Tags
buggy running, dog running, long runs, Lymm Runners, PBs, training, ultra marathon, warrington way
“Life’s a journey not a destination” and “you have to learn to crawl, before you learn to walk” are lyrics that have been rolling through my head for the last few days from the song Amazing by Aerosmith and the lyrics to the song couldn’t be more apt for my life over the past six months especially not knowing just what tomorrow will bring as every day I’ll really haven’t felt like I have known what has been coming and the uncertainty surrounding my life right now has been trying and painful and heartbreaking. Through it all I’ve tried to stay focused on the one thing that holds me together as a strong and determined individual and that has been running.
I have achieved great things this year with running and have pushed myself as hard as I could and I don’t think I could have done more given the work that I already do so more training would be out of the question. Certainly seems that running and walking with dogs for the majority of my hours in a week has definitely paid off with the one or two speed sessions a week as well. I know I do crazy mileage walking too on top of the running so I’m forever on the go.
The last two weeks have basically are the two major events that have been looming in the back of mind until they got closer and they consumed my thoughts: The Warrington Way a 40 mile ultra run held by Lymm Runners and circling the enter town of Warrington and the second the coaching assessment day to qualify as a run coach.
My biggest worries for the ultra was that aside from the fact that I clock in lots of miles each day I had only done a couple of 15 mile runs on a Sunday, the Sunday runs varied in distance between 10-15 miles and there were a couple of week in October where I didn’t even do a long run because I had the Knutsford 10k and the following week the Lytham Green Drive 5 mile. Now I am sure there are many out there that would say you can only train for one discipline be it the shorter distances like the 5km and 10km races or you go long and endurance like the marathons and ultras, but I like to do a bit of both. I really do like running the shorter faster ones, it’s nice to be done in under an hour and really push and see how quickly you can complete a race, but also there is something rather special about running 40 miles and completing that in a pretty decent time too. That sort of distance is all about mental strength.
And the second big thing looming ever closer was the dreaded all day practical assessment for the run coaching qualification kindly funded by Lymm Runners. With head coach Lee Hughes already scheduling in for my first coaching session at the Victoria Park Running track in the early part of December, I really didn’t want to let the club down and not pass.
Last week I’d had confirmation that I have received the gold standard achievement for the races that I’d entered. I’d never dreamed I come close to a Gold and I’d only ever believed Silver was possible but after the results at the Mid Cheshire 5k in August I really believed I had a chance and in fact I ended up running three 10k races within the gold standard time. Finding the 5 miler was a godsend because achieving a gold on a long distance would have been impossible I think over the further distance. So with that achievement in the bag, the last big running challenge for the year was the Warrington Way and this is kind of how it went, at least in my head…..
So I had a game plan in my head for the Warrington Way but I think Mike Hall wasn’t quite aware of my game plan and that I intended to stick with it. I didn’t just want to run around the 40 miles, I was going for a time. I had stipulated quite a few times I was only going to stop for toilet stops and to top up water at Check Point 2, possibly 3 if running low then. There was going to be no wasting time….eh well then Mike had other ideas!!! There was quite a lot of excitement coming up to the start of the race day as Jon Cocroft had his arm twisted by Jack Pilkington to run his leg of the relay team. It so happened to be leg 1 and I said to Jon he could run with Mike and I so long as he was happy to try and complete the leg in 90 minutes as that was my goal time for the first leg. Again, not sure if Mike was aware of that goal plan. Jon then had Hari asking if he could also run his leg which was the second leg. I said the second leg was over 11 miles which would mean he would be on for a 21 mile run which I said I didn’t think would be a wise thing for him to do, and I certainly didn’t think he would be up for the pace I was planning on going over that distance. Eventually the team sorted something out and Jon was just running the first leg. It was quite exciting starting another race with Jon, although somehow he ended up separating from me at the start as Mike said let’s move in front of these runners as they are very slow. Then Jon didn’t follow as I think he was still talking with Phil, Rob, Chris and Ben who were all planning on completing the full 40 miles. I know Phil has run it every year and his best time is an amazing 6.36hours. Rob and Chris were both embarking on their first time and not sure whether Ben had done it before either but I think they were planning on running together.
