Ultra X 125 Scotland

And so it is over.  Months of meticulous planning, a training schedule that took me from 5km to the start line of a 125km race, weekends in the mountains in all kinds of weather and a lot of time and money spent on keeping my body going through Pamela my sports therapist, Gill my chiropractor and Rhondda my masseuse (my medical team).  
Last week I was complaining about niggles.  To be more accurate, golfers elbow, lack of mobility in my shoulder and neck, tight hammy and foot and calf pain.  But my "medical team" came to the rescue and made sure I was standing at the start line ready to go on Saturday morning at 7am.  A thought that had crossed my mind a few weeks ago having done 35km in the mountains was how would I feel knowing I had another 40km to go that day followed by another 50km the next day?  It's not something I wanted to dwell on as it could have a negative affect on my outlook on the race.  I came to the conclusion that the 35km I'd just done was all about the elevation in the 4 Munros I'd just tackled and the time on my feet - end of discussion, with myself!
Before getting to the start line I had picked my Canadian friends Mike & Kristine up from Inverness Airport.  I was dressed in my finest kilt and ready to promote Scotland but the look on Kristine's face when she saw me suggested it was either a fashion gaff, or that her luggage with some race kit hadn't turned up.  It was the latter.  Thanks KLM you are consistent!  It happened to me in Romania (KLM) and it's not a good start to a race.  Poor Kristine wasn't in a good place mentally with the stress but we managed to get her kit (thanks Roddy Riddle for your assistance) and food with the exception of poles so she was good to go.  Except in the morning of the race she took the wrong medication which could have been a major problem so another fraught few hours.  I only mention this because you can lose a race before you start it if you have negative thoughts draining your energy as you wait for the start.  It plays on your mind constantly and even standing next to someone who is going through this, is draining.  Mike and I both had a decision to make.  Do we run with Kristine and make sure she is OK or run our own races?  Mike was always going to go for it and I had intended to run with Kristine but I knew she had some injuries and I might have to leave her.  She a very experienced runner so "knows the score".  As the doctor had given her the OK, Mike & I ran our own race.
I marvel at how the mind works.  One day you think a 20km training run is long and then I'm standing ready to run75km followed by 50km!  The way I approach it is only focus on the next check point so you're looking at 10-16km max.  I had recced the start of the race so was comfortable with my pace knowing what lay ahead, or at least I thought I did.  After a big climb we hit the BOG!  It must have taken over 40 mins to navigate through the peat bog and it was very tiring and wet.  Thanks goodness I had the GPX map on my watch as you couldn't see the flags that were there to direct you.  I think I've finally worked out the functionality of my Garmin and I'm so in love with it.  
While the route is pretty, when you get on top of the mountain and can look up and down the length of Loch Ness, that takes all the pain away.  By this time I'd hooked up with a bubbly 1st time ultra runner Chloe McNiven.  We had similar interests about positivity and we kept each other going when in truth, we were hurting.  She'd injured her ankle and the back of my left knee was tightening up and causing me concern.  But if you can chat away it's amazing what you learn and also the distance melts away.  In the end we both needed a quick massage with 10km to go and then hunted down the runners that had passed us while we were getting treated.  Chloe had friends supporting her and in the last kilometer sprinted away as she was high as a kite and couldn't contain her energy.  That's the great thing about Ultra's - the interesting people you meet.  I came across the line in 10hrs 39 mins.  Mike had smashed the course and was 4th while Kristin, without poles, had done amazingly well.
During the day I'd had 7 gels, 2 mini pork pies, 2 energy bars and 3 boiled potatoes in butter and rock salt.  I had one 500ml bottle which always had water in it, another with water and electrolytes (zero) and my emergency bottle of Coke - rocket flue!  It's worth the weight.  It's a balance of replacing some of the calories, you can't replace them all, and making sure your stomach doesn't get upset.  Hydrating is essential and I never got caught out like a number of runners who ran out of water.  There weren't many streams to drink from if stuck and the weather was warm so your sweat rate was high. 
