Believe in yourself and ANYTHING is possible!

A mantra I tell all my friends and clients and though I lack self belief, (a personality trait frustrating to my crazy half) .....I do feel my commitment, stubbornness and drive gets me to the end of my goals as well as helping others go for theirs. This is one thing Craig said to me before I ran on Saturday but deep down, this time, I believed I had done all I could to prepare for the HM55 - Guisborough to Helmsley.

My first blog was all about recovery and rest....and I know from experience that we often read these things and just don't want to hear what is being said or what is written....how many of you just scroll through Facebook pressing that blue thumbs up.....but not really reading the post???

So, what if I hadn't rested....what if I had taught the day before or done a 2 hour run....what if I hadn't fuelled and prepped for the day before hand? For me there are a number of outcomes.....I could have fatigued and seen the similar result the led me to finding a coach....and I could have wasted the time and energy that both myself and my coach had put into the programme.

The same now it's over??......yes, I don't sit still very well but I do feel like I have run a long way, not just stiff ankles but a sort of vacuum packed depleted feeling and a wave of sadness that after 2 years of preparation and 2 postponements ....it is finally done and gone!

The Hardmoors 55 is a trail run from Guisborough to Helmsley, on the website the description clearly states this isn't for the light hearted (just those with a sense of humour) with over 2000m of ascent, the pain you feel is real, the climbs never ending....and oh....I think I mentioned the weather......but with stunning views, the 'hard'shals who have given up a day to cheer you up and on and the rest of the runners who are all in it for the same thing -supportive, friendly and also going through the same pain. Noone judged for your size, kit, speed - free from discrimination, you can even take your teddy bear with you. Everyone is treated like a winner.

Once you have experienced your first Hardmoors, what ever distance, you then learn of that supportive and non egotistical community. Everyone is there because they enjoy running....to have a moan and laugh about the weather or the climbs and to discuss whether Jon knows that a 10km isn't 14km...and the marathon is 26.2 not 30miles plus......though people have been known to complain now when they aren't more! lol! However, word has got around about how amazing the events are and everyone wants to be part of it. Spaces are tough to get as you you have to be fast on the button.

The forecast was rain all day - in the morning, apart from some light drizzle, it was mostly dry and humid and the rain visited every so often to remind us where we were. Towards the end of the run (around 7 miles to go - 4pm'ish) the sky just fell and there was a massive downpour. As we had to carry mandatory kit similar to when the event was held in Winter, everyone was prepared for what is known as 'Hardmoors weather' meaning in the space of 24 hours you experience heat, snow, gales and torrential rain with the odd treat of a thunderstorm. I believe the organisers have a remote control that they press randomly!

At this point I was drenched but still warm, so decided not to faff around to get my jacket and continued forwards trudging and tripping through mud and potholes from Sutton Bank to Helmsley....only falling once! RESULT!! I think it was then that I could really feel the energy begin to leave me and the worry that I had bitten off more than I could chew BUT a pre race message from the coach, amazing messages from friends and also from speaking to Craig en-route ...it was clear.... when it gets tough, dig deep and keep moving forward. So I did just that and kept looking forwards, I knew I was so near the end and only had another set of steps to climb near Helmsley and it was all then downhill.

Fuelling did start to decrease in the last stages, whether that was because I wanted to move on and saw it as mucking around, or whether I didn't want my jam sandwich and hula hoops to get wet I don't know. On the bright side, I drank well, fuelled perfectly for most of run on things I had trained with such as new potatoes, Chia Charge flapjack, Veloforte gels, jam sandwiches with white bread and kendal mint cake....which was AMAZING, breaking off a small piece and letting it melt in my mouth gave me a little hit, didn't make me feel sick and brightened up my breathe! lol!

So whilst I nurse my achy legs and sore ankles, I also see them as a reminder of the work I did on Saturday. For the majority of the day I also really enjoyed it. I also will spend a few days feeling chuffed to bits of what I have accomplished and put my trophy somewhere to remind me of the work I did to achieve that, I think I am allowed to do that. I wUrked hard for it. Don't you?

Saturday 21st August 2021 - First Female HM 55 10 hrs and 10 mins