Wow! It is amazing to be able to say I've completed a second ultra marathon in 2023!
I have learnt from my marathon experiences that instead of the whole "one and done" thing, it is actually very common to become slightly hooked to the huge feeling of achievement that comes with the completion of such an epic event - there may be times during it you find yourself saying "never again" but funnily enough you're probably going to sign up for your next event pretty soon after you've completed one, if you haven't already signed up! (I'm writing this in November 2023 with already three fairly big things booked in for 2024!)
It is now five years since I said "never again" after my pretty rubbish experience running the Nice to Cannes Marathon in November 2018. That feeling didn't last for long but pregnancy, baby, covid lockdowns, life crises followed...you can read more about those in a previous blog post! To sum up: tough times = less running.
After two years of being very unsettled with life (ie no fixed abode!), 2023 has brought some incredible experiences and some stability at last. I trained for and completed my first ever ultra marathon (a loose term that describes any run over 26.2 miles!) - you can read all about my experience on the John Muir Way 50km here.
I knew I'd want to do it all again. I knew that ultra events - nothing too crazy mind - would have my heart. The camaraderie between other runners, the endless snacks and feasting, the immense feeling of achievement upon completion, the totally unrivalled experience of being part of something really special. It hooks you in, and even after the toenails have fallen off and the stairs are a battle of wills to get down, you are still wanting more.
After the John Muir Way Ultra in March I considered another ultra event in late autumn - I am not a big fan of summer or heat in general, so I tend to avoid events during summer! I love autumn - all the amazing colours, and the cooler weather for running. It came down to three possibilities - Tweed Valley Ultra, Glen Ogle 33 or the Dava Way. I can't remember my thought process exactly but I am always drawn back to the Moray area after spending our childhood holidays there (as did my mum when she was a child, as do my child and her cousins now!). We even considered moving to the area when we were unsure of where to settle. It is an area that has my heart for sure, and I couldn't resist the allure of discovering something new on the Dava Way.
The Dava Way itself is an old railway line that runs 22 miles from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres. With some creative route planning, a 32 mile route has been plotted with some extra bits added on at the start and finish. The event is part of the Moray Way Ultra Series, which was created by former international runner Kyle Greig, who is from Forres, and his wife Debbie.
For an extra tenner, you can book the event bus that takes you from the finish at Forres to the start at Grantown, at the delightful hour of 5.40am on a November morning! I decided it would be best to stay near the finish in order to minimise travel at the end of the ultra. Even though I booked the accommodation back in May, six months ahead of the event, I didn't find anywhere suitable in Forres. It had to be dog-friendly, child-friendly and not too expensive! I did however find a lovely looking airbnb in Elgin, only 20 minutes drive from Forres, near the Tesco (handy if last minute supplies were needed), near Cooper Park (handily a junior parkrun started there recently!), and had a roll-top bath - perfect! I had until the 5th of November to cancel it without being charged, so if things didn't go to plan in terms of training etc all would be fine.
The summer ended up being really busy with starting a new job at Active Root, Dave starting a new job and us ultimately buying a house in Glenfarg. I really did not see that coming - I'd never even been to Glenfarg before! I distinctly remember on the day we got the keys and started moving our stuff into the house that I would definitely run another ultra in 2023 - because nothing could be more difficult than the realities of moving house!
An added benefit of being in a new area was that my training involved discovering new routes and beautiful scenery all around me. I was familiar with Loch Leven and the Kinross area, and had actually done my last long run for the John Muir Way Ultra round Loch Leven. But now I was discovering routes that linked me to the loch path, or linked me to the nearby parkrun. It kept things fresh for me, and because life was now busier than it had been at the start of the year, I didn't obsess over my running and I didn't do too much training. You could possibly argue I didn't do enough, but I actually have felt the fittest I've ever physically been, and I stayed uninjured so for me, I did enough. I ran with a smile on my face, I ran feeling grateful, I ran feeling strong. I also ran through a lot of puddles - training during the wettest autumn on record was definitely an experience!
