I know this is a bit late with for an ‘end of year’ review, but I really wanted to get this down as 2018 turned out to be a pretty big year for my running.
This turned out to be the year I dived head-first into the world of ultra running, beating the longest distance I had ever run non-stop, three times over. this might also be my soggiest year of running too (more on that later). I had started experimenting with some longer-than-marathon training runs last year and found I really enjoyed the longer distances so a mixture of curiosity and plain stupidity made me want to see how much further I could take it.
Jan – March
Every year for me kicks off with training for the MK marathon. We had an eventful winter with “Beast from the East” bringing plenty of snow and ice which hampered progress. I had to resort to treadmill running (which I hate) a couple of times for training. I had planned on running the Oakley 20 but that was cancelled at the last minute due to snow and ice (in March!), but that didn’t stop me and a handful of other runners from going out and running the course anyway. We still got the ‘iconic’ hoodie despite the race being cancelled, and I felt as though I earned mine so I was happy with the result.
Some time over the winter I got the idea of attempting something big, like Race to the Stones. A friend of mine had run it a few years earlier and I was always curious about doing it myself one day, why not this year? The only thing was I had no idea what sort of preparation I would need for something like that though – training, nutrition… would I need a backpack and walking poles? What about headlamps? This got me searching running websites for reviews and tips and it wasn’t long before I stumbled on some amazing running blogs where I started reading up about other ultra events, with some excellent insights for how to prepare. Some of the posts were incredibly inspirational and I became a bit obsessed with reading about the adventures people had running some of these events.
April – June
After what felt like a very long winter, May bank holiday swiftly came along with the MK marathon. I somehow did a reasonably good job sticking to the training plan despite the snow and ice and was hoping for nice mild weather conditions on the day. Instead we seemed to miss out spring and go straight to summer, with it turning out to the hottest May bank holiday on record. I was used to running in sub-zero temperatures and was in no way prepared for the 27°C we would end up running in. The first half went ok, but after midday the heat picked up and most runners had slowed to a run-walk effort, including me. My strategy of pouring water over myself to stay cool was working but by the end I found myself completely soaked through to my pants and feeling a bit silly. During the event I saw one participant pushing a massive tire and someone else running in massive rhino outfit. Amazing.
It turned out to be a good family day out with my wife and daughter taking part in the superhero fun run. Between us we had a good haul of medals, including an excessive dinner-plate sized ‘MK legends’ medal for my fifth time running the event.
Less than a week later was the Ridgeway 40, which would be my first ultra of the year, and longest ever distance. The weather had thankfully settled down a bit, with clear skies and a nice breeze making it perfect conditions to enjoy the incredible view from the ridgeway.
Despite being a non-competitive event (It’s actually a long distance walk but runners can take part) I was a little nervous as I stood there in my brand new and untested ultra running gear. Those nerves were gone very quickly and I enjoyed the adventure and met some lovely people along the way. It was a great day and the event felt much friendlier and more laid back than a lot of the marathons I had been running, which I prefer. You also get lots of food at the checkpoints which I also like.
It was also a bit of a bonus to finish and get back to my just car before a massive downpour and thunderstorm too, lucky for me, but not for the walkers who would have still been stuck in it!
The Ridgeway 40 was a fantastic test run and gave me a lot of confidence for Race to the Stones. I had just run two thirds of it after all! Training was in full swing by now with lots of easy runs and a higher mileage. I was even pondering whether or not to enter the R86 as well.
July – September
In early July it was time for Race to the Stones – my longest ever distance again. It was a typical hot summer day. I was a bit more used to it this time round, but found the first half quite difficult. I did start to wonder if I could make it the whole distance, but things turned around when I got to base camp and cooled off with some ice creams. The second half felt a bit cooler from that point which was a big help and I managed to keep up a strong pace from that point. I had read so much about this event since the winter, and there was something that felt magical about finally being out there running it. Approaching the finish at Avebury while the sun was starting to set is something I don’t think I’ll forget.
Shortly afterwards, I must have had ‘post-race blues’ or something because I found myself booking my place for the Ridgeway Challenge, 86 mile race. I had it in the back of my mind as something I’d like to do but was I really ready for it? Let’s find out!
That was when training got crazy. I found myself following a training plan for 100 mile races, running back-to-backs over each weekend – 30 miles on Saturday, and 15 miles of trails on Sunday.
‘Peak week’ happened while I was on holiday in Maine, USA, where I spent most of my time soaked through to my pants running in the amazingly high humidity or torrential tropical rain. I had to run early in the morning before it got too hot, and had a lot of fun running up mountains and thankfully not encountering any bears.
I also ran a scary 30 miler where the cloud cover disappeared leaving me plodding along a highway in the scorching sun (something like 37°C), resulting in mild heatstroke.
When the R86 came around I strangely didn’t feel worried or nervous at all. This would be my longest distance ever (for real this time)! All of my obsessive reading, unhealthy training and geeky planning would be put to use and I felt pretty prepared. I had no real expectations for the race, other than to give it a good go. I didn’t even know if it was achievable as it was longer than RTTS by a marathon.
One fun fact about this race was that it was basically running my work commute! The start line was in Tring near where I live, and the finish was in Avebury near where I was working at the time in Swindon. This was a fact I had in my mind for a lot of the race as it seemed daft to be running so far in the opposite direction to home.
The R86 was an amazing experience, and hands down the best thing I have ever done. Keeping going for such a long way was daunting, but oddly encouraging, and running through the night wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. This might not have been my fastest run by a long way (it was more of a fast hike by the end), but the sense of achievement felt at the end was truly special and I’d love to do it again some day.
After the R86 it took a while for my legs to loosen up enough to walk normally, let alone run anything so I took it easy. I wanted to do one last long-ish event so booked the Tring ultra which was great fun, and quite varied with a bit of canal, some hilly trails and even a bit of ridgeway (I couldn’t keep away from it)! It was a good challenge, and once again I found myself getting to know a bunch of other runners along the way. And lots of food.
October – December
Training slowed down a lot by the autumn due to work commitments and preparing for our second baby who was due to be born in December! Because of this I didn’t book any big events and stayed close to home. My last event of the year was the Leighton Buzzard Half Marathon in November, just down the road from my home. It was probably the fastest I had run all year, and very different from the steady pacing and silly long distances I had being doing all year. Lots of fun, and quite challenging.
All in all, this was the biggest year by far for my running. I’ve learned a lot about what I’m able to do, and feel inspired to take on more events like these in the future. I owe my wife Lorna so much for her patience while I was out on the long training runs, and for looking after Clara while I spent entire weekends away on the longer events. I’ll most likely take it easier in 2019 with the arrival of our baby daughter Astrid, but I’d like to run a few more local ultras (I know of quite a few now), and I’d love to maybe work up to the 100 milers in the future.
