Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

Resolis 50k Ultra

by Russell Turner - 10:35 on 17 December 2021

I did it – 50k. Or, to be precise, 49.986k, which is why Garmin didn’t give me the 50k badge. The pedants.

I went into this all wrong, with my last double-digit run, the Yorkshire 10 Mile, two months ago and nothing this year beyond 18 miles, but after the disappointment of missing Loch Ness, Yorkshire and Dava I was determined to do something big before the year’s end, if only so I could display my 2021 Virtual London Marathon medal with a clear conscience.

My race plan wasn’t to do 31 miles, or even 26.2 miles – just five miles, then another and another until I’d finished. The idea was to run 4.5 miles at 5:1 run/walk, then walk the last half-mile to The Rural Retreat and have a few minutes refilling the Tailwind bottle and maybe a bite of something solid before setting out again for another hour. That way, I estimated I could finish in around 6:15.

The first block, split between the roads to Jemimaville and Newhall Point, began just before 9am and went perfectly to plan. It was slower than some of the 5-mile preparatory runs I’d done but that was no bad thing. Conditions were mild and I ditched gloves at the break.

My final preparatory run had been to Newmills and thereabouts, because I predicted that six times to Newhall Point would be too repetitive, so the second block began with a walk up the hill from home. Again, all went well – two hours gone, ten miles down. This time I ditched the hat.

Block three was back down the hill and ended still comfortable, still on target, and having passed the half marathon mark in 2:27, which was 30mins slower than my PB but fine by me. Cats were fed but I had no appetite for the flapjack, malt loaf or bananas I’d left handy. Fortunately the Tailwind was going down OK.

Block four began uphill, and for the first time I could feel some heaviness in the legs. Despite that, the 5:1 was still working and after four hours and 20 miles I was on target, although I still had no appetite for solid food. The break gave me the opportunity to swap sweaty tops with something dry, which was a pleasure.

Block five began downhill; this time the legs were definitely heavy but I plodded on, buoyed by the knowledge that this would be the last time down the Newhall Point road. Earlier, I’d considered adding an extra 1.2 miles to the block to improve the day’s marathon time but nearing its end I couldn’t be bothered – a couple of the one-minute walks had turned into two, running pace had slowed and I’d slipped a few minutes behind target and needed the break. Five hours gone, 25 miles done.

Block six – the final push – began uphill, now with extremely heavy legs. I passed 26.2 miles (my sixth marathon!) in 5:20, making it my second-fastest. Amazing. Unfortunately that didn’t spur me on to greater things. Plodding continued and an extended walk break was needed at 27.5 miles. After the Newmills out-and-back, rather than stay on the top road I treated my legs to the entire downhill to Newhall Bridge, hoping the easier going would perk them up a little. But back on the flat I was walking again. Six hours and 12mins gone, 30 miles done

I’m pleased to report that I managed one more five-minute run, ending with the planned uphill walk back to the Retreat. I knew that with a couple of minutes’ running I’d finish the 50k in a faster time than my first marathon, but it didn’t seem worth the effort. I crossed the finish line in 6:27, one minute slower than the 2018 London Marathon and much more tired. But I’d done it.

Back home, I gulped down 500mls of protein shake, abandoned a banana after one bite, forced down some malt loaf, then overcame the challenge of the stairs to take a bath (hot, not cold – I’m not a masochist) loaded with Matchgirl’s reviving Dead Sea salts. Surprisingly, I was able to get out with only minimal effort – just as well as I’m currently home alone.

This morning, the legs are almost recovered and past the point where extreme caution is needed to avoid cramp attacking them. That said, I’ve yet to get my socks on. My only run-induced injury is blistering of a mis-shapen small toe which I can’t properly examine because of the risk of cramp. A gentle recovery stroll is planned for the afternoon. I have to be in Dingwall at 5pm so on my return I’ll be able to collect a post-race treat; I’ve not had an Indian or Chinese takeaway since the first lockdown. Yum.

Final thoughts: Running 31 miles with no human contact is very hard work. Running 31 miles without a proper training plan is very hard work. Running 31 miles with perfect preparation is probably still very hard work. My daydream of running the 100k Race to the Stones may have to be rethought. Keeping going may be better than breaking between blocks and risking legs stiffening.

I now have no plans to run until at least January 2 at Loch Morlich, although I can’t let fitness slide too much: Inverness HM training begins on January 11, the Edinburgh Marathon is on May 29 and along the way are Alloa and London Landmarks HMs, plus another HM if a City Limits gig doesn’t land the day before.

That’s assuming we’re not all locked down again. The prospects don’t look good.

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