The original plan said one day off for every 10 miles run, so I shouldn't have started running again until next Tuesday (3 Oct). But I've been getting more and more frustrated and desperate to run again over the last couple of days. My resting heart rate has settled back into it's normal range. My knees don't hurt any more, not even walking two miles on concrete pavements in hard shoes upset them, though there is still a tiny bit of swelling on my right knee. So today I decided that's it, lets go for a short run and see what happens.
I wasn't looking at my watch as I was just intending to take it easy and see how it went. Then I did look at my watch and it said 8 mins 25 secs a mile. My breathing was nice and easy so I was expecting to see it say 9 min 30 or even 10 min a mile. I thought it must just be a glitch, sometimes if the GPS signal is lost for a few seconds you can get a false reading on the next update. I looked again and it still said 8 mins 25 sec a mile. Maybe I really was running at that pace. Nothing was hurting so I carried on.
The route turns sharply uphill at the just after two miles which slowed things down a bit. I didn't want to push things too hard and get injured so I worked on simply keeping my breathing the same. Compared to the last time I ran this route about 8 weeks ago my average pace this time was 1 min 12 secs a mile faster. All of which is good as it's just three weeks to the Stroud Half Marathon - best get my entry in while there are still places left.
Today's distance - an amazing 2.57 miles (it's important not to overdo things!)
Saturday 30 September 2017
Tuesday 26 September 2017
Heartbeat
It's now eight days since I finished my ultra marathon challenge. Amongst all the things I noticed on finishing was how high my resting heart rate was at 69 beats a minute (it's usually in the low 50's). Clearly a sign of the stress I'd put my body under in running 140 miles over four days.
The good news is that gradually over the week my resting heart rate has been dropping, 64 beats a minute on Friday, 59 yesterday and today 56. Another day or two and it should be back to normal showing that I've pretty much recovered from the event. Once that happens, and assuming the residual soreness has gone as well, I can get back to running again.
The even better news is that as of today my run has raised £1142 towards next year's Scouts trip to KISC. So a massive thank you to everyone who's sponsored me and there's still time to drop by our Just Giving page and make a donation.
The good news is that gradually over the week my resting heart rate has been dropping, 64 beats a minute on Friday, 59 yesterday and today 56. Another day or two and it should be back to normal showing that I've pretty much recovered from the event. Once that happens, and assuming the residual soreness has gone as well, I can get back to running again.
The even better news is that as of today my run has raised £1142 towards next year's Scouts trip to KISC. So a massive thank you to everyone who's sponsored me and there's still time to drop by our Just Giving page and make a donation.
Sunday 24 September 2017
Sleep
Fascinating article in today's Guardian about the impacts of getting insufficient sleep.
It quotes some figures for the impact of sleep on athletic performance which are particularly relevant to anyone doing endurance sports. If the figure that the time to reach exhaustion drops by 10 - 30% if you get less than 8 hours sleep is accurate that would explain why I found the final day of the W2C so hard. We didn't get to eat until 9.00pm on day 3 so it was gone 10.00pm by the time we were even heading to our rooms. Allowing time for undressing, cleaning teeth, getting clothes ready for the next day, it would have been after 1030 when I got into bed. With the alarm set for 5.45 am that would have given me a maximum of 7 hours 15 min sleep. It was probably a good bit less than that.
Would I have felt better or worse if I'd skipped the meal and gone straight to bed?
It quotes some figures for the impact of sleep on athletic performance which are particularly relevant to anyone doing endurance sports. If the figure that the time to reach exhaustion drops by 10 - 30% if you get less than 8 hours sleep is accurate that would explain why I found the final day of the W2C so hard. We didn't get to eat until 9.00pm on day 3 so it was gone 10.00pm by the time we were even heading to our rooms. Allowing time for undressing, cleaning teeth, getting clothes ready for the next day, it would have been after 1030 when I got into bed. With the alarm set for 5.45 am that would have given me a maximum of 7 hours 15 min sleep. It was probably a good bit less than that.
Would I have felt better or worse if I'd skipped the meal and gone straight to bed?
