Terry Conway

2012 Trail Running calendar

2012-02-15T05:09:00.000-08:00

As promised, a race calendar for 2012. For obvious reasons associated with running, they're not set in stone but I'm hoping I can hit all the races below. I'll probably throw additional races in here or there depending on fitness, time constraints etc but they will be mostly last minute decisions.

Looking at the race schedule it may appear quite ambitious, but It'll be one hell of a ride and I do like a good challenge. So here's to 2012...hell yeah!

MCN Welsh One Day Series - Round 3 The Wye One Way 50, Wales

March 10th 2012 (50 miles)

I've already ran the first 2 rounds so I might as well run the 3rd.

The Wye One Way 50 takes in some of the most spectacular scenery in Mid Wales. Starting not far from the source of the Wye, the majority of the route follows the Wye valley itself though there is a cheeky little excursion into Elan Valley via the mountains and around the spectacular dams before rejoining the Wye Valley at Llanwrthwl.

Highland Fling – Milngavie, Scotland

April 28th 2012 (53 miles)

After last years poor performance I want to go back & do myself justice. Plus, with the new event sponsor Hoka coming on board there's a couple of pretty strong European runners coming over.

Highland Fling Ultra is a trail race over the southern 53 miles of the famous West Highland Way Path., starting in Milngavie (close to Glasgow) and finishing in the scenic village of Tyndrum. The event continues to grow and is expected to be the most popular UK Ultramarathon in 2012 and the route is almost entirely on trails and thus traffic-free. The varied terrain and stunning scenery makes this a truly enjoyable experience, with runners returning year after year to participate.

Malvern Hills Ultra – Worcester, UK

May 5^th 2012 (53/83 miles)

It's on my doorstep and regular training ground so I should do it really, plus it's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Malvern Hills Ultra is a test of endurance with some navigational skill. Entrants can choose between the 53 mile option and the 83 mile option. Both races start at Grade 1 listed Holt Castle, heading through Top Barn Farm following the Severn Way signs towards Worcester. The Severn Way takes you through Grimley and onto a lovely meandering path along the River Severn. Through Worcester and into Upton, the route moves across to the foot of the Malvern Hills. At this point competitors will have already done a marathon distance and will be faced with the daunting yet beautifully spectacular scenery of the. Conquering the Worcestershire Beacon the route touches the River Teme before heading directly home to Holt. The 83 mile route extends south beyond Tewkesbury on the Severn Way and then connects to the Three Choirs Way heading north towards the Worcestershire Way and coming in north towards Bewdley on the Worcestershire Way and returns south to Holt Castle on the Severn Way.

Hardmoors 110 – Helmsley, North Yorkshire, UK

June 1st-3rd 2012 (110 miles 19,685ft/6,000 metres of accumulated elevation gain)

Part of the country I've not run before and the name is pretty cool.

The Hardmoors 110 Ultamarathon follows the dramatic Cleveland Way National Trail encircling the North Yorkshire Moors and the Cleveland Heritage coastline. Starting from Helmsley, it finishes at Filey after 110 miles and 6,000 metres of accumulated elevation gain.

West Highland Way Race – Milngavie, Scotland

June 23^rd 2012 (95 miles 14,760ft ascent/4,494 metres of ascent)

A classic ultra that must be run.

Essentially the object of the West Highland Way Race is simple.

You start at Milngavie Railway Station (7miles north of Glasgow) at 1am on Saturday 23rd June 2012 & run/jog/walk to Fort William Leisure Centre by noon on the Sunday 24th June 2012, 35 hours to cover 95 miles including 14,760ft of ascent.

Lakeland 100 Ultra Tour Lake District – Consiton, Cumbria, UK

July 27^th 2012 (104 miles 20,669ft/6,300 metres of ascent)

Don't think I need to give my reasons for this one. It's gonna be a hot race this year, with the top 10 coming in under 24hrs. Bring it on.

The Lakeland 100 'Ultra Tour of the Lake District' is the most spectacular long distance trail race which has ever taken place within the UK. The circular route encompasses the whole of the lakeland fells, includes in the region of 6300m of ascent and consists almost entirely of public bridleways and footpaths. The route starts in Coniston and heads south before completing a clockwise loop which takes in the Dunnerdale fells, Eskdale, Wasdale and Buttermere before arriving in Keswick. From here the route heads to Matterdale and continues over to Haweswater before returning via Kentmere, Ambleside and Elterwater to the finish at Coniston.

