Be still my beating heart

annapr

Brilliant, A! The training and preparation you did were as impressive as the race itself. And look at you beating yourself up because you only ran 23 hours :eek:

Thanks for posting the report, parts 1 & 2, great reads. And I hope you'll keep logging. We missed your log.

diego_b

What a report, really inspiring stuff there A. The last paragraph brought a tear to the eye to be honest, you should be so proud of yourself for getting through the training and then the big day itself.

The Muppet

Amazing Read .Amazing performance and an amazing achievement . Congratulations on your amazing achievements.

TRR_the_turd

well done and congrats. Any plans to come back down in distance and run marathons etc or are you going to concentrate on ultra events now?

Neady83

There's no words, you put your heart into it for 12 months, dedicated yourself 100% to the training and the nutrition and ran an amazing race.What an achievement, you should be so proud of what you've achieved and I can only imagine what great thing lie ahead for you. Wear that jacket with pride, it was hard fought for and well earned

beertons

Wow

Murph_D

Hearty congrats and much admiration on what you've achieved, both on and off the pitch. I know nothing about ultra nutrition but 100 miles seems like a huge return for the food/drink you put on. If you can master the killerz pizza technique you'll easily smash that 120 goal next time! Well done to you and all the crew. (Idea - bagged items in alphabetical order next time).

FIFA2004

Wow!!!!! That's an amazing achievement!!!! Congratulations!!!!!! Can't get my head around how anyone could do that!

Gavlor

What an unbelievable achievement! I can't even fathom that level of commitment and dedication to a run.

Say bye bye to your toenails though, no more peep toe shoes for a while!!

wowzer

Deadly.

tang1

Epic stuff, very well deserved A.

mel.b

What an incredible experience and acheivement Ossoslo. And you're right - it's not just the 24hrs of running, it's the 12 :eek: mths of preparation and sacrifice that you did beforehand that makes you a winner.

TFBubendorfer

Epic indeed! Be easy on yourself, that was a pretty damn great performance! And you're only going to get better!

Singer

Amazing stuff, and great to have the beating heart back

There aren't many people around here who have done anything like this. It's an incredibly unique achievement, and you deserve all the praise you're getting - somehow you always seem to have time to train incredibly hard and be incredibly positive to other runners...

Bungy Girl

Just fantastic : the preparation, the race and the report, all of it! Huge congrats to you (and your crew). Such an incredible achievement. Had to laugh at the sitting down. I'd never heard the expression "Beware the Chair" before an ultra-running friend explained it to me .

Can't wait to see what you do next!

snailsong

A, you're an incredible woman and a fantastic athlete!
I remember what a big goal it was for you just to complete a marathon. Not that long ago really. Now look what you've gone and done! And you've achieved it all mainly through massive heart. Others might have genetics, strength, fast twitch muscles, whatever. Your massive heart has taken you further.
Never let it be still!
Well done, I'm a huge fan.

jake1970

Magnificent!!
Congratulations on a truly remarkable performance.

tailgunner

Incredible stuff, congrats!

Ososlo

Firedance wrote: »

Wow.. that's even tougher than I was expecting it to be. You really are an inspiration - MASSIVE well done on your Osoamazing achievement, am truly delighted for you on reaching the 100 miles and even more so seeing the level of discomfort you were in. Congratulations again and thanks for taking the time to post a report for us

AM, thanks so much for your support over the last while, but especially over the last few weeks. I wasn't going to bother posting the report, but I'm really glad I did now as I think it might be helpful to someone thinking of undertaking the challenge for the first time and it made me write in detail about it, which I wouldn't have bothered doing just for myself. Thanks again

annapr wrote: »

Brilliant, A! The training and preparation you did were as impressive as the race itself. And look at you beating yourself up because you only ran 23 hours :eek:

Thanks for posting the report, parts 1 & 2, great reads. And I hope you'll keep logging. We missed your log.

Cheers Anna, and for your lovely pm too. I wouldn't be me if I wasn't beating myself up over something! Enjoy the rest of the hols!

diego_b wrote: »

What a report, really inspiring stuff there A. The last paragraph brought a tear to the eye to be honest, you should be so proud of yourself for getting through the training and then the big day itself.