Saturday 23 September 2017
A short walk
Walking a mile wouldn't normally be worth commenting on for me, but today it is. It's the first walk of any distance I've done since Monday. Also feeling much more awake today.
Hoping the improvement continues and I can get back to running soon.
Hoping the improvement continues and I can get back to running soon.
Friday 22 September 2017
Planning ahead
This time last week were were at the end of day 1 of the Westminster to Cheltenham run. Today we've been discussing "Rachel's Revenge". If you've followed the story of the run you'll remember Rachel had to drop out after day 2 as she'd gone down with a stomach bug. Day 3 was the day she was really looking forward to, long and hilly - her favourite running conditions.
So we need to get back to Reading and run the route to Swindon with her. Of course the logistics are not so easy. We will need to get overnight bags and runners to Reading, then transport the bags to Swindon along with providing support to the runners along the route. And the days are getting shorter along with the weather deteriorating. The Ridgeway is pretty exposed in the winter and we will be running in the dark for longer. We will either have to go in the next couple of weeks or delay to the spring.
It will all depend on how quickly we can recover.
Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me - £937 raised so far. It's not too late to drop by our Just Giving page and help send 36 Scouts and Explorer Scouts on an international adventure next year
So we need to get back to Reading and run the route to Swindon with her. Of course the logistics are not so easy. We will need to get overnight bags and runners to Reading, then transport the bags to Swindon along with providing support to the runners along the route. And the days are getting shorter along with the weather deteriorating. The Ridgeway is pretty exposed in the winter and we will be running in the dark for longer. We will either have to go in the next couple of weeks or delay to the spring.
It will all depend on how quickly we can recover.
Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me - £937 raised so far. It's not too late to drop by our Just Giving page and help send 36 Scouts and Explorer Scouts on an international adventure next year
Thursday 21 September 2017
Recovery
As part of my training for running 138 miles I did a lot of research into the effects of running an ultra marathon on the body as I wanted to be prepared for the likely after effects of the run.
I expected various bits of my body to hurt and indeed they did. Left ankle was sore and a bit swollen on Tuesday, probably a result of altering my gait to avoid putting pressure on the blister on my heel. My knees also have a tendency to seize up if I stay in one position too long. Getting out of the car after a 45 minute drive to or from work is challenging!
I'm expecting to take about two weeks off from running - a day for every 10 miles is the recommendation from the experts. But to try and help things along I went for a sports massage this evening. Well, I knew there were one or two sore spots but Chris at CPM Sports found a few more - ouch! After an hour of treatment my legs definitely feel looser.
As soon as I finished the run I had a craving for hot roast chicken. That's in line with the advice to get plenty of protein to aid muscle repair. I wonder if there's also something the craving for chicken to do with preventing getting a cold? You know how chicken soup tastes good when you're all snuffly? Well research shows that nearly 70% of ultra runners get a upper respiratory tract infection within two weeks of finishing an event so I'm hoping that a few helpings of roast chicken will put me in the 30% who don't.
I've also moved the biscuit tin at work out of my line of sight. I'm not clocking the miles up at the moment so I don't need the calories. I'm making a conscious effort to get plenty of fruit and veg. That's hard work as there's nothing quite as satisfying as a Bourbon Cream when you've got a boring task to plough through.
Research indicates that for every mile you run each week in training you need to get a minutes extra sleep a night as it's while sleeping that the body is most effective at repairing itself. There's a lot less on-line about sleep after an ultra. During the run itself I found sleeping quite difficult. At the time I put it down to raised stress hormones and a strange bed. The closest I can come to a similar feeling is how I felt after a serious car accident 12 years ago, it's a kind of jangly, jumpy feeling. Now I'm back home I'm ready for bed by 9.00pm and sleeping like a log.
That's all for today, I'm off to get a hot chocolate and head to bed.
I expected various bits of my body to hurt and indeed they did. Left ankle was sore and a bit swollen on Tuesday, probably a result of altering my gait to avoid putting pressure on the blister on my heel. My knees also have a tendency to seize up if I stay in one position too long. Getting out of the car after a 45 minute drive to or from work is challenging!
