What prompted me to write about the whole experience of training for my first ever ultra was the lack of blogs that mentioned their training in the run up to doing the Race To The Stones race in the past - I could find plenty that were about the race itself but not how they trained for it.
Being a new challenge, and for most people including myself, a distance in the realms of madness, gave me all the enthusiasm to stick to a training plan, and not hit a training wall - when I trained for my first marathon, I hit that training wall about two weeks before the race, and as soon as I completed the race I didn't run again for nine months, due to being exhausted trying to balance home, work and training.
It was a great talking point at work, where I am surrounded by colleagues who are physically active, doing cycling, running, triathlons, iron mans, and white collar boxing.
Even these people thought it was an exceptional challenge to do, and one referred to it as the "Death Run" - although he would have had to pick all my work if that were to come true....
Training, whether it is for an ultra, a 5k, or another sporting event should be about making mistakes, so that on race day you don't make those mistakes - anyone who has perfect training is missing the point.
As an example, one of my disasters was getting lost the first time I did a run in the Halvergate Marshes, to the point I ended up in the middle of a locally notorious single-carriage stretch of road known as the Acle Straight - this definitely taught me to more aware of the signs, and knowing my route.
I did all of my early morning training as fasted training sessions, with the exception being the Sunday long run where I would run fasted for about 90-120 minutes before starting to take on food.
This approach is something I will continue for future events, as it does teach your body to manage on what it already has.
I discovered a love of doing long runs in the countryside off-road, and this is something I want to continue doing - what I need to do is plan in advance doing these run/walks as otherwise the Wherrymans Way route will be my only option, and that was getting a bit samey near the end of the training.
I lost a stone in weight and hit my lowest weight in about 20 years - I had two "aspirational" shirts hanging up that I bought about two years ago in a sale and are of a slim fit style - both were worn comfortably on the week back on work after the race.
As for race day itself, the key thing I would do differently is be less cautious when it came to what I was capable of, particularly in the first half of the race. The second half I discovered I could run a lot more uphill and downhill, and it was less strain than trying to speed walk - I had not done any speed walking training and so those muscles were not ready but my running muscles were.
To be fair to myself, it was my first ultra and so being cautious was sensible but if there is a next time, I will be more confident of what I am capable of.
It was a very well organised race, hence the cost is noticeably more than a standard 100k ultra race - you are pampered with Aid stations every six miles allowing you to stock up on food, water, and go to the loo (without the need to find a secluded place along the race route) - it also encouraged a wide range of running and walking abilities, so again unlike most ultras, it's cut-off times were very generous.
This year circumstances fell perfect for me to do this race, so I took the opportunity that presented itself. Next year it may not be possible but if the "planets do align" again then I will seek to do a new challenge, maybe the Norfolk Ultra, or a new race by the RTTS organisers called Race To The King which is a mere 52 miles, or something entirely different - maybe I might take on doing a solo non-race of walking/running the whole of the Wherrymans Way from Norwich to Great Yarmouth (about 45 miles) - the choices out there are endless.
The blog will continue, as I have currently two races to do this year (10k road race end of August, and half-marathon in November), and whilst I have enjoyed a break from running since the race, I intend to re-start this weekend.
I hope you enjoyed my blogs about the Race To The Stones over the last three or so months, and here's to new adventures going forward.
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