All this is to say, in the build up to the Dava Way on the 11th of November, I felt mostly calm and ready.
The nerves came in on the Friday afternoon/evening, as we arrived in Elgin and I started prepping everything for the next day - making porridge to eat at an ungodly hour, filling my soft flasks and water bladder, and filling my running pack with treats and warm clothing. Packing puts me on edge, so the reality started to hit. I didn't sleep that well on the Friday night - I was actually frightened I was going to sleep through my alarm and wake up at 7.30am - the start time! So that thought kept me mostly awake, and when my alarm went off at 4.25am I was bolt upright and ready to go. And my literal thought was - I must be crazy.
It was a real struggle to eat porridge at 4.45am but I pushed through. I actually got out of the door as planned at 5am, pitch black outside of course, and was grateful to not have to defrost the car. It wasn't exactly warm - about 3 degrees I think - but it was not raining, and that was a bonus because it had rained heavily from our arrival in Elgin all through the night!
As I left Elgin I found myself driving behind a Maynes coach, which I figured at that time of the morning could only be one of the event buses! And there ended up being one behind me - so I was confident I wasn't going to miss the bus! I parked the car at the community centre in Forres, where the buses were parked, and got a seat. Plaited my hair in the dark and felt very awake. A slightly nerve-wracking drive followed as a couple of deer decided to cross the road in front of the coach, but the driver took it steady and got us to Grantown safely at 6.30am.
We picked up our numbers at the leisure centre in Grantown-on-Spey and then stood around for the best part of an hour! When I say our numbers, I mean we had a number, but the actual thing you pin on to your self predominantly showed our names and I loved this touch! What a great idea - it meant people could actually cheer you on by your name and it made it so much more personal.
I spent most of my time at the leisure centre in a queue for the ladies toilets - nervous peeing for sure but also I unfortunately hadn't fully managed to shake off a cold that had lingered for ten days, and I was having to blow my nose constantly. There was so much snot! (Actually really annoying, and plagued me the entire run - I was blowing my nose every few minutes and being as considerate as I could when it came to snot rockets (ugh sorry) - it was pouring out of me, and I ended up having a really sore nose by the end of the day!)
I stepped outside at one point - to check it was still cold (yup), to get the GPS signal on my watch (crucial) and just to escape the intensity that was building inside as the start time approached. It was at that point I met Ryan, who is someone I've become aware of through the instagram running "scene". He creates a very successful podcast - Press Play and Run - and is a genuinely lovely guy. I was grateful he had approached me because anxiety and nerves would've got the better of me and I would've been too shy to say hello! We had a nice chat (which we moved inside because it was freezing!) and that helped pass the minutes until it was time to go.
Just before 7.30am we were called outside. At this point I was wearing a warm running hoody which I didn't intend to run in. I was sure I'd get too warm in it and debated taking it off for the start because I couldn't be bothered faffing around trying to squish it in to my pack mid-run. But it was so chilly outside I decided to keep it on and just stop whenever I had to take it off - spoiler alert, it stayed on until right before I got in the bath later that day, and I never once felt warm during the run!!
A quick chat from Kyle and we were off - it was light now and we followed the road past the golf course. We were piped into the woods which was a lovely touch, then we were off into Anagach Woods, which was full of lovely trails. The morning light was beautiful and I stopped to take pictures. I really wanted to enjoy the run, and stopping to take pictures was a big part of that. I didn't care about my time, but I knew I'd regret not taking decent pictures of the stunning surroundings.
The route meandered through the woods then alongside the River Spey for a bit - stunning - before more woodland trails and back into Grantown. There we ran - slowly - past a couple of horses which felt a bit random at 8.30 in the morning!
