02. Happy almost Autumn
Catch-up with a Tor330 finisher, books for your TBR pile, podcast highlights and more
Hi There,
Delivering your happy Friday read, the second edition of She Trails Podcast newsletter. As always, I would love to hear from you, you can reply to this email. Please do also share this email far and wide to everyone that would enjoy reading and listening to the pod!
Love,
Julia
Listening & Reading
If like me, you like a good playlist to listen to on your adventures, rainy runs, or hikes.. I ask all the guests their favourites songs, and add them to the Trail Mix Playlist. Save it and please also add your runs so we can make it an ultra playlist!
Days getting shorter also means I look forward to read more! here are a couple of books on my TBR pile:
Black sheep: A Story of Rural Racism, Identity and Hope by Sabrina Pace Humphrey, ultra runner and founder of Black Trail Runners. This is one Serena Broadway recommended during our conversation!
The Path We Run: A personal history of women's ultra-running by Jen Benson, runner, writer, photographer and mum.
The Invisible Women’s Club by Helen Paris
This week instagram ‘Select’
Podcast news
Summer of podcast season is over, and there is now a little break before the next round this Winter (which I am already very excited about!). In the meantime we have 23 episodes live with awesome female trail runners ready for you! In this newsletter, I will keep highlighting some to inspire your next listen.
For you if: you are looking for more perspectives on Running & Pregnancy
Episode/run duration: 1h of easy miles, in beautiful sceneries
For you if: The Speed Project sounds like something inaccessible or if you don’t know what it is!
Episode/run duration: Mindful run to dream and motivate yourself
Sophie Bennett’s Tor des Geants journey
It feels like following races (UTMB, Tor des Geants..) has been intense, let alone running them! I’m so lucky to have had time for a quick catch-up with Sophie Bennett on running Tor 330km, and I asked her 3 questions:
How did you stay focused and energised during the 330km ?
Going into Tor an injury that had been niggling for a while, really worsened the last couple of weeks prior to Tor. I had a pain that I thought was referring into my quads but was becoming more apparent it was in my hip. It was debilitating and got to the point for the last couple of weeks I couldn't really run at all. 3 weeks before Tor I was participating in a weekend of 'racing' at The Marathon du Montcalm, in the Ariege doing the 22km 'Hike' on the Saturday and 25km Trail de Novis on the Sunday. I had a fall descending during the hike on the Saturday & knew that things were not right.. Had to pull out of the race on the Sunday & was so worried that Tor could seriously be under jeopardy. So I basically stopped running for 3 weeks and just hiked, did mobility and some off feet conditioning, I knew that by running I was more likely to not be able to do Tor rather than gain any kind of fitness. I saw the physio and he said that he thought I had a 'bone, over use injury' and that there was nothing he could do. He knew I was adamant about running the race and said I would have to run within my boundaries and use painkillers (he also said this is something he would not usually say!) So I knew that each life base, day, mountain would be a bonus.. Even up until the day before when I went for a little hike up the first climb I was still in substantial pain.
I HAD to completely re think and re frame how I was approaching this race, there was no way I could think about time goals or even running at this point, there was no guarantee of finishing or even starting this race after all the time, effort, sacrifice and money. This is a long-winded way of saying that every minute of the race was precious.. I was grateful for every CP I made.. It was the ultimate way to stay focussed and energized! As the days went on I actually felt like I was getting stronger (other than the foot and hip pain). The first day I really was hiking with a little running but keeping this to a minimum to protect myself.. I got to Cogne Lifebase 2 and thought, nope I cant sleep I need to move! This was silly and of course backfired eventually BUT you get the idea. I was so focussed and so energised.. Apart from the times where the narcolepsy got me!
Overriding feeling: SO bloody grateful to be there and have the opportunity to compete, whenever I felt sad or tired I thought about those that were not so lucky and hadn't got a place to be there!
Finally CAFFEINE and a SHIT load of it - I def messed up my sleep and there were times were I was simply incredibly un energized.. Nutrition X Explode KEY!!
What was your why during the tough moments?
I want to inspire, always. I want to show that 'normal' women can look at something & make it happen. I want my nieces & stepchildren to see that nothing should ever stop them. My Mum is always part of my why, she was tough in the face of adversity, without choosing this- I am choosing to do this and feel I have a responsibility to her to be tough! Like I explained she cried the day she told us she was dying I don’t think I saw her cry again.. I am choosing this - i have to be tough!
This summer we lost 2 amazing humans - they were from different friendship groups that I am involved with but both had an impact on me in different ways. They continue to inspire me. Quite often when times were tough I would think of them and what they might say to me at that point. I had a notebook in my drop bag and had written a message that Steve had sent me when I asked him about whether I should enter the Spine.. He said "with your kahoonas you are the perfect character for this" and I channeled this in my Tor journey, and things got TOUGH I was fighting cut offs having to run like I was racing determined not too fail with infected toes that eventually were a level 12 pain and needed codeine to get through BUT I was there and able to do it so had no reason to moan.
Was there any surprises/unexpected ? One standout and breathtaking moment ?
I saw so many incredible 'views' moments where I said out loud "bloody hell some people will never get to see this in their lifetime" skies at night, the moon, stars, sun rises, sun sets, snow, breathtaking wind... A shared camaraderie when you reached a peak with people you didn't know from Adam 20 mins earlier..
But I think honestly my breathtaking moment was arriving at Ollomont 15 minutes before the cut off.. I thought my race was over (this was the last Life Base) I had left Oyace late, thinking 12 noon was the 'in' time but it was the 'out' time I thought I had no chance and had 'trudged' up the mountain... Thinking it is all over.. I saw some girls at a CP and they told me that it might take 2 ½ / 3 hours I think I had 2... I summited Col Brison ad the guy told me it would take circa 2 / 21/2 hrs to descend i remember thinking I had 1h 45... I threw myself down the mountain, my feet hurt so much, I fell over so many times but all I could think was my race would be over and 6 days would be wasted.. if I didn't make it,
I ran in... At 1645 and burst into tears. I felt invincible... Little did I know what I was going to have to do the day after!!!