After a night of interrupted sleep (thanks to BooBoo cat sharing the bed) I woke up feeling quite achy, my calves were particularly tight. A soak in a hot bath saw a slight improvement. I taped my feet and sprayed my legs liberally with Deep Heat. Gitcat didn't seem to approve of the smell but he doesn't often approve of anything.
As there really was going to be booze at the finish, Sarah and I were travelling by taxi today and arrived at Lightmoor just in time to start at 8.45am which meant we got a lap in before the group photograph at 9.00am. A few laps in, I was starting to feel comfortable and hopeful that completing the full marathon was realistic. A bit further in, Sarah decided she would be happier aiming for the half-marathon but we decided we would use the track for some training runs in future. I hadn't had breakfast again so at about 9 miles, I had a 9-bar - I'd found this approach suited me quite well over the last couple of days.
There were lots of familiar and friendly faces and some new faces today and everyone was friendly and supportive as always. I was still enjoying myself when I got to lap 16 - halfway there ! A few laps after that my feet started to get painful and my right knee was uncomfortable so I took some painkillers. At about the same time, I started to dislike the flat section of the lap so I was trying to power-walk that section, wade through the big puddle at the bottom of the hill, stride up the hill, run down the hill and then up part of the next hill. There was a big stone partway up the second hill and I'd set that as my target to run to on each lap, then I'd walk briskly to the top of the hill and run all the way to the finish. I stuck to this approach for the rest of the race, apart from running the flat section on a few of the laps. My Garmin died at about 23 miles as I'd forgotten to charge it since marathon no 2 ! By this time I was hoping that I would be able to finish in a similar time to the two marathons earlier in the week. My feet were still painful and I was swearing a bit when I was out of earshot but I was steadily ticking the laps off. Once I had just three laps to go, I was getting a bit excited and by the time I got to the final lap I smiled and sang the whole way round (We're off to see the Wizard, if you must know !) and even managed to speed up for the final stretch.
Sarah filmed my finish, thankfully missing the bit where I said "Thank f**k for that!" and then opened and poured the champagne and Denzil presented me with my medal, a bottle of Prosecco and a big hug. I didn't remember to ask the time immediately but it was somewhere under 6 hours so consistent with the rest of the week and I'm really happy with that.
Three marathons and three half-marathons in six days. As some were a little bit over, that's 120 miles in 6 days. After the first day, every day was a step into the unknown as I had never before run the day after a marathon or a half-marathon (or probably any race at all). As I expected, my feet were the weak point but they didn't do too badly and I'm pleased to have only got one tiny blister all week - having never before run a half or a full marathon without getting blisters. Injinji sock liners and Blister Shield did the trick. I had a low point on the third day where my feet hurt too much for me to carry on after the half-marathon point but sticking to half-marathons for the next two days was the right decision and meant I could keep going and finish with a full marathon and at no point did I feel I didn't have the energy to keep going. My only real strategy was to slow down - it works !
I'm a very happy runner.
I've been trying to raise funds for the charity A Mile in Her Shoes so please consider donating to a very good cause: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/hazels6in6challenge
Friday, 6 November 2015
Thursday, 5 November 2015
The November Nightmare - Day Five
I got off to a bad start today - forgot to set the alarm ! I woke up about an hour later than usual to find my son had beaten me to the bathroom so I rushed around getting the KT tape and painkillers ready to go before having a soak in a hot bath. I taped my knee and feet then swapped the insoles in my shoes so I could compare with the insoles I used yesterday and decide which would give me the best chance of surviving a full marathon tomorrow.
I skipped breakfast again as it had suited me yesterday and I didn't have much time anyway. There was a bit of a panic at the car park as the ticket machine was refusing to accept coins. Gemma knocked on a door and managed to get notes written on scraps of paper saying that the machine wasn't working. The chances are no-one would have checked for tickets anyway but we now had three matching excuse notes on display in our car windscreens.
The weather was a bit more drizzly today but it was still quite mild. My legs were feeling better after my massage yesterday and I had liberally sprayed deep heat over hamstrings and calves. Another friend from running club, Angela, had offered to run the first lap with me and after chatting to other runners we all set off again. I had a few walk breaks when my calves were feeling quite tight but ran most of the first lap. I had a drink of cola at the 4/5 mile mark, followed by a few raisins. Most of the first lap went by quite quickly, chatting away and hardly glancing at the watch. When we got back to race HQ, I had another cola and got my water bottle refilled, grabbed a 9-bar and a painkiller and started walking back up the track for the last 4 mile lap. Angela walked with me for a while before heading off for a shower and work and I started running again.
I'd already decided to take it really easy and take photos for the Running Photograph Scavenger Hunt challenge on the way back. A runner coming the other way warned me he had narrowly missed being attacked by the branch of a tree and a bit further along the track I found the branch - it would have hurt if it had hit him. It was probably as long as I am tall - I took a quick photo then dragged it off the track. I kept running most of the way to the turn around point but made mental notes of things I wanted to take pictures of on the way back.
On the way back, the track crossed a river and I could hear the sound of running water - one of the things on the Scavenger Hunt list ! To get a photo, I would need to duck underneath the fence to look over the wall of the bridge. It sounds easy but it's not when all your muscles are screaming at you and I had doubts I would stand up again. I did manage to stand up but I'd walked into some sort of stingy/irritant plant so my legs were prickling and tingling. Still, I got my photograph of running water and as a bonus I later found I also had a picture of a reflection - another one off the Scavenger Hunt list !
I had a few failed attempts at taking pictures of squirrels - "wild animal" is another one on the list. Squirrels have an annoying habit of staying perfectly still and staring at you then vanishing as soon as you try to take the photo. No squirrel pictures ! I took a few more pictures on the way back and was pleasantly surprised to find I finished only a few minutes outside the time I took yesterday.
My feet were hurting again and, unsurprisingly, there are plenty of other aches and pains. I'm surprised and pleased to find that I don't feel particularly tired.
I've really enjoyed the challenge so far. My low point was on Tuesday, where I had been looking forward to completing another marathon at Lightmoor but had to admit defeat as I was in too much pain. I've met some lovely, encouraging people and enjoyed the company and support of friends I already knew. It's also been interesting finding out what I can do - from the moment I started running on day two I was venturing into new territory. It would have been "nice" to manage a marathon every day - but I can't be too disappointed with running half-marathons instead for the last three days. It's still a hell of a lot more than I knew I could do and I have enjoyed almost all of it. Each day has been well organised with lots of support and encouragement from the organizers, other runners and friends.
I'm scared and excited about tomorrow - I'm aiming for the full marathon so I can finish the 6 days on a high.
I skipped breakfast again as it had suited me yesterday and I didn't have much time anyway. There was a bit of a panic at the car park as the ticket machine was refusing to accept coins. Gemma knocked on a door and managed to get notes written on scraps of paper saying that the machine wasn't working. The chances are no-one would have checked for tickets anyway but we now had three matching excuse notes on display in our car windscreens.
The weather was a bit more drizzly today but it was still quite mild. My legs were feeling better after my massage yesterday and I had liberally sprayed deep heat over hamstrings and calves. Another friend from running club, Angela, had offered to run the first lap with me and after chatting to other runners we all set off again. I had a few walk breaks when my calves were feeling quite tight but ran most of the first lap. I had a drink of cola at the 4/5 mile mark, followed by a few raisins. Most of the first lap went by quite quickly, chatting away and hardly glancing at the watch. When we got back to race HQ, I had another cola and got my water bottle refilled, grabbed a 9-bar and a painkiller and started walking back up the track for the last 4 mile lap. Angela walked with me for a while before heading off for a shower and work and I started running again.
