ultra running – Justin has signed up for what?

At some point during every ultra marathon I have completed, I have thought to myself, ‘that’s it now, focus on your 5K times’, but, it keeps happening: I found myself at the 2020 Stour Valley Path 50K. I heard a few others were up for it, so I signed up – again! We are still in the Covid-19 pandemic, so this race had to be planned very carefully; and it was.

I heard that fellow Ely Runner, Shaun, had signed up, and we agreed to complete it together, and during the event I confided in him that I have a bit of a fear of running ultras alone. I told him that one day I must combat this fear and go out without a buddy, but it will have to be one I have completed before, and most likely this one or Peddars Way.

The Stour Valley Path is a stunning 100km (62 mile) long footpath, which starts in Newmarket (Suffolk) and ends in Cattawade (Essex). Parts of the rolling countryside are associated with the art of Constable and Gainsborough. Small, closed-in woodland tracks open up to sudden, wide, sweeping views of fields, woodland, rivers, and distant villages with unusual Churches. It’s a demanding course, which I have ran before, but wow, do I have some respect for the 100K runners, as they covered that distance whilst contending with the rolling trail, but also with considerable warmth and bonkers humidity!

Shaun and I had the logistics of transport to think of, as we had to get to the start, and then get home from the finish; luckily, running nutter and fellow Ely Runner Charlotte offered to help. Charlotte is one of those people who, even if she can’t run an event, will get involved one way or another, even if it is to rock up and shout insults/ support her mates. Charlotte and her other half, Adrian (who ran the 50K), made sure Shaun and I got to the start line once I had dumped my car at the finish. Naturally, Charlotte made sure we had the obligatory dose of inappropriate observations and humour throughout our car journey.

At the start we were expected to leave in waves of six, with circles painted in the grass to ensure were all stood well-distanced from one another. Our temperatures were taken and we were sent on our way. Throughout the event we were struck by the mutual respect between runners when it came to overtaking and maintaining that safe distance. The aid stations were well organised, with penned off areas that runners were expected to funnel through in order to apply gel and to don face coverings. Wearing a face covering in the warm, humid conditions was no fun, but a sensible precaution in order to protect volunteers and fellow runners until we were able to spread out again.

Shaun and I completed the first ten miles to aid station one way too quickly: Charlotte was waiting for us, and warned that we might like to slow it down: wise words, as after this brief respite, things started to get tough. The sun was threatening to break through the clouds, and the temperature and humidity was increasing: it was the humidity that was causing the problem for us and many other runners as heart rates were rising, respiration was speeding up, but the sweat wasn’t evaporating! We were alarmed at how out of breath were were getting just power walking the more serious hills (and there were a few of those). I was also struggling with my own familiar battle around hydration and nutrition. I don’t do well with solutions that help with maintaining the electrolyte balance, so I carry water along with some sweet and salty foods. To date I have never got this quite right and I always get quite dehydrated and hungry: I still can’t eat much when I am completing an ultra. I ate and hydrated well the day before, but yet again it caught me out.

Shaun and I kept checking in on each other and our niggles and issues; Shaun suffered mainly with a painful back and sore legs, whilst my only issue was waves of nausea and the dark places that feeling that way sends me mentally. Despite this we pressed on, and we were really quite disciplined with making use of the flats and downhills (running) and power-walking the hills. All the while we were speculating about how far back our Ely Runners buddies Andy, Caroline and Lisa were: they had started in a later wave, but we knew they would be covering ground a bit quicker than us, and we calculated that they would all cross the finish line very close to our finish time.

On the way to the next, bigger aid station we noted a number of marshals helping with points where the navigation was less obvious, and this was appreciated. Shaun and I realised that the navigation on my new Suunto 9 watch was only as good as the attention span of the wearer! During this part of the race we encountered hills; horrible ones that then rewarded you with amazing views: it was confusing. We kept going, one foot in front of the other, reminding each other that moving forward is all that mattered, that and not dropping down with heat stroke. We agreed that dropping out was out of the question.

There was another aid station to reach, and things got tougher. We were soaked with sweat, totally out of breath, exhausted, with Shaun’s back playing up and me feeling like I wanted to vomit (but couldn’t). We were both alarmed at how infrequently we had needed to urinate, and distressed at what happened when we did (let’s not get into it).

Shaun turned out to be an especially calming running buddy when it got tough: he’s a pretty laid back chap at the best of times, and even his complaints seemed calm; he has a great sense of humour too, which helped! The final station was a blur to me: I couldn’t see for sweat, my mask was broken (luckily the marshals provided me with a new one and also sprayed my face with cold water), and I felt even more sick. Shaun looked a bit all over the place trying to keep away from people, fill his water bottles and grab snacks whilst looking like a had had enough. We had zipped through the aid stations up to this final one, but we perhaps left this one a little later than we should, because we felt that familiar stiffness that comes from huge effort followed by stopping for too long.

At some point Shaun was injured by a turnip. Not at all funny, apparently.

The fact that it was just a few miles to the end lifted our spirits, a bit; but now the nausea was really kicking in, so feeling terrible and yet knowing the end was near was messing with my head. The old ‘not talking much but being there for each other’ routine kicked in. Fast forward to the final 300 meters or so: it was only just getting dark, and the course was marked with glow sticks. I announced to Shaun that the time had come and I went to the bushes to vomit, loudly and spectacularly. Shaun pressed on, I thought because he wanted to give me privacy whilst I puked, but no; later it transpired he didn’t want me to make him feel sick!

Two more episodes of quickly darting to the edge and then the finale: vomiting in such a way that made me think I would faint as there was nothing left. Shaun called over to say that we were close and we could walk the last bit if I liked. I just recall wiping my mouth and saying, ‘no, let’s go’, and we ran. As we turned onto the field with the finish line ahead I said to Shaun, ‘don’t let those fellas behind overtake us’, at which point we increased the pace, with Shaun actually executing a sprint finish, and me running just slightly faster whilst looking like sweaty Casper the Ghost.

Medals were given to us and we saw that Adrian and Charlotte were watching from the side. Adrian had finished ahead of us, having joined us for a short while to share that he too felt terrible. Impressive stuff.

We got the news that fellow Ely Runner, Rob was having a hard time, but was pressing on (he finished with an impressive time despite the struggle), and we learned that just a short while later, Andy, Lisa and Caroline had crossed the line, closing in on us with a faster time despite the wave they left in. Amazing.

All that remains to be said is that Shaun is a great running buddy, Charlotte and Adrian are stars for helping us out, the Stour Valley Path Ultra lays on a great race, and a safe one given the situation we all find ourselves in at the time of writing; and finally, I am not signing up for more ultras. Probably.

UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_4d21

trail running, ultra running

Peddars Way 48 Mile Ultra Marathon revisited!

January 27, 2020January 27, 2020 turtleflea

A year has passed since I ran The Peddars Way 48 Mile Trail for the first time. A lot has happened on the running front since January 2019, a year in which I got 6 ultras under my belt. The number of ultras in 2019, excessive sounding to some, might be part of the reason why the 2020 Peddars Way felt a little easier to me. Don’t get me wrong, it was tough, but this year I crossed the line in better condition: I felt generally happier and more relaxed throughout.