The Muppet wrote: »

Amazing Read .Amazing performance and an amazing achievement . Congratulations on your amazing achievements.

Thanks so much guys. Your lovely comments mean a lot And well done again last night D!

TRR_the_turd wrote: »

well done and congrats. Any plans to come back down in distance and run marathons etc or are you going to concentrate on ultra events now?

Thank you!
Oh I'm definitely gonna attack a marathon again. My current plan is this:
Sept 2016 - Castleisland 12 hour (rare opportunity to run an event like this on a track so can't let the opportunity pass and feel confident I can do pretty well off the back of recent training and 24 hour event.
Oct 2016 - DCM as a training run. Jog around it to sus out the new course.
June 2017 - Belfast 24 hour - with a vengeance! I have unfinished business!
Oct 2017 - A really good shot at racing DCM.
The way I see it, the big mileage can only help with the marathon so I can't lose. I'd hope to do specific marathon training from July - Oct next year. I'm not giving up on the shorter stuff either. I know 5 and 10ks aren't my thing, but I know I have an awful lot more potential at these distances. Ultimately though, I think I've found my 'thing' with the super long stuff.

Ososlo

Neady83 wrote: »

There's no words, you put your heart into it for 12 months, dedicated yourself 100% to the training and the nutrition and ran an amazing race.What an achievement, you should be so proud of what you've achieved and I can only imagine what great thing lie ahead for you. Wear that jacket with pride, it was hard fought for and well earned

Thank you Neady, and for your super kind words by PM too. I'd wear the jacket with pride if it wasn't hanging off me! Unfortunately, it's just way too big:(
I hope you are recovering well from that epic 50 miler in the mountains! Someday!!!

beertons wrote: »

Wow

Cheers beertons!

Murph_D wrote: »

Hearty congrats and much admiration on what you've achieved, both on and off the pitch. I know nothing about ultra nutrition but 100 miles seems like a huge return for the food/drink you put on. If you can master the killerz pizza technique you'll easily smash that 120 goal next time! Well done to you and all the crew. (Idea - bagged items in alphabetical order next time).

haha 'Killerz pizza technique'. Love it! I wish! Thanks D and for your shout out to me, sent via mrs mc on the course. It was lovely to get the good wishes!

FIFA2004 wrote: »

Wow!!!!! That's an amazing achievement!!!! Congratulations!!!!!! Can't get my head around how anyone could do that!

I think anyone could do it if they really wanted to. The thing is, most people would never want to:D Thanks FIFA!!!

Gavlor wrote: »

What an unbelievable achievement! I can't even fathom that level of commitment and dedication to a run.

Say bye bye to your toenails though, no more peep toe shoes for a while!!

Cheers V for the kind words. You'd swear I was preparing for Rio with how seriously I took it:o But I'm delighted that I gave it everything.
I thought I might be lucky with the toenails, but they are only going one way now...

wowzer wrote: »

Deadly.

tang1 wrote: »

Epic stuff, very well deserved A.

mel.b wrote: »

What an incredible experience and acheivement Ossoslo. And you're right - it's not just the 24hrs of running, it's the 12 :eek: mths of preparation and sacrifice that you did beforehand that makes you a winner.

Thanks guys and gal! It certainly was an experience mel.b. It's funny, but things keep coming back to me that I had completely forgotten about. I remember in the very early hours of Sunday morning, I thought I was hallucinating. There was a procession of about 10? people walking in the opposite side of the path towards us. They were walking really slowly and doing this really quiet chant I think, maybe praying? Some had their eyes closed I think. Nothing got to do with the race. Odd... Still dunno what it was all about. Maybe I was hallucinating!

Wubble Wubble

That was an incredible read (both parts!) So much sacrificed in the build up too - way more than I could or would be willing to. It's fantastic to read of it all paying off, and also that you're planning to do more. Loving this bit actually, made me laugh here:-

"Oct 2016 - DCM as a training run. Jog around it to sus out the new course. "

Just shows the progress you've made. Congrats and keep it up!!