Magredi Mountain Trail – Dolomiti Mountains and Magredi land, Italy

October 12^th 2012 (100 mile 22,966ft/7,000 metres of ascent)

A beautiful part of the world, great coffee and food and I like the Italian mentality. Tough buggers!

Running on trails through the wild and Magredi Friuli Dolomites, unforgettable experiences in the nature of the Friuli Venezia Giulia!

Yep...I'm still here

2012-02-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

Haha…well, what can I say? The weekly updates didn’t last long. A couple of reasons for this. First, it’s just not me. Simple really. I don’t like to get tied down with stats and figures and I find it quite boring to be totally honest. I run because I enjoy it and getting caught up with mileage etc takes away the simple pleasure and experience of running for me. Secondly, I think I started it just because other runners did. I will admit that looking back over the training and seeing what I had achieved did feed the ego a bit but I don’t really like this trait so I won’t continue. Last, but by no means least is that this blog is about my running experiences. Posting my weekly mileage isn’t an experience; it’s just facts and figures. So no more weekly updates.

So what have I been doing through December and most of January?

Towards the end of November and the beginning of December I managed to irritate the peroneal muscle and nerve in my right lower leg but instead of resting I stubbornly continued training as normal until I came to a standstill during a routine training run. The pain was too much and was affecting my gait, meaning that I was putting extra pressure on other parts of my body. This happened on a Thursday.

Saturday 3^rd December 2011 Might Contain Nuts Ultra Brecon 40 – Winter Edition – One day series Round 2

After receiving a very gentle massage that hurt like hell on Thursday, I didn’t do much on the Friday. Usually I like to go out for a short run (around 40 mins) at a pace that is faster then my expected race pace the day before a race. I just find it a helpful way of flushing the legs out, then “top up” glucose stores and allowing race pace to feel relatively slow. I did contemplate pulling out but it was a good opportunity to meet up with some friends and enjoy the Welsh Mountains, plus I had booked a Travelodge near the start at Talybont-on-Usk, sharing a room with Dan Doherty.

It’s been too long to write a thorough race report, so here are the highlights…

Beautiful 40ish mile course meandering and winding around and through the Brecon’s, taking in beautiful countryside, canal paths, open moorland and farmland. Dan went out pretty fast and I tagged along for the ride enjoying some good old chat. Piers Stockwell (winner Round 1) flies past at some point and nails the next section. Me and Dan get lost in a field! We get back on track and eventually catch Piers. We hit some open moorland come bog and are hit by some very strong head wind. I start to pull away from Dan and Piers at this point, but Dan catches back up when we hit some firetrack. I then start to pull away again through forest track and marshy wet trail and that was the last I saw of any other runner. I really enjoyed the route but was happy when the finishing line came into view because of the numbing pain in my right leg the whole way round. Dan, unfortuatly pulled out (he had been ill all week) but my good friend Barry Murray had a really strong finish to come home in 2nd.

Pretty much since then my training followed a pattern of run for 2-3 days, no running for 2 days due to soreness and so on and so on………………………...

Luckily in January I was up in the Lakes on holiday and I managed to receive a pretty awesome deep tissue muscle massage from my good friend Adam. I took 3 days off running and within a couple of weeks the issue had completely gone so I slowly built up some base again. Things felt like they were back on track until I felt a twinge in the inside lower half of my left leg which I believe may be posterior shin splints. I’m hoping it’s simple a case of overuse due to the injury I had in my right leg throughout December. I’m seeing Adam again very shortly and maybe with a bit more massage I’ll be back on track within a couple of weeks.

At the moment I’m putting a race schedule together so I may have a post soon with some details. Until then, happy running.

WEEK SUMMARY: NOVEMBER 14 - NOVEMBER 20

2011-11-20T02:42:00.001-08:00

MON
PM 11 mile 1:45hr trail Malvern Hills Shoes: Inov8 test shoes

TUE
PM 11 mile 1:45hr trail Malvern Hills Shoes: Inov8 test shoes

WED
PM 11 mile 1:45hr trail Malvern Hills Shoes: Inov8 test shoes

THURS
AM 11 mile road 1:20hr Shoes: Road-X 233
PM 15 mile easy effort 1:50 Shoes: Road-X 233

FRI
AM 13 mile trail Malvern Hills 2:00hr Shoes: test shoes
PM 6 mile recovery run Shoes: Road-XLite 155

