It was 16th October 2022, I was undertrained having Hardly ran anything since Race to the Stones. New jobs role, busy hours and generally life had taken over.
The day before I’d been so I’ll (turns out I had got vertigo) and to be honest even when I was getting in the car with my loyal crew member Stu I was wondering if I should be going, but in my heart I needed and wanted to go to do something for me.
I had made the decision to travel on the day to keep the cost of hotels down and use the park and bus service which was fantastically organised and would definitely do this again.
I don’t know what I expected from this route to be honest I hadn’t really looked at the terrain much we set off with an amazing atmosphere. There was no staggered start just join your area with the pacer you wished to follow, so I joined around 5hours 45 minutes. I had already decided I was going to drop it down and Jeff 20:30 on this one.
We set off and the atmosphere was amazing, it wasn’t long before we hit York Minster where the streets were lined with encouragement.
The route from then on was definitely undulating I plodded along and can recall a few long stretches where you passed other runners going the opposite way, some of those stretches were long. I recall being at about 12 miles and the 6 hour pacers passing me I was still quiet determined at this point and a few minutes later passed them, I managed to keep them behind until just after mile 16 then they just seemed to plough past and to be honest the energy was lacking to fight to be in front of them what did it matter what time I finished as long as I did.
At mile 21 my hip really struggled and it was this point I knew I’d not done the training I needed to end strong, my walk breaks got longer and running got shorter but I put one foot in front of the other. At mile 24 ish I met a fellow girls that Jeff Jeffer who had a foot injury and we walked for a couple of miles together chatting it was only the last couple of miles when the pain killers seemed to kick in or maybe it was the adrenalin that I picked things back up a bit.
I remember seeing the finish line and that burst of energy coming out of no where. They day I cross a finish line and say never again will be the day I hang up my running shoes, at the moment I can’t see that happening soon, that crossing the finish line never gets boring!
Yorkshire Marathon did not disappoint , it was tough I’m not going lie but it was worth it and I’m making it my mission to return next year, more prepared for those hills!
6 hours 21 minutes and 44 seconds not a personal best but now my worse time either, not that it mattered.
I woke feeling fairly refreshed, we had stayed at Lane end conference centre (I’ve recently discovered this is no longer open)
I prepared my usual Mountain Fuel breakfast with a cup of tea whilst I gathered my things together and got dressed. I remember feeling very calm which is unusual for me on a race day.
I set off at 7.10am thank fully they’d allowed me to start earlier.
The atmosphere at the start was amazing lots of people all hyped up raring to go, mixture of runners, walkers and Jeffers each with their own goal.
I collected my tracking device, which I would recommend anyone who’s running particularly straight through it meant Stu could track me.
It was cloudy to start with but after an hour the sun began to come out.
Within the first 20km I’d tackled 2 hills one that appeared almost upright through wooded area with lots of tree roots and another that was also steep and went on for 3km. (I’m not kidding you) I was beginning to wonder what I’d signed up for.
The up side was the view when we came out of one of the wooded areas into what I now know as the fields of dreams. It was amazing the picture I’ve got just doesn’t do it justice. Watching all the runners in front running through the golden corn made the prior hills all forgotten about.
Pit stop one was about 8km in so fairly early quick water refill / refresh grabbed a few bits including a bag of crisp (this became my thing inbetween stops crisp nibbling)
By Pit stop 2 I had psyched myself up to eat a sandwich even if I didn’t want one, till I saw it was all vegan no offence but I don’t want to eat chic pea sandwiches. I was expecting vegetarian but not vegan. So I made myself a chocolate spread sandwich, grabbed another bag of crisp and replenished my liquids this time one flat Coke and one elctrolite drink. Quick toilet stop, Again didn’t sit down and off I was in 10 minutes.
In the early hours several people thought my interval timer was a bird 😂😂 others asked me what it was for or thought I was beeping them out of the way.
I Met a lovely old gent at about 30km in a village we ran through he was wartering his garden and offered to hose me down at this point it was starting to get really hot and I was so greatful. The locals and supporters so far were amazing.
Shortly after I made the decision to stop Jeffing and walk the heat was just too much and I felt like I wasn’t covering any more distance than what I would walking. With so many km left to cover, I’m pleased I did. I came to cover 100km how I did it, it didn’t matter.
I came into half way Pit Stop 5, there was straight on finish line and base camp for two day people which we could enter and get hot food or a right turn to carry on and grab snacks. I turned right for a number of reasons
1. It was lively and buzzing and people were celebrating finishing 50km or day one (and rightly so) but I wasn’t finished I was half way and had a long way to go. I wasn’t going through a finish sign. My celebrations would come later.
2.I’d only spent 10 minutes at any pit stop up to now so I didn’t get comfy. If I stopped I risked seizing up, I also didn’t really feel like facing a full meal.
