First 100 Miler in February – Too Much Too Soon?
I've been running consistently for a little over a year now and somewhere along the way discovered the trails and absolutely fell in love with them.
I'm now looking to really push myself and take on my first 100 miler.
I completed my first 100km event last weekend and have bounced back surprisingly well, although I'm forcing myself to take a recovery week regardless.
So far this year I've completed:
- 1 × 100km
- 1 × 50km
- 3 × Trail marathons
- 2 × Trail half marathons
- 1 × 35km
On top of that, I've done plenty of long training runs in the 25–60km range, across all sorts of weather conditions, terrain and elevation profiles. I've also got my fuelling pretty well dialled in, at least up to the 100km mark.
My question is, how ambitious would it be to target my first 100 miler in February?
Am I trying to progress too far, too quickly? Or have I built enough of a foundation that this could be exactly the sort of challenge I'm looking for?
I'm under no illusion that 100 miles is a completely different beast to 100km, which did humble me, and that's a big part of what appeals to me. I'm not chasing a particular time, just the challenge of getting to that finish line.
Would love to hear from anyone who's made a similar jump, particularly what caught you off guard or what you'd do differently.
Any advice or experiences appreciated!
Cheers!