This time I had prepared fish paste and tomato sandwiches with white bread; two bottles of flattened Lucozade; a huge bag of dry roasted peanuts; Fruit Pastils and a banana. Breakfast was porridge, some berries and a pint of tea.

Once again I ran the race with the amazing Lisa, and we were joined by fellow Ely Runner, Martin, who has now ran a couple of ultras: Peddars was about to be his furthest distance to date. We and some other Ely Runners gathered nice and early at Knettishall Heath.

Among our group were speedy types, and people who just wanted to do their own thing, which is of course fine. Martin, Lisa and I decided to stick together.

After Kevin (Positive Steps) had delivered the race brief, we were sent on our way. It would be fair to say that we did not adopt as much of a run/ walk/ run strategy as we could have before the first checkpoint; but we were more disciplined than last year in that we had the odd 1 minute walk so that we could eat, and power walk up the slopes. As I said earlier, I felt generally more confident from the outset: the great company and gorgeous countryside definitely helped.

It was during the run after the first checkpoint that our Peddars Instant Messenger chat pinged on our phones, and we got news from fellow Ely Runner, Charlotte that she had felt the need to pull out of the race. Charlotte is an amazing distance runner, who is training for a 100 miler! Peddars was for her, a training run, but, when things go and feel wrong, it takes courage and discipline to know when to cut your losses. I have always found Charlotte to be the voice of common sense; she can clearly apply her calm and logical approach to herself when necessary. We were gutted for her, but she did the right thing.

The checkpoint at Castle Acre is a confidence booster for me. At this stage you have put about 27 miles behind you: it feels good! There is soup at this stage! We decided we would not spend too much time at any of the checkpoints: we agreed that we would enter, refill water bottles, grab food, say thank you and power-walk out before resuming running. It is hard to leave the Castle Acre checkpoint, but we really didn’t hang about! The soup was amazing!

It was on leaving this checkpoint that we took stock of how we were all feeling. As we ran, Lisa told me that an old ankle issue had resurfaced. I asked her how painful it was on a scale of 1 to 10. Lisa said it was about an 8! This says all you need to know about Lisa! Ever smiling, she will not allow something like serious pain to stop her running a further 21 miles having already ran over the marathon distance on muddy, uneven trail! Martin had little to report on the problems front other than some stiffness in his legs. My problems were to make themselves known at around mile 32, at which point we found ourselves at the bottom of a long hill. I had eaten and hydrated very well the day before, and, having recalled the issues I had experienced last year, I snacked well in the early stages of this race. At the checkpoint we had just left, I took full advantage of the amazing soup on offer, I dipped a jam sandwich into mine! It was OK! For whatever reason , as we climbed the hill, I developed tunnel vision, and broke into a serious sweat that seemed unrelated to the effort at hand. I had to eat some fish paste sarnies (don’t judge me), as well as some dry roasted peanuts, and I necked some flat Lucozade. It is hard to tell which of these medicines sorted me out: maybe it was all three, but I recovered swiftly and soon we were on our way again.

Lisa. One of the most calm and positive people to run a long way with!

It would be fair to to say that after 30 miles, things start to get a bit tougher! My feet started to hurt and I had those tell tale bruised and aching feelings under several toenails. My right hamstring started to tighten, no doubt compensating for a very old injury in my left leg. Lisa’s ankle issue persisted, and Martin, still ailment-free until this point, reported feeling some pain in his feet. We pressed on.

Things got a bit trickier here and there from about mile 32 onwards, with the running getting more technical, the tracks muddier and more uneven, and the gloom of the fading daylight making it a bit more of a challenge. The three of us just kept pressing on. We got chatting to several runners, mainly due to the odd thing that happens whereby you keep passing people, only for them to catch you up, and for this to be constantly repeated. One chap we were passing overheard me talking about how much I would love a Snickers Bar (Marathon to those of us old enough to resent the change in name), he went on to produce a bag of chocolate from his pack, which he happily shared with us! Among the selection was the chocolate I wanted! Never has a Snickers/ Marathon tasted better! This chap was anxious about the cut off time; we reassured him that he would make it (he did). Not sure if you will ever read this, Brian, but thank you.

With Martin, a tough and relaxed distance runner.

Checkpoint 3 is at about 34.25 miles in. It is hosted by Bungay Black Dog Running Club. As we approached this point I remembered with fondness the tea, coffee and hot sausage rolls the group of volunteers provides. Enough said – they are amazing! Talking of the Black Dog Crew, we encountered two of them again having not seen them since the June 2019 Norfolk 100K ultra. Jules and Rachel! It was great to see them again!

Great to bump into Jules and Rachel from Bungay Black Dog Runners.

So, the final approximate 14 miles from checkpoint 3: this is where things got tough. Martin, Lisa and I made quite a team by giving each other loads of encouragement. Poor light to pitch black set in very quickly, and with head torches, we pressed on with the tough bit. In order to make sure we kept covering ground, and given the muddy, unstable trail and pitch black conditions, we agreed to bursts of 90 seconds of running, punctuated with power-walks. This worked well. About 5 miles from the coast we hooked up with a lady who was running alone, who decided to stick with our regime until about a mile from the coast.

Before we knew it, we were running the familiar downhill trail with hedges claustrophobically hemming us in from both sides. At this stage you can easily touch the hedges on other side by raising your outstretched arms. Lisa shouted out that she had seen a pair of orange eyes peering back at her through a gap in the hedge; whatever the creature was, if it had given chase, we could not have ran any faster!

When we finished the long narrow path towards Holme-next-the-Sea, we were greeted by glow sticks throughout the village, guiding us to the part of the the race we had been longing for: the run up to the beach.

There was a lovely moment as we headed towards the sea. Martin’s young son, Thomas was running alongside us: his family had travelled via train and bus to be there. It was clear that Martin was elated by this, as it was unexpected! Suddenly we hit sand, and just like last year, we could hear the roar of the sea, and feels its spray, but we couldn’t see it. We all ripped a page each from the book hanging from the post, and took a selfie. It is necessary in this race to remove a page from a book, hanging from a post on the beach; this is presented to race officials back at the Village Hall as proof that you have completed Peddars!

Pages from ripped from the book! We were joined by Martin’s son, Thomas!

The run back to the Village Hall seemed to take forever! We were all hurting, but adrenaline and pure joy had kicked in, blocking out anything that might have stopped us from running.

Eventually we could see the Village Hall ahead and on our left. It was quite a moment when we ran inside and over the chip timing mat on the floor. Just like last year, we were greeted with cheers from the volunteers, and from the runners who had already finished. My mate, Steve was there with our change of clothes, and Ely Runner, Allistair Berry was there volunteering! Steve commented that I was in a much better state than I was at the end of the race last year! I was really pleased to hear this! Medals were presented to us, and then we attacked the beans on toast! The hot mug of tea was amazing. I didn’t care about modesty at this point, I just changed into my track suit there and then (poor people).

Job done.

Allistair Berry, who volunteered at the finish.

At the time of writing, it is the Monday after Peddars. My legs hurt more than they did the day after the race, and my feet and toenails are in a sorry state! I have eaten tons and the hunger is only just easing off! It has all been worth it! See you in 2021, Peddars Way!

ultra running

Thetford Forest 10K Night Run, Thurlow 10 Mile and The Stort30 Ultra.