Maximus Alexander

An amazing achievement and a great read. Well done and congratulations, you're an inspiration!

Duanington

I think the most impressive thing for me is the level of dedication, commitment and sacrifice it must have taken to get yourself to the position where a performance like this was on the cards. The performance is obviously amazeballs and braving out that kind of suffering shows what can be achieved with the right level of desire ...I know you love running but I also know that this stuff isn't just handed to anyone on a plate. It takes hard work, hard painful work and lots of guts and bravery. Well done

Ed Mc Groarty

[/quote]. It's funny, but things keep coming back to me that I had completely forgotten about. I remember in the very early hours of Sunday morning, I thought I was hallucinating. There was a procession of about 10? people walking in the opposite side of the path towards us. They were walking really slowly and doing this really quiet chant I think, maybe praying? Some had their eyes closed I think. Nothing got to do with the race. Odd... Still dunno what it was all about. Maybe I was hallucinating![/quote]

Definitely real.
I gave a big 'good morning' but they ignored me.
My hallucinations always answer back.

Ososlo

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

Epic indeed! Be easy on yourself, that was a pretty damn great performance! And you're only going to get better!

Wow! Means a lot coming from you!

Singer wrote: »

Amazing stuff, and great to have the beating heart back

There aren't many people around here who have done anything like this. It's an incredibly unique achievement, and you deserve all the praise you're getting - somehow you always seem to have time to train incredibly hard and be incredibly positive to other runners...

haha, hopefully it'll stay beating for another bit:D we'll see...
Thanks B. Nice to hear that and great to meet you the other evening. You're gonna smash DCM! It's easy to be positive towards others, when I've had such positivity shown towards me. Rock on :cool:

Bungy Girl wrote: »

Just fantastic : the preparation, the race and the report, all of it! Huge congrats to you (and your crew). Such an incredible achievement. Had to laugh at the sitting down. I'd never heard the expression "Beware the Chair" before an ultra-running friend explained it to me .

Can't wait to see what you do next!

Never heard that saying before! Brilliant! Sitting really is the death-knell... *lesson learned* and *crew take note!*
Cheers G!

snailsong wrote: »

A, you're an incredible woman and a fantastic athlete!
I remember what a big goal it was for you just to complete a marathon. Not that long ago really. Now look what you've gone and done! And you've achieved it all mainly through massive heart. Others might have genetics, strength, fast twitch muscles, whatever. Your massive heart has taken you further.
Never let it be still!
Well done, I'm a huge fan.

Great post and so nice to read. I remember you saying something equally poignant to me prior to DCM 2013 on the novice thread.
And to think I was gonna pull the plug on this place altogether a few weeks back...
Hope the recovery is going really well!

jake1970 wrote: »

Magnificent!!
Congratulations on a truly remarkable performance.

tailgunner wrote: »

Incredible stuff, congrats!

Thanks both, means a lot! I've a lot of catching up to do with the logs but hope training is going really well for you both!

HelenAnne

You did amazingly! I know I said it on the day, but I was so, so impressed. You looked so strong (and having read your report I am even more impressed now by how stoic you were).

Well done and I hope you feel really proud.

ultrapercy

Well done, fantastic achievement.

Myles Splitz

Well done.

Great to see the results you deserve from the effort you put in to what you seem to be truly passionate about. No doubt the performance has buoyed your confidence and set you up nicely for going forward.

Rest up and enjoy the recovery.

Killerz

Magnificent report, really took us through the preparations, the race and the struggles... Plus how you overcame them in the end. I don't know if I would have been as strong as you were to keep going if I had felt like you did. You've a great foundation and now some real experience there to build upon and challenge for some of the podium places in the future. I'll be watching with interest... If I can tear myself away from all of my outfit changes

HelenAnne

Ososlo wrote: »

I'd wear the jacket with pride if it wasn't hanging off me! Unfortunately, it's just way too big:(

It looked good on you! Wear it!!

