Racing without training

In the last few weeks, or in all fairness, since the 100 in May, I really haven't done much Monday to Friday training. I manage a few days here and there, but then lapse into laziness and succumb to the lure of the sofa! Nevertheless, I've still been racking up the races, and my most recent ones were the Ranscombe 8 Hour Challenge and the 50km Chiltern Challenge.

Held at the Ranscombe Farm Nature Reserve, the 8 Hour Challenge was my first timed event, and it went brilliantly. I had been nervous about doing laps, wondering if I would lose interest half way through, and find it too easy to drop out, knowing that I would still be a listed finisher, but as it turned out, I felt very committed to running for the full amount of time and was happy running 3.8 mile laps around an interesting course. I was surprised at how many people were there who had approached the event differently to me, and looked on it as an opportunity to run a particular distance during the time period. It hadn't occurred to me that people would think about it like that, as in my mind it had been less about distance and more about keeping going for the whole 8 hours, but it was great to see lots of new faces, and people running who wouldn't have been there if it had been a regular ultra.

In the end, despite taking a good few laps to warm up and for my legs to stop hurting, I managed to get going in the end, and paced myself to run 10 laps, taking pretty much the whole time. 38 miles done in about 7:55.

The course was a bit hilly and so felt very challenging, especially in the hot weather that we had, but it was fantastic – absolutely stunning countryside with fields of beautiful wild flowers, a section through woodland, crop fields, a bit of mud…it was perfect for me and I loved it. It helped that lots of friends were running too, and being a lapped event, you saw everyone a few times - it was all very social and cheery. 

The bespoke medal is particularly special, one of the favourites in my collection, and Ranscombe has dropped into my top 5 races. If a permit is granted for next year, I will definitely be back. 

As a result of managing Ranscombe on very little recent training, I wasn't spurred into getting back on course with my mid-week runs, and I really fell off the wagon. Just sat on the sofa every night, stuffing my face with junk :( Despite this, the next race was still there to be run...I couldn't miss it, especially as I'd booked it on my birthday...XNRG's 50km Chiltern Challenge.

It had been billed as a “beginners ultra” in the Chiltern Hills, with a start point in Princes Risborough, a town just a few miles from where I grew up. As I was going to be in the area, I made plans with my mum in the afternoon (for birthday cake!) and with my oldest friends for dinner, drinks & dancing in the evening, assuming that as this would be an event for new ultra runners, an experienced runner like me should easily be able to run the 30 odd miles of the race, and still be up for partying that night.

How wrong I was. What a wake up call it would be, as to how much my fitness has fallen recently.

This was not an easy ultra by any means. It was very hilly (which, in hindsight, it was always going to be, as it was up and down the Chilterns!) and this is where my lack of fitness let me down. I rarely felt like I was running comfortably and walked a lot more than I had planned to. It was also incredibly hot. The forecast had said that it would probably be mid-twenties, with very heavy rain storms. Possibly hail and flash flooding. It sounded a bit biblical but I was prepared for it and comfortable with the idea that I may get washed away!

What actually happened was some mild drizzle while we waited to start, replaced by searing heat and later scorching sunshine with no breeze at all. In fact, I came away from the race feeling like I'd been in a sauna for eight hours. I had to sit down a few times during the run just to try and give my body a chance to cool down. I remember running through a briefly shaded wooded area, until the path emerged onto another corn field we had to run across. Bright yellow sun, the golden corn, no shade...I stopped on the edge of the field just under the shade of the trees and could have cried at the prospect of more heat...but had to really force myself out into the sunshine.

If I ever had any thoughts about running MDS, or any of the desert races, this definitely put paid to them.

Throughout the race, I was very annoyed with my race pack, which just didn't seem to fit securely anymore and I had changed one of my bottles last minute but the one I brought didn't fit in the pocket of my vest properly and was bouncing around....and then my other bottle started leaking. This did mean that the new bottle could go inside the now emptied leaking bottle, which was good...but 500ml of water between each aid station wasn't ideal.

