Again in January I had a large fuck it second. Now, I’m not somebody who goes in for all this new year resolution factor, however I do wish to set targets and problem myself a bit of. So, when a operating buddy despatched a message out on our Whatsapp group in regards to the Atlantic Coast Problem at exactly the second I used to be sat there pondering over the kind of challenges I may do, it felt like a message from the universe. And so I signed up, there after which, appearing on impulse, understanding full effectively that if I thought of it an excessive amount of I’d discuss myself out of it.
What Is The Atlantic Coast Problem?
The Atlantic Coast Problem is a multi day extremely occasion in Cornwall organised by Votwo Events. Set over 3 days, the problem begins from a degree simply exterior Padstow following the South West Coastal Path and ending up at Lands Finish. The way you get there’s as much as you. You may run, jog, hike, stroll, hell you possibly can even crawl if it’s a must to, however mainly it’s a marathon a day throughout wild and rugged terrain with a complete tonne of ups and downs thrown in for good measure. Remind me why I signed as much as this precisely!?!?!
This isn’t one thing you possibly can simply rock as much as and hope for one of the best. You have to practice, it’s worthwhile to take it severely and it’s worthwhile to commit. The furthest distance I had run earlier than was about 17 miles. This was going to be a complete of 80 miles over 3 days. Shit simply bought tremendous critical. However hey it was January, the occasion wasn’t till October, I had loads of time. And so I forgot about it. Effectively, not completely, it was nonetheless lurking on the fringe of my mind, however I used to be commonly operating about 15-20 miles in complete throughout every week and I had some large hikes deliberate for in between, so I wasn’t fearful.
The coaching began to ramp up round in regards to the summer time. As I stated, I’d already busted out some fairly hefty mountain climbing miles – myself and a few buddies had hiked throughout the Isle of Wight over the house of three days, and I’d additionally hiked the size of the Serpent path with a buddy over the course of the yr – so my endurance health was feeling fairly good. However I wished to get a bit extra future match and that meant growing the weekend run and in some unspecified time in the future introducing again to again runs in order that I bought used to operating with drained legs.
Frustratingly, about midway by way of the coaching I developed sciatica. It was fairly actually a ache within the bottom. There was a degree the place I actually didn’t know whether or not I’d even make it to the beginning line. Nevertheless, being the organised management freak that I’m, I took cost of the matter and put a plan in place. I noticed a physio (shout out to the superb Body and Mind Physio in Petersfield whoop whoop!), began weekly Pilates, did stretches twice a day, had a operating gait evaluation, did energy workouts, I rested, and I didn’t sit for lengthy intervals of time. Slowly however certainly the sciatica began to ease, however my confidence had dipped. I’d missed out on some lengthy runs and I used to be unsure whether or not I’d be able to doing that form of distance. However I wouldn’t know except I attempted. So, with only a few weeks to go till the Atlantic Coast Problem, myself and two buddies who have been additionally signed as much as it, determined to run/stroll from Petersfield to Hayling Island, a complete of twenty-two miles. We alternated between operating a mile after which strolling a mile, which labored out nice – an opportunity to get some miles and time on our toes while additionally being comparatively light on my again and restoring my self-worth.
I’d completed the coaching. I’d bought all of the gear. I’d mentally ready myself for the largest problem I’d ever taken on. This was it. I used to be as prepared as I used to be ever going to be. Cornwall, let’s do that!
Day 1 Constantine Bay – Perranporth (26.2 miles)
We have been very lucky to be staying in a stunning home in Porthleven that buddies of a buddy owned, which meant we had a fab base, cozy beds, and plenty of house luxuries. Once you signal as much as the Atlantic Coast Problem you have got the choice of staying in a static caravan in St Ives Caravan Park which is the occasion head quarters and the place it’s a must to register every morning. However truthfully, give me a heat, cozy home each single time. It’s just like the distinction between tenting and glamping, and I positively know which one I choose.
I awakened on race day at 5am. It was nonetheless darkish exterior and I felt like how you are feeling whenever you get up early and go to the airport. You realize, a bit of bit sicky and filled with anticipation. However after all, I wasn’t flying someplace scorching and tropical as we speak, no I had 26 miles looming forward of me. It was time to get this shit completed!
Fortunately I’d managed to have an honest evening’s sleep, which was a minor miracle as regardless of sleeping like a log in my very own mattress I do have earlier in the case of not sleeping effectively in unusual beds earlier than large occasions, and never gonna lie, it was a priority. I did get up at 3.18am with bizarre nervousness desires about getting stains on my wedding ceremony costume, being late for the race, and my canine being eaten by piranhas, the standard kinda stuff, however I used to be capable of get again to sleep till my 5am get up.
