After nearly five months of ultra training I can do stuff that was very hard before and now it seems not so daunting. There are 80km weeks where you need to run 16km Saturday and 32km Sunday and each week only has Monday and Friday free but then you do other bits to keep the body ready. You literary need to structure your days around your training, not the other way round. I learned that you can train the body and run some distances wihout much hassle. I also learned that by combining hard training and appropriate diet you will drop all that stubborn stuff around your waste and elsewhere, I lost the whole 9kg as an already slim guy but my thighs and lower legs got more muscular. I also learned that the hardest part to manage is your own mind. The harder the training the bigger the mind games.
I can't run the same routes for 5 months. I cannot run 32km runs on the same route. I would go insane if l did. Hence I have created so many different scenarios through different routes, sometimes changing them mid-run just to surprise and entertain my brain. The brain can ruin your run. It can stop your run and send you home. BUT, the brain can easily be tricked. It has two main compartments - the one that tells you what to do, and another that tells the first guy 'nope, we are doing it this way.'
The key is to keep the body healthy and ready and brain complacent and entertained. That way you can reach your target. Of course, one may ask why putting yourself through such an ordeal in the first place? That's the topic for another time.
Post covid recovery - is it mainly in the mind??