I'm expecting to take about two weeks off from running - a day for every 10 miles is the recommendation from the experts. But to try and help things along I went for a sports massage this evening. Well, I knew there were one or two sore spots but Chris at CPM Sports found a few more - ouch! After an hour of treatment my legs definitely feel looser.
As soon as I finished the run I had a craving for hot roast chicken. That's in line with the advice to get plenty of protein to aid muscle repair. I wonder if there's also something the craving for chicken to do with preventing getting a cold? You know how chicken soup tastes good when you're all snuffly? Well research shows that nearly 70% of ultra runners get a upper respiratory tract infection within two weeks of finishing an event so I'm hoping that a few helpings of roast chicken will put me in the 30% who don't.
I've also moved the biscuit tin at work out of my line of sight. I'm not clocking the miles up at the moment so I don't need the calories. I'm making a conscious effort to get plenty of fruit and veg. That's hard work as there's nothing quite as satisfying as a Bourbon Cream when you've got a boring task to plough through.
Research indicates that for every mile you run each week in training you need to get a minutes extra sleep a night as it's while sleeping that the body is most effective at repairing itself. There's a lot less on-line about sleep after an ultra. During the run itself I found sleeping quite difficult. At the time I put it down to raised stress hormones and a strange bed. The closest I can come to a similar feeling is how I felt after a serious car accident 12 years ago, it's a kind of jangly, jumpy feeling. Now I'm back home I'm ready for bed by 9.00pm and sleeping like a log.
That's all for today, I'm off to get a hot chocolate and head to bed.
Wednesday 20 September 2017
Lessons learned
A random selection of things learned and items to remember for next time*:
Hotel room air conditioning is never adjustable enough. If you are too hot don't worry about pulling the duvet out of it's cover and sleeping under the empty duvet cover.
The free internet connection is very slow but unless you want to start streaming video it's usable.
The hotel menu won't tell you which dish has 1000 calories. Just avoid the ones marked less than 500 calories - you need the energy.
Your support crew need a means of producing boiling water fast. Either a thermos flask or something like a jet boil. There are times when runners need something hot even if it's just a cup of soup, a pot noodle or a mug shot.
Instant meals - especially for the longest day, being able to supply someone with 700 calories worth of hot food would be a huge moral booster around tea time on the longest day. And budget hotels can stop serving food surprisingly early.
You will get sick of eating sweet stuff, so have plenty of savoury snacks as well - crisps, cheesy biscuits, pepperoni were all popular. Tinned potatoes rule. As does coke (even though it's sweet).
Tape a list of what food you have to the outside of your grab bag. After hours of running you won't be able to remember what you packed and the stuff on the top won't look appealing.
Jaffa cakes turn to crumbs in your pocket leaving a slice of jelly and chocolate 😋
An emergency gel put in a pocket will leak after 3 days. Sticky is not an adequate description of the mess.
Change wet shoes and socks at the earliest opportunity - the moral boost is huge. As is the moral boost from picking up a clean, dry hanky whenever you can.
Microfibre clothes are useful for drying out wet trainers. Simply stuff into the shoe for an hour while you eat then hang them to dry overnight ready to re-use. Much more convenient than using newspaper.
Merino wool t-shirts rule - one t-shirt lasted four days without becoming unpleasant.
Pack everything you are carrying in freezer bags. Even if it doesn't rain your spare warm top will get wet from sweat.
Hat, gloves and a buff are essential - early mornings are pretty cold. Check you can operate your phone wearing gloves, some touch screens (mine!) don't work without special gloves.
Body Glide - bliss. Apply a thin layer anywhere that clothing can rub. That includes your feet!
Have warm clothes ready to grab as soon as you finish. It's almost as if the body goes into shock so expect to feel very cold and shivery even in a warm room.
Dog poop bags - you never know how far you're going to have to carry that sticky wrapper before you find a bin. If it's raining you can pop them over your gloves to keep your hands dry and warm. And when you need to use the bushes ....
You will need more layers of clothes than you expect to, especially on days 3 and 4 as you are running a serious calorie deficit at that stage.
