Since the start of the year, my focus had been on shorter, fast workouts, but with 9 weeks to go, it was time to start Two Oceans specific training.
Traveling to South Africa on Saturday meant that my first 50km long run would have had to be done on Friday. Hatta is a mountainous area about 90mins drive from Dubai. It is a popular running spot with quiet roads and plenty of hills as opposed to the extremely flat roads around the city.
I did my first track session less than 48hours after landing back in Johannesburg (and at 1600m above sea level) so I didn’t set my expectations too high. It takes time to fully adjust to altitude, but the idea of getting to see Duncan later on got me through it.