dailymiler of the week: Jim Wackett

Every week we pick one inspiring dailymiler to be featured on the blog. This gives you a chance to learn the stories of members of the dailymile community. Check out past dailymiler’s of the week. Do you know someone that would be a great dailymiler? Nominate them!

When Jim Wackett, a.k.a JayDub, finished competing in his first ultra marathon, The North Face 100, a few weeks ago, he was amazed at how well he felt. Even though he only made it to 84km of the 100km distance, the experience, in his words, was amazing. He loved the feeling of running further than he’d ever run before, exploring uncharted territory mentally and physically.

Jim loves to test himself regularly in races. He likes different distances for different reasons. “I love the great community vibe of the 10k races held by my running club,” he reports. He enjoys the half marathon because he can really push himself over a longer distance without hitting the wall. The marathon gives him a sense of achievement when he’s finished. He especially loves the 26.2 when he’s managed to get his pace and nutrition and hydration just right and he doesn’t bonk!

With his first ultra out of the way, JayDub is starting to build up his weekly mileage again. He is weighing his options for the next race. The M7 Cities Marathon in western Sydney is near the top of his list. It takes place at the end of July. “That was my Marathon PR race last year,” he says. “I’d love to run it again and beat last year’s time.” There are a few other races, he’d like to run as well. He’d like to try the Keppler Challenge, a trail ultra held in New Zealand. If he could swing the travel, he’d also like to take in a few U.S. trail ultras and some of the road marathons in Europe.

In addition to running, Mr. Wackett likes to do Crossfit workouts. He loves the physical challenge and they way the program works areas of his body that running alone can’t do. He’s aiming to complete “Fran” – a particularly nasty benchmark workout – in under five minutes. He admits he’s not there yet. “But I can dream,” he says.

The dailymile community is special to Jim. He enjoys the encouragement and the ‘open source’ approach to sharing information about training. “We have a whole world of running, cycling, etc., to share with each other!” he exclaims.

JayDub’s advice for running is straightforward enough. Don’t get cocky! Don’t hit out too fast. Respect the distance! “It’s not about how fast you are,” he says, “as you’re out there, moving, improving and doing what you were created to do.”

“Running is and should be a joy,” he advises. “So get out there and love it!”