That Feeling!

On 9 May 2020 I shall be attempting to complete my first Ultra-Marathon, Dukeries 40.  This is a 40.8 mile trail race through Sherwood Forest and the surrounding area, and it is so far out my running comfort zone it's ridiculous.  Although I enjoy running and run quite a lot, I run predominantly in my completely flat local area and have done very, very little off road running.  The twenty or so miles I ran round Carsington Water yesterday really did drive home the magnitude of the challenge I've set myself.  It was a nice mix of mud, ice, gravel and dirt, really apart from the ice the trails were in very good condition.  It was continuously undulating, much like the race I'm tackling.  My legs started to grumble and the upness and downyness of the whole thing not long after the start.  My feet were squeaking at me that being rammed into hard trail shoes instead of the nice soft little road shoes they're used to was definitely not OK, not OK at all.  Despite two pairs of gloves my hands were painfully cold for most of the run and frequently shovelled up the inside of my jacket sleeves.  The wholly inadequate lightweight hydration pack I was using to get a feel for carrying an extra couple of kg - really the minimum I'll get away with on a 40 mile race in terms of carrying emergency equipment, fuel and liquid - was rather bouncier than I remembered it being and my mobile phone did a good job of putting an apple sized bruise in the middle of my back during the several hours of jiggling.

But it felt great.  It also felt awful at times, but it felt more great.  I utterly love running on freezing but clear mornings.  I drove to Carsington Water and on my arrival at just before 8:00am it was deserted, barely light, and covered in ice.  When I was a mile or so in to my run I had a fabulous view accross the lake and the sun was just threatening to come up.  By the time I hit the same spot on my second lap it was up and the day was glorious.  The first lap was a mental battle as my confidence in my ability to do the run faltered.  The second lap was fine as the body took over.  Running is something my body knows how to do.  The third lap, or partial lap, got tougher but with just three or four miles to go as I brought the pace up a bit, I focussed on the things that were easy.  Breath in, out, in out, left, right, left, right, enjoy the things that feel good, air in my lungs, hands finally warming in the sun, the good feeling of a bit of a kick out as I start to run quicker, heels back, glutes doing their thing, stand up straight, engage the core, not many hills left now, I just went through the list of complete basics to keep reminding myself that it's only running, and running is something I just do.  Oddly, the last couple of miles flew by, and then I felt incredible. 

I stood at the end starting to get my breath back, puffing, stretching, absolutely shattered, but also laughing.  No-one feels this exhilaration after doing something easy, and there I was in a beautiful part of the world in the freezing sunshine and on my own on a Sunday morning I'd run 20 miles.   

So it was a tough run, an eye opener in terms of the challenge I've set myself, but also a great run.  Today my feet still ache a bit but nothing too serious and the back bruise will be gone in a few days;  I'll look into a better way to carry more stuff next time.  My legs are tired but no worrying aches and pains and in fact I feel a lot better than I expected to.  This week's training is planned out and it's going to be a hard one at times, but if I can push myself to the full extent of what I'm capable of I hope to feel as brilliant again after one of this week's runs as I did after yesterday's.