Race to The Stones Part 2

I was surprised to wake up feeling good on Sunday morning, having done multi-day hiking before I expected to wake up with stiff and aching limbs that would only ease after the first couple of miles. I had been super conscious of self-preservation on the first day and had been cautious about not running too much on day 1 so that probably helped a little. Also, when I'm hiking long distances I normally have a heavy pack which adds to the strain.

It was a shorter drive to the start, which I filled with eating again. There were no waves, just a 6-7am open start. They had a couple of large signs with all the participants names on, so I found mine and had a photo with that. Damien waved me off and I set off, within 20 metres I was distracted by a table of food and nabbed myself a banana to add to the breakfast I'd already consumed on the way - I turned to continue and was caught in the act by Damien, who had decided to walk around and give me another cheer off…"eating again?" He said incredulously!

It was another nice flat start along wide tracks, I fell into step with a guy who had slept in one of the tents at basecamp after yesterday's walk. We chatted about the logistics of ultras and the necessity of having supportive family in order to do these crazy things. Without Damien and my parents in-law I couldn't follow this dream of mine. They are there to support me with lifts, coffee and food, inspiration when it gets tough and TLC afterwards when I've driven my body past its limits and it needs patching up (including occasional hospital visits).

We walked together until the first pitstop at 10km and then went our separate ways, I wanted a 10 minute stop and he was pushing on quicker. I am aware of my tendency to fall in with others and start to follow what they do so I was determined to stick with my plan and do my own thing. The pitstops make that easier as it's a natural place to say thanks for the company and then part ways.

It was an interesting pitstop- the usual abundance of food and drink but there were some random piglets running around which caused some giggles and screams as they dodged around the legs of the athletes. It had started raining again as I left so I put on my jacket. Not as a cape this time!

The next 12km I remember as being one long track, uphill mainly. We passed Uffington White Horse but didn't take the diversion to see it (I saw it on the drive home). I reached the second pitstop at about 10:15 and decided to make it a decent 30 minute stop. The food was amazing here, all the usual snacks and also hot drinks, porridge, soup, salads and sandwiches. I stopped for a proper lunch, did my feet, reapplied suncream and enjoyed the rest. Yesterday's theme was self-preservation and today's was self-care.

There was a sign saying that the next pitstop was 15.5km so I made sure my water was topped up completely and I had an extra cup of squash before I left. On my way over the M4 bridge my right ankle started to hurt. I put it down to starting again after the longer stop and within a kilometre it had eased off again. The path was different from the track I'd got used to, it wound through fields and then down into Ogbourne St George along a road. There was a bonus pitstop after about 7km, just water and fruit but welcome all the same. I stopped to put on more suncream, the sun had come out and there was little shade. Self-care!

I struggled again with this part of the day, my right foot started to hurt, lower than the ankle this time, and it took a little longer to ease off. I think the third quarter of any race is a hotspot for mental and physical challenges, there is still a lot to do and the tiredness starts to set in. I know that a lot of it is in the mind because the last 8km is always easier! I will have to be aware of this in future races and think of ways to get through this point and mitigate the chance of giving up. Any ideas you have on this will be welcomed!

There was another rain shower as I crossed Smeathe's Ridge, no need to get out the waterproof, it was cooling and I could see clear skies coming in behind. By the time I reached the final pitstop at Barbury Castle I had dried off again and enjoyed sitting in the sun to air off my feet.

I left the pitstop feeling positive and with good energy levels, 12km to go and most of it downhill. I covered the first 6km at a great pace until just at the 94km marker my foot went again. This time it didn't seem to ease off as quickly. Luckily I had a call from my nephew at this point which distracted me enough to keep moving forward slowly and by the time we finished chatting I had just 5km to go and, while my foot still hurt, it wasn't unbearable.

Those last few km were hard mentally as there was an out and back section into Avebury - I suppose Race to The Stones has to actually go to the stones! - before a track around a field and into the finishing straight. I jogged the last few metres, collected my medal and some food before heading back to the flat for a well earned bath and glass of wine.

I have not come out unscathed from this ultra. Due to the lack of long runs in training my right foot was not prepared for what I asked of it and I spent a few hours in Minor Injuries on Monday having it x-rayed. Luckily it turned out to be soft tissue damage rather than a stress fracture, I was relieved at this as once you have a stress fracture there is a greater risk of it happening again.

My goal for this challenge was to experience an ultra and begin to learn how I can train both physically and mentally for longer distances. I knew that I hadn't managed to train enough to take it as a serious run and was happy with my decision to take it slow and pull out if necessary. It was really interesting to see the different attitude towards the challenge than marathons I have done. There were more people walking than I'd expected and a lot of support, both at the pitstops and from other athletes on the trail. Everyone is willing to chat a while, give advice and share experiences and reasons for doing it, it's pretty much a group therapy session!

I was pretty successful in terms of energy levels, although I did suffer from bloating both days so I will have to try different foods to prevent this. I have been doing lots of test running after eating various things and this has paid off- I've gone from not being able to eat anything before a run to a full breakfast! My blister strategy worked well, I only got one - this was because the plaster that I put on the hotspot on the first day was slightly misplaced. I will be researching all I can about strengthening feet and ankles to avoid a recurrence of the foot damage next time. There will definitely be a next time, I'm already planning more challenges!