I compelled some porridge and a decaf espresso down, which I actually didn’t need, however knew it was vital to get some gasoline in me. I had 1,000,000 wees and poos, packed my package, double checked my package, had one other wee after which left the home at 6am to go off and get registered. Registration was at St Ives vacation park, and it was there that we picked up our bib quantity, GPS tracker, listened to the briefing in regards to the day, and obvs squeezed out one other wee. As soon as all that was completed, it was again into the automobile for about an hour’s drive to the place to begin, Trevose Head lighthouse.
Now, I’ve not completed one thing like this earlier than, however I’ve completed a few half marathons and the Nice South Run, so I’m not a whole and utter virgin in the case of operating occasions. I used to be anticipating a marquee, a begin line on the very least, possibly a whistle or a gun shot, one thing, something to indicate it had began. However there was nothing, it was actually flip up and go. And that’s kinda the factor with the Atlantic Coast Problem, it’s a problem, not a race. It’s not about what time you do it in, it’s nearly doing it.
So off we go. The solar’s out, there’s no wind, it’s a good day for operating. However my head is enjoying methods with me. I’m a little bit of a one for this. I attempt to have phrases with myself, to be my very own cheerleader, to close that chimp again in its field, however it will get me each time. I’m an over thinker, a catastrophiser, a ‘what if’ lady and all I may concentrate on was the enormity of the entire race. Not simply that day, or attending to that first checkpoint, no I used to be dwelling on the whole 3 days value of race and the way distant the end line was. And it was doing my head in. I couldn’t get my respiratory proper, I felt sick, my pacing was all out of whack and all I may suppose was if I felt like this now, within the first 6 miles, how on earth was I going to handle a trillion million extra!?!
However I plodded on, as a result of even one step ahead is a step forwards. I believe what didn’t assist was that I partly knew the terrain. We’d stayed in Mawgan Porth just a few years again on a vacation household and so I knew what was developing, and even that felt like such a good distance off, not to mention Lands Finish. Nevertheless, as soon as I’d bought by way of Mawgan Porth, my mindset began shifting and I started to really feel happier. All of a sudden I may calm down into the run a bit extra. By strolling the hills and operating the flats I discovered a tempo that labored for me. The surroundings was beautiful, a great deal of beachy coves, cute little bays and the individuals have been all actually pleasant. There was no competitors between different runners, everybody would say one thing as they handed or run with you for a bit and have a chat, and the general public would cheers us on and assist level us in the appropriate route if we seemed a bit misplaced.
Day 1 ended on probably the longest seaside in the whole world. We bought a bit of misplaced within the sand dunes for some time however managed to get again on monitor and trekked throughout the seaside, the end flag simply in sight within the distance. The reward on the finish was a scrumptious cup of do-it-yourself lentil and tomato soup, which I wasn’t positive if I’d be capable of handle, however as quickly as that first sip hit my tummy it was like being given some form of life giving elixir mixed with an infinite cuddle, precisely what was wanted after my very first marathon.
Day 1 Rundown
- Begin – Constantine Bay
- Checkpoint 1 – Mawgan Porth
- Checkpoint 2 – Porth
- Checkpoint 3 – Crantock Seaside
- End – Perranporth
Day 2 Chapel Porth – St Ives Vacation Park (26.2 miles)
I awakened feeling way more constructive about issues on day 2. I knew what to anticipate now. There was barely much less of the unknown. And positive I used to be aching, and drained, and nonetheless a bit of bit apprehensive about whether or not I may do that, however I knew I’d give it my finest, and that my finest was completely adequate.
One other early begin, though we did have the luxurious of an additional half an hour in mattress as as we speak’s place to begin wasn’t as distant as yesterdays, so we may begin a bit of later. But once more I’d slept brilliantly, partly attributable to me taking some Kalms tablets earlier than mattress, but additionally as a result of I used to be so flippin’ knackered!
It was a stunning vivid and sunny day, but additionally very windy, I misplaced depend of the variety of instances I needed to seize maintain of my cap to cease it from blowing away. I assumed I’d give you a genius concept of attaching it to my hair with hair clips, however once I wanted to shed a layer as a result of I used to be scorching, it ended up being a proper outdated faff as my prime wouldn’t go over my head with the hat on. Within the kerfuffle, I managed to in some way lose my buff. Now, in the event you’re a runner you’ll understand how helpful a buff is. It retains your neck heat, you need to use it to wipe sweat away, it doubles up as a tissue (hey, don’t choose me, wiping your nostril on a buff is method nicer than clearing your nostril by doing that hideous snot rocket factor that I noticed lots of people doing that day!) Anyway, I realised when my nostril began operating that I’d misplaced it, however there was no method I used to be going again to search for it, as a result of umm howdy I’m not including on miles to an already milesy run. Effectively, how shocked was I when fairly just a few extra miles in, my buddy noticed my buff draped over some railings. Some beautiful particular person had clearly noticed it, picked it up, run with it, overtaken me, after which left it there. It was a small factor, however it made me smile.
