I started running about 20 years ago in order to keep fit to complete my round of the Munros. I completed the 284 (at that time) round in 2008 but still continued with my running. I needed goals to get me out of the door and started to train for races, my first being the Glasgow half marathon. I am a member of the Wee County Harriers, which is a Clackmannanshire based running club and entering races became a regular occurrence. Always encouraged to go the extra mile by the club, progressed from half marathon to marathon distance in 2009, a week before my wedding. I wanted something to take away the stress of wedding plans, not the usual preparation in Brides Monthly! This was the Lochaber Marathon and I loved the sense of achievement at the finish.
Trained for the New York Marathon in 2012 but this was deferred because of Hurricane Sandy so trained again and completed this in 2013. Bucket list achievement and amazing experience!
Training takes up a lot of time and I wasn’t going to enter another marathon, then someone from Wee County Harriers suggested the Glenogle 33. Thirty three miles, wasn’t sure how I was going to manage that but started training in June….then broke my little toe whilst hoovering. Couldn’t run but this was actually a turning point for me. Used this negative experience to try to count calories and lose weight. I always had made excuses because I was ‘running it off’ and carried a little excess baggage for years. So went on a diet, started cycling and swimming to keep up the fitness levels and lost 18 pounds in weight.
After four weeks I was able to start running again but had made up my mind to withdraw from Glenogle 33. Friends in Wee County Harriers asked me just to wait and see and I continued to build up the mileage again. I did my club training twice a week with an extra run in the middle. Longest miles were at the weekend and I did back to back runs and gradually built up to an 18 mile, 20 mile and two 22 miles over the Saturdays preceding the Ultra, with 10 mile runs back to back on the Sundays. Really would have liked to have ran a couple of 26 miles but simply ran out of time.
Two days before the Glenogle 33, the weather was extremely wet and the starting point in Strathyre was flooded, this was where the cars were to park. So they changed the route!! Reversed it. In my head I had the run all worked out, my hills and flats, my highs and lows…all turned back to front. Now rather than running down the Glenogle viaduct at the end, I would be running up it at 25 miles with 8 to go. Everyone had told me although it was called G33, it actually was only 31.5. With this new route it really was 33!
However myself and three running buddies had agreed to run it together as it was our first and so we started at Killin together. Feeling very nervous, a little underprepared and daunted by the prospect of the slight incline viaduct I set of with the other three.
We kept each other going, we just treated it as a huge picnic with a little running thrown in and chatted a lot of the way round. We had also agreed to walk the uphills and run the flats and downhills. It was a perfect day, not too hot, not wet, not too cold and before we knew it we were at the 22 mile checkpoint. I would say from 25 miles to the top of the viaduct at 28 was probably my lowest point. Psychologically I had never run as far as that before and I knew it was slightly uphill but not enough uphill to walk. I had to dig deep at that point but there was never any question that we would not complete it. I loved the final few miles down through the forest to Killin and the feeling when we stopped was out of this world. It was a great race, well organised and well marshalled in beautiful Stirlingshire scenery.
At that point, I didn’t think I would be doing another Ultra for a while. However next day, still elated, I thought I might do one but maybe not next year. And now? I can’t wait to do another 33 miler – Maybe Deeside 33 - just to see if I could do it faster. Then I’d love to enter the Tiree 35 mile Ultra. Think I’m hooked.