A good head torch is essential as at this time of the year you will be running in the dark some of the time. I used a Silva Trail Runner 3X
Hotels
Hotel breakfasts are served too late especially on a weekend. You need to take food you can eat for breakfast. That is take don't expect to have time or the energy to go out and buy it the night before.Hotel room air conditioning is never adjustable enough. If you are too hot don't worry about pulling the duvet out of it's cover and sleeping under the empty duvet cover.
The free internet connection is very slow but unless you want to start streaming video it's usable.
Food
Rice pudding makes an acceptable substitute for porridge even though you'll be eating it cold. You can pour it into a freezer bag to eat on the run.The hotel menu won't tell you which dish has 1000 calories. Just avoid the ones marked less than 500 calories - you need the energy.
Your support crew need a means of producing boiling water fast. Either a thermos flask or something like a jet boil. There are times when runners need something hot even if it's just a cup of soup, a pot noodle or a mug shot.
Instant meals - especially for the longest day, being able to supply someone with 700 calories worth of hot food would be a huge moral booster around tea time on the longest day. And budget hotels can stop serving food surprisingly early.
You will get sick of eating sweet stuff, so have plenty of savoury snacks as well - crisps, cheesy biscuits, pepperoni were all popular. Tinned potatoes rule. As does coke (even though it's sweet).
Tape a list of what food you have to the outside of your grab bag. After hours of running you won't be able to remember what you packed and the stuff on the top won't look appealing.
Jaffa cakes turn to crumbs in your pocket leaving a slice of jelly and chocolate 😋
An emergency gel put in a pocket will leak after 3 days. Sticky is not an adequate description of the mess.
Shoes and clothes
You can't take too many pairs of socks and trainers. There isn't time to wash and dry stuff overnight unless you are a very fast runner and you probably won't have the energy. Be prepared to just bundle all your wet kit into a bag and worry about it when you get home.Change wet shoes and socks at the earliest opportunity - the moral boost is huge. As is the moral boost from picking up a clean, dry hanky whenever you can.
Microfibre clothes are useful for drying out wet trainers. Simply stuff into the shoe for an hour while you eat then hang them to dry overnight ready to re-use. Much more convenient than using newspaper.
Merino wool t-shirts rule - one t-shirt lasted four days without becoming unpleasant.
Pack everything you are carrying in freezer bags. Even if it doesn't rain your spare warm top will get wet from sweat.
Hat, gloves and a buff are essential - early mornings are pretty cold. Check you can operate your phone wearing gloves, some touch screens (mine!) don't work without special gloves.
Body Glide - bliss. Apply a thin layer anywhere that clothing can rub. That includes your feet!
Have warm clothes ready to grab as soon as you finish. It's almost as if the body goes into shock so expect to feel very cold and shivery even in a warm room.
Dog poop bags - you never know how far you're going to have to carry that sticky wrapper before you find a bin. If it's raining you can pop them over your gloves to keep your hands dry and warm. And when you need to use the bushes ....
You will need more layers of clothes than you expect to, especially on days 3 and 4 as you are running a serious calorie deficit at that stage.
A good head torch is essential as at this time of the year you will be running in the dark some of the time. I used a Silva Trail Runner 3X
Maps
It is possible to download maps to some runners watches but I prefer to carry a paper map. A subscription to the Ordnance Survey maps on-line lets you print off exactly which bit of the map you need on A4 paper. Printed double sided at 1:25000 a typical days maps weighed less than 25 grams. Compared to the maps on a watch there is so much more detail to help you keep on track, or if the worst happens, to find your way to the nearest road or direct the emergency services to your location.
*the team are meeting tomorrow to start planning next year's run
Tuesday 19 September 2017
Cleaning up
Finishing a big run is just like coming back off holiday. There's a tonne of dirty washing to deal with.
We'd been advised that road shoes would be best for the final day as there were just a couple of muddy fields. I don't think my new road shoes will ever be the same colour again. I did ask in the shop if they came in a darker colour.
I think all the mud has come out of my socks.