Along the high street then along a road that ultimately would take us onto the Dava Way. Two memorable things happened here:
1) We ran past a care home. Not notable in itself but I had this distinct thought that one day I could be in a care home watching runners go past. I want to make the most of opportunities that I have now to run amazing events like this. I want to know what I'm capable of whilst I'm healthy and strong and active. One day I won't be able to do this - I want to make the most of it while I can. Sort of half-depressing / half-motivating thought!
2) A man said as I ran past along with a couple of other guys: "that's your six mile warm-up done, just a marathon to go now"! I honestly found this a demotivating thought at that moment! A marathon is a bloody long way and we'd already been running for more than an hour! I just didn't need that spelt out at that moment...funny looking back though!
Then we were climbing up a short sharp hill onto the Dava Way. I spent the rest of the day in absolute AWE at how incredible this route was. Far from being a boring old railway line, there were impressive rocks, gorges, waterfalls, open landscapes, nice wooded sections, so much variety! It was truly beautiful - I think honestly I'd say it was the most beautiful place I've ever run in Scotland.
I usually listen to running podcasts when I do training runs - Young Hearts Run Free is the regular go-to - and find these motivating, interesting, humbling, and a great way to pass the time. I'll also listen to my playlist on Spotify too - very random selection but a song only makes the playlist if I'm confident I won't skip it when I'm running! I wouldn't normally listen to something during the actual event because I want to soak it all up. However on this run, due to its isolated nature and obvious lack of spectators along the route, I found I was keen to listen to something to...pass the time, I guess. Running for the best part of 6 hours can get a bit boring, even if you're surrounded by incredible scenery! So I actually listened to an audiobook that was completely unrelated to running and the perfect amusing antidote to the run itself! It really did pass the time for a few hours and it kept my brain from thinking of any negative thoughts. After I'd had enough of that I did put a couple of tunes on, but I always stopped them when I was around people, and when I was approaching the last few miles. (The first song that came on shuffle was the Bellamy Brothers 'Let Your Love Flow' which was Dave and I's first dance when we got married in 2016, so I think that was the universe letting me know all was well!).
I felt physically fine - no major aches or pains. I continued snacking little and as often as I could - salt and vinegar sticks, cheese, haribo tangfastics - same as my first ultra. One major change which has made a big difference is the addition of Active Root products. Now, I was aware of Active Root prior to my employment with them, because there's often ginger drink at the end of events I'd been to, such as the Scurry Tentsmuir and Scurry Vogrie 10ks. However I was not a customer and had never tried using it in training or anything. During my training this autumn and for this event, I've added in their ginger chews (strong fiery ginger bites with a real kick, they give me a wee boost each time) and have added the sports drink and electrolyte drink into my soft flasks. They come in sachets ready to add to water which I did the night before then kept them in the fridge. Each soft flask lasted 16 miles - ie one half of the route. One flask had lemonbalm electrolyte plus and the other had original ginger sports drink. I also had a litre of water in my pack which I didn't finish but I drank a lot of. The addition of Active Root as a change from just drinking water was worth it alone, but the science behind it makes me convinced it also helped my performance on the day. I won't go into all that here, but I am converted to the drinks and chews and I know they made a difference to the day.
I also had a fun size mars bar in my pocket, leftover from Halloween. I ate this around the 20 mile mark I think and it really helped! Definite energy boost! I also ate bananas, sweets and ritz crackers from the aid stations. There were aid stations at miles 11, 22 and 29.
I just ticked along quite happily. I enjoyed myself - my main goal. The struggles came from my runny nose and the wet route. The latter didn't overly fuss me because my training has been very wet, but there was a lot of picking your way round wet and mud, which did get a bit tiring. Towards the end I also started to really flag. I'd just bumped into someone else I recognised from instagram - Susan (again she said hello to me and I'm glad she did as I would've been too shy/intimidated!) - at the last aid station. Her day hadn't gone to plan, and it made me more grateful mine had. It was nice to see her briefly, then there were just a few miles to go into Forres. I started to anticipate the end way too early - this always happens to me!