Let’s discuss checkpoints. Votwo make sure that every checkpoint is rather well stocked. It’s a like a veritable buffet. Snacks included: jelly beans, mini cheddars, flapjacks, chocolate bars, peanuts, bananas, crisps, sandwiches, and there was additionally water, squash, cola, plus I believe some even supplied scorching drinks. So, there was a number of selection. Greater than sufficient selection. My physique had different concepts although. I assumed mini cheddars could be my go to snack. I’d skilled with them they usually’d labored brilliantly. It’s good to have one thing savoury in amongst all of the candy stuff. However once I tried consuming them on this run, my mouth was having none of it. They felt just like the driest factor to ever enter my mouth, and as I attempted to chew after which swallow, it was as if my mouth had forgotten how you can work. Jelly beans… similar. Flapjacks… additionally the identical. And don’t get me began on the jam sandwich. I assumed it might be good, to get one thing a bit bulkier in me, however think about a two day outdated sandwich that’s been left to fester in a child’s college lunchbox and that’ll provide you with some concept as to what that sandwich tasted like. It was grim. By means of technique of elimination, I labored out that essentially the most palatable objects have been bananas and twixes, so I caught to these and that was just about my ‘lunch’ for 2 days. I wished to eat extra, however my abdomen was simply having none of it, and it was an effort to even power the bananas and twixes down. I did make sure that I drank loads although and had electrolytes in my bottles, which appeared to be sufficient for me (I’m happy to report that put up race my urge for food has come again with a vengeance and is unquestionably making up for any misplaced energy!).
The spotlight of the day was seeing seals at Godrevy. It was an actual choose me up second, one thing very a lot wanted after the three bitches (3 vertical ascents with steps as large as your waist, one after the opposite, completely relentless). There was yet one more lengthy seaside as we speak. I take again what I stated about yesterday’s seaside, THIS was the longest seaside on the planet… or at the least it felt prefer it. And this one got here with the double whammy of not solely stretching for 4km, but additionally ran alongside the end line. OK what’s fallacious with that, I hear you pondering. Effectively, I’ll inform you what’s fallacious with that. Sure, the end line was proper there over these sand dunes, however there was a sneaky further checkpoint thrown in to be sure to didn’t cheat. And that checkpoint went previous the end level, down the remaining stretch of seaside, out into an industrial property, spherical a housing property after which again into the caravan park from the principle entrance. Bodily robust. Mentally brutal. We staggered up what felt just like the longest driveway to get to the day 2 end level and was greeted with a cup of pea and mint soup. Two days completed. One to go.
Day 2 Rundown
- Begin – Perranporth
- Checkpoint 1 – Chapel Porth
- Checkpoint 2 – Portreath
- Checkpoint 3 – Godrevy
- Checkpoint 3a – Hayle
- End – St Ives Vacation park
Day 3 Lelant – Lands Finish (28.5 miles)
Day 3. The ultimate slog. This was the lengthy one. It was all constructing as much as this. Not solely did we now have two marathon’s value of tiredness in our legs we additionally needed to cope with our longest run thus far. And it was raining. To be trustworthy, we’d bought off flippantly thus far with the climate, however this was going to make it further robust as we speak. And boy was it robust. My legs have been drained, my toes ached, and my toenails have been shot to items. I’d taken off my socks the day past and was satisfied my toenails have been going to peel of with them they felt that damaged. Fortunately they didn’t, however the jury’s nonetheless out as as to if they’ll all survive or not.
We began good and early and thank god we did, as a result of as we speak was brutal. The rain in a single day had made the course just about unrunnable. It additionally turned out that there have been lower off instances. One thing which I had been utterly oblivious of, as a result of they have been such beneficiant lower offs, that it was by no means going to be an issue. However as we speak it was. The in a single day rain had made the bottom dangerously slippery. Like actually mud snowboarding with strolling poles. There have been additionally huge boulder fields we needed to clamber over, which at factors concerned sitting down on my arse and sliding down them they have been that large. To prime it off, the primary checkpoint was 16-17k away (all different checkpoints had been spaced out about 10k in between). This was soul destroying, utterly and completely soul destroying.
