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.

ENGINE
Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday, we’re focusing on pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
On Thursday evening, we’ll focus on handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand walks and finishing off the session with core and strength work.
HYROX
This is the Last Simulation before race week. We will lower the volume but keep the intensity high to make sure you are ready for race day!
ENGINE: Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises
MOBILITY
This week, we have the topic: Why are your calves and hamstrings always tight? What can we do to remedy this? Get yourself booked in, and I will show you! This is a great session for everyone, but it is extra beneficial to those runners out there!
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength, we have a chance to progress our 20 RM RDL, followed by some heavy press and strict press cluster sets.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on the squat clean. With a fun complex followed by some pulls. Perfect technique session, working on the barbell timing and full depth in the clean

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
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 - Jebel Jais Ride
Today our weekly endurance ride is at Jebel Jais! If you're interested to join email us here.
.jpg)
Monday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 600m repeats. Which will start at 5km pace and progress to 3km pace, so that the pace increases within each rep.
Wednesday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running a negative split session, meaning that the second half is faster than the first. After 30 mins of easy running, lock into a 20 mins block of effort from 7 - 9 RPE.
Saturday
Time: 5:15am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 56km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
Sunday
Time: 6:00am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 21km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
.jpg)
Eid Mubarak, we hope you all have a great long weekend! Class times are different this week, so please check the schedule on Mindbody! We have a great week lined up, so see you all on the gym floor!
Monday:
We start the week with an epic partner workout. Grab a partner, and let's start the week with a bang!
Conditioning:
40 min amrap in pairs
50 Cal Row
6 wall walks
50 CB Clean and Jerk
6 Wall Walks
50 Box Jump Overs
6 Wall Walks
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we have some push-and-pull work in our strength area, focused on overhead pressing, and then 2 12-minute AMRAPs for you to get stuck into.
Strength:
Every 90 sec x 8 Alt between
A: 8 Dual DB Z press
B: 20 Alt Gorilla Rows
Conditioning:
12 min amrap
30 Wall balls
30/25 cal ski
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 Mins
12 min amrap
30/25 Sal Ass bike
20 V Ups
20 Russian KB Swings
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are hitting some paused back squats in the strength, and then we get after a real grind of a WOD with some burpee pull-ups, front squats, and running.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 6 - 3/3/2/2/1/1 Tempo Back Squats @21X1
Conditioning:
10 rounds for time
5 Front Squats
Pool Run
5 burpee pull-ups
Thursday:
Thursday, snatch complex with some accessory, followed by the workout ACID BATH.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 8 - 1 Snatch Pull + 1 hang Power Snatch +
1 Power snatch
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 3 - 5 Snatch Grip Deadlift
Conditioning:
For time
500m ski
500m row
1000m c2 bike
Friday:
FUF - Finishing the week with some push-pull work in the strength, before an all-in barbell workout to end the week! What Better!
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 5 - 5 push press
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 4 complete 6 DB bench Press @ 30x1 + 3-5 strict pull ups
Conditioning:
5 min amrap
9 Deadlift
6 Hang Power Clean
3 STOH
Rest 3 mins x 3

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.

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
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 - Jebel Jais Ride
Today our weekly endurance ride is at Jebel Jais! If you're interested to join email us here.
.jpg)
Monday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 600m repeats. Which will start at 5km pace and progress to 3km pace, so that the pace increases within each rep.
Wednesday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running a negative split session, meaning that the second half is faster than the first. After 30 mins of easy running, lock into a 20 mins block of effort from 7 - 9 RPE.
Saturday
Time: 5:15am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 56km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
Sunday
Time: 6:00am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 21km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
.jpg)
Eid Mubarak, we hope you all have a great long weekend! Class times are different this week, so please check the schedule on Mindbody! We have a great week lined up, so see you all on the gym floor!
Monday:
We start the week with an epic partner workout. Grab a partner, and let's start the week with a bang!
Conditioning:
40 min amrap in pairs
50 Cal Row
6 wall walks
50 CB Clean and Jerk
6 Wall Walks
50 Box Jump Overs
6 Wall Walks
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we have some push-and-pull work in our strength area, focused on overhead pressing, and then 2 12-minute AMRAPs for you to get stuck into.
Strength:
Every 90 sec x 8 Alt between
A: 8 Dual DB Z press
B: 20 Alt Gorilla Rows
Conditioning:
12 min amrap
30 Wall balls
30/25 cal ski
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 Mins
12 min amrap
30/25 Sal Ass bike
20 V Ups
20 Russian KB Swings
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are hitting some paused back squats in the strength, and then we get after a real grind of a WOD with some burpee pull-ups, front squats, and running.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 6 - 3/3/2/2/1/1 Tempo Back Squats @21X1
Conditioning:
10 rounds for time
5 Front Squats
Pool Run
5 burpee pull-ups
Thursday:
Thursday, snatch complex with some accessory, followed by the workout ACID BATH.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 8 - 1 Snatch Pull + 1 hang Power Snatch +
1 Power snatch
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 3 - 5 Snatch Grip Deadlift
Conditioning:
For time
500m ski
500m row
1000m c2 bike
Friday:
FUF - Finishing the week with some push-pull work in the strength, before an all-in barbell workout to end the week! What Better!
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 5 - 5 push press
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 4 complete 6 DB bench Press @ 30x1 + 3-5 strict pull ups
Conditioning:
5 min amrap
9 Deadlift
6 Hang Power Clean
3 STOH
Rest 3 mins x 3

