I DID IT...............YES , YES, YES ( relief, amazement and feeling so high)......happy days and one very happy girl.!!!!!
SO no excuses now, you have to donate because let me tell you, it was the hardest challenge I have ever completed and there were snakes, yeah I know when you hate snakes as much as me that makes it a nightmare without adding the 78 or by my GPS 80 miles to run in 24 hrs!
I did not sleep well on the plane ( but then who does unless it's first class!)or for the x2 nights spent camping in the desert: nerves, missing my bed who knows, but either way not the best mental or physical preparation....
I met Trudi on the coach to our desert camp, my mentor, tent buddy and a really fun amazing lady.
Everyone in the group was just great, so many characters and everyone was very supportive.
Volker who looked like he had just stepped out of a Crocodile Dundee movie equipped with eye patch took us on our orientation desert walk to acclimatise and meet some of the local wildlife and plant life. This is when after talking about a very deadly cactus he started to talk about my little slithery friends and boy were there a lot of them lurking in the desert for us to potentially meet: Puff adder, spitting cobra, mamba, adder, viper.....ah....ah..ah...OMG were my thoughts especially after meeting a very springy baby adder on our walk.
Thankfully I did not see another snake the whole time i was there, although Sue and Ken did!!!
I was incredibly nervous race day, but after being in the desert for x2 days I just wanted to get going.
The gun went off very loudly and we were off: I started slowly, not wanting to risk the desert heat wiping me out. CP1 came quickly and all was good. Sarah took some photos between there and CP2. Then from behind came Irish ( otherwise known as Stephen). I went with him and we ran together up to 50 miles when i could no longer keep up with him. He was great: so funny, supportive and a great drinks holder and general helper... We were on a mission, running 15/20 mins then walking 5. Together with fast check point stops and steady running we caught up many runners as we ran through the beautiful desert and over very varied terrain. Running or sinking through the crater was horrible, so sandy your feet just sunk- very energy sapping!
The sun set was magnificent as we run through the vast desert. Irish kept a video monologue after each check point, great idea and must make great watching.I went through a couple of moments when I just wanted to stop or slow down, but I pushed on keeping at Irish's side, I would have missed him... There was a huge hill to CP6 where we were really glad of our leggings and me of my gloves and woolly hat to change into. The wind was whipping around and it was dark now.
I had a real surge of energy after that, and all was good until 50 miles. From this point onwards my legs were really tired and my feet ached. My mind wanted to stop and I was counting down each mile. It was sheer will power that kept me going and the knowledge that i could walk at a snails pace from here on in and make it within the 24 hrs.
On my own, alone and guided by moonlight in the beautiful Namib desert I walked and run the last 28 miles, rewarding myself at 55/60/ 65/ 68 etc with snacks, fave music etc. I got so excited at 60 miles, this to me was an important milestone, but I still had 18 miles left....., amazing how you can train your mind to comprehend distances and tasks differently, before my training this to me was one hell of a way! There were times when i was emotional, wanting to cry, thinking of my parents, friends family and visualising finishing and how it would feel.
There was something serene, peaceful and beautiful about being alone in such a vast, beautiful empty place that words just cannot describe......I think you have to experience it to know what I mean.......
Seeing and speaking to another person at the CP was great and I think I was still very with it, even if my body was exhausted. I just chatted and chatted!!! Which my friends, family and collegues will agree is what I do best.
The last road seemed to go on and on, my GPS said I should be there, but I was not, that was frustrating and made me angry, as angry as an exhausted person can be...Then finally the turn off towards the sea, it was still dark, but I could hear and see the sea as the waves crashed against the shoreline - it was truely an amazingly and beautiful sight as i ran towards the end excitement building as I knew I had done it - my first ever Ultra Marathon completed in 20 hrs 42 mins 10th/23 and 3rd girl home. All in all not bad, although it did not take me long to start thinking I could have pushed myself harder after 50 miles and I could have gone and should have gone faster. Can't please some people heh!
There will be others, it is strangely addictive punishing and pushing your body and mind so much. You really do feel alive and so exhilarated! It builds your soul, your spirit and you.
Haven House Children's Hospice is a special place for special children. They care for children and young people between the ages of 0-19 who have life limiting conditions and who are unlikely to reach adult hood. Haven House is a charity looking after children and their families in Central and North East London and West Essex. You would be donating to an incredibly valuable, worthy and vital charity so please do give generously. Childhood is a precious time, we all look back on ours with fondness, help these children have the best childhood they can.
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page; it really means a lot to me and the charity I am supporting.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
Thank you very, very much Tan x