It was quite nervy and exciting as we waited on Pepper Street for the countdown looking towards the Cross at 7.30 just as the sun had come up on a crisp Autumn morning with no sign of wind or rain. It felt so freeing setting off up over the bridge, our first uphill and it was fab to see James Hurrell with his phone videoing everyone as they ran over. As we started down Dane Bank towards to TPT Mike said his back pack was rubbing into his shoulder and we’d have to stop. I honesty quite couldn’t believe it. I said we can’t stop we’ve literally just started. When we got onto the TPT Mike asked me to check his back pack so I did this as we ran along. It was perhaps the plastic connector of his bladder and I tried to move it a bit. He said it felt better. But before even the first mile was gone he said it still wasn’t quite right and then that we were running too fast. I said I was sorry but I really had to run the pace that felt right for me today. He wanted to stop on the Warburton Bridge and take the back pack off and fix it, I said I was planning on running up there this year given it was early in the race and I didn’t want to lose time on there. It was clear there was going to be a lot of Mike “faffing” I think he knew I was going to carry on and when I did I felt guilty but with a 40 mile race I think you just have to run your own race.
We also had Roger and Bobbie run past us around mile 2 and then I knew I wasn’t ever going to catch Bobbie and she would be on for a fantastic time. She managed 7.30ish the year before on the virtual and was hoping to improve her time. The conditions were perfect for getting a great time on the course. I didn’t worry too much that she had gone on ahead as I had my plan in my head and I was sticking to the pace. I felt strong crossing Warburton bridge and all this section were roads very familiar to me.
I was actually quite enjoying the solitude of running by myself. I thought as I set off solo that it might be hard but just having this feeling of the freedom and knowing I would be out there for at least seven hours with just me and running I felt really quite incredible inside.
After that was the run through the livery yard and onto a country lane and then across a field. I could see Roger just slightly ahead of me and I tried to keep him in my sights. Back out on the road again I remember the route well and knew we would be back off road shortly. I was thinking that my trail shoes weren’t that great on the hard surface of the road, but they had held up fine last year. There isn’t much in the way of cushioning to them so the road felt really hard after crossing the field. Once back out on the unmade surfaces the shoes felt much better. Saw another Lymm runner just out for a stroll and it was at the motorway crossing of the M62 just after Gorse Covert that Kieran was sitting by his car to watch us all pass by! I stopped for selfie and he said “you’re not going to selfie your way around the whole thing are you?” and I responded that I certainly was. I may be taking the race serious but I also wanted to have some great memories and seeing people out on the course is definitely a morale booster even early on in the race.
However it was much longer before I heard someone say behind me I thought I recognised those braids. It was Sarah Blunt a client of mine who is an awesome ultra runner. She had run this back in 2019 in 6.36 so when she started running alongside with me I had to pick my pace up and bit. I did start to wonder whether I’d keep up with her pace but we carried on for a little while. She had been running with someone called Richard who was dressed as an Oompah Loompah. His wig had been itching him so she had carried on and run on ahead. As we were chatting I could hear the feet of someone else getting closer and low and behold it turned out to be Mike. I have to say I was surprised to see him as he had obviously had picked up the pace to catch up to me having stopped to sort out his back pack.
Sarah carried on running ahead and Mike and caught up on what had happened. He had discovered now that his bladder was leaking and all the back of his top was really wet. He said he had called Liz and she was meeting him at CP1 (which fortunately is very close to his house) with a replacement bladder and a change of top. I didn’t say anything but I think he knew I wasn’t going to be handing around at CP1. We carried on a bit further heading towards Croft. Alfie Crockett was standing by the side of the road with his little one year old boy (waiting for Becky Thompson) who was doing the first half. As we neared mile 9 I was chatting to Mike about Jon and saying he was just a part time only running the first leg and that he should get himself into the gym when he finished his leg. It was obviously all in the nature of fun and then there was this light tight on my bum and this runner flew past us. It was Jon. Mike said hope he didn’t hear what you said. As Mike said that I couldn’t remember what I just said, I was just so pleased to see Jon really pushing on. He had left the other guys somewhere behind us and was heading on confidently to the finish. He had been worried about getting lost but it seemed he was now absolutely fine to push and run on himself. He was soon out of our sights. As we got to the field crossing we bumped into Roger who looked like he was waiting a mate who was answering a call of nature. Got a sneaky selfie as Mike and I passed them and headed on towards the final stretch of Leg 1. It’s funny how well I remembered the route even though it had been a year since we had last been there.