Ososlo

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

That was an incredible read (both parts!) So much sacrificed in the build up too - way more than I could or would be willing to. It's fantastic to read of it all paying off, and also that you're planning to do more. Loving this bit actually, made me laugh here:-

"Oct 2016 - DCM as a training run. Jog around it to sus out the new course. "

Just shows the progress you've made. Congrats and keep it up!!

Well done for getting through it:D It was long!

haha well, after running almost 4 marathons, back to back, jogging one on its own, with no pressure, should be a really enjoyable experience, especially DCM which I just love. Racing it, now that would be a slightly different experience! Thanks WW!

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

An amazing achievement and a great read. Well done and congratulations, you're an inspiration!

MA, thank you and glad you enjoyed/endured! the report!

Duanington wrote: »

I think the most impressive thing for me is the level of dedication, commitment and sacrifice it must have taken to get yourself to the position where a performance like this was on the cards. The performance is obviously amazeballs and braving out that kind of suffering shows what can be achieved with the right level of desire ...I know you love running but I also know that this stuff isn't just handed to anyone on a plate. It takes hard work, hard painful work and lots of guts and bravery. Well done

So true D. It certainly wasn't a walk in the park, the training or the race itself. Even though I do adore running, I did have work hard to achieve what I did, but it was worth every single step and every little sacrifice. And the great thing is, I get to do it all again really soon:D Thanks again for all your support throughout!

aero2k

Ososlo wrote: »

Thank you Neady, and for your super kind words by PM too. I'd wear the jacket with pride if it wasn't hanging off me! Unfortunately, it's just way too big
...... Maybe I was hallucinating!

That's what happens when you run for so long, you shrink!!

Many years ago, I had a job that involved regular shifts in excess of 24 hours (I did get to sit down:)) and from my experience hallucinating or something that feels like it is a common feature of sleep deprivation. It does get better with practice.

On the preparation of kit etc, I have limited experience of that (my 24 hr event was a relay so I had time to rummage for stuff during breaks) but from the work point of view I was really fastidious about having a routine where everything happened in the same order and everything was always kept in the same place so I didn't have to think too hard when in a mentally exhausted state.

Brilliant report and performance (I particularly noted your sense of achievement even before the race started, I think that's a key element in helping to relax on the start line) - further evidence to those on here that suspect you're actually a robot!

Kennyg71

Great achievement nothing but admiration for you, maticulas preparation, really great read, hope you are recovering well.

TFBubendorfer

Ososlo wrote: »

It's funny, but things keep coming back to me that I had completely forgotten about. I remember in the very early hours of Sunday morning, I thought I was hallucinating. There was a procession of about 10? people walking in the opposite side of the path towards us. They were walking really slowly and doing this really quiet chant I think, maybe praying? Some had their eyes closed I think. Nothing got to do with the race. Odd... Still dunno what it was all about. Maybe I was hallucinating!

I remember them as well. I saw them (barely) coming down that little hill and several (?) of my laps later they still had advanced only 100 or 200 meters. And they didn't wave or smile back.

annapr

[QUOTE=TFBubendorfer;100293640]I remember them as well. I saw them (barely) coming down that little hill and several (?) of my laps later they still had advanced only 100 or 200 meters. And they didn't wave or smile back.[/QUOTE]

Whew, that's a relief.... or could it be a mass hallucination?

Maybe they do this regularly and thought they were hallucinating or that it was a religious vision when they saw all the mad runners going by...

laura_ac3

Really well done. Quite an undertaking so it's really interesting to hear how you got on and compare to others round here as well in terms of prep, approach etc. I'm sure it's something that gets tweaked each time with experience and knowledge and comparison. Can't imagine the scale of it all so good to be able to read about it here and on other logs, hopefully more to come.

After all your advice to the novices though about multiple goals, what are you like!!! Just goes to show we're all always on a constant learning curve, really glad you dug in and got your focus on the day. Sounds like you won those mental battles. Good luck with the recovery, rest up well for the next challenge!