Pit stop 6 was where things started to go wrong for me, I walked into the pitstop went to replace my liquids and started shaking. Stomach felt off colour. I thought this was it for me😢.
The lovely medic at the medic tent was amazing. She fixed me with a 30 minute rest -(something I’d not had since starting) tomato soup which she insisted I drink even though the thought of it turned my stomach, but oh my it was like rocket fuel, cup of tea and a sugar (I’d have normally spat this out with sugar in) and I went from fearing a DNF to being back on track with snacks she’d made me take with me and a bag of… You guessed it crisp 😂😂.
I could Hardley eat anything at this point my mouth was so dry no matter what I drunk and everything tasted same but I ate a couple of crisp every half km.
I’d made myself promise that id sit for awhile at every pit stop now have a cup of tea and something to eat, my body was what was going to get me through the miles so I needed to treat it right.
I ploughed on towards Pit stop 7 Stu met me about 200m away from here in an Indian car park, I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see him.
I was starting to feel it on the outside of left leg but surprisingly my knees and feet felt OK.
I changed into my night gear as it was just starting to dark, put my body torch and head torch on, he’d Brough me a shandy something I’d been craving since 30km and asked him to bring. I took one swig and couldn’t drink any more 😂.
Whilst preparing for the night I had another wobble I thought it was 19km to Pit Stop 8, no idea why since I had a list of pitstops strapped to me, when stu told me it was only 15km I knew if I coukd get to that pit stop there’d be no stopping me so I left Stu pulled up a chair at Pitstop 7, they’d ran out of Tomato soup and there was no way I was drinking vegetable so porridge it was as much as I could get down a cup of tea with sugar, liquids replenished snacks grabbed and my bag of crisp. (just for the record I came home with all the snacks 😂 as didn’t eat them.
It took some standing after this stop my muscles in legs had started to tighten and stiffen up and I remember shouting at them telling them to come on, a few minutes of being back on route and they miraculously got back into rhythm.
It was dark now and this was the bit I’d been worried out turns out I didn’t need to be. People passed me and chatted for a short while I could always see a light ahead and always hear voices behinde for most of the stretch.
I did scare my self with my own shadow at point 😂😂 thinking someone was stood there. Most of the terrain was wide tracks so not too bad for night time.
I hit a field which just went on and on I’m not going to lie I considered at one point just sitting down but then thought how stupid it was and how no one was getting a car into a field in the ridgeway to pick me up 🙈 so I continued 😂.
After what seemed like hours a gent caught up and asked about km to next pitstop last time I’d seen a marker it was 84km the gent thought we’d have about 2km left but then as if by magic we came out of a gate and there they were pit stop 8 tents.
They were amazing here especialy the gent medic who was talking to us he made my tea and soup he refilled my bottles for me.
I did get very cold sat here but knew I needed to give myself time 11.9km to go this is when I think it really hit home that I was finishing a 100km event no matter what!
Walking past the turning for the finish line to go up and come back round felt like the longest 3km ever but seeing the finish as I came over the hill was amazing. I didn’t really hang around the stones I had one mission and that was to cross that finish line.
As I came into full view of the finish line I felt the tears, happy tears I had done it! I came in just before 6am as the sun was really starting to rise, 22 hours 38 minutes and 23 seconds!
As always Stu was waiting for me at the finish.
The question everyone is really asking is would I do it again?
Hell yeah! 😁 without hesitating!
I’d do things different but I always do with every race, I’d train more especially hills (but I knew my training had lapsed these last 6 weeks)
I’d look at fueling better earlier on there’s only so many gels and cake bars you can eat and to be honest I stopped using them and elctrolite at pit stop 4.
I’d have tomotoe soup at every stop 😂😂 cup a soups are going in my back pack!
It wasn’t until I was back at the hotel (Alexandra House Hotel, Swindon, which was about 15 minutes from finish line) and had fell into bed after a painful shower cause I knew I wouldn’t get out of the bath that my muscles tensed up, I’m not going to lie I couldn’t get comfy or sleep every position hurt but it was so worth it and after 24 hours the aches and pains had subsided.
If your thinking I could never do that, you can!
If your thinking I can’t even run 5km, so did I
Believe in yourself, set those goals!
My plans for 2023 involve lots more adventures, keep following!
I’d seen an event run by SBR events, it was situated not far from me at Thorsby Park, Newark.
It appealed because it was a 10km looped course and had various distances you could choose to run.
Ideal for training for my 100km, not going to cost me a bomb in accommodation as my trusty crew member and husband, Stu could drive me and I could push myself to cover 50km but have the comfort blanket of knowing if I struggled I could pull out sooner.