SAT
AM 3 mile ParkRun 17:17min 11 mile Malvern Hills 2:00hr Shoes: test
PM 6 mile recovery run Shoes: Road-XLite 155

SUN
AM 6 mile easy effort Shoes: Road-XLite 155

TOTAL 104 mile

Suprised to hit 100 miles again. Had to take it easy this week due to working a 7 day week and some big trainig runs next week. I'll be heading straight up to the Lake District after work to meet up with my training buddy Ian Bishop. On Monday we plan to hit 52 miles of the Lakeland 100 course, Ambleside to Keswick. On Tuesday we're hoping to run from Keswick back to Ambleside via the Bob Graham route taking in Skiddaw, Great Calva, Blencathra, Threlkeld, Clough Head, Watson dodd, Stybarrow Dodd, Raise, Whiteside, Lowman, Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike, Dollywagon Pike and Fairfield.

Happy day.

WEEK SUMMARY: NOVEMBER 7 - NOVEMBER 13

2011-11-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

MON
AM 12 mile 1:30hr trail Malvern Hills

TUE
AM 10 mile road 1:05hr
PM 6 mile easy effort 40 mins

WED
AM 16 mile 2:45hr trail Malvern Hills
PM 6 mile easy effort 40 mins

THURS
AM 10.5 mile road 1:05hr with 2 mile w/u 2 mile c/d
PM 6 mile easy effort 40 mins

FRI
AM 29 mile river path, forest, trail, canal & road 3:30hr
PM 5 mile recovery run

SAT
AM 6 mile (3 mile effort)
PM 3 mile recovery run

SUN
AM 13.1 mile effort canal paths 1:19:58hr
Legs felt like lead weights after about 7 miles. Good times.

TOTAL 126.6 mile

Happy to run over 100 miles again. Legs feeling pretty tired towards the end of the week but I'm sure my body will adapt. I'm amazed how much difference running twice a day is making. Firstly, it helps take the mileage up to 100 miles but more importantly the 3-6 mile recovery runs flush out the legs and I'm finding that I'm feeling a lot "fresher" on my main runs.

Will be tough to hit 100 miles this week because of a 7 day working week so I will probably spend most of the week up on the Malvern Hills taking it easy and letting my body rest a bit. Really looking forward to Monday 21st November though, when I'll be meeting up with my Lakeland 100 training buddy Ian Bishop and hitting the trails of the Lake District.

Good times.

WEEK SUMMARY: OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 6

2011-11-09T07:54:00.000-08:00

MON
AM 12 mile 1:30hr trail Malvern Hills

TUE
AM 12 mile road with 2 mile w/u 2 mile c/d
PM 6 mile easy effort 40 mins

WED
AM 20 mile 2:15hr Newbury to Reading along Kennet & Avon Canal
PM Track! 11x400m 74 secs 1 min rec 1 mile w/u 1 mile c/d

THURS
AM 10 mile easy effort road & river path 1:10hr

FRI
AM 52.5 mile 6:58hr South Downs Way Trail with Dan Doherty

SAT
REST DAY

SUN
PM 6 mile easy effort trail Malvern Hills

TOTAL 123 mile

Well...thought I would give this weekly summary thing a go. I've noticed on quite a few runners’ blogs that they do this. Not completely sure that I will keep up to date or that my weekly updates will be that regular.
The biggest problem I find is that due to working shifts (e.g. not Mon to Fri 9 to 5) I never really know what day it is! I also don't work on a Monday to Sunday basis, more like a 10 day rotation. But I'll try my best and see what happens.

Quite happy with how this week went. Always good to run over 100 miles within a 7 day period. I even managed a track session for the first time in over 2 years! Bit of a shock and I did find running around the same loop 11 times pretty uninspiring, but it's something that I want to try and add into my training to see if there are any benefits (hopefully speed). I've also decided to add some more road into my training and some easy 5-6 mile runs to allow me to run twice a day. Variety is a good thing and I'm hoping that by mixing things up a bit, adding some extra mileage and even some speed sessions will allow me to take my running up to the next level. I did get into a bit of a habit of running the same route with the same effort almost everyday. It's not the worst thing in the world but the body does get used to it and it no longer becomes a challenge. I'm guessing that to become a better runner, one must challenge oneself effectively and regularly. So that's what I plan to do and we'll see what happens.

Happy running.

A couple of race reports and other ramblings

2011-11-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

First things first…go grab yourself a nice cup of tea and maybe a biscuit. It feels like winter is starting to set in now so it’s time to wrap up warm and drink copious amounts of tea and far too many cakes.

