The Athlete of the month, for the month February is.... Mara!
Mara initially joined with her long-term goal being Comrades marathon. Well that like the rest of the races unfortunately got cancelled.. and then cancelled again. But it still remains her main goal! I have no doubt that crossing that finishing line on the 12th of June 2022 will feel even sweeter after this lengthy anticipated wait.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Mara, which is actually the reason she is my chosen athlete of the month. In the running game, you’re always going to get niggles and unfortunately in her case she picked up quite severe ones which couldn’t be overlooked. When these were bought to life, we both decided it was best to avoid running until we knew exactly how serious these injuries were.
After various MRI’s and months of not being able to run, the everyday athlete would almost certainly have called it quits. But not Mara! She kept training ‘smart’ by doing the cross training it took to maintain fitness levels, but at the same time not cause any further damage. She never neglected her strength work which is the most important part to give her the best chance of a smooth journey forward!
The amount of turbo training she did throughout this ‘injury phase’ was inspiring to see! Able to complete interval, tempo, hilly and even long sessions all on her bike! Getting heavily involved in the Zwift virtual world of racing too. All of this made her return to running much easier and more enjoyable too!
Getting injured is one of the worst things. Being injured for a prolonged period of time is even worse. Through pure determination, the right attitude and smart training Mara has come out on the other side. Believe it or not, she’s not too far off PB shape, which is simply phenomenal after what she’s been through.
The ultimate goal is still to complete Comrades marathon. But the new interim goal is a Boston qualification time! It’s all sights set on Manchester marathon for her later this year!
With that winning attitude you’ll go far in life Mara, it’s been great to be your coach and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for when we have a smooth build up to a race!
Onwards
Upwards
Progress!
Who will be the athlete of the month for March??