We arrived about 7.45am at Thorsby park, having had my morning mountain fuel, did the initial potter around the event village, chatted to a few others, the obligatory loo stop and it was not long before we were lining up to start.
At the start I chatted with a couple of ladies from Girls that Jeff facebook page which was nice, they soon disappeared out of sight within about ten minutes. I think they were doing the half or full marathon can’t really remember.
We were off!! I remember everyone else shooting off and I just tootled like I was out on a stroll, there was a long way to go no way I was burning myself out now.
After a few minutes of starting I got chatting with a gent called Nick, with colourful socks, his socks became quiet a talking point throughout the run. He was asking me what ratio I was doing and took quiet an interest. He explained he had a foot injury and had signed up for the 50km but was just going to see how he went each lap, he then asked if I minded if he joined me doing 30:30.
I normally tend to go off in my own little world with the head phones on so Jeffing a longer race with someone was a first for me and although we were complete strangers we found a lot of rubbish to discuss in those hours and I felt it really helped me.
We had not been going long when out of nowhere informs of our eyes came a heard of deer crossing the path, it was like a scene out of a movie, amazing to watch and be apart of.
In the early part of the run it appeared to be just us two then others started to lap us, the canine 10km runners started and before long there was a variety of people on the course. With everyone running different lengths you never really felt back of the pack.
The 10km loop was scenic through woodland with two slight inclines. SBR was fantastic at marshalling the route with a couple of water stops and toilet facilities en route. I remember the Marshalls at the last water stop in the loop about 7km in they had a table full of goodies and flat coke! Yup I never thought I would say it but it was amazing and was our treat on every loop. We saved raiding the Jaffa cakes for the very last loop. I remember doing aeroplane motions on one section for photos, apparently it is a must, don’t ask me why I’m not completely sure.
The loop finished were it started on the main park area in front of the of Thorsby house. On every lap we got cheered by other runners who had finished some often saying how many more laps and asking us what distance we were doing.
It always made me smile when they gasped when we said 50km.
We passed the 40km mark well within our cut off time to complete the last lap. I remember Nick saying he was looking forward to his ice cream at the end upon noticing an ice cream van. It was a shame the van pulled away just as we were within reach of the finish line, he never did get one.
Between us we had made the decision that once we were on our last lap, time did not matter we were going to enjoy it and that’s exactly what we did, we walked more than we Jeffed if I am honest but it didn’t matter I was finishing as an ultra runner! And whatever the time it would be a PB.
Towards the last couple of miles a young gent passed us he was Nordic walking and was doing the 60km so had done an extra lap, apart from that gent me saw no other runners on the last lap we were alone, but it didn’t matter.
We crossed the finish line heads held high, we had done it!! Another medal to add to the collection. The only disappointment was the cake had all gone, so we settled for a couple of mars bars Nick managed to pinch from the box’s they were packing away. At first I didn’t think I would want to eat it but as I got in the car and forced myself to eat it, it was so nice.
During the run I used mountain fuel gels and a cake bar which I actually only ate half of. I know that I should have fuelled more and the little voice inside my head kept saying on the last 10km you really should have something else but I didn’t want it I just felt full of gels and liquid. I learn new things in every race to take forward and I knew if I was to get through a 100km I needed to focus on fuelling better and sooner. One thing I was going to take with me for my 100km was definitely flat coke.
We were the last two to cross the finish line that day, but it didn’t matter I’d completed 50km in 07.39.06.
I remember starting my fist day at my new job the next day and my first thing was to tackle the three flights of stairs to the office, I wasn’t sure how I was going to wake the next morning, I had the usual black toes that I knew with time would drop off and a few sore muscles but I was still moving!
It turns out the stairs were probably beneficial to me, keeping my muscles going as I felt very little stiffness, another sign that Jeffing is definitely the way to go.
Finally the day I’ve been waiting for for so long is here. It still seems unreal.
I’ve been mooching since 4.30am and have several hours to go yet with the later starts and I would have loved to be getting going at 9am but 11.50 it is I’ll just have to deal with it.
My stomach is full of butterflies.
I’m overthinking everything, don’t want to eat to early, don’t want to eat to late, don’t want to have to rush to start line incase I can’t get across the road, don’t want to be too early stood around this will cause several port loo trips . Don’t want to miss my wave cause I’m in the porta loo . Although I can join the last wave at least if that happens.
My legs already feel heavy, my heads saying am I really going to make it after the up and down past few weeks, damn you head!
Oh my word why do we put ourself through this stress Is this really fun?
I thought race mornings would get easier the more you do it but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It never puts me off booking my next one though. I think i’m addicted.
I really have no idea if I’ll make it or not today but if I don’t go and try I’ll never know and after all the training and waiting I didn’t come all this way not to start.