I'd already decided to take it really easy and take photos for the Running Photograph Scavenger Hunt challenge on the way back. A runner coming the other way warned me he had narrowly missed being attacked by the branch of a tree and a bit further along the track I found the branch - it would have hurt if it had hit him. It was probably as long as I am tall - I took a quick photo then dragged it off the track. I kept running most of the way to the turn around point but made mental notes of things I wanted to take pictures of on the way back.
On the way back, the track crossed a river and I could hear the sound of running water - one of the things on the Scavenger Hunt list ! To get a photo, I would need to duck underneath the fence to look over the wall of the bridge. It sounds easy but it's not when all your muscles are screaming at you and I had doubts I would stand up again. I did manage to stand up but I'd walked into some sort of stingy/irritant plant so my legs were prickling and tingling. Still, I got my photograph of running water and as a bonus I later found I also had a picture of a reflection - another one off the Scavenger Hunt list !
I had a few failed attempts at taking pictures of squirrels - "wild animal" is another one on the list. Squirrels have an annoying habit of staying perfectly still and staring at you then vanishing as soon as you try to take the photo. No squirrel pictures ! I took a few more pictures on the way back and was pleasantly surprised to find I finished only a few minutes outside the time I took yesterday.
My feet were hurting again and, unsurprisingly, there are plenty of other aches and pains. I'm surprised and pleased to find that I don't feel particularly tired.
I've really enjoyed the challenge so far. My low point was on Tuesday, where I had been looking forward to completing another marathon at Lightmoor but had to admit defeat as I was in too much pain. I've met some lovely, encouraging people and enjoyed the company and support of friends I already knew. It's also been interesting finding out what I can do - from the moment I started running on day two I was venturing into new territory. It would have been "nice" to manage a marathon every day - but I can't be too disappointed with running half-marathons instead for the last three days. It's still a hell of a lot more than I knew I could do and I have enjoyed almost all of it. Each day has been well organised with lots of support and encouragement from the organizers, other runners and friends.
I'm scared and excited about tomorrow - I'm aiming for the full marathon so I can finish the 6 days on a high.
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
The November Nightmare - Day 4
After a reasonable amount of sleep I woke up to find my legs didn't feel as bad as expected but I was still feeling quite anxious about my planned half-marathon. After a long soak in a hot bath I spent a long time taping up my feet for extra support and adding extra tape to my knee to keep the previous taping in place (KT tape does not survive baths and showers as well as they claim - or maybe I'm just doing it wrong). I followed various You-Tube films to find out how to use the tape. I decided not to bother with breakfast. I'm used to morning runs on an empty stomach so I planned to fuel when I felt I needed it during the run.
The route for today was the out and back laps on the track to Bridgnorth and I was glad to see friend George at the start. She had offered to join me for the first lap of 9 miles. The first mile or two were quite uncomfortable and I was worried my feet wouldn't be up to the task in hand but they gradually got more comfortable. We chatted a lot about all sorts of things and George stuck to the pace I was comfortable with, accommodating my meanderings from one side of the track to the other as I tried to avoid the worst of the camber. I took a few walk breaks on the sections where the camber was harshest but I think I ran a lot more than I walked. We got to the fuel station at the far end of the track and chatted for a while. I nibbled on a couple of Doritos and sipped budget Cola.
We carried on at a similar steady pace on the way back, chatting away. I stopped to take a few photos for a Running Photograph Scavenger Hunt I am taking part in (a Facebook event). At times, I wondered if I should attempt a full marathon again today as I was enjoying myself and not feeling too much pain. I reluctantly told myself off and got back to concentrating on just completing a half-marathon.
We got back to Race HQ and said our farewells. It felt like breakfast time now so I grabbed a 9-bar and set off back along the track, walking and eating. By the time I had scoffed my brekkie, I was past the harder surfaced section of track and back to meandering between fallen leaves, mud and potholes. I knew the turn-around point for half-marathoners was about 150 metres past the former railway station at Linley but I couldn't see the red and white tape that should have been there. I had seen the tape on each of my three laps on Monday so I knew it should be there - unfortunately, someone must have removed it ! I turned round and headed back. It felt like a very long 2 miles or so and it was very much a mental challenge to tell my sore feet to keep going. . Once I'd seen the finish, I perked up a bit and managed to speed up a little, eager to collect my medal (and to give my feet a rest).
I had run 14.04 miles, fueled by a few dried cherries, a few Doritos and a 9-bar. I celebrated with a cup of tea.
Things I've been surprised by today:
Being able to run at all
Enjoying the run
Still not feeling weary - just held back my painful feet ! :-(
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
The November Nightmare - Day Three
After my post-race massage yesterday, I was still walking awkwardly but felt hopeful that all would be better in the morning. I managed to get more sleep than in the previous two nights, in spite of a small chirruping cat curling up around my feet and nuzzling my toes. When the alarm went off and I manoeuvred myself out of bed my ankles were still feeling pretty sore but it seemed to gradually ease off the more I moved around. I was looking forward to marathon number three as I much prefer the 32 lap route on Lightmoor to the out and back laps at Coalbrookdale.
A few of us were starting early at 9.00am. It was a cold, damp morning but I soon warmed up once we had started running. I was following the same strategy as before - walk up the hills, run down them and I decided aim to avoid looking at my watch or even keeping track of how many times my card had been punched. After the first couple of laps, my ankles felt more comfortable and my legs felt surprisingly good. Once the later starters were running, we exchanged greetings as they passed me and I was enjoying myself. Gradually, I noticed my feet becoming more and more painful and at about 8 miles I reluctantly decided I needed to take a painkiller - on the last two days, I'd got to about mile 18 before needing to do so and that was to help with the pain in my back. A couple of laps later and it didn't seem to have had any effect and I started arguing with myself about whether it would be sensible to stop at the HM distance or if that was just giving up. I told myself I would finish the marathon today and then allow myself to do two HMs followed by a marathon to finish the 6 days.
Friend Janet appeared at the race HQ and walked part of a lap with me which gave me a bit of a boost and next time I got to HQ, I took another painkiller and Denzil gave me a Pro Plus tablet to help it kick in more quickly. I felt a bit better but the feet were still painful and I argued with myself the whole way round again and decided I would stop at HM distance, run/walk HMs tomorrow and Thursday and then finish the week with a full marathon. After suffering with Plantar Fasciitis in both feet last year and the early part of this year I didn't want to push my luck too much. After lap 16 I said I was stopping. Denzil asked if I was sure and suggested I have a cup of tea and think about it. I enjoyed my cup of tea and confirmed that I was happy just to run the HM today. Once I'd promised I would be back tomorrow morning, I was presented with my lovely medal.
I'm a bit disappointed but not unhappy. I'm learning a lot this week and I'm pleased that I feel I have the energy to keep going. I just need to look after my feet - I think a few more weeks of bootcamp and more running would have meant they were in better shape for this challenge but after missing a couple of weeks with a nasty cough/chest infection I had noticed they didn't feel as good as they had done when I completed the Run to the Castle. They also hurt throughout the Birmingham HM a couple of weeks ago and although they've improved since then I'm not entirely surprised that they are protesting after a brutal couple of days.
A few of us were starting early at 9.00am. It was a cold, damp morning but I soon warmed up once we had started running. I was following the same strategy as before - walk up the hills, run down them and I decided aim to avoid looking at my watch or even keeping track of how many times my card had been punched. After the first couple of laps, my ankles felt more comfortable and my legs felt surprisingly good. Once the later starters were running, we exchanged greetings as they passed me and I was enjoying myself. Gradually, I noticed my feet becoming more and more painful and at about 8 miles I reluctantly decided I needed to take a painkiller - on the last two days, I'd got to about mile 18 before needing to do so and that was to help with the pain in my back. A couple of laps later and it didn't seem to have had any effect and I started arguing with myself about whether it would be sensible to stop at the HM distance or if that was just giving up. I told myself I would finish the marathon today and then allow myself to do two HMs followed by a marathon to finish the 6 days.