The end of leg 1 is a little odd as you go down a passage way that comes onto a side road. There is a pub the Plough Inn on the left, and this is check point one. Jon later told me that he came out of there expecting to keep going and Peter Lloyd his team mate said he looked like he wasn’t done. Clearly he was waiting and conserving some energy for a sprint finish. When I arrived at CP1 Jon was stood talking to Peter. I was excited to see him but felt like I was being pulled to continue. Of all the people I wanted a selfie with on the route was Jon but I managed to sneak in a quick kiss before I said I’ll see you at the finish line. I’d made it to CP1 within my time scale in 1.29.37 Max was coming out of the CP whilst stuffing his face with a bag of crisps and Sarah was also dashing out saying she was delayed because she had had to queue for the toilet. Funny she had been running faster but had lost time at the CP. I carried on just behind Max and Sarah. Mike had gone into CP1 looking for Liz. It was clear I wasn’t going to keep to their pace and I let them go on ahead. Now leg 2 was the one last year that we had ended up getting lost on twice. I could see three guys ahead of me and I kind of stuck with them in front of me for the next few miles. I did catch up with them over a field crossing.
There was a couple just before the field with the single oak tree setting up a food station. I thought how wonder if was for someone to come out and make the effort to create a food supply and drink supply spot. I was a little nervous about running this part of the race as I desperately didn’t want to get lost. At each point I remembered the next turn which was quite useful. When I crossed the road junction by the BNQ shop I had to stop at the traffic lights and I was a little miffed by it and then thought this seemed like such a long way from home, and in fact it was around mile 14.
As I reached the first intersection where Mike and I had debated the right direction I had caught up and was chatting with one of the guys that had been ahead of me. He was running the whole thing and his goal was to get to the finish before it got dark. I kept thinking that the Griffin Wood section would be upon us soon, but it was always another section. Eventually we passed through the Wood. This section of the route is the furthest away from Lymm and in fact falls outside of Warrington. Shortly after the wood and a field crossing it comes to a footbridge that goes back over the M62 the Dream statue can be seen in the distance. I do like this spot. It really feels like you have run a good distance away and also that with it being the furthest point away that now everything is getting just that little bit nearer to home.
The hard stretch was coming up though and I was determined not to miss that footpath that last year had resulted in over an extra mile off route. It was funny then that as I ran down past the Mersey Valley Golf Club that who should pass me but Sarah again. She said she had followed one of the relay runners who seemed to know where she was going and they had ended up going to wrong way. It looked like she had clocked another half a mile on top of where I was up to at that point. The relay runner who had got lost (from Helsby Runners) passed by shortly afterwards followed by Max who had also gone on a little detour as well.
He passed me but not before I snook in a selfie. I then ran with this other runner once more called Anthony I think his name was. I said I was going to try and run the last few miles to check point 2 without a walk break if possible. There were a few bits where I had a few seconds walk but carried on. I could see Max hadn’t missed the pathway apparently called South Lane entry but not marked that on the footpath. On the footpath I nearly went flying over a broken branch that was across the pathway. Thankfully I must have good balance and I managed to just keep going.
That power station started to loom closer and no longer in the distance. It follows you around the Warrington Way like a storm cloud. It is quite an amazing sight and the closer you get it really is a majestic structure for something that is ugly, it is almost like a paradox in itself and I can’t quite work out why I think it has this strange beauty, perhaps it is the fields that surround it, the farm yard you run though with all the amazing fowl that sit on fences, or by the stream with the giant foreboding structures in the background. The immense size of them next to people’s houses, and how out of place they actually seem, all probably play a part, but they really are quite a sight to behold. It was really quite something seeing James at the end of the long stretch with the power station just on the right hand side. He must have decided to make it around the course to support.
I knew the third leg was actually quite a pleasant one, but it in fact to me felt like the hardest and most boring of all of them as there were lots of straight stretches with not many changes in direction. At CP2 Jim Dawson was there marking in runners as they came in. I topped up my water with the help of David Dean. Amy Cooper was also volunteering at the food station and I also had a quick catch up with Ritchie Waggitt, James Hurrell, Peter Lloyd (who had now obviously dropped Jon back in Lymm and then driven over to CP2 to see their 2nd team mate Helen come in from Leg 2 and for Jon Sheehy to start leg 3.
