I gave myself last week off from the newsletter, it was my birthday and I was still recovering!
A week on I’m probably viewing the run far more positively!
It was a big reminder that in life you can prepare as well as you like but you can never control everything. Difficult as that is to accept, it’s also what makes life interesting!
Going into the run I was really looking forward to giving it a proper go. I’d trained as well as I could, and whilst the main target was just to complete the distance. I really wanted to get a decent time too. It all began well enough.
It was really cool starting at midnight, doing some big climbs in the dark and
seeing the sunrise. It was a scorcher of a day (it got up to 34 degrees) but up until about 50km I was feeling good and ticking along well.
But then I really started struggling with my stomach.
I’ll save you the details but essentially I couldn’t manage food so mainly relied on cola to at least get some calories. Then my feet started to really bother me.
I think maybe the combo of the heat making them swell, and the terrain. The descents in particular were agony. My heels blistered up badly, then my forefeet. By the end I could only really manage a kind of jog on the flat if it was easy
underfoot.
So the last 20 odd miles was very slow going.
Really demoralising because like I say, I wanted to do the run justice and get a good time. Plus it seemed to take forever to get to the end!!!
With a bit of time to reflect though, it’s been such a positive experience.
In terms of fitness I felt really good, even in the heat. So all the training worked. And though the sun made it tough, the scenery was absolutely stunning! I forced myself to look up and try to enjoy it!
My mate had a different perspective on how things went which I really liked.
He said that I’ve learnt more about myself as a result of it not going the way I wanted than if it had all gone as planned and I’d achieved a good time. I think this is a great way of looking at it.
Once I’d accepted I wasn’t getting the time I wanted, there was no way I wasn’t finishing.
And I am proud that I was able to refocus, endure the frustration and discomfort and keep going.
I’d written some letters on my hand before I started.
MP for Make Progress OMS for One More Step
The letters got smudged and more faint but looking at those vague letters, in particular OMS was hugely powerful in helping me to keep going. It stopped me overthinking how far I had to go. It helped manage the anxiety of IF I could actually finish. And reminded me of what I could control in the moment.
On a number of occasions I glanced at my hand, saw OMS and asked myself if I could take another step. Each time the answer was of course yes, so I did, and then another.
It’s not only helpful in endurance running, it’s also something I’ll use in normal life too.
When you’re struggling and overcome with anxiety and overwhelm, sometimes just reminding yourself to take action and take the next step is the most powerful thing you can do.
So as you can see, it was quite the physical and mental challenge. But a hugely rewarding one.
And I owe a huge thank to everyone who donated.
Thinking about all the people who had sponsored me was a massive driver to keep going too!
As it stands we’ve raised over £2000 which is incredible!
