Hi Everyone, I hope you are all well?
Well there you have it, Last weekend I undertook my 24 hour running challenge and it was super tough! In this post I will try to bring you an insight into my run and just how hard it really was.
On the 20th July I lined up on the start line with a couple of hundred other runners waiting to begin 24 hours of running. There were roughly 3000 runners at this event some running in teams of 8, 5, pairs and like me solo. In the male solo category I was 1 of 98 runners. I can't explain to you how amazing the atmosphere is at this event, from the moment you arrive and start setting up your tent you can feel a buzz in the air. As midday approached the count down from 10 started, everything since February when I started training for this event has led up to this moment. Then I heard the air horn that signaled the start of the race and the start of a very long 24 hours. As the runners in front of me started to move forward a loud cheer of encouragement from the crowd watching went up. Crossing the start/finish line and for about half a mile after there was just continuous clapping and cheering from the crowd, that had to be one of the best starts to any race I have ever done and I am not sure that any other race start can beat it.
The first couple of laps were really relaxed, I think this was because I had joined up with another solo runner that I knew from a running club I use to go to. There was a lot of chatting between runners on this first lap and still a lot of cheering from the crowd as some of the course passed back through the camp site. The weather at this point was really warm and sunny, the weather had been hot topic in the camp the evening before as there had been talk of a rain shower predicted for the first couple of hours of the race. No big deal normally in England but the reason it was such a big topic is that this course is all on trails, the rain would make the course very muddy and therefore making it an even harder race. This happened when I ran the race in 2017, it rained for about 18 hours and the course got completely ripped up and it was so muddy. This year I had started the race in trail shoes as the rain was meant to be coming in at 1 pm and I knew I wouldn't be back in camp to be able to change shoes as I was planning to take about 90 minutes per lap. the rain hadn't come by the end of lap 2 so I asked my dad who was my support team to meet me at a certain point with my road running shoes which would be a lot more comfortable on my feet. The agreed point to meet was at 2 km into the lap, by the time I had got to this point the heavens had opened and I was drenched. It's safe to say that I didn't swap my shoes and I kept the trail shoes on for the next 22 hours. The rain lasted for a couple of hours and finally stopped at the end of lap 3 but the damage was done and the course had started to rip up and become very muddy and therefore very slippery. I think I heard that by the end of the race two people had broken their ankle and one had dislocated their shoulder, a long with lots and lots of people falling over and sustaining minor injuries.
Laps 4 and 5 went by without much happening, I was now running on my own and the runners had started to spread out a bit as teams started to hand the batons over to other members. The time was about 6 pm and I was completing my 5th lap and having a drink, I had planned with dad that I would come off the course at about 8 pm so I could have some tea and a sit down. Now at this point my legs really were starting to hurt and running was becoming more and more tough, what I should have done was take my sticks out for this 6th lap but for some reason I didn't. This 6th lap I feel was one of the hardest laps that I did in this race and I could barely run at all by the end of it. The ground was really muddy, slippy and getting worse due to the amount of foot fall on it over the last few hours. I managed to finished this 6th lap just after 8 pm and came in to have some food, this was a pizza and I had been thinking about eating it for the 2 hours that it had taken me to do that lap. Pizza has never tasted so good, I also drank a bottle of full fat coke before heading back out onto the course.