Sorry it’s taken me so long to stick anything on my blog, I’ve simply been too busy running, walking and pretty much enjoying life. I’ve had to condense the race reports and are therefore a bit brief and I may have missed things out or got some of my facts wrong, but in my defence I have the memory of a goldfish and don’t get tied up with facts and figures in any case.

Wye Valley Marathon 2:09 Events 4th September 2011

I’m sure my body would have appreciated some extra rest after the Lakeland 100, but as any fellow runner knows we get itchy feet far too easily. So approximately four weeks post Lakeland I find myself at the start line of the Wye Valley Marathon. I had no expectations or any real goals for the race. It was simply an opportunity to see where my legs were at while enjoying the beautiful surrounding of the Forest of Dean and Wye Valleys. It also gave me the opportunity to test out my new Inov-8 Road-X Lite 155’s.

Really enjoyed myself, first mile took 12 minutes because we missed a marker and went the wrong way, my legs died at about the 20 mile mark but the natural beauty of the Wye Valley was fantastic. I managed to crawl home in 4th in a time of 3:08:26. Nat Lane, International runner for Wales came first in 2:55:34. I also had the opportunity to run with Andrew James, winner of the Lakeland 50 in 2010 and the Highland Fling. Andrew finished ahead of me in 3rd with a strong finish on his return from injury.

Might Contain Nuts – Welsh One Day Ultra Series – Round 1 The Black Mountains 30 miles (approx.) 1st October 2011

Really impressed with Barry & his team from Might Contain Nuts. They put on a good race, with a common sense approach and a nice and relaxed atmosphere.

Again, I went into this race for the enjoyment and experience of running in the Welsh Mountains and had no set goals. It was also an opportunity to meet up with Barry Murray of Optimum Nutrition 4 Sport who I had met at the Lakeland 100. Barry also runs for Ireland and is a top nutritionist and also a great guy.

The weather was fantastic! 1st of October and it was in the 20’s (Celsius), unbelievable! I actually got to wear my summer skimpy shorts and vest outfit and I was still warm. I was also very lucky to be wearing a prototype pair of Inov-8’s. I can’t really say anything about these shoes at the moment, but if you have ever met me, have read my blog before or saw me at this race, you will know what sort of shoes I go for so I will leave it at that for now.

Back to the race…we’re off and I run at the front with Barry and we get yakking away and enjoying the experience. The first climb soon enough appears and I slowly pull away from the field. On the descent I run straight past a turning, get called back by a marshal and find myself back in the pack. At the first checkpoint it takes me for ever to sort out a nuun and refill my bottle. Barry catches back up with me so I decided to run with him some more and enjoy his company. We’re both enjoying the experience, the chat, the course and the beautiful surrounding of the Welsh mountains, not really thinking about racing just taking in the moment. We reach the next checkpoint together as 1st and 2nd are leaving so there’s no need to panic. We get to a field and realise we’re not actually sure where we are. Lost again! We look around and take a look at the map. We can’t work out where exactly we are but we know we need to be up on the ridge above us. We then see the front two, Piers and John, halfway up the climb to the ridge so head that way. Unfortunately, there’s a hell of a lot of bracken and a near vertical climb in the way. Nothing for it but to plough on up. Dense bracken is painful and on this occasion it was no different, but we eventually manage to hit the main path leading to the ridge. Once up there we hit Offa’s Dyke, a long flat stretch that appears to go on for miles along the ridge. To our surprise Piers and John are nowhere in sight. We’re not sure if it’s because we lost so much time or they are nailing this section. Barry picks up the pace and I’m happy to go along for the ride for what seems ages and still no sight of the front two. We’re going at a descent pace before Barry has to stop to get at some food. I decide to keep going with the pace and crack on. Eventually I see John up ahead and appears to be struggling, catch up and plough on. I never manage to catch up with Piers. I finish 2nd, Barry comes home in 3rd and fellow team member Bob in 5th meaning we won the team prize.

A great day out and hopefully I will be able to make the rest of the Might Contain Nuts series, so see you there.

p.s. the Inov-8’s were great. I now have a slightly different version that are even better :o)

Beacon Race – Malvern Hills – 7ish miles – 8th October 2011

A fantastic local event that happens to be on my training ground. It’s an event that is steeped in quite a bit of history but that I’ve actually not managed to take part in before due to various reasons. I wasn’t expecting much from this race due to the distance so went out for my normal 2 hour run over the Malvern Hills in the morning before work and then popped back up to the start line during my lunch break. To my surprise I found myself leading the race within the first couple of miles so decided to see how long I could keep it up. Turned out I could keep it up until the end and managed to win the race! Good times.