To present some perspective about how robust day 3 was, there have been a gaggle of older guys, one in every of whom had completed this race 15 instances (15!!!), who stated in all these 15 he had by no means seen the circumstances as dangerous because it was this time. It took us 6 hrs to get to checkpoint 2. 6 bloody hours. That’s not far off how lengthy it had taken us to do the entire of the opposite days. Plus one thing else we discovered the next day after we checked again on the outcomes, was that out of the 311 individuals who signed as much as day 3, 164 didn’t end. That’s how robust it was!
We made checkpoint 2 with simply 20 minutes to spare till lower off. That actually put the strain on. It was by far one of the best checkpoint – actually simply on a rock in the course of nowhere. Bananas and twixes have by no means tasted so good. Snacks consumed, drinks drunk, it was time to try to ramp up the tempo. There was no method I used to be going to let a time lower off be the rationale I didn’t get to complete this. It was head down, battle on by way of the rain. This wasn’t a day for taking photographs, this was a day for getting by way of it. Tin mines, rocky outcrops, waterfalls, the panorama was completely beautiful, however in my thoughts I used to be feeling the strain to get to checkpoint 3. And so they have been going to be strict about this, as that ultimate stretch was too harmful to do within the falling gentle.
We made checkpoint 3 by the pores and skin of our tooth. However we’d made it, we have been allowed to proceed. So, on we plodded.
Recognizing Lands Ends is each a blessing and a curse. You’re relieved as a result of it’s lastly there, however it’s nonetheless so distant and you’ll see what number of hills and coves it’s a must to get round first earlier than you’re even near the elusive end line. Not gonna lie, it was a whole and utter headfuck.
I managed to run the previous couple of hundred metres to the end line, a sudden burst of power and such intense reduction that this was over. I used to be completely completed in. The whole lot harm and I seemed and felt like I had aged about 30 years. My trainers have been hanging on by a thread they usually smelt as if one thing had crawled in and died in them. I used to be handed my medal and a Cornish pasty. I’d completed it. Me, Bex Stafferton, just a few common mum from Hampshire, who’d had a little bit of a fuck it second in January and signed as much as this epic problem. Me who bloody hates the hoo har of occasions, not that fussed by medals, loves the couch. Yep me. I’d solely gone and bloody completed it!
Day 3 Rundown
- Begin – Lelant
- Checkpoint 1 – Zennor
- Checkpoint 2 – Brandys (rock outcrop)
- Checkpoint 3 – Cape Cornwall
- End – Lands Finish
Submit Race Ponderings
Once I crossed that end line, I swore to myself that I’d by no means ever do one thing like this once more. This was fingers down the hardest factor I’ve ever needed to do. It had damaged me. I’d select to present beginning ten instances over fairly than undergo that once more. And but as I sit right here typing this put up, per week on, nonetheless a bit achy and my blackened toenails hanging on by mere threads, I’m questioning what my subsequent problem might be. As a result of it’s addictive this operating lark. It’s a bloody miracle I’m even operating in any respect to be trustworthy. I hated operating and going for walks as a toddler in order an grownup I had myself marked as somebody who simply couldn’t run. Becoming a member of the runnyhoneys, my native operating group, modified that. I ran my first 5k with them and the remaining, effectively the remaining is historical past. I’m now a marathon runner, an extremely runner, and I’ve simply certified as a run chief. I believe it’s secure to say that I’m certainly a runner.
And what in regards to the sciatica? Effectively, seems I needn’t have fearful an excessive amount of about that. My again didn’t hassle me one iota whereas I used to be down in Cornwall. So, in the event you’re in search of a treatment for sciatica, I’d advocate operating 80 miles! I believe what truly occurred, is that my physique harm a lot all over the place else, that it made me neglect all about my again and the sciatic ache. It was the least of my worries.
So, what now? Effectively, after I’ve completed a lot of sitting and plenty of consuming, maybe I might be satisfied to enroll to one thing else. I imply, now I’ve completed this epic problem, I kinda really feel like I may actually tackle the world. If I can do one thing this robust and get by way of it, even when every part inside me is screaming to surrender, I don’t suppose there’s something I couldn’t do. However possibly I’ll simply do a bit extra of that sitting and consuming first!
Writer Bio
Becky Stafferton is a full-time content material creator, internet writer, and blogging coach. She frequently strives to advertise a practical, sustainable and constructive picture of how you can lead a wholesome life. When she’s not writing she may be discovered operating by way of muddy puddles, making lists of lists, having a great outdated moan, speaking in humorous voices to her canine, renovating her home within the nation, and instructing others how you can earn money from their blogs.
