I entered this event on a whim and thought it’s close to home would be rude not to! But as things often do reality got in the way of my best laid plans – in between Halloween and Easter my diet went out of the window and it all turned into a carb-palooza. Consequently I put on some weight, my immune system took a hammering and if there was a virus going in a twenty mile radius I had to catch it. It was all a bit depressing really when I began training for the various events I’d entered – everything was hard, distances I knew should be gravy would be run with rests struggling to get my breath and my mojo went out the window. When I’d get rid of one cold I’d very quickly get another one – it seemed like I couldn’t catch a break. But I refused to not start the two 10kms and a HM I’d signed up for – I was slower than a slow thing and they hurt, but I was so stubborn I was going to finish come hell or high water and I did. But I didn’t sign up to do races for me to feel like crap (not in a good way), and struggle to finish a 10k event! Swear TG that the Ridge Offroader was almost a 5k – it was a real triumph of stubbornness to not turn off at the 5k mark!
All of this made me take stock and just stop and re-evaluate on how I was eating and going about my training because I couldn’t go on like I had been. So I did some homework on LCHF, decided that was what I needed to do, and I took myself out of a few of the races I had planned to do (lucky for me my wee triathlon was postponed so I didn’t have to worry about that one). I gave myself a lead in during May and then full on LCHF in June, and cut back the training. I just wanted the body to reset itself and get used to the fact that there were very little carbs on offer and start using the fat as fuel. Which it did, although there was a four to six week dip in energy and would’ve been hard for me to train had I been in full swing and asking things of my body during that time. Long story short got rid of the carb crazies and started to burn the fat, consequently my excess lard was ever decreasing!
I specifically went out on training runs without any fuel other than the usual avocado and eggs in the morning and worked out that I could go around 2 hrs fine – more than than I suffered a bit. I did my wee sprint tri without too much tri focused training (blew up on the run due to doing body pump and an hours run the day before!), but I was happy just to be there and enjoying it rather than struggling at deaths’ door. I’d entered a local HM as well and learned a very good lesson about fuelling in preparation for race day – knowing I could run for two hours without fuel I took out a couple of nakd bars thinking that’d be enough to get me to the end – turns out I ran faster in the race than I had all year but unfortunately that meant I’d blown through all my carbs fairly early on – so from 15k I started to slow down and the wheels fell off at 18k and for the first time ever I bonked! Those last 3kms were hard work and I got to the end of the race and I was exhausted and husband got photographic evidence 😀
I also entered Equinox24 as part of a team so a 10k then a rest until the next time around – had lots of fun and it was an opportunity to get the fuelling right.
So I was feeling good leading up to the HD ultra – never done one before didn’t know if I could but I was going to give it my best! And then I’d managed to get a wee cold the week before, not enough to stop me in my tracks but enough to be sniffly and my energy took a dip, combined with my period was enough to slow me down – so I decided to taper completely and not do any training that week! I have a tendency to overthink things and I get all panicky about stuff I cant control – so in an effort to avoid all that stress I decided to treat it like it was just another long run in my head and on Facebook it was just another parkrun! Worked like a treat.
Race Day!!
I’d been putting kumara and butternut squash back into my diet for two – three days making sure my muscles had enough glycogen to cover myself, but I didn’t want tummy issues on the day (hadnt gone this long under my own two legs before so had no idea what to expect) so I just had my normal avocado and eggs and a cuppa for brekkie. Caught the bus to Tring, with a thermos of coffee in hand – it was quite dark and foggy – perfectly good weather for a wee run! I was just super happy it wasn’t raining! The start and finish was at the Tring Cricket Clubrooms, which was a warm and inviting beacon in the mists! I collected my race number, chip and tshirt and sat down to fill in the back of the number – when I looked up the room had filled with runners in all states of dress and in some cases undress and some pretty fancy kit as well.
To be honest, they were all lovely chatty people who were gearing up to go for a wee run with their mates – unlike me – who had no idea about anything – I’ve done a trail marathon, but the last two times I tried – my body had rather gloriously failed me. It’s funny how your head plays tricks on you and the wee voice that tells you you cant pipes up – I’d run over at least two thirds of this course I knew the trails I knew that there really wasn’t anything that was going to surprise me – I just had not to injure myself or do anything silly!
