losing it all

Ran 7 miles over to spin and circuits yesterday.

Tonight I had my first run in some new On Cloud road shoes

I picked them up last week as they were half price being an older model. So, tonights running club session, 6 miles ....

The spin class and circuit class last night really hit my quads today. My body and legs are not used to having just over a week rest, so tonight felt like a bit of a shock to the system. Felt good to be back out there running though.

Monthly Running Summary - October 2017

175.27 miles.

Today 9 days out from the Autumn100, and the first time I’ve really raised the heart rate - evening spin class, followed by circuits.

http://highlandflingrace.org/

Looking forward to my first Highland Fling.

Was so lovely to see my mate Tim the ultrarunning legend, who also ran the A100 in a ridiculous fast time of 22hours 35 mins. It was even nicer to catch up with my amazing pacer Susie.

First solid food tonight since Friday evening, a baked potato with beans and cheese, so good.

I’m promising myself no now running until at least next week. Rest, rest, rest.

Time -  25:09:18 Overall Finishing Position - 108th Female Finishing Position - 19th There was 242 starters, 62 drops.

I’m still feeling exhausted, but here’s a short recap

Leg 1, mile 0 - 25  We started in the dry and it was windy, the trail was muddy and uneven underfoot but on fresh legs very runnable. I stuck to the run25//walk5 plan. A tail wind on the way out, a strong head wind on the way back. I got back to the base aid station (Goring) in 4 hours 34mins

Leg 2, miles 25 -50 I promised my pacer who had come to see me come in at mile 25 I’d take it easier on this section, especially as this was the elevation started. The 12.5 out was mostly uphill, through woods, so very tree rooty. Got the the turnaround point and half way back it started to get dark, and rain, on went the head torch. In the last 6 miles on this return section I had 2 falls, missed an aid station and had to go back about half a mile, the got went off track again. My confidence was faltering badly by the time I got back to Goring I was convinced if I carried on how I was and inevitably got slower on the next 50 miles that I would be timed out. I burst into tears when I arrived back at Goring at 50 miles.

Leg 3, miles 50-75 After having a meltdown, putting a warm base layer and gloves on, having a good friend who was volunteering at the Goring and my pacer Susie tell me that I was well within the time to still finish ( I’d covered the 50 miles in 10hr 27mins) we left the Goring for the most open, desolate, windiest and coldest part of the course, the uneven, rutted, climb up onto the Ridgeway. A very very strong headwind on the way up, the aid stations were Luton vans as it was too windy and cold for them to be the open kind. Susie and I chatted, ran, walked, the whole way up and most of the way back down to around mile 70 when I was sick, then I was sick again a few miles later. Despite the stomach issues though, this was a very pleasant leg.

Leg 4, miles 75 - 100 Back at Goring after around 17 hours on the go, and we both decided I should have warm coffee, this was my longest stop but those 14 minutes were well needed for me to warm up, and just try and gather myself before heading for the last and final leg. The realisation that I would be finishing and not be timed out started to hit home. So, we left Goring for the 4th lap, just as the winning lady came in to finish!! It was only 4 miles until he next aid station at 79 miles which seemed to pass quite quickly, mostly wooded paths and more uneven ground. Even if had been runnable I couldn’t run any more due to my stomach feeling so churned up now, but we had a good march going on, in and out of the aid station and we cracked on to the aid station which would be the turnaround point. This section seemed to go on for FOREVER and to make it even worse after a few more never never ending rutted fields there was a lot of road and hard concrete underfoot, doesn’t feel good with 80+ miles in the legs. It was such a long hard slog to finally reach that turnaround point. I’ve never been so happy to see an aid station, where I had to climb a set of stairs to go over the live mat and give in my number. That done, we marched it back to that aid station now at mile 96, number taken and onwards through the fields which seemed to have grown in mileage and finally back on to the last path, and by now there was fishermen and dog walkers telling me it really wasn’t far. My emotions broke, I was already in tears, I just felt so exhausted It really wasn’t far though, round a corner up a slight hill, and from god knows where I managed to run up it and into Goring over the finish line.

The wind, seemed just relentless.

This was way out of my comfort zone, it’s not the South Downs.

I could not have done this without my wonderful friend Susie, my pacer, for putting up with me for that final leg when I had lost my sense of humour and maybe even the will to live. The Centurion marshals were all so brilliant and reassuring and could not do enough to help me, even standing there holding  peeled satsumas for me while I put extra layers on making sure I ate them, before I left.

This race has left me raw, very emotional and pretty much exhausted, with a 100mile PB.

I’ve had 4 epsom salts baths since, my feet still feel a bit smashed to pieces, but today I could walk more or less normally again. Went for an easy spin class this evening, no resistance, just to flush the legs through.

I’ve been living on soup since Sunday as I have little appetite, tomorrow I may try some solid food, maybe a baked potato to ease back into it.

Let’s chat about the course, it’s 4 x 25 mile out and back spurs, taking on 2 national trail paths. The 1st and 4th are the Thames Path, the 2nd and 3rd are the Ridgeway. I’ve been told the first leg is flat and fast, with some single track, it would be easy to maybe go off faster than I should, so I’m going to be sticking to the easy run/walk right from the start, no silly stuff I’m just going to do my own thing. The cut off times are tighter than the SDW100, it’s a couple of hours less, so it’s 28 hours.

The elevation is mainly on the Ridgeway sections.

The weather is going to be a major factor, the rain and 50+mph winds may have a major impact, but it will the same for every runner, so I won’t be alone in battling against the elements.