I loved stopping at Check Point 2 making it in 3.15.59. My goal had been to get the first 20 miles in between 3 hours and 3.15. CP2 is 21.4 miles into the course. I was well on target with the schedule. For the second half my tactics would be slightly different as know I could afford to come off the gas.
Without further ado I set off. Jon I knew would catch me up and pass me at some point. Jon had arrived at CP1 in 1.26 so Helen should have been ahead of me. It turned out she also got lost on the route and ended up running around 13 miles instead of 11.2 miles, so when Jon passed me it was just after mile 22 somewhere along Tannery Lane and I think I was just messaging Jon to say that I was leaving CP2. He passed and said something about me getting a move on and I said hey you on fresh legs!!! And off he went. Once more the roads were all familiar sights, it was like really as if they were etched into my brain from last year as we really had to focus on where we were going. It was great reaching the railway crossing and then seeing the Mersey river, and at the time I couldn’t remember the pub, which is the Ferry Tavern that you don’t quite pass but looks like such a great location for a pub. It was then onto the longest and most boring stretch of the race. Bizarrely I actually ran past a man on a bike. And yes we were going in the same direction. Then there was a woman and man walking a dog coming towards me. The man said hello and I said hello smiling to them both and the woman gave me such an evil glare I thought she was trying to knock me dead with it. I don’t know what I did to upset her but I tried to clear my head and put her evil glare out of my mind.
Somewhere around this point my phone was ringing and it was Mike. My only assumption was he was calling to say he had pulled out but I couldn’t answer while I was running. I did manage to message him on a walk section and he did come back and said he had pulled out at check point two. It was a shame to hear but perhaps with everything going on with his kit and then trying to play catch up with me was just a bit too much over 20 miles.
Mentally I had set the next target to be the marathon distance. So far I have covered 26.2 miles or more only of two occasions. The first was the Conwy Marathon in memory of my dad in 2019 which was a rather hilly affair in 4.19 and the second was running the Warrington Way last year with Mike and the marathon time was somewhere around 5.24 so hardly a PB. I figured based on the speed I was intending to go now on what were starting to become tired legs with small 20 second walk breaks the time would be around 4.10 for the marathon if not a little quicker.
It’s funny how certain sections have memories from the last time in my brain. On this stretch of the TPT Mike and I had rekked it and run into a woman who had run it before in six and a half hours and I thought how is that even possible. I hope that today I could at least come in around 7.30. I had told my friend Gaynor that I expected to be back into Lymm around 3pm. I had told Andy the same as he was going to bring Harmony to the finish. Jon also knew that I was hoping to be back by 3pm.
I was so thankful to be off the TPT stretch and heading back on an off-road path through the woods that then leads to a bridge over the River Mersey. I did actually start my walk section towards the end of the woods, but then when I came out realised I needed to walk over the bridge. I could have waited and time my walk section better. Once over the bridge I knew the next stretch well. I always seem to remember places for daft reasons, like the wood was where Mike stopped for his call of nature and then the next section was where I had stopped on the rekke of this route. Last year when we had run the virtual version we had started at Reddish Crescent so I wasn’t quite sure where the marathon distance would come as I started to get closer to Moore Nature Reserve and the Manchester Ship Canal bridge crossing.
The section running through the Moore Nature Reserve was one of my favourites and it was also a point that I caught up with the first runner I had seen in ages. Not since Jon had passed me at mile 22 and perhaps a couple of other relay runners had I seen anyone. Germaine who had been waiting at CP2 for her team mate to come in still hadn’t got a point of passing me. It was nice to see someone else after such a quiet period and this guy said his watch had died so he didn’t know how far he was into it. I told him we were nearing the marathon distance. In fact quite annoying it fell just as I had to climb up a flight of steps out of the reserve, so they ended the marathon distance at a particularly slow pace but in 4.06, marking it as my fastest marathon time to date. I was pleased by that because of the terrain covered and the fact I had done it with the knowledge I still had 14 more miles to go. It has given me a quiet confidence to believe that I can achieve at least 3.45 on a flat fast road race or my destination target of 3.30 in my dreams of course.
