October seems an odd time to have an off-season – especially in Tbilisi, where the autumn colours and mild weather make it a beautiful time of year to be outdoors.
But here I am, resting up, reflecting on a fun 2026 season of running trail races.
The results (April to October):
Burnsall Trail Half: 5th.
Sumela Ultra 60K: 3rd.
Mestia 100K: 4th (3rd man).
Crêtes Vosgiennes 19K: 36th (1st foreigner! 🤪)
Lisa Ultra 62K: 6th (5th man).
After finding some momentum with training in February and March, I came into the season with reasonable fitness and was grateful to make it to the start line of each race.
From May to September, training was shaken up by work, travel, and some niggling injuries that needed careful management.
I’m pleased with the results, not just because of placing well, but because in each race I remembered to soak in the experience and through pacing, problem-solving, and support, was able to squeeze a lot out of myself on the day.
Looking back, most of the enjoyment came from sharing the experience with friends and family – not only on race day, but also in the days before and after. A full house in Bell Busk before Burnsall. Sunset walks with a good friend before Sumela. Meals out and nostalgia for 2025 with friends in the lead-up to Mestia.
But now the season is over, for me at least. I feel tired. Weak. At risk of injury.
Scott Johnston – a celebrated ultra running coach – talks about capacity and utilisation training. Put another way: sometimes we run to build our fitness and sometimes we run to use the fitness we’ve built.
Of course, the two are intertwined and categorising races as “utilisation” efforts is overly simplistic, but I find it a useful heuristic for approaching training both day-to-day and across the year.
In this October off-season, I’m excited at the prospect of a six-month stretch devoted to building my fitness rather than preparing for an upcoming race.
I’ve been analysing my limiting factors, planning some approaches, and thinking through how to phase my training. It won’t all go to plan. But without races sprinkled in, the chances of most of it going to plan are higher.
I’m also happy to have a mental refresh. Races are hard. As much as I tell myself (and others) that they’re a celebration of the training, I take running too seriously and put pressure on myself to race well. During the race, holding the line of going hard but not too hard is taxing. And races seem to produce injuries – at least for me – so that’s another source of anxiety.
I’m grateful to be taking a few months to replenish my mental reserves as well as building my physical capacity.
If you’re a runner looking ahead to the off-season, drop me a line with your thoughts or questions! If you don’t run but are considering starting: now is the perfect time. Please get in touch if you would appreciate encouragement or advice.