October 28, 2019October 29, 2019 turtleflea

October has been a silly month. Too many longer distance events all inside four weeks: it won’t happen again. That being said, I have learnt something about myself: I think I am slowly becoming conditioned to the longer runs, as I do not seem to require the recovery (time-wise) that is often quoted for longer runs. For example, I ran the Kings Forest Ultra, and with no running in between, I felt really strong at the Thetford Forest 10K Night Run. Less than a week later I was able to run the Thurlow 10 Mile race, and again, I felt good! Then, just a week later, I ran the Stort30 Ultra, having volunteered as 25 minute pacer at parkrun the day before. The rule of thumb is one thing, and I recognise the need for rest, but, there is a lot to be said for becoming conditioned, and knowing your own body, and what works for you!

Thetford Forest 10K Night Trail

The Thetford Forest 10K Night Trial was special for one main reason: it was Ely Runner Lauren’s return to events for the first time after a long period of injury. Lauren of Girl Running Late fame, has had to endure plantar fasciitis. Lauren might not think this, but she has tackled her injury with patience and self-discipline, at least outwardly: I am sure it has been a bit more complex closer to home. Any way, she was back, and raring to go! Lauren made it clear she was sticking with me, and I made it clear to her that she should not do this given I had ran The Kings Forest Ultra only days before. Once that waffle was out of the way, and we had posed for pics with other Ely Runners, off we set! Lauren was strong from the offset, and in her typical style, she pelted along, occasionally checking I was still there. I am under no illusions that I was faster than I have been before; I know Lauren was taking it easier than usual; but it felt good to cross the line just behind such an amazing runner; with her taking the third lady position; and considering I had ran the Kings Forest Ultra just days before. The Thetford Forest 10K night trail is a really fun race! Do it in 2020!

Thurlow 10

Each year, Haverhill Running Club organise and host the Thurlow 5 and 10: a choice of a 5 or 10 mile race through picturesque Suffolk Countryside, starting and finishing in the village of my childhood: Thurlow.

I first ran this race in 2016, and I know that I will run it every year until I can do so no more. I love the atmosphere, the way Haverhill Running Club encourages everyone, and of course the fact that I get to run through my old stomping ground. It is pure nostalgia for me.

A couple of years back, I agreed to run the event with an old primary school friend, Jacqui. In fact, Jacqui was my girlfriend at that tender age: but she doesn’t like to dwell on this! The first time we ran the Thurlow 10 together we chatted away and took our time. Fast forward to the most recent race: Jacqui and I found ourselves stood next to each other at the start line, and, although we had not agreed to run together, when we set off, we found ourselves running side-by-side and at the same pace. We commented on how we were running too quickly, and then it occurred to me just how fast Jacqui had become over just a couple of years. We stuck together for the whole race, and it is a tough one: undulating – with hills that are long and steady rather than steep. We had a natter, but there was the understanding that we might need to keep quiet when it got tough. We talked way less than we did the first time we ran together, as our pace this time was not at all conducive to conversation!

The race took us from Great Thurlow into Little Thurlow; with bit of trail along the river Stour into the hamlet of Little Bradley; uphill to Noarley Moat Farm and along tracks into the village of Cowlinge. A bit of a loop took us back the way we came until there was a long sweeping downhill back into the Thurlows. I was really pleased to see an old school friend, Neil Mustoe (Haverhill Running Club), who was marshalling out in Cowlinge: what a superb and encouraging gentleman he is.

Speedy Jacqui, having aced the Thurlow 10.

I had a quick think about how I would tell Jacqui how I felt as we both executed a sprint finish. I did not want to sound in any way patronising, so I told her exactly this, and how amazed I was at her progress over the past couple of years. Jacqui seemed chuffed with my observations, but nowhere near as chuffed as she was with her overall pace and race! She really was bloody amazing! Oh, and I won a spot prize! See you again next year, Haverhill Running Club!

Stort30

I then spent just under a week resting. I did my usual parkrun pacing on the Saturday, but other than that, I did nothing: I ran not one step. I went though all kinds of anxieties in the lead up to the Strort30 (a 30 mile trail race in Bishops Stortford along the River Stort). I entered this race ages ago, and all I could think of by the Saturday night before the event was just how many miles-worth of racing I had done so far in October 2019: too many: but I was coping.

I ran this race with fellow Ely Runners, Andrew and Emily. Emily drove us to Bishops Stortford at a silly time in the morning, having laid on a bit of a 90s play list on her car stereo (it was interesting and amusing). We all reminded each other the night before of the fact that the clocks had to go back an hour. The following image should tell you who ballsed up the necessary clock action. I will leave this here….

The Stort30 is a super-friendly and well-organised event laid on by Challenge Running. It incorporates the ‘UK trail Running Championships’ Middle Distance Race; something we become all to aware off when we looked at many of the other runners at the start: there were some serious looking people: the kind of people we knew would see this race as a bit of a walk in the park! All we cared about was finishing, and given this race had half-way and overall cut-off times, this focussed our minds somewhat!

The route was a glorious run along canal and riverside, often on track, but at times on uneven and very muddy footpaths. I loved the slippery mud, Emily hated it, and Andrew, in typical Andrew style wasn’t too fussed either way! There was a generous number of aid/ food stations, staffed by really friendly, chatty and helpful volunteers! One of these stations was home to the self-confessed most-inappropriate volunteers. We won’t go into detail, but they were funny and superb! Emily had in her ultra vest a stash of boiled new potatoes in butter and salt: this made me like her even more than I usually do, and during the whole event I got two potatoes from her!

We agreed on running the first 15 miles and then adopting some kind of run/walk/run strategy on the return (this was an out and back course). The first half went well, although the muddy parts of the river path were really hard work, but the weather was amazing, as were the views! The canal stretches were gorgeous with the quaint locks and gorgeous little cottages.

Half way, and Mr. Scarlett maintains the rabbit ears tradition.

Andrew is pretty understated and matter of fact about all events, although this is not to say he is not enthusiastic, and anyone who knows him well will know he loves a chat! When Andrew wasn’t chatting with Emily and me, he pulled ahead for a while to chat with people ahead of us: legend!

During the longer distance races and training runs I have ran with Emily, I have found her to be superb company, very funny, and at the same time, mercurial in her moods. Emily will tell you just how she is feeling during an ultra, sparing no detail, and unapologetic for her language. It is brilliant! But, it makes me very mindful of how bossy I can be when there is a distance to cover, and especially when there are cut off times to consider! To this end, I carefully dictated the run/walk/run strategy on the return journey, which was, for the best part a 4:1 (four minutes run, one minute walk). This worked well, but I was mindful of how acutely Emily was feeling the eternity of the four and the transiency of the one! I studied Emily’s facial expression and body language carefully before each announcement of a run section. I would not want to give the impression that Emily is in any way unpleasant: far from it, she is lovely! She just wears her heart on her sleeve during ultras! Ultras are tough! I place Emily in with a handful of the very toughest and mentally stubborn people I know. Although equally tough, Andrew is a different creature: whether he found it tough or not, he gave me the impression he had just popped out to post a letter!

