Humbleton Fell race and final Lakeland 50 recce

Since the Highland Fling, training has been very much up and down due to a combination of a three week old cold and achilles issues. This has interrupted my training and preparation for the Lakeland 50 on July 27th. The achilles has not been happy for some time now, some days are better than others but if it gets irritated it lets me know.

One of many treatments for the achilles - B&Q bucket

 Waking up in the morning like an old bloke hobbling out of bed is becoming the norm. I have been trying all sorts of stretching and exercises to try and relieve the little blighter with some icing and massage but I'm pretty much hoping that it will just go away. The first time I had developed achilles tendinitis was after the Great North Run in 2011. It eased after a few months but has always been slightly tender to the touch. Fingers crossed it'll sort itself out with regular stretching. As I type this I have had a good day of zero pain

Fellow NFR's at Duddon Valley - courtesy of  Andy Russell

I entered the long Duddon Fell race back at the beginning of June as it was a Northumberland Fell Runners Championship race. I wanted to give the champs a good crack this year after 2012 was blighted with anaemia and injuries. I thought it would be tough with being a lakes classic but found it much tougher than Borrowdale the previous year.

18 miles with 6,000 ft of climb, with a 3 week old phlegmy cold and a sore achilles, was not ideal and I did suffer after about 12 miles. Let's just say I wasn't the happiest when runners began to stream past me. What rounded the day off was when I fell into a bog literally 400m from the finish. A hot summer dry day and I hobble in dripping with mud. I chose to write off the race, but happy that I had some points on the board.


This week I was contemplating the Humbleton Fell race, bearing in mind I had a Lakes 50 recce to do the next day. I took the decision and went for it. The race is held at Haydon Bridge and this 5 miler is a little gem. Just short of 800ft of climb and it's pretty fast, especially the downhill finish! I rocked up in my soon to be sold Mini Cooper and paid my six quid for the pleasure. It was a warm night with little wind. A great turn out, around 60 runners and quite a few from NFR. I was around 4th/5th after the first mile and conscious that I should ease into it.

Works pretty well! The leader from NFR was out of sight by this time but I plugged away sticking with 3rd and 4th. We reached the top and went straight on, little did I know it was the wrong way! I heard a shout from behind, they turned left. "oh hell!" This was a shock to the system so immediately turned around and increased the pace to try and get back on track. I was in 4th at this point. I got my number slashed with a red felt tip at the checkpoint, turned and ran hard downhill for the last couple of miles. There was a lot of too-ing and fro-ing with positions on the descent and when we reached the road I thought I was in 4th with the NFR a convincing winner. I crossed the finish line and was told I was third (1st for NFR) as the leader failed to reach the checkpoint. This boosted my confidence after the Duddon race. A great little race and superbly organised. A bottle of red for third place and a bottle of beer for first team.



On Thursday, after a nettle stinged sleep, I was off to the Lakes to do the final recce of the Lakes 50 route taking in Howtown to Mardale Head (9 miles). I met up with a mate at Mardale Head car park and discussed the route. We decided to hop up a few Wainwrights while we were there so headed up to High Street. The weather at home was clear and sunny but in the Lakes it was hazy and cloudy. At least it wasn't torrential rain. I really enjoyed the climbing and the run to the start of the L50 leg. Quite a bit of hillage and good company.

Mardale head car park

We reached Howtown with a few thousand feet in our legs and headed up Fusedale valley. The weather was quite sticky and a lot of moisture in the air. The climb up to High Kop was pretty relentless, climbing on and on. Pretty sure at this point during the race it'll be more of a hike than a run. The descent to Haweswater was a tricky one to make sure we get it right on race day. We negotiated this quite well and headed along the shore of Haweswater for the next 6k or so. It went on and on and on! It was probably the amount of climbing we did before the section but the legs were very heavy at this point. Midges were attacking every bit of exposed flesh. I'm still paying the price! The view and the area were serene. You could hear a pin drop.

Haweswater

The lake was like glass. Perfection. We reached Mardale Head car park after around 5 hours with a sense of achievement but also aware what awaits from this checkpoint. Gatesgarth Pass. Bring it on...... 5 weeks to go.

18+ miles with 5,000ft of ascent, quality training for L50.

 P.S. Giving Windy Gyle a miss - quads are still stiff so easy run it is!