From there and the crossing over the Manchester ship canal there is an uphill section. I broke the hill down into walk runs to make sure it wasn’t all walked, as the hills last for a while. I’m not sure of a better way to cover this ground on tired legs. Eventually it leads to the Moore section of the Bridgewater canal and then this is a long run down to and past Walton Gardens. I was passed on this section by a relay runner, who I then passed again. I had by this point incorporated a bit more walking to keep my legs feeling a bit fresher on the runs. My walk pace was around 4mph so I was still keeping the pace up but it just helped take some pressure off the muscles used for running and switched things up a little.
I have to say whilst I do love running down the canal it does get monotonous and felt almost endless as I pushed myself on one bridge at a time until finally I reached the bridge to come off at around mile 29 I think. Then it’s the hill climb to Appleton Reservoir. There were a few runners at this point who passed me and I couldn’t say if they were on the relay or not. My stomach had started to tighten up and I realised that I needed a bit more than the usual call of nature. At this point I hadn’t stopped for a relief break and I then began to search around for somewhere to go. There was more walking on this section as it is all uphill. There is a stone wall to the right and I found a part that looked quite high. I tried to climb over it and clonked my right knee as I made my way over. Ouch. I hoped it wouldn’t affect my running. You have now idea the relief that little stop gave me. I felt suddenly so much better, and the pain in my stomach had gone away. Unfortunately I had to keep walking as the last bit of the road is particularly steep. Once towards the top I restarted my run pace. Richard Wake the photographer was there camera in hand by the reservoir but unfortunately he told me later that he didn’t recognise me straight away and wasn’t ready for me and didn’t get a photo!!! Maybe next year – he said he would remember my hat! At the time he made a comment that I looked good in my cap or something. I know I was getting quite tired by this point so he may have said something else and not my cap, but it was something like that.
As a lay person who doesn’t run it’s perhaps important to point out what goes through your head at around this point, or at least my head. Maybe it’s different for different runners. I certainly wasn’t thinking what the hell am I doing? The feelings of fear and failure had long passed and my level of determination and resilience and I pushed on was all that there was. There really wasn’t anything but me and the road ahead. I didn’t even contemplate at this point that I wouldn’t finish because I knew now other than falling and injuring myself to a point that I wouldn’t be able to walk, I would definitely be crossing the finish line, it was just a matter of how quickly that finish line would come. I could practically see all the pathways that lay ahead of me and visualise my crossing each of them.
The next stretch of road was a part again that goes uphill for quite a way, it felt like it was never ending, at each turn I kept thinking we’;; be going right soon and across the field, but then there was always another bit of this long unmade road ahead as it meandered its way into some woods which are also going uphill. It was really tough going by this point and reaching this small little lane of a quite estate in Hatton left me feeling relieved as I knew I was almost to check point three. Up ahead there was a little girl being led on a pony and I followed them down the road. A man then shouted out to me that I needed to turn left. I looked about and realised where I was. There was actually a large truck parked in front of one of the Warrington way marker signs, but I recognised the little cul-de-sac as it had the Lotus Esprit on the drive (last year it was under cover). Then down through a little ginnel, onto the main road and straight over to the final check point. Simon Hackett who had run the first leg (in record time for him even though he had an injured leg), was volunteering. He asked if I needed anything. I said I thought I was fine. He suggested a jaffa cake and I jumped at it and gobbled one down. He said you got this. Just go and get it done now. They couldn’t have been better words of encouragement.
So onto the final leg. Setting off around the same time as me was another solo runner. We both crossed the M56 motorway bridge together and head down the steps to the first field of many to come. Now for the wettest and muddiest section of the day. I had reached CP3 in 4.58.07 (30.8 miles) so had just 9.2 miles left to cover. I knew that even if I walked it I would be in within 7.30 and at a very slow run at 7 hours. I was now looking to finish under 7 hours and wondered how on earth that could even be possible. Mentally I was feeling quite tired and I wondered if it was perhaps because I hadn’t eaten a great deal of food during the day. I had made a banana bread made with obviously bananas, coconut oil and coconut sugar and almond flour. It’s a perfect fuel with walnuts, pumpkin seeds and dates as well. Unfortunately it was actually in my back pack and I didn’t actually get to that supply of food, but I was using energy balls that I had made. I had two different ones and the main one was actually quite hard to eat because it had oats and peanut butter in it, but it did prove to keep me going through the whole day, although on the last leg I switched over to the starbursts that were Harmony’s although opening the wrappers proved difficult as I think they had gone a bit soft and warm in my vest.
