Derwent Valley

Superb run at Derwent Valley today. Lots of people running and biking, stopping for chats about the heatwave. Lovely atmosphere, lovely running, lovely trails.

Back to reality

Back to reality, back to routine training. Run, repeat, run, repeat, core training, run some more

Thank you for the reminder, gym people.

The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail 120-last thoughts

I wanted to attempt this race again, purely on the basis that it is absolutely fantastic. Running in the Dolomites is a priveledged opportunity indeed. A running luxury. Being any part of this event is an honour.

I am not too enthused by my finishing time of 27.20, but complete I did. Race stats are showing that 1608 competitors started, 1189 finished. Of the starters, 224 were female, with approx 150 female finishers. To my mind, I am very proud to have been one of these 150, albeit in the bottom third.
The good wishes and support played a significant part in getting to the finish line!

This race, this place, is very special. Extreme. Stunning.

I have completed twice, that is enough for now : there are other races to explore. The last few months training has been for this--every minute was needed.

Thank you mountains. We still adore you.

Limped through the finish line

So, somehow I managed to limp through the finish line this morning, I think after about 27. 20 hours of being on the move. Somehow, despite getting lost in the woods on the return trip, this is still not as bad a result as I anticipated. Finishing the race was my aim.

The race was every bit as tough as I remembered it. I went through every emotion during the race, between elation and despair. There were tears and many words which I would not repeat in front of the kids. One minute I was eternally grateful for this opportunity to see the Dolomites again : the next, I was determined to never partake again in a such a ridiculous race length as this.

You get the idea.

Probably most importantly, good friends Roz and Caroline came to enjoy a weekend away and support the race. Their support at the race start and finish was second to none: their many texts throughout the event kept me running at moments when I was ready to give up. A million thanks at least, for sharing this weekend and the excitement of this very magical run. The photos are awesome Roz : ladies, long live madcap trips to out the way places in the name of running. Post race celebration ice cream is on me: it might take me a little while to get there on these wobbly feet though.

Thanks for thinking that running long distances in strange places is a normal thing to do :thank you a million for your continued support and interest.

Take care guys.

Checkpoint mid race