I ran 60 km through trails. This was my experience..
I didn’t really have pre-race nerves. I knew it was going to get hard, but I’ve been through harder things in life than a long run. In my head I just thought ‘You’ll figure it out.’
Training had gone well. Maybe I even overdid it a bit. But I got to the start line healthy, and that was enough.One experiment I’m really happy with was ditching the processed sports nutrition. Every time I’d tested gels and chews in training, they left me feeling nauseous and over-sugared. So I made everything myself: bread with jam and peanut butter, flapjacks with oats, carrot, raisins, coconut and honey, boiled potatoes with salt and electrolyte water. The only processed things I carried were a few natural chia energy gels, which I never used.
The sandwiches I ate, a few flapjack bites, the potatoes were gold, and I never felt sick once. No stomach issues, steady energy, and mentally I felt brilliant nearly the full 60km.
Around 23 km I hit a short low. Not physically, just sort of boredom. I remember thinking, “ok. This is actually quite long.”Then somewhere after halfway, something shifted. Instead of counting the kilometres, I started enjoying them. I knew I was going to finish.
At 42 km I twisted my ankle, not that bad I couldn’t continue but I felt it. The medics taped it up, and motivated me to continue. Bit slower than before, but surprisingly happy, I continued. (Endorphins probably going crazy in my body at this point, I felt high on life)
Crossing the finish line with energy left to spare wasn’t something I’d expected, but it made me realise just how much mindset matters.What surprised me most is that I loved it way more than I thought I would. There’s something about moving through forest for hours that feels almost meditative and I already long for it again.
Why anyone would choose to run 60 km.. For me it’s simple. I love finding out what I’m capable of. not to prove anything to anyone else, but to discover a little more about myself. That’s where I feel most alive. That’s one of those places I find meaning and joy.