The reason I was talking about the food was because I was perhaps not as mentally aware at one point I was crossing a field and I couldn’t see the pink markers ahead or the stile. I could see a big metal gate to the right of the field and the stile was just over to the left, the runner who had set off from CP3 around the same time as me shouted from behind and pointed out the stile. I said thank you and that I thought I was perhaps starting to lose the plot.
Whilst I knew this was going to be the toughest leg I was actually looking forward to it. It is a strange sort of feeling having already run over 30 miles and knowing that you still have a couple more hours to go but still feeling like this is an amazing experience. Part of me was really looking forward to getting to the finish line but a part of me was revelling in the experience of running across all these fields that I don’t normally get the opportunity to cross.
As I continued running Germaine had caught up with me. She said I was doing amazing and reminded me that she was “only doing the 20 miles” which is itself an amazing achievement especially across this terrain. She slowly ran out of sight across the fields. There were another two men that also came along and eventually passed crossing over a potato field, the first of them. It was certainly tough going crossing the field and I did end up walking a bit.
This final leg has lots of changes in direction, and there was another part that I got a bit worried that I hadn’t quite gone the right way as I turned off the road with a house to the right hand side but then into this field I couldn’t see any markers. There was another man running up behind me and he seemed confident we were going the right way. A bit further on I caught up with the guys running down Slurry Lane as it is fondly referred to. There were no cows lose this year, but the ground was suitably muddy and I had to walk through sections of it. The field afterwards was hard to traverse and my feet were soaked by the end of it. Then Germaine was in my sights again and I can only imagine she took a slight wrong turn as we crossed the water logged horse paddock, which meant being ankle deep in water. I chose the most direct route across the field and then back onto the road. I can’t begin to explain how my feet felt as they hit the tarmac surface after being frozen in the water. I could exactly feel them but they felt like they were stiffening up and it was really difficult to keep them moving. I persevered knowing I only had four miles left. I had sent a message to Gaynor earlier to say I was five miles away, and another to Andy asking him to please bring Harmony to the finish. Last year he hadn’t and it had really hurt not to see her when I finished the 40 miles with Mike last year, especially since our virtual finish was only 200metres from the house.
Getting onto Swineyard lane brought back memories of last year as this is where I was waiting for James when he ran his virtual run which he completed in just over 7 and half hours. It must be a good spot to wait as at the exact spot I had wait was John and his dog! He said did I want a snack or anything, I said just a selfie!! With just over 3 miles to go!
I checked my phone again but I hadn’t had any messages other than by friend Gaynor saying “FFS I’m early and she wasn’t going to get back to Lymm in time”. I said sorry I didn’t realise I was going to be this fast. It was coming into this last stretch that the mental strength went to another level. I could visualise every last section of the route and knew that there were quite a few twists and turns ahead which was a great way to break down the distance. Knowing there was just over 5km to go gave me the energy to push on a bit more and I knew as well that Jon was going to be in the village from 1.30 and the clock was around that time so he would be at the finish line even if nobody else was there for me.
Getting into the field near the M6 was the point where I knew I was coming in for sure in under 7 hours and if I managed to push it would be so much faster than I had thought possible. I was still adopting a run and walk approach for miles 38 and 39 but I felt a surge of excitement as I reached the last field that is often a potato field, but this year there was nothing to have to run through. Thankfully also there were no cows in the next field. Into the Bongs and I could feel my spirits getting excited. I sent Jon a message to say I was just at the Bongs and not far away. Gaynor was also pinging me to see where I was but not a message from Andy and I just had to hope that Harmony was going to be there. I was saying to myself that I was running my way to her and couldn’t wait to see her. The Bongs have quite a few steps going up as does the pathway alongside the dam. I stopped to walk on the last mile for a short period on the last bit of uphill to make sure I had the legs to run the last bit in without a walk. A lady asked how far I had left and I looked at my watch it read 39.78 and I said .22 miles left – it did in fact run over the 40 miles by a fraction when I stopped my watch.