Friend Janet appeared at the race HQ and walked part of a lap with me which gave me a bit of a boost and next time I got to HQ, I took another painkiller and Denzil gave me a Pro Plus tablet to help it kick in more quickly. I felt a bit better but the feet were still painful and I argued with myself the whole way round again and decided I would stop at HM distance, run/walk HMs tomorrow and Thursday and then finish the week with a full marathon. After suffering with Plantar Fasciitis in both feet last year and the early part of this year I didn't want to push my luck too much. After lap 16 I said I was stopping. Denzil asked if I was sure and suggested I have a cup of tea and think about it. I enjoyed my cup of tea and confirmed that I was happy just to run the HM today. Once I'd promised I would be back tomorrow morning, I was presented with my lovely medal.
I'm a bit disappointed but not unhappy. I'm learning a lot this week and I'm pleased that I feel I have the energy to keep going. I just need to look after my feet - I think a few more weeks of bootcamp and more running would have meant they were in better shape for this challenge but after missing a couple of weeks with a nasty cough/chest infection I had noticed they didn't feel as good as they had done when I completed the Run to the Castle. They also hurt throughout the Birmingham HM a couple of weeks ago and although they've improved since then I'm not entirely surprised that they are protesting after a brutal couple of days.
Monday, 2 November 2015
The November Nightmare - Day Two
I was more worried about the route for today's marathon - it's one I've taken on training runs and a lot of it has a nasty camber that plays havoc with your ITB and ankles. For that reason, I've booked a massage for the evening of each of the marathons that takes this route.
I had another night of not sleeping very well, dreaming that I slept all day and missed the marathon, then being awoken by an almighty crash caused by Gitcat knocking things over - his way of asking to be let out. I did test my legs a little and they seemed more comfortable than last night so I tried to get back to sleep but not very successfully.
Denzil had said I could start early with a couple of other runners so after a soak in a hot bath, I set off for Coalbrookdale, parked at the Youth Hostel and walked to the start of the race. It was another foggy morning, more damp than yesterday so I decided to put my lightweight waterproof on. We started at 9.00am and the two other runners were soon leaving me behind, along with Denzil's lovely dog Meg.
My Garmin was running but I decided to just run/walk according to how I felt and only glanced at it occasionally. We had to do three out-and-back loops. It was 4 1/2 miles each way so I was prepared for it being a little over the 26.2 distance by the time we finished. I ended up running most of the first lap, only walking where the camber was too steep for comfort and having a good stretch while walking. I was surprised that my legs actually felt more comfortable over the first few miles than they had yesterday and more comfortable than they had felt walking from the car park. I chose to run through the muddiest parts of the path as it was softest on my feet. This often meant I was weaving in and out of potholes and puddles but I had a vague theory that would mean the muscles having to work in more different directions and they'd complain less than if I stayed on the easier but firmer sections of the track. It seemed to work as the ITB discomfort started a lot further in than I;d expected.
I'd also expected this route to be more mentally challenging and monotonous but weaving in and out of the potholes and through the puddles was strangely entertaining - a bit like being a child again. There were also some lovely views - I think this route is most beautiful in autumn with the changing colours of the leaves and the mist hanging low over the trees and the River Severn. There was a pair of donkeys in a field, one resting his head on the others back, having a nap. Squirrels kept scurrying across the track. Once I was on the return leg of the first lap, the later starting runners were coming the other way and we exchanged smiles and encouragement. Later on, several of them would overtake. This wasn't disheartening at all, I was fully prepared to finish last and it was just nice seeing people. There were only 17 of us running today. At the end of the first lap, I was given a wristband to show I had finished one lap. My friend Jenny had appeared on her bicycle and cycled alongside me for the second lap. We had a good natter and I was staying at a similar pace to the first lap, following the same strategy. I did notice small uphill bits I hadn't noticed first time round but they were very small.
We reached the halfway point at the fuel station at the Bridgnorth end of the track and I was on course for completing the second lap in about 2 hours, so a very similar pace to yesterday. I was then planning to slow down and take it more slowly on the last lap. The last stretch of the lap seemed to go on for ever and the surface of the track was a lot harder on my feet, some parts were concrete. I walked a lot. As soon as I could see the Gazebo at the end of the lap, Denzil was shouting encouragement which was really uplifting. I was given another wristband to show I had two laps down, one to go. My back was hurting again so I took a painkiller. Jen came back with me, on foot, for a mile, most of which I walked while eating a few dried cherries. Then she turned back, wishing me good luck and I started running again, following the same strategy of running on fallen leaves and through mud as much as possible. I walked in the same places as before, stretching my arms and holding my swollen hands in the air until the swelling went down. When I got to the far end of the track, I got my water bottle topped up and took a jaffa cake to eat as I set off on the final leg. I said it looked as if the distance would be over 26.2 and was told it was nearer to 28 miles. I wasn't surprised but it was good to be prepared.
I felt fairly comfortable keeping to the same sort of pace and walking breaks, saw several runners coming the other way again. I tried to look at my watch as little as possible and was surprised when it told me I'd completed 26.2 miles a few minutes quicker than yesterday. I had sort of promised myself that once I'd passed that point, I would walk to the end but I felt comfortable plodding along so I kept going. The two runners I had started with passed me soon after this - they were managing an impressive pace and I was content to be last. I'd just tripped on a rock or tree stump covered by leaves and although I didn't fall it had jarred some muscles a little and I was a bit shaken so I walked a few steps then started my steady run pace again, speeding up a little once I could see the finish and hear my welcome. No wristband this time - just another huge medal to add to the collection. I had completed 27.82 miles in 6:01:44, a slightly quicker pace than yesterday. Certainly not what I had expected.
I'm really happy with this - I have never run the day after a marathon or even the day after a half-marathon so I genuinely didn't know I was capable. This week is all about answering the question "I wonder if I could ?" I'm pretty sure I'll have to slow down even more now but it really doesn't matter - anything after this is just a new achievement really.
My ITB is pretty sore but I've had a good sports massage so it may well feel better in the morning, just need to wait and see.
I had another night of not sleeping very well, dreaming that I slept all day and missed the marathon, then being awoken by an almighty crash caused by Gitcat knocking things over - his way of asking to be let out. I did test my legs a little and they seemed more comfortable than last night so I tried to get back to sleep but not very successfully.
Denzil had said I could start early with a couple of other runners so after a soak in a hot bath, I set off for Coalbrookdale, parked at the Youth Hostel and walked to the start of the race. It was another foggy morning, more damp than yesterday so I decided to put my lightweight waterproof on. We started at 9.00am and the two other runners were soon leaving me behind, along with Denzil's lovely dog Meg.
My Garmin was running but I decided to just run/walk according to how I felt and only glanced at it occasionally. We had to do three out-and-back loops. It was 4 1/2 miles each way so I was prepared for it being a little over the 26.2 distance by the time we finished. I ended up running most of the first lap, only walking where the camber was too steep for comfort and having a good stretch while walking. I was surprised that my legs actually felt more comfortable over the first few miles than they had yesterday and more comfortable than they had felt walking from the car park. I chose to run through the muddiest parts of the path as it was softest on my feet. This often meant I was weaving in and out of potholes and puddles but I had a vague theory that would mean the muscles having to work in more different directions and they'd complain less than if I stayed on the easier but firmer sections of the track. It seemed to work as the ITB discomfort started a lot further in than I;d expected.
