This event is really incredible and the fact that I injured myself very early on had no real impact on my enjoyment of it. It was just a different experience: social in a different way because I could now 'switch' teams with ease, offer support more generally, and have a lot of laughs around the campfire without the stress of a run looming. Plus, I got a good night's sleep!
Don't get me wrong: I'm gutted I couldn't run more. Ask anyone in the club: I absolutely love running (I ran 45+ and 53+ miles the two weeks before Endure 24), and these days feel like I live to run. No, I feel like I was Born to Run (maybe a bit like Forrest Gump). What this means is that a lot of the time I run on my own, but it also means that the club and the social aspect is even more important. An isolated runner might not last long.
I had been planning 5-6 times around the course this year (maybe more, as I had been recruited to the men's fast team a couple of days before the race, an offer that perhaps my ego found difficult to refuse). What I'm thinking now is that next time I might go solo, see how many times I can get around, partly because I see how social that option actually can be.
