ready. It was my priority. I was often the first and last person on the track at our Tuesday sessions, sometimes roping other coaches or clients into my sessions.


Commencing this training block in summer I had a somewhat unknown race time goal at the beginning. However, there were 3x numbers in my head (my A, B, and C goals). With summer not really letting up, I began to lose hope on the A goal about 6 weeks out. But as the temperature adjusted things started to come right. I was hitting numbers I had never seen before in track sessions; I was cruising through 30km+ weekend long runs. It was all coming together.


As we entered the taper phase, I saw myself with 2 options, the A goal (2:59:59) or B goal (3:09:59). The A goal scared me, but I knew that if I ran at 4:30 km pace for the 3:09 I would be gutted to finish with something left in the tank, wondering “what if”. When Tom offered me his pacing services, I was blown away, and thought I would be a fool to refuse the offer.  I spoke to my coach, other coaches at InnerFight, Jack, and my Dad about the A Goal. They all believed in me, no one thought it was a mental idea and out of reach. I decided to risk it, go all in and aim to hold an average pace of 4:15 per km to get that 2:59:59. I was scared but excited.


On the morning of the marathon, I was weirdly not too nervous. I felt pretty calm and collected. I went through my normal morning routine, stayed present in everything I was doing, there was a job to be done. I wasn’t even that phased when I “lost Tom” right before the race. I told Jack to keep an eye out for when he arrived at the start, and to let him know if I had gone. I figured he would catch up no probs! Nevertheless, him and Rob jumped into the starting pen with about 2 minutes to go, we took a photo and we waited for the gun.


We cruised; the effort felt easy. I had planned for this, to not get sucked into others around me shooting off, they would come back to me. At 5km we were bang on track, it was fun, it felt good. Rob was back with us after his almost immediate toilet break, and he was bantering along at the back of the bus. Along the Corniche towards 12km we ran in a line, Tom, me, Rob. It was great. Tom would grab us water and Rob would heckle at every single person he knew. It felt like a Coffee Run. They were fully conversational, I noticed that I wasn’t. At the time I put this down to nerves or negative thoughts. I let this thought pass over me and I just stuck behind Tom as we turned the corner into the Marina passing the InnerFight support crew.


15km in, it was like a switch. I did not feel good. I was hot, but cold, my breathing was erratic, and my pace dropped. I started to panic. There was no room for error on pace for the A goal, especially this early on. I had a stabbing stitch through my ribs, and I felt too full. I was concerned. Surely this was meant to happen at about 30km, not before half way. Rob held pace, and we gradually watched him roll into the distance. As we came out of the Marina at 21km and ran back past the InnerFight support crew, I heard them shouting words of encouragement, and all I could think was “why are telling me I’m doing a good job? We have missed the target. I feel like hell, and I am only half way. Can’t they see that I am suffering?!”


Despite Tom telling me that he would not talk to me and just run at 4:15s, he knew I was in trouble. He put on his coaching hat and tried to reshape my self-talk. In all honestly, I wasn’t having negative self-talk, I just wasn’t having any self-talk. I wasn’t present. I was in so much pain, and I couldn’t shake the sinking feeling of my goal plummeting through the floor. Tom reminded me of my training, gave me form cues, and told me to forget the watch.  


I had moments where I would get my stride back and I would feel like I was running properly again, then I would suddenly have a feeling that I had been hit by a truck. I wasn’t able to focus, or think, I felt disoriented and confused. I felt sorry for Tom, I was wasting his time. He was here to pace me to the A Goal, not pick me up from a 15km in.


As agreed, Tom got me to 30km, he peeled off and told me I was strong (in his more aggressive race mode tone). I wanted more than anything for this run to finish. But it never entered my head to stop at 30km with Tom. The end was 42.2km, and the only way to get there was to move. It literally became left foot, right foot in my head. I wasn’t clock watching or chasing, I was surviving. The sun was strong, but I was oblivious. The roads were quiet, I was probably swaying. I scanned the empty road hoping to stumble across a neglected water bottle because I was so incredibly thirsty. I felt like crying, but knew that wouldn’t help me get home any quicker. My heart felt broken.


Somehow the KMs ticked off and I got to 37km, I thought “sweet, a 5km ParkRun to go, I can do a ParkRun!”. (I do really wish I had remembered that I had 1 last gel in my pocket though!)  As I got closer to the finish there were people who would call out my name and offer encouragement. Some were strangers to me, some were known. Having looked at the race photos, I can confirm that I had that glazed over look in my eyes. No one was home. I heard voices, but saw no one.


I did not have the brain power to calculate what time I might finish in; I just gave it what I could. I crossed the finish line in 3:19:00. A Personal Best. Yet I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.


I turned to my left, and saw Carla walking towards me with her beaming smile and kind words. Over her shoulder I saw Jack sprinting through the race village to find me. His pride in me is relentless. In that moment I felt like I had failed. But looking back, I am not sure what I think I failed. I hit the C Goal, and I didn’t quit.


I gave myself about 5 minutes to recompose, take my shoes off and calm down. There was no point sulking. Besides, my hair was hilariously tangled. Carla had just had the race of her life, and whipped out an epic PB, coming 2nd in her Age Group. And I had a bunch of clients who were due to come through the finish line. I took myself to the finishing funnel and shouted at those with 200m to go for about 2 hours, until everyone from InnerFight was through.


About 12 hours later, Jack reminded me that I had still run a BQ (Boston Qualifying time), I hadn’t even noticed! We popped open the bubbles. Bittersweet.


In the last 24 hours I have been overwhelmed with support from near and far. Some who are in awe of the time, some who want to help me piece together the why’s and the next steps. Running is not a solo sport.


A 3:19:00 on a bad day is flattering, but not what I thought I deserved. In reality, we deserve nothing. In the blink of an eye your entire life can be turned upside down. When I am ready, we will go again. Can’t wait to see what I can do on a good day.

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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