Ultra marathoner? That's me! :)

I actually did it! Yesterday, despite the 25oC heat and blazing sunshine, I ran 52.4 miles around the beautiful Kent countryside and I am absolutely over the moon to have joined the ranks of those crazy enough to run ultra marathons!

I'm going to write a full report about the event, but for now, I can tell you that I finished in 10 hours 41 minutes, it was the most painful thing I have ever done, but I had the most brilliant day.  Today, I am aching more than I thought possible, but I am incredibly happy and all the pain is definitely worth it!

Recovery and injury

Recovery from the 30 mile run was much easier than expected.  Although on Sunday I was very tired, I was amazed that using stairs and sitting down wasn't a problem and my legs still felt pretty good.  I didn't run, but we went for a walk in the hilly local woods, so I did get some movement to stop my legs seizing up ;)

DOMS set in a bit on Monday, but nothing too significant, and no-one noticed anything unusual in my gait at work, but I didn't run, really just because I was feeling lazy ;) Tuesday was back to normal though and I ran 5 miles home from the station and despite being much slower than usual (unable to pick up any sort of cadence) my legs felt fine.

Wednesday was my personal training session at the gym.  It was a hard session, but, as I have done with the others, I really enjoyed it and found myself achieving things I haven't done before.  Stretching at the end was painful but I was pretty sure it was just because I must have been particularly tight after not properly stretching after the race, and I pushed through it. My hamstrings and core were hurting as I walked away from the gym, but I was pleased with that...that makes me feel that the money I'm spending on the PT is worth it!!

Thursday, my legs were still hurting, but I went out for a run.  I was still telling myself it was just DOMS and that running through the pain was good practise for the latter stages of next week's 50 miler.

By the time Friday came though, my core had stopped aching but my hamstrings were still very painful in both legs: I realised I'd been kidding myself, this wasn't DOMS, I'd overstretched my hamstrings at the gym and had strained them.

So, I didn't run Friday, and after getting home from work spent the evening in my compression shorts, legs up and smothered in ibruprofen gel! I'm repeating today, and hoping to god that my hamstrings heal in time for next weekend.  I don't have any bruising, so it's not a proper tear, and although yesterday it was painful to straighten either knee, today I can do that, so I'm hoping they are healing from the overstretch.  Still painful to the touch, but getting there.

It means my mileage is going to dramatically suffer this week (as I was meant to be doing 6 miles on Friday and 15 miles tomorrow) but obviously at this stage I just need to concentrate on getting rid of the pain!

I ran my first ultra marathon

On Saturday, I ran my first ultra marathon. It was 30 miles, in 8.5 laps around Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes, organised by Enigma Running.  I still can't quite believe that's true...so I'll say it again...I ran my first ultra marathon!

My day started off pretty badly - the race wasn't until 2:30pm so my usual early morning race day routine went out the window.  I hadn't slept well, woke up early, got my kit together and had a bag packed by about 10am. Then I started to get horribly nervous about the race...how would I cope running further than I'd ever run before, and what it would mean for my 50 miler if this race went wrong, and I also started panicking about what I should be eating (I knew just breakfast wouldn't be enough, but thought having a proper lunch would be too much). I was wandering aimlessly round the house getting more wound up, waiting for the time to come that I needed to leave. In the end, I gave up waiting and left early, thinking the drive would hopefully calm me down.

I soon realised that I'd left the house without any food, for lunch or the race, and without any drinks. I stopped at the petrol station and bought myself a picnic of some Go Ahead slices, a Mars bar, salt & vinegar peanuts and a can of Red Bull for my lunch. What was that all about?! Why didn't I buy a sandwich, a banana and a bottle of water?! I also bought a bottle of powerade and a flapjack for my race food. Flapjack?! I haven't had a flapjack for months and certainly not during any long run training. Madness.

Anyway....off I drove to Milton Keynes, devouring my cereal bar, chocolate and peanuts as I went.

By the time I got to the Caldecotte Arms - race HQ - the rain that had been forecast was torrential. I pulled up in the car park and even with the windscreen wipers going, I couldn't see outside through the sheet of water that was falling! My nerves hadn't abated either - if anything I was feeling more anxious, as it was starting to dawn on me that my pre-race meal hadn't been very well thought out! As I'd arrived early, I took to twitter, telling everyone how worried I felt, and was quickly reassured that  the race was only four miles further than a marathon, that I would be absolutely fine, and there was no need to be nervous. I knew everyone was right, but it didn't help - by now I was feeling physically unwell with the nerves and full of doubt.

Finally 2 o'clock came and I decided to go into the pub and see if I could find where to pick up my number. This is where I started to realise that this event was going to be very different to anything I had ever done before...and that becoming a part of the ultra community and the Brathay 10in10 team really is going to be life changing.

