10 THINGS I learned from my FIRST ULTRA MARATHON

[@MihaiGoRunning]

Your journey through your first ultramarathon is truly inspiring, dear Mark. Overcoming doubts, learning about gear, and pushing through the toughest moments, it's all part of the adventure. Keep chasing your goals, and may your next race be even more amazing!

[@markg99]

Thanks, Mihai. You're right about it all being part of the adventure. We learn a lot from each event or situation, and I can't wait to see any improvements I've made when I get to race again in May. Happy new year! :)

[@BenNotley]

Some great lessons learnt from the forst ultra Mark. I am sure you will deply the learnings in the next big adventure mate. Happy New Year buddy! 😎🤘

[@markg99]

Cheers, Ben :) I'm practically a guru now. Happy new year mate! :)

[@bev9708]

We ALL do too much too soon in the beginning, I think because 1. we’re impatient and 2. we grossly grossly underestimate just how slowly and gradually we need to increase our distances and/or speed in the beginning … my feeling is that it’s at least twice as slow as we imagine!! Brodie Sharpe talks about “the adaptation sweet spot” , doing enough to force your body to adapt but not too much to cause injury!! The thing is we’re all individuals and we each have a different sweet spot so yeah we learn it from experience, we learn to listen to our bodies! I guess like you I too am kinda glad for the errors I made as well, for what I learned and I definitely know my body well now!! Another huge problem too though is all the plethora of misinformation out there, including from running AND medical professionals!!! For those of you out there who want to become aware of all those typical running myths and avoid or recover well from training errors, I can’t recommend highly enough running physio Brodie Sparpe’s podcast and outstanding book “Run Smarter: Evidence-based Guidance and Expert Opinions to Help You Survive & Thrive as a Runner”

[@markg99]

I couldn't agree more, Bev. Thanks for that. Your man Brodie certainly does a great job of distilling the available evidence. I listened to one of his podcasts recently (thanks in no small part to your marketing efforts :) ), where he was discussing his recent and historical running progress. Finding that sweet spot seems to be a key factor in ensuring longevity and/or continued progress. I can't imagine anyone going through their running journey without making heaps of mistakes that they then learn from and use to build their experience-based knowledge, but getting the information from the best sources in the first place will certainly help to make for a smoother ride.

[@raleyadventures]

Thank you so much for making this video 🎉 we always love the cool running transitions 😊

[@markg99]

Cheers! Just need to remember these lessons ready for my race in May. Hope your running is going well guys :)

[@Shevock]

Great video. Very useful info.

[@markg99]

I appreciate that, Dan. Thanks a lot!

[@lornamc5928]

Well done Mark. enjoying your journey. I’m giving the Spire Ultra a bash in May my first ultra. I’m a bit worried as I will be a novice bringing up the rear! I’m a little nervous and will do some of my training runs on the course itself as I don’t live too far away. Keep going..inspiring and really interesting too!

[@markg99]

Thanks, Lorna :) Good on you for signing up to the Spire. I'd love to do it again one day. As a first ultra, I really enjoyed it, even though I was a novice, bringing up the rear! Getting to know some of the route will certainly help. I felt like I had one less thing to worry about on the day, as I knew my way around the course. If you need any info on the route or anything like that, just let me know. All the best, and happy new year 😀

[@lornamc5928]

I will do mark. Thanks so much! Happy training!

[@bev9708]

🎉🥂HAPPY NEW YEAR Mark!!🥂🎉

[@markg99]

😁🎉Happy new year, Bev! Let's make it a good one :) All the best for the upcoming marathon.

[@bev9708]

@@markg99 THANKS!! 💪🏻💪🏻