Running down into Lymm village felt amazing. There was a man just ahead of me and a friend spectator of his handed him a can of Guinness. He opened it and as I started to pass him he said do you want to share. I said no at first and then I said oh go on. Wow it was the best sip of Guinness I’ve ever tasted. We ran up to past the Cross together where he got distracted by another spectator who knew him. We had one last sip together I congratulated him and headed up on my way. Running up the cobbles I felt the best I have felt in my entire life. I could see James at the top poised camera in hand and then he dashed off up the ramp to the Maple Lodge. I wondered if I was going to have the legs to run this final stretch but then I saw her. Harmony was there at the top of the ramp cowbell in hand and what looked like a card. She was stood with Andy and she looked really excited. I wish I could have had a photo of her. To the right I could see Jon stood with Jon Sheehy who had obviously finished his third leg hours ago and Peter Lloyd their fourth team member would have come in a good time ahead of me too.
I wanted to run over to her but I was ushered by the volunteers to get in through the finish line. Wow I was so ecstatic to be crossing the finish line in 6.45. I had no idea how I had managed to complete 40 miles in such a time, it hadn’t even occurred to me that I could finish under 7 hours. I never would have dreamed it. I almost wanted to cry but I was too excited. Jon stayed away whilst I spent time with Harmony and I got her wonderful card (it was in fact her Christmas card to me) and Andy took a picture with us and my medal.
I managed to get my shoes off which were very muddy, mainly from a really bad patch in the Bongs and headed inside to get some of the amazing homemade chilli. Fay Hurrell was busy working inside in the kitchen sorting out the food. I know Ali Roberts and Leila Coulter both from the club had volunteered and cooked batches of chilli, amongst others. It was amazing to sit down and eat something, although I actually did struggle. I think I was too excited. Kieran Walshe came over to me to congratulate me on 6.45 and said it was 15 minutes faster than he had ever run it. I can’t think of a bigger compliment I could get from anybody as he is a king of ultras.
I then went over to see Jon and gave him a kiss as I really wanted to just be near him at that point. Andy and Harmony came over and Andy said they had been to the Christmas markets today. Jon chatted with Andy about the markets and the mulled wine and things like that. It all seemed very civil and I felt relieved. Harmony was getting bored so Andy said he would take her home. I wanted to wait and see Rob and the others come in although it was getting cold.
I hung round with Jon and Jon, spoke with David Faulkner who was volunteering and had been there all day taking photos of the runners coming to the finish and he was there to the very last one, a most humbling experience. Quite a few of the relay runners had come in and I had quick chats with Simon Hackett, Fiona Eaton and a few other amazing Lymm Runners. Jon told me that I had finished 6th and in fact when I got the results I discovered I was only 10 minutes behind third place and an actual trophy. That would have been a first.
I was starting to get cold and I got myself sorted with a coffee. Rob Chris and Ben made it across the finish line sometime after 3pm by which time I was really feeling the cold. I only had my hoodie to keep me warm as I had thought about coats to stand around it. I should have stolen Jon’s off him as he looked very snug in his coat! The look on Chris’s face when he saw me at the finish line was priceless. He thought I was behind them and had said they kept expecting me and Phil to woosh past them at any point. I at least had the heads up from Jon on leg one that they were behind me. I had expected the same from them. Rob was definitely pleased with his time as it was well under his 8 hours target and his first distance like that.
We didn’t stay much longer and although I really wanted to see Phil finish I said I felt everything was seizing up and I needed to get home and warm.
I often feel deflated after a race, but on the Sunday I just felt mentally fabulous. I was physically very tired and actually found it hard to want to eat anything. So what hurt after it? My shoulders were sore from carrying the back pack and my calves were a little tight. I had the bruise on my right knee from my call of nature stop and a small bruise on my chest where my bag must have rubbed and a little scab on my back also from the pack. Other than that I was injury free. I know a lot of runners end up with all sorts of toenail and feet problems. I felt find and in fact on the Monday back to the dog walking as usual (I avoided running though) but still managed 10 miles of walking Monday and 12 on the Tuesday. It ended up being a very busy week with over 50 miles of walking and 10 miles of dog running and my legs were perfectly fine. I think I was just tired and needed to sleep more and catch up on eating food.
