Training for an ultra isn’t just about long runs — it’s about the small, daily decisions no one talks about. From skipping pizza nights to early mornings in the rain, here are the real-life choices that shape every ultra runner’s journey.

The closer race day came, the louder the resistance grew. Physically, my body shut down. Mentally, the battle had already begun. In this piece, I share the real “conversations with myself” — the negative voices, the reframes, and the mindset work that truly matters when training for a 100-mile ultra (or just navigating life). This is the endurance training no Garmin can measure.

I never planned to run 100 miles. My goal was simply to go a little further each time. But when plans fell apart and life tested my patience, I found myself signing up for the one race I never expected — and learning what true resilience and mindset really mean.

What happens when taper week turns into damage control? When life throws chaos and illness right before your biggest goal? This is my raw reflection — one week before my 100-mile trail run race — on resilience, surrender, and remembering strength when everything else falls apart.

If I could change 3 things in today’s running culture, it’d be the following…

When you sign up for a race, one of the big questions (whether you realise it or not) is: "Do I know this course — or am I about to meet it for the first time?"

Both options come with their own magic — and their own challenges. As someone who’s run both familiar trails I know like the back of my hand and unfamiliar routes in faraway places, here’s what I’ve learned.

Who needs a red carpet? Why finishing my self-supported IronMan meant more than any medal.

When you're hours (or even days) into an ultra-endurance event, things get… a little weird. But weird can be wonderful. Over the years, I’ve noticed a few quirks that have become my unexpected survival tools. They’re not in any training manual — but they work for me. Maybe they’ll work for you too, or at least make you smile.

Is triathlon and specifically IronMan a sport for the rich and wealthy? A spicy question, isn’t it? Well, I’ll leave it up to you to make your own judgement on this question. In this article, I’m going to share with you what I invested in this undertaking.

The off-season is there to take off my mind from races and challenges and simply run for the pure joy of it. Because I love training, I find the off-season quite challenging at times. So I developed my personal Do’s & Don’t for the off-season to let my body and mind really recuperate.

The mind is my strongest muscle. In this article I’m letting you inside my head. I’ll show you what I keep saying and thinking to myself during endurance challenges.

Here’s a timeline of what went down before my self-supported IronMan.

My last race of this season was the IronMan 70.3 in Weymouth. It was brutal and epic. 37 mph winds, thunderstorms and pouring rain. And here’s why I call it IronMind.

The last part of my 100 km ultra was agonising and all I wanted was a break from running. But as soon as it was over, I started to think about what the top 3 things are I need to work on so I can improve my performance at the next 100 km ultra. Crazy, I know, but it’s the truth.

It doesn’t matter how long or short the route is I’m going to run or if I know the course inside out or not, I always split the route into different parts. Here’s how and why I split this 100 km route into the following 6 parts.

Going into my first 100 km Ultra Trail Run Challenge, it was interesting and a bit of a guessing game what to pack, especially hydration and nutrition wise. Here’s what I decided to bring with me on this incredible journey.

It’s one week after my 100 km Ultra Trail Run Challenge and I’m still processing it all. But I’d like to share with you how I experienced the challenge day. This is how I remember the whole course.

Everyone’s journey starts somewhere. My running journey started at 0 km. Here’s how I’ll work my way up to 100 km.

Pretty much every time I talk to someone about ultra trail running, these questions come up.