The last few miles of this event did drag on somewhat. It was not hilly, but at times it was a technical run, with tree roots and very wet mud on uneven paths. But, we got that usual second wind, and as we approached the finish, the fact that we had to do a lap of a field before the crossing the finish line was made all the more palatable by the fact that there was a still a crowd out, shouting and cheering for us, even though we were among the later finishers in an event that included some fast runners! Crossing the line with Andrew and Emily was amazing, and after a cuppa, a clean up and a hobble back to the car; we found ourselves chuffed with the shirts and medals, but more importantly, happy with what we had shared together.

A special mention should go out to the organisers and volunteers of the Stort30! Brilliant event! Do enter it! I will be in 2020!

What next! Nothing major for a while. I need a period of fewer miles. More another time!

ultra running

The Kings Forest 50K Ultra.

October 14, 2019October 29, 2019 turtleflea

The Kings Forest Ultra (by Positive Steps) deserves a blog entry of its own! I learned a good few things!

From the outset, it must be said, that like all events organised and laid on by Positive Steps, this one was well-organised, the course was well marked-out, the check points were superb, and the marshals and other volunteers were happy and friendly!

The Kings Forest is just a few miles from Bury St Edmunds, and the ultra comprises of two loops taking you to the marathon distance, and then a smaller loop to make the route 31 miles. It is not the most challenging course in the world, but stone and mud paths with regular tree roots and other hazards becomes all the more demanding over a longer distance!

My personal view (I am only a few ultras in now, so I am no expert) is that once a certain distance is covered, and one group of muscles has had it, the gait alters and a new set of muscles gets its turn for a battering: I really felt this during the Kings Forest Ultra! A lot!

Me with Martin Lewis, fellow Ely Runner and ultra mentalist.

Fellow Ely Runner, Martin Lewis and I travelled over to this event together, and it became clear that we would have a stab at the race together. We talked tactics and had a long discussion about run/ walk strategies. We agreed that we both still find that it doesn’t feel right to adopt a run/ walk approach right from the outset, and yet more experienced and superior ultra runners than us use this technique with huge success. We agreed to give it a go. When Martin and I set off, we noted that a fellow Ely Runner (who has completed a huge number of marathons and ultras) was adopting what looked like a 4 minute run/ 1 minute walk approach from the off. A little bit of reading after the event helped me to appreciate just how sensible a run/ walk approach right from the start is. However, Martin and I did not start start run/ walking right way. How rubbish are we!?

The trail was not demanding in terms of hills; it was all pretty flat apart from slight and long inclines and declines. It was clear that Martin loves downhill stretches: he used this to experiment with speed, and it was impressive. I, being a bit of an old fart, use down hill stretches to rest, let my arms hang and to lower the heart rate a bit.

At this point, it should be mentioned that at the start it was a huge boost for me to see fellow Ely Runners: Peter, Lisa and Kyle, who had all volunteered at the event. What amazing people! Martin and I got a huge kick out of seeing them twice at a checkpoint they were stationed at on the big loop. Lisa gave me a packet of Love Heart sweets! She knows I always have them on me at an ultra: she is wonderful, and my main ultra running buddy!

The first loop went well, with Martin and I covering it having executed a decent pace, and with relatively little effort. Things got much tougher as we approached around mile 21 in the second loop. We had well before this stage agreed to adopt a ‘rapid’ mile/ one minute walk strategy, and it really worked! Don’t get me wrong, enough runners had remained ahead of us, and some overtook us, but the speed of our mile sections was rapid, and it meant we overtook people!

We ran and chatted with fellow Ely Runner and Ely Tri Club member, Naomi Course. She, Martin and I talked about triathlons and duathlons for a while. Naomi has a very consistent pace; it was great to meet her!

Martin and I ate well, with him eating better than I did (I still really struggle with eating during ultras, preferring to eat loads in the two days in the lead up). Martin ate his vegetarian wraps and scotch eggs and I plumped for the usual spam sarnies!

Then there was the cheesy feet! A bit like cheese scones, but thin and in the shape of feet! They are a delight, and I have encountered them on the LDWA events only before the Kings Forest!

Like I have said, the second half was tough, with me thinking Martin was dictating the pace, and with him having asked me to organise and time the run/ walk strategy. There is no doubt this was a team effort. We were a superb team. It was a joy to cross the chip timer strip at mile 26, and there was a fair bit of crowd support given we were in a forest! At the mile 26 point, with a 5 mile loop ahead of us, we were feeling good! I necked a whole bottle of Lucozade (flattened the night before and left in my bag in a designated area) and ditched my ultra vest, and off we went! Martin had to bolster me up a few times in the final 5 miles, as I felt my mood dip: we had discussed how we had passed runners who had clearly had enough and were suffering physically and mentally: we were doing OK at this stage!

I had some twinges in my left calf, and this concerned me a lot! But for some reason, the pain moved around my left leg as we progressed through the final loop, as if it my body was sharing its protest, and not allowing one area to take on all of the grief. There was a debate going on in my head at around mile 29, and the side for the prosecution, with the argument that I am an idiot, was winning! Martin was the man when it came to leadership near the end! He reminded me of where we were at mile 30 and just how near we were to finishing. I recall giving him a little push in the small of his back and telling him that I insisted that he went over the finish line before me, and I thought as he pulled away what an amazing runner Martin has become from his beginnings on the Ely Runners Beginners’ course in 2018: he has become a stronger runner than me in many ways, and this sits just right with me. Top bloke.

The finish line was superb, and I had been looking forward to it, as it was time to collect my Grand Slam tankard for completing three Positive Steps ultras in the year. I was greeted at the finish line, presented with my tankard and photographs were taken.

Being presented with the Grand Slam tankard for the Peddars Way 48 miler; the Norfolk 100K and the Kings Forest 50K.

I would like to thank Martin for being a superb running buddy throughout this race: we were both pleased with our performance, and we helped each other out no end.

What next? The Thetford Forest Night Trail, and the superb Thurlow 10 miler! More soon!

trail running, ultra running

The 2019 Flower of Suffolk

October 9, 2019October 29, 2019 turtleflea

I have been looking forward to the 2019 Flower of Suffolk 18 miler ever since the same Ely Runners crew ran the SVP50! Charlotte, Emily and Jon are superb running buddies, and I knew that this event would be a laugh as well putting us through some effort as well as exposing us to some gorgeous countryside.

This particular event, laid on on by the Norfolk & Suffolk LDWA (I think this one was more a result of the efforts of the Norfolk LDWA) was a great route, and we opted for the 18 mile option, perhaps just as well given the weather on the day! There is no way to describe how wet it was, it went from torrential to heavy and back all day: with no breaks.

I am mortified at the error I made in my poor preparation for this event. It rained for a short while at the Ely Tri Club Ultra the week before, so I packed away and zipped up a wet and perhaps slightly sweaty HIGHER STATE waterproof shell/ jacket, and left it in the boot of my car. I decided to open it in the car on the way to the Flower of Suffolk: the aroma was far from pleasant, and way from flower-like. I am not sure Charlotte, Jon and Emily will ever get over it. I discovered small patches of mould inside the jacket: it was not good. I am ashamed. Rookie error.