Highland Fling 53 mile Ultra Marathon 27th April 2013

Four months of preparation and finally the day came for the Hoka Highland Fling Ultra marathon. I have been looking forward to the challenge of this race and running the equivalent of back to back marathons on a fantastic trail from Milngavie to Tyndrum - the first half of the West Highland Way.

Journey's start

I set off on Friday morning, reaching Milngavie at around 2pm after a couple of train journeys. The weather was fantastic, a cool and clear day.

I had a wander around town waiting for John, Mark and Simon to check into the hotel, mainly trying to relax and not think too much about the race the next day.  We registered for our timing chips in the evening followed by a carb-load meal and an early night. 

I had pre-prepared my drop bags at home to save any last minute stress. Not having done a race of this kind before, I was experimenting with the types of food I would need on the course so I packed a good mix of sweet/savoury/gels/flat coke etc. Better to be over prepared.  As these were already sorted it did make things a lot easier.

OTT on the bags

After a terrible night's sleep thinking about every possible scenario that could happen during the race, I was up, changed, packed and munching on a porridge pot/banana combo within a matter of minutes.

Immediately after checkout from the hotel it dawned on me "where's my timing chip?". I had forgotten all about it.  Where could it possibly have gone?  I rushed back into the hotel checking the room while a mate checked my bags.  No sign of it.  There was no option but to run to the start and try and get a spare.  It completely took my mind off the race.

I managed to get a spare chip and with John's help got my drop bags packed into the awaiting vehicles.  Within 5 minutes we were being briefed for the 6am start.

Registration

Once we were off I settled in to an easy trot, holding myself back from going out too quick.  This is a long, long race!  The conditions were cool with the sun slowly making an appearance in the distant hills.  Beautiful.  I had no idea how many people were in front of me at the start and wasn't concerned about the runners going past me for the first 5-10 miles.  I was focussed on what I wanted to do and trying to live in the moment, to try and enjoy every minute of it.

Descent from Conic Hill

The first section to Drymen (12.6m) was easy running and made more relaxed by exchanging a few words with other runners.  I was carrying two small holster bottles from the start then picking up a handheld bottle from John at Drymen.  First loo break followed soon after, a good sign that I was hydrated enough.  Just keep it flowing, small amounts but regularly.

At the top of Conic Hill we passed the bagpipes and were welcomed with spectacular views of Loch Lomond.  I couldn't help but get a photo or two before the descent down to Balmaha.

First drop bag was collected very quickly at Balmaha (19.7m).  I grabbed a couple of gels, a bag of mini cheddars, the rest went in the bin.  Water bottles were topped up and I was off along the shore of the Loch towards Rowardennan.  The trail became a little more technical and undulating but it reminded me of my local route through Bothal woods - just much longer!  At this stage I was feeling good, legs were strong.

I think I stayed too long at the next checkpoint at Rowardennan (27m) and lost a few minutes faffing about not really convinced about what I wanted to eat.  I inhaled a banana and again grabbed some gels and mini cheddars.  The banana went down really well, but gels were becoming sickly and unappealing!

I carried on for the next couple of miles with very heavy legs.  This was the first time I had gone past 28 miles and from this point on it was new territory.  I walked the climbs and ran the flat and downhills.  Another runner caught up to me who I recognised and began to have a chat.  This took my mind off the bad spell I was having and after a couple of miles my legs were back to normal.  Still tired of course but felt much easier.  Thank you Dave T for that 20 minutes or so, it really helped.

Mile 40-ish courtesy of Chris W

The trail from Inversnaid (34m) was very tricky in places with some rock scrambling, carefully negotiating each step.  It would be so easy to get injured, concentration was key. At around mile 40, just before Beinglas Farm checkpoint, I thought I was hallucinating.  Chris W, my coach from Morpeth Harriers appeared from nowhere!  I couldn't believe my eyes, it was a great boost - thanks Chris!

Beinglas Farm (40.9m) was the last checkpoint.  I picked up my drop bag not really sure what I was looking for.  Unfortunately Simon had dropped out at this stage with calf issues.  I gave him my cheese sandwich, drank the flat coke, took out a bag of salted crisps and binned the rest.  12 miles to go. I had a few gels left and full bottles.  The next 12 miles were going to be very long.