I walked in. Loads of runners were sat around in the pub, drinking, chatting and laughing. Someone asked me if I was there to run...I told them my name and all of a sudden I'm getting a hug from David "Foxy" Bailey, organiser of the Engima events, former (4 time) 10in10er, and and fellow 10in10 runner for the 2013 event. He showed me where Heather was sitting (another 10in10er who lives about 5 minutes from me) and joked they'd been reading about my running exploits. Someone else told me how lots of the runners had run the marathon that morning, some of whom were running the ultra in the afternoon too.

I wanted to stay and chat, but really wasn't feeling good and so picked up my number and retreated back to the car, amazed at how everyone seemed to know everyone else, and how relaxed they all were, having drinking pints and having lunch.

Twenty minutes later I was back in the porch of the pub, chatting with a couple of others sheltering there from the rain, and I began to relax a bit. It was soon time though and we wandered over to the little yellow sign on the ground....[see photo below!]

Then, miraculously, the rain stopped...and my first ultra started.

Within just a few minutes, my nerves had completed gone, and it honestly felt like a physical weight was lifting from my shoulders as I ran.

I'd been worried about the course, particularly about there being no signs or marshals telling me where to go, and about it being so wet, but there was no need. The course followed an obvious route around the lake, with white arrows clearly marked on the path where there was a choice of direction. There were puddles, but I could run around them, there was a section of boggy grass, but I could run through it, and although there was one section where a massive puddle had formed, which required us to venture into the mud at the side, inch along a log, and then jump over to the other side of the puddle, into more mud, it was all part of the fun.

As I reached the end of the first lap, I got to experience the most relaxed water station I've ever seen. However, still somewhat in normal road marathon mode, I only briefly acknowledged their cheers, dumped my rain jacket, and ran on without stopping for water. As the laps went by...that changed and I started stopping for a few mouthfuls of water, but stayed while I drank, enjoying the atmosphere of what was essentially a group of friends, cheering on other friends and generally having a laugh...it seems that at the Enigma events no-one's a stranger and everyone's your mate :)

So I went on - walking sometimes, chatting to other runners, amazed at how unpressurised everything was, and savouring the realisation that my race wouldn't end if I actually stood still at a water station...just so different to my usual races! I was also enjoying the unexpected variety of scenery that the lake offered...although was hating the unbelievable number of evil geese that frequently laid claim to my path. I really don't like geese, am pretty scared of them in fact, and the one negative I will remember about this race was how many of them there were and frequently having to run past them with my eyes closed...[shudder].

The water station :)

I got to 10 miles and had a bite of my flapjack, and it was pretty good. So when I got to about 20 miles, I had a bit more,  while I was taking a walking break and having a chat to a member of the 100 Marathon Club who I'd met at the Halstead Marathon in May. I probably ate more flapjack than I'd intended - I finished it while we talked. By the time I'd started running again, I realised that going 20 miles on my weird lunch, a bottle of powerade & a whole flapjack wasn't working out too well - I started to feel incredibly queasy. Not just a bit off, but convinced that any minute I was going to absolutely ruin my first attempt at an ultra, and my running shorts too...if you know what I mean ;)

Luckily, I didn't - I managed to get round to the end of the lap and swapped my powerade for water which I very slowly sipped, and kept running and walking until my stomach settled.

So I was ok, my shorts survived to see another race, and unbelievably, I found myself on my last lap, which was signalled by everyone at the water station "ding-ding-dinging" at me as I passed them which brought a smile to my face :) I had originally planned to run 10min/miles but had started off at just over 9min/miles, because I got carried away at the start, but the relaxed atmosphere, walking, dodging puddles and the boggy grass section, jumping over the mud, and stopping at the water station had all brought down my pace, so I wasn't too far off my original plan.

Finished!

I came around the last corner and up to the finish line, crossing it at 4hrs 49mins, to be greeted by cheers and clapping, and was rewarded with a fabulous medal around my neck.

Ultra marathon - done!

I stayed at the finish line for a bit, cheering on some of the other finishers, and having a chat with Heather and Karen, who will also be running the 10in10 next year, and then David who I know on Twitter. When I decided I needed to head home, it was like saying good-bye to friends I'd known for ages...all of a sudden I seem to have been gifted this entire circle of wonderful people that I get to share my running with, not just on Twitter and Facebook, but in real life too!

I've always loved races and running, but it's just got much more fun...now I can't wait for the next one - 52.4 miles and it's in just 11 days! :)

Is a Personal Trainer worth the money?

Today I had my third session with my personal trainer!  Ooooooh....get me.. ;)

James, my PT

Once the preserve of the rich and famous, it seems that every high street gym now has teams of PTs ready and waiting to help people in their search for a slimmer, fitter or stronger body.  When I was a regular at the gym a couple of years ago, I'd see the PTs working out, or working with clients, but was never quite sure what the point was, and never in a million years would I have imaged that I would be serious enough about my training to employ their services.  But things change. 