We rocked up at Walberswick Village Hall (on the Suffolk Coast) nice and early, but we were still a few minutes late as poor Jon had had to negotiate the most treacherous of driving conditions; so bad that on the way there we got to the stage where we all felt that the event must have been cancelled. On arrival, we hurriedly made ourselves known to the friendly organisers, and once given our checkpoint cards, we were away. I had little choice but to wear the horrid jacket, but we were soon to discover that the weather, and even worse smells would soon neutralise the offence I had caused so far.

We stood in the porch of the Village Hall for ages, discussing the route, swearing about the rain and setting up watches: I know these were all delay tactics! None of us could believe the state of the weather; and we all knew it was going to be like this for the duration. Off we set!

It was hard not to be introspective, to look at the ground just in front of us, and to deny the distance we had to cover in such conditions. Very early on, I recall commenting to Jon that were it not for the rain, taking a little look round would confirm that it was a gorgeous route. Jon was not ready for such positivity! I felt that maybe in some way he blamed me for us all being there in the pouring rain: it was in fact Emily’s fault this time!

The route took as along the edge of the Dunwich Forest, and for a while just inside it. The path around and the through the Forest was challenging in that it was undulating, and at times we were just below knee level in water. The route was not coping with the sudden amount of rain. After a while, we gave up avoiding the really deep stretches of water, and ran through them: you can’t get wetter than wet!

We had the sea to our left for the first half of the route, and although we only got glimpses of it, when we did, it was amazing! Loud, rough and scary to see! At a few points along the route were pig farms, higher up than us and flooding into our path! This made for interesting and smelly wading at several points!

We had some great chats with staff at the aid stations! It was raining very heavily at the first check point, with the poor volunteers holding onto the marquee/ tent shelter, as it was threatening to blow away! At another aid station, we perhaps outstayed our welcome and ate a lot of date balls (amazing); crisps and fruit. The aid station of the day was being looked after by brilliant people with amazing Norfolk accents, who had prepared home-made jam and butter on brioche: we could not leave it alone! We liberated a lot of the food at this station!

I have tried to identify a ringleader for depths of inappropriateness to which we plummeted ‘conversation-wise’ during this run: I could point to Charlotte, but I am not sure that would be fair, as we all covered subject matter that shocked one another, and maybe ourselves, but it certainly helped us get through what would have been, on any other day a pretty straightforward 18-miler. But, due to the very challenging conditions, we were on our feet for a long time and we needed to get each other through it.

Controversial subject matter (and singing 90s House Music to each other) got us through it. Emily reminded me of ‘Smart E’s Sesame’s Treet (by singing it whilst running through pigs’ slurry). I love her for this, and for throwing me back to 1992, just for a few moments!

For me, the stretch at the end was the highlight: we were on the beach, and the sea was crazy! We all managed a final push back into the Village Hall, to discover the whole floor had been ‘tarped’ and the kitchen as laying on tea as well as beans on toast with grated cheese! We all ate and drank whilst quietly steaming, before posing for a photo and then using the very small toilets to get changed into dry track suits: let’s just say Jon and I got to know each other a little better, and we laughed” a LOT!

What an amazing, low-key, friendly and well-organised event by the Norfolk & Suffolk LWDA. I do hope Charlotte, Emily and Jon have another stab at this in 2020! I will be; and I almost hope for rain!

Round Norfolk Relay, ultra running

Round Norfolk Relay and The Ely Tri Club Ultra Marathon

October 2, 2019October 29, 2019 turtleflea

The 2019 Round Norfolk Relay

My last blog entry covered a bit of a disastrous training run on Devil’s Dyke in Cambridgeshire: I am pleased to start this entry with what I regard as a successful contribution to my club’s entry in the 2019 Round Norfolk Relay (RNR). This will be offset by an enjoyable but far from straightforward Ely Tri Club Ultra (more on that later).

Within my running club is a small, dedicated team, who’s task it is to put together and organise runners for each leg of this popular relay event. Back when the team was being put together, it seemed like a great idea to take on leg number 12: the longest stetch at 19.67 miles. The time to actually run it came round very quickly, and the nerves really kicked in; much more than usual. I suspect this is because of the awareness of the efforts of team mates covering the other legs of the race. Not only this: leg 12 is the longest, it requires a steady and rapid pace (not power walking up hills as in ultra marathons), and it has to be started at about half past midnight with support from team members following you in a van.

Given I have three young sons, who I could not expect to keep quiet while I tried to sleep during usual hours, I decided to sleep at my parent’s home on the Saturday afternoon, having already volunteered as a steady pacer at Littleport parkrun that morning. I am not overly keen on going to bed at night, let alone during the day, so I did not get a lot of sleep, but, given my Mum was involved, I got fed very well!

Fast forward to 22:30 hours on the Saturday night, I found myself in my car in a field in Scole, on the Norfolk/ Suffolk border. There were other runners around already, and some friendly RNR volunteers to chat with. I sat and used my iPhone to check the progress of the Ely Runners in the legs just before me, and then I jogged the first mile of my leg, just to check that I knew the way out of Scole before the long, straight stretch of around 16 miles.

It wasn’t long before Ely Runners volunteers, Caroline and Michelle showed up to reassure me, and to transport my car to the end of my leg. Even though we had a fair wait until it was time for the baton to be handed over to me, it came along quite quickly. I was expected to finished my leg with a time of 2:57:02, requiring of me a constant 9-minute mile pace over just under 20 miles. Fellow Ely Runner (and Michelle’s hubby), Allistair run down the road towards me (looking very strong), handed to me the baton, and I was off, with the van following just behind me.

Me running leg 12 of the RNR. The blurring was not caused by my speed.

The support van following me was being driven by Ely Runners, James and Andy, and in the back was Lisa (who I ran Peddars Way and the Norfolk 100 with). They made it clear I should gesture if I needed anything, and apart from me asking for a drink three times, and for the occasional chat and word of support from them, they left me to it.

I was running under 9 minute miles from the off, and I put this down to a fast start (as is often the case), but, it turned out I had sub-9 minute miles in me all the way! I did NOT expect this, and although I got overtaken by plenty of leg 12 competitors, it was a great feeling for me to overtake a couple of runners! The middle part of the race felt good, with me knocking out my fastest pace. Running at night in the cool suited me, and as I don’t really do loneliness, and like solitary running, the dark and quiet was just fine. The last couple of miles was tough given I had been pushing myself, but once I could see fellow Ely Runner, Matthew, waiting for the baton, I managed a sprint finish. James handed me my medal, and the van disappeared, following a rapid Matthew!

Caroline was at Thetford, the end of my leg, to give me a hug (poor lady – I was really quite sweaty) and to hand me my car keys.

The drive home was interesting: I had pushed this race hard, and I had completed it inside my predicted time (just). I was very dehydrated, and I necked a lot of water during a steady drive home. I pulled over twice in Newmarket to vomit by the roadside. When I got home I snuck indoors and got into the bed in the spare room, with the cold shivers. It took me just under a week to properly recover. It was a performance I was happy with, even if it did hurt! Special thanks to the Ely Runners organisers/ van support and club volunteers, as well as the other leg runners. I can’t wait for the 2020 RNR, but I do not want leg 12 again!

