Chris runs ultras

This was my first ultra race of the year. I had prepared carefully following a few injuries towards the end of the previous year. I also had plantar fasciitis for the first 3 months of 2022 which made running impossible initially. It gradually eased off to the point that I could start training and manage the pain. It wasn’t an issue during this race.

This was my first short-looped race, and The challenge of this race was to complete as many 5.3k loops as I could within six hours. The course was originally looped but had to be changed to an out-and-back due to bad weather causing the route to become blocked.

The weather was very bad. It was cold, and raining almost the entire time. But I had prepared for this and dressed accordingly, so it didnt really affect me, especially given my initially slow pace.

I started slowly and maintained a slow pace for the entire 10 loops. This race wasn’t about getting a PB. It was about making sure I completed it without ingury and enjoyed it thoroughly. This race followed my first DNF at the end of the previous year due to injury. I didn’t want any injuries, and I wanted to finish feeling like I could keep going.

 I used one handheld hard bottle of water, mixed with 3 scoops of Tailwaind. I refilled this bottle once at around 20k with what I think was Lucozade. Then refilled it again at around 35k with water and 3 scoops of Tailwaind. I also had a packet of Salt and Vinegar crisps and a Kitkat.

I felt relatively strong throughout. At around 40k my lower back and hips started to ache as usual though. I think I may try Paracetamol and/or Codeine on the much longr runs later in the year. 

I finished relatively comfortably. It was not a fast run and I was not the fittest I’ve ever been, but the intension was always to get the completion and use this race as a training run.