The other problem was that Francis was picking me up at the finish of the race, to go over to my mum’s, and I had told him to be there for 4pm. I had expected to finish in 6 hours. As my pace slowed, I got increasingly concerned about not arriving when I was expected, and about not having time to see my mum as planned, or to get ready for the evening. We had a restaurant table booked for 7:30pm….

The added pressure, the surprise of the hills, the unexpected temperature and lack of rain really messed with my mind and I just didn’t enjoy the race at all. It’s a shame that I struggled so much, as the countryside was absolutely beautiful, and it was nice to be running close to where I grew up.

In hindsight, when I realised how hot and hilly the course was, I should have phoned my mum, and Francis, explained I'd be later than expected, and put my Garmin in my pack and just run to feel and tried my best to enjoy the day out in the countryside. As it was, my ever slowing pace constantly played on my mind and I became obsessive about checking my watch and became more and more disappointed with how it was going, and more and more irritated by my lack of water, my race pack, the sunshine...

It was one of those races you put down to experience I suppose. I ran just under 32 hot and hilly miles, on my 32^nd birthday in 6:51:43. 

I then went for birthday cake, then out for dinner, to the pub, and then clubbing, dragging myself to bed at about 3am! How my legs managed to get me dancing that night is still a mystery, but it was a brilliant end to a trying day!

Despite spending the rest of the week STILL not running, this weekend has seen a change in mood for me, and I've managed to get some exercise done despite there not being a medal available at the end! With 10 miles run yesterday, and again this morning, followed by 26 miles on the bike, I'm finally feeling a bit more like myself and ready for getting back to normal training over the coming week. It's a good job really, as I have another ultra this weekend, and the weekend after, and the Stour Valley 100km on 16^th August! I really need to get ready....

Back up and running

My last post finished with my diagnosis of a partially torn ligament and a "no-running" order from the physio for between 4-6 weeks. Thankfully, although I spent a couple of weeks resting, and with my foot strapped up, I am now running again and feeling no ill effects so can only assume that the diagnosis was wrong.

I only missed one race (although it was a good one by all accounts - the Stour Valley Marathon) and am now getting back to normal in preparation for the other races I have booked over the next couple of months.

Yesterday, finding myself with a day off work without any plans, I headed out into the overgrown Essex countryside for a relaxed no-pressure run. I'd thought I might go for about 30 miles but took ages to get myself ready to go, and then had to walk a lot more than expected to get myself through some of the head-high farmers' crops, so took longer than planned and ran out of time. I ended up covering 25 miles.

I'm still really pleased with the distance I got done and as a result I'm feeling much more confident about my next race, the Ranscombe 8 hour challenge which is in a couple of weeks. I've never run a timed race before, and am a little nervous about how I'll cope mentally. I think it's got to be easier to run from A - B than to keep running laps until you run out of time. Knowing that I could stop at any point during the race and still be a recorded finisher is going to make it tough to keep going! Nevertheless, I'm going to aim for 40 miles and see how I get on - I'm really looking forward to giving it a go.

 Here are a couple of other photos from yesterday's run:

Loved the irony of this "no footpath" sign
There were six footpath signs on it!

I saw this memorial plaque for a very loved Jim Norris on a bench in
Norsey Wood. I thought it was lovely.

A race of two halves...and injury

Despite my foot hurting a bit during the week after the Kent Roadrunner, I ran the Viking Coastal marathon on Saturday - a very low key, 4 times out and back race, put on by Traviss and Rachel in Birchington, which was particularly notable for the 7am start which meant I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 4:45am!!

Unfortunately, despite a really decent first half (got to the halfway point in 2hrs 2mins) I struggled to run in unexpected high temperatures (ironic after my comments about people looking after themselves in the heat last weekend), and then had to battle through the torrential rain and gale that followed, before the sun came out again - conditions were pretty ridiculous! As if the weather wasn't enough, my foot started to become increasingly painful. This got progressively worse, until I was barely running and, whereas at one point it'd looked like I might run about 4:10, it was becoming likely that it might end up being more like 5 hours with all the walking and stopping I was doing!