I'd also expected this route to be more mentally challenging and monotonous but weaving in and out of the potholes and through the puddles was strangely entertaining - a bit like being a child again. There were also some lovely views - I think this route is most beautiful in autumn with the changing colours of the leaves and the mist hanging low over the trees and the River Severn. There was a pair of donkeys in a field, one resting his head on the others back, having a nap. Squirrels kept scurrying across the track. Once I was on the return leg of the first lap, the later starting runners were coming the other way and we exchanged smiles and encouragement. Later on, several of them would overtake. This wasn't disheartening at all, I was fully prepared to finish last and it was just nice seeing people. There were only 17 of us running today. At the end of the first lap, I was given a wristband to show I had finished one lap. My friend Jenny had appeared on her bicycle and cycled alongside me for the second lap. We had a good natter and I was staying at a similar pace to the first lap, following the same strategy. I did notice small uphill bits I hadn't noticed first time round but they were very small.
We reached the halfway point at the fuel station at the Bridgnorth end of the track and I was on course for completing the second lap in about 2 hours, so a very similar pace to yesterday. I was then planning to slow down and take it more slowly on the last lap. The last stretch of the lap seemed to go on for ever and the surface of the track was a lot harder on my feet, some parts were concrete. I walked a lot. As soon as I could see the Gazebo at the end of the lap, Denzil was shouting encouragement which was really uplifting. I was given another wristband to show I had two laps down, one to go. My back was hurting again so I took a painkiller. Jen came back with me, on foot, for a mile, most of which I walked while eating a few dried cherries. Then she turned back, wishing me good luck and I started running again, following the same strategy of running on fallen leaves and through mud as much as possible. I walked in the same places as before, stretching my arms and holding my swollen hands in the air until the swelling went down. When I got to the far end of the track, I got my water bottle topped up and took a jaffa cake to eat as I set off on the final leg. I said it looked as if the distance would be over 26.2 and was told it was nearer to 28 miles. I wasn't surprised but it was good to be prepared.
I felt fairly comfortable keeping to the same sort of pace and walking breaks, saw several runners coming the other way again. I tried to look at my watch as little as possible and was surprised when it told me I'd completed 26.2 miles a few minutes quicker than yesterday. I had sort of promised myself that once I'd passed that point, I would walk to the end but I felt comfortable plodding along so I kept going. The two runners I had started with passed me soon after this - they were managing an impressive pace and I was content to be last. I'd just tripped on a rock or tree stump covered by leaves and although I didn't fall it had jarred some muscles a little and I was a bit shaken so I walked a few steps then started my steady run pace again, speeding up a little once I could see the finish and hear my welcome. No wristband this time - just another huge medal to add to the collection. I had completed 27.82 miles in 6:01:44, a slightly quicker pace than yesterday. Certainly not what I had expected.
I'm really happy with this - I have never run the day after a marathon or even the day after a half-marathon so I genuinely didn't know I was capable. This week is all about answering the question "I wonder if I could ?" I'm pretty sure I'll have to slow down even more now but it really doesn't matter - anything after this is just a new achievement really.
My ITB is pretty sore but I've had a good sports massage so it may well feel better in the morning, just need to wait and see.
Sunday, 1 November 2015
The November Nightmare - Day One
Once again, being stressed at work stopped me panicking too much about the challenge ahead. A blessing in disguise maybe but one I could do without. Never mind, it meant the nerves were only really kicking in last night and this morning when I had the usual thoughts along the lines of "I don't really believe I've ever run a marathon before and I'm not sure I can do it today" followed by "Well, I've said I'm going to try so how am I going to explain myself if I don't bother". I hadn't slept well so didn't feel great.
It was a foggy, damp autumn morning, probably perfect conditions for running a marathon. I went to pick up running friend Chris who was planning to run a half marathon with me and we headed for Lightmoor. I had a vague idea where we had to park and we soon saw several runner type people who directed us to the start, just a short walk, cross the main road and another short walk and there was the start, also the finish point, which we would see another 32 times during the marathon distance.
We were all given laminated cards with numbers 1 to 31 - these would be punched on each lap, except the last one where we would get our lovely medal. We chatted with a few people, found out there were 15 of us who are planning to run 6 marathons in 6 days (me being the slowest I think but no surprise there!). There was a quick race briefing and then we were off.
I'd worked out a vague race plan of run two laps, walk one, just to get an idea of the sort of pacing I should aim for to achieve a time of 6 1/2 hours, as recommended by ace coach Colin Lancaster. Once we had started it became apparent it was quite a hilly lap so that made the race plan a lot easier - walk up the hills and run down them. My calves felt so tight on the first few laps, in spite of a massage yesterday, that there didn't seem any point in bothering to try running up the hills. The terrain was tarmac in places but with lots of mud, gravel, fallen leaves and potholes and I actually found it a lot more comfortable to run on than a flat tarmac surface. At Birmingham HM a couple of weeks ago, I was quite concerned to find my feet ached the whole way round although they were fine the next day. I'd hoped the track today would be more forgiving and it was. I really enjoyed the laps, we chatted most of the time, it was a lovely day and quite a scenic route and it was nice seeing the friendly faces at the start/finish post on each lap. There was a good selection of snacks and drink although I found I didn't need much. For the whole of the race, I probably had 10 crisps, a snack pack of raisins, a 9-bar and two chocolate buttons and, unusually for me, a couple of drinks of coke - I haven't drunk coke for years but it looked appealing when I ran the Run to the Castle Ultra and again today. Very strange - several years ago I used to drink it every day but after I gave it up I found I really disliked the taste, Except on long runs it seems.
I was glad we had the cards showing how many laps we had done as I wouldn't have been able to keep track. I rarely looked at my Garmin, I'd decided to just go on how I felt. When we'd covered the HM distance, we saw friend Deb with her medal but she came and ran a couple more laps with us before walking home. Chris is a lot quicker than me so he found that by run/walking at my slower than usual pace he was feeling a lot better than he usually would after that distance so it soon became obvious that today he would accidentally become a marathoner !
Running at this easy pace there was none of the usual mental battle you can get on a long distance race, it was all fairly comfortable. My calves had got more comfortable after the first few laps, my feet were aching but not too badly and my back ached. I took a painkiller for my back at about 18 miles a couple of laps later the ache was better and I really enjoyed the last 7-8 laps. We noticed we were stopping to walk a bit further up the hills and starting to run again sooner after them and I had to tell myself to stick to the "plan". It was lovely and sunny by now and I was enjoying the sunshine filtering through the autumn leaves.
Eventually, the number 31 on my card was punched and we were on the final "Victory" lap. We finished in 5:53 so a bit quicker than planned but I don't feel tired, just achy so I'm hoping that's good enough. It's also my first blister-free marathon !
We had a short walk back to the car and decided we deserved a sneaky visit to the pub on the way home. Cider tastes good when you've run 26.2 miles !
Hot bath, stretches done, waiting for my roast dinner. I'm not expecting to enjoy the route tomorrow so much - it's an out and back route that we will need to do twice for the marathon distance and the track has a nasty camber that I know will hurt. It's all flat. I think I'll find it harder to judge the run/walk intervals and harder to start running again after walking.
One down, five to go.
It was a foggy, damp autumn morning, probably perfect conditions for running a marathon. I went to pick up running friend Chris who was planning to run a half marathon with me and we headed for Lightmoor. I had a vague idea where we had to park and we soon saw several runner type people who directed us to the start, just a short walk, cross the main road and another short walk and there was the start, also the finish point, which we would see another 32 times during the marathon distance.
We were all given laminated cards with numbers 1 to 31 - these would be punched on each lap, except the last one where we would get our lovely medal. We chatted with a few people, found out there were 15 of us who are planning to run 6 marathons in 6 days (me being the slowest I think but no surprise there!). There was a quick race briefing and then we were off.
