Running a lot.....

I’m sat here almost 4 days after finishing the 100-mile ‘Run’, recalling my experiences from the great event. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. And the feeling of finishing the thing, as well as the fun night that followed, will stay with me for years. It was that good! I think one of the best parts to the experience was that I genuinely feel like I did it with others. There was no way I could have done it without the help, encouragement and support of everyone who I did it with. If you’re reading this and you did it as well, thank you for your support and cheers!

Day One – Enthusiasm a plenty - 16.1 miles to Hailes

After 3 days of anxiety about what was to come, it was a relief to get going! I made my way to Riverside Coach Park in Bath to check in and meet the organisers. Before boarding, I met an amazing runner, Reece, who told me about his first 100-miler. So inspiring!

I was dressed to go in my running kit but we had a 2 hour drive to the start at Chipping Campden. After registration and chucking our bags onto the minibus, it was time to start the run! We were set off in groups by the organisers, and I dropped to the back so I can let my thoughts drift.

The beginning…

I loved the first few miles. Running through fields, along paths, was new and interesting. I got carried away with myself when I got to Broadway. I downed a bag of skittles AND a bottle of isotonic which gave me bad stomach cramps. I bought a postcard of Broadway, thinking it would be cool to buy a postcard in each village. That idea quickly died!

It started to get hot after ten miles. It also felt like a waste of energy to be running up all the hills with such a long way to go. The words ‘pace yourself’ had never been so apt! I kept going and after a nice surprise of only 16 miles running I had made it to the first camp.

Camping it up

The 'runners’ village' was really set up well by the organisers. I got myself a shower, an ice bath, a sports massage and a cracking meal of pasta and crumble. That night, it was such good fun getting to know everyone and about their experiences. I'd originally thought I’d have wanted to get to bed pretty early. However, I wanted to carry on hearing about everybody else’s adventures!

Day Two – Hills, hills and more hills - 29 miles to Cranham

What was already going to be a long day of 27 miles turned out to be 29, not really nice information to find out! I really enjoyed the first miles of this day, loving the adventure of it. Taking pictures of trees, talking to other runners as they overtook me (due to my setting off earlier, not due to any overenthusiastic beginning!) – it was all good!

After 13 miles I remember checking in and hitting a long uphill section. Having been checking my GPS watch for mileage to monitor progress, all of a sudden it was as though it was sticking due to the long uphill that had to be walked. Tenths of a mile ticked by slowly. Progress was slow. It felt like I was back at university during a lecture and the clock wouldn’t move.

It was then that the beauty of the trip really kicked in. I kept with Russ and Kristian, a cracking lad from Slovenia, for a while and it really helped with the spirits. Going through it together and sharing stories really helped the miles tick away. We made it to the final checkpoint at about mile 20 (I’m guessing there) with my spirit much better, despite the long miles.

A fella called Steve passed who had pulled a blinder. He’d stopped at the pub for a jacket spud and pint of coke. Sounded like heaven! So, with a measly 10k to go, letting the others go on, I stopped at a pub. I marched in and ordered a blackcurrant and soda. I tell you, the finest champagnes of France did not taste as good as that pint. I tripped on a hole, sprained my ankle and walked out of the place. One good move followed by a worse one!

6 miles to go might not have seemed like much, and I managed to run, but there was uphill, followed by downhill, followed by….You get the picture. By the last mile to Cranham Scout Centre, I was dead to the world and probably out of calories, certainly out of spirit. I was zonked. (A northern term, meaning to be extremely tired)

My spirits were lifted again by the amazing camaraderie at camp. I laughed like I’d never laughed before, enjoyed a pint of cider, an ice bath, a sports massage and tons of pasta (not necessarily in that order). I stumbled back to my tent and slept like a baby. No, not waking up every few hours for a bottle of milk.

With 2 more days to go, I felt that I had to take it easier the next day.

