Erin Shaw
The Mental Kit I Carried… and That Carried Me
What I gained from working with Fit‑Think ahead of the Cape Wrath Ultra.
In May 2025, I returned to the Cape Wrath Ultra for a second attempt after missing a cutoff on Day 3 last year. I was proud of the 170 miles I completed on the 2024 Explorer, but I wanted to finish the full distance and earn that Ultra medal.
To make the cutoffs each day, I knew I would be running near the top of my abilities. I also knew as a slower runner, I needed to strengthen everything I could outside of my run training if I wanted to stand a chance at finishing. One of the many non-running aspects I dialed in was my mindset and mental preparation.
After watching a couple of Ourea webinars with Dr. Elanor Cormack and Vicky Begg of Fit-Think over the years, I decided to sign up for their Cape Wrath package. I contacted Elanor and we met for a total of 8 sessions including a post-race debrief.
I’ve assembled a few pieces of the “mental kit” that I carried with me on this year’s journey to the lighthouse. I hope that sharing what worked for me might help others explore their own possibilities.
Erin on Day One of the Cape Wrath Ultra ©Reuben Tabner Photography
RUN Your Race! Run YOUR race! Run Your RACE!
These words have been on a sticky note next to my computer since my first session with Elanor.
· RUN - To make the cutoffs this year, I needed to run as much and as fast as I physically could.
· YOUR - This year needed to be about my race and my abilities. I needed to nail the things I was good at day after day and not worry about anyone else’s race or abilities. I needed to stay focused and go at my pace which meant running alone whenever possible.
· RACE - I’m not an experienced racer or a very competitive person so getting better at “racing” presented a huge opportunity for improvement. At past races, I would be content to sit behind others and just adopt their pace even if I was feeling strong and able to pass. This year, I had to be selfish and didn’t have time to socialize.
Storm Erin the Sgrios Seeker
In our first session, Elanor mentioned the idea that “Race Erin” might be different than regular Erin. It reminded me of a podcast about people using alter egos to step into a new identity on the court, field, or stage. One of my “homework” assignments between sessions was to reflect on who “Race Erin” was and to nail down her persona. With a little help from my friend ChatGPT, I eventually landed on Storm Erin the Sgrios Seeker. (“Sgrios,” pronounced like Skriss, is Scottish Gaelic for destruction, ruin, or annihilation.) Using AI, I crafted an entire persona which I reread a few times during the race. When regular Erin was tired or didn’t want to push harder, I’d imagine Storm Erin taking over. When a long climb or steep descent felt especially challenging, I’d step into my alter ego and say “Sgrios” out loud to myself over and over until I felt stronger.
Mindfulness and Self Check-ins
One technique I adopted this spring was checking in with myself regularly on whether I was pushing myself or settling into my same old pace. I practiced checking in on my training runs and then Elanor and I would discuss what I’d discovered. My inner dialogue went something like this, “Am I running right now? Yes or No. Could I be running? Yes? Then RUN!” Or “Could I be doing more right now? Could I make this harder? Ooh look I’m going faster than usual…does this feel sustainable? Yes? Keep going! This is your new pace!” At the race, being mindful of my effort helped me keep pushing. I would remind myself that I wasn’t there for fun this year and “Hard is a good thing. You signed up for this!”
Explore what’s possible ©Reuben Tabner Photography
Be More Broken
This mantra originated from a text exchange with Ian Stewart after I had dropped to the Explorer at last year’s race and was still feeling good. I said, “There’s a certain appeal to not being broken by the end of the race.” He replied, “The whole point is that you are broken by the end!” I shared this story with Elanor in our first session and we both agreed that “Be More Broken” was a good motto for this year’s race. I even had ChatGPT make me a lock screen image for my phone. “Be More Broken” meant choosing discomfort, pushing myself to new levels, and embracing the fact that this year’s race would not be fun, but it would be worth the effort. I was more broken than I’ve ever been by the end of this year’s race. I suspect my potential for achieving future success lies in expanding my ability to continue practicing being uncomfortable.
