So, yesterday I finally cracked the 50km barrier, the Ultra Territory. It's been coming for a while, I’ve trained for 21 weeks, covering over 1300km, peaking in May when I ran 325km before the 130km ‘tapering’ period in June and a failed attempt that nearly busted my hamstring and threatened all my efforts on 14 June.
The run was planned to the last detail. I visited many a famous rock’n’roll shrine and 42km mark was reached at The Mall, where London Marathon actually finishes, except I timed it so that I would finish where the Sex Pistols signed the deal outside the Palace, the deal that would deliver ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ album. From there I carried on for the last 8km.
As I ran not fully fit, and I could feel deep pings inside my right thigh, I had to slow right down in order not to risk any damage. I ran alone, as always, so any possible mess would have to be sorted by myself only. My planned time was 5.30hrs but it turned out to be 6.27hrs in the end. Who cares though lol, I did it! I had to make loo stops and a few breaks where I mixed my Tailwind powder with water that I bought en route as I couldn’t carry 5x500ml bottles, so that also slowed me down. The 42km stretch itself was fairly comfortable and I ran pretty much the whole thing but I had to take walking breaks from there until the finish as my knees started to feel really sore.
This morning here I am, no pain whatsoever just feeling tired and worn out. And very hungry. Very! The plan is to take a week off, and do a few 5km easies the week after. Nothing longer than 10km runs and one or two half marathons until 2021, this has been rough at times - but the kind of rough that I really loved.
Thank you all for your support, I'm proof that even extreme achievements are possible if we decide that’s the way to go. Now I’ll go and chill, boast on social media a bit and let it all sink in. Take care!
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mrrun
Ultramarathon
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Congratulations mrrun on achieving your life ambition of running 50K, an ultra-marathon, that is some effort, I don't there is a badge for Ultra Marathon on the marathon forum but you could ask the administrations to put the word ultra in front of Marathon which is already there, once again congratulations on the magnificent 50K run.
Thank you but it didn't feel like that for most of the time tbh. When I run I immerse myself in my thoughts and never see it as hard work. Fair enough, towards the end when your mind picks up on various niggles you just then focus and grind it out.
Good running tactics mrrun, the thinking time your run allows you is such a bonus and definitely this is elevated I find without the clutter of music and headphones..... Awareness, space and nature and oneself 👍
I find music fine with short and relaxing runs but in this case it would only amplify the mental fatigue. Clarity is the key. My long runs are fragmented into sections of interest to ease the mental passage. From Abbey Road Beatles Crossing to John Lennon' s flat there's only so-and-so. From there to where Jimi Hendrix lived isn't too far and so on. Before you know it, you're done. 😉
An absolutely amazing achievement and the culmination of so many ups and downs and highs and lows. You richly deserve this moment and deserve to bask in the afterglow! Well done. This is something nobody can ever take away 🎽
Cheers, yep I'm pretty chuffed. It's easier to plan ahead with a landmark like this in the pocket. I'll give myself time to think and then figure out what next.
Woo hoo, I should now deliver a showbiz speech thanking many! 😀 Yeah, it feels great. My margin for error was fine because three weeks ago the hamstring caused my leg to seize up completely and further delays with an upcoming trip would cause the loss of fitness so it simply had to be done yesterday. I will now fix the leg and carry on working on other stuff but ultra is something that really is rewarding and I'll revisit it again. Trouble is finding time. This cannot be done (not at 56) on a whim. And thank you for the badge, yay!!
Many thanks. And a bit of luck. I learned that an injury during the process can arrive so suddenly and be totally debilitating. When a cramp stopped my first attempt three weeks ago, the leg simply seized up in sharp pain, I wasn't even able to locate the source. That played in my mind yesterday although quite often my mind simply travelled god knows where......
That good be good too. So much focus can occasionally ruin the experience. A bit of mental anarchy can be a welcome booster. Imagine struggling at 26th km and realising, oh, I've got another 24km of this. In that instance it's better to go into thoughts wilderness and simply see what comes next. Nothing to lose 😉...
That's a huge time investment and must require masses of focus and determination. Thank goodness the injury didn't derail your plans (what it has done is give you a more achievable target to beat in your next one ... after a bit of a rest to repair the hammie that is 😆).
Hey, thank you Linda. It also did another thing, at least psychologically. It simply proves that marathon is not such a big deal, lol. I was hoping that would be the case. I'm not even sure I registered when I passed the half marathon mark. You only focus on one target, all other stuff is just 'a stop'. Brain can really be powerful.
Amazing! I've often thought something similar (though on a slightly different scale) - invariably an easy 3k will be hard work, yet the first 3k of any other run won't warrant any thought or effort whatsoever. Effort always (and only) exists from the end of the run to some point, around 3 to 5k, before that, regardless of the length of my run.
Well, it all looked unrealistic not so long ago. Things can be done, sometimes against all odds. A bit of hard work and application is all it took. Many thanks!
Wow! You did it! I never doubted you would! 👏👏👏 Well done mrrun. 👍 A fantastic achievement - you must be on such a high right now! Enjoy your well earned break (planning your next big goal no doubt!) 😁
Hey! Yeah, I went for it all the way from Crystal Palace. It's sinking in, I'm still a bit dazed and incredibly hungry, keep stuffing myself all day as I burned nearly 5000 cals yesterday but the body is fine. Thank you for your support Sadie! No plans for now except taking it easy but that in my case never lasts long. 😜
Ha, thank you so much. A lot of this is down to will power. Leg muscles we can train but it’s what’s inside the head that runs the show, especially during disagreeable running moments. I simply wanted to get this done and I enjoyed the whole process. Yes, as a musician I had a somewhat ‘untidy lifestyle period’ which in the end prompted me to take up running. I still make my living in Entertainment and Arts hence all this free time at my disposal. My industry is very much dormant and running is a welcome disruption outside this chaos.
