This was my first 50 mile event. I had done several 30 mile LDWA challenge events before and even run 60 miles at Endure 24 the year before, but that was laps and was a pretty relaxed affair and more like back to back marathons with a big sleep in between. I had also run over 50 marathons or ultras so I had learned a lot aboout how to get myself through this kind of event. So here is some knowledge:
Feet - I get blisters easily between my toes, probably from too narrow shoes for when my feet swell up a bit from hours of pounding. Wide fitting shoes and two pairs of socks with one being a thin toe sock liner works for me.
Well cushioned trail shoes are like the Holy Grail. Anything beyond about 20 miles and feeling every stone poking me in the foot is seriously annoying. Hoka Mafate Speed 2 work for me and I have done over 700 miles in my current pair.
Take it easy on descents or expect your knees and quads to be completely mashed. It also helps to avoid falls.
Drink often and eat often, right from the beginning. Gels are OK for a marathon, but you need real food for an ultra and if you eat real food, you need to be able to digest it, so you have to go slower so your stomach works. If you sweat a lot, then take salt tablets, as your stomach also shuts down when dehydrated and salt helps proper hydration, as well as avoiding muscle cramps.
Work out what the weather is going to do and wear comfortable clothes that don't chafe. Add to that Sudafed nappy rash cream for those bits of skin not separated by lycra.
So that is all the physical side covered. I was also used to the route instructions so there should be no problems with just going 20 miles further than usual. All OK then?
Wrong! Obviously, or why would this be worth telling? The event took place on a plesaant day in September; sunny, warm, nice views from the hills. I got to Elstead Common, somewhere I know and I knew where the next aid station was, but couldn't figure out the route instructions at one point and spent 20 minutes running in circles until I got back on track. This distracted me, made me feel like I was behind schedule a bit.
This got worse when I lost the route again on Puttenham Common, again somewhere I know and also only a few miles from the next check point, which I also knew. These distractions built up in my mind and that was all I was focussed on and I wasn't eating or drinking as much as I needed to. With tiredness and lack of energy, my mind works against me to make me feel even worse.
After the 20 mile checkpoint, I was followed out by the tail walkers and I then needed to keep ahead of them and push on. Half way up St Marth's Hill near Guildford I was feeling awful, phoned my wife and had a conversation that went something like:
"I feel terrible, I want to quit."
"So you want me to come and get you? Where are you?
"St Martha's Hill, near Guildford"
"But I'm watching Strictly with the kids"
"Oh, well I suppose I could get to the next checkpoint. That's 8.5 miles away"
"Great, I'm sure you'll be OK. 'Bye!"
It was getting dark, so I needed a head torch to see the instructions and my way through the woods. I found that and also spotted a bag of sweets, saw that the next 4 or 5 miles was all on the North Downs Way, so just looked out for the marker posts and made my way up the hill, eating and drinking as I went.
By the time I was on the descent about a mile later the sugar was kicking in and I was feeling a lot better and recovering. Maybe only an hour and a half to the check point and I could quit. When I got there, I didn't quit immediately, but sat down for a hot meal of beef stew and potatoes and apple pie and custard, a cup of tea. That checkpoint saved me. I felt so much better to have food inside me, and this was mostly mental.
It also helped that I had started to catch other walkers and I wasn't last. The checkpoint cut off times were starting to recede and the pressure to keep pushing was off. Now it was 10pm and there was still a long way to go, but it was only 18.5 miles - being less than 20 miles also helped.
I spent the night part of the race gradually catching up with other walkers and runners, but much of it on trails by myself. I haven't ever used headphones in an event to distract me, I talk to myself.
"This is hard, it hurts. That's not news, get on with it. What's good about this? Look where you are! It's dark. How dark is it really? Turn your light off and see. Wow, pitch black in the woods, rustling leaves, stars through the canopy. Keep going, bats in the headlight, a silent owl, deer shining eyes. Actually this doesn't hurt any more than it did an hour ago - keep going."
What was nearly a miserable failure, turned out to be a successful finish and a great learning experience about how severly I could fall apart mentally if I don't manage to fuel myself properly. It's true what they say about ultras - they are an eating competition with some running thrown in. It's also true what they say about running in general - a lot of performance is down to your mental state. It's hard work, but there is beauty all around out on the trails and there's more just around the next corner. Just keep going.
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