So where do I go now after that? Do I enter it again? Will I get a better time or a better place? I can’t imagine I can do more than I did that day. I think it was extraordinary circumstances that pushed me to do what I did and the weather conditions just made for a perfect opportunity to do the best I could. One thing is certain my job running and walking with dogs every day means I don’t have to throw in any particularly long runs. Coming up to the race I’d not run anything longer than 15 miles in one run but had plenty of days where I had covered 20 miles or walking and running through the day. It goes to show it really is time out on legs that counts for this kind of event. I have to be thankful to all my furry friends for their help in making my ultra dreams possible.
Despite the achievement I had one other thing looming over me which took the edge off my celebrations and ability to relax afterwards and that was the final day assessment for my run coaching qualification with England Athletics. The all day practical assessment took place on Saturday and involved obviously an England Athletics coach watching me coach other “coaches also in training” and seeing if I had taken on board all what I had learnt and covered all the relevant 29 points that needed to be ticked off to say that I could go out and coach alone! Then there was the assessment of the 8 week training plan I had covered with my athlete and what I had learnt from the experience. I written detailed notes on the sessions and what had been covered and talked in detail about where my athlete (who so happened to be Jon who had kindly volunteered back in April when I first decided I wanted to do the coaching qualification). Of course he didn’t tell me that during the course of the two months he would become more interested in going to the gym that running. I was then pleasantly surprised when he entered the Knutsford 10k and I think he kind of did it to help me have something to write about for my coaching assessment notes. I do think he did enjoy the Warrington Way leg he did as he suggested we enter another longer race together not for a time but to have fun and I’ve found the perfect one which is the Delemere half at the start of January.
Back to the coaching. I slept hardly at all on the Friday night and I was the biggest bag of nerves I have been I think since I sat my driver’s test. Fortunately the coaches are amazing at helping you feel relaxed and I soon got into the swing of things and just did what came naturally. It was a very long and tiring day but I passed and I can’t wait to get on the track and start coaching with the club. I’m also hoping to pick up some solo athletes who want some personal coaching or training programmes and see if I can help them improve in whatever way they want. I really enjoyed assessing the mesocycle and the progress of my athlete and hope perhaps I continue to coach him and keep up the progress despite the lowered interest in running.
It has been a crazy six months but I have to say that for the first time in my life I feel proud of my achievements and I’ve done it for me and for no one else. I want to be a role model for Harmony that she can look up to. And I actually took her out in the running buggy yesterday for the first time in over a year. She was singing a song which kind of went like this “My mummy is the faster runner in the world, she is the best.” I didn’t want to tell her that there were many mummy’s who run much faster. It was nice for her to see me in a positive way and I hope that she too will discover that running is an amazing avenue to improve not just your physicality but your mental well being too.
I used to seek my Dad’s approval for everything I did waiting for him to say he thought I had done well, it was seldom realised but then in his final years he started to take an interest and told me he was proud of me. I carry him with me every day and I know he would be super proud of me now. I achieved a gold club standard for three races this year, ran an ultra race in a really speed time and qualified as a run coach. Wish you had been here Dad. You made me a strong feisty and devilishly determined woman who doesn’t take too much nonsense from anyone. I know I can be very single minded and focused, but I am hoping that over the next six months perhaps I will learn to soften a bit and not be so tough and hard about everything. I have the love of my daughter and someone very special who is thoughtful and kind and reminds me when I am feeling down about myself that I have achieved great things and that I am a real runner and an amazing mum to Harmony. And that’s all I need to have my own identity as a runner and be Harmony’s mum. The fact that I now add to someone else’s life and give back is all the more special.
There is so much more to be said, but this blog is well past the limits of long and I apologise for these hours of rambling. There is much to be said when you only get to write once a month. Hopefully that will change now I’m not completing coaching qualifications and on yeah a nutrition and health qualification too which I’ve just had confirmation that I have passed.
I feel like the world is finally turning in my direction and the sun is shining on me. I have been hidden behind a thunderstorm cloud for so long, trying to find my way out and re-establish my own identity that sometimes I haven’t been able to breath. But now I can finally breathe and I don’t always need running everyday now to keep me calm and focused. It’s taken a long time crawling through but I’m making it now and I finally feel free and myself again.