FBOT01

Great report and an excellent performance on the day. While I made it my business to say something however short or stupid each time I passed you, you never failed to acknowledge it. At times I thought it was the queen that I was passing with your graceful wave and smile from under the cap....I was a little worried about you during my 3rd leg as the wave came without the smile for a couple of laps but thankfully you were back smiling before I finished that session. Great to see you sporting the jacket and medal at the end. A fantastic achievement and a job well done. Nice to meet you on the day. See you in October.

Younganne

Wow, just wow, there's something in my eye!!:pac:. Amazing achievement. Such an amount of thought, preparation and sacrifice went into that event. Your are truly inspirational. Recover well and good luck with the training for the 12 hr event.

Ososlo

HelenAnne wrote: »

You did amazingly! I know I said it on the day, but I was so, so impressed. You looked so strong (and having read your report I am even more impressed now by how stoic you were).

Well done and I hope you feel really proud.

So kind HelenAnne! Having you guys there definitely helped on the day, more than you can imagine!!!

ultrapercy wrote: »

Well done, fantastic achievement.

Myles Splitz wrote: »

Well done.

Great to see the results you deserve from the effort you put in to what you seem to be truly passionate about. No doubt the performance has buoyed your confidence and set you up nicely for going forward.

Rest up and enjoy the recovery.

Cheers both. Your comments mean a lot. Yes, it has given me a lot of confidence. I felt before that I might be good at this, but now I know I can be good at this!!!
Recovery going really well. Delighted to get out the other end without injury. An back running since Monday but it has all very easy but enjoyable.

Killerz wrote: »

Magnificent report, really took us through the preparations, the race and the struggles... Plus how you overcame them in the end. I don't know if I would have been as strong as you were to keep going if I had felt like you did. You've a great foundation and now some real experience there to build upon and challenge for some of the podium places in the future. I'll be watching with interest... If I can tear myself away from all of my outfit changes

Well, that's very kind of you, but I'm sure you would have dealt with it just as well, if not better than me. I heard that 15 people who started didn't finish, so to be able to run/jog/walk/crawl for the full 24 hours (ahem... 23 for some of us:o) is a huge achievement in itself I think.
haha, it just didn't make sense. I was looking out for the orange top and it was only when you said 'hi Ososolo' in a different coloured top that I knew it was you!
Are you back running? Body ok, no injuries/niggles etc?

Ososlo

aero2k wrote: »

Brilliant report and performance (I particularly noted your sense of achievement even before the race started, I think that's a key element in helping to relax on the start line) - further evidence to those on here that suspect you're actually a robot!

haha I wish! I did see plenty of robots in Belfast that day! Some of those guys are just amazing, like Enduro. He was just completely in the zone for the full 24 hours. Great to be able to share a course with guys of this calibre and see them again, and again, and again and again....as they pass you!
Thanks again S for your support and encouragement over the last few months and for your company on some that epic 28 miler in the Phoenix Park many months back! A great training memory from this event!

Kennyg71 wrote: »

Great achievement nothing but admiration for you, maticulas preparation, really great read, hope you are recovering well.

Thank you! And I believe you were also part of the outstanding Raheny cheering crew for many hours! Yes, the prep was really half the battle! Knowing now what's involved in the prep, will make the next one SO much easier! Amazingly, I didn't actually forget anything. Come to think of it, I hardly used anything I brought!

laura_ac3 wrote: »

Really well done. Quite an undertaking so it's really interesting to hear how you got on and compare to others round here as well in terms of prep, approach etc. I'm sure it's something that gets tweaked each time with experience and knowledge and comparison. Can't imagine the scale of it all so good to be able to read about it here and on other logs, hopefully more to come.

After all your advice to the novices though about multiple goals, what are you like!!! Just goes to show we're all always on a constant learning curve, really glad you dug in and got your focus on the day. Sounds like you won those mental battles. Good luck with the recovery, rest up well for the next challenge!

Yep absolutely. I learned so much and have made detailed notes of what to change for next time, and what worked well etc.
I know what you mean about the multiple goals thing. I had written down 5 goals but I only really paid them lip service. I didn't really sit down and think about it all properly. A huge lesson learned for the next one.
Delighted to see your running going so well! And thanks!!!