Well….that’s pretty much up to date with the races. My training has been going well, mixing up hills with a bit more speed work and some road stuff. I lost quite a bit of strength in my lower legs and feet after wearing a cushioned shoe for the Lakeland 100, so I’ve had to spend quite a bit of time working on my form and strengthening the muscles, ligaments and tendons.

The most important thing is that I’m enjoying running and I look forward to every run. Gotta be a good thing…..

Work, rest and play

2011-08-27T02:48:00.000-07:00

I’m not 100% sure where this post will go, so let’s just enjoy the ride and see where we end up.

First up, I’ll talk a little about my recovery after the Lakeland 100. I had promised myself that post-Lakeland I would take a month off running and do a little cross-training on my bike and maybe visit the gym. I figured that after the race my body would be pretty much beat up and would need the rest. Well, to my surprise my body recovered a hell of a lot faster than I imagined. I took 3 days off (Sunday to Tuesday), but walked as much as possible to get the blood flowing in my legs again then got straight back into running again.
Wednesday was a 5 mile hobble, Thursday I managed 5.5 miles at a slightly faster pace and Friday I ran 6 miles. Saturday I made my way down to a park next to the river Thames and took part in the Reading Park Run 5km. I managed to get back up on the Malvern Hills every day from Sunday to Thursday, slowly increasing mileage from 6 miles to 10 miles, before eventually having a rest day on the Friday. Back at it again on the Saturday, and since then I’ve been pretty much back to normal with runs ranging from 6 miles to 30 miles. It would appear that all the training and conditioning I did for the Lakeland 100 got my body and mind in pretty good shape to handle the race. In fact, the race itself turned out to be one of the smoothest and uneventful races I have taken part in. When I say uneventful, I mean from the point of view that I didn’t really have to deal with any problems or any unusual circumstances that can arise during an ultra event. The race went a near as perfect as one could hope. There’s still a lot I can improve on and hopefully I’ll address these when I start some specific training for the Lakeland 2012 early next year.

A bit about training for ultra’s…

For the rest of this year I will probably look at improving my speed over the shorter distances. I’ve not really performed as well as I should over the shorter distances, so again, I will address this and get some specific training in. I may have given the impression in some of my previous posts that I never partake in any form of speed training. This isn’t strictly speaking true. The past 12 months my training had been geared towards the Lakeland 100. For me, the most important training for this race was developing endurance strength. I’ve sort of separated my ultra training into two main categories, endurance speed and endurance strength. Endurance speed is more important for faster courses, usually flat and very ‘run able’ and endurance strength is more important for slower courses, usually with plenty of climbing and descending.
So for example, the Thames Trot is 50 miles along the Thames path and is pretty flat. Improving one’s ability to be able to run faster over a long distance is more important than being able to run strong over hills. With the Lakeland 100, what’s the point in being able to run 7 minute mile pace over 50 miles if one’s legs are not conditioned to handle all the ascent and descent? I prefer running in the mountains, with lots of trail so a lot of my training is geared more towards endurance strength. But, I also incorporate endurance speed into my training to condition my body and mind to manage a faster course. I believe it’s important to include both types of endurance training in one’s training plan, but to also prioritise each type depending on the type of race one is training for. I’ll provide a quick example of both types of endurance training to help explain where I’m coming from.

Speed Endurance – running 26.2 miles along relatively flat course, e.g. canal path or river path in 3 to 3:30 hours. For me, that is a good endurance speed session.

Strength Endurance – again running 26.2 miles, but this time over mountains and hills that can take around 5 hours. Now, that’s a pretty good strength session.

Now, I don’t run 26.2 miles every time I go for a run. One just needs to apply the principle to each run. Another example, 10 miles on the road I will aim for around the 1 hours mark. On the Malvern Hills that would take me around 1:45 hours.

I hope this makes sense……?