Only two pairs of trainers didn't need washing. The ones I wore to run out of London on the tarmac and the pair I didn't wear.
As it's been a sunny day so everything has dried quickly - there's nothing worse than the smell of trainers that have hung around wet for days.
Today's reason to be cheerful: washing machines
We'd been advised that road shoes would be best for the final day as there were just a couple of muddy fields. I don't think my new road shoes will ever be the same colour again. I did ask in the shop if they came in a darker colour.
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| It's OK, mud is my favourite colour |
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| 4 days, 7 pair of socks |
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| Trainers draining after washing |
Today's reason to be cheerful: washing machines
Monday 18 September 2017
Day 4 - Swindon to Cheltenham
Another early start that I almost missed. I'd silenced the notifications on my phone so I didn't get beeps in the middle of the night when junk e-mails arrived. What I hadn't realised is that also silences the alarm! The flashing of the screen did wake me but about 10 minutes late.
The blister that developed yesterday was extremely painful as it's quite deep - in fact it woke me in the night when I rolled over and it pressed against the mattress. So padding that was something that had to be done before I set off. Which ate (pun intended) into my time for breakfast. In fact Scott and I both left with breakfast in our hands sourced from Neil's wonderful supplies as the hotel didn't start serving until an hour after we wanted to be off.
Scott was really suffering from the beginning. Overnight his left shin had swollen to double its normal size and was bright red - a worrying development as it can be an indicator of a serious problem. We hobbled out the door at 0640 as Jez took a picture for the twitter feed.
Jez had warned us that there were a couple of wet fields to cross - he wasn't kidding. Within 15 minutes of leaving our feet were soaked. We quickly fell behind schedule as it wasn't possible to run in the mud and Scott was struggling to run even on solid ground. He also had a problem with the insoles of his trainers moving around and sliding out of position.
Within a few miles we were back on the Thames Path, though here the Thames looks very different from when we'd last seen it.
It quickly became apparent that we were in serious calorie deficit from yesterday and suffering from lack of recovery time. Even though the day was warming up we were both still cold and wearing hats, gloves and windproof jackets. That was to get worse during the day with both of us suffering the dreaded "bonk" at around the 20 mile mark, even though we'd refuelled whenever we'd met Neil.
With all the different problems we were barely covering 3 miles an hour at times. That wasn't good when we had a team of people waiting to greet us at the finish who still wanted to get home in time for tea.
Jez caught us up around lunchtime, shortly before we met up with Neil. That didn't stop us diving into Rendcombe post office for sustenance.
Meeting Neil came just in time for me as I now had wet feet for over 6 hours. When I came to change my socks and trainers the sole of my right foot was just beginning to turn white. Another hour and I'd have been in serious trouble.
Jez kept us moving during the afternoon counting down the miles until we would meet the team rather than miles to the finish - good psychology there. It seemed like a long time but suddenly we popped out onto the road and there they were a hundred yards away. There were high fives and hugs as they took us under their wing to help us over the final three miles.
We'd done it! We had run, walked, shuffled and (in Scott's case) limped all the way from London to Cheltenham.
Today's reasons to be cheerful:
- first female finisher of the Westminster to Cheltenham run
- oldest finisher of the Westminster to Cheltenham run
Today's stats:
Distance: 31 miles (141 miles from Westminster)
Elevation gained:701 metres
Sponsor me and help send Scouts on an adventure of a lifetime
19/09/17 - edited to add additional photos
The blister that developed yesterday was extremely painful as it's quite deep - in fact it woke me in the night when I rolled over and it pressed against the mattress. So padding that was something that had to be done before I set off. Which ate (pun intended) into my time for breakfast. In fact Scott and I both left with breakfast in our hands sourced from Neil's wonderful supplies as the hotel didn't start serving until an hour after we wanted to be off.