I felt a tap on my arm and Meldy – witchypoo Pirate multi-IM extraordinaire, had arrived and was waiting for her running club peeps. It was good to see a familiar face amongst the many! Before long it was time to head down stairs and make for the hills! It was the usual race briefing – don’t be a dickhead and try not to kill yourself – if you do get to the next checkpoint and we’ll sort you out! Meldy popped off to the loo and then we were off – I was super cautious about starting given the cold the previous week so I decided just to run to feel. The rest of the pack took off flying and I was at the back – we were heading down the street to the turn off to the canal and I was wondering were Meldy was thinking she must have been flying when I heard a familiar voice ‘I was in the toilet!!!’ – A very pirate thing to do! Meldy went on in search of her club peeps and I hit the GU canal and was in very familiar territory!
I could see the last of the pack run off in the distance but thought don’t be running anyone else’s race Buttercup – do it a pace you can keep up! The GU canal tbh isn’t always the most picturesque and can be a bit boring in places, but the Wendover Arm as you head towards Halton is super lovely and was in fine form all green and lush. At Halton it turned off up into the Wendover Woods, which is one of my favourite places to run – love the hills, and the trails and often being out there by myself, my inner introvert loves it. At the foot of the WW was the first checkpoint and the marshalls were jiggly and lovley with the keep going – you’re looking good! *Whenever they say that I know they’re fibbing I’ve seen pictures of me running – I always look like a munter! I got excited when I saw two of the pack still at the checkpoint and when they left I was close in behind them.
After the first checkpoint we entered the Wendover Woods and went up a never ending hill! My mantra was walk the hills, run the flats – totally walked this hill and gently ran down the other side! The fog had lifted slightly and it was a great opportunity for a selfie with the Gruffalo! The ‘elite’ people started an hour after we did, and the walkers started an hour prior – the first man blew past me in the Wendover Woods – he was uber focussed and running around 7 min miles over very hilly course – he eventually finished in 4:10 which was amazing.
Have I mentioned I really don’t enjoy running on tarmac? There was a piece of tarmac running that was necessary and that was where I got my first bottom lip wobble – I was doing a power walk then a run, in the middle of the power walk one of the guys I had passed earlier in the hills, walked past me going ‘it doesn’t seem fair we are both hurting but I have longer legs’ – needless to say I was less than amused! Eventually I had a sit down and had something to eat and told acknowledged that I was feeling a bit crap but – look where I was such a lovely place to run, swallowed some ibuprofen and then I ran. I was aware of my left outside knee was a bit hurty – and given my previous history I very aware of it – but it eventually went away the more I ran on the trail – phew!
Having previously run from Ivinghoe Beacon to Wendover I knew how to get to the second checkpoint as I approached Tring – it awesome to see a whole bunch of people (walkers and runners) at C2. I sat myself down and had some squash, haribo and grapes. There was so much lovely food on offer – but a lot of it had gluten in it, so I was glad I brought my Ella’s Kitchen Banana Brekkie sachets to eat on the run. There was a sign on the gate saying it was just under half way – we all agreed that we were just going to call it half way! But eventually I realised it was time to get going again and as I left I thanked the marshals and god bless the marshall saying looking good Sharla!
I headed down towards the GU canal again hanging a hard left, the fog had lifted and the sun had come out and it was quite warm – this was the start of the bit of the course where I hadn’t run – I have to confess running down canals is quite boring. Don’t get me wrong some canals are quite lovely in part – the Wendover Arm as it heads past Halton is glorious but Aylesbury arm is all cows, boats and hedgerow and after a while boredom sets in. This portion started off lovely coming out of Tring but it got boring quickly so I cheered myself up by singing Country Road :p I didn’t enjoy the Virgin Trains speeding past the canal and interuppting my zen flow I did have to laugh at a lovely old guy who stopped me saying ‘are you one of those 50k runners? How long have you got to go? Is it for charity? I do like the skull and cross bones it looks like you mean business!’ It was a nice diversion from the monotony of the canal and it wasn’t long before I saw the arrow to leave the canal and head up over the bridge towards checkpoint 3.
I started up the over bridge when it sounded like I got a stone in my show so I stopped and hand a look – it wasn’t a stone but a big old metal tack – I was lucky it didn’t go right through which would’ve been painful! Heading through the local estate to get back to the trails involved I stared at by the locals who thought I was a bit odd running up the road in lycra and a hydration vest. The turn off to the trail was up what looked like a driveway which finished in a garage and I wasn’t sure if it was where I was going was right until I was on top of it.