Future plans

I purposely did not book any races that where post-Lakeland 100, simply because I didn’t think I would be in any shape to perform at a good enough level to do myself justice. I’ve recently looked at a number of ultras, but unfortunately due to work and other commitments, things just haven’t worked out. There are a couple of trail marathons and shorter races that I will probably enter (hence more importance on endurance speed), but for me, it’s all about next year now. Top of the list will of course be the Lakeland 100! Hopefully I will also get to run the Highland Fling again and will take at look at the Fellsman, West Highland Way and Devil o’the Highlands. I’ll apply for the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc and see what happens and also a fair few “low key" races. A lot depends on work commitments and unforeseen circumstances so I’ll just have to see what fate throws my way and enjoy the ride…….

Geoff Roes - Long term sustained consistency

2011-08-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Just in case you've never heard of this guy - Geoff's up there with the best of them. Holds numerous course records and was pretty much unbeatable for a while.

A really interesting post here about training for ultras. Would say that it echoes my own approach to training.

Ryding2Health Interview

2011-08-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Might as well take advantage of my 5 minutes of fame :o)

Nice little interview here with Ryding2Health.

Lakeland 100 – One man’s obsessive journey to find himself in the fells

2011-08-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

After winning the Lakeland 100, a lot of people were really interested in the type of training I do, what shoes I wear, what I eat etc. I initially intended to touch on these subjects in my race report. Unfortunately, the race report was so long that that I didn’t really think I would do these topics justice. Plus, it didn’t really fit in with the race report, which in reality became a love letter between a man and an amazing event.

Hopefully, this post will give you an insight and answer some of the questions that runners really want to know. But first, a disclaimer!

It’s quite hard in this world to form any sort of opinion without someone either getting on their “high horse”, misinterpreting information or simply just being an idiot. I don’t mind discussing things with anyone; I’m just not interested in unintelligent and immature comments, debates or arguments. Any comments I make below are formed from my own observations and experiences. I’m not saying that the way I do things is correct and that anyone else’s approach is flawed. I am by no means an expert and have no formal qualification in sports science, nutrition or any other academic field. These are things that work for me, and if it helps you in anyway, then great. The most important thing is to find what works best for you.

Training

As mentioned in my previous post, training for the Lakeland 100 started the moment I crossed the line at last year’s event. The course is really the ultimate power trek with some running thrown in. For this reason, almost all my training was completed on hills and trails. I’m very luck to have the Malvern Hills on my doorstep and again almost all my training was completed on this beautiful landscape. Depending on work, commitments and any injury or niggle, my typical schedule would involve running 13 days within a 14 day period. The majority of my runs would be between 1:30hrs and 3hrs over the Malvern Hills, covering between 6-20 miles. My weekly mileage would fall between 70-100 miles per week. I would like to consistently run more than 100 miles a week, but unfortunately I’m a slave to the state and have to work for a living. I did not and do not run to a set schedule or any form of training plan, I run how I feel. Getting to understand and forming a relationship with my body and mind is the best form of training for me. I rarely use a GPS watch (I own one, but only use it to record mileage on a new route) or heart rate monitor. If my heart feels like it’s about to explode through my chest, feel like I’m about to throw up my lungs or my legs feel like they are on fire, then I know I probably need to relax and chill out a bit. This relationship between my body, mind and environment is really important to me and it’s a continuous learning curve.

Conditioning

Training in itself is a form of conditioning. Through training one is preparing ones mind and body to perform at a certain level to achieve a certain goal. For the Lakeland 100, this meant running lots of hills, getting up to the Lakes as much as possible and running the course and experimenting with pace, nutrition and kit. Subconsciously, I was also conditioning my mind to cope with the relentless climbing, descending and remorseless underfoot conditions. I also have a love affair with the Lake District and enjoy every single moment I’m up there.

Day to Day nutrition

Wholesome balanced diet! I don’t really like the word diet because it is usually attributed to losing weight and controlling nutritional intake. I eat a lot and I don’t diet! In fact, I’m pretty ravenous most of the time. The biggest change to my diet came about 14 months ago when I decided to stop eating meat and poultry (I just can’t give up seafood). The Western world consumes far too much meat proteins and I feel a lot better since I gave it up. Most of my protein comes from seafood, pulses, diary, seeds and nuts. I also consume a high fat diet, probably around 40%. This is predominately “good” fats from peanut butter, full fat Greek yogurt, seeds, nuts and oily fish. I consume vast amounts of all of these. During long distance ultra, ones body is usually working at a level where the main source of fuel comes from ones fat reserves. Hence, the high fat diet. The Lakeland 100 is what I would call a “long 100 miles”. Obviously, 100 miles is 100 miles, but the terrain and type of course will generally dictate the pace one can run at and consequently how long it will take to complete. The Lakeland 100 is not a fast 100 course therefore one would be performing at a lower work rate and as a result utilising fat as fuel is essential. If I was training for a “fast” course I would probably lower fat intake slightly and increase carb intake. To condition my body to use fat as fuel, most of my runs where completed at an “easy” level and I would rarely consume any form of carb. I think it worked?
Finally, I rarely touch supplements. I start the day with a multivitamin drink and that’s about it. Whey proteins etc just seem a waste a money and a bit of a con really. I prefer real food and I have yet to find anything better than a pint of milk, cheese sandwich and cake to aid recovery (oh, and the odd pint).