Scott was really suffering from the beginning. Overnight his left shin had swollen to double its normal size and was bright red - a worrying development as it can be an indicator of a serious problem. We hobbled out the door at 0640 as Jez took a picture for the twitter feed.
 |
| Leaving Swindon - only just daylight |
Jez had warned us that there were a couple of wet fields to cross - he wasn't kidding. Within 15 minutes of leaving our feet were soaked. We quickly fell behind schedule as it wasn't possible to run in the mud and Scott was struggling to run even on solid ground. He also had a problem with the insoles of his trainers moving around and sliding out of position.
Within a few miles we were back on the Thames Path, though here the Thames looks very different from when we'd last seen it.
 |
| River Thames near Cricklade |
It quickly became apparent that we were in serious calorie deficit from yesterday and suffering from lack of recovery time. Even though the day was warming up we were both still cold and wearing hats, gloves and windproof jackets. That was to get worse during the day with both of us suffering the dreaded "bonk" at around the 20 mile mark, even though we'd refuelled whenever we'd met Neil.
 |
| Wild cyclamen growing along the path |
With all the different problems we were barely covering 3 miles an hour at times. That wasn't good when we had a team of people waiting to greet us at the finish who still wanted to get home in time for tea.
Jez caught us up around lunchtime, shortly before we met up with Neil. That didn't stop us diving into Rendcombe post office for sustenance.
Meeting Neil came just in time for me as I now had wet feet for over 6 hours. When I came to change my socks and trainers the sole of my right foot was just beginning to turn white. Another hour and I'd have been in serious trouble.
Jez kept us moving during the afternoon counting down the miles until we would meet the team rather than miles to the finish - good psychology there. It seemed like a long time but suddenly we popped out onto the road and there they were a hundred yards away. There were high fives and hugs as they took us under their wing to help us over the final three miles.
 |
| At the supporters meeting point |
We'd done it! We had run, walked, shuffled and (in Scott's case) limped all the way from London to Cheltenham.
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| Made it - Jez, Neil, Scott and I at the finish |
- first female finisher of the Westminster to Cheltenham run
- oldest finisher of the Westminster to Cheltenham run
Today's stats:
Distance: 31 miles (141 miles from Westminster)
Elevation gained:701 metres
Sponsor me and help send Scouts on an adventure of a lifetime
19/09/17 - edited to add additional photos
Sunday 17 September 2017
Day 3 - Reading to Swindon
Sadly Rachel hadn't recovered overnight and was unable to continue today. A huge shame as I know she was looking forward to clocking up a record distance in one day.
The hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 0700 so we left without our morning coffee. Fortunately I'd come prepared and brought several tins of rice pudding with me which made an acceptable alternative to porridge. I don't think you see the best of any city in the early hours and I was glad that I had Scott running with me as we made our way from the hotel back to the Thames Path.
We walked for about 40 minutes trying to wake up our legs and get breakfast to settle in our stomachs. On days 1 & 2 we had been running for 25 minutes and walking for 5 minutes but that felt too much for today so we cut the runs down to 15 minutes. It was all going well on the Thames Path as far as Pangbourne when the route suddenly left the Thames and headed over a significant hill. From that point on we were running the level sections and downhills while walking the uphills.
It wasn't long after that to our first rendezvous with Neil at the 14 mile point. It was cold and misty by this point so we both picked up more clothes before heading up onto the Ridgeway itself.
At least the Ridgeway was well signposted. Once we left it it was detailed navigation using the map all the way to Swindon where we arrived 12 hours 56 minutes after leaving Reading.
The day then seemed to be one long slog up hill and down - too slippy to run in many places. Neil met us twice more on the Ridgeway then a final time about 8 miles before our destination. He really is the unsung hero of this weekend, without him we wouldn't have got this far.
Reasons to be cheerful:
Longest distance covered in one day
Longest distance covered in one week
Fresh dry socks after 30 miles - bliss
Reasons to worry:
My knees are very sore
I have a large blister on my left foot - where my foot was pinched between my trainer insole and the side of the shoe. Hopefully a change of shoes tomorrow will help
Today's stats:
Distance: 47 miles. (110.4 miles from Westminster)
Elevation gained: 809 metres
The hotel didn't start serving breakfast until 0700 so we left without our morning coffee. Fortunately I'd come prepared and brought several tins of rice pudding with me which made an acceptable alternative to porridge. I don't think you see the best of any city in the early hours and I was glad that I had Scott running with me as we made our way from the hotel back to the Thames Path.