I'd worked out a vague race plan of run two laps, walk one, just to get an idea of the sort of pacing I should aim for to achieve a time of 6 1/2 hours, as recommended by ace coach Colin Lancaster. Once we had started it became apparent it was quite a hilly lap so that made the race plan a lot easier - walk up the hills and run down them. My calves felt so tight on the first few laps, in spite of a massage yesterday, that there didn't seem any point in bothering to try running up the hills. The terrain was tarmac in places but with lots of mud, gravel, fallen leaves and potholes and I actually found it a lot more comfortable to run on than a flat tarmac surface. At Birmingham HM a couple of weeks ago, I was quite concerned to find my feet ached the whole way round although they were fine the next day. I'd hoped the track today would be more forgiving and it was. I really enjoyed the laps, we chatted most of the time, it was a lovely day and quite a scenic route and it was nice seeing the friendly faces at the start/finish post on each lap. There was a good selection of snacks and drink although I found I didn't need much. For the whole of the race, I probably had 10 crisps, a snack pack of raisins, a 9-bar and two chocolate buttons and, unusually for me, a couple of drinks of coke - I haven't drunk coke for years but it looked appealing when I ran the Run to the Castle Ultra and again today. Very strange - several years ago I used to drink it every day but after I gave it up I found I really disliked the taste, Except on long runs it seems.
I was glad we had the cards showing how many laps we had done as I wouldn't have been able to keep track. I rarely looked at my Garmin, I'd decided to just go on how I felt. When we'd covered the HM distance, we saw friend Deb with her medal but she came and ran a couple more laps with us before walking home. Chris is a lot quicker than me so he found that by run/walking at my slower than usual pace he was feeling a lot better than he usually would after that distance so it soon became obvious that today he would accidentally become a marathoner !
Running at this easy pace there was none of the usual mental battle you can get on a long distance race, it was all fairly comfortable. My calves had got more comfortable after the first few laps, my feet were aching but not too badly and my back ached. I took a painkiller for my back at about 18 miles a couple of laps later the ache was better and I really enjoyed the last 7-8 laps. We noticed we were stopping to walk a bit further up the hills and starting to run again sooner after them and I had to tell myself to stick to the "plan". It was lovely and sunny by now and I was enjoying the sunshine filtering through the autumn leaves.
Eventually, the number 31 on my card was punched and we were on the final "Victory" lap. We finished in 5:53 so a bit quicker than planned but I don't feel tired, just achy so I'm hoping that's good enough. It's also my first blister-free marathon !
We had a short walk back to the car and decided we deserved a sneaky visit to the pub on the way home. Cider tastes good when you've run 26.2 miles !
Hot bath, stretches done, waiting for my roast dinner. I'm not expecting to enjoy the route tomorrow so much - it's an out and back route that we will need to do twice for the marathon distance and the track has a nasty camber that I know will hurt. It's all flat. I think I'll find it harder to judge the run/walk intervals and harder to start running again after walking.
One down, five to go.
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Race to the Castle
After another stressful week at work, it all felt like a last minute panic getting the bags packed and loaded and setting off for Harlech. As we got into Wales, the rain was persistent and the clouds hung low over the hills. Once we got to Barmouth and beyond, I was wondering which bits of the scenery I would be running through tomorrow and how I would be feeling that far into the run. As we got close to the B&B, we were driving through the clouds and visibility was minimal. We eventually found our way and after a warm welcome and getting settled, set off to check out where the train station was and to find somewhere to eat. I'd been expecting to have to go into Harlech for the train, but there was a small station just 10 minutes walk away in Llandanwg but I'd have to signal for the train to stop for me. We ended up walking a hilly five miles in our quest for food, enjoyed a lovely Indian meal, then drank a little too much wine to make sure I slept, rather than staying awake worrying !
I was up and getting ready at 5.00am, much to the disgust of my better half who didn't seem to understand how many times I needed to check and rearrange everything that had already been checked and rearranged the night before, or how many times it is necessary to go to the loo just in case...
As I had an early start, our hosts had organised a bacon sandwich for me to eat while waiting for the train. BH drove me to the station, just in case the train didn't stop for me but fortunately the train driver realised that brandishing a half-eaten bacon roll at him was actually a request for him to stop. The train was full of runners and the conductor kindly gave us all a group-discount on our train tickets. The journey to Aberdovey took an hour, which was plenty of time to speculate on where our route might take us on the more arduous journey back to Harlech. Plenty of time for nervous runners to keep revisiting the toilet too !
Once at Aberdovey, race HQ was only a couple of hundred metres away and we all queued up to register and collect our race numbers and a race-hoodie if we had pre-ordered one. We then had a briefing before leaving bags in a trailer to be taken to the finish and then walking to the starting point on the beach. The train had been a few minutes late and consequently the race started at 8:56 instead of 8:45. It's a sandy beach and we all headed for the wet, compacted sand closer to the sea as it is easier to run on. There were 93 starters and the group gradually started to spread out. I chatted to a few people while finding a comfortable pace and after a few miles we reached the seafront at Tywyn, where we had to cross some pebbles and soft sand to get to the promenade. Team Awesome had some supporters waiting for them, dressed in clown wigs and waving and cheering enthusiastically. After Tywyn, we headed inland, in the rain, across the muddy, marshy ground around the river estuary. This took us inland as far as Bryncrug. At about the 9 mile point, there was a check-in point with plenty of food and drink on offer, as well as support. I just had some water and carried on. Soon after this, we got our first taste of hills. They weren't too challenging so I just stuck to a run/walk strategy, only having to stop to avoid being flattened by a tractor on the narrow lane. Soon after this, we were back on muddy tracks where I discovered that my shoes really weren't grippy at all on long, flattened, mud-soaked grass and running or walking up the hills felt as if I was sliding back with each step. There were also several stiles and gates to negotiate but I was still enjoying it and the rain was refreshing.
The next check point was at the Garthangharad Hotel, Llyngwril, where we again got a warm welcome and good selection of snacks and drinks. For some reason, cola looked appealing - I haven't drunk it in years - so I had a small glass then made use of the toilet in the pub. My back was aching badly at this point and I'd intended to take a pain killer at the check point, where I could drop the soluble tablet in a plastic cup of water but unfortunately I forgot until I was a couple of hundred yards up the road and decided to wait for the next checkpoint. With hindsight, it would have been a lot better if I'd gone back because the next stage was almost certainly the most challenging and just made my back worse which was pretty draining. The hills now were really challenging, it was hard work to walk them so I didn't even attempt to run them. We started off on road, and then headed off across fields, with numerous stiles and gates to negotiate. It's amazing how confusing a gate can be when you're feeling weary and in pain and how you have to tell you legs what to do when you're trying to climb over a stile that was clearly designed for people 7 foot tall or more. The stiles that were built of stone, incorporated into the stone walls, had the added challenge of being quite slippery in the pouring rain. I felt really stupid at one gate - it was fastened with a piece of blue rope and I was trying to work out how to lift the rope off the gate but my brain was so foggy I felt completely baffled. Then it dawned on me that it actually just lifted off the gate post because it was looped through the gate. We followed the undulating route for several brutal miles, rewarded by the stunning views. By around 19 miles, I could see Barmouth in the distance - about 7 miles of running away but looking tantalisingly close as I knew that once I'd got past that checkpoint I was into the unknown territory of ultra-running ! I'd been hoping to make up some time on the downhill stretches but there was a long, steep downhill section on road and it was just too much for my tired feet - I found it tougher going than climbing up the hills. I ran on the grass whenever I could but every step hurt my feet and my back pain was wearing me down a bit. I stopped to take photos, at least partly to distract myself. I also sent a couple of text messages so BH would have an idea how long it was going to take me - as it turned out, it didn't help at all !
