South Downs Way 50

Yesterday I finished my first proper ultra run, the South Downs Way 50 mile run from Centurion Running. Here I sit, a day after the race and it still hasn't quite sunk in yet.  Overall the race went pretty well, but it is hard to put the 8 hours and 49 minutes of hills, clouds and English countryside into words.

At the start - check out the cheeky bugger in the background!

What went well:

1. Stayed hydrated
2. Nutrition was fine with no stomach issues
3. Feet had zero blisters!  I highly recommend pre-taping your feet and finding the right shoes
4. Found a special "uphill" gear to my running which let me run past a lot of people
5. Didn't fall over

6. Beat my target time, yay!

7. The weather was damn near perfect
8. Having a crew was awesome. It a great pick-me-up to see Julie and to have goodies delivered throughout the race. Made a big difference

9. The race was super well organised and had marvellous volunteers
10. There were plenty of food options for vegans at the aid stations. Never went hungy!

What went less-than-well:

1. My hydration pack rubbed against my back and caused a lot of chaffing.  Never run with it for so long with all the mandatory kit before. Lesson learnt.

Wooo, finished!

2. I had a few mental lows, especially around 2/3rds of the way. Mostly brought about by pure fatigue I think.  Coming out of the mile 42 aid station I felt great after some food and salt tabs.
3. Still not great with hills. I feel if I can get strong with them, I will save *a lot* off my overall time.

I will admit that straight afterwards I was questioning my ability to do a 100 mile run next month!

The Verdict:

The South Downs Way 50 is a brilliantly run and organised race. If you are considering your first 50 mile ultra, you would do well to consider this race. The runners are friendly, the volunteers amazing, the food at the aid stations was varied and yummy. 

Go on, sign up for 2015, you know you want to :)

Here is the Strava breakdown of the race http://app.strava.com/activities/127233674 if you are curious.