I had planned to get laps 7 and 8 done by around midnight and then come off the course again to grab a shower and a few hours sleep. I had taken my sticks out with me for these laps and my legs had started to feel better again. Lap 7 was enjoyable again but the pain started to kick in by the end of lap 8. By this point it was dark and I only had a head torch for light as the course was not lit and went through 3 different wooded areas. Although I was in a lot of pain I had made it to the end of lap 8 ahead of time so after a brief stop for a drink and a chat with dad about the plan I decided to go back out for another lap. My thoughts here were that if I could get a 9th lap in by 1 am come in and sleep for a few hours and get back out there by 6 am I would be on target to complete 12 laps instead of the 10 that I had targeted at the start of the race. Dad thought I was mad to go for another lap but he still supported me, off I went on lap 9 but not running at this point as I was down to a fast walk at best. The end of lap 9 came at about 1.30 am, I had planned to grab a shower but the lap had taken me longer than I had planned. I got myself back to the tent, covered in mud I decided to just lie on my bed and try and get to sleep. Normally this is an easy maneuver to undertake. When you can't bend your legs due to the pain and I wont even begin to describe the chaffing, a simple task of lying down becomes a very complex and painful thing to do. I had planned for about 4 hours sleep but due to the pain I'm guessing at best I got 2 hours.
6 am came round and it took me about 10 minutes to get myself up and on my feet. A change of top and a bit of food and water before I headed back out onto the course. There was no chance that I could run anymore and it was a real mental battle just to put one foot in front of the other. On my 10th lap I bumped into another person from my old running club and we both walked the lap together. We both chatted the whole way round so this helped to take my mind off of the pain. Another mental pick me up was the fact that I knew at the end of the 11th lap my son, my wife and her family would be here to cheer me on, this kept me moving forward for the whole of lap 11. A lot of people were starting to wake up now so the support around the course was getting better again. Running this race solo means that a lot of people cheer you on and talk to you on your way round, this is a amazing thing but it can also be very draining when hundreds of people pass you on a lap and want to have a little chat. The end of lap 11 came and my feet were in bits, they felt like they were on fire and that every step felt like what I imagine walking on nails would feel like. It was the best feeling ever to see my boy and my wife but I couldn't stop for long as I really wanted to get 12th and final lap in and time was running out. So a quick chat, some fuel, a change of shoes and off I was on my last lap.
Lap 12! this was it my final lap but it was the hardest lap of them all! the pain was getting worse and my feet had started to hurt again after a short bit of relief from changing my shoes. I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and reminding myself that this is it I don't need to do it again. The support was amazing coming round the final part of the lap and a lot of the teams were joining each other on the course to run over the finish line together. I stopped and picked up my son so that he could cross the line with me. Crossing the line and knowing that I had managed to run 120 km in 24 hours. To put that into perspective for you I ran further in 24 hours than the distance between Bristol and Reading! for a while after I finished the pain did go away but it came back with a bang when I had to sit in the car for 2 hours on the drive home. I couldn't really walk when I tried to get out of the car and into the house.
You would have thought I would have also slept well that night but it was the opposite. My legs were in so much pain that every time I wanted to turn over I had to deal with this pain and it was relentless, oh and don't forget the chaffing ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ . Monday was even worse for walking, I couldn't bend my legs and my quad muscles just wouldn't work so sitting down and standing up was almost impossible. Sleep on Monday night was so much better and by the end of play on Tuesday most of the pain in my legs had gone away. I spent the rest of the week resting and on Saturday I started running again by doing a very steady Parkrun.
At the point of writing this the total amount raised for Jessie May stands at £2067.97 this is 68% of our total. I am going to keep the Virgin Money Giving page open until early September, if you would like to donate and I would be very grateful if you could, please click here. I really hope we can get to the £3000 that I set out to raise when I started this journey. If you wish to find out more about Jessie May and why I decided to take on this massive run click here. I will be continuing to run and do many more races, if you want to carry on following my running journey I post regularly on Instagram. If you search jm_running_nurse you will find me.
This is going to be my last blog so I want to thank you for all your support, it has been amazing and I couldn't have done it without each and everyone of you cheering me on. A massive shout out must go to my dad who was not only my support team on the day but ran most of the miles in training with me. He really did get me through the 24 hours, Thank you! You probably won't believe this but I have been talking to my dad about doing the run again next year but in a pair with him this time.
I'm looking for another challenge to take on so please comment on here or on the Jessie May Facebook page and let me know what you want me to do next!
