It’s Tuesday - sprint day, yay! I mixed things up a bit this time and here’s how it went:

• 2km warm-up
• 400m x 3
• 200m x 3
• 100m x 3

• 2km warm-up
• 1km @ 5:00 pace x 6, with 2 min rest in between

I took a leg rest day yesterday and today I felt so much better. My legs were much fresher than they were on Tuesday and felt pretty good, especially considering it was hills training today.

Ran 9km with a total of 300m elevation. I couldn’t run all the hills and had to walk about half of them, but I’ll keep pushing!

Tough run today. I planned for 7km plus sprints but ended up with just 5km. Everything was sore - feet, calves, hammies, glutes. My energy was low too. It was hot. It was a slog. It wasn’t pretty.

But that’s alright. The main thing is showing up and doing the best I can on the day.

I’ll give my legs a rest tomorrow, then on Thursday, I’ll do some easy hill running/walking. I won’t push it too hard—just easing into the hills.

123 days until UTA50 in the Blue Mountains.

Leg day this morning:

• Started with a 1km easy run to warm up
• The leg extensions and leg curls on the machines.
• Lunges, with 2x12kg kettlebells, 40mx2
• Burpee broad jumps, 60m
• Wall balls, 10kg x 30

A short, hilly run near Avalon Beach. Hot, tough but absolutely beautiful.

I'm going to miss out on the Sydney Marathon in August as I didn't get an invite 😭. I'll have to find an alternative place to run a marathon. It's a pretty cool experience and wanted to do it again.

Anyway, I just came back from another run. I did the same routine as on Tuesday (6km easy run plus sprints) and somehow got PBs in 400m (1m 19s) and 100m (17.6s). I didn't expect that at all as my legs felt a bit heavy. But here we go. Making progress. Really enjoying the sprints at the moment.

Did another body scan, the first since July, just before Hyrox.
As expected, I gained a bit of fat during my trip to Japan. The percentage was probably higher right after the trip but I’ve likely dropped some in the last few weeks of training.

My goal is to get under 15%. It’s been almost a week without snacks or sugar. I stick to breakfast, lunch and dinner. The only thing I allow myself to eat in between is carrots 🥕

The journey to UTA50 has just begun! I’m gradually building mileage, adding sprints at the end of sessions and getting used to running on tired legs.

Tonight’s run was an easy 6km at a 6:25 pace, followed by sprints:
400m x 1
200m x 2
100m x 4

I’ll keep track of my progress as I work on improving my speed.

I did some sprints over the weekend to remind my body what explosive power feels like. Started with a 2 km warm-up, followed by some stretches and then did 6 x 100m sprints with 90 seconds of recovery in between.

The first couple were at about 80% effort to get the muscles firing, then I pushed hard for the rest. My best time was 18.4 seconds, which works out to a 3:04 pace.

This is already faster than the sprints I did on January 2, where my best was at a 3:23 pace.

Of course, 18 seconds isn’t groundbreaking. Especially considering I used to run 100m in 12 seconds. But that was 20 years ago and I was 25 kg lighter!

Feeling excited to keep tracking my times. I’ll aim to do the same for 200m and 400m next.

SkiErg all out, 500m in 1:46 😮‍💨 A good way to wrap up the day

Afraid to look slow on a run? Remember, they don’t know if you’ve run 1km or 50km. You could be an ultra runner and they’re the ones not running.

Keep going. It's your pace, your progress,. your journey.

First run of 2025 done ✅️

Apparently, there's a claim that "95% of adults over 30 will never sprint again" so I decided to do some sprints today - right after my 5km easy run. I knocked out 100m x 3 and the good news is - no muscles pulled! That feels like a solid start.

I reckon I'll start adding sprints to the end of all my easy runs to keep my muscles active and moving well.

P.S. Day 1 without sugar - so far, so good!

867km in 2024!
That’s about 17km a week on average—nice but time to step it up next year!

Back from Balmoral! Spent some time walking the hills, followed by a swim—perfect weather for it.

The first workout after a 4-week break and being sick - definitely felt the drop in fitness but the goal today was just to push through the Hyrox stations at around 70% effort.

Session Summary
Total Time: 1h 2m
Calories Burned: 730

Workout Breakdown

• 1km easy run
• SkiErg: 500m
• Sled Push: 180kg, 40m
• Sled Pull: 140kg, 40m
• Burpee Broad Jumps: 40m
• Rowing: 500m
• Farmer’s Carry: 20kg x 2, 100m
• Lunges: 24kg, 20m
• Wall Balls: 7kg x 20
• 1km easy run

Went for an easy 3km run today. After three weeks off—thanks to holidays, being sick, and enjoying way too many snacks in Japan—I’ve definitely lost some fitness. Oh, and I gained an extra 3kg of "holiday goodness."

The first few runs and workouts after a break always feel tough, like you’ll never get back to where you were. But it’s just temporary. I love the grind. Step by step, you get better than the week before.

Next up: UTA50 - an ultramarathon in the Blue Mountains this May. Time to focus on leg strength and hill training. Bring it on!

Tell me you got sick without telling me you got sick...

I've applied for the Sydney Marathon 2025.

Now that it's a major event, you have to apply and hope for the best to secure an entry. Fingers crossed!

I went for a scenic run around the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo—a 5-kilometre loop encircling the grounds. The path follows the palace’s moat, offering views of historic stone walls and traditional bridges. So good!

Marathon done! ✅

What an incredible experience. Running across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and soaking in the amazing views was unforgettable. The support along the course was fantastic, with spectators holding up funny signs like "Don't be shit" that kept me laughing.

I finished in 5h 10m—not the fastest, but my goal was to finish, so I didn’t push too hard.

My plan was to stay in Zone 2 for the first 15km, then stick to Zone 3 as long as possible and I managed to do just that. I hit a couple of cramps in the second half but powered through with cramp shots (disgusting, but they work).