Day Three – Food never tasted so good - 26 miles to North Nibley

Setting off at 7:30am, we set off walking (myself, Russ and Kristian) with the plan to stop for food if we saw it. After struggling at the end of the previous day, I quickly regained my spirits and settled into the day. Sharing stories, sharing life, it was a privilege to walk with Russ and Kristian.

With hindsight, I realised I had understood the mileage required to a level, but my preparation for the hills could have been much better. (Note to self for the future!)

At 13 miles in, we discovered a pub where we refreshed with a butty and a coke. Days of shifting 3,500 calories a go made food quite welcoming! It made all the difference for the afternoon. I even finished off by adding on the extra 2 miles at the golf course just before North Nibley! I finished in much better spirits than the previous day.

That night, we enjoyed yet more pasta, bananas in custard and a pub quiz from our host. I discovered with dismay that I’d been incorrectly teaching about camels for years. They store fat not water! Please forgive me Hesketh Bank!

Day Four – 35 miles and a knackered left leg

I was full of beans at the beginning of the day, thinking nothing of it (kind of like the way you don’t account for the last mile of a marathon). My legs felt better for yesterday’s ‘taking it easy’ day and my spirits were good. We ran the down-hills and some of the flats. I really wanted to ‘give it some’ on the last day and finish doing a good job, with pride. We knew it would be a long day and didn’t want to hang around.

After 8 miles, I was chuffed to get a call from my dad, telling me he could meet me on the route! I started to work out where I could see him, where I would be by the time he could get to the area.

After a long run down-hill, my left leg started to hurt. I’d never got shin splints before, but the pain started to get quite wicked. On the flat, I was slowing down behind Russ and Kristian. I ran along two stretches, but I suffered for it afterwards, with my left leg screaming at me. It didn’t feel good.

My dad met me at mile 13, which was just fantastic! He’s always been great at meeting me at my various challenges and cheering me on! Hugs were exchanged, photos were taken and I carried on. After another 3 miles I saw the main organiser, telling him about my leg. I refused his offer of a 2-mile lift to the next checkpoint.

I knew that I couldn’t hold up Russ and Kristian much longer. It wasn't fair. They were incredibly gracious waiting for me. Once we made it to the next stop at 18 miles, the medic taped me up. There were still ’15 miles’ to go (it turned out to be 17!). We ate some grub, the heavens opened and we carried on.

After a mile, I left them to it and fortunately the sun came out. Kristian was kind enough to give me his phone number in case anything happened.

The end was close, relatively, but it was still 5 hours to go when I’d already been out for 9 hours. ‘One step in front of the other’ was my mantra. The heavy rains came periodically and my left leg forced me to go slowly.

With ten miles to go, I stopped at the garage for some nourishment (90 miles of drinking water makes your taste buds crave for excitement!). I bumped into Sue and Terence, a great couple with an amazing sense of humour. I inhaled a coffee and 5 sausage rolls.

The miles ticked by until I finally saw it. Bath! I whooped and cheered at the sky. I’d got there! I started a really weird-looking staggering run, using a walking stick as a sort of crutch.

The last mile was fabulous. I knew the end of the course, every turn and corner, having walked it out 4 days earlier. While running past couples enjoying their romantic retreats and tourists snapping away at picturesque Bath, I punched the air repeatedly with emphasis, knowing it was almost all done.

As I crossed the finish line, I recreated my first ever marathon finish from 2000, by opening my arms out and soaring over the line. I was also linked arm-in-arm with Sue and Terence, who had kept me going right to the end!

I took my time to let the moment really sink in. I know other runners had finished hours before me, but this was my moment. The medal was mine! I joked to Greg, one of the organisers, ‘Can this finish line be kept here so I can live here from now on?’

It was a great show of respect by the other runners, as they clapped in the finishers as they walked into the finishers’ pub. And boy, do I have respect for the other runners!

Well there you have it! A cracking event!

I did the event for International China Concern. They are a Christian charity who bring love, hope and opportunity to China’s abandoned and disabled. If you would like to sponsor me, please go to www.justgiving.com/intchinaconcern