Thank you again for all your support, take care
Steve
Well there you have it, Last weekend I undertook my 24 hour running challenge and it was super tough! In this post I will try to bring you an insight into my run and just how hard it really was.
On the 20th July I lined up on the start line with a couple of hundred other runners waiting to begin 24 hours of running. There were roughly 3000 runners at this event some running in teams of 8, 5, pairs and like me solo. In the male solo category I was 1 of 98 runners. I can't explain to you how amazing the atmosphere is at this event, from the moment you arrive and start setting up your tent you can feel a buzz in the air. As midday approached the count down from 10 started, everything since February when I started training for this event has led up to this moment. Then I heard the air horn that signaled the start of the race and the start of a very long 24 hours. As the runners in front of me started to move forward a loud cheer of encouragement from the crowd watching went up. Crossing the start/finish line and for about half a mile after there was just continuous clapping and cheering from the crowd, that had to be one of the best starts to any race I have ever done and I am not sure that any other race start can beat it. 
The first couple of laps were really relaxed, I think this was because I had joined up with another solo runner that I knew from a running club I use to go to. There was a lot of chatting between runners on this first lap and still a lot of cheering from the crowd as some of the course passed back through the camp site. The weather at this point was really warm and sunny, the weather had been hot topic in the camp the evening before as there had been talk of a rain shower predicted for the first couple of hours of the race. No big deal normally in England but the reason it was such a big topic is that this course is all on trails, the rain would make the course very muddy and therefore making it an even harder race. This happened when I ran the race in 2017, it rained for about 18 hours and the course got completely ripped up and it was so muddy. This year I had started the race in trail shoes as the rain was meant to be coming in at 1 pm and I knew I wouldn't be back in camp to be able to change shoes as I was planning to take about 90 minutes per lap. the rain hadn't come by the end of lap 2 so I asked my dad who was my support team to meet me at a certain point with my road running shoes which would be a lot more comfortable on my feet. The agreed point to meet was at 2 km into the lap, by the time I had got to this point the heavens had opened and I was drenched. It's safe to say that I didn't swap my shoes and I kept the trail shoes on for the next 22 hours. The rain lasted for a couple of hours and finally stopped at the end of lap 3 but the damage was done and the course had started to rip up and become very muddy and therefore very slippery. I think I heard that by the end of the race two people had broken their ankle and one had dislocated their shoulder, a long with lots and lots of people falling over and sustaining minor injuries. Laps 4 and 5 went by without much happening, I was now running on my own and the runners had started to spread out a bit as teams started to hand the batons over to other members. The time was about 6 pm and I was completing my 5th lap and having a drink, I had planned with dad that I would come off the course at about 8 pm so I could have some tea and a sit down. Now at this point my legs really were starting to hurt and running was becoming more and more tough, what I should have done was take my sticks out for this 6th lap but for some reason I didn't. This 6th lap I feel was one of the hardest laps that I did in this race and I could barely run at all by the end of it. The ground was really muddy, slippy and getting worse due to the amount of foot fall on it over the last few hours. I managed to finished this 6th lap just after 8 pm and came in to have some food, this was a pizza and I had been thinking about eating it for the 2 hours that it had taken me to do that lap. Pizza has never tasted so good, I also drank a bottle of full fat coke before heading back out onto the course.