A walking section

The walk/run strategy came into play here, hiking the uphills and running the rest - albeit slowly. I was passed by a female runner who complemented my running style - it may have looked effortless but believe me it wasn't! The forest section at 47-49 miles was relentless.  It was at this point when could feel myself getting light headed. One gel left in the pack, straight down, no messing about!






I saw John with 1 mile to go and gave me some encouragement.  (The dirty look wasn't aimed at you John, I was just shattered!)  He took my bumbag which gave some relief.  Knowing I had less than a mile to go gave me a boost.  Turning into the last straight to the finish the atmosphere was great.  I even put in a sprint.  The sense of achievement after crossing the finish line was overwhelming.  9 hours 22 minutes of running (mostly).  A canny shift.

Finishing straight

A big thanks to everyone! Especially my wife for putting up with me during the ups and downs of the past 4 months.

Things I have didn't work:
Carried too much stuff
Took too much food
Try some different gels
Spend less time at checkpoints
1 hand held bottle is suffice

Things that worked:
Training (obviously)
Shoes (inov8 trailroc)
Socks (hilly x-static - excellent comfort throughout)
Bananas and mini cheddars
No injuries, no blisters!

For my first ultra, I'm very happy. 39th out of 416 finishers.  It's true about how so much of it is mental. It would be so easy to throw the towel in when it gets tough but if you can grind it out through the bad spells you're well on the way to success.

The legs aren't too bad today (Monday), much better than I thought they would be.  Quads are quite sore but other than that, no problems.  Having a few days off running, maybe a cycle or two this week to get the legs moving again.  12 weeks until the Lakes 50. Back to training in no time!

A top weekend

Results etc here: http://www.highlandflingrace.org
Route here: http://app.strava.com/activities/51176587

Allendale Challenge 6th April 2013

The Allendale Challenge fitted in very nicely as part of my training plan for the Highland Fling on 27th April. This is an event which I have never competed in but it had the right distance and more importantly would be the right amount of time on feet (around 4 hours).

It was a beautiful day in Allendale, clear blue skies, bright sunshine, very little wind and a moderately balmy 5 degrees! I duly registered and was notified that the route had to be altered due to 7 foot snow drifts. Instead of 25 miles it would be approximately 23 with over 3,000 feet of ascent.

We set off at 10am, 2 hours after the walkers. The first few hundred yards were downhill from the town square but it wasn't long until we began the climbing! The next few miles were pretty much uphill. I settled in to a group of three at the front of the field and felt quite good. Pace was ok bearing in mind the amount of ascent and the distance we had to cover. At about 5 miles I pulled away and for the next 15 miles I was on my own - apart from weaving in and out of the walkers once I'd caught up to them. The walkers were sticking to a trail of compacted snow which made life a little more difficult for me as I was side stepping into a fair few inches of soft snow. This was energy sapping and would prove costly. Great support from the marshalls and also some words of encouragement from the walkers.

In hindsight I should have probably kept with the other front runners, but I was going my own pace. If I had held back maybe I would have had something at the end. Pretty lonely as the lead runner always thinking that I was going to be caught at some point.

After the last checkpoint and around 20-21 miles I was eventually caught. I had nothing left, I bonked big style. Obviously I didn't eat/drink enough and I think the snow was so heavy going in places it just drained me. Runner number 2 passed me with about 1 mile to go. I dug deep and began to run again. Aided by the downhill into Allendale. I made it to the town hall finish light headed and yearning for a seat! 3rd place in 3 hours 24 minutes, a good day's work. Garmin stated 23.4 miles.

I'd like to thank the organiser's for a very well organised event and hope there will be a good turnout next year as it's the 25th anniversary. Results here 2013 results

3 weeks until the Fling, need to work on nutrition!

Happy to be finished!

Brough Law fell race 10th March 2013 5m 1240'

Headed off to the Breamish valley this morning for my third attempt at the Brough Law fell race. Having had a very busy few weeks of heavy mileage training for my first Ultra marathon I was aiming to treat this as a training run. 3 hours and 22 miles of off road running yesterday made my legs quite heavy, hobbling out of bed yearning for a lie-in.

