Reigate Hill to Otford: 2 days on the North Downs Way: run, heat and little voice

Day 1

It's 10 am, on Wray Lane parking lot on Reigate Hill. The sun is shinning and temperatures are high.
We are getting ready to do 20 miles on the North Downs way to Otford.
I'm quite excited, I never ran in the heat before. The highest temperature was 23 when we were in Madeira. Mick decides to take a large coffee before heading down  towards Merstham....I don't think it's wise...it is quite warm already and  raising my inside body temperature might not be a good idea...but I take a sip anyway....he said caffeine boost the system...hum....I can feel the warmth and sweat building, but before it gets me thinking, we have started our descent in Gatton Park,it's nice and cool under the trees.

 We reach Merstham and are heading towards Caterham viewpoint. We briefly stop in Ste Catharine churchyard where we wet our caps under a tap. Best idea Mick had so far! it is so nice to cool your head down, never thought it would have such an effect! .... we have only done 2 miles but it feels so much more. Legs are heavy, body temperature high but mindset is ok. We carry on, it's nice to talk, take pictures and chat with walkers and cyclists along the way.

 

Tower of Tower Farm

After thinking we got lost and backtracked near Tower farm, we finally arrived at the view point.
It is a nice view we get of the south downs and England countryside, temperatures are much higher. I think I'm enjoying myself, but I am not too sure,trying to keep cool and carry on is not as easy as it sound.

We are so engrossed with the scenery, we miss a turn and end up doing a detour on a road....not cool. Watch out, the NDW is right inside the view point, don't go down the road. By the time we realise it, it is too late to go back up...so hoping to join back the trail we begin a long descent on the road. Quads are working hard and I can hear a whisper. I take more sips of electrolytes,  it distracts my brain from cramping and boredom as well as shutting down the whisper. I need to remember that... Let's play with the roots, avoid the gravel. Another whisper, caffeine effect ran out 3 roads ago and I don't really know what to do with myself...it is such a weird feeling. Whisper becomes a voice asking me to stop, telling me that I hate the road and this is not a nice trail to run on...I need a distraction fast...let's keep up with Mick... he makes it looks so easy.

Where is the shade? Let's play looking for the shade. Running is my gateway to nice places and where I can feel blissfulness. Right now thou we are on this looong stretch of road with no shade and all I am feeling is the sweat all over me and the urge to cool down. 
We join back the north down way and head up towards Tarbridge hill before arriving at Oxted Down. There is a nice descent with bumps just before Oxted view point. Mick says we should take a rest.I don't think he has a clue of what's been going on in my head. I don't say anything about it, it's watermelon break! It tastes and feel soo nice!  It was worth carrying the weight!!! We've done 11 miles. Thanks to watermelon, whispers are gone! We carry on towards Tilsey Hill, looking down you can see there is no escape from the sun, but watermelon effect is still on! and we soon arrive to this nice shady long hill where I decide to get some food down. Watermelon is great for water but not energy, I'm not hungry thou, it's a struggle...Are you hungry when you heat run?

Still smiling

Mick is laughing and comments on the fact that I am from a tropical island but I'm struggling from a tiny bit of heat...It gets me thinking: he's right, I'm struggling, so I decide to debate if it is in your blood to be temperature adaptable  in which case I suck or if you should be training to be heat adaptable? in which case, I'm screwed! Things you take for granted!
We arrived near Knocknolt, but we do another wrong turn. Whispers are back...Where is Otford? We run down and go back up. Whispers are shut down when there is enough visual distraction and ascent but come back when it's flat...and when out of water. 2 1/2 litres are not enough.I don't want to take it on to Mick, we have been running for 5 hours now and it is not his fault for getting the path wrong 3 times already. It will be better on our way back, right...We are so thirsty! I wonder how on earth people manage to run so fast and far under this scorching sun !  Mick tries to distract me and talks about James and the Spartalon and the ability to run in extremely hot temperatures??  So thirsty...we find a house with a kind gentleman who refills our bladders. I love the countryside for this feeling of community and entraide. We have been running for more than 20 miles...the guide got it wrong, right? It doesn't matter thou, we have water for another 20 miles under this sun...how far off can we be?

The wrong descent

We reach a main road, its quite dangerous to cross as there is no pedestrian path...I wonder how runners cross during the NDW 100. We have reached another field after many roads crossing.  Its a lavender one! It is beautiful and smells so good. I'm back in my happy place. I can feel the end of our  journey, and without expecting it, we are in Otford! I'm grateful, the sun is down and the temperature feels nicer. Or is that a mind trick? We just done 28 miles...we were not prepared for it, but then I wonder if we would have done it if I knew it...thank you watermelon and lavender field, you made the day!

Lavender fields near Otford

Day 2 should have been the same type of manageable struggle, but for some reason, it didn't happen this way, I couldn't find my happy place, my body was fine but my mind couldn't cope with the fact that I was having a hard time handling the heat.  We start the run and realise that maybe it has something to do with my ego and the fact that I like to think I'm a "strong" person and can cope with anything that life throws at me.

Otford Pound

But this heated run seemed to get the better of me. It's only 20 miles for pit sake! I need to get a grip. We are on the bottom of our first hill, this should help me get to my happy place....it's too late,  the whispers are now a voice screaming to STOP. I ignore it, put it on the side of my mind. But I'm getting distracted, the voice is now an action! It starts with the top, it's giving me a skin rash, so we slow down for me to be able to change top. We are on the top of the hill, it's a flat session, I know what is coming, the road is like the back of my hand since we done it yesterday. I now know every turn, flat, trail and road sections of it and what's coming up it's not looking good, darn visual memory! I have shut down, my mood is grumpy, poor Mick, he knows I need some time alone.

He goes further up the road, giving me the space I need but I'm thinking it's not a good idea, something up with my breathing. what's going on?! I'm breathing but feel that I am not. I look up for Mick,I'm zombie running and Mick is disappearing further and further. Is this a heat stroke? Little voice says no just messing with me!... Mick comes back, he says that I maybe I should stop, that maybe it's too much, maybe I need to eat. I'm not hungry but craving for watermelon, wishing to have kept some. I want to carry on, it's not too much, I know what's coming up with the trail, this is where I need to be, not on a side of the road waiting for rescue, this is not a race, this is a gateway. I need to be winning against this little voice who feeds on disappointment and bitterness. Mick carries on, I feel for him, I too would not want to be with myself right now. We are 15 miles in. I decide to think about this blog, this post and why I am doing this run. I want people to know about this trail and wanting to try it. It's a nice trail, mixture of everything from road to fields to woods. Come on, there is a hill just after this turn, a wood and Tilsey hill descent  Living in the moment is not actionable right now, so I'm looking to the future trail, visualising it, embracing it.Voice is back to a whisper. We meet Ultra Stu in Oxted down! how cool is that! he talks about his next race and all and it's nice. There, whisper is gone, breathing is back. We eat an orange at the same bench we were a day ago and without noticing it we are back to Tower Farm. I hear voices, cyclists at a pub, just by the road. NICE! we decided to stop for a coke and refill the water bladder. We note that we need to organise these runs with refill point. Coke feels nice and cools down the core. I'm ready to tackle the next flat section near the posh houses, I know we are not far from Mertsham, just another field and we are back in Ste Catharine Church yard and the water tap. We wet our caps and ourselves. Another note, we should have done that before leaving the B&B...we are at the Wray Lane Parking lot, I'm  happy to see the car safe and I know a nice protein cake and fresh drink is waiting for us. Now this is what I call a gateway ;)


PS:  if you want to know more about the route, check the Running Routes Pages for details