Half a Tunnel
 |
| Image by Mark Cockbain |
The Tunnel Ultra attempt 3 started at 15:30 on 31 March 2023.
Location Coombe Down Tunnel
Starters 32.
Organiser Mark Cockbain, Cockbain Events.
A self supported out and back in the 1700m tunnel.
Timing by Matt and Karen at Timing Monkey.
Weather wet. I covered my kit with plastic capes.
My run up to the Tunnel has not been ideal, with a cataract op on 1 Feb taking me out of training for a month.
The Tunnel seemed narrower than I remembered but after a few laps seemed quite wide. The tunnel was wet up to 300 m from each end, it was cool inside, about 5 degrees C.
Having attempted the tunnel twice before was a slight advantage. I knew that 1 lap is 3400m and so I took off the mile lap repeat from my watch and pressed lap myself when I had completed each lap. This helped me keep track of my laps.
The new lens in my left eye was causing me to see halos from the low lighting and each light appeared as a starburst, and was making me feel nauseous, to counteract this, I periodically ran with my left eye closed, then I fell. Thanks to Ellen and Adrain for picking me up. I stopped running with my eye closed.
The lights in one half went out at 11pm and the other half at 11:30pm, head torches on, and the halo disappeared, other runners head torches were massive starbursts however but it was better than when the tunnel was lit.
The miles ticked away nicely for the next 6 hours. Back to low lighting.
It was still raining, I would have loved to sit down to eat my porridge but I did not want to uncover my chair as I may want to sleep in it later. My food and drink etc was all wet from me going into my kit box and the rain getting in. I walked with my porridge. Later I could feel blisters forming on my long toes. I put off dealing with them too long, but when I did, it was still raining so I grabbed some tape and clean socks and sat on the rocky gravel at the side of the tunnel. I had forgotten my needle and thread, so used my race number pin to pop the blisters and tape them. I was rushing and the one on my left foot was a bit untidy. I put on my dry socks and set off on another lap. At some point something happened in my knee, it was sore when I ran and ached when I walked. I had a system of running 1000m and walking 300.
I ran parts of laps with people but mostly alone. The miles were ticking by but it was getting tough to keep each lap under 32 min, the max average time to complete laps. I was now running less and walking more.
I completed the first 50 laps, the rain had stopped and for the first time I had a proper sit down and sorted my feet. The badly taped toe had caused a new blister. I sorted that blister, had something to eat, changed my socks and shoes and massaged my, now swollen, knee. It was a right effort to get out of my chair.
I set off on another lap, my 51st. My feet hurt, my knee hurt and it was a struggle to run. Even though I had made the cut off of 27.5 hours, I knew that I had run most of that and that there was no way I could run that much for the next 27.5 hours. I walked with Katie and decided to stop.
173.4 km (107.7miles) just over half a tunnel.
I could have kept walking to see if I could get more than 73 laps, but what would that gain, still a DNF and ruined feet, and who knows what was going on with my knee. I was being sensible. Stop now and recover quicker to prepare for my next challenge in May.
I do regret it a bit, but I know I did the right thing for me, stopping when I did.
A week on and I have done a couple of short runs, my legs are still tired and bruised. The swelling on my knee has gone and my blisters are healing well.
I get pinch blisters on my toes, they are a regular occurrence, I can ignore them to a point. I also had cut my knee when I fell and bruised all the outside of my right leg, but everything is healing nicely.
