Round Rotherham 50 miler

I'm hobbling around after racing the Round Rotherham 50 mile trail race yesterday. I completed in 8hr 22min, equal 14th overall and 1st woman.

The conditions were not ideal, to say the least. The first 40km were run at 2-5degrees C, but I have to say I didn't notice - if anything I was overheating trying to keep up with the leading bunch of blokes who were dragging me along and saving me from having to navigate. The real problem was the boggy trails through the forests and the thick clumps of mud that caked your shoes over the paddock sections, a result of the previous few days wet weather.

After the 40km mark I lost the leading pack. My feet were killing me - I'd stupidly worn a new pair of trail shoes and every foot placement was agony. I was going through a down phase, just hanging out until the 30mile mark where I had a change of shoes and clothes. My slower pace meant I was getting colder, and the weather was also deteriorating. The rain and wind came at the same time - and the gloves and waterproof were quickly donned.

At any rate, the chill blanes in my hands were a good distraction from the pain in my feet, but as I was about to discover, both of these discomforts were distracting me from the pain in my legs. Even so, with my new shoes removed and my trusty Inov8's fresh on my feet, the last 20miles were looking up, and I started to pick up my pace again. This was helped by the occasional passing of a relay competitor. Each time I was caught up by a relay runner I would try to hang on for as long as I could.

I was hurting quite a bit by this stage but I kept reminding myself this was normal. I'd forgotten what it felt like to race this distance, my last ultra being 3 years ago on the same race. The thing is, it really doesn't hurt any less by slowing your pace, infact I found it was better to pick up the pace and in this way, mentally, you are having to deal with less time on your feet. The last 5km virtually flew by.

The finish was a mix of relief and that weird glowy high you get after completing something you found hard. I realised, as I cramped up, that I needed to do more of this - or at least not let 3 years lapse in between. The mental fitness is what you lose.

Overall - this is a great race with fantastic support by the organisers. Each checkpoint has food and water and the atmosphere is great.

Links:
http://www.hmarston.co.uk/rhac/trail/rrr.htm