Race Report - Thames Trot 50 February 2015

I was certainly making the most out of the Thames Path as I signed up for another race on it, the Thames Trot 50.
 
In theory I should know this route, but as the race mandatory kit was maps, I decided to take no chances and get some printed in advance. I needn't have bothered, the race organisers provided a brilliant booklet which was far better then what I put together. .
 

My maps before cutting to size, this one was run in the opposite direction to the T184, better remember that.
 







I should state, I have Fionna Ross to thank for this race entry, she didn't realise but by  casually mentioning she was entered and coming down for the race, the seed of thought was planted, and I was soon on the race website entering too.
 
I could drive from checkpoint to checkpoint trying to spot her to cheer on, OR I could just run too and try and keep up!  She didn't need a crew, it was to be a proof of fitness race for her, and a see how my legs are recovering from Barcelona for me.  
 
The route goes from Oxford to Henley, I collected Fionna from the airport Friday and we headed straight to Oxford to the start where we were staying.
 
 

Sunset - my favourite colour.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It starts in the car park of the Hawkwell House Hotel, so don't be thinking we were roughing it in a field, nope total divas on this occasion.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hotel breakfasts are awesome; but will need to be so tomorrow,  on race morning I had my standard porridge. Once signed in, numbers and chips collected, we had a whole hour of kit faffing to do.  



 



For me this weekend was a chance to catch up with Fionna, and test out the legs. A race is still a race though.

Barcelona 24hr wasn't that long ago (9 weeks) but I felt good. I'd recovered quickly thanks to as always pranichealing and the change in technique. The only niggle had been an annoying tightness in the hamstrings, not a pain or injury just a tightness, everything else had repaired extremely well, and I was still buzzing from making the GB team and achieving a PB.

 

Besides it was good timing for a 50 miler before Turin in April, and couldn't think of a better way than in a race.

The start delivered a sense of excitement. It was chilly, it was February after all, I was glad I started in sleeves and gloves, we got started, and followed everyone else down the road until we reached the Thames Path.


I found my stride, made sure the arms were working and not just along for the ride, cadence good, running tall, relaxed, no heel strike, head up, loving life. Looked at my watch and realised I was running a tad too quickly, okay, I've now tested the legs, and they are fine, so calm down and remember half your normal distance does not equate to going twice as fast. 


I found Fionna, we took turns to lead each other along the narrow paths, it was great to be out there with her, we had a few fellas behind us who must of had enough of us nattering away. It was a good way to keep the pace sensible, and get the first few checkpoints out the way.

Races unfold, and as we moved along the course, the chatting stopped, and we were racing in and out of checkpoints as quick as we could, embarrassingly even though I've been on this path a lot over the last 6 months, I still managed to miss a turn off a bridge, I'd stopped briefly for a quick comfort break and Fionna and the group had gone ahead.

As I started down the wrong path I was called back by a familiar voice, the wonderful Mr Paul Ali. 

We had a quick catch up over the T-Series events, I was hoping to do the T60 in May assuming I recovered well after the worlds, we ran into the next checkpoint where I'd caught up with Fionna again, who had also had a waver on the navigation.

Fionna is not a keen navigator, she will not mind me saying that,  the Thames Path is  marked with weymarkers, but with a few diversions on the route, and several tricky bits, it was reassuring to be with someone who knew the route, unfortunately for Fionna I was not that person, in fact there are sections of the T184 I cannot remember being on at all!

What I haven't mentioned yet was the mud, not just mud, but MUD.  The hamstrings were certainly being tested, so was my patience, we had been lucky for the first few sections as the frost had made the ground hard so not a problem, but now as it warmed up, the mud was getting very slippy, road shoes were not the smartest of choices, ah well, just got to get on with things, and keep your thoughts positive.

Sometimes awful conditions are a blessing, I didn't think that at the time when running in the 'Green Man' last year,  but thinking back the mud there had been worse. The race had been immediately after the floods, so some sections impossible to run on altogether, this was frustrating and tiring but at least not bringing us to a standstill.

30 miles in and I was feeling great, energy high, running form good, I was certain I could keep the pace to the finish, 5 miles of mud later I was feeling slightly less joyous about things.

I reckon I had a 35 mile good run, then 15 miles of head down and get yourself to the finish in as-good-a-state as you can. I was out in the lead with Fionna, but as we headed into Reading we were over taken by another lady, Susie Chesher;  Fionna gave chase, I did not.

Times like that you can look back and feel bad about your own commitment to the race, I certainly did. Thoughts of doubt enter your head, did I go off too fast is a standard one of mine, I just didn't think I had that change in pace to hand.  I didn't want to risk the hamstrings the mud had certainly aggravated them a bit, and to be totally fair, those girls were stronger than I was.

I continued on as best I could, occasionally spotting Fionna and Susie up ahead. They were running really well.


The last checkpoint down, and a run into the finish,  head  back in the game, I felt a second wind but too late to do anything with, Susie had won, Fionna second, and me in third.

Fantastically the quickest 3 ladies times on  course records.

Well done and a big congrats Craig, Scott, and Paul, 1, 2, 3 and  to everyone else who ran.

There's always going to be some disappointment not to have ran as well as you hoped, however the truth is you are always being tested and learning from it, and basically that's why I do it.

Results http://gobeyondultra.co.uk/Results_2015

On a massive positive I had a great weekend, the runners, supporters, and organisers were brilliant, I got to spend some quality time with my team mate and friend Fionna, tried out a new rucksack which (I almost laugh saying) may be used in the Thames Ring 250 later on in the year, and I got to build up my bank of race experience.

I do think the mind struggles to let you do things it doesn't think you can do, it piles on the negativity, which in turn  brings you down, one way of combatting this is to build up experience and keep moving forward, each time you do this you will find the mind gives you a little more leeway when the body wants to quit.  
The other is to simply ignore those thoughts (which does not feel simple at all at the time)  push back on them with positive ones and an absolute belief in what you know you can/will do. 

I did not have that belief today, a part of me had already decided this was not the day to 'race' race, but I know its there, I've already experienced a small sample of what you can do when you are truly focused, I look forward to the next race and another chance to test myself. 

Thanks to everyone for their help and support along the way.  http://ultrafionna.blogspot.co.uk/,  http://www.ukpranichealing.co.uk/, https://runningreborncoaching.wordpress.com/