This is completely amazing. What a great achievement. But never mind all that, the important question is. . .
Hahaha, oh Helen.... Yes, haute couture was one of the factors I had to consider. I knew I was in for some good beating and I also had to carry a backpack with my supplies which would cover the writing on the back of my jersey (player’s number and his name). I went for practical this time and wore a tech dri fit Boston Celtics training top which only has the team name and the logo on the front but has a blank breathable back. Otherwise I would have sweated even more. Needs must!
Wow! Well done 😃. Awesome job 💪👍👏👊✊. You must be feeling epic 😃
It’s good that there are no “afters” and you can get back out there to give your body a shake out.
You’ll probably be starving for a week. Eat good. I think meals that slide down are best. Curries and chillies sorta thing. I make my own by the vat to have it to hand to shovel down when required (with a spoon) 😊😁
Thank you, yes I have a very hearty appetite at the moment. I’m not a double breakfast type normally but now I do it with gusto. No body shocks whatsoever, I’m off for a walk now, slept forever last night. After the run I couldn’t really rest up, the body went through a grinder. And yes, I am feeling epic! I also went to see the majority of sites that defined me, including running across the Beatles Abbey Road crossing, and running past Jimi’s, John's and Yoko’s as well as 3 Savile Row where the Beatles played on that roof. Look, I had a pretty long line ahead of me, had time to see them all.
What a route! Having such sites must help. I’d have to run around the sewage farm, the meat factory, the derelict factory site (mind you that does have treasured memories for me of a former life 😃) No worries though, it is what it is 😃🤷♀️
Oh I loved The Beatles on the roof. It was windy and Paul’s long , dark hair blowing about. Happy days Jimi Hendrix! I loved his little talkie bit about “golden underwear” that precedes one of his tracks. I forget which. I run to Hey Joe 😃. You need the right music on these long runs don’t you 🙂
Sleeping and eating/drinking well to heal everything is important. Recovery jogs to unkink yourself too. I feel compelled to give my legs a spin 🏃♀️ the day after. Fortunately it’s always been possible 🤞
This marathon I intend to stay over instead of having to pile in the car to come home because of family demands 🤨. No more! ☝️ Wags finger. It was my husband’s idea so he’s picking up the tab for the second night’s stay and dinner afterwards. If all goes ahead of course 🙏
Hahaha, oh Helen.... Yes, haute couture was one of the factors I had to consider. I knew I was in for some good beating and I also had to carry a backpack with my supplies which would cover the writing on the back of my jersey (player’s number and his name). I went for practical this time and wore a tech dri fit Boston Celtics training top which only has the team name and the logo on the front but has a blank breathable back. Otherwise I would have sweated even more. Needs must!
Thank you but if we really put it in perspective, that run is just 7.8km longer than a regular marathon. Once you’ve crossed the 42km line all you need to remind yourself is that there’s less than 8km until the finish. Once you think like that you’re almost there.
Good gawd, that’s amazing! You are Superman 💪😎 Absolutely brilliant, what a lifetime achievement. No matter what happens in the future no one can take this away from you. When you’re really ancient and looking back you’ll still think of this and feel proud, although I have no doubt that when you’re ancient you’ll probably still be running these distances 🤔🙂
A huge well done from me, many congratulations 🎈🎊🎉
Thank you so much, Princess! You know what some heavyweight ultras that I met on Twitter call the 50k? ‘Baby Ultra’, haha… You’ve done nothing if you haven’t done 100km plus, apparently. I need to work on my strength and technique a bit more to even contemplate a three figure venture, let alone finding time for training and all that. Never mind, I’ve put my foot in the door and I'm really glad. For now.
Full marathon is still out of reach for me, so 50k is distance dream for sure.
I will turn 40 next year February, and my biggest dream of life is to finish a full marathon, not sure when will I.
I agree that once you decide and give everything, nothing is impossible. I experienced this when I ran my first HM last year September. I was not running for some reason for about 2 month (July - till late August), and suddenly I realised HM is coming on September end. I Clocked 230 km alone in September before HM event, I was so pumped up I ran 5k again after very next day of HM.
I am hoping that I'll be able to finish a Full before I turn 41 (February 2021), let's see.
Your success surly give inspiration,. Though I am not sure if I last 5-6 hour ft FM, but worth trying.
Thank you! It’s not really a short distance but you’ve got time and all is doable. I’m 56 and when it comes to the tweaks of distance running the devil is in the detail. It’s what you eat and how you sleep and what training program you follow. I used Hal Higdon’s manual and committed to it. There is also a ‘small’ factor of being able to find time to train. I had to be able to run 5 times per week, which would push the maximum mileage all the way to 80km weekly. And I cross-trained through my martial arts classes for added stamina and body flexibility. And even with all that commitment, a single hamstring in my right thigh nearly ruined it all in June. So, yeah. I needed a bit of luck as well. The hammie behaved on Sunday and I got my target. You can do it, why not? Plan it correctly and its’ job done. Good luck!
I do run 5-6 times a week with around 50-60km in total. But yes I need to follow proper training and curb my habit of running nothing less than 10k each time I go out.
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Manchester half
VLM almost a year since C25k graduation 
My 50k (non race) report. 7hrs 6min. Very long, ignore if you want! 🤣
