The Night Shift

I’ve done a few nightshifts in my time. This one was a bit different though, an 80km run through the night and not quite as straightforward as that either. This was a Backyard Ultra , 4 miles on the hour every hour until there’s just one runner left! Well this wasn’t that extreme. The format for the night shift was a bit kinder, a really nice introduction to the world of backyard ultras and it actually was.

Lets start with the location. Its near Shepton Mallet in Somerset and actually takes place on a cider farm, it’s a nice wooded route too, exactly how you would picture a cider farm in rural Somerset.

In the centre of the wood was a small camp.

That was the start of the night shift ultra.

That was the epicentre of the excitement.

Let’s also make sure we mention the volunteers who made this event fantastic, their enthusiasm was electric! On the Trail Run Advisor Site everyone raves about the crew, Gaz and Steph, the vibe, the DJ …. It’s all true! They were marvellous.

Let’s get down to the format, which I understood or at least I thought I did until 6am on that Sunday morning after the night shift. We had a plan or let’s say plans. I think Seans plan was to meander round the 4 miles in about 50 - 55 minutes. My plan was to get around in about 45 or quicker and have a rest. So we took my plan and the first 3 or 4 laps left us with a lot of time to get drinks and load up with carbs.

Sounds good.

Off we went at the bell, roared on by the volunteers, friends and family. We felt good, we looked good, everything was as it should be. Our pace seemed comforatable and I certainly didn’t feel pressured. We were not the first runners but we were not the last either. At the back was a guy who frequently walked, his pace very slow but also very relaxed. After lap 1 he came in around last looking at ease. I wondered what he was doing, poor guy had no time to recover.

The first three laps had us cheered on and supported by our support crew of Chloe and Sean’s two mates who had driven the hour or so from Devizes to cheer us on. It wad great to chat with them during the pauses between laps, we were very grateful for their support but at some point their beds called and they had to leave.

We were now alone. With the club music, enthusiasm of the volunteers and the woods.

All going well until lap 5.

It was then that I had a few issues, around 30-35km (lap 5 and 6), my right leg was beginning to complain a lot. I stumbled and almost fell on tree roots, catching myself but noticing that my body had twisted and contorted in order tio stop me falling. My right calf hurt and I found I was limping. I had no idea why at 40km I was struggling, I had done a few ultra marathons and countless marathons. I felt fit, after all this was a couple of weeks after my Seiser Alm half marathon. Somehow my mojo was off having a cuppa.

At some point during lap 6 Sean and I lost each other for a bit, I was definitely struggling and I think he felt I might not come in within the hour, so he pushed on. Somehow though I rallied and we caught each other toward the end, he convinced me to stop. He said himself that he wasn’t feeling too strong either and would probably quit too. We finished lap 6 (40km) and ate and drank as much as we could, our heads dropping as we realised we were now completing each lap slower than the previous one. After much thought in a very short space of time I decided to throw in the towel and save my limping, disfunctional right leg. Sean said he would do just another lap and drop out. So lap 6 started without me and in Backyard Ultra tradition I rang the bell indicating that I was dropping out,

DNF !

I wasn’t the first. I chatted to Steph, who along with Gay had organised this event, felt a little better after her words of encouragment. I moved over to the warmth of the camp fire and sat with a few other injured souls. We noticed that one runner was clocking in 42 minutes every lap, phenomenal!! He was definitely going to win, what an athlete.

The same guy we saw at the start was still coming in at the back but still completing every lap, he looked really fresh.

Sean completed lap 7 and actually there was wind in his sails, he looked good! He resolved to stay in it despite me saying that there’s no shame in dropping out if you’re injured. He wasn’t having any of it and off he went for lap 8.

The music pounding out of the speakers at 2am as we ate cake around the campfire, chatting about the experience. Despite the bitterness of dropping out, it was good company and again, the volunteers were incredible!

Lap 8 finished and Sean seemed to be getting stronger despite the fact that his body was definitely beginning to seize up. His mind however was having none of it, he wasn’t going to stop. Even though he definitely looked and moved like a zombie. I sat and wondered where he found his resolve, his grit. Probably from my mom, she wouldn’t be sitting around the campfire eating cake! I smiled and realised that sometimes your body actually can be broken and you might have to live to fail another time.

Laps 9 and 10 came and Sean presented himself at the start each time, despite me trying to save his battered body. The scene remained unchanged with the 42 minute man coming in first on every lap looking really good! The man at the back was still pretty much at the back but looked like he’d done a brisk walk.

Lap 11 came and Sean was out there again, although by now the few metres to the start line became a challenge for him as I sat on my arse next to the warmth of the fire.

How does he do it!

Lap 11 proved to be a bridge too far and he eventually listened to his body and stopped. He was however happy with his performance. As he should have been! 42 minute man was there again and man at the back changed his shoes and T-Shirt for the final lap. This was it! The winner of this lap was the winner of the event.

Sean stumbled over to the entrance of the compound in order to see the runners. He came back after a few minutes.

“He’s bloody sprinting”

“Who Sean, who is sprinting”

“Harry”

And so it was, Harry the man at the back was doing the final lap at pace of 3:30 or so.

Mad!

He came flying past us, waving at the cheering crowd, followed by 42 minute man. I was in awe of these two fantastic athletes. A few minutes later he emerged unchallenged to finish as the winner. 42 minute man not far behind and those who had stuck with it crossed the line. Heroes! All of them.

I sat opposite Harry as he supped a drink and warmed himself by the fire. I told him that he had obviously understood the format and I hadn’t. He smiled and nodded. He said that as long as he could stay fresh he knew he could do a very fast last lap at 3:30 m in/km or so and it depended on if there was anyone else there who could. He said that was the bit he didn’t know or could control. I cannot do that pace at the start of a run let alone after 76km! I couldn’t help being impressed by his total control. Ultra marathons are about being outside of the control or maybe that’s something I haven’t understood either.

I felt stupid as I realised that I should have listened to Sean’s ‘let’s walk a bit’ mantra and not my own, ‘we are here to run’ bravado. It’s a mistake probably that cost us the run, although I’m not really sure about my injury either. I couldn’t walk properly for days after and I was seriously worried about it.

So if I rewind to the 5th lap I remember it being the first lap I felt in trouble. The doubts that grow and multiply inside your head. That’s probably why the twinges, pain and aches grew into monsters.

It took me a few weeks to get over the dnf Not an ego thing but just an uncomfortable feeling that I just caved in, instead of gritting my teeth and dragging my battered limbs through it.

Then I started reading The rise of the Ultra Runners by Adharanand Finn. Things began to become clearer.

A few days later I chatted with Mattia my Ultra running friend, he’s always good for advice. The fog lifted. Running is a bit more than one leg in front of the other. I should have listened to Sean and meandered around in 50-53 minutes or so. Instead the 15 minutes we waited in between the laps served only to cool us down, our muscles deprived of circulation now being used to warm us up. Our minds concentrating on the next lap in 15 minutes instead of swigging adding eating something and going again. Just like you do in training. In fact he said he uses Backyard Ultras for exactly that - training. Embrace the did not fail…..

So I think it’s important to state that given my list of lame excuses, there is still the uncertainty with any race. Irrespective of how you deal with it. The guy who ran 42 minutes every lap had no issues. The race was a painful experience for us both but as an event it was absolutely fantastic and I think I am going to have to return, I need to sample that wonderful atmosphere in the cloudy haze of did not fail.

Thanks to Sean, his two mates and Chloe for support team duties.

Next up Paris Versailles Then it’s my home town Cologne .