A little while back, I got the compulsion to create a mini adventure. I had an new running watch that needed a thorough test for The Run Testers and so I packed a few things in my running vest, got up at 2.30am and hit the trails of the New Forest in the dark with one aim: to run for 10 hours. It was the first time I’d run an ultra in the New Forest. And the first time doing something like this on my own, not in race conditions. And what it taught me about my own running was pretty surprising.
I have run unofficial ultras before. The 190-mile trek along the Thames from Source to Sea being the biggest but I had great company for that. Ninety-nine percent of the races I’ve run, I’ve done solo but you’re never really alone in those.
So this was the first time I went it alone. I ended up running for 9.5 hours, clocking 45 miles in total, and it was fantastic. I made a little video of the experience here.
45-mile ultra in the New Forest…
Lessons learnt from my one-man adventure
- Training and racing are best kept separate: I’ve always used smaller races as training runs for my big target ultras. But having now run the distance outside of race conditions, I now realise that it’s hard to treat a race as training. With people to pass, people passing you, a finish line and a clock ticking, my tendency is to slip into race mode. Pressure on performing on the day, rather than focusing on things that might need to be improved regardless of how long that might take.
- Covering an ultra distance in your own back yard, where you’re never more than 10 miles from home, knowing you can stop whenever you want to, is liberating. I’d compare the pressure release to a trick I sometimes use when I can’t be bothered to run. I tell myself I’ll just do one mile and see how it feels. More often than not once you’re out you do more. I felt the same effect during this run. I knew I could stop anytime and it was mentally freeing. When you’ve paid for a race, you never give yourself that freedom.
- Outside of race conditions, I was able to enjoy my surroundings more. I took time to sit on a tree stump or two, to stroll through sections of the woods where the bird song was brilliantly loud and tuneful.
- There’s a wave of emotions that need to be managed. When you first set out in the dark the novelty is exciting and the adrenalin gets pumping. That carries you to sunrise where the stunning skies give you a warm buzz that carries you into mid-morning. But then comes the comedown. As the happy chemicals dry up what lies ahead starts to look like graft. The hip flexors tighten a bit, nutrition comes into play, energy levels can dip quickly. The negatives can start to pop into your head. It’s all part of the rhythm of the run and you have to be kind to yourself through these dips. Know that you will bounce back.
- You don’t need aid stations. You can carry all the food you need. The only problematic part is having access to water. I have a habit of using aid stations to guide me rest and sometimes even fuelling but being totally self sufficient means you can stop when you need to, not when you hit a certain point. In races I’ll wait to aid stops to shuffle food from my main backpack to the easy-to-reach pockets and occasionally go without food until I’ve done this. Running on your own, you just stop and take care of things there and then. I know I can do this in races too but I don’t. I think more of this free running will help me learn better habits.
- Going out and running until the sun comes up is not as bonkers as it sounds. Pack your kit, get an early night, set your alarm, drink a liquid breakfast and head out. Choose a spot to run too where the sunrise looks best. It’s as simple as that. You don’t have to run on like I did until midday. In fact you can easily be back for breakfast. It’ll be the best breakfast you’ve had and you’ll be buzzing the rest of the day.
Now read this: What I learnt running 190 miles in 3 days