FBOT01 wrote: »

Great report and an excellent performance on the day. While I made it my business to say something however short or stupid each time I passed you, you never failed to acknowledge it. At times I thought it was the queen that I was passing with your graceful wave and smile from under the cap....I was a little worried about you during my 3rd leg as the wave came without the smile for a couple of laps but thankfully you were back smiling before I finished that session. Great to see you sporting the jacket and medal at the end. A fantastic achievement and a job well done. Nice to meet you on the day. See you in October.

Thanks for making it your business to say something each time, as when you're in a lull like I was at many times, making yourself respond, kind of mentally wakes you up a bit and give you a bit of a kick up the arse.
Yay, absolutely, see you in October!

Younganne wrote: »

Wow, just wow, there's something in my eye!!:pac:. Amazing achievement. Such an amount of thought, preparation and sacrifice went into that event. Your are truly inspirational. Recover well and good luck with the training for the 12 hr event.

Thanks Younganne! Not sure about inspirational, but definitely dedicated to the goal!
Training for the next one will start properly in about a week but it's great to be back on my feet doing a little bit most days now.
Looking forward to seeing you achieve that BQ! Best of luck with the training!

Mrs Mc

Wow A I am only catching up on your report now, what a great read, such an amazing achievement, you are just great to keep going you must have such mental strength as well as physcial strength. Such a great read well done again.:D

Killerz

Ososlo wrote: »

So kind HelenAnne! Having you guys there definitely helped on the day, more than you can imagine!!!




Cheers both. Your comments mean a lot. Yes, it has given me a lot of confidence. I felt before that I might be good at this, but now I know I can be good at this!!!
Recovery going really well. Delighted to get out the other end without injury. An back running since Monday but it has all very easy but enjoyable.


Well, that's very kind of you, but I'm sure you would have dealt with it just as well, if not better than me. I heard that 15 people who started didn't finish, so to be able to run/jog/walk/crawl for the full 24 hours (ahem... 23 for some of us:o) is a huge achievement in itself I think.
haha, it just didn't make sense. I was looking out for the orange top and it was only when you said 'hi Ososolo' in a different coloured top that I knew it was you!
Are you back running? Body ok, no injuries/niggles etc?

Back into it now, nothing major... But going a bit slower, as evidenced in my parkrun today No real niggles or injuries which is a big plus. Lots of residual tiredness there, which I hope will flush out over next couple of weeks! Sorry re the confusion on my fashion choices

RedRunner

Fantastic achievement A. That report was a great read and your dedication and overall philosophy to running are just downright inspiring.

aero2k

Ososlo wrote: »

haha I wish! I did see plenty of robots in Belfast that day! Some of those guys are just amazing, like Enduro. He was just completely in the zone for the full 24 hours. Great to be able to share a course with guys of this calibre and see them again, and again, and again and again....as they pass you!
Thanks again S for your support and encouragement over the last few months and for your company on some that epic 28 miler in the Phoenix Park many months back! A great training memory from this event!


Thank you! And I believe you were also part of the outstanding Raheny cheering crew for many hours! Yes, the prep was really half the battle! Knowing now what's involved in the prep, will make the next one SO much easier! Amazingly, I didn't actually forget anything. Come to think of it, I hardly used anything I brought!

I share your admiration for the elites - my events usually don't allow for me to actually run with them for any length of time but even to mingle with them before and after races is a pleasure - they all seem to be very down to earth and humble.

I'm really glad to be able to see I had a tiny bit of involvement in your success. I remember that run well, I still can't believe that you had been running for over 3 hours when we met up, you seemed so fresh. and, recalling how you sped up over the final miles, your Belfast performance is no surprise.

As for the bit in bold above, I think that's the whole point of preparation, you hope you won't need all the stuff, but knowing you have it with you is a big help in being relaxed in the lead-up to and during the race.

JMSE

Fantastic achievement Ososlo and report worthy of it too. Its easy to read this stuff, it takes about as much energy as sitting onto the couch. But the amount of physical energy and mental toughness you had to invest to get to qualify to write such a report is Herculean x 100.

