I nearly gave up running all together – that is how bad I felt at Downland Ultra. It was soooo hot, humid, dry, waterless and far too run-able for me!!! It didn’t help that I had two large wines in the pub then slept out under the stars (tent and van were too hot!) and it was noisy – so I got 2 and a half hours sleep. I put the wrong shoes on – they were dragging me backwards and I was sweating before we even started. It took me and Alex nearly 6 and half hours to do the out and back course and we got into a fight half way back! Alex had to push a biker out of her way as he tried to run her over, he actually aimed for her and then threw his bike down and confronted her, I thought we were going to see fists at one point but he towered over her and told her she was a “Ghastly Woman”, well this spurred her on, I could hardly keep up with the adrenalin fueled Ghastly Woman! We vowed never to do the race again and two days later got on a plane to France to re-visit the Tour du Mont Blanc recce route.

I know I’m never doing the race again but on a last minute whim (and not wanting to miss out on a holiday with the girls – and Catherine’s hubby Ross) I found myself climbing that bloomin huge hill out of Les Houches again!

It hurt – a lot!

Alex and I set off at about 9.15am thinking we had plenty of time to amble on our really tired legs from the Downland. We have done this route twice before now and we got lost going into St Gervais, should have got the maps out but we thought we knew best (well girls usually do!!!). So yet again we had to speed up and race the clock up to the Croix du Bonholme refuge to get there in time for supper! We made it and this year with 10 mins spare for a shower – phew!

Meanwhile Catherine and Ross were setting off at 3pm to do the first two sections over night – mad or what? They had done the 3000D La Plagne race three days before so were probably even worse off than us on the legs front. Still that is what they wanted to do so we drank to their health in the warmth of the hut, just before the deluge of hail hit the mountain!

Hail, the size of golf balls fell for about 40 mins with thunder and lightening. It looked like winter and settled better than some winters!

We tried texting the other two, not to come up the hill but no coverage so we had another drink, listened to the "Hair bear bunch" band and went to bed!

Next day Alex and I still felt tired but we had a good day remembering all the race highs and lows and wondering how on earth Alex was going to get round it again as we both felt a lot less fit than last year. I was thinking the CCC (the shorter race) was also looking like too much for me at 61 miles!

We stopped off in Courmeyeur for a well earned ice-cream that cost a fortune but helped us up the hill to Refuge Bertone. BUT Catherine and Ross were no-where to be seen – agh! Then texts came through asking us to hold their food, they were coming up the hill! Confused – we were – they were supposed to be in-front of us!

They finally got up to the hut in time for supper. They had been caught so badly in the storm they had stayed in Les Contamines. So they had spent the whole day chasing us with the added extra hill (800m). At least this meant the next day they would be tired so we could all move slowly and recover!

Day 3 – Alex and I have recovered! Felt great up all the hills, had a huge meal in a hut half way along and got into Champex just in time for a shower – phew we were again 10 mins up on last years recce!!! Oh how fit we had got since last year – NOT! We met up with Alex’s boyfriend who lives out there and true to form finished off several buckets of wine.

Last day – the big one as the race organisers had decided to put an extra hill in at the end of the Tour du Mont Blanc - it was gonna be a long one! It was - but boy did I feel good, I even ran (lots!) – the hills were great, the downs were great and the flats (what flats!) were great too! We spent a while looking at Boquotan (French chamois goaty things) on the new section which took us up to Flegere ski area and then had a superb run home to Cham and a large pizza and of course the obligatory bucket of wine.

I now felt on top of the world and really fit and was so happy they had persuaded me to do a recce I thought would kill me!!!

So five days later I was on my way to Scotland for the Devil of the Highlands 43 miles of West Highland Way. I was travelling up with Si from Rnfurther and he was going to be my support and put all the flags and banners up too for the series. He was great, he drove all the way - that is my kind of support (I hate driving in this country!). The start was tooooo early (6am) so I had to eat breaky at 4.30am, it didn’t do much for me at that time!

Luckily the rain held off for the start and I plodded up the valley to Bridge of Orchy in just over an hour so bang on my earliest schedule. Si was there with a cuppa and my food box.

I set off quickly again (as the rain started!) only to realise that I had not picked up the map for the next section. I just prayed that the track was like I imagined it would be – a motorway of a path – and that I would be able to keep up with other runners so I did not go wrong! The path was a motorway and a very cobbled one at that – so hard under foot, my poor ankles and knees and hips were screaming. But I felt good and plodded on in my usual ploddy way.

Which then turned out to be slightly faster than anticipated as I made my next meet up with Si about 20 mins early! (And that was on my quickest schedule estimate!).

So I scoffed some food and another cuppa and told Si I may be early at the next one in Kinlochlevan so be there for noon. A rather tarmaccy bit followed along the valley till we finally got to a proper hill, the Devils Staircase, where I ploughed up overtaking anything/anyone I could see, then powered on and on from there down into Kinlochlevan – oops it was 11.30 so Si was not there. This made for a quick checkpoint as I grabbed some water off a friendly marshal and ran off up the next hill. All fired up now I just kept on overtaking, no-one was catching me – this felt great. Thank you girls for making me go to France to do the recce, it made me a lot fitter!

I was supposed to see another friend along here (Dave was on holiday and said he would cycle this section to see me) but I was so early that I didn’t see him until the final downhill, where Si had run up to meet me and I was on a mission then to catch the guy who had just re-overtaken me! Sorry Dave would have loved to have stopped for a chocy bar with you but competition head was on and I just wanted to get to the end.

I made myself run as fast as I could and just like the end of TMB last year I found some energy from no-where and just kept on getting faster and faster, I overtook the guy in front and sprinted for the line and made it in 8 hours and 41 mins (an hour and 19 mins quicker than my fastest estimate!!!)

I was a runner again! Phew – bring on the next one!

The winners - including Jez Bragg (in the middle) who set a new course record of 5 hrs 22 mins and 54 secs - blimey!!!