When I stopped to empty out my shoes of general trail debris *note to self buy some gaiters! I was caught up by two guys and I was like where did you come from? Turns out they were two of the quite fast guys who instead of hanging a hard left went right and continued on down the canal the wrong way adding about 3 miles onto their total. They were lovely and were like have you got enough to eat? You all good? Yup okay we need to push on – I let them go and continued on with my plodding! I entered the Ashford Estate woods and was super happy to be back on lovely woodland trail and my body was happily turning over. For a while there was no one on the trail and I was a happy chappy – until I started to see more and more people on the trail of various ages and sizes – one of the reasons I love running on trail (other than I can run for longer without my legs screaming at me) is that I hardly see anyone and it’s lots of lovely quite time for me. It just happened there was some sort of event on for young and old and it was soooo busy – have to say I was glad to see the backside of it.
Heading through the estate the number of people thinned out, although you could hear disembodied voices every now and again which was a bit disconcerting! I hadn’t run through this portion of the trail so I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going but luckily there was a lot of excellent signage. Still I was hoping the third aid station would miraculously appear out of the greenery sooner than later and out of a long straight of trees I could see bright orange in the distance low and behold there it was! I was asked what I wanted and they refilled my bladder as I had a wee sit down. As I sat down there was the most lovely doggie with the softest fur and bright blue goggles came and sat next to me with eyeballs on my cheese and I found myself giving her a good pat. I eventually realised I sat down enough and needed to get on.
As I left the walkers bringing up the rear walked in and I thought I really need to get on! I ran walked, ran walked as my legs would allow until I got to the main road through the estate, thanking the lovely marshal who’d been out there all day waiting for the last ones to come through. I got to the foot of Ivinghoe Beacon and the walkers who were doing a blistering pace and gathered me up and inspired a much faster march than I would’ve done otherwise up the side of the beacon! They started talking about a cutoff at the next aid station and how you’d be pulled off the course if you didn’t have a torch which freaked me out entirely as for some reason headtorch and cutoffs hadnt readlly osmosed their way into my head. So I got to the top of Ivinghoe Beacon and the walkers stopped to wait for their friends who were still making their way up the hill, I decided to push on. I thanked them and tried to take off as I usually do downhill – OMG my thighs were all like what are you doing woman??? I purposefully ignored them figuring I had less than 10k left and most of that was on a canal I could deal with that. I think the hikers and the dog walkers could hear me coming as the moved to the side of the path in advance of my arrival – than is until I got to the paddock of the giant cows -they were huuuuuuge and I slowed to a crawl saying hellllooo to the cows and telling them all about the run. They just mooed and looked at me like I was a bit of a loose canon. And then there was the last aide station.
I wanted to be out of the aid station quick smart, grabbing some more Haribo and squash. One of the runners was sitting down and being attended to by the marshals with oxygen so I wanted even less to have them attend to me so I pushed on getting all excited that I would be at the end very soon. Now I’m not entirely sure what was going on in my head but I had been over this bit of the course and I knew the right way to go, but I followed what I thought was the arrows and went completely the wrong direction. Duh Buttercup – I just kept going and thought well it’ll cut back into the forest soon. Except it didn’t and I popped up far away from where I should’ve been and I couldn’t get my google to work on my phone and had no real idea where I was.
So I started down the road I had come to figuring I can’t be that far away from where I should’ve been and I’d come across some where I’d recognise soon. I should wear a sign saying dont follow me! I could hear a car come up behind me and it slowed to a stop and wound down the window – the woman took one look at me and said ‘What are you doing here? You are way off the course!’ Turns out it was one of the marshalls from the aid station. I talked to her about what I was doing – and said I’m just going to go this direction and eventually I’ll hit Tring station. She was like no that road’s really busy and it’s getting dark, get in the car and I’ll drop you off where you would’ve popped out of the forest. I didn’t like that idea and said but I’d not get my medal (I was a little focussed at this point) and she was like darling you’ve done the miles, it’s okay. We got to the wee pop out point and she said ‘Where’s your head torch?’ and I said I don’t have one on me – she pushed hers into my hands and said give it to the RD when you get to the cricket pavilion, then pushed me out of her car.
I was so happy to see the canal – I rang BH and told him I was on my way! I hoofed it down the canal and up onto the little lane. Almost there, almost there, almost there was a mantra going over in my head and I got super excited when the cricket grounds came into sight and then I managed a mini sprint to the finish line! The nice marshal stripped my chip off and the RD placed my medal over my head. I gave him the head torch and told him to say thank you very much for me, and I was done. 53-54ish kms done (unsure of actual length as my Garmin went a bit haywire).
Thanks to XNRG and their excellent signage, marshals and aide stations. Can’t believe I got lost! But it was an excellent run – the longest by 10kish that I’ve ever run and such a learning experience. Onwards and upwards Buttercup!
The ButterCup Project 