wannabe ultra runner?

Ugg! (Regarding the time.)

I thought I had a stress reaction on the medial malleolus (ankle bone) initially, because that's where the pain was. Once I realised it was pain in the tendon and the muscle was tender I started getting some massage. Of course with it being such a deep muscle, getting it massaged isn't easy or comfortable.

Yes, I am in WHW race too - guess I had better 'fess up to husband now

I seem to be getting varying niggles in calf/ankle etc - seems to be a different one each week at the mo ... lots of rollering and self-administered deep massage to offending areas along with anti-inflammatory gel and ruta grav cream seem to be keeping me out training. This weeks niggle was icy patches while running in the forest I think ...

Awesome stuff CC! Fling is a nice little warm up then

Well in CC, see you on the start line. A few of the household 'round-to-its' for brownie points and i'll be in the spousal confessional booth later too!

Touie2 - Perhaps a day to be measured in effort not distance 8 hours out there is tough going.

BOO!

Been a bit quiet on here for last few days ...

Never mentioned your effort on the Dorset Coastal Path - that is a HARD place to run (have spent many weekends down there when we lived in Surrey). One of my friends did the half-marathon distance the other year, he runs regularly on trail etc and does marathons and the race was an enormous shock for him, he finished waaaaay slower than anticipated but he DID enjoy it. Sometimes it's easy to underestimate terrain at the South end of the country - as I like to remind my fellow runners up here who are quite scathing of anything south of the border!

NID asked me if was at the Punchbowl since the tunnel was opened, sadly no, think it was just after we moved North. Must be really strange now!

thanks everyone keeps saying well done but I think I was rubbish! I wasn't really struggling was just messing about and not keeping an eye on the time, they never mentioned cut offs at the beginning  Still I did enjoy myself and will be back next year with a few more hill or step reps if i can find some suitable, hopefully no illness and my eyes on my watch a bit more, would probably help to look at the course route too   there's no excuse for 30 min/ miles down south and I had a few  

How things change: I was just looking through my running diary from 2011 and found, in January, the 6.5 mile LSR as part of training for a HM in April...

Hello all, hope you don't mind me joining this thread! Never done an ultra, but have 7 marathons behind me so decided it may be time to up the distance. As I am 50 next year I wanted to celebrate by maybe doing 50K - but does that count as an ultra or do I have to do 50 miles? I sort of think it makes sense to up the distance slowly! And I want it to be a "50". Your thoughts on how you made the jump would be most welcome, thanks!

Hi Moggie, and welcome! Yes, 50K counts as an ultra - anything over 26.2 miles is an ultra. I did a 50K for my first (actually before my first marathon). You shouldfind it quite an easy jump up - just slow down a bit. For training, either just extend your marathon training to longer distances or go look at e.g. http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-50k.asp

Celebrating reaching 50 by running a 50 makes perfect sense to me!

Look at http://www.ultramarathonrunning.com/races/uk.html for a pretty comprehensive list of events available for next year, then choose depending on your location, date, terrain etc. There are several 50Ks around.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Hi Debra, thanks for that informative and encouraging reply! I will certainly check out those links. I am tending towards the trans-pennine 50K in June right now as I tend to run mostly off-road so it would suit my training. I could always stick in a 50mile at the end of the year!

I would aim for a 50 miler, you're obviously fit so you should make that no problem. Choose somewhere you want to run and I'm sure there will be a race around that distance at some point for you to go after. In terms of routes, 50 miles opens up a lot more options.

Thanks Shawk, now I am wavering 50K/50M/50K/50M?? I did my last marathon last month and if I am honest could I have managed another slow 5M at the end? - I guess I would have done it. So maybe 50K isn't a big enough challenge for the big 50 year celebration. 50M just seems so far, but I remember thinking there was no way I could do a marathon after my first half - so we are all made of sterner stuff than we know. Something to think about....