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Interview with Liliaicha



Liliaicha says: Thanks TT

Regarding the marathon, never say never, but training for a marathon PB just fills me with horror! Mainly because doing all the speed work just leads to injury, but when training for ultras I don't seem to have that problem.

Liliaicha says: Many thanks! Hmm interesting question, mainly because I just can't think of an answer! I have mainly learnt by my own mistakes all the way through, and nothing has been too much of a disaster! The main thing I didn't know, was how much it was all going to cost! I always thought running would be a cheap sport - no one told me how much kit I'd need (want!)

Liliaicha says: Thank you. For fun?? Isn't that what training is all about! Well, apart from that I love to travel, this year I've been to Iceland, Spain, France, and Turkey and have one more trip left before the end of the year. So, for "fun" I spend a lot of time researching cheap flights, new places to visit, fab hotels and restaurants - I love food and drink holidays! (Ps I haven't done any core work for about 6 months! :-o)

Liliaicha says: Thanks shanksi, not a boring question at all



Liliaicha says: I'm brilliant at everything! These days cooking takes a back seat to running so I don't cook anything fancy at home, plus after cooking all day at work I'm pretty fed up with it by the time I get back! I did used to make a pretty awesome paella though!

Liliaicha says: Thanks night-owl, next year I will be aiming for faster! I have entered the SDW50 and NDW50 and hope to smash my PB and go sub 9. I love to do hilly races, and I don't really see myself getting much faster on the flat (I'm just too old!) I'm sure I'll do more 100s after that though.

Liliaicha says: Thanks Carp. I actually fit my life around ultra training - it's much easier that way! Regarding the long runs, I did quite a few back to back long runs up to about 12/20 for 50 milers and 20/25 for the NDW100. I also do 20 milers, hilly marathons and other 30m/50k races as training runs.

Liliaicha says: Hmm...interesting question. I don't think I'm that mentally strong, more like unbelievably stubborn! It's not just about the distance and the training, it's about planning, decent kit, a good nutrition strategy, an obedient crew, great pacers, correct shoes for the terrain, course knowledge, etc etc. the combination of all these things gives me the confidence to push myself over the long distance.

Liliaicha says: Thanks Mr K. A nightmare run at the Abingdon Marathon actually pushed me towards ultras - I wanted a sub 3.50, but ended up with a 3.52 after having ITB problems. It was an 18min PB but I sulked for weeks! Somehow I came to realise that the NDW was only about 3 miles from my house, and started doing nice chilled out runs on there to cheer myself up! I was so sick of road running! Then I found out about the Pilgrims Challenge, entered, and the rest is history.....

Liliaicha says: Thanks SS. Look after your feet. Blisters are not badges of honor! They can ruin your race, at best you'll be running many painful slow miles and at worst you'll DNF. After putting in so many miles and hours of training you don't want to wreck your race with ill fitting shoes and unsuitable socks!


People have alreayd asked the serious running questions I wanted to ask so instead...if you had to live on just one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Liliaicha says: Bacon. Because it's AWESOME!

Liliaicha says: That is still my PB! I reach my goals by training hard, recovering properly, picking my races carefully and looking after myself in general -a good diet and regular massages.

Liliaicha says: Absolutely! 18 months of hard training!

Liliaicha says: Of course not! I loved running that race with you. Will definitely do the Fling! again, maybe 2015, wanna try for 10 hours with me?

Liliaicha says: Not sure I can really put my 'massively impressive' run at the NDW100 aside! I can honestly say that coaching has made all the difference to my running. I can't even imagine even finishing a 100miler without all the help and advice I've had from James and Ian from Centurion Running.
Obviously I have still had to do all the hard work, but having a proper training plan has really helped motivate me and given me the confidence to do well and improve in leaps and bounds. Without the advice from my coaches, I would never have done any kind of speed work or power hiking, having a strong fast hiking pace helped me no end at the NDW100. They have helped me develop a nutrition strategy, given me advice on kit, helped me choose training races and told me off when I've chosen too many! They've helped me with recovery, and adjusted my plan accordingly when I've been ill or injured.
Having worked with them for 18 months now, I think they know me pretty well. They know I take longer than most to recover from a big race, and that I'll have dreadful DOMS. They know that when I promise I'll run when I'm on holiday I probably won't as I'll be eating and drinking too much!
I love having a flexible plan, achieving the training goals I've been set and setting other racing distance goals that I never would have thought possible!

Liliaicha says: Not really rituals as such, but if I'm staying in a hotel the night before a race then I lay my kit out all along the sofa in the order that I'm going to put it on in the morning. It really freaked London Nici out when we shared a room before a race!
I love ALL cheese, except mild cheddar which is utterly pointless! Any kind of sheeps milk cheese is probably my favourite.


Liliaicha says: Luckily no midnight detours this year as I had good observant pacers who didn't miss signage like miles of red and white tape or GIANT orange arrows on the ground so we didn't get lost!!



Liliaicha says: Sounds boring, but usually tea and whatever's on offer! Best recovery drink I've found so far is Thatchers cider, so I hope you'll be having a couple of pints with me after the Giants Head Marathon! The next day I tend celebrate with a MASSIVE fry up!


Liliaicha says: Thanks :-)G Why running? I had a bit of a midlife crisis at the age of 38, but while I've always been thin, I hadn't done any exercise for about 20 years. Walking was the easiest and cheapest option, so I did that for a while, but soon got bored, running was the obvious next step. So I started with a 5k, then 10k, then a half, then a marathon, and because I wasn't any good at them doing an ultra seemed like the obvious thing to do next. Why 100 miles? Because it's a long way. 50 miles to me was just twice a marathon, and I just didn't think that was enough of a challenge! Why sub 24? Because I wanted a buckle that said "100 miles in 1 day"



Liliaicha says: Hmm....I keep promising don't I! Let's say Hardmoors 60 next year (maybe), 110 the year after that (maybe) and the 160? Well, who knows!!