We walked for about 40 minutes trying to wake up our legs and get breakfast to settle in our stomachs. On days 1 & 2 we had been running for 25 minutes and walking for 5 minutes but that felt too much for today so we cut the runs down to 15 minutes. It was all going well on the Thames Path as far as Pangbourne when the route suddenly left the Thames and headed over a significant hill. From that point on we were running the level sections and downhills while walking the uphills.
We knew there was a coffee shop in Streatley but sadly we arrived before it opened. We pressed on up the hill towards the Ridgeway and found this elephant sculpture in a garden
It wasn't long after that to our first rendezvous with Neil at the 14 mile point. It was cold and misty by this point so we both picked up more clothes before heading up onto the Ridgeway itself.
At least the Ridgeway was well signposted. Once we left it it was detailed navigation using the map all the way to Swindon where we arrived 12 hours 56 minutes after leaving Reading.
The day then seemed to be one long slog up hill and down - too slippy to run in many places. Neil met us twice more on the Ridgeway then a final time about 8 miles before our destination. He really is the unsung hero of this weekend, without him we wouldn't have got this far.
Reasons to be cheerful:
Longest distance covered in one day
Longest distance covered in one week
Fresh dry socks after 30 miles - bliss
Reasons to worry:
My knees are very sore
I have a large blister on my left foot - where my foot was pinched between my trainer insole and the side of the shoe. Hopefully a change of shoes tomorrow will help
Today's stats:
Distance: 47 miles. (110.4 miles from Westminster)
Elevation gained: 809 metres
Saturday 16 September 2017
Day 2 - Slough to Reading
Not such an early start today although we hit the trail at 0800
The route took us down through Eton and past the famous school
From there we joined our old friend the Thames Path again. Pleasant running by the river, it wasn't long until we reached Maidenhead.
We met Neil just past Maidenhead at about the 11 mile mark. He'd brought us a veritable smorgasbord of goodies which went down very well at this point
Refuelled we pressed on along the Thames Path. It was at this point we came up with the idea of a where's the nearest loo app. Obviously the idea for this was spurred by the need of one of the team to answer a call of nature and not a loo in sight.
It was just after the diversion that Rachel started to feel poorly so we stopped by the river for 20 minutes while she ate some food, then carried on walking steadily - any progress being better than no progress - and hoping that she would soon recover.
2 hours later, and with us still walking, we were caught up by Jez who is a much faster runner and had taken the luxury of catching up on a couple of You Tube videos before leaving Slough
Another hour later and we found these characters - I think we all felt a bit like they looked
Shortly after this we met Neil for the second time just north of Henley on Thames and re-stocked on water and boiled potatoes for the last 10 miles into Reading. Rachel decided to keep on walking while Jez, Scott and I ran on ahead.
It's been a challenging day as we've been on our feet for 9 hours. Time now for more food and another early night. Tomorrow is the longest day at 47 miles and I don't think any of us are feeling that confident about it.
Today's stats: Total Distance: 35 miles. (63.4 miles from Westminster)
Total ascent: 165 metres
19/09/17 - edited to correct image orientations
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| Neil (our support crew), Rachel, Scott and I at Slough |
The route took us down through Eton and past the famous school
 |
| Eton |
From there we joined our old friend the Thames Path again. Pleasant running by the river, it wasn't long until we reached Maidenhead.
We met Neil just past Maidenhead at about the 11 mile mark. He'd brought us a veritable smorgasbord of goodies which went down very well at this point
Refuelled we pressed on along the Thames Path. It was at this point we came up with the idea of a where's the nearest loo app. Obviously the idea for this was spurred by the need of one of the team to answer a call of nature and not a loo in sight.
 |
| Diversion around a building site |
It was just after the diversion that Rachel started to feel poorly so we stopped by the river for 20 minutes while she ate some food, then carried on walking steadily - any progress being better than no progress - and hoping that she would soon recover.
