South Downs Way 2015 Race Recap

What an amazing race!

This was my second time at the South Downs Way 50, with my previous run being my first ever 50 miler.  That race was a learning experience from start to finish, a run filled with comradeship, spectacular highs and lows, and a whole lot of pain.

Wiser (supposedly) and fitter (hopefully) I lined up at the start line in Worthing again, hopeful of beating my time from last year but unsure of what I was really capable of.

Looking fresh and hopeful in my distinctive canary yellow attire

The training block leading up to this race has been the most solid I've ever done. I had a run streak of 42 days without a break, all the time not feeling like I was pushing too hard or risking injury. I hit all the sessions my coach Emily from McMillan Running had laid out as well. While I was a little concerned with my lack of hill specific training, I was banking on the improvements to my aerobic system from this training period.

I will admit to having quite a few pre-race nerves, as I wasn't sure what sort of shape I was really in and whether I could better my time from last year. Needless to say, beating last year's time was not a problem.

And we are off, thumbs up at mile 0.1

On the day itself, the conditions were pretty good. The previous day had seen a little misty rain, leaving some of the trails a little wet and muddy, but nothing really bothersome. What was a bit of a pain was the very strong (30-40mph+) cross wind for much of the race, which occasionally turned into a head or tail wind. The head wind at about mile 35 bothered a lot of people, based on the finish times this year being a bit slower for most runners. Luckily it didn't bother me too much as I simply saw it as a challenge to manage, rather than let it get to me.

Looking good at mile 17

Feeling a little sore coming into mile 33

Without going into detail on the whole day, everything just clicked into place and I had a stellar race. My original goal was to simply better last year's time (around 8h 50m) and get as close to 8h as possible. But I just kept feeling good all day and was able to keep pushing all the way to the end, smashing my previous time by over an hour. 12th overall out of 311 finishers with a time of 7:44:04! Really pleased!

Coming into the finish loop, still feeling strong

The Good 

• Health. I attribute much of my positive mental and physical changes to my plant powered diet. It got me through some tough training and left me all the stronger and healthier for the race.
• Pacing. This was key. Thanks to my fitness, I was able to push a lot more on the long down-hills and flats. This really brought my average down and made the most difference. It was also a very even split, with only a slight slow-down through the duration of the race. 
• Nutrition. I went with GU gels and Nakd bars (a type of raw fruit bar) the whole day. I didn't feel like anything else and it kept me strong throughout. 
• Hydration. Zero problems drinking. Just plain water, but it did the trick and had no worries at all. 
• Fitness. Clearly my fitness improved and I felt much stronger throughout. While I was tired and sore near the end, it wasn't to an extreme. 
• Mental. I was ready for any demons to come visiting, which they did briefly. I gave them a stern talking to and they were banished, never to return. 
• Training. Everything went well, no injuries and lots of improvements.

The Bad

• The wind on top of the ridge line was nasty...

The Ugly

• Nothing! 

Final Thoughts

I'd like to thank my #1 supporter and crew Julie, for being there the whole way through. Looking forward to Julie's cheers (and extra food) was something that helped me push harder between aid stations.

Another big thank-you goes out to Coach Emily for bringing me so far through training. The progression from last year is nothing short of phenomenal and I can't wait to see where my training takes me next.

12th overall and a giant PB. Plant Power!