Before the weather went all nuts this week I had some goals, 3 of them. 1. The Dream - A sub 24 hour finish. I doubt this will be possible, but a girl can dream. 2. The Realistic One - To match my SDW100 time so between 25/26 hours. To be honest though, I’m not sure how realistic this will be in the stormy conditions. 3. When The S**t Hits The Fan - To make the cut off time at 28 hours. This third one is probably more realistic now.

My main plan is to do my best in whatever conditions. There is no point in me worrying about the weather, what will be, will be.

I’m more or less packed ...

Lots of extra layers, including 3 mid layers, long tights, waterproof trousers,my ashmei gillet, spare rain jacket hat, gloves and socks, lots of extra batteries for the spare head torch that I will need to use as there is going to be around 13/14 hours of darkness.  I still need to make up some trail mix bags, but that’s it.

Tomorrow I’ll finish work early, dash home, do the trail mix bags, make and wrap up a peanut butter bagel for a pre race breakfast, do a last check of the kit and case then go meet my ultra mate Tim, who is also running it. We’ll get the train to Eastbourne and meet Susie my pacer, and another runner called Chris, he’s one of Danny’s runners and we are all going up to Goring (the race start) together. Once we get to Goring, we’ll drop the bags off and find a pub for some dinner. So nice of Susie to go up tomorrow with me, she is planning on being there when I come into the base aid station after the first 25 miles too, she will have time to go and get some extra rest after I come in from the first leg before I’ll be picking her up for legs 3 and 4 the last 50 miles.

Went along to the club run, but done my own thing -

No more running now until the  Autumn100 in 2days, 11hours and 31minutes.

Tomorrow is kit packing day. I’m starting to get excited, mixed with the essential healthy dose of nerves!

Exercise : Running 3.52 miles, walking (1hr 50mins). Another just turning the legs over run.

Wet and windy, up to 50mph winds windy! I’m thinking spare dry running clothes will be needed around the half way point. The third leg miles 50 - 75 are on a ridge which is very exposed that won’t mix well with wet clothes. Oh well, no point fretting over something I can’t control, if the weather turns out to be this bad it will just make it even more epic.

Back to this morning, and an early morning run...

No circuits tonight.  I did go to spin class it wasn’t quite as easy as I’d hoped for, Danny trying to sabotage me for the weekend! He caught me just as I was leaving to wish me luck, told me I know what to do and said he’d be tracking and thinking of me over the weekend.

Running club tomorrow night but I’m just going to do my own thing and not get involved in the silly speed stuff.

Exercise : Running 3.03 miles, spin class (45mins), walking (80mins). Just turning the legs over.

I went with the running for 25, walk 5. I was really surprised how quickly those 5 minutes went by. Turns out the overall pace  was 9:44 min/miles, still under 10min/miles, so I could even take it slower,and make the running part even easier. The slower I go in the first 50, the more energy and the better I will feel going into the last 50. As the race goes on, I can can adapt and reduce the running for more walking so 20/10, 15/15, and so on, until there is no more running left in me. The 1st and 4th legs are the flattest part of the course, with the hills mainly between 25 - 75 miles, and I know from the recce I done  for leg 3, from 50 - 63 is one gradual 13 mile hill, so to be fair the run/walk plan really is just a loose plan.

Started taking these little nuggets today ... arnica tablets.

Good for the muscles and preparing them for the onslaught of next weekend.

Fuel shopping has begun, but I don’t plan on taking a lot, just a few little bits and bobs. The jury is still out on the almond bites but I am very intrigued by the Whole earth peanut butter Power Balls though.

So next weeks plans - Monday - rest day Tuesday - easy 3 miles with an easy spin class, no circuits Wednesday - easy 3 miles with the running club, no speed work Thursday - Sort kit out and pack, unpack, check kit, pack, unpack, check kit and pack, etc, etc. Friday - one last kit check!! Travel to Goring to the race start.

The week before is always exciting and nerve racking. This time next week, if everything goes right I’ll have finished my 2nd 100 miler, and will be snuggled up  catching up up on some sleep.

Exercise : Running 9.62 miles, walking (1hr 50mins). First time trying out ‘the plan’. 

An early morning 3 miles ...

This time next week I will be well and truly in the thick of my 2nd 100 mile race, using the word race very loosely here, the Autumn 100. I’m probably a little more nervous for this one as I have a good idea what it takes to finish now. I’m running with my pacer tomorrow doing the run /walk  strategy, we can go over tactics, ha, I have no tactics, only just to keep going no matter what. To be honest I haven’t even decided on how much run/ walk, maybe 25/5 or 20/5, decisions decisions.

Exercise : Running 3.15 miles, walking (75mins). A no agenda run along the seafront.

A short evening run ...

Rest day tomorrow.

Thinking ahead to the weekend, it’s a another short 3 miles on Saturday, then on Sunday I’m doing 10 - 12 miles with my pacer Susie doing the run/walk strategy, I really must try the walk/run thing at least once before the main event.

This time next week I’ll be all packed, it’s getting close, 9 days!

Exercise : Running 3.02 miles, cycling 15.20ish miles, walking (55mins). Took a while for the legs to get going on the run, that’ll be last nights run still lingering.

Tim - Only a few days left before the ballot closes for The Highland Fling Ultramarathon. Me - I always remember this race after I’ve entered the SDW50 which is 3 weeks before. Tim - Put your name in the ballot and worry about that later.

Tim is dangerous. I’m in the ballot :)

At the moment I still haven’t gone into panic buy mode for the Autumn 100, that may all change tomorrow as I’ll be able to see the 10 day forecast. Fingers crossed for dry, not too windy and no extreme temps.

Exercise : Running 4.48 miles, walking (75mins). Wet and windy, very very windy, made it hard work. Such horrible weather I didn’t even do my own solo miles beforehand, just went straight to the club meet.Session was 1 x 4 mile reps, with 0.5mile cool down.