Must remember to be nice and steady, don’t go out too fast with the crowd, stick to 30/30 if I start to struggle, drop down to 30/ 45 or 30/60. Either way I’m going to give it my all.
Whilst the family snoozed I headed down to breakfast with my porridge pot and mountain fuel breakfast sachet, it appears everyone has had the same idea. The room is full of nervous and excited racers and already has an amazing atmosphere.
Once breakfast was forced down back to waste time dressing and undressing. I won’t bore you too much but I went from full leggings to Capris to shorts within a space of five minutes so pleased I did as well.
I was surprised how quick time passed and before I knew it I was saying goodbye to Suzie and Stu and off out the door.
Within two mins of following other runners I was at the starting area, what a fantastic place to stay without the stress of the metro or buses or long walks.
People were already loading the pens for the earlier waves and I could feel the excitement building up in me. My thoughts of can I do this now changed to I’m doing this!.
As time creeped up I asked if people knew what wave was being loaded, a lady behind me said her daughter had gone up and she was the same wave as me.
So I made my way over as I crossed the pen line the Marshall informed me it was Pink b they were loading, I apologised but then he said to me if you want to go in feel free.
Fantastic an earlier start meaning longer to finish meaning less pressure. So I shuffled in amongst the starters, sticking to the back area.
I always start to stress at the start lines not sure why but I always think I’ll get in people’s way when I walk after 30 seconds or people will frown at me. I’ve never had it happen and always move to the side but the thoughts are always there. Before I knew it we were filtering through and off across the start line.
I have to be honest I don’t recall the whole route I ran but I do recall snippets, so if areas are not in order etc I do apologise but most importantly I loved every minute of it. The people of Manchester did not disappoint and were just as amazingly supportive as they were when I completed my first half Marathon.
I recall setting off and not long till I was on a long stretch with runners on the opposite side running the opposite way. They cheered us we cheered them . My first thought was I wonder how far it is till we will be on that stretch. I remember the DJ under the bridge, couldn’t tell you what was booming out but their support was fantastic and we had to run past them twice. I remember seeing road signs for Altrincham and knew we were hitting the point of turning around to head back in. I don’t know why this is the only area on the map I really took note of pre run but I think it was at this point that it registered that there was only one way I was going and that was to the finish line.
I remember finding miles 18 to 20 very long, I was still feeling strong and sticking with my 30:30 ratio but these 2 miles just seemed to take forever. I remember going past a pile of portals and no idea why but thought I should make a stop, just incase. Big mistake I’m sure bending my legs into a different position for that short space of time caused me my leg cramps. The weather had been a warm one and it was only when I reflected that I realised I’d not drunk enough electrolytes which was probably the main cause of the cramps. I wasn’t alone there were a lot of people on the sides stretching and hobbling at this point. I was lucky once I got going again the cramp eased and did not hinder my progress.
I remember looking up shortly after and realising I was in single figures left to run! I love counting down rather than up.
I remember one of the Marshalls telling me only one mile to go and seeing that 25 mile marker sign, I felt like a kid at Christmas full of different emotions excited, almost teary eyes but they were happy tears.
I really didn’t need to worry about the darkness or not having enough time with the later start runners were continuing to come in hours after me and I never really noticed the darkness falling around me as I made my way through those final miles.
As I saw the finish line light up before my eyes I found a burst of energy, I have no idea where this came from. I had the urge to put the foot down and sprint over the finish line to collect my shiny medal, grinning from ear to ear. It didn’t matter that I might not be able to walk tomorrow, all that mattered was that amazing feeling of having finished.
I received my time a cracking 5 hours 46 minutes and 40 seconds! Just under an hour off my first Marathon so a PB!
Manchester was amazing and will always hold a special place in my heart. If your thinking of a first half or full marathon I really recommend considering Manchester, amazing atmosphere, fantastic support and a good first time terrain.
I woke the next day feeling not too bad, I can definitely feel a difference in recovery since Jeffing. My muscles were a little sore, to be expected but I found I could walk fairly easy with very little pain.
So the question is what’s on the agenda for 2022!! Watch this space
I can’t believe my last post was when I was on my way out of the door to complete Manchester Marathon!
A lot has changed since then and I have a few race entries to enter and some updating to my profile to do, but I have decided it is time to get back up to speed with my blogging and begin to bore you all again.
So before 2023 arrives I aim to complete my Manchester Marathon blog (I am sure I’ve written it somewhere just never published it).
I also have the following events to blog
London Landmarks 2022.
See the at Slaithwait Slog Half marathon.
My first 50km Ultra which was completed at Longhorn.
My first 100km race – Race to the stones, still feels very unreal.
Yorkshire Marathon – Hilly, undertrained and still not sure how I got round but I did!
I also did my first Percy Pud race in December which I’ll share with you.
Then I will be ready to share my 2023 running goals!!
