This weekend's Pilgrim Challenge

This weekend, I'm taking part in the Pilgrim Challenge event – a two day 66 mile ultra, put on by XNRG, running out and back along the first section of the North Down’s Way, with a stop overnight at the half way point.

 

Unfortunately, after a weekend of back to back 18.5 milers, when I was pounding away on the tarmac both days, because I couldn’t face the boggy fields after the storms, and then a night of 10-pin bowling, my legs are aching today. I think it’s the bowling that did it ;-) Definitely not the best taper, but unfortunately at this stage in training for the Thames Path 100, I’m not going to be able to taper for my races – it’s all just about keeping the training going. I really need to approach every race as though it’s just another part of the necessary preparation for my A race of the year!  However, I have got a massage booked on Wednesday which will hopefully go some way to helping my legs repair in time for Saturday, and I’ll be chucking back the beetroot juice this week - although it’s probably all psychological, I like to think it does make a difference!

 

I am really looking forward to the weekend. For some reason, I'd been telling myself the Pilgrim course was going to be pretty flat but having now done a bit of research I realise it's not...this is the elevation profile from the website...and with the state of my legs, I know it’s probably going to be quite painful…oh, and more muddy than anything I’ve experienced before I expect…but that’s all going to be part of the fun!

The only other XNRG event I've done was the Toad Challenge back in 2012, which was 90 miles over 3 days, running along the Thames Path, and I absolutely loved it. I’m expecting more of the same this weekend. It’s doesn’t matter how slow I go – they’re still be a real camaraderie with the other runners, we’ll be well looked after by the brilliant XNRG team, it’s a beautiful route, there’ll be an enormous dinner, I'll be able to spend the whole weekend focused on running…even having to dig out my rucksack and sleeping bag, and kipping overnight on a sports-hall floor wont be a hardship. It makes the whole thing a mini (albeit warm and relatively comfortable) adventure.

 

I’ve started writing lists of all the kit I need to pack, and am starting to buy my provisions. It’s surprising how much stuff you end up needing (or at least, taking) just for a bit of running! I’ve booked Friday off work so I can make sure I’m sorted out in good time, and can relax a bit on Friday evening, and then I’m off work the following week too - a couple of days recovery and then we’re going away for a few days for Franc’s birthday. I can’t wait!

Justifying being a runner...a rant

**Warning** There is nothing constructive in this post. I am quite literally ranting about people who criticise my choice to be a runner.

Last night I went to the pub after work for someone's leaving drinks. As I hadn't managed to get up early enough in the morning to get my run in, I took my kit to work, with the plan to stay at the pub for a few hours and then run home from the station. I usually run at 10pm in the evenings (as I'm rubbish at getting up before work!) and so running after the pub really wasn't much of an issue for me. However, this meant I'd decided not to drink alcohol and was on the sparkling water. I was happy...chatting, laughing and dancing with everyone...except for one thing - my not drinking seemed to really bother people. I had to justify my reason for not getting drunk i.e I wanted to go for a run later that night. No-one liked my reason - everyone clearly thought I was certifiable - and with some people, it also led to an interrogation and having to explain why I run at all.

It made me think about the many conversations I've had with new people over the last couple of years since I started taking part in ultras. What's the common theme if we get onto running? No-one can understand why I run the distances that I do, even more so now if I mention the 100 miler and some people then feel the need to either tell me how bad running is, how much better other sports are, how obsession is unhealthy or that I'm just down right strange. Weirdo.

Thankfully, there are some people who aren't so negative and I'm very lucky that Francis and most of my friends are very supportive even if they can't fathom my reasons behind taking part in endurance running, but I do find having to justify myself and my decision to be a runner, to people I barely know, very frustrating.

Yes, sometimes I lack the motivation to get off the sofa, sometimes runs can be dull, sometimes they're painful, sometimes it's just generally very hard work. However, every run has positives. Maybe the next run will bring me closer to my goals, it might be fun or challenging and rewarding, exhilarating even, or take me out into beautiful countryside or maybe it's just one of those runs I needed to clear my head and keep me sane. But the main point is, running is what I choose to do, it's a massive part of my life and I'm really proud of what I've achieved so far so I'd appreciate it if people could stop being so negative about it.

Absolutely fine if you don't understand why I run, or wouldn't want to do it yourself - I'm not asking you to come with me -  just please stop treating me like a freak for choosing to live my life dedicated to my sport.


There...I feel much better for getting that off my chest.

Country to Capital - my best ultra yet

My last few marathons have been a struggle and I've been disappointed with how I ran. They were hard work and I hurt - I just had to hang on until the end of the race! So you can understand why I was feeling nervous about the weekend's Country to Capital. The race is 45 miles of cross country - starting in Wendover in Buckinghamshire, then up and down across the Chiltern Hills, before the last 20 miles along the Grand Union Canal towpath, finishing in Little Venice in London. It definitely sounded like it was going to be much harder than any of my recent races and I was convinced I was going to be out there for hours in the dark and cold. Making sure the headtorch was fully charged was a key part of my prep! ;)

However, I've been thinking a lot about nutrition and hydration strategies recently, and was determined that I would be disciplined during this race, to see if that could help my performance. The one thing I really remember about the Scott Jurek talk I went to a couple of months ago, was his advice about regularly fuelling during an ultra - a drip feed throughout the race. I knew the aid stations wouldn't be the usual picnic benches they can be at ultras, so I planned to take all my own food, and regularly take on calories.

