My goals for 2021 - first 100 miler, first FKT and more!

Welcome back to another post on my blog! This is the first of the midweek posts, where I’ll be discussing a topic related to running or ultraendurance more generally. This week I wanted to start with an overview of my goals for 2021, to give you an idea of what to expect from me. Obviously all these goals are dependent on the course of the covid-19 pandemic, and so could be subject to change. In fact, I’ve already had two races postponed this year! But I believe it’s important to remain positive, and if further changes are forced due to travel restrictions or race cancellations then I’ll just have to adapt appropriately.

June – SDW100: I’ll mention this first as it’s my ‘A’ goal of the year and has been one of my biggest motivations since very early into my running journey. The SDW100 is the South Downs Way 100 – a 100 mile race between Winchester and Eastbourne through the South Downs National Park. The route passes very close to where I grew up, and even before I got into running I’d heard of this race.

100 miles certainly seems a long way when you put it on a map!

This will be my first ever 100 mile race, so is a huge challenge for me. I’m currently about halfway through my training plan and so far things are going well, but I’m very aware that there is only so much you can do to prepare for something of this scale! Because it’s my debut at this distance, simply finishing the race within the 30 hour limit will be an achievement, although I’m aiming to try and get under 24 hours. I just think there’s something nice about being able to say you’ve run 100 miles in a day.

Currently the race is scheduled for June 12^th/13^th, with a backup date of Oct 2^nd/3^rd if required due to covid restrictions.

April – First 50 mile race: In order to actually qualify for the 100 mile race I have to complete a 50 mile race first. That’s a sensible rule to ensure that people who enter are going to be physically capable of such a big challenge. And hey, it also gives me an extra chance to race which I always enjoy!

My chosen 50 mile race is scheduled to be the Manchester to Liverpool race along the Transpennine Trail on April 2^nd. I’ll admit that I’m doubtful that will go ahead, in which case I’ll be looking at  doing a solo 50 mile run. Whether I complete the distance through the race or solo, my target is essentially just about to get experience of the distance and practice executing my plans around hydration, nutrition and pacing, although I hope to be close to the 9 hour mark.

May – New Lipchis Way FKT:

The last 15 miles should 
all be familiar which
is useful when you're
fatigued!

The New Lipchis Way is a 39 mile trail between the villages of Liphook and West Wittering. It’s an area that I know well as it’s where I grew up, meaning I’m hoping to combine this with a weekend at home with family and friends. Rather than simply completing the full route, I’ll be attempting to beat the official Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the entire route.

For those who haven’t previously heard of FKT’s, they’re an increasingly popular challenge where you aim to set the fastest known time for a particular route. There are many famous routes such as Lands End to John O’Groats in the UK or the Appalachian Trail in the USA. Thankfully, the New Lipchis Way is much simpler (and shorter) than both those examples, and so should make a good final long training challenge before the SDW100.

FKT’s are tracked through the website fastestknowntime.com with the current record for the New Lipchis Way being 7hrs 49mins 7secs, which I believe is beatable. Success at this challenge may lead to me targeting more difficult FKT’s in the future alongside actual races.

July – Birthday: My 23^rd birthday will be in mid-July, and I want to continue my semi-tradition of doing something a bit crazy to celebrate it. For example, on my 17^th birthday I did my first ever 100km cycle ride, and last year I did my first ever 200km cycle ride on a trip to Lincoln. I’m not yet sure what the challenge will be this year but I think it will be running rather than cycling. Current suggestions include a 100km run, an attempt at a local FKT, or doing 7 marathons in 7 days that week. If you have any ideas then let me know! It will depend on how recovery from the SDW100 is going, so I won’t be making any firm plans until much closer to the time.

October – Marathon PB: 

Fingers crossed!

Having spent the first half of the year focussing on ultradistance events,  it will be important to reduce the volume for a few months to give my body some time to heal. I’m therefore hoping to spend the autumn training to break my marathon personal best, which is 3:22:34 set at Goodwood last year. I’m currently entered in the Newport Marathon on October 24^th, and will find out next Monday whether I’ve been successful in the London Marathon ballot. I would like to get below 3:20, a pace I held for the 16 mile training run last Sunday.

TBC – Half-marathon and 5k: If the opportunity arises then I’d also like the chance to have a go at a sub 1:30 half-marathon (current PB = 1:34:00) and a sub 19 minute 5k (current PB = 19:26). But with my main focus being the ultramarathons, if this doesn’t happen this year then it will be a target for early 2022 instead.

On track so far!

Overall: My annual mileage goal for 2021 is 2021 miles! Last year I finished on 1371 miles so this is a significant step up, but should be achievable. If I do hit it then my stretch goal is 2267 miles, which is equivalent to a 10km run every day.

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you’ve found it interesting to hear what challenges I’ll be tackling this year. I’m really hoping that I can complete these ultra-races, as they’re just the first step to bigger aspirations.

For more regular updates, you can follow me on Instagram @andrewsultrablog – I’d love to hear what your targets are this year! And for more detail on my training, follow me on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/5373701