I got to the turnaround point on the last lap and found myself hanging off the gate, wondering if I had in fact broken my foot, and considering just how much damage I was doing by continuing to run. I was feeling incredibly sorry for myself! Luckily, like guardian angels, Heather, Rosemary and Emily were suddenly there with me, and decided to help me get to the finish.

Happy to have finished!!
Heather, Emily, Me and Rosemary

We walked a bit, but somehow mostly ran. They chatted, which helped take my mind off the foot, and I just tried to focus on that. Occasionally a searing pain stopped me in my tracks and I had to take a brief rest, but generally we were able to keep going and I'm incredibly grateful that they stuck with me. To get to the end on my own would probably have taken me twice as long, I would have ended up being much more focussed on my foot, and so wouldn't have been able to ignore the pain; although to be honest I so rarely run with Heather, Emily or Rosemary, it was just great to share a few miles, regardless of the injury.

So happy in fact I totally forgot about stopping my Garmin!

In the end, we crossed the line, I iced my foot, eventually remembered to stop the Garmin, and below is the result. You can really see what a race of two halves it was for me! But I got it done, and have another medal to add to the collection ;)

A race of two halves.....

I went to the physio on Monday, as my foot had got increasingly painful and on Sunday was bruised and swollen. I've got a diagnosis - damage to ligaments in my foot. The physio has said no running for 4-6 weeks!! I'm still in that initial state of denial, and haven't cancelled any of my forthcoming races, assuming I know better and it will take a couple of weeks maximum, but I suppose we'll see how my recovery goes..... 

I get by with a little help from my friends

This tune was running through my head today....sometimes it's just all about sharing great experiences with friends, and helping each other out!

This morning I ran the Kent Roadrunner marathon...my first race, or run of any length, since the 100 miler, as well as the lovely Anna's 100th marathon celebration - it was a great day.

From the minute I arrived at the race HQ at Kent Cyclopark, I found myself surrounded by friends...some I've now known for years, some months, some I've known online and today finally met in person, and some I only met recently at TP100...but it was great to see them all - fantastic people who really make events like this rock and the running community so special. 

The rest of the day passed in much the same way - so many friendly faces! The beauty of the brilliantly organised Roadrunner is that because it is 17 laps you have the opportunity to see runners and supporters time and again as you run round the course so lots of chances for both chats and quick hellos. Everyone was so supportive and I got lots of comments and congratulations about my 100 performance (I wore my race T-shirt which probably reminded people) which was lovely, but I was also able to congratulate Heather, Kaz and Paul on their awesome 10in10 performances, and Ellen on her truly inspirational completion of the GUCR!

I had expected to find it much more difficult that usual to run the distance, after effectively having a month off, but was pleasantly surprised that after the first 7 or so miles, when it did feel like hard work, my body seemed to remember what it was supposed to be doing, and pretty much just got on with it. 

It was a hot and sunny day, and unfortunately my legs are now very sunburnt  - thank god I put suncream on my face! As a result, and all the sweating that was going on, hydration became a very important part of the day. Sadly, there were quite a few people who (maybe?) didn't pay enough attention to their electrolyte levels, and myself and a few others (notably Matt, Liz, Rosemary and Emily) spent time out on the course helping runners who seemed to be beaten by the heat.

My part came when a guy not far in front of me keeled over. By the time I got to him, I think Liz, Matt and another guy were already there and we realised he was suffering from horrendous cramp. He was in terrible pain, and we tried to help by stretching his legs out...you could see the muscles in both legs in calves and quads spasming and he couldn't stand. He was on his last lap with only a mile (if that) to go, so had been running very much faster than any of us, and we knew we had to stay with him until he could get moving again, finish and get his medal! After about 15 minutes, his mum and girlfriend appeared, and luckily they had some water and electrolyte sachets which we promptly instructed them to make up in strong concentration. About 5 minutes after the drink, he was able to get to his feet, was supported under either arm by his family, and was able to start walking towards the finish. Liz stayed with them until the end, but after making sure there wasn't anything else I could do, I ran on. 

