Vici Royle - Passionate Runner taking on her first 100K challenge - Race to the Castle!

Vici is a University administrator who finds her happy place in a pair of running shoes. She's been running for over 10 years, sparked by the dream to join the thousands of people at the start line of the London Marathon. She finally got her London medal in 2016 and has been inspired to push her limits even further with ultra distances and tackling trail in the hills and glens of Scotland. Vici wants to inspire the everyday woman to lace up and get out the door to feel those endorphins and appreciate how incredible the human body is, and how a strong mind can help you to unlock your potential. On Vici's office wall, you'll find countless race numbers and medals to remind her of the many happy memories she's made whilst both chasing personal bests and just having a good time, enjoying the scenery. As well as running, Vici has also walked the West Highland Way (with her husband) and the Great Glen Way (solo) and is planning an epic adventure exploring some of Scotland's most beautiful islands. Vici is learning that it's totally okay to give time to self-care, and putting herself first. New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don't miss out. The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Show notes Living in Glasgow and turning 30! Running for 10+ years Chasing personal bests and running for fun Life before pre-lockdown Walking the West Highland Way and the Great Glenn Way Growing up in Yorkshire and not being sporty Starting to want to explore more of the world Being inspired by the Olympics and runners in the London Marathon Training for the London Marathon  Race to the Castle  Wanting to do a new running adventure and deciding on a 100K/62 miles  Telling friends and family about her goals Inspiring her friends to get into running Having an event to help with motivation Her passion and love for running Working with running coach Jen Scotney Making the transition from running a marathon to an ultra marathon Tailoring run training to her menstrual cycle and heart rate Making the transition from running a marathon to an ultra marathon The benefits of going down the coach route What a typical training week looked like Recovery after runs The mental side of the challenge Approaching each run as a good day out Taking it one checkpoint at a time Breaking the challenge down  Having a plan on what to do at each checkpoint What to do when you don't feel like running Being inspired by Sophie Radcliffe Feeling tired during taper time Thoughts on how the race will go Thinking about the finish line  Having a mantra! "I am strong - I can do this"   PART 2 Arriving at the start line at 8.30am Going off 1 by 1 and having to get in the queue…. Wanting to just start the race Feeling relief once starting Starting out really well Dealing with a lot of hills at the start What the terrain was like Breaking the race down into the checkpoints Having a plan for the checkpoints Counting up and down from 20 Starting to get hard at the 40km mark Dealing with rubbish weather, mud and bottle necks at styles Having an internal mental battle  Not drinking enough water and eating too many cereal bars…. Having positive moments in the dark moments Having stomach problems  Going past 26.2 miles Feeling super strong and amazing Reaching the half way point Deciding to pull out of the race Feeling broken 14k to the next checkpoint Feeling heartbroken Needing to make a decision which was right for me Process the DNF Feeling proud of the training that's been done Returning the kit Why time is a great healer Running 57.7 km Advice for women who have a fear of failure Why failure is not a dirty word Using a What If List Anna McNuff - Ted Talk - What if I Fail?  Advice for women who want to get into ultra running Choosing a challenge that makes your heart sing Going public with her goal and the lessons learned The Dramathon - Running for Whiskey!! Future plans and races  Final words of advice - "Do more of what makes you happy"   Social Media Blog: vicidoesstuff.blogspot.com Instagram: @vicidoesstuff Twitter: @vicidoesstuff