Surfcoast Century: Final Prep

I've well and truly gone past the point where I can add any fitness. I have what I have, now all I can do is make the most of it to get the best result race day. The plan for the last couple of weeks was penned with the proviso:

Naturally the plan will change if it needs to (and it probably will)

Of course it did, and what I did put on paper was a bit too much. So I listened to my body, and I think I got that in the strange period that is a taper. Anyway, as of 14 days out the training went a little something like this...

• Trail Run 44km with race kit, race nutrition at race pace. All went to plan, plus I felt great.
• 90min @ race pace
• 1h45min @ race pace, maybe a little quicker over the last 30min
• Easy relaxed run to and from track, with 10x80m building strides. All relaxed and comfortable, took 60min all up
• Planned 4 hour trail run, but legs felt heavy and I felt tired, so just a very light 60min
• Day OFF. Legs still heavy, and I was wondering if I am fighting off the cold the rest of the family has.
• 60min easy
• 2h45min @ a little faster than race pace, through some of the more technical collection of trails I can find.

That really was my final 8 day block, which gave me about 115km. Which has been the average over the last few months, and a little down from my 2 biggest weeks of 130-135km. Interestingly I felt quite fresh at the end. Probably has a lot to do with the fact that the intensity is well down compared to all the preceding training. No threshold sessions, no killer hill workouts, no downhill speed sets. Just straight-forward 100km race pace, which should be feel comfortable at the shorter distances.

For the final few days I've completed:

• 10km very easy, which turned out to be a little quicker than I usually cover the course.
• Track 25min warm up, 10x200m comfortably quick (44sec), w/ 200m float in 60sec, 20min cool down.

Remaining for the next two days are just 40min easy each day, then two days without running leading into the big day.

I've been through plenty of tapers through my years of running and triathlons. The usual doubts and fears of not having done enough to prepare have flitted through my brain. Nowadays I expect that, and don't really give it much credence. It's normal to have those thoughts, and nothing else I can do now to add to my fitness. The other part that I expect and have been experiencing is becoming hypersensitive to ever ache or pain in my body. As if there is a new injury developing out of nowhere. Maybe it's because I am shaking off the general fatigue that sits with endurance training, and some parts heal faster than others, that there is greater contrast at this time. Whatever the reason I still find it a strange sensation, but now seem to enjoy it in a strange way. Maybe it is part of being in tune. Of course there is also a level of excitement that really is building at a good pace. Being my first crack at a 100km trail ultra, I am looking forward to the new experience. It takes me back to some the feelings I had leading into my first marathon and first ironman. Should be fun.