My Confidence Balloons
Elanor introduced the metaphor of confidence balloons in one of the Ourea/Fit-Think webinars. I was excited to learn more about this idea during our sessions. Technically, it's called a Sports Confidence Profile, but I prefer Elanor’s metaphor of “confidence balloons” holding you up as you race along. The exercise itself is simple but powerful: identify five types of sport confidence, then list three sources of confidence within each—fifteen balloons in total, each helping to lift you when the race gets hard.
My types of sport confidence and the sources of sport confidence I had were:
1. Cape Wrath Knowledge
· Route-specific knowledge & camp admin
· Route experience
· Pole usage
2. Fitness
· Followed through on plan changes year over year (better/more prep)
· Consistency in training
· Progressing
3. Comfort with Scottish Terrain
· Done CWU before
· Knew what I was running on
· Practiced on pathless & getting water on the recces
4. Kit
· Tried and tested
· Knowledge of what to wear when
· Experience using it
5. Good Eater
· Can always eat!
· Tried and tested nutrition
· Good/fast recovery
As your confidence dips in one area and deflates that balloon, the other 14 balloons keep you going and maybe one or two of those even gets inflated. I thought of my confidence balloons on several days but especially on Day 6 between CP1 and CP2 at Oykel Bridge. Trusting my confidence balloons to carry me while I was fighting to stay awake and nearly out of water was crucial to making that cutoff.
If you have any weaknesses, Cape Wrath will find them and exploit them. On Day 7, Cape Wrath popped some of my balloons. After a week of less than 5 hours of sleep each night and full days of effort, the fatigue finally caught up with me on the morning of Day 7. Through the brain fog, I struggled to decide what to wear in the colder weather when I should have trusted my kit. My ability to complete my camp admin slowed down and I was late getting out of camp.
My route experience made me overconfident. I thought knowing the route and the first 16 miles being my favorite part would mean I would be able to run it well. I had not studied Day 7 cutoffs closely enough or written down what time I needed to pass each feature along the route to stay on schedule as I had for Day 3. Despite running the start to Checkpoint 1 three other times, I’d never done it with 200 miles already in the legs.
I hadn’t experienced the climb to the col in clagg or the subsequent descent in slippery conditions. I let my guard down and ran with other people. As kind as they were, I lost my focus and got distracted from my race. I was out of practice after all the days of dry river crossings and took too long to decide where to cross a slightly fuller river. Last year Ben Dreavie was sunny and clear, a stark contrast to this year’s descent from the summit in driving rain, gusting wind, and little visibility. Thankfully, my varied nutrition plan meant I could still eat even when I had no saliva and a sore starting on one side of my tongue. Unfortunately, my remaining balloons couldn’t carry me on Day 7. I missed the cutoff at Checkpoint 2 and once again dropped to the Explorer.
Turning onto a New Path
This “mental kit” helped propel me forward, only slightly ahead of the cutoffs day after day. This year, it felt like I had made it twice as far as last year since I got to complete so many more full days. I completed 220 miles in 86 hours and 30 minutes according to my COROS watch. I am incredibly proud of all I accomplished in the past year from my perseverance through cancer treatment, my diligent training leading up to the 2025 race, and my self-management and performance each day on the course. So proud!
I am also completely gutted that I didn’t finish the Ultra after missing the cutoff on Day 7. I had let my guard down and started to believe I might be able to finish the full course. Instead, I learned more about myself and what I can still improve than any other day.
Cape Wrath humbled me and tried to break me but I suspect it wasn't for the last time.
In one of our sessions, Elanor said that the changes I was making were like “turning onto a new path and taking it so often that it gets worn and the old path grows over.” I feel like I have only scratched the surface of my abilities. I may always be toward the back, but I’ve caught a glimpse of what I'm capable of with intentional effort. I’m excited to keep exploring my potential and now I know what "mental kit" I’ll be packing along the way.
Watch more from Erin’s journey on our Cape Wrath 2025 film series: Miles From Ordinary!
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