This weekend was the Thames Path 100 (TP100) put on by Centurion Running Last year the race had to be cancelled with only a few hours to go due to the dramatic change in temperature and conditions so this year James Elson the RD put the race on three weeks later in the hope that the weather conditions wouldn’t or couldn’t possibly be as bad as 2012! Wrong, the forecast was flooding, rain, sleet and snow in temperatures as low as minus 5 during the night.
As always James rose to the occasion and put on an alternative route – out and back finishing in Windsor rather than Oxford. The route beyond Cookham (the turnaround point) was flooded and a much more exposed area along the Thames Path. I take my hat off to him, lots of extra hard work, reorganising the volunteers (who are just fantastic) checking and re-checking the new route, talking daily to the Enviroment Agency and always keeping the runners up to date.
So on Friday myself and HWMBO drove to Richmond where we stayed the night meeting up with Hay Diddle Diddle and Timmy Big Feet before an early night.
I never sleep well before a race going over everything in my mind but woke up in the morning with a bit of dodgy tummy but it wasn’t too bad so onwards and upwards. Put my hands up I really wasn’t looking forward to running in such cold conditions, but there was nothing I could do so had to get on with it.
At registration I chatted to a few marvellous people and met a lovely lady who was (I believe) originally from South Africa and now lived with her husband in America and she had done Comrades the same year as me and her husband had taken a picture of us at the finish after my back to back Comrades – how amazing was that! It was her first 100 miler.
After very thorough race briefing the race started on time at 10am (I stupidly asked James which way we were going !!!) Once running the weather didn’t seem quite so bad which was fantastic.
I had a plan and kept to it but felt wrong right from the start but thankfully got chatting to Jules so kept going, legs felt heavy, stomach was uncomfortable and I had no energy. This has never happened to me before and my usual sweets didn’t work. Arrived at CP1 at 11 miles with the intention of pulling out but grabbed a handful of Jelly Babies and kept going. (because of the Colonoscopy on Monday my usual foods I wasn’t able to eat)
My right leg kept on giving way, legs heavy and energy still low. I arrived at CP2 22 miles in a good time and once again had every intention of pulling out but after a coke decided to man up and get to Windsor 28 miles. I arrived at Windsor feeling as flat as a pancake and this time made the decision that this was the end of my race my legs and body were empty.
My kit choice was excellent, I wasn’t cold so that wasn’t an issue it was just the body not wanting to do what I wanted it to do. These things happen and there are always lessons to learn from a DNF. I know I did more miles than I usually do two weeks before the race, I knew it was wrong at the time but did it anyway. A 2 week taper has always worked well for me on a 100 miler and 3 weeks for anything more this time I only had a week – entirely my fault and a lesson learned.
Sam Robson, thank you for agreeing to be my pacer and sorry to let you down but at least I didn’t have to listen to your singing!!
Congratulations to everyone who finished an amazing achievement;
1.Martin Bacon 18h 10m 53s 2.Luke Ashton 18h 14m 3.Richard Ashton 18h
1. Debbie Martin Consani 19hrs 19 minutes 2. Wendy Shaw 20hrs 52
A few days off while I have my colonoscopy then fingers crossed back to training for one of my A events for the year double GUCR.
Thank you to James Elson for once again putting on a great event, you never let the runners down and our safety is always your main priority. To the marvellous volunteers, what can I say you were fantastic I couldn’t have been looked after better and you were out there in that awful weather remaining cheerful and putting us first – amazing as always.
Before I go I would like to say a huge marvellous congratulations to James Adams who has just completed the North Burn 100 in New Zealand, great going James proud of you.
Happy Training.
