If you’re new to Journey to Chamonix, then welcome to my monthly running update! 

Each month I track my progress to my goal of running in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), which I’m hoping to achieve in the next few years. Qualification races, lotteries and a Strava load of training to do first though. For the latest progress read on!

Since last update

The month of July brought a couple of opportunities to enter multiple events, one on road, one off. In the middle of my training block I managed to snag a big Half Marathon PB much to my surprise! For further info, read on!

I registered and ran the Sri Chinmoy Princess Park Half Marathon with a good mate, both searching for PBs and confidence as we head into Melbourne Marathon. A good rule of thumb for running a sub 3 hr Marathon (which is the goal for Melbourne), if you can’t run under 1:25 for the Half Marathon, you will struggle to run under 3 hr for the full distance. So, sub 1:25 was the goal.

I set out at at 3:52 min/km (6:14 min/mi) pace for the first 3 kms. The course consisted of a short out and back, then 4 x laps of Princess Park along with a short section which headed toward Melbourne Zoo. For the first lap, I just wanted to get a feel of the course as well as any unpaved sections, turns and any undulation.

I continued to keep my pace constant at around 3:54 min/km (6:17 min/mi) through to the 15 km mark. I could feel myself fatiguing and slowing as I approached the 20km mark but by then I could sense the finish. I pushed on and managed to finish the 21.1 kms in a time of 1:22:21 at a pace of 3:54 min/km (6:17 min/mi) which was a big PB. I was soooo happy with the result and felt confident about achieving a positive result for Melbourne Marathon with a good training block first.

The following weekend, I entered into the You Yangs 21km trail run. The You Yangs was somewhere that I had been wanting to visit for awhile. The main goal for the event… don’t get injured! In 3 of the last 4 trail races I had competed in, I had fallen or rolled an ankle. With my concentration on setting a good time for Melbourne Marathon, I could not afford to do that again!

I thoroughly enjoyed the event although it was a lot tougher than I had expected. I probably pushed it a little harder than I was going to also. I finished in 4th place overall with a time of 1:52:24 which I was happy with. The course had 615m elevation gain so I knew I wouldn’t be setting any new PBs! It was a great day out and I’ll be back again, potentially at one of the longer events.

Thanks for checking in on my progress and all the best with your own workouts and events you’re planning for January! Check out my Race Schedule for more detail on other events I’m looking to tackle in 2022 and beyond.

*RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) measures workout intensity (0 easy, 10 max effort)

How have I progressed

1. Training for the Melbourne Marathon
2. Princess Park Half Marathon PB
3. Increasing Long Runs and Speed Work

Stats since last update

311.4 km along local paths and tracks