Event 4 - RISE 8km Undercliff Run for Women in Saltdean

I started this challenge with some pretty big events. I didn't plan it this way, the aim was to start small and increase the difficulty and intensity of the challenges as time went by and hopefully my fitness would follow. But somehow fate had other ideas and I managed to start with two triathlons and an absolutely epic Wolf Run. Where to go from here? RISE 8km Undercliff of course. A straight forward, flat and fairly short run, easy peasy. Thankfully an event that couldn't get more local for me if I tried and its my usual run route so I really didn't feel any pressure with this one at all. 

Just before Wolf Run, I started a diet because I've realised that lugging around unnecessary weight really does make these challenges a damn sight harder. Anything that can make these challenges easier needs to be given a shot. So after three weeks of dieting and having lost half a stone I was really missing "bad" food and really really wanted to cheat. What was bad is that my will power failed and I finally caved on the Saturday night before this race.

Beer and curry was the poison and boy was it that! I woke up on Sunday to a glorious morning but I certainly did not feel glorious. Luckily there were many familiar faces that kept my mind off my hangover and having done this run countless times I wasn't really worried.

The weather was perfect (if a little hot) and the organisers had the music going and the atmosphere was great. I don't usually listen to music during a race/event but its quite a straight monotonous "zone out" run route and I thought the music would be a good motivator. As I started the race I could feel my body going "noooo, hangover.....!!!!" so I really did need that music but alas within 5 minutes my headphone batteries ran out - epic fail on the much needed music front. So it was literally down to sheer grit and determination to get through this one!

Needless to say I just felt awful the whole way through. Water didn't help, slowing my pace down didn't help and on the second half of the route ...if Ovingdean toilets hadn't been there or there'd been a queue I don't know what I would have done. Yep this wasn't going well for me.

The other ladies on the day however seemed to be having an awesome time. Lots of words of encouragement from competitors cheering each other on and we can't forget the "nuns"! There's something really great about a huge group of women, getting out there and running together en mass in the same coloured t-shirts, it was empowering.

In summary, this should have been my easiest challenge to date and it was the complete opposite purely down to self inflicted reasons. I really found the race hard and can't say I enjoyed it much from feeling ill but the way I see it is that I have to have some not so good challenges to make other challenges, even more awesome!

My next challenge is Runpals Run the Snail on Wednesday 24th October. This is a last minute entry for my 40 Race Challenge and its thanks to the local running group Runpals that I'm even doing this. Its not exactly a race but it is such a great idea, I just had to include it in the challenge. Its a night time Runpals group run to find all the snails in the #Bemoresnail Martlets Snailspace Art Trail.