My right knee in particular started to niggle a lot at about nineteen miles, it was more an ache than a pain but I didn't have confidence that it was going to keep working properly especially on the stiles. There were a couple of places where we had to cross a river and I chose to wade through rather than try to use the stepping stones, which were slippery looking and under water anyway, because I didn't trust my knee to react quickly enough if I did lose my footing. The cold water was quite refreshing for my feet, which were starting to get a few hot spots - I'd brought along a spare pair of socks and some sachets of Blister Shield thinking it would help keep the blisters at bay if I put fresh socks on but once the hot spots had started I was scared to remove my socks or shoes in case I aggravated anything. I kept getting glimpses of the bridge to Barmouth and thinking I would be there soon but it was very deceptive and at one point I was getting quite sweary and convinced it was moving further away. I came to a t-junction and couldn't see any signposting and there was no-one else in sight. I stopped to check and double-check for any route markers but couldn't see any so I decided the downhill option looked the most likely and was relieved when I eventually saw a red arrow sprayed on the ground, confirming I'd made the right choice. I thought I must be close to the bridge by now and it was quite soul-destroying when I realised the route was taking me all the way back to the coastline and along the sea front for a while before following a track back inland towards the bridge.
Two ladies had passed me looking fresh and energetic while I just felt sore and defeated - I was only just past halfway and I was heading for my slowest ever marathon distance. The not-quite-healed-scar where I had an abscess recently and which needs surgery later this year had flared up due to the chafing and was quite sore by now. And my phone battery had just died so if I collapsed in a heap no-one would find me - at least that meant I had to keep going ! A couple walking their dogs along the path thought it was more important that they stay holding hands than that they let a worn out runner pass them so I had to run down the bank and round them. Energetic, happy me would have found it amusing but at the time it just felt horribly unfair and just added to my growing despair. A couple of people on the next section of track were nicer and one held the gate open for me but I was still feeling fairly close to giving up. I could see the two ladies who had passed me disappearing into the distance and just felt sorry for myself and couldn't imagine how I was going to finish. I promised myself that I would run over the bridge and then I would nearly be at the next check-point and I could stop. It turned out to be quite frustrating crossing the bridge, I was surprised how oblivious some people can be to anyone else, too rude to make way for someone coming the other way even when they were walking three abreast. I managed to keep running but was close to tears by the time I reached the other side. There were a couple of marshalls there shouting encouragement and I just said "I don't think I can do this, I'm broken"
"Yes, you can, the next check point isn't far away" came the reply. I kept running, encouraged by a friendly smile from a man sitting on a wall rolling a cigarette (I wished I was on a wall, rolling a cigarette or even something better!) but it felt like a battle, weaving my way through oblivious tourists. I thought I'd spotted the check point when I saw a car with the boot open but when I got closer it was just a couple changing into wet-suits - the disappointment was softened by the wet-suit lady smiling and saying "Keep going, you're doing an amazing job" I kept going, trying to feel amazing and wondering why this section seemed to go on forever. Then I recognised someone walking along the seafront, away from me. It was my BH so I shouted at him and he ran over and ran/walked with me. He said he hadn't seen the checkpoint yet. He swapped the battery in my phone for me, then we spotted the check point. Hurrah !!
I stopped longer at this check point, chatted a bit, took my painkiller and ate a jaffa cake. This was 27 miles so it was a distance PB if nothing else. I took a 9-bar with me and set off again, almost straight into a steep hill. I was glad when I got to the junction that we had to turn left and not keep going up ! I was surprised how much better I felt now - the painkiller had kicked in quickly and I had a lovely stretch of comfortable running along a gently undulating stretch of pavement, creating quite a distance between me and the three runners behind, who I'd been chatting with at the check point. I didn't like the hard surface on my feet but I was much more comfortable and positive than I'd been for the last 8 miles and was actually smiling and believing I would finish. Eventually, I caught up with the two ladies who had passed me before Barmouth. They were crossing a stile at the far side of a small field and looking puzzled. The red arrow and the coastal path sign both pointed in that direction so I went and joined them. The reason for their puzzlement was clear - the path just didn't go anywhere. They said they'd already spent ages looking but we carried on trying to work it out. The three runners behind joined us and we all looked puzzled and ran backwards and forwards looking for route markings but could find nothing. Then another lady joined us and spent a while looking before saying we could just carry on along the road and we would be back on the correct route without affecting our overall distance.
We all ran together for a while and soon found we were back on the marked route; we gradually separated over the next few miles, which were mainly off-road with more stiles, gates, railway crossings etc We eventually ended up on a narrow lane where I overtook a couple of men who I'd lost sight of long ago during the first half of the route. Soon after that, I reached the checkpoint at 33 miles which was at a campsite, next to some toilets. They were a welcome sight, so I popped into the conveniences before having some cola and water and a couple of crisps. The two ladies I'd caught up with earlier were at the check-point but having a short break so I headed off on to the next section, through the dunes and then along the beach. I didn't see anyone along this stretch so I wasn't sure if the two men had come past while I had stopped at the check-point. I really enjoyed the section along beach, the soft surface was a relief to run on although my blisters were now quite uncomfortable. When I took walk breaks, I had enough energy to power walk and it was easier on my feet so I still felt I was still making reasonable progress. The route headed off the beach at Shell Island, where I managed to get very confused. I couldn't see any route markers and no-one I spoke to had seen any other runners. In the end, a security guard looked at the map and got me back on track but I'd lost quite a lot of time. I ran along the causeway for a while but the hard surface forced me back to walking, plus I'd run out of water and it was now quite hot. I was hoping to see a shop somewhere along the way so I could buy a drink and thought I should take it steady until then. The lady who had helped us back on to the route earlier caught me up and we ran together for a while, crossing bridges, fields and railway. My Garmin had died at about 37 miles and she said hers had too. I couldn't keep up with her with my sore feet and my throat was feeling tight without any water. I also didn't want to eat anything without water to wash it down - although I didn't feel I wanted to eat I was aware I'd only had two crisps in 10 miles so thought I might need something. I believed I was going to finish and I could actually tell myself "Keep going, you're an ultra-runner now! " At about this point I sent a text to my BH telling him where I was. I was running alone again, no-one in sight ahead of me or behind me. I headed diagonally across a field, thinking I should be heading towards the beach but as I got there I realised I should have gone straight across and headed away from the beach before looping back.
There were two men in the car park who I recognized from earlier, although I wasn't sure where - they were very encouraging. "There's just this one nasty hill to go and then you're on the beach heading for Harlech. You're doing great !" I admitted I'd nearly given up at Barmouth and they said they'd seen me come over the bridge and could see how bad I was feeling. As I went to carry on I remarked "I've ordered a ginger beer at the end, I've run out of water !"
"Do you want some water ? We can re-fill it, we're an unofficial check point !" said one of them. I turned back and he re-filled my water bladder with lovely cold water and his mate asked if I'd like a lollipop to keep me going to the end! That seemed like a good idea so I gratefully accepted and set off up the hill - I knew what to expect from the hill as I'd walked it the previous evening, after checking where the railway station was. I walked it again now, enjoying my lollipop and fresh water.
Shortly after the top of the hill, I turned off towards the beach and my heart sank when I saw the many steps down to the beach. My right knee was still not feeling right, having been niggling since mile 19 and I didn't trust it to work properly on steps so I ended up carefully lowering myself down them, leaning on the handrail to support my weight. They seemed to go on forever ! Once I got to the bottom, there was a pebbly section to walk over and then I was on the sand. I ran a little but mainly power-walked. Looking over my shoulder, I glimpsed the two men I'd passed earlier running behind me - I felt a bit gutted, I didn't want to be passed at this late stage. Even though it's all about finishing ! I put more effort into my walking but was surprised when they stopped running and I started to get further ahead. I eventually caught up with another runner who I'd been chatting with for a lot of the earlier part of the race. His mate, who had only ever run 9 miles before, had gone on ahead and finished a long way ahead of us. I walked and chatted with him for a while but he told me to keep going as he didn't want to slow me down. I carried on but the beach seemed to go on forever.