The 2019 Ely Tri Club Ultra Marathon

I really did prepare for the 41 mile Ely Tri Club Ultra. I slept well, ate sensibly and hydrated adequately for 24 hours in the lead up to the event. The race was from outside Ely Cathedral to not far from Jesus Green in Cambridge (and back the same way). I was pleased to be running this event with ultra buddy, Lisa, and fellow Ely Runner, Martin (his first ultra).

It all started off just fine after a natter with various marshals and fellow runners; if not a tad too quickly for my liking. I noticed that it was not that far after we left Ely and headed along the river that a couple of people had adopted a very early run/ walk strategy. There is nothing wrong with that: am a well aware of how superbly it can work and how quickly distances can be covered with this approach. We did not take this approach until the second half of the race, and we got to Cambridge and the half way point (20.5 miles) pretty quickly, having stopped only briefly at the superb aid stations. It should be noted that Ely Tri Club, who have just taken this race on, organised it amazingly: the marshals were caring; funny and attentive; the course was well-marked out and the aid stations were plentiful and generously stocked. Martin was great company (as expected), and Lisa, who I am now quite used to, was predictably smiley, reassuring and enthusiastic. The weather on this run oscillated between exposed sun, and heavy rain, with a pretty constant wind (in our faces on the way out). It was OK.

Things started to go a little wrong towards the end of the first half: I could feel aching around the site of an old leg break. I have had some metal work in my left tibia for over 20 years now. It does not play up often, but when it does, it really can slow me down. This time, it was not about to go away, and this, coupled with some low-level nausea from overindulgence in full fat coke, placed a dark cloud over me for a good proportion of the second half.

With Ely Runners, Lisa and Martin at the start of the Ely Tri Club Ultra

I noted at between 33 and 35 miles, Martin started to question the sanity of running this far. If this was him edging into the mental struggles that arise on ultras, he was very dignified and calm about it. I had started to complain regularly and quite openly, with a marked deterioration in my language. As usual, Lisa, who also struggled in the second half, had positive things to say and kept feeding us doses of that smile! When there was around 5 miles to go, Martin made it clear that a run/walk approach this close to the end was no longer for him, as he wanted it to over and done with: with that he pulled away. About two miles from the finish, Lisa announced that she had got a second wind, and she also pulled ahead. Although I did not have it in me to keep up with Lisa (my knee and my guts would not permit it), Lisa being slightly in front of me did keep me going, especially given I could see two other runners in the distance behind me. I decided I wanted to keep them there. Cherry Hill in Ely is the last thing you want at the end of a 41 mile ultra, but once at the top and through The Porta, it felt amazing to run along The Gallery and left to the finish on Palace Green.

Look closely. Martin at the end of the road not far from Wicken Fen.

The Ely Tri Club team and volunteers really made a fuss of us at the end, and they looked after me given how wobbly I was as I approached their tent. I was given a deck chair and a drink and I was watched for a few minutes. What a superb event! What superb running buddies! A huge congratulations to Martin for his first ultra performance in tough conditions!

Like an idiot, I have the Flower of Suffolk 18 miler just a week after the Ely Tri Ultra, then the Kings Forest Ultra: we shall see.

trail running, ultra running

Wibbly Wobbly Log Jog; RunNorwich 10K; Plogging; a couple of awards and the Stour Valley Path 50K ultra!

August 11, 2019October 29, 2019 turtleflea

A lot has occurred since the last blog! Parkruns; a couple of Kevin League Races; coaching the amazing Ely Runners Beginners and general training. Among all of this, two awards for work around inclusive approaches on the beginners’ course as well as promotion of access to parkrun for people with a learning disability and/ or autism. The first was the Ely Heroes ‘Sporting Hero’, which I won having been nominated by the amazing Lauren girlrunninglate and then, winner of the Eastern Region of the England Athletics Inclusion Awards; nominated by the amazing Natalie Andrews. All very flattering and a little surprising! One of the most touching aspects of these awards was the Ely Runners Coaches and current beginners rocking up to the awards to surprise me!

Resplendent in sash with my nominator, Lauren, and surprised by the Ely Runners Coaches and current beginners!

Back to running! The Wibbly Wobbly Log Jog might be THE event of the year! The race is hugely popular and takes runners through winding and undulating forest trail at High Lodge. It’s so much fun that it’s hard to describe! Just do it some day!

Ely Runners at the annual Wibbly Wobbly Log Jog. Note the double rabbit ear.

I had my fourth stab at RunNorwich 10K, it’s another favourite of mine, and a big event. There’s a tough hill in this one, with amazing crowd support and a great medal! Do try this one!

I was introduced to plogging recently. I feel guilty that I hadn’t heard of it before. Fellow Ely Runner, Shaun grabbed a few Ely Runners and we ran/ jogged a brief route on the outskirts of Ely whilst picking up litter, which Shaun then went on to recycle. This was a satisfying experience, we had a laugh and managed to clear a lot of litter! It is rather a shame that plogging is necessary, but I did win the strangest item of the plog having discovered a peeled boiled egg! We will be plogging again soon!

I had been so looking forward to the Stour Vally Path 50K Ultra marathon as it was due to be the first ultra for fellow Ely Runners, Jon and Emily. I had arranged to run it with them: they have both trained so hard and shown pure determination in their approach. So there now follows an account of the event, with plenty of pics! With permission from Jon and Emily, it is ‘warts and all’!

It was quite a journey to get to the start having dropped a car off at the end of the route, and it was great to see Ely Runner, Charlotte at registration. Having registered and as we waited to start I sensed some nerves and anticipation from Jon, while Emily organised herself, clearly uncomfortable at having to do so really close to the off! Eventually we were all herded off to the start.

From the offset it was clear how stunning the Suffolk countryside is along the Stour Valley Path; being a Suffolk boy, I know some of the area, and it being hilly was no surprise to me. Jon and Emily did not expect the hills to be as sudden and steep as they were! We hit a good few climbs, and we used the perfectly acceptable ultra approach of power walking them, often adopting the hands pushing on quads and knees technique.

Coach Emily demonstrating the hands pushing on quads approach to powering up hills. Perfect! The cow to the right approves!

It would be fair to say that although Emily and Jon enjoyed their first ultra, it was a strange kind of ‘enjoyed’: both of them longed for the first aid station, and there was much grumbling about the hills. As I was there in the capacity of support and encouragement, I had to read them both carefully to judge when pushing just became annoying: Jon only insulted me and told me to ++++ off a few times, and as for Emily, I was more wary of her, and took silence as a sign to ease off a bit. Later in the event, they both told me that they had appreciated the approach, which I was really pleased to hear. The first aid station was at mile 11, and it really was the most amazing oasis! I have to say that the food was the best I have encountered at an event: they laid on boiled new potatoes rolled in crushed rock salt! We all ate a little too much at this point! Emily clearly felt better at having reached this milestone, and her mood visibly lifted. Off we went!

The Stour Vally Path crews laid on very friendly aid stations, with amazing food! They could not do enough for us! I avoided the eggs, as much as I wanted them!

Leaving the first aid station was tough, and we faffed about a bit too much to avoid the inevitable, but we were rewarded with even more beautiful countryside as we progressed. It was during this stage that Jon rather poetically commented “I think it was round here that Constable painted all his sh*t”: beautiful.