So 5am on Saturday came, and I managed to turn the alarm off and go back to sleep. Great start! Luckily I had set a second alarm so 10 minutes later I was up and out of bed. Unfortunately I had to run to the train station and spent the rest of the 2hr journey to the start wondering how I was going to run 45 miles when I could barely manage the half a mile I'd just done ;)

The 100 yard dash at the start! Photo from Mark Kleanthous
http://www.ironmate.co.uk/galleries/country-city-c2c-pictures

Anyway, I finally got to the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Wendover and although there were long queues with all of us who'd just arrived from London, it was well managed and we were soon good to go. I had the great surprise of seeing my friends, Steph and Keith (who'd come to support me during the 10in10 too) and Becca and Mark, at the pub, who'd got up stupidly early for a Saturday morning to see the start of the race. Having support makes a world of difference and it was lovely that they were there for me.

The first 20-odd miles of the race are across stunning countryside. Some very muddy countryside, but beautiful nonetheless and the weather was absolutely perfect - cool but dry and sunny. There were a lot of runners, and so we had long queues at the stiles and kissing gates which knocked everyone's average pace right down, and we all marched up the hills in single file, but I'd been worried about having to map read (no route instructions for this course other than an OS map book) and having so many runners around meant that I was very happy to be able to follow the rest of the crowd. Relieved to say we didn't go wrong once!

The mud was shocking in places, particularly  in one field where I managed to lose a shoe - it was so sticky and deep it just pulled my Speedcross right off my foot leaving me balanced on one leg with my shoe stuck in the ground over a meter behind me! Thankfully, a very kind fellow runner came to my aid, and rescued my shoe, but not before my sock had also got covered in mud - a generally very messy affair!

I also managed to slip over once and went right down, but luckily didn't do any damage, and then we had to wade through flood water a few times, but at least that washed the trainers off a bit! All in all, good fun :)

I saw Steph, Keith, Becca and Mark four times in all around the course, and each time it was a massive boost and lovely to stop and chat with them for a bit. A massive thank-you to them all for spending their Saturday traipsing round the countryside trying to work out where I was going to pop up next!

So...my nutrition strategy :-

I was carrying a bottle of water and one of Lucozade Sport, a packet of salted peanuts, flapjack, a bounce ball (one of these), and 6 High-5 gels (3 with caffeine, 3 without) in my excellent UltrAspire revolution race vest. My plan was to have a drink of Lucozade or water every 2 miles, alternating between the two, filling up the water at aid stations. On the miles I drank water, I would also take on either a gel or some real food. When I got to the aid stations I'd drink extra if I wanted it, but wouldn't worry about having any of the food provided, which would be minimal anyway.

I'd also decided I have going to have painkillers after 2 hours, and then again at 6 hours.

Unusually, I stuck to my plan. I ate regularly, drank regularly, and didn't feel hungry at all...or overloaded from binging on the aid station food which often happens!

Anyway, through the first 20 miles I walked all of the uphills and ran pretty much all of the rest and was with a group of other runners which helped keep me going. I had pain in my hamstring from the beginning but it was a niggle rather than anything too problematic and somehow I managed to ignore it the whole way through and so didn't make the mistake of stopping to stretch which is always such a waste of time!

For the last section, on the towpath, I was on my own. I plugged in the ipod, and settled in to finish it off. I couldn't believe how good I was still feeling, but was very pleased. I decided that as there weren't any hills to be walking up, I would try out something different that I'd read about. Rather than waiting until I felt I needed to, I'd walk the first 30 seconds of every mile. Sometimes it was a little longer (if I was having some food, or at one stage when I was trying to use the phone) but generally I was disciplined - I stopped running at the beep of my watch, walked as I counted to 30 and then headed off again.

It worked amazingly.

I felt brilliant. I was in control of my race, my legs were working, I was maintaining a much better pace than I'd ever dreamt of achieving at this stage, and I was loving how it felt. My back didn't hurt - I think because I would concentrate on my posture during every walking section - and I knew I was performing so much better than I've done in any other ultra.

I had expected to finish in about 10 hours, as my time for the St Peter's Way event, the only other 45 miler I've done, was 10:08. Both Country to Capital and St Peter's Way are, in fact, a little short of 45 miles, (I think you only get to 45 miles in either of them if you get lost) and C2C ended up being 43 miles on my Garmin, and although the towpath section of the C2C does make it easier than the SPW, it is hillier so I think they're comparable races.

I suddenly realised that I was looking at a sub 8:30 finish time! I pressed on, started overtaking people, and still felt really strong.

I soon realised that we were near the end. It was starting to get darker, but I didn't need my head torch yet, and was really keen on finishing without using it, which I was sure I could do, as I was still feeling as good as I had done for the last 15 miles. There were a few bridges on the tow path that I walked up, but kept going, and then there were more people lining the route and I realised the finish line must be close.

