After rowing across the Atlantic in 2012 with four other girls, and breaking the female record by 5 days to finish in 45 days, the come down from that high was astronomical.
I had no job to go back to and a gaping void where a year of planning and executing an exciting expedition had been.
Before I could get stuck into planning the next big thing; life, as it does, took an unexpected turn landing me in and out of hospital for three months with a couple of stints in intensive care and 3 major operations.
Lying still has never been one of my strong points but this knocked me flat. It took several months for me to get back on my feet, and take the first steps towards fitness again.
Frustratingly slowly I bullied my body into moving again, heading down to the pool and out with the dog, building up the muscle that had melted away. The feeling of being so weak and so unbelievably out of control for so long fuelled my drive and determination to be strong again.
For someone so independent, this event certainly changed my perspective on life, probably even more so than the ocean row in some ways.
I finally got back in the hills and to running. My first launch back on to the scene was in typical style. I had agreed to swim the first leg of an ironman relay team. This was already pushing me and my battered body further than it should have been, but as our biker was heading back into transition, a crazy thought had already entered my head. I looked at Debs who was about to start our run leg and said hang on, trainers on I’m going to do the marathon with you!
The first half went exceptionally well, being a natural runner I managed the first 2 of 4 laps rather quickly, then the wheels started to fall off. The third lap was slow, the last lap agony. Unsurprising I know! But mind over matter is my favourite mantra, and I proved you can do a marathon (in 4.20) with no training, not even a warm up.
I wouldn’t advocate this to anyone else, the doms over the next three days were hysterical, I could harldy get out of my seat at work much to the hilarity of my colleagues. But inside I had a huge grin. I was back.
helenrunswild 