Closure

At last we have closure. 2008 is not a write off as far as ultra running is concerned. Words cannot describe the shadow that has hung over the summer since that day in June. Of course The Runner just had to go out and attempt something even more extreme than the WHW. What could be more extreme than running 95 miles up and down mountains? How about running round and round and round a loop for 24 hours?

I snorted into my tea on Monday when a very tired Runner declared that he felt calm and in control all last week. Oh really??? I'm afraid poor Beardie (and later The Pastor) got a bit of my thoughts on the calmness after holding my tongue all week! Even Mr Race Director got a blast of my 'I'm never doing back up again for That Man!' rant before the race. I'm so sorry guys!

Anyway, what can I say about the race that hasn't already been blogged about? Eh, The Runner ran round a loop. Then we saw him again after the next loop. Then we saw him after another one. Yep, it was dull and boring for me. Have I mentioned the rain yet? I was soaked from the start of the race until I went home for a few hours sleep. Apparently it was a lovely evening after I left Perth. Typical!

About 20 seconds before this photo was taken I was told to 'Fuck off and stop fucking annoying me.' How calm is that?

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Oh look! He stopped running round and took a drink from us. Mostly he just took stuff from the official table so Beardie and I had no idea what he was eating or how much. I brought most of the food back home me including the untouched fruit loaf that was sooo important that I stayed up on Thursday night to bake!

Beardie with his pasta and magic knife that has a fork, spoon, corkscrew, turkey baster and hair dryer all-in-one!!
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Prize giving with nobody spewing or fainting in sight

Before, during and after the event many people told me I was a saint and that he couldn't do it without me. Damn right! This time I have been pushed to my absolute limit. I'm looking forward to many months of entertaining and partying at weekends since there are no training runs or big races to eat up my weekend. And if anyone even dares telling The Runner about some crazy new ultra event they've found, I will hunt them down and poke them in the eyes with my Brittany Birches!

Enjoy your winter training and cross country events. I'll see you all again next year!

Ali x

Warning!

This is what your feet will look like after running 72 laps of a 1 and 1/2 mile loop. Total distance 106.74 miles! Do you think it's worth it? I know someone who does!

Big tent, little tent

On the left is the teeny wee tent The Runner took to Coll for the half marathon. It kept him cosy and dry throughout the night and most importantly didn't blow away. It's a 2 man tent but the 2 men would need to know each other VERY well as it's a bit on the small side. On the right is something a bit bigger!

This tent is humungous! I wanted a family tent that you could stand up in and have plenty of room for all the stuff you inevitably need when you go on holiday. The Runner was dispatched with these instructions and duly returned with this 6 man tent. He was extremely pleased with himself as he scored a bargain. Original price was £275. He bought it for £45!

As you can see it's got plenty of room inside. Ideal for the 24 hour race in Perth on the 13th. The 3 separate bedroom pods means all the lovely people who have offered to help me with the back up can have 40 winks comfortably. It's also got loads of room for changing if it's wet and space for food prep. In fact it's so big we're thinking of hiring it out for weddings, christenings and bar mitzvahs! Reasonable rates on application!!