Back at the campsite I wasn't looking forward to my freeze dried dinner but had spotted a fish and chip shop on the way into Fort Augustus so I headed out to replace some of the 6,000 calories I had burned.  It was delicious.  Once of our tent companions had a massage gun so I treated my legs before bed and in the morning which was a real bonus.  A very cold night in a tent meant a broken sleep but when I woke up I felt refreshed.  Some freeze dried porridge followed by the all important poo, and I was good to go. 
Everyone around me was saying the same thing; ONLY 50km to go!  Again, amazing how the mind of an ultra runner works.  Chloe joined me at the start line but on the second downhill her ankle was holding her back so we parted company.  I spent the majority of the race on my own although I was overtaking then being overtaken by the same people so we had some chat along the way.  What keeps you going are the volunteers who cheer you into the check points.  It's so uplifting and you float out of the aid stations full of hope - thank you.  I was comfortable on the hills, was cautious on the downhills because of my continuing tightness at the back of my knee but the long flat tarmac sections were hard. I knew I had blistered toes but there was little point in stopping to treat them so I just tried to block out the pain but thinking about my "dot watchers".  Towards the end there was a 3.8km tarmac road that just kept going up.  Where it flattened out I'd try and run, very slowly by now, but on the uphill I just walked.  This is where your motivation and positive mind set comes in.  I think about my friends that I have trained with to get to the start line.  I know they will be thinking of me and probably watching my painfully slow dot moving along on their smart phone.  I know they will be willing me on and I don't want to let them down so I push through the pain because after all, it's only temporary.  I didn't have any dark moments during the race but the slog before the last summit was tough.  At the last checkpoint they told us not to follow the GPX map and follow the signs which was slightly disconcerting as my GPX map had done me well.  When we diverted off course the route was a steep downhill narrow and twisting trail.  I had to focus really hard as my legs were tired and I didn't want to fall.  I'd seen enough runners walking backwards and sideways down the hill as their quads had gone, so was taking it easy because of the tightness in my left hammy.  Half way down the hill I could hear the crowd cheering in the runners - it was such a lift to know the end was close.
When I got down to the road I could hear the crowd and saw a runner 100 yards ahead of me, I'm having him was my immediate thought and I began chasing him down with 1km to go.  There was a sign, "Runners Crossing" but unlike the others in the race, the crossing was about 100 yards further on - what a kick in the nuts that felt like.  As I crossed the road into the finishing field I overtook my "prey" and probably ran the fastest 300 yards of the race.  They sent us all the way round the field and I could hear the cheers from the crowd as they could tell I wanted to finish ahead of the other guy.  There was a "hill" in the field of at least......5ft but it wasn't welcome at this stage.  I turned into the final straight, I had a surge of energy and was celebrating with the crowd and my finish picture makes me look like a mad man.  I crossed the line and lay down on the ground before receiving my well earned winner medal.  I had given everything, including a further 4,000 calories, and now wanted to curl up in a ball and rest. 
Mission accomplished and I have to thank my coach Genevieve who once again against all the odds with my injuries, work and family life gets me to the start line in great condition.
Mike came in 3rd overall which was an unbelievable result.  Kristine came in 1st V50 female which is even more impressive when you understand the challenges she had face.  I came in 22nd overall and 1st V50 so was very pleased with the result.  We went out and celebrated with a memorable meal where we stuffed our faces and I introduced them to whisky!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me to the race, who sent encouraging messages, who dot watched and cheered me across the line.  Thanks to my family and wife for putting up with my absence while I was training in the mountains.  Ultra Race Romania is on 11th August so after a short recovery I'll be back at it so your continued support is always welcome.
This race was tough but I suffered no DOMS as a result of the training regime.  It was more a mental challenge and I feel it has set me up for Romania and that possibly I am getting the hang of how to manage ultra events.  The running is one thing but the hydration, eating, race management, sleeping in tents, eating freeze dried food are all part of the race as fail on one of those and you're finished.  It was a great event made even more special by having my friends Mike & Kristine there plus the new friends I made on the trails.  It was so good to see such a young field of runners and even Chloe, at 32 taking on her first ultra (125km FFS!) and finished it despite her painful injury.  Truly inspirational.  Ultra runners rock!