2 hours later, and with us still walking, we were caught up by Jez who is a much faster runner and had taken the luxury of catching up on a couple of You Tube videos before leaving Slough
 |
| River Thames |
Shortly after this we met Neil for the second time just north of Henley on Thames and re-stocked on water and boiled potatoes for the last 10 miles into Reading. Rachel decided to keep on walking while Jez, Scott and I ran on ahead.
It's been a challenging day as we've been on our feet for 9 hours. Time now for more food and another early night. Tomorrow is the longest day at 47 miles and I don't think any of us are feeling that confident about it.
Today's stats: Total Distance: 35 miles. (63.4 miles from Westminster)
Total ascent: 165 metres
19/09/17 - edited to correct image orientations
Friday 15 September 2017
Day 1 - Westminster to Slough
On a normal day there's only one 4.45 in the day and it doesn't have a.m. after it!. But today isn't a normal day. Out of the house at 0530 - boy was it nippy around the knees at that time - and on the bus at 0630.
We arrived in London just after 0930 the bus having crawled the last 10 miles, honestly we could have run faster. Actually that's where this challenge started. A couple of people on the bus from London to Cheltenham saying the could run faster than the bus out of London.
A team photo in front of the Houses of Parliament and we were on our way.
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| The W2C2 Team - Jez, Rachel, Scott and I along with Euan who joined us for today. The rest of the team are raising funds for the mental health charity, MIND |
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| Pagoda at the Peace Park (sorry about the picture quality, taken on my phone) |
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| Boat trip? Maybe not today |
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| Tweeting a progress report just before we left the Thames |
Shortly before the half way point we met a couple of walkers heading into London. We exchanged greetings and they asked us how far we were running. Their reaction on being told 138 miles was "oh my giddy aunt, that's a long way"*
At the half way point we left the Thames and joined the Grand Union Canal. At this point my phone decided it had had enough of Racedrone and unknown to me had shut it down, leaving it looking like I had been abandoned at Richmond.
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| Locks on the Grand Union Canal, the only point on the route where there is a noticeable ascent |
It was at this point that the weather started to cloud over a little but it was still warm and dry. It was only as we approached the turn onto the Slough branch that it started to rain.
About 3 miles out of Slough we were met by Neil our support crew who had run out to meet us. Not only that he'd checked us all into our hotel rooms first and carried our bags up to our rooms. Now that's above and beyond what you expect from your support crew.
So I've now been revived by a hot shower and some food - just the start of replacing the estimated 3800 calories I've used today. We're meeting shortly for dinner then it will be an early night in preparation for tomorrow's run.
Total Distance: 28.44 miles
Elevation gained: 256 metres
*actually their reaction was to come out with an expletive that definitely isn't appropriate for a family friendly blog
Thursday 14 September 2017
10, 9, 8, 7, 6 ...
When we started planning this run there were 10 people
interested in taking part. Gradually
that number has dwindled. Clashes with
other events, injuries in training, a nasty kidney stone needing surgery and a
case of Lyme Disease (picked up on an ultra event in Canada) have all conspired
to reduce the number down to just four*.
Assuming none of us over-sleeps tomorrow Jez, Rachel, Scott
and I will be on the 0630 bus to London.
Getting there will take about 3 hours.
Getting back, well I’m estimating at least 35 hours of running will be
needed, possibly more as it’s likely we will all slow down as the event goes on
and tiredness takes it toll. It’s a
month’s worth of running crammed into just four days.
Thinking about too much it isn’t a good idea. It would be to easy to freak out and
panic. So I keep telling myself it’s not
a 138 mile run. I’m just going to run a
mile 138 times. All I have to do to get
to the end is keep running the next mile.
Over the next four days we’ll be posting updates on twitter
(@w2cultra) throughout the day so follow us there as well as catching up with
the detail here in the evening.
* Given that I’ve spent the day at work sat next to someone
who’s been shivering, coughing, sneezing and generally looking like they are
going down with flu that number could go lower still. The joys of a sick absence policy that encourages people to come into work when they are unwell and spread it
round everyone.
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