100 number one. The Thames Path 100.
Before:
I entered this race after a place came up when I was on the waiting list. My only other hundred at that point had been the Cotswold Way 100. I didn't have any races other than the UTMB planned for 2014, mostly because my job doesn't allow much forward planning, so I was really excited when a place came up. I was also really nervous as my training since the Green Man ultra was mainly focused on the VLM which was 3 weeks before the TP100. I had aimed for a sub 3hr time, and failed by 2 minutes. Still,3hr02mins, a PB. The week and weekend following the VLM I stepped up my distance, finishing with a back to back 20/15. The next week I put in a couple of 10s and the weekend before the TP100 I did 12/13 (incorporating the Plymouth half marathon in a less-than impressive time!). I hate short fast runs. Finally, the weekend of the TP100 arrived! I was working the day before and had to catch the train up to London after work. I didn't get to my accomodation until past 11pm, but managed to get a 6 hour solid sleep in and arrive at the start in time to get a coffee and chill out for a bit.
During:
I had no concept of the pace I should start at for this terrain and as a result I set off way too fast. During the first 11 miles I managed to get lost with a group of guys, which made me panic and run even faster to try to get back to the path. I'm not sure of my splits, but I know I reached 22 feeling less than top form. One of the things I remember about the Cotswold was how comfortable I felt even into 60-odd miles. This was not the case on the TP100! By the fourth checkpoint my quads were already hurting. By the 50 mile point they were screaming, and I was already having to stop to walk for short periods. Not good. My sister-in-law and her husband were waiting for me at the 63 mile checkpoint, and I tried to be as cheery as possible, but I was dreading the remaining distance.
The first half of this race was a bit uncomfortable. The second half was pure agony and has become a blur of pain and sickness in my head. I also got cold overnight as the temperature dropped to around 2 degrees, which made the pain even worse. It was a nightmare. I only have 3 or 4 distinct memories: After Streatley I hooked up with a guy who was also suffering. He had a pacer with him and they were doing 1min running 30 secs walking. I joined them for a bit, which was a lovely ray of light in a long dark night. At Wallingford it was pub-chucking-out time, and I got trailed by a group of tipsy excitable girls for about half a mile. They were chattering on about how amazing I was, how they couldn't believe what I was doing, they were really really encouraging, but all I could think was 'leave me ALONE!!' I was so miserable I couldn't deal with their lovely cheeriness. (After the race I considered going back to Wallingford and sticking up some posters saying thanks to those girls!). At the 85 mile checkpoint I was convinced I was going to burst into tears on the shoulder of one of the marshals. For some reason I didn't. I was probably too tired!
I finished the TP100 in just under 20 hours (19.57). I was first lady, and had broken the 20 hour mark, but I was less than impressed with myself and my body. So much pain for a not-too-amazing time! I spent the day following the race hobbling very slowly around oxford. It was 3 days before I could walk properly again, and I sustained a knee injury which seriously restricted my running for the following few weeks.
100 number two. The South Down Way 100:
Before.
When I got back home from the TP100 I was so annoyed with myself that I wanted to enter another 100 immediately. I didn’t want the memory of that second 50 miles to be with me too long, and knew I’d need a better experience to replace it. I saw that the waiting list for the SDW100 was open, so I added my name and about a week later I got an email offering me a place. At this point I was struggling to run at all due to my knee injury and the race was only about 3 weeks away, but I was feeling optimistic so I signed up. The week prior to the SDW100 I had the Dartmoor discovery – 32 miles of hilly road around Dartmoor. I thought this would be the perfect tester run to check out the knee situation. I did steady run, falling around 15 minutes short of the time I would have intended had I been racing, but my knee held out! So, all set for the 100! On the day before the race I finished work a bit early, and my husband drove me up to Winchester. On our way we drove through a massive thunderstorm rolling across Salisbury plain. I was now getting quite excited, because I love running in cool wet weather, and was hopeful that the storm would clear the muggy heat of the past week.
During:
I went into the SDW100 knowing that there were a few GB girls running, which I felt took the pressure off me, as I had no intention to try to race those girls!! Starting out I was nervous because of the pain I experienced during the TP100. I was also a little worried about my knee holding out especially on the downhill stretches. I tried to settle into a slow swinging rhythm. I ran for a while with a group of girls, one of whom I recognised as Karen Hathaway who I met at the green man ultra. I also ran for a bit with a nippy lass who I later realised was Sharon Law. I pulled ahead a little way into the run because I prefer to run uphill than to walk. I spent the rest of the race expecting them to overtake me again.
The journey to the 27 mile checkpoint was a bit tough. I ached a little and felt a bit lethargic. But after 27 something seemed to kick in, and I became comfortable in my stride, my energy levels picked up. You know you’re built for ultras when your second wind doesn’t come until after the marathon point! I was feeling so cheerful that I picked a handful of flowers to give to my husband who was at the next checkpoint, and tucked one jauntily behind my ear while thinking ‘This is what running should be about!’
During the Cotswold way and the TP100 I had tended to linger at checkpoints. This time I tried to be in and out of them fairly fast. I did stop for a bit at 32 miles though, because they had jelly and icecream! I also stopped to give my husband his (now slightly wilted) flowers, and to top up on gels. I also drank a lot of orange juice! I was trying my hardest not to run out of fuel, knowing that I’d feel queasy later on.
I knew that the 50 mile checkpoint would be a boost for me, because my mate Darren Long was volunteering there. And sure enough, the sight of Dazza made me feel full of energy! By this point the heavens had opened and it was like I was running through a waterfall. As I left the checkpoint I remember him yelling after me to keep up the pace, and thinking ‘No problem, I’m loving this!’. I still felt comfortable. This was so different from the way I felt at 50 miles on the TP100!!
As I headed into the second half I began to recognise bits of the route from the SDW50 the previous year. I’ve never done a race where I know the route, and it was actually quite nice to have an idea of what was coming up! I knew there were a couple of pretty steep hills in this section and I did struggle a bit particularly at around the 75 mile mark when I had a massive hypo. Sweaty, shaky, legs turning to jelly, and I just had to sit by the track for a minute or 2. Thinking about it I realised I hadn’t taken on any fuel for a good 10 miles. I stuffed down 2 gels and a potato I found in my pocket (I’d picked it up at one of the checkpoints and completely forgotten about it!!). I also broke into a packet of dextrose tabs to give me some quick sugar. About 5 minutes after that I felt back to normal(ish).
The last 20 or so miles of the run are a bit of a blur. I remember an amazing sunset, a friendly duck, being freaked out massively by a pair of eyes in the dark which turned out to be a fox, and the guy on top of the hill 2 miles from the end pointing people down the correct route (what a hero!). That was where I got lost on the 50 last year. This time I stayed bang on course. I cruised (yes, cruised…that’s how I felt!) the final mile to the finish line. I crossed the line in 17 hours 36 minutes. I previously had no idea of my time, because I don’t wear a garmin, so it was a massive surprise to me! The finish line was, as always with Centurion, amazing. Hot food, friendly faces. But this time there was a part of me that knew I could have carried on. I was back out and running after only 1 days rest.
So, two 100’s. Two completely different experiences. And the knowledge that if I wanted to I could have gone faster on the second one!
I think I’ve found my niche.
