Something Different: Race to the Stones – Weeks 1-3

As last year ended and this year began, I knew a couple of things.

First, I wanted to continue to run every day.

And, secondly, I wanted to keep running some of the same races that I have been doing the last few years.

But I also had a feeling that I wanted to try something different with my running.

After 12 marathons, 20 (or so) half marathons, and countless shorter races ranging from 5k to 10 mile, I wanted to give something else a try.

Then, at the end of December, two friends on Instagram registered for Race to the Stones – a 100km (62 mile) trail race in England.

And seeing that, the wheels definitely started turning in my head.

Was this a sign? Is this the ‘something different’ I have been looking for?

I think I knew the answer right away, but I gave myself a little bit of time to think about it before eventually registering for it in early January.

So, after years of shooting it down whenever someone asked about running an ultra, I had finally changed my mind.

I always secretly knew this day would come, but I never shared it with anyone. I think I knew it would always be there for me, if and when I was ready to give it a shot.

I probably actually started thinking about it during Covid lockdown, when I watched a lot of YouTube running videos. It was during that time when I first heard about Race to the Stones. Of course, I had heard about ultramarathons before, but for some reason this one caught my attention a little bit more.

It’s run on the Ridgeway in southern England, which is a route that has been used for thousands of years for every purpose imaginable. And it’s put on by a company that organizes some other good races that I have heard of.

So, with that background, as well as couple of friends registering for it and me wanting to try something different, this seemed like the right time to finally go for it.

In the past, it’s been very rare for me to impulsively register for a race. But in this case, I was compelled to make the decision very quickly (for me, anyway!) with a little bit of ‘gentle’ encouragement that definitely didn’t hurt!

And so, having made the decision and registering for a 100km race in July, what does that mean?

Well, for starters it means a gradual increase in mileage over the next few months as well as some testing of fueling strategies to see what works for me over longer periods of time.

It also means registering for a 50km trail race in May, which will be my longest run ever and is only a part of the overall training plan!

But mostly it means giving this ‘something different’ an honest effort and seeing how it goes and what I can learn about myself and my running through all of it!

As always, if you enjoyed this or know anyone else that might enjoy it (or be able to give some useful tips), please share it with them!

Here’s how the training looked the first three weeks:

Week 1 (39 Miles/62.7km)

• M: 4 x 200m Hill Repeats (4 Miles Total)
• T: 5 Miles Easy
• W: Half Easy/Half Tempo (5.5 Miles Total)
• T: 20 Minutes Easy
• F: 7.5 Miles Easy
• S: 12.5 Mile Long Run
• S: 20 Minutes Easy

Week 2 (45 Miles/72km)

• M: 5 Miles Easy
• T: 6.25 Miles Easy
• W: 5.6 Mile Progression
• T: 20 Minutes Easy
• F: 5.6 Miles Easy
• S: 18 Mile Long Run (Planned 15 Miles)
• S: 20 Minutes Easy

Week 3 (43.5 Miles/70km)

• M: 5 Miles Easy
• T: 6.25 Miles Easy
• W: 5 Miles Easy/1.5 Miles Tempo (7.5 Miles Total)
• T: 20 Minutes Easy
• F: 7 Miles Easy
• S: 13.5 Mile Long Run (Planned 16 Miles)
• S: 20 Minutes Easy