Moving on to section leading to the aid station at around mile 26, Emily started to struggle mentally: she was a little tearful and could not see this particular check point soon enough. I had been encouraging them to run on the flats and downhill, and leading slow runs where it was favourable. Mood-wise, Emily really picked up at the aid station, as she knew it was only a matter of 4.5 to 5 miles to go!

A certain amount of relief, with Jon wanting it to be over, and Emily close to meltdown before the final aid station: this pic is deceiving!

The final push saw a total change in Emily, who took the lead in initiating the run sections, so I backed off a bit. Jon became more chatty and less resentful at my pushing, and we covered this final section pretty rapidly: the dark had set in and we used head torches to work our way through the final sheep-filled fields and onto the finish, which was marked out with ribbons and glow sticks.

There was a short run into Cattawade before we spotted Charlotte, who had ran amazingly! She trotted along with us to the finish, which was emotional given how relieved and happy Jon and Emily looked. There was an amazing women handing out the medals, who administered hugs, whether they were wanted or not: this was superb! Emily was visibly moved, whereas Jon was more reserved, until things sank in on the way home, when he admitted to feeling a little emotional. It was a joy to see them finish what was a tough 31 miles of trial.

Ultra events make you think; they put you through a range of emotions, and they test you much more mentally than they do physically. So what next? The Kings Forest Ultra in October!

Emily and Jon, well done, and Charlotte, thank you!

More later.

100K, trail running, ultra running

The big day! The 2019 Norfolk 100K ultra marathon!

June 25, 2019October 29, 2019 turtleflea

I had to leave it a couple of days before describing my completion of the Norfolk 100K ultra: for two reasons. Firstly, I was too wiped out to write straight away, and secondly, I just did not know how I was going to write about it. It was so intense, so physically and mentally demanding, and so crazy, that I needed a few days to process it. I have decided that my account of the event needed to be ‘warts and all’, as some horrible stuff can happen during and after ultras, and what’s the point in logging only the positives? So here goes.

The lead up.

In the lead up, I decided to lay off the beer for a few days and hydrate well; I tried to eat sensibly (a challenge for me as I eat anything and everything); I tapered a bit, and was generally sensible. Fellow Ely Runner, Lisa, the same athlete who ran Peddars Way with me in January 2019, was running the Norfolk 100K with me, and she is a camping nerd! Lisa’s thing for tents worked in my favour, as I could tap into her excitement at the idea of camping over within just 5 minutes walk from the end of the race! We decided to camp the night before and the evening after the event. Lisa organised and provided everything! All I had to do was provide my ultra kit, a sleeping bag and pillow, and pick her up on the Friday! Result! Having taken a day’s annual leave, I collected Lisa in the middle of the Friday, we packed the car and off we went to lovely Beeston!

On arrival at Beeston, Lisa had to take charge, as I know nothing about camping/ tent erection etc. Within a very short time, we were sorted, and I was impressed with our view from the tents!

Among Lisa’s impressive camp kit was a fridge, and in this fridge, other than sausages, black pudding, bacon etc, was beer! This I struggled with a little; it was tough to have set up camp right by the sea and not sit and drink beer, but we didn’t! Lisa’s husband had prepared spag bol for us, so we got that down us, and had just a half glass of calming red wine. Beer would have to wait until after the event!

We decided to stretch our legs a little as the coast was so gorgeous where we were camped. We were right next to a high point on the cliffs known locally as ‘Beeston Bump’. We walked over it with a couple of Bungay Black Dog Running Club members we bumped into: Jules and Rachel. They were superb company and very funny; and the walk over the bump was gorgeous. Lisa and I were to find out the next evening how much it was possible to hate the Beeston Bump!

With Jules and Rachel from the Bungay Black Dog Running Club.

Jules and Rachel had a rather superb camper van, and they offered to get us to the place where a bus would take us to the start in the morning; so, after food, and a night’s sleep drifting off to the sound of the sea, the day arrived to tackle the Norfolk 100K ultra! We had to get up at 0400hrs! Yes, 0400hrs! There’s stuff I need to have done before I run! I am not one of these people who rocks up at a race without showering; and I like to have used the toilet and eased into the morning. We got ready swiftly, and we had checked the mandatory kit, read and re-read the race rules and laid everything out ready the night before. Soon we were in the camper van, and ferried to the point where a bus was taking loads of us to the start! It was still silly o’clock in the morning, and loads of ultra runners were looking nervous and tired. Many were trying to eat: no-one looked like they wanted to. I had forced down a bowl of cereal, a banana and a biscuit; at 0430!

We got to Castle Acre to register and had a brief from Kevin of Positive Steps. We were then told about the check point at mile 45: this went on to haunt me for a huge chunk of the event. The deal was that runners had to be there by 1800hrs. Also, if marshals felt that someone looked unwell/ unable to carry on, they would be pulled from the race! No pressure then! We were herded to the start line, counted down and sent on our way!

Castle Acre, up to the Coast and to Beeston! 62 miles!

The enormity of covering 62 miles is something I had carefully filed in a place in my head that is designed to protect me from horrible thoughts. But I could not get over this cut off point at mile 45: Lisa kept trying to reassure me, but I felt this was on the tight side for new/ inexperienced ultra runners like myself. The early parts of race were fine, and we experienced no problems other than me feeling quite thirsty despite my hydration efforts the day before and my use of Tailwind in my bottles. Lisa and I worked as a team, reminding each other to eat, and to follow the example of experienced ultra runners, and power-walk the hills and make up time running on flat and downhill sections. The trail, was stunning throughout.

The first 32 miles: hot, humid and cloudy.

The first 32 miles was hot, humid and cloudy, and sweat was not evaporating from our bodies. I has used my Tailwind correctly and replaced it in my topped up water bottles at the first check point: despite this, I was experiencing serious hydration issues: with a constant thirst I simply couldn’t seem to satiate. To make matters worse, my efforts at eating were being thwarted by a dry mouth, leaving me struggling to swallow food but able to chew it for ages. Small sips of water helped a little. Lisa was bearing up better than I was. Then disaster struck and Lisa took a tumble, almost certainly due to fatigue kicking in caused by the heat, leaving her not lifting her feet as high as she should. She broke her fall like a pro, but still hit her face on the trail. Despite this, she got right up, made no fuss and we carried on.

Right after a serious fall, and STILL smiling!

I didn’t tell her at the time, but Lisa’s fall and how I felt at mile 32 seemed to be a green light for negative thoughts; I went on to have a long dark period during the run. We both had mentioned that we might go quiet, and we both understood what this meant. Instead of feeling pleased with the distance we had covered at just over half way, the distance ahead weighed heavily on my mind. I have never entertained not finishing a race: for the first time ever I went over this in my head, but it seemed impossible to me for so many reasons, so I plugged on, in silence, other than when we decided to communicate when to power walk slopes and when to resume running. We kept using the check points (there was a generous number of them) and I kept worrying about mile 45. In fact, we arrived at mile 45 well within the cut off point! But I was really worried about the possibility of being pulled from the race, as I was not doing well at all. I sat in the shade of a parked car and necked some full fat Coke like it was the last drink on earth. The marshals did not seem concerned about me, but I snuck off behind some cars further away and experienced quite a spectacular vomiting session. I composed myself and approached a concerned looking Lisa; who asked if I was OK. I gestured that we should set off again, and, with another 17 miles to cover, I explained what had happened and my fear of being pulled from the race. Things got really tough! Lisa had another fall and this time her mouth hit the trail, causing some bleeding. This caused Lisa some concern and it knocked her confidence a little. But nothing stops Lisa!