Awesome stuff.

Dub13

Well done on such an amazing achievement. I was talking to HelenAnne about this on a few training runs and the organization and planned needed for it amazed me. I still did not have a big comprehension for how big an undertaken it is/was till I have a good read of this thread again. Fair play and if you can do this then you really can do anything.

RacoonQueen

Well done Oso - great preparation report and race report. There's only so much you can say about going round in a big circle for a day so I don't know how any of you can pull a report together

martyboy48

Loved the report.
Well done again A, truly well deserved. Glad you are recovering well too

Ososlo

Mrs Mc wrote: »

Wow A I am only catching up on your report now, what a great read, such an amazing achievement, you are just great to keep going you must have such mental strength as well as physcial strength. Such a great read well done again.:D

Glad you enjoyed it, or at least endured it!
Thinking of signing up yourself sometime? It must have looked like complete torture from a spectator's point of view? Especially on Sunday morning:eek:
Thanks again A and super to meet you! Must head over your direction some day for a run. Haven't been out that way in ages.

Killerz wrote: »

Back into it now, nothing major... But going a bit slower, as evidenced in my parkrun today No real niggles or injuries which is a big plus. Lots of residual tiredness there, which I hope will flush out over next couple of weeks! Sorry re the confusion on my fashion choices

Excellent to hear you've made a speedy recovery. I still can't believe I was able to get back to it a week later. I had set aside 2 weeks for complete rest if necessary but only needed one in the end. Delighted!

Maybe you could have a bunch of orange tops or something next time to change into, just to make it easier for me :P

RedRunner wrote: »

Fantastic achievement A. That report was a great read and your dedication and overall philosophy to running are just downright inspiring.

Ah, Red, that's so kind of you. I did inspire one of my crew to go for a 30 minute run a few days later so that was nice to hear!

aero2k wrote: »

I share your admiration for the elites - my events usually don't allow for me to actually run with them for any length of time but even to mingle with them before and after races is a pleasure - they all seem to be very down to earth and humble.

Absolutely! Couldn't have been more so! And they even slowed down to my pace, just to have a chat and give a few words of encouragement!

RacoonQueen wrote: »

Well done Oso - great preparation report and race report. There's only so much you can say about going round in a big circle for a day so I don't know how any of you can pull a report together

haha that was the edited version. Seriously, I could write 10 pages on it, but I think ye have had enough of me:pac: Thank you!

martyboy48 wrote: »

Loved the report.
Well done again A, truly well deserved. Glad you are recovering well too

Ah Marty, me auld flower, that's lovely and you have been brilliant over the past few months with your encouragement and good wishes. A huge thank you

Ososlo

JMSE wrote: »

Fantastic achievement Ososlo and report worthy of it too. Its easy to read this stuff, it takes about as much energy as sitting onto the couch. But the amount of physical energy and mental toughness you had to invest to get to qualify to write such a report is Herculean x 100.

Awesome stuff.

Way too kind of you JMSE but really appreciated. I suppose I did surprise myself with what I was capable of enduring when it got really tough, but my team played a HUGE role in getting me going when I was really starting to break down. If I was left to my own devices, I wonder if I might have just given up. I hope not! Crews are invaluable in a race like this.
Hope your training is going really well!

Dub13 wrote: »

Well done on such an amazing achievement. I was talking to HelenAnne about this on a few training runs and the organization and planned needed for it amazed me. I still did not have a big comprehension for how big an undertaken it is/was till I have a good read of this thread again. Fair play and if you can do this then you really can do anything.

Yeah, the preparation was ginormous. Especially being a first, I wanted to have all bases covered. As an example, I had my regular fuelling that I had used in training, but I also back up fuelling in the form of different gels, and if they didn't work, then liquid foods as backup, and if that didn't work then a variety of solid foods. In the end I didn't use any of the extra stuff, but it's great to have it all for next time.
Great to hook up with you on Strava and now I can keep a closer eye on what you are up to;) (at least I hope it's you!!!!:eek:)
Thanks P! ?