Running Kit

On a day to day basis I like to keep things very simply. Shorts and top will do me fine. As long as they fit and are comfortable, I’m happy. I don’t think I’ve ever worn tights, even in the coldest months, I just don’t find them comfortable. It’s also good conditioning to let yourself get battered by the elements now and again. Toughens you up a bit :o)
As for long runs up in the Lakes where I’m out for 10-12 hours, same applies but carry extra gear just in case the weather turns foul. Believe me; you don’t want to be caught up Black Sail Pass in thunder and rain with no extra layers or waterproof kit. I’m also a big fan of merino wool base layers. They really do seem to do the trick. Some of the training runs I’ve completed with Ian have seen me get around in just a merino base layer, come rain or shine. Whereas, Ian would have to put on extra layers and a raincoat. Like I say, works for me.

Minimalism

Quite a few people are intrigued by my approach to minimalist running. I have touched the subject previously on my blog here and here but I’ll touch on it again now. I’m a big advocate of barefoot and minimalist running. For me, it’s a training tool that improves my technique and strengthens the muscles in my feet and lower legs. It has also helped me to improve my relationship with nature, my body and surroundings. That may sound a bit pretentious but it’s true for me. Minimalism has also completely changed the way I run and has made me a much better runner. I’m not suggesting that everyone should throw away their shoes and only run barefoot! Like I said, it’s a training tool. Try it. If you find it beneficial, great. If not, then there’s no harm done. If you do decide to give it a go, please research the subject (there’s plenty on the internet) and be prepared to take your time and enjoy the journey of discovery.

Shoes

Shoes, like minimalism, are a tool. One must select the best tool for the job, simple. The most important factors I look for in a shoe are flexibility, low weight, low to the ground and fit. Then it’s about selecting the right shoe for the type of terrain and course you’re running on. I was a big fan of Inov-8 shoes well before I became a member of Team inov-8 (just look at some older posts). For me, they have the best selection of shoes to deal with all the various types of terrain we have in the UK. I’m also a fan of Vibram Five Fingers, Vivo Barefoot and now The North Face Single Track.
For day to day training, I wear Vivo Barefoot for “barefoot” runs, Inov8 X-Talons for when grip is essential and Inov8 Road-X 233 for road and hard packed terrain (Highland Fling Report). I used TNF Single Track for the Lakeland 100 and will elaborate on that in a bit.

Race Day Kit and nutrition– Lakeland 100

Shoes – The North Face Single Track

When I would go up to the Lakes for training, I would run half of the course in one go. So that’s approx. 52 miles either Ambleside to Keswick or Keswick to Ambleside (logistically the easiest way of doing it). For every single one of these I would use Inov8 X-Talons, and although they are great to run in and the grip is fantastic, I found that my feet were getting very fatigued by the end of the run. On one of my last recces, only 16 miles into the run I managed to land on a very nasty sharp rock that hit right between two metatarsals in my left foot. I completed the rest of the run but had to change my technique and revert to landing on my heels. I ended up with sore shins and tight achilles that took me a good part of 5 weeks to get over. It was then that I decided that I needed a shoe with more protection. I did try the Inov8 Roclite 295 but they just didn’t feel right. I then wandered into a shop a saw the TNF Single Track on sale at half price. So I thought to myself, if they’re good enough for Jez Bragg, they can’t be half bad? Well, I can’t recommend them enough now can I really? They ended up being a really good shoe for the course. I probably won’t use them again (too much cushioning to use on day to day basis) but I was very impressed with them. For a “chunky” shoe, they’re pretty flexible in the forefoot, which is important for me. I also found they fit my foot really well (minus the foot bed) and I didn’t suffer from any blisters. In the end, they ended up being the best tool for the job. The only issue I had with the shoes is in the heel. Apart from Inov-8 and barefoot style shoes; I find almost any other shoe irritates my calcaneal bone (heel). This usually leads to swelling of the heel and achilles tendon. I decided that it was worth the risk for a one-off race and I did indeed have very sore heel and achilles after the race. This is another reason why I could not use TNF Single Track on a day to day basis. It would no doubt lead to heel spurs and achilles tendentious. If you try the shoe and don’t have any issues with them, then great. Enjoy!