With my running focus now having switched to significant ultra distances rather than halves and marathons, I've realised that I really need to start working on my strength to give myself the best possible chance of not only completing the events I've got lined up, but of getting to the start line in the first place, and avoiding injury.  I've been considering how to achieve this for a while, and have started lots of Mondays with a plan of spending the week doing planks, sit-ups and press ups and all those other exercises in Runner's World magazine, to work on and improve my strength. 

Unfortunately, although I might do it for a few days, I'd never stick with it, and it really didn't make any difference.  I finally realised I needed some outside assistance!

So, I bit the bullet.  I went into the gym (where I hadn't set foot for months) and explained that I was a marathoner who didn't need any help with my running or other cardio but that I needed to work on my strength. The assistant I spoke to said she'd talk to the various PTs and work out who would be best suited to me and my goals, and get them to give me a call to arrange a session.  A week later I found myself changed, water bottle in hand, and ready for my first (free) hour of working out with Personal Trainer James!

As I briefly mentioned in a previous post, it went really well, and the two subsequent sessions have also been great - James understands what I'm trying to do and he explains which muscles are being worked by the different exercises I'm doing, and how that helps with the running.  I've found that I'm working much harder than I have ever done on my own in a gym, I push myself to achieve more than I thought I'd be able to, and he also has showed me how badly I was doing some of the exercises that I thought I was doing properly - my planks were twisted and my squats were more just leaning over ;)

I'm seeing real benefits in having a PT, and I really enjoy the sessions as I feel my body working hard and find myself improving, even during a single session, as I start to use under-developed muscles that my more developed areas usually compensate for.  But it's not cheap.  

I pay £40 per month for membership of the gym, and then on top of that, the PT costs £35 per hour.  I'm seeing him once a week at the moment and although there is an option to pay upfront for a block of sessions (and in return get a free session) at the moment I'm on "pay as you go".  As I progress, and get more confident in my workouts and what I'm doing, I might be able to drop it down to seeing him twice a month, but for the foreseeable future, I feel it makes such a difference that I'm going to stick with once a week.

So assuming that I'll miss a few sessions for holidays or other commitments, I can expect to pay about £2,000 for a year's PT training, which is just incredible - it's so much money! But after a lot of thought, I've decided that it's worth it if it reduces my chances of injury and makes me a stronger runner.  Running is everything to me, so it makes sense that I spend all of my money on becoming the best I can be and I really don't think I can achieve the level of progress in my training on my own, that I can achieve with the support, guidance, knowledge and motivation that comes with a personal trainer.

But I want to add one final thought to this post...now I'm spending all my time and cash on making myself stronger, this is really the time to stop sabotaging my training by eating as badly as I do (lots of junk, massive portions, few vegetables and binging on biscuits!)

I'm about a stone overweight at the moment, which I know makes me slower than I could be and obviously puts extra strain on my body. I really have to start exercising a bit of discipline when it comes to food, because otherwise I'm really just wasting my money on all of these PT sessions, and in those media photos for the Brathay 10in10, no-one is going to believe that I'm an ultra-runner!

Getting carried away

I've been overwhelmed by the support I've received from everyone, after telling them about my place in the Brathay 10 in 10.  Obviously, there have been people who are (naturally) concerned for my sanity in signing up for something so extreme, but even they have been supportive if not a bit bemused ;)  

I've also got incredibly enthusiastic and excited about the challenge ahead, both about getting ready for such a punishing event, and also about fundraising as much money as I can for the Brathay Trust. Despite the fact that I still have 10 months to go, I have already created my sponsorship page, written an email (which will probably stay in draft for months) asking for donations, put some thought into a training plan for next year, and joined the appropriate Facebook group!  Incidentally, if you do want to sponsor me (it would be very much appreciated!) you can just click through to my justgiving page here:

All of the money that I raise will be going straight to the charity as I'm paying the £800 that it costs per person to stage the event out of my own pocket - I think it's important that people know their sponsorship isn't going to fund my running adventures!

Anyway, although I'm getting a bit carried away with the whole concept of the 10 in 10, I keep reminding myself that I'm mustn't lose sight of the fact that I have very important races coming up and I need to make sure that I'm properly prepared - my 30 miler is in just 10 days, and my 50 miler is in just 3 and a half weeks.  

I think I've got a bit blasé about the 30 miler, but it's going to be an enormous challenge - further than I've ever run before, a race of short laps, middle of the day and so potentially warm, and all without a proper taper! However, I think I can trust in my training to get me round - the bigger challenge will be not going out too fast, and trying to really treat it as a training run so I don't burn myself out before the big one...the 50! I'm not in the least blasé about that one though - it's going to be an absolute journey into the unknown and as such, is still a bit of a frightening prospect!!