Eventually, I could see the red and white marker pole the men from the car park had told me to look for, indicating that I needed to turn off the beach and head for the castle. At the same time, someone called my name and to my amazement, my friend Preethi came running across the sand towards me, cheering and looking thrilled. She encouraged me to start running again, explaining how close to the finish we were and telling me I must run and sprint at the finish. She had three friends with her, all cheering and taking photos - it was very unexpected and a huge boost. We walked through the dunes as the sand was too soft for running and then started running again along the road to the finish - it was just in sight. My BH was standing at the gate across the road and opened it for us to run through - he'd seen other runners struggling with it earlier. I managed to speed up and run for the finish and it felt great !
In spite of feeling so bad for such a long time in the middle of the race, I actually felt better than at the three marathons I've run. I'd said I just wanted to finish within the 12 hour cut-off but you always hope for more and at times during the race I'd thought/hoped I would be closer to 10 hours. I know I'd have coped better if I'd taken a painkiller earlier and I also lost time getting lost. I'm also really not sure how the last 5 miles took 1 1/2 hours (Garmin switched off at 37 miles & 9:00:25 hours so should have been 5 miles to go but my Mio Fuse says 44 miles in total) . Anyway, my finishing time was 10:32:22 and I'm not unhappy with it.
After I sent my text to BH telling him I was five miles away from the finish, his reply 70 minutes later was "I'm writing a book here: The Loneliness of the Bloke waiting for the Long Distance Runner" It could be a good book !
I was up and getting ready at 5.00am, much to the disgust of my better half who didn't seem to understand how many times I needed to check and rearrange everything that had already been checked and rearranged the night before, or how many times it is necessary to go to the loo just in case...
As I had an early start, our hosts had organised a bacon sandwich for me to eat while waiting for the train. BH drove me to the station, just in case the train didn't stop for me but fortunately the train driver realised that brandishing a half-eaten bacon roll at him was actually a request for him to stop. The train was full of runners and the conductor kindly gave us all a group-discount on our train tickets. The journey to Aberdovey took an hour, which was plenty of time to speculate on where our route might take us on the more arduous journey back to Harlech. Plenty of time for nervous runners to keep revisiting the toilet too !
Once at Aberdovey, race HQ was only a couple of hundred metres away and we all queued up to register and collect our race numbers and a race-hoodie if we had pre-ordered one. We then had a briefing before leaving bags in a trailer to be taken to the finish and then walking to the starting point on the beach. The train had been a few minutes late and consequently the race started at 8:56 instead of 8:45. It's a sandy beach and we all headed for the wet, compacted sand closer to the sea as it is easier to run on. There were 93 starters and the group gradually started to spread out. I chatted to a few people while finding a comfortable pace and after a few miles we reached the seafront at Tywyn, where we had to cross some pebbles and soft sand to get to the promenade. Team Awesome had some supporters waiting for them, dressed in clown wigs and waving and cheering enthusiastically. After Tywyn, we headed inland, in the rain, across the muddy, marshy ground around the river estuary. This took us inland as far as Bryncrug. At about the 9 mile point, there was a check-in point with plenty of food and drink on offer, as well as support. I just had some water and carried on. Soon after this, we got our first taste of hills. They weren't too challenging so I just stuck to a run/walk strategy, only having to stop to avoid being flattened by a tractor on the narrow lane. Soon after this, we were back on muddy tracks where I discovered that my shoes really weren't grippy at all on long, flattened, mud-soaked grass and running or walking up the hills felt as if I was sliding back with each step. There were also several stiles and gates to negotiate but I was still enjoying it and the rain was refreshing.
The next check point was at the Garthangharad Hotel, Llyngwril, where we again got a warm welcome and good selection of snacks and drinks. For some reason, cola looked appealing - I haven't drunk it in years - so I had a small glass then made use of the toilet in the pub. My back was aching badly at this point and I'd intended to take a pain killer at the check point, where I could drop the soluble tablet in a plastic cup of water but unfortunately I forgot until I was a couple of hundred yards up the road and decided to wait for the next checkpoint. With hindsight, it would have been a lot better if I'd gone back because the next stage was almost certainly the most challenging and just made my back worse which was pretty draining. The hills now were really challenging, it was hard work to walk them so I didn't even attempt to run them. We started off on road, and then headed off across fields, with numerous stiles and gates to negotiate. It's amazing how confusing a gate can be when you're feeling weary and in pain and how you have to tell you legs what to do when you're trying to climb over a stile that was clearly designed for people 7 foot tall or more. The stiles that were built of stone, incorporated into the stone walls, had the added challenge of being quite slippery in the pouring rain. I felt really stupid at one gate - it was fastened with a piece of blue rope and I was trying to work out how to lift the rope off the gate but my brain was so foggy I felt completely baffled. Then it dawned on me that it actually just lifted off the gate post because it was looped through the gate. We followed the undulating route for several brutal miles, rewarded by the stunning views. By around 19 miles, I could see Barmouth in the distance - about 7 miles of running away but looking tantalisingly close as I knew that once I'd got past that checkpoint I was into the unknown territory of ultra-running ! I'd been hoping to make up some time on the downhill stretches but there was a long, steep downhill section on road and it was just too much for my tired feet - I found it tougher going than climbing up the hills. I ran on the grass whenever I could but every step hurt my feet and my back pain was wearing me down a bit. I stopped to take photos, at least partly to distract myself. I also sent a couple of text messages so BH would have an idea how long it was going to take me - as it turned out, it didn't help at all !
My right knee in particular started to niggle a lot at about nineteen miles, it was more an ache than a pain but I didn't have confidence that it was going to keep working properly especially on the stiles. There were a couple of places where we had to cross a river and I chose to wade through rather than try to use the stepping stones, which were slippery looking and under water anyway, because I didn't trust my knee to react quickly enough if I did lose my footing. The cold water was quite refreshing for my feet, which were starting to get a few hot spots - I'd brought along a spare pair of socks and some sachets of Blister Shield thinking it would help keep the blisters at bay if I put fresh socks on but once the hot spots had started I was scared to remove my socks or shoes in case I aggravated anything. I kept getting glimpses of the bridge to Barmouth and thinking I would be there soon but it was very deceptive and at one point I was getting quite sweary and convinced it was moving further away. I came to a t-junction and couldn't see any signposting and there was no-one else in sight. I stopped to check and double-check for any route markers but couldn't see any so I decided the downhill option looked the most likely and was relieved when I eventually saw a red arrow sprayed on the ground, confirming I'd made the right choice. I thought I must be close to the bridge by now and it was quite soul-destroying when I realised the route was taking me all the way back to the coastline and along the sea front for a while before following a track back inland towards the bridge.