Stopping may have resulted in my finish time being 20 odd minutes slower (Garmin time in the end was 4:40) and Liz's must have been affected by twice as long, but that really is what I think the running community is about - I want the next runner to get to the finish and to be ok as much as I want it for myself and it's worth whatever time it needs to make that happen. I might not know every runner personally but we all treat each other as friends... 

After the race was over, and I was presented with the largest medal I have ever seen, we all milled around until the most important part of the day - Anna's 100 Club medal and t-shirt presentation. There were cheers and tears, lots of clapping and cake - it was wonderful, and I'm really pleased that I could be there. Anna's worked incredibly hard to get to her 100, battling injury, and it was great to see how pleased she was to have made it, in an impressively short space of time.

I can't wait to see the photos from a brilliant day out!

My return to running

It’s been 22 days since the Thames Path 100.

I’m still incredibly proud of what I achieved in that race, and find myself taking my hard-earned buckle off the shelf every now and again, just to have a look. It’s a reminder that it wasn’t a dream…that it really was me who set myself a seemingly impossible goal back on 30^th June 2013, and just over 10 months later, absolutely achieved everything I’d hoped for and more.

However, I haven’t really done any training since crossing that finish line, and it’s been surprisingly hard to find the motivation to get back on track. I know that my body needed time to recover from the effort of that distance, but to be honest, considering how I felt physically, I could have returned to running regularly after about 10 days, which would have given me enough time to prepare for my next race, the Kent Roadrunner marathon, which is on 31^st May…now just 4 days away!

However, despite feeling guilty every day about not training, I’ve only run 13 miles in the last three weeks and been on one 19 mile bike ride. I’ve been eating everything in sight and generally not looking after myself at all. It really is too easy for me to relax into being incredibly lazy and gluttonous and I can see how my weight crept up to 200lbs (that’s over 14 stone) back in the day, which on my 5’5’’ frame really wasn’t healthy! 

However, I am determined not to let myself be that person again - I have worked too hard and come too far to let myself falter now. 

There were a lot of races being run this last weekend, including Hardmoors 160 and the Grand Union Canal Race, both of which saw friends of mine toeing the start line. 

I avidly followed them throughout the weekend, and was able (remotely) to share the heartache of gut-wrenching DNFs, the jubilation of awesome finishes, and the general enjoyment that comes from the camaraderie of runners (and crew and marshals) taking part in such epic adventures. It reminded me just what I’m missing out on by sitting on the sofa every evening, watching TV and stuffing myself full of crisps and chocolate. It was, without a doubt, an inspiring weekend and last night, I realised that enough is enough.

I’ve decided that I am going to run TP100 again in 2015 and I’m going to enter the ballot (drawn in early November) for a place in the GUCR – a race that I’ve always considered to be far beyond my abilities, and to be honest, still do, but I strongly believe it’s important to push my limits and find out what I’m really capable of. Also I’m currently at 50 marathons but by this time next year I hope to be celebrating number 75. I have to have big goals. GUCR is one of the biggest there is.

If I am going to really give both races (and all the others in between) my best shot and the necessary commitment, I can’t afford to lose anymore fitness than I have already let slip through my fingers, and more importantly, I can’t afford any more damage to my mental strength and motivation levels…I swear the sofa just saps them out of me! 

I feel stiff and achy, and not in a good way from too my exercise, and I’m not sleeping well. As I said, I feel constantly guilty, am struggling more than usual with the stress of work, and I’m just not feeling good about myself.

So, today is a new day and my training for my next challenge will start now. Aside from my long term goal of the big races next year, I have the Stour Valley 100km in 12 weeks’ time – it’s a distance I haven’t run before, and much more hilly than the TP100 course! 

This weekend's marathon is inevitably going to be hard work with my recent lack of running, but I will complete it, wearing my TP100 finisher T-shirt with pride, and just take the pain that the 26.2 miles dishes out, as the kick I need to get back to what I do best!