Janette Macleod recently took on an amazing cross country ultramarathon, racing a 57 mile course from Glasgow to Edinburgh, here's how she got on.
Tell us about the day! How was the weather, did you run with other Cairngorm Runners? What did you think of the route? How did your run go? What was your time? Was it a milestone? What was the most challenging part of the event? Anything else you can think of?
I clicked on a social media advert in January thus triggering the algorithm to get continual adverts and links. By May it had worked and I entered the 57 mile Glasgow to Edinburgh ultra. I had run a 50km before and a couple of marathons. I googled training plans, I downloaded training plans, I deleted the training plans. I spent the summer enjoying a bit of trail running and orienteering whilst trying to do some longer runs. I was really not sure I was actually going to do the event. By September I felt I had talked about it enough that I ought to at least try it. I upped my mileage a bit to a 30-35km and a 15-25km run each weekend. I also remembered to do some road running and ordered the all important new shoes.
On race day it was an early start with registration at 0500 for a 0600 start from the Riverside Museum in Glasgow. The museum was open for registration so lots of nervous looking folks doing some last minute eating and adjusting running kit whilst wandering around transport exhibits. A blast of the bagpipes and 474 of us were off with headtorches on. I lingered towards the back and quickly settled in to a steady pace in the group as we wound our way through the east of Glasgow. By the time the sun was up we were out of Glasgow and on to the canal path. It was then a case of keep the canal on your right. There was no nav in this event! The first checkpoint was water only and the second checkpoint at 11miles was a welcome stop for a snack and a portaloo. I never really train at a steady specific running pace (I rely on my excellent jog leaders to keep us right on a Monday night) so I was glad to sit behind a couple of ladies who were running a very consistent 6min 20/km for the next while until they stopped to take some photos of the swans flying down the canal. The route was really quite pretty and remote in its own way.
Checkpoint 3 at 17 miles came around soon enough and I was ticking along quite happily. A few potatoes, some watermelon, and a water refill from the excellent feed stations, and I was back on my way. The route is very flat and mostly smooth with a bit of variety offered by tree routes and cobbles. Checkpoint 4 at 25 miles was at Falkirk wheel and time to change from the Forth and Clyde canal to the Union canal. It was also the most significant hill in the route - about 1/2 a Tullochgrue hill rep. A few more potatoes, a cinnamon roll, a portaloo trip and onwards. I passed by the water only checkpoint 5 at 30 miles and carried on into Linlithgow where I was cheered in by some family who live there. I was glad of a seat, a cup of tea, and some crudities (I love something fresh and crunchy on a long run). I was now at 36.5 miles (58km) and into the realms of further than I had ever run before.
However, I was ticking along nicely and had reached Linlithgow in about 6hrs 45. After Linlithgow it was the longest section without a checkpoint. So I fuelled up and refilled my water bottles. I also had a concerning low battery warning on my garmin, I was pretty reliant on knowing how far I had gone, and as they say if it is not recorded it doesn't count. To break up the section I planned to have a pause and snack at 70k (43miles) and by then I was starting to struggle. As was my watch so I started the tracker on my phone. My watch died at 77k and I was feeling pretty grim. I was thirsty and was drinking more than normal which was not good. I limited my hydration, nibbled on snacks, and summoned the virtual support team who kicked in with encouraging messages.
The next and final checkpoint was at Ratho at 49.8miles (80k). I sat on the grass, had a bit of a word with myself, took inspiration from all the other runners around me, had a few sandwiches, and set off again for what was going to be a grind to the finish. I settled into a workable rhythm of run 500 double strides, walk 100. Most around me were also in a walk run routine so we shared words of encouragement as we leapfrogged each other. And then it was the last stretch along the Water of Leith and a lap round the track at Saughton sports centre cheered on by my sister. During the early stages I had been imaging my celebratory pose for the finish line photo - in the end just crossing it was enough. 11 hours 22 minutes, 166th out of 436 finishers, 3rd of 16 in my age group. I was exhausted and elated. I still cant believe I did it. The enormous medal reassures me it was true. It was dry, warm, with a light wind making for perfect running conditions which definitely helped.
Whilst I did enjoy it, I am going to revert to getting the train for future Glasgow to Edinburgh trips.
Would you recommend this event to others in the club and why?
I would recommend it to anyone who wants to try the distance on a very flat and straightforward route. I would consider myself a trail runner and was worried I might find this dull, but actually found running without thinking about where I was going or putting my feet was quite relaxing. It is well organised, has great support stations, with fairly generous cut offs, and by far the best event medal I have ever received.
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