I am running monthly challenges in 2021 to fundraise for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
Ultramarathon on Gower! A running challenge for March 2021 that will hopefully help me to prepare for the ultimate running challenge of the year. That one is a Ultramarathon of ultramarathons, but more about that in another blog.
Marathon season
Spring is marathon season. I ran my first marathon in the spring of 2017. If was a blisteringly hot day in Rotterdam and I made a number of marathon debut mistakes. At the finish I sighed a huge relief. I thought, “Well, thank goodness, that’s done now. It was painful, but it is over. I had participated in a big city marathon, something that has become a phenomenon of our society. Now I can go back to more sensible running…..and never again repeat this endeavour!”
However, something quite the opposite happened. The future revealed that I was hooked. Snowdonia marathon followed in autumn 2017. Then followed Newport marathon in spring 2018 and London marathon in spring 2019.
The summer of 2019 saw me run my first trail ultra marathon across the Brecon Beacons. It took me 7 hours and 15 mins to cover the 54km and I considered it an excellent day out! I had finally found my version of sensible running.
No marathon season
The spring of 2020 saw the advent of no marathon season as a global pandemic caused our societies to be locked down. We can only guess at the value of running during these very challenging times. My guess and estimation is that those who run have realised more than ever just how beneficial this simple activity is. My guess is that many became runners during this time, never to return to a life on the couch again.
Running most certainly remained in my weekly routine. When my mental and emotional wellbeing was suffering severely, I hung on to the daily run to pull me through. At the worst of times that run was more of a trudge into the woods and then a pause. This was where I could release the painful emotions and find strength to carry on, to keep searching for a way to move forward.
My family was torn apart by UK family immigration for 6 months from January 2020. It felt like an impossible situation. I learnt of the plight of thousands of other families. Their heartbreaking journeys of separation are much longer than the longest ultramarathon. Some separations last more than a decade. You can read more about this on the Reunite Families UK website.
Race cancellations and postponements still continue. I miss those, but I am grateful everyday for my ability to run and for the beautiful trails I have access to. I have found many ways to engage with the creative and resilient running community, both locally and through social media.
Whenever we are allowed, we arrange local runs in small groups. Online challenges and virtual events abound. People still run, care enough to fundraise and reach out to connect with each others.
Gower ultramarathon
A small band of runners will head out to circumvent Gower Peninsula on the morning of 28 March 2021.
I have designed the route to be almost exclusively on trails. Our plan is to run clockwise, the opposite direction to how we ran Gower Marathon in November 2020. Of course, the route is extended from 26.2 miles to 35.8 miles. This way we can be out for longer and enjoy more of the beauty of the Gower peninsula.
The weather has been wild for much of my two running challenges for this fundraiser. Let’s hope that no cold snap will appear from the west to recreate the conditions we faced for Heart of Gower.
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You can donate to my JustGiving page here. Thank you!
Now I better go for a run to keep my fitness up for the big one next weekend!
