A bit of a melodramatic quote do not get me wrong. I think the main thing I like about it is 1. It is from the Tin Man and 2. It is about happiness. The latter is me right now and running is one of the reasons why.

I just finished my highest mileage training week ever. That is right. Ever. It wasn’t even particularly high to be perfectly honest: 61 km of running to be exact (although there was an additional 3.5 hours of cycling and close to an additional 9 hours of climbing).

There are a few things that I realised while clocking this mileage. The first is that running makes me happy, and if it did not then no amount of “brains” would really be making me do this. In fact, if I used my head I probably would be sensible and not be pursuing ultra marathons the same way that most people plan a weekend bender. That is to say with excitement and a little bit of a blase attitude to it all (I promise I am not underestimating the distance).

Secondly, I am damn proud of me, my body, and I. Yes, my SI joints are a bit achy and sore. Yes my ankles are a bit tight. But, you know what, that was all to be expected. To put it into perspective when I was training for my Half Marathon last year I was only really able to consistently put down 30km weeks without injuring myself / my back giving up on me. To have doubled that mileage in a year makes me extremely happy, and this is only the beginning.

So, I am going to keep running with my heart and for the right reasons, but I am not going to forget to use my brain and realise that there will always be another race. Oh, and keep listening to my body.