Well, that was a very unique experience - 24 hours running around a 200m indoor track!
To be honest, I had reservations about this event. I really don't like running inside, and I was worried that this was going to feel like being on a treadmill for 24 hours, going round and round on such a small track. I knew the camber would be quite steep, so worried about that and if it might cause problems (as my dodgy hip gets a bit tight sometimes on the 400m track events). Plus, I had my bad experience on my last 24 hour track event a month ago, and was worried about a repeat disaster occurring.
But, I was also very curious about doing such a quirky event! I also knew there would be plenty of friends there, and that the atmosphere would be good fun, as Phoenix events always are.
The event was at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre, in Edmonton. I live in East London, so this was really convenient to get to - a short walk, 20 minutes on the Overground, and another walk. I set a record for shortest time out of my house to do a 24 hour event (28 hours out of the house, from leaving, doing it, and to getting back in the door!)
I met Sarah at Edmonton Green and we walked over to the Athletics Centre, set up our stuff, said hellos, faffed, found the toilets, looked around the centre, faffed a bit more, then I split my ginger beer everywhere, so had to empty my perfectly arranged kit bag and de-ginger-fy everything. On the plus side, being inside, you didn't need much kit, so there wasn't that much to rescue!
We set off at 8am. The 200m track has 6 lanes, and the 24 hour runners were in lanes 1 and 2, and the 6 hour runners (these events were running in the morning, afternoon, and evening) in lanes 5 and 6.
The Start
As it's a short track, it has a camber, so the curved parts of the track are quite sloped. I didn't have too much trouble with it - my hip was sore from about hours 2-6, which worried me, in case it got worse, but I did plenty of stretching of it each time we stopped for drinks, and it settled down. The direction changed every 3 hours to start with, then every 2 hours, which helped too, I think.
The Track
The "turn around" highlight was the final turn around, at 6am on the second day, when Gav put on Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" before setting out the cone and we all sang (in tune, of course, and with moves) "turn around, every now and then I fall apart" as we switched direction!
Sarah and I got into a rhythm of running for 30 minutes, then having a refreshment break (and later on we ran with water bottles too, as we realised we weren't drinking enough doing it this way). Later on, as we got more tired and had to incorporate more walking, we followed the "tutu technique" (run two laps, walk two laps), and then we slightly amended this to "tu"-ing (run one, walk one). We changed vests every 6 hours, and put on mini-tiaras at 8pm, all ready for Friday night. I think, for events like this, when the route is exactly the same for the whole time, and there are so so many laps/ hours, that it would be completely overwhelming if you thought about it, that it really helps (me at least) to forget about all that, and split it into sections of time, and doing specific things at those time points.
8pm outfit - unicorns and tiaras
It was, as expected, very sociable indeed, with a really great atmosphere and camaraderie between everyone. It was the best fun chatting away to so many friends, and making new ones.
The Athletics Centre was an excellent venue. It had good facilities, and although it was quiet in the day time on Friday, after school finishing time, it really livened up, and during the whole evening there was so much going on! It was so nice to see so many kids doing all sorts of sports and having a great time. Gymnastics (surely it's not normal to be so bendy??), sprinting, drills, long jump, all sorts! My favourite mini-athlete was the tiny wee guy in a giant red top (which made him look even smaller), who I think was someone's brother, who was sort of running around everywhere doing his own thing and joining in with all the different sports going on, and all the older kids were really sweet with him and getting him involved. We'll see him I reckon at the Olympics maybe in 16 years or so. About 9 PM, everyone left and the centre was locked, leaving just us runners there....
....but the music still playing! The music on the speaker system was excellent, and the playlist was awesome! We did a lot of dancing and singing on the way round, which really helped to loops go faster! The staff at the centre were really kind, and they came out onto the track a few times, asking for requests for the music. 24 hours of almost all top tunes, and it is hard to remember them all, but highlights included Super Massive (chaffing) Black Hole (Muse), I'm Still Standing (Elton John), Don't Upset the Rhythm (Noisettes) ... Madness (how appropriate) ... Backstreet Boys (power ballads and key changes, very good for blasting round a few laps), Taylor Swift (dancing to Shake It Off)...
,,,other entertainment included watching the W8 (a.k.a. WAIT!) buses going past outside (where do they go??). There was also a wildlife moment, when we saw a squirrel run across the gymnastic area. We actually did (I guess he must have run in through the door at some point)! There was also a beautiful sunrise (which I have yet to see on any outdoor track event)!
The things I found hardest, neither of which had really occurred to me beforehand, were:
1. How hot it felt running! When you were stood still, it didn't really feel that hot, but as soon as you started running, it was unreal how hot it felt! I was soaked in sweat within minutes! I guess, being inside, there wasn't any air movement like outside, so you don't have the same cooling effect. If I do another indoor event, I definitely would put more thought into how to prepare better for keeping cool; wet buffs, and ice bottles etc.
2. How bright the lights were, especially at night time. Bright lights are a trigger for migraines for me, and I did find this quite challenging, but wearing sunglasses overnight helped a lot. And, on the plus side, it never got dark, and I didn't seem to get the 3am "dip of doom" that I normally experience when it does, so, negatives, but also definite positives!
Huge well done to everyone taking part, everyone really gave it their all out (or in??) there on the track.
Sarah and I did 842 laps, which is 104.6 miles. Thank you Sarah for putting up with me for another 24 hours, making it fun, and for looking out for me... this takes our 100+ mile events together up to a total of 12! I celebrated finishing by spilling the remainder of my ginger beer all over my bag again (which had finally dried out from the previous morning's spillage)
A girls podium for the 24 hours
I did much better with my nutrition and hydration than a month ago, so was really pleased with that, and I also didn't have most of the other problems I had then either, so have regained a bit of confidence.
After being inside the same building for 24 hours, coming outside in the morning felt very strange! But then, we got to actually GET ON a W8 bus (thank you to the bus driver for waiting for us!) and so all our trackside dreams came true, and we learnt that the W8 does in fact go back to Edmonton Green station!
Shiny medal (blue ribbon, to match the track!)
It was tough, for sure, and I would say I found it much harder than the outdoor track events, but I also absolutely loved it. What a brilliant event! Thank you Rik and Team Phoenix, especially Gav for taking amazing care of everyone overnight!
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