ENGINE
Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday, we’re focusing on pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
On Thursday evening, we’ll focus on handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand walks and finishing off the session with core and strength work.
HYROX
This is the Last Simulation before race week. We will lower the volume but keep the intensity high to make sure you are ready for race day!
ENGINE: Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises
MOBILITY
This week, we have the topic: Why are your calves and hamstrings always tight? What can we do to remedy this? Get yourself booked in, and I will show you! This is a great session for everyone, but it is extra beneficial to those runners out there!
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength, we have a chance to progress our 20 RM RDL, followed by some heavy press and strict press cluster sets.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on the squat clean. With a fun complex followed by some pulls. Perfect technique session, working on the barbell timing and full depth in the clean

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.
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Monday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Tuesday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Dubai Sports City Sports Park
Session: Track Tuesday
This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. This week we will be running 600m repeats. Which will start at 5km pace and progress to 3km pace, so that the pace increases within each rep.
Wednesday
There is no in person session this week at LRC. Those who are Unlimited Members, your Training Peaks have been programmed still.
Friday
Time: 5:59am
Location: Common Grounds
Session: The Coffee Run
This week we will be running a negative split session, meaning that the second half is faster than the first. After 30 mins of easy running, lock into a 20 mins block of effort from 7 - 9 RPE.
Saturday
Time: 5:15am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 56km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
Sunday
Time: 6:00am
Location: Cape Town
Session: Two Oceans
Today the 21km runners will be taking on Two Oceans.
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Eid Mubarak, we hope you all have a great long weekend! Class times are different this week, so please check the schedule on Mindbody! We have a great week lined up, so see you all on the gym floor!
Monday:
We start the week with an epic partner workout. Grab a partner, and let's start the week with a bang!
Conditioning:
40 min amrap in pairs
50 Cal Row
6 wall walks
50 CB Clean and Jerk
6 Wall Walks
50 Box Jump Overs
6 Wall Walks
Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we have some push-and-pull work in our strength area, focused on overhead pressing, and then 2 12-minute AMRAPs for you to get stuck into.
Strength:
Every 90 sec x 8 Alt between
A: 8 Dual DB Z press
B: 20 Alt Gorilla Rows
Conditioning:
12 min amrap
30 Wall balls
30/25 cal ski
30 Double Unders
Rest 3 Mins
12 min amrap
30/25 Sal Ass bike
20 V Ups
20 Russian KB Swings
Wednesday:
Wednesday, we are hitting some paused back squats in the strength, and then we get after a real grind of a WOD with some burpee pull-ups, front squats, and running.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 6 - 3/3/2/2/1/1 Tempo Back Squats @21X1
Conditioning:
10 rounds for time
5 Front Squats
Pool Run
5 burpee pull-ups
Thursday:
Thursday, snatch complex with some accessory, followed by the workout ACID BATH.
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 8 - 1 Snatch Pull + 1 hang Power Snatch +
1 Power snatch
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 3 - 5 Snatch Grip Deadlift
Conditioning:
For time
500m ski
500m row
1000m c2 bike
Friday:
FUF - Finishing the week with some push-pull work in the strength, before an all-in barbell workout to end the week! What Better!
Strength:
Every 2 mins x 5 - 5 push press
rest 3 mins
Every 2 mins x 4 complete 6 DB bench Press @ 30x1 + 3-5 strict pull ups
Conditioning:
5 min amrap
9 Deadlift
6 Hang Power Clean
3 STOH
Rest 3 mins x 3

ENGINE
Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises.
GYMNASTICS
This Tuesday, we’re focusing on pull-up progressions! Strict, kipping, and butterfly will appear, followed by lat and core supersets.
On Thursday evening, we’ll focus on handstand hold progressions before having some fun with handstand walks and finishing off the session with core and strength work.
HYROX
This is the Last Simulation before race week. We will lower the volume but keep the intensity high to make sure you are ready for race day!
ENGINE: Long EMOM with a mixture of machines and body weight exercises
MOBILITY
This week, we have the topic: Why are your calves and hamstrings always tight? What can we do to remedy this? Get yourself booked in, and I will show you! This is a great session for everyone, but it is extra beneficial to those runners out there!
PURE STRENGTH
This week's pure strength, we have a chance to progress our 20 RM RDL, followed by some heavy press and strict press cluster sets.
WEIGHTLIFTING
This week in weightlifting, we are focusing on the squat clean. With a fun complex followed by some pulls. Perfect technique session, working on the barbell timing and full depth in the clean

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
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 - Jebel Jais Ride
Today our weekly endurance ride is at Jebel Jais! If you're interested to join email us here.

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.

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.

One-Hour Workout: Revving Your Swim Engine
