One big effort to go. That is all it is. One big effort. After you boil everything down from training to illness to tapering to Friday nights in and early Saturday morning runs in the dark, cold, rain and wind, that is all it is. One more big effort. But this time it is the biggest of them all.
Taking part in races is the icing on the cake; the culmination of the effort which few others see. Racing is like that classic image you see of the iceberg, with only the tip visible out the water. Under the surface is where the majority of the iceberg lies, hidden from sight, but it is what underpins it all. You simply cannot just turn up and hope that you can run an event unless you have done the work beforehand.
“I have put in the work I could”
This time round, however, the work I have done is nothing like the work I had planned to do when I first began contemplating the D33 Ultra Marathon race towards the end of last year. Then I had a clear training plan to follow, combining long weekend runs with extensive midweek training to back it up. Those midweek runs are not as far as the weekend ones, but they are all part of building up the endurance and strength needed to get through when times are tough. Even so, my February stats were ok. I have put in the work I could, with the most hours of running since last April.
At this point last year, I was in the midst of training for the Rotterdam Marathon, which I did in early April 2023 (hence the big number then). That training went without a hitch, and when I look back, I ran far more than I have done this time around. But this time around, the cough and cold I picked up at the new year, meant I simply could not attempt the same. The flip side of that though is that, perhaps for other races, I have overtrained. Who knows? The truth is, I am where I am. This is what I have got to offer the race next Saturday.
Last weekend, I did not run at all. A weekend off visiting family and meeting up with friends in London. After the marathon training run the weekend before, this was a great break from the routine of the early Saturday mornings, and I made sure to enjoy not just the sights, but also great company and all the food and drinks which came with it. For now though, I am off the beer until after the race is done.
After the weekend off, however, I did make sure to get in three runs this week, putting in a bit of pace to my non-jogscotland run, just to give my body a bit of a wake up call. I have no intention of running anything like as quickly as I did during these short runs, but it is good to remind yourself that you can drag out a bit of pace once in a while. Maybe after the race is done, I might try and do some speed work again.
For the moment, I have begun to look a bit more at the route for next weekend, which takes me from the Duthie Park in Aberdeen out the old Deeside Railway Line (now called the Deeside Way) to the small town of Banchory and back.
I try not to obsess too much about a route, or analyse it too deeply. The route is the route, all I need to do is to run it. Similarly the weather. Nothing I can do to change it, it is going to happen anyway. All I can do is focus on my approach to the day.
But hopefully the weather will be a bit better than it was for my final long taper run. Dry to start, but then from about an hour in it turned very wet, even with a bit of sleet thrown in for fun. The taper is the period where you wind down your mileage in advance of a race to give your body the chance to recover before the big day. When your taper run is a half marathon distance – which it was – then you know you are in for a seriously long run for the actual event.
“a bit of a necessary evil”
For the first time this year, I started my Saturday run in daylight. It has been a long slog to get to this point, but it does make a huge difference to your mood when you don’t need to take your headtorch out to make sure you can see where you are going for the first hour or two. With taper runs, all you want to do is get them done without getting injured. They are a bit of a necessary evil to keep your legs turning over and also to stop you going stir crazy from not running!
Apart from the weather, I was pleased with how things went, though I did begin to get a bit of cramp towards the end in my right calf, mostly when I had to stop to cross roads. I think this was probably due to how cold and wet it was, but also perhaps I had not drunk enough in the build up, or on the run itself, so this is something for me to watch to ensure I am fully hydrated.
The highlight of the run though was the first couple of miles, where I ran with my friend Cara for the first time in ages. It was great to catch up with her and to run together again, and it set me up really nicely for the rest of the run. Throughout the training, the help and support of friends has meant so much to me – both Maxine and Susan helping me has been so important on my long runs, the jogscotland groups I have led have also helped too – and that shows really what running is about. Yes races are important, but the friends which running has brought into my life are truly special.
So the big runs are all done, so what now? Well I will probably do a couple more short runs during the week just to stay loose, but then thoughts will turn to preparing for Saturday. In the build up to a marathon – and so this will be the same for the ultra – I begin to eat and, more importantly, drink a bit more three days out from the race. Hydration is not just about on the day, it is absolutely about making sure you are fully hydrated going into it. It might mean a few more trips to the toilet than normal, but that is fine. I also know what I will be eating the day before to get prepared.
Then there is taking the stress out of the morning itself. Making sure I have everything packed and the kit looked out the night before – for an ultra you have to take specific kit with you, including full waterproofs, gloves, hat, foil blanket – and also have my nutrition sorted too. Gels, bars, drinks, solid food. This is both for what I am eating for breakfast and also what I plan to eat during the race. There are three checkpoints on the ultra and the organisers will take a small bag of food, drinks etc that you pack up out to the points for you to collect when you get there. So all of that will be done the night before too.
“there are enough nerves going around”
On the day of an event, there are enough nerves going around so best not to add to them. I will also be making sure my phone and running watch are fully charged too so all I need to do in the morning is eat, get dressed and then turn up in plenty of time to register, collect my number and get to the start line.
I am not going to lie, I am nervous about the challenge ahead, but I think these are good nerves. I am always nervous before the start of any race, and I think nerves help you focus, as long you do not become overwhelmed by them. It is a step into the unknown, but ever since I took up running, every distance I have challenged myself to do has been a step into the unknown. Sometimes it is good to scare yourself.
I know I have done all I can, given the circumstances of the past two months. I have a plan in place for the pace at which I am going to run. I have worked out my hydration and nutrition and what I am going to eat and when (yes, sausage rolls and fruit scones are in the mix). I have resolved in my head what it is going to take to get me through it. All I need to do now is go and do it.
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