The coastal part of the run was enjoyable just because this part of the Norfolk Coast is so gorgeous. Castle Acre to the Coast is amazing also, but we had ran it before and knew what to expect. The coastal wind masked the sun burn though, as I was to find out the next day: I didn’t apply enough top ups of the factor 50! Lisa was continuously looking longingly at the sea: she wanted to get in it, and several times she ran in to cool her feet and legs. I was pretty sure my feet were ruined by now, I just wanted to keep them as they were!

I continued to struggle with hydration. Despite drinking Tailwind solution, for some reason I craved full fat coke; it is all I could think about, and it is all I necked at each check point. My ability to eat tailed off so that all I could do is pop a Love Heart Sweet between my teeth and cheek and hope that might help. Lisa was doing better than me on the food front.

My state of mind as we approached around 54 miles is hard to describe: thinking about how much I was suffering only moved aside to allow in other nasty intrusive thoughts; some related to the run and some not. I entertained the idea that I am not designed for ultra running and should give it and running up as soon as I got home; I thought about my three sons and their worries; all very real to them; I thought about war; work problems; the chances of dropping dead any second; I thought about my amazing long-suffering wife; and I thought about what would have happened if Lisa had knocked herself out when she fell in the middle of nowhere. I thought about stuff I can’t write about, and I cried. I have my dark moments at the best of times, but this experience really pushed me into a horrible place; so when we got to a concrete shelter marking the check point before the Shingle Beach, I necked a Coke and snuck round the back, sat down on the shingle and sobbed. When I went back to the marshals a male ultra runner walked over and gave me a huge hug, and then so did Lisa. I am not a huggy person really, but these physical gestures helped! A marshal told me to drink simple cold water: I did so, it was bliss! There then followed a few miles of shingle beach: just what I did not need when feeling emotionally and physically broken. This beach was very hard to run on, I had a go, but it was not going to happen, and as Lisa and I looked at the line of ultra runners way out in front of us, and those coming up behind us, we realised that they were all power walking – without exception. So we power-walked it, and it seemed to be a perpetual beach: it went on and on!

Cley next the Sea, and our happy smiles were diminishing! But that bloody monkey was happy enough!

I noticed something on the Shingle Beach: runners were chatting, joking and helping each other, pulling each other up over shingle dunes in order to find easier routes, and laughing off the sheer distance to the end of the section. It was quite touching; but it was all I could find that was positive at this stage despite an enchanting location, right on the sea in amazing weather. Lisa and I knew that we had some tough Cliffside hills to combat once we got off the beach. For some reason my mood lifted, and it was so sudden it caught me by surprise. We left the beach and felt overjoyed to be on track and grass again, and I led the way as we ran and approached the first of some hills just 4 miles or so from the end. These hills were tough, and they forced us to use the ultra running technique of power-walking up them whilst pushing our hands on our quads. There was a bit of a run along the coast in Beeston before approaching Beeston Bump itself. At this stage we had put the head torches on.

Tough cliff paths leading to the 63m high Beeston Bump. Right near the end!

Darkness happened very suddenly, and Lisa I found that we had ran ahead of the group we were with on the Shingle Beach, which gave me quite a boost! We ran down the other side of Beeston Bump, and we could see glow sticks showing us the way to the finish. We went over a pedestrian railway crossing and then heard and saw a marshal along a dark narrow lane; she called out for us to follow her and she directed us across a field. Lisa and I held hands and ran across the field towards the finish funnel.

Lisa, happy and me with the ‘ultra stare’.

Kevin was there and shouted ‘well done’, then we were handed medals and shirts. Lisa was given her Grand Slam tankard for completing three Positive Steps ultras…..and we sat down. No crying, no laughing, no hugs, just sitting down. Lisa went and got a full English Breakfast from the table behind us, and I drank a lot of Coke! A lady put a tartan rug over me, I can only assume I looked about 95 years old. It was over, and we made the painful walk back to the camp site.

I thought I might leave the blog here, on a positive: we ran 62 miles! But no: I did say ‘warts and all’. I decided I must shower before drinking beer. It was about now that pain, no doubt until now shielded by adrenaline and other such wonderful chemicals, began to make an appearance. All was clearly not well in personal areas, and I knew that I had not topped up the anti-chaffing cream. Something felt very wrong along the padded parts of the soles of my feel before the toes. I had already lost my left big toe at Peddars, but something was now amis with the right one. My shoulders were killing me. I went to the campsite showers with a bin bag (to dump everything in), shower gel, a towel and a track suit. Undressing was hard, and I was grateful no-one else was in the shower area. I looked in the mirror at my reflection and didn’t really recognise the chap staring back at me: I was covered in dirt, sweat, rubbed and bloody areas and with quite a serious case of sunburn. My pants and socks were full of blood and I noticed my mouth tasted of blood. The shower was bliss and agony! I hobbled back to the tent ready for a beer and a chat with Lisa. Her tent was zipped up and a dim light illuminated the interior. I asked her if she was OK and she didn’t answer. There then followed a dilema: should I accept she had crashed and leave her alone, or should I open the tent if she didn’t answer (risking seeming weird). I quickly messaged a fellow female Ely Runner and explained the dilema: I was advised that I was to open the tent and check at once and tell Lisa she had told me to do so. Lisa was not in there. Phew! This meant she was showering. When Lisa emerged we both had a laugh at the state we were in and we retired to our respective tents, Lisa with wine and me with a beer. I slept very well!

The next morning we went and showered again and Lisa cooked a proper fry up! Bloody hero! I washed up and we took the tents down. The drive home felt much longer than it was, I was shattered and needed to go steady. Lisa was soon dropped home and I got myself back to Ely. When I got home I struggled to get out of the car. One of my sons hugged me and I blubbed again!

Over the past few days I have eaten like every meal is my last and all I can think about is food! I rested on Sunday, and had a gentle jog with the Ely Runners Beginners on Monday evening. This felt surprisingly good!

This part of my blog should close with a few words about Lisa. One of the things I have noticed about all of the Ely Runners I have met is huge mental strength, even among those people who do not see it in themselves. Lisa is among that group, and one of the toughest people I know; she dusted herself down after two nasty falls at distances that would beat many people; she always put me and others first; she made sure my camping experience was a memorable one, and she made 62 miles look easy! I am very grateful to her.

That’s all for now. Next? The Stour Vally Path 50K in August!

Category: ultra running

The 2020 Stour Valley Path 50K Ultra Marathon.

Peddars Way 48 Mile Ultra Marathon revisited!

Thetford Forest 10K Night Run, Thurlow 10 Mile and The Stort30 Ultra.

The Kings Forest 50K Ultra.

The 2019 Flower of Suffolk

Round Norfolk Relay and The Ely Tri Club Ultra Marathon

Wibbly Wobbly Log Jog; RunNorwich 10K; Plogging; a couple of awards and the Stour Valley Path 50K ultra!

The big day! The 2019 Norfolk 100K ultra marathon!