Two ladies had passed me looking fresh and energetic while I just felt sore and defeated - I was only just past halfway and I was heading for my slowest ever marathon distance. The not-quite-healed-scar where I had an abscess recently and which needs surgery later this year had flared up due to the chafing and was quite sore by now. And my phone battery had just died so if I collapsed in a heap no-one would find me - at least that meant I had to keep going ! A couple walking their dogs along the path thought it was more important that they stay holding hands than that they let a worn out runner pass them so I had to run down the bank and round them. Energetic, happy me would have found it amusing but at the time it just felt horribly unfair and just added to my growing despair. A couple of people on the next section of track were nicer and one held the gate open for me but I was still feeling fairly close to giving up. I could see the two ladies who had passed me disappearing into the distance and just felt sorry for myself and couldn't imagine how I was going to finish. I promised myself that I would run over the bridge and then I would nearly be at the next check-point and I could stop. It turned out to be quite frustrating crossing the bridge, I was surprised how oblivious some people can be to anyone else, too rude to make way for someone coming the other way even when they were walking three abreast. I managed to keep running but was close to tears by the time I reached the other side. There were a couple of marshalls there shouting encouragement and I just said "I don't think I can do this, I'm broken"
"Yes, you can, the next check point isn't far away" came the reply. I kept running, encouraged by a friendly smile from a man sitting on a wall rolling a cigarette (I wished I was on a wall, rolling a cigarette or even something better!) but it felt like a battle, weaving my way through oblivious tourists. I thought I'd spotted the check point when I saw a car with the boot open but when I got closer it was just a couple changing into wet-suits - the disappointment was softened by the wet-suit lady smiling and saying "Keep going, you're doing an amazing job" I kept going, trying to feel amazing and wondering why this section seemed to go on forever. Then I recognised someone walking along the seafront, away from me. It was my BH so I shouted at him and he ran over and ran/walked with me. He said he hadn't seen the checkpoint yet. He swapped the battery in my phone for me, then we spotted the check point. Hurrah !!
I stopped longer at this check point, chatted a bit, took my painkiller and ate a jaffa cake. This was 27 miles so it was a distance PB if nothing else. I took a 9-bar with me and set off again, almost straight into a steep hill. I was glad when I got to the junction that we had to turn left and not keep going up ! I was surprised how much better I felt now - the painkiller had kicked in quickly and I had a lovely stretch of comfortable running along a gently undulating stretch of pavement, creating quite a distance between me and the three runners behind, who I'd been chatting with at the check point. I didn't like the hard surface on my feet but I was much more comfortable and positive than I'd been for the last 8 miles and was actually smiling and believing I would finish. Eventually, I caught up with the two ladies who had passed me before Barmouth. They were crossing a stile at the far side of a small field and looking puzzled. The red arrow and the coastal path sign both pointed in that direction so I went and joined them. The reason for their puzzlement was clear - the path just didn't go anywhere. They said they'd already spent ages looking but we carried on trying to work it out. The three runners behind joined us and we all looked puzzled and ran backwards and forwards looking for route markings but could find nothing. Then another lady joined us and spent a while looking before saying we could just carry on along the road and we would be back on the correct route without affecting our overall distance.
We all ran together for a while and soon found we were back on the marked route; we gradually separated over the next few miles, which were mainly off-road with more stiles, gates, railway crossings etc We eventually ended up on a narrow lane where I overtook a couple of men who I'd lost sight of long ago during the first half of the route. Soon after that, I reached the checkpoint at 33 miles which was at a campsite, next to some toilets. They were a welcome sight, so I popped into the conveniences before having some cola and water and a couple of crisps. The two ladies I'd caught up with earlier were at the check-point but having a short break so I headed off on to the next section, through the dunes and then along the beach. I didn't see anyone along this stretch so I wasn't sure if the two men had come past while I had stopped at the check-point. I really enjoyed the section along beach, the soft surface was a relief to run on although my blisters were now quite uncomfortable. When I took walk breaks, I had enough energy to power walk and it was easier on my feet so I still felt I was still making reasonable progress. The route headed off the beach at Shell Island, where I managed to get very confused. I couldn't see any route markers and no-one I spoke to had seen any other runners. In the end, a security guard looked at the map and got me back on track but I'd lost quite a lot of time. I ran along the causeway for a while but the hard surface forced me back to walking, plus I'd run out of water and it was now quite hot. I was hoping to see a shop somewhere along the way so I could buy a drink and thought I should take it steady until then. The lady who had helped us back on to the route earlier caught me up and we ran together for a while, crossing bridges, fields and railway. My Garmin had died at about 37 miles and she said hers had too. I couldn't keep up with her with my sore feet and my throat was feeling tight without any water. I also didn't want to eat anything without water to wash it down - although I didn't feel I wanted to eat I was aware I'd only had two crisps in 10 miles so thought I might need something. I believed I was going to finish and I could actually tell myself "Keep going, you're an ultra-runner now! " At about this point I sent a text to my BH telling him where I was. I was running alone again, no-one in sight ahead of me or behind me. I headed diagonally across a field, thinking I should be heading towards the beach but as I got there I realised I should have gone straight across and headed away from the beach before looping back.
There were two men in the car park who I recognized from earlier, although I wasn't sure where - they were very encouraging. "There's just this one nasty hill to go and then you're on the beach heading for Harlech. You're doing great !" I admitted I'd nearly given up at Barmouth and they said they'd seen me come over the bridge and could see how bad I was feeling. As I went to carry on I remarked "I've ordered a ginger beer at the end, I've run out of water !"
"Do you want some water ? We can re-fill it, we're an unofficial check point !" said one of them. I turned back and he re-filled my water bladder with lovely cold water and his mate asked if I'd like a lollipop to keep me going to the end! That seemed like a good idea so I gratefully accepted and set off up the hill - I knew what to expect from the hill as I'd walked it the previous evening, after checking where the railway station was. I walked it again now, enjoying my lollipop and fresh water.
Shortly after the top of the hill, I turned off towards the beach and my heart sank when I saw the many steps down to the beach. My right knee was still not feeling right, having been niggling since mile 19 and I didn't trust it to work properly on steps so I ended up carefully lowering myself down them, leaning on the handrail to support my weight. They seemed to go on forever ! Once I got to the bottom, there was a pebbly section to walk over and then I was on the sand. I ran a little but mainly power-walked. Looking over my shoulder, I glimpsed the two men I'd passed earlier running behind me - I felt a bit gutted, I didn't want to be passed at this late stage. Even though it's all about finishing ! I put more effort into my walking but was surprised when they stopped running and I started to get further ahead. I eventually caught up with another runner who I'd been chatting with for a lot of the earlier part of the race. His mate, who had only ever run 9 miles before, had gone on ahead and finished a long way ahead of us. I walked and chatted with him for a while but he told me to keep going as he didn't want to slow me down. I carried on but the beach seemed to go on forever.
Eventually, I could see the red and white marker pole the men from the car park had told me to look for, indicating that I needed to turn off the beach and head for the castle. At the same time, someone called my name and to my amazement, my friend Preethi came running across the sand towards me, cheering and looking thrilled. She encouraged me to start running again, explaining how close to the finish we were and telling me I must run and sprint at the finish. She had three friends with her, all cheering and taking photos - it was very unexpected and a huge boost. We walked through the dunes as the sand was too soft for running and then started running again along the road to the finish - it was just in sight. My BH was standing at the gate across the road and opened it for us to run through - he'd seen other runners struggling with it earlier. I managed to speed up and run for the finish and it felt great !
In spite of feeling so bad for such a long time in the middle of the race, I actually felt better than at the three marathons I've run. I'd said I just wanted to finish within the 12 hour cut-off but you always hope for more and at times during the race I'd thought/hoped I would be closer to 10 hours. I know I'd have coped better if I'd taken a painkiller earlier and I also lost time getting lost. I'm also really not sure how the last 5 miles took 1 1/2 hours (Garmin switched off at 37 miles & 9:00:25 hours so should have been 5 miles to go but my Mio Fuse says 44 miles in total) . Anyway, my finishing time was 10:32:22 and I'm not unhappy with it.
After I sent my text to BH telling him I was five miles away from the finish, his reply 70 minutes later was "I'm writing a book here: The Loneliness of the Bloke waiting for the Long Distance Runner" It could be a good book !
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