Inov-8 did try and get me a pair a test shoes (that look like they would fit the bill perfectly) before the event, but unfortunately it just didn’t work out. I should be getting hold of them soon though :o)

Socks

For me, socks are just as important as the shoe. I’ve never understood why some people are willing to pay up to £100 for a pair of running shoes but then go and spend only £2 or £3 on a pair of socks! Socks really do make a difference. For me, Injinji socks all the way. They are without doubt the best socks I’ve ever used. I can hand on heart say that I’ve never suffered a blister when using these socks and using the right shoes. Simply brilliant. Again, works for me.

Fuel

I like to keep things simple and find that energy gels work best for me. There’s a lot of science out there suggesting that when we are running the optimal amount of calories and carbs the body can process per hour is 300 cal and 60 carbs. Any more and the body has to work harder to process them and consequently use more energy. Through experimenting, I have discovered that around 250 cal and 50 carbs is the most I can handle. I have also found that I work better “drip feeding” myself fuel, compared to a large intake in one go. The easiest and simplest way I have found in doing this is energy gels. Personally I use Lucozade Energy Gel and by consuming 1 every half hour I meet my calorie and carb intake. Apparently, Lucozade is made up of one of the cheapest and poorest forms of sugars, but again works for me. The only other nutrition I took during the race was two GU Gels (extra caffeine) to help focus during the night section, 3 or 4 cups of squash and 4 to 5 cups of flat cola/water 50% mix.

Electrolytes

I sweat a lot and lose a lot of salt when I’m exercising. Therefore I find it imperative to maintain my level of electrolytes. If I don’t, I get issues with cramp and GI (stomach). I simply popped a Nuun tablet in with every bottle of water I refilled.

Fluid

I carried 2 600ml water bottles in my rucksack and would drain both between most legs. On a couple of the shorter sections I used just one bottle. Because the fuel I was taking onboard is very concentrated, it was crucial that I took on enough fluid to not only replace fluid lost through sweat but also dilute the gels. I think I got it just about right.

Race Plan

Put quite simply, I didn’t really have one. I rarely race against other people and find the challenge of getting the best out of myself to be a good enough challenge. I didn’t memorise any information regarding time splits or the exact distance of each leg etc. I just knew which legs were long, slow or fast etc and planned the amount of fluid I took on by that. The only plan I really had was to run at training pace for the first half and see what happened from there. Luckily everything went really well.

Finally…

I hope I’ve touched on some of the subjects and topics people were really interested in. It’s probably not as detailed or insightful as people had hoped, but I think that just reflects upon my own personality and approach to running. I like to keep things simple and simply run how I feel. It works for me :o)

If there is anything that you think I’ve missed out or would really like to ask, use the comments box at the bottom and I will endeavour to please.

And finally….

Enjoy running, the journey, the experience and the adventure. Run to Live.

MONTANE LAKELAND 100 UTLD (103.9 miles, 6300m/21,760ft of ascent)

2011-08-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Lakeland 100 is probably seen as the premier ultra within the UK. The course follows a circular route of the Lake District covering 103.9 miles with 6800m/21,760ft of ascent. The route is self-navigational and consists of mountains, open fell, steep gradients, boggy terrain, rocky path and the odd bit of tarmac. There are 14 checkpoints along the route with basic food and drink but the race is predominantly self-sufficient. Runners have been known to turn up six weeks later, wild eyed, unshaven and clothes torn to bits. Stories of sheep getting together in the night and randomly attacking head torch bearing competitors. Runners falling from great heights, breaking bones and tearing flesh, putting themselves back together with basic first-aid kit.

This is my story…

Is that a dramatic enough start? I might be exaggerating the truth a little here, but the Lakeland 100 deserves this fearsome reputation!

This is a very long winded, self-indulgent race report. Although, in my defence I started this blog as a way to tell a story, a journey of discovery within the world of running. It’s a very personal blog that I write so that when I’m old and retired I can look back a say “yep, I had a good life. That’ll do”. You probably won’t get much insight into the way I train, prepare and what kit I use etc. But you will get a story of my experience. There’s also a nice little video near the bottