Originally written July 2023
This was my second year participating in the third day of the 3 Marathons in 3 Days Cairns Trail Race, and I was very pleased with the result.
I ran easy.
Really easy.
And after 32K, I stopped running and walked the remaining 10K.
Despite that, I still finished about 25 minutes faster than the previous year.
For me, that was a good sign. It meant I was stronger — without having to destroy myself to prove it. 
This time I was determined to stick to the bigger plan because I was also training for the Sydney Marathon in September.
I had already learned the hard way what happens when I get too enthusiastic.
Before the Melbourne Marathon the previous year, I left one of my biggest long runs far too close to race day — 38K of fairly intense running just a week beforehand.
That decision came back to bite me.
So this time, I was trying something different: long runs earlier, long runs easier, and no unnecessary heroics.
My plan was to run no more than 32K during this event so my body could recover properly and I wouldn’t derail the rest of my training.
And surprisingly, sticking to the plan didn’t make the race less enjoyable.
Quite the opposite.
As a hiker, trail running always feels a little more natural to me anyway. I love being surrounded by bush, being somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and dealing with whatever the trail decides to throw at me.
So I got my long run done, enjoyed the trail, finished faster than the year before and — most importantly — didn’t wreck myself.
Progress sometimes looks like running faster.
Sometimes it looks like knowing when to walk.
And after a very long day, progress also looked like me sitting in a magnesium bath. 
Stories Along the Way 