The forecast for the North East wasn't great reading with the prospect of wintry showers, wind and a chill in the air. The sun was shining en route to Ingram, the Cheviots white in the distance. The terrain would hopefully be firm. I reached the start area early for a 30 minute warm up taking a few snaps on the way. Collected my number (number 4) and got prepared.

the long first climb

The race has a very sharp start immediately climbing from step 1 for approximately a mile. I set off steady keeping the lactic acid in check, lungs working overtime. Reaching the top of the first climb I found myself around 8th or 9th spot. "Champion" I thought. I pushed on at a steady canter and moved up the field to 4th. "What am I doing here" I kept asking myself. "Focus and just enjoy", I kept telling myself as I closed in on 3rd. There was a canny chill on the tops with a few flurries of hailstone, quite nippy. Reaching the last descent, the guy in 3rd had enough of a gap just to bolt down to the finish.

I was most pleased with 4th, training is paying off at last, knocking 5 minutes off my previous best time. Now for another 75 mile week! Allendale challenge next.

The start ascent and finish descent

Lakeland 50 recce, Mardale to Ambleside via Kentmere

Met a few lads over in the Lakes to do another recce of the Lakeland 50 route. Having done the Ambleside to Coniston section back in December, we aimed to complete Mardale to Ambleside via Kentmere on a cold, snowy day. Around 14 miles on the actual route, but we had to get to the start first. In total the navigation experts calculated around 18-19 miles in total.

We arranged to meet up at Kirkstone Pass early doors, hoping to bag a few hills on the way to the start at Mardale. Had plenty kit but inadequate gloves let me down especially on the tops where the wind chill factor must have been -10. Numb, painful fingers for a good hour or so. Not pleasant. There was a covering of snow on the hills, several inches in places but due to the cold temperatures the snow had formed a crust and was quite firm to run on. Climbing wasn't too bad but the descents were quite tricky having to negotiate carefully to avoid any injury. I was grateful that a few of the lads were clued up on the map reading front, a skill I need to work on.

We reached the start of the section at Mardale after two hours of climbing and descending, thankfully the fingers warmed up quite quickly as soon as we reached the valley bottom.
The route was undulating as expected but was akin to running on a dry river bed, rock and more rock. Going to be hard on the feet and the quads. We passed some remote areas and areas I'd never been before which was refreshing.

We reached Ambleside after around 5 hours, great training for the Fling (8 weeks and counting).

"Why?"

Over the past few weeks I've had lots of people asking "why are you running an ultra marathon?" and "don't you get bored training so much?".

Firstly, I have a long term target and I'm training towards that target. We all have our own targets whether it's running or not. My training hasn't changed a great deal apart from the weekend back to back long runs. I'm still training with my club mates on a Monday (long reps) and a Thursday (track work) and fitting in some short easy runs in between. This hasn't changed for a long time (barring injury breaks :o( ). That's the bread and butter for regular races. What makes the difference and takes it to the next level is the steady build up of the back to back long weekend runs and some regular core work. Time on feet rather than distance is key. It seems to be a constant battle to try and explain this over and over. I run and train because I love what I do and I have things I want to achieve. Selfish? Probably, but running is selfish.

If you have a personal target, in my opinion you need to focus on it and achieve it no matter what. Friends and family understand that and their support is invaluable. Yes, it may irk some people now and again but in the end if and when I complete my first ultra I can say I have achieved something and worked hard to do so.

Enough of the serious stuff. I have a couple of fell races coming up and have also entered the Allendale challenge at the beginning of April as a perfectly timed training run. Looking forward to a Lakeland 50 recce in 2 weeks time with a few experienced ultra runners, should be good fun.

11 weeks to go until the Highland Fling and I'm feeling in good shape. 11 weeks doesn't sound too long at all!

Highland Fling elevation profile

Ultra training

3 weeks into my 16 week training plan for the Highland fling ultra marathon and all is going well. Two quality sessions at the club per week and back to back long runs at the weekend with some sort ones in-between mean I'm on schedule. The long runs are going to get longer. Need to read up on nutrition and what to plan for during the race.
I'm really enjoying the club sessions, especially the track. I'm maintaing some speed but it's a shame it's out of action at the moment with all the white stuff coming down recently.
I should probably get a race in soon before my form plummets!

Not even going to mention a certain football club performing like an already relegated team. Surely not....

Looking forward to a long run tomorrow, like running on candy floss! Hope it doesn't freeze overnight.

Chapel wood (19/01/2013)