On Sunday May 20th 2012 I took on my third Ultra Race – the Cardiff 50mile Ultra - the route follows the stunning Taff Trail from the Brecon Beacons National Park all the way to the Finish at Sport Wales positioned in ‘Sophia Gardens’ – needless to say my girlfriend (Sophia – in case you didn’t know) loved this.

This being my longest Ultra to date I called in reinforcements for my cheerleading squad bringing with me my Mum and Dad. We set off for Brecon on the Saturday and stopped for some lunch at a great Farm Shop Cafe. Me being my indecisive self struggled to choose my lunch and ended up buying a back up Venison Pie which ended up playing a much bigger part in my Cardiff Ultra Journey than I would have ever expected….more to come on that later.

When we reached Brecon (it took us about 3 and half hours to cover 180 miles) the reality of race ahead of me finally set in. I didn’t get much of a chance to have a breakfast in the morning so to speak but made sure I got a banana down me and some breakfast biscuits along with a sugary tea. I saw some familiar faces from the Grantham Ultra Weekend, reassuring me that I wasn’t the only mad one to go at it again.

In my training I had worked to a 5minute/1minute Run/Walk programme, something I picked up from Grantham, and I had great intentions of sticking to it – the plan being it would help me to pace myself and save some kick for the end BUT as my oh so smart girlfriend predicted the excitement got to me and I just ran. I ran the first ten miles and hit the first checkpoint way ahead of schedule but I paid for it and by the 20 mile checkpoint I was already starting to feel a burn in my calves.

I used my new Skins A400 clothing and really felt the benefit – they were comfortable and offered the right amount of compression. I also used my Camelbak Antidote Reservoir and found that it worked well but did run out of water at about the 40mile mark.

I took some Nine bars with me and sports beans, I really get on with the Nine Bars and am partial to a nutty bar!

At about 40 miles I was really starting to struggle with my legs. My cardio was spot on and I didn’t feel tired but my calves were solid and burning. I had an isotonic drink at the final checkpoint and that really helped me push on for about 30 minutes. By this point I was a desperate man and second to seeing my cheerleading squad, the thought of my reserve Venison Pie was honestly the thing getting me through!!

Overall the route was clearly marked out and the general organisation of the even was spot on. I saved a little kick for the end and managed a ‘sprint’ finish (probably looked more like a limpy walk). Other than my legs burning and a swollen left ankle my feet held up brilliantly and I had NO blisters. My new Asics Gel Cumulus 13 trainers were incredible and the tips I learnt at Long Eaton Footcare really made a difference.

Overall I enjoyed the event, personally I am slightly disappointed with my time and know that there is still a bit more in me for next time. My time was 11:35:40, which I guess for my first 50 mile event isn’t terrible but I know I can beat that and I WILL!

A huge thanks to Rory and Jen at ULTRArace for another brilliant event. I am now looking at entering their ULTRApeaks 40 mile event in August!