80 Mile Weekend

Henry Ford once said,"Whether you think you can do a thing, or you think you cannot... you are probably right"
I was tormented by those words during the hour of pain it took to get myself from mile 22 to mile 28 on Saturday.
I don't know if it was the fact that I was in pain, (much earlier than I thought I would be) only half way through the first 40 mile stage of the race, or if I was paying the price for getting caught up in the adrenaline fuelled start and doing the first 10 miles at 9min/mile pace (too fast for me to sustain over the total 80 mile distance of both stages) all I Know is that by mile 28 I had been mentally struggling for almost an hour and this was now slowly spiraling my thoughts and my pace downwards. I was in a dark place psychologically, and the only one who could get me out of it was me and I wasn't doing a good job.

My Garmin GPS flashed the facts... Mile-28, Pace-12:55, Ascent Height-583ft, Heart Rate-130bpm, I was well off the pace.
I should have been tracking at 10min/mile pace and my heart rate should be at least 145bpm, "c'mon andy get yourself sorted man" I pleaded with myself!
Then from the back of my mind like a mental slap, a statement cut across my downward spiralling thought process.

"Decide how much negative mental energy you will give to any one situation, then, close it off and move on"

Rob Northfield, a friend and Inspirational Business Mentor, who also runs at Wetherby Runners, had shared this technique during a seminar, for handling some of lifes challenges.
I chuckled to myself, infact I think I even said out aloud, "Yeah right... that's easier said than done right now!" but he was right, and the facts couldn't be ignored I had allowed my mind to run riot and focus on the negative, dwelling on the pain and the distance still to do, and I had to get it engaged back into the task at hand, to just focus on the next mile and make up the pace.

My Garmin GPS recorded the next mile at 8:56min/mile, Heart Rate-153bpm and that put a smile on my face, I was mentally back in the race.
The return leg on Sunday as I expected, was much harder, but the whole challenge of the weekend was not to complete half the distance but to complete the whole distance!

I am happy to say that my strategy paid off. I learned my lesson, and I still struggled with my thought process when the pain bit again on Sunday, but that is what training for Ultra Marathons is about, It's physically, but most importantly Mentally, overcomming the challenge. I achieved my personal goal for the race, to complete each 40 mile stage in under 7 hrs.

The Stats for Saturday read;
Distance-40 miles, Time-06hrs 51mins, Calories Burned- 4558 cals, Ave Heart Rate- 141bpm, Average Pace 10:27 mins/mile.

The Stats for Sunday read;
Distance-40 miles, Time-06hrs 54mins, Calories Burned- 4369 cals, Ave Heart Rate- 138bpm, Average Pace 10:35 mins/mile.

If I can sustain that in Namibia I'll be a happy teddy... see you all again soon.
PS. I owe you one Rob, Thanks.