All of a sudden, I ran under a bridge, and the finish line was there!! Lights, flags, the photographer....and my medal. Done!! 8 hours 10 minutes.

To give you an idea of what other people can achieve, the winner of Country to Capital this year was Ed Catmur, who finished in 4:48, which is an absolutely mind blowing time. I can't begin to imagine how he did it but it's fantastic.

Even though I was nearly 3.5 hours slower than the winner, and in 166th place (out of 315 who started), and 18th in my age group, I still felt great. In fact, absolutely over the moon. I could have quite happily carried on running further down that towpath, which is such a boost as my training for the TP100 really kicks in. I'm putting it down to the regular eating, drinking and walking - doing it all in such a disciplined way gave me control - and the bonus of having support out on the course from my friends.

I'll never be an Ed Catmur but it doesn't matter in the slightest - being an incredible 2 hours faster than I expected has left me on a total high and I absolutely loved it.

My last race of the year and a look back at 2013

Yesterday, I ran my last race of 2013…the Buntingford Year End 10 Miler, put on by the Royston Runners. It’s a bit tough with a fair few hills, but it’s all on road, was a beautiful day, very well organised and I’m pleased to have got through it without stopping or walking at all. I made a conscious decision not to take my Garmin and just to run on feel, and after the first half, which always feels like a warm up on these shorter races, I know I put in a decent amount of effort and am pretty certain I ran a negative split. It was my slowest attempt at this race though (my 3^rd time) and so not particularly pleased with my finish of 1:30:27, but I probably still had the Portsmouth marathon in my legs from last week…and I’ve definitely eaten too many mince pies this Christmas, so I’m not going to let myself be too disappointed. I got a lovely boxed medal for my efforts which always helps too ;) 

So thinking about this being my last race of the year makes me look back on the rest of 2013. In January, I’d set a target of running 2,013 miles in the 12 months, but from very early on I realised I just didn't have the commitment to get to that sort of number – I have been frustratingly undisciplined with my training plan, and just haven’t done the mileage I needed to. I've realised that in fact, this year I've run fewer total miles than I did in 2012! I have to make sure that isn’t a pattern that repeats itself – I’m meant to be becoming a better runner, not a lazier one!

My 2013 bling haul

However, I've run 25 races this year, including 21 marathons or ultras (more than ever before), which has taken my total marathon number to 38. It seems absolutely ridiculous that I've done that many this year, but it's definitely happened, and I'm going to let myself be proud of that. 

The first few months of 2013 were incredible, with Francis and I getting married in April and then heading off on our wonderful honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast, which was where I heard the sickening news about the Boston Marathon bombing. We came back from honeymoon on Saturday night so I could run London the next day which was incredibly emotional. You can see in the photo I've kept the black ribbon I wore during London, pinned to my medal, in memory of those affected by the bombing. 

Then there was my completion of the 10in10 in May, achieving my target of finishing every marathon in under 5 hours, and with an average time of 4:39. What a brilliant experience it was, with an incredible group of people, and even seven months later, it still feels like it had a profound effect on me, and Brathay will always hold a very special place in my heart. Here are a few of my favourite photos from the last day of the 10in10:

However, as exciting as the 10in10 was, I’ve not beaten any PBs this year, and have been very conscious of my continued loss of pace as the year has progressed. I think this was really caused by having to deal with my first significant injury which resulted in many weeks of not running, and then a subsequent drop in my motivation – doing even less running than I was doing at the beginning of the year has inevitably meant I'm just getting slower!

So, if I have one main goal for next year, it’s to be more dedicated – to actually stick to my schedule and really put in the effort during training - to run faster and not churn out junk miles week after week that don’t really improve my fitness. It will make such a difference to how much I enjoy events, how quickly I recover, and whether I can actually fulfil my other ambitions for 2014:- completing the Thames Path 100 in May, and running my 50th marathon and so achieving my Associate (aka wannabe) membership of the 100 Marathon Club!

In August next year, Francis and I are planning on going backpacking for a few months around South America, and so I have to achieve as much as I can between now and then - realistically my training is going to stop for a few months while we’re away, and when I get back, I imagine it’ll take me the rest of the year to rebuild my marathon fitness. So, for the next 8 months, I’ve got a lot to pack in, and I’ve already organised my race calendar. I’ve booked a half marathon, 4 marathons, a 30 miler,  2x 45 milers, a 100km, a 57 miler over 2 days, a 66 miler over 2 days, a 24 hour event that I’ll be doing as half of a pair and the big one, my A Race, the Thames Path 100! 

Now I just need to drop some weight, focus my mind, and do the training I know I need to do, to make completing all of those events achievable!

Merry Christmas everyone

Went for a quick 3.5 miles this morning in the woods. Was even muddier than Portsmouth, but at least I was wearing the right shoes ;) I was also wearing my very fetching santa hat! Not sure if the people I saw were laughing with me or at me but at least I brought them some Christmas cheer  Hope you all have a fabulous day. Merry Christmas! x