I had planned to get laps 7 and 8 done by around midnight and then come off the course again to grab a shower and a few hours sleep. I had taken my sticks out with me for these laps and my legs had started to feel better again. Lap 7 was enjoyable again but the pain started to kick in by the end of lap 8. By this point it was dark and I only had a head torch for light as the course was not lit and went through 3 different wooded areas. Although I was in a lot of pain I had made it to the end of lap 8 ahead of time so after a brief stop for a drink and a chat with dad about the plan I decided to go back out for another lap. My thoughts here were that if I could get a 9th lap in by 1 am come in and sleep for a few hours and get back out there by 6 am I would be on target to complete 12 laps instead of the 10 that I had targeted at the start of the race. Dad thought I was mad to go for another lap but he still supported me, off I went on lap 9 but not running at this point as I was down to a fast walk at best. The end of lap 9 came at about 1.30 am, I had planned to grab a shower but the lap had taken me longer than I had planned. I got myself back to the tent, covered in mud I decided to just lie on my bed and try and get to sleep. Normally this is an easy maneuver to undertake. When you can't bend your legs due to the pain and I wont even begin to describe the chaffing, a simple task of lying down becomes a very complex and painful thing to do. I had planned for about 4 hours sleep but due to the pain I'm guessing at best I got 2 hours.
6 am came round and it took me about 10 minutes to get myself up and on my feet. A change of top and a bit of food and water before I headed back out onto the course. There was no chance that I could run anymore and it was a real mental battle just to put one foot in front of the other. On my 10th lap I bumped into another person from my old running club and we both walked the lap together. We both chatted the whole way round so this helped to take my mind off of the pain. Another mental pick me up was the fact that I knew at the end of the 11th lap my son, my wife and her family would be here to cheer me on, this kept me moving forward for the whole of lap 11. A lot of people were starting to wake up now so the support around the course was getting better again. Running this race solo means that a lot of people cheer you on and talk to you on your way round, this is a amazing thing but it can also be very draining when hundreds of people pass you on a lap and want to have a little chat. The end of lap 11 came and my feet were in bits, they felt like they were on fire and that every step felt like what I imagine walking on nails would feel like. It was the best feeling ever to see my boy and my wife but I couldn't stop for long as I really wanted to get 12th and final lap in and time was running out. So a quick chat, some fuel, a change of shoes and off I was on my last lap.
Lap 12! this was it my final lap but it was the hardest lap of them all! the pain was getting worse and my feet had started to hurt again after a short bit of relief from changing my shoes. I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and reminding myself that this is it I don't need to do it again. The support was amazing coming round the final part of the lap and a lot of the teams were joining each other on the course to run over the finish line together. I stopped and picked up my son so that he could cross the line with me. Crossing the line and knowing that I had managed to run 120 km in 24 hours. To put that into perspective for you I ran further in 24 hours than the distance between Bristol and Reading! for a while after I finished the pain did go away but it came back with a bang when I had to sit in the car for 2 hours on the drive home. I couldn't really walk when I tried to get out of the car and into the house. You would have thought I would have also slept well that night but it was the opposite. My legs were in so much pain that every time I wanted to turn over I had to deal with this pain and it was relentless, oh and don't forget the chaffing ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ . Monday was even worse for walking, I couldn't bend my legs and my quad muscles just wouldn't work so sitting down and standing up was almost impossible. Sleep on Monday night was so much better and by the end of play on Tuesday most of the pain in my legs had gone away. I spent the rest of the week resting and on Saturday I started running again by doing a very steady Parkrun.
At the point of writing this the total amount raised for Jessie May stands at £2067.97 this is 68% of our total. I am going to keep the Virgin Money Giving page open until early September, if you would like to donate and I would be very grateful if you could, please click here. I really hope we can get to the £3000 that I set out to raise when I started this journey. If you wish to find out more about Jessie May and why I decided to take on this massive run click here. I will be continuing to run and do many more races, if you want to carry on following my running journey I post regularly on Instagram. If you search jm_running_nurse you will find me.
This is going to be my last blog so I want to thank you for all your support, it has been amazing and I couldn't have done it without each and everyone of you cheering me on. A massive shout out must go to my dad who was not only my support team on the day but ran most of the miles in training with me. He really did get me through the 24 hours, Thank you! You probably won't believe this but I have been talking to my dad about doing the run again next year but in a pair with him this time. I'm looking for another challenge to take on so please comment on here or on the Jessie May Facebook page and let me know what you want me to do next!
Thank you again for all your support, take care
Steve
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