I’ve ran 10 backyard Ultras in the last four years. Birdy’s Backyard Ultra  three times, 24, 28 and 36 laps (hours). Herdy’s Frontyard Ultra four times 47, 34, 28 and 24 laps. Hysterical Carnage twice 37  and 27 laps and finally No Time to Die 33 laps (for my only win) . That’s a total of 318 laps (hours/yards) and 2,130 kilometres, over 13 days running around in circles. That’s a long time running around in circles but the format is so much more than that, it’s the ultimate social ultra.  Every hour , on the hour, you get to start at the front of the pack and it’s the runner w ..read more

My 47th marathon last weekend went reasonably well, finishing just over three hours for 25th overall from a field of nearly 140 . Dropped off the sub3 bus at halfway and cruised in with a one hour thirty minutes half and a positive split of nearly five minutes coming home in just under one hour thirty five minutes for the second half. Anything less than five minutes positive split is considered acceptable. Post marathon I try and rehydrate as quickly as possible and then take on nutrition within the 30 minute window when your muscles are desperate for fueling. Luckily post Bibra I was able to ..read more

The calm before the storm ..literally. Marathon number 47 was Bibra Lakes, a small event a  hundred kilometres outside Perth, around a lake funnily enough.  It was a small out and back and then six laps of the lake on a footpath and just about totally flat, bar the puddles ! Conditions ranged from perfect to horrendous depending on the rain, albeit there was little or no wind to talk off so overall no complaints. The worst rain was probably right on the start time and as you can see below it was pretty heavy when we set off. Luckily my mate Rob lent me his rain jacket for the initial ..read more

Fremantle half, my fastest ever half. I have marathon number forty seven just over a week away and aiming for sub 3 number thirty three. With marathons the taper is an important part of being ready and it allows the body and mind to prepare themselves for what’s to come. Physically the body needs a taper to rebuild but the mental side of a taper is often overlooked. The last couple of weeks before a big race you need to work on visualising yourself achieving the goal you have set yourself. Understanding the pacing required and deciding on strategies to meet that end goal time. For example in a ..read more

Had a great run this morning running my weekly 5:30 am 14k Yelo threshold (progressive?)  Starting to see some improvements and starting to feel the love with the Bibra Lake Marathon just over two weeks away. The Threshold run is so important to marathon success and I’ve added a couple of articles to describe the principles and benefits.  I just enjoy the feeling of satisfaction when you finish, not so much when you’re deep in the pain cave and worrying about what your private health care insurance covers. Threshold training is one of the key running workouts to improve en ..read more

Had a great chat to Michelle Frost which we recorded for her FitMind FitBody podcast. Here’s a link to the episode.   https://fitmindfitbody.co/episode-338-kevin-matthews-from-cornwall-to-ultra-marathons-a-journey-of-passion-and-community/   It’s worth a listen as Michelle and I talk about all things running albeit I must warn you I tend to go on and Michelle is far too polite to cut me short. As well as listening to runners Michelle is also an advocate of mind training in a similar vein to my good friend Rob Donkersloot from Mind Focused Running ( https://mindfocusedrunning.com ..read more

Lighthorse Ultra 24 hours, second place, 190km I gave myself four days off post Lighthorse 24 Ultra before lacing up again for the weekly Yelo run 5:30am Thursday morning. Five weeks later and I’m very tired, which is what you expect when you train for marathons. Week one post Lighthorse I managed 60km, then 126km ( 9 runs) for week 2, 125km (8 runs) week 3, 141km (9 runs) week four and finally 160km (9 runs) last week.   As you can see from the Strava extra below ( You use Strava right ? http://www.strava.com ) it has been a busy few weeks with plenty of long runs, elevation&nb ..read more

I hear you Brenden, I hear you…..   There’s no getting around it , training for a marathon is a long, hard slog. Early mornings, long afternoons and late nights. Add in inclement weather (luckily not a problem in Western Australia bar the scorching heat of summer ) and what started out as a good idea can become a ‘grind’.  I always think about Brenden Foster’s quote when I get up for an early morning run and stumble out of bed on tired limbs,  before staggering to the first kilometre of my run. It’s at this point I always remember to ignore your first kilometre, it lies to you ..read more

Rookie error… play about with your watch after the finishing shot. The image above shows me at the end of what is probably my best ever race, a third place at the Fremantle half and a 56 second PB for the distance. I didn’t know it at the time but I would never run that well again, this run was the pinnacle of my running career.  The funny thing was before the race I was close to not even starting as I so fatigued from the previous few weeks training I was worried I’d embarrass myself. In the end I rocked up very late to the start and decided I would run with the lead group, whatever pace ..read more

Before you dive into the 2024 recap , if you’re new to this blog, it’s a good idea to read the previous three years tales of woe.  Gives you an idea of what’s coming. 2021 Recap :-  https://www.runbkrun.com/2021/05/08/lighthorse-24-ultra-lest-we-forget/ 2022 Recap :- https://www.runbkrun.com/2022/04/30/lighthorse-ultra-24-hours-2022/ 2023 Recap :- https://www.runbkrun.com/2023/05/06/once-more-into-the-breech-lighthorse-24-hour-ultra-race-2023-recap/ The Lighthorse Ultra is a timed event giving runners a 1, 3, 6, 12, or 24 hour option. There’s even an hour dog race which is pretty uni ..read more