The woods were beautiful, perfect autumnal colours, then we were running across the grass towards the cricket pavilion and the orange carpet that took us to the finish line. Dave and Totty were standing waiting (having got the train from Elgin to Forres and spent the sunny morning in Grant Park) and Totty ran across the finish with me, which was really special. Collected my medal and goodie bag which were fantastic - the medal is the best I've ever received!
I had felt emotional on the approach to the finish but the tears didn't come. A bit of "coming down" but I actually felt alright. Glad to be finished, pleased with how the run had gone. We went briefly to the playpark, cheered a few of the other runners in, got a nice picture with Ryan, and headed back to the car. I regret not getting a photo at the actual finish line, but next time!
When I got back to the airbnb I didn't feel great - my vision in my left eye was a bit like looking through a kaleidoscope which was unsettling and worried me. Dave reckoned it was fatigue from the early start (and the run!) or lack of salt - thankfully it went away after a bowl of leftover pasta from the night before and some ready salted crisps, so perhaps it was the latter. I thought I'd done okay with the salt consumption; it was just a really strange, thankfully brief, thing!
I was sore, very sore, and spent a long time in a hot bath - yes cold would've been better for the soreness but I couldn't face that! I ultimately felt proud, accomplished and pleased at how well the day had gone. I had really enjoyed it. Time hadn't mattered, but I was happy with a time of 5 hours 42 minutes, which was ten minutes faster than the John Muir Way despite my watch saying the Dava Way was a mile longer.
My one disappointment of the day (runny nose aside), and I think I've just been unlucky here, is that there are no official photographs of me. I get that sounds a bit vain, but it is one of the things listed in what's included in your entry, and obviously with a route as beautiful as that it would've been cool to have featured in a scenic shot. The official photographs from the day are INCREDIBLE so this is definitely not a criticism of the photographer, I just think maybe another person taking photos would've helped to ensure everyone was captured. I just seemed to be unlucky to miss him everywhere he was, except right at the end he was on the move from the finish line to the wooded section, and we passed each other. I reached out to him this week to see if he had anything from that moment, and he kindly sent me this picture.
I'm in the process of trying to see whether anything was captured at the finish line, as it would be so amazing to have had that moment with Totty in a picture. Race photos are really important to me as momentos from the day because so much is forgotten about in the mists of time (hence why these blog posts are so ridiculously long, I want to preserve every detail!). I'll update the blog if I manage to track anything down, fingers crossed.
So many family members were out in force for the John Muir Way, but I knew that wouldn't be the case with this one, and I was fine with that! I always feel so guilty when people spend so much time standing waiting for me for that brief 10 seconds I run past, then am so exhausted by the finish I'm terrible company! I was happy this time around to give it a go on my own, and in a way it took the pressure off. I relaxed a bit more because I wasn't feeling rushed or guilty for people waiting for me! For family reading this - that doesn't mean I don't want your support, I do! It was just that for this particular run I had no stress of updating timing or feeling bad for keeping you waiting!
Shout out here for my big brother Andrew and family who had booked a B&B in Forres for the Friday night and were planning to cheer me on on the route - unfortunately their car broke down on the M90 as they made their way north and they didn't make it. Gutted for them, and so grateful for their effort!
What else is there to say?
I genuinely loved this run, I feel so privileged to have had this amazing experience! It is definitely one I'd do again.
I have my plans made for 2024 - and I now feel even more excited to give them a go. I have literally been buzzing since this run - fatigue aside! The recovery has been good and I ran parkrun a week later feeling almost like normal again.
Wow, probably my longest ever blog post for my longest ever run! Thank you Dava Way 2023, you were amazing!
(Shout out to Dave and Totty (and Tig of course!) for their unwavering support throughout the months of training as well as the event weekend itself. I literally couldn't do it without them!)
