Atlantic Roller

As I was checking out the Coral Room at the newly opened The Bloomsbury Hotel over a Curaçao-blue “Atlantic Roller” last night, the pain in my legs finally began to fade. Still, having essentially climbed the height of Kebnekaise while running farther than I ever have in my life, I should hardly be surprised that my body took quite a beating. Descending the stairs into the Tube afterwards, I have to admit that, as happy as I was about earning my first two ITRA points, the thought of signing up for another ultra was not exactly at the forefront of my mind.

Nevertheless, I learnt a great deal from this adventure – lessons I will carry into future long-distance races. First, the importance of conserving energy: not going out too hot, but saving glycogen for when everyone else begins to hit the wall. Thanks to my gentle start, I was able to overtake more than a dozen runners in the final ten kilometres.

Second, the importance of eating early and consistently – everything from salty crisps to bananas. Someone once said that ultramarathons are as much eating contests as they are running contests, and there is a lot of truth in that.

Finally, I could not be happier with my Suunto and its heart rate monitor, which reminded me every time my pulse crept too high. While I am clearly no cardiologist, I struggle to see how running at peak heart rate for five-plus hours can be healthy – at least not on a regular basis. I therefore approached the race almost as a Phil Maffetone-inspired low heart rate session, trying to keep things steady around 130–140 bpm.

So now the obvious question remains: what will be my next ultra? To be honest, that is still entirely open. But based on my experience in South Devon, I have at least ruled out the Stranda 48k in Norway – 3,850 metres of elevation gain is still far beyond my present ability.