Well we were going to call this Blog "Virgin Ultras" or "Virgin on the rediculous" or something similar but we have now done a few Ultras as part of our training for the TMB so have gone for our team name, cos we do!

Team "Run Like a Girl" comprises Karen McDonald (Macc Harriers), Alex Langdon(Macc Harriers),  and Catherine Crowther(Holmfirth Harriers).

I (Karen) was given an entry to TMB for my 40th birthday by my boyfriend, my neighbour asked if he'd ever heard of Jewelery shops! All I thought was "gosh, blimey, Sh*t, help!!!" etc etc!!! And then roped my two mates into joining me and motivating me and to help me convert from a cyclist to a runner, think I'm still at the plodder stage at the moment but getting there.

We did our first event together at the end of last year, Round Rotherham was the last qualifiying event we could fit in before entries needed to be sent in for TMB. (I had already completed my qualifier, Fellsman 06, but thought I had better see if we could all be compatible on a run together over a long distance). I have vowed i will never do that race again, I spent 11 hours and 29 minutes wishing for a steep hill so I could stop running and change my pace to a more stretchy stride up it, the hills never came! Round Rotherham is flat, with one small 200m hill in it, lots of mud, lots of hard pack trails like canal tow paths and lots of industrial scenery. I hurt from mile 10 onwards (out of 50) and probably winged for most of it, or groaned in pain or said sorry for being slow too many times! BUT we did make it round and we beat what we thought we'd do it in by 31 minutes and we stuck together, laughed alot, had bad sections each (mine being most of it!) and are still friends and still up for the TMB! I expect Catherine and Alex will have a completely different view of that race! (we will each be updating this blog so keep an eye out for the other two putting their text up soon!)

Since then we have been putting in alot of training and upping our miles from our 5 milers we started with in October to all dayers in the welsh mountains. Catherine and I are in Wuthering Hike this weekend and I'm trying to beat my last years slog of 7 hours and 6 minutes (this was my first ever Ultra, and this years will be my 4th!).

We have a lot of work to do for TMB but we will get there! We will probably see you at 4 Inns, Calderdale Hike, practicing in the lakes for Catherine's BG, Fellsman or Osmotherly and if any of you are adventure racers I'll be at Wilderness ARC (a 7 day continuous adventure race 2 weeks after fellsman in Scotland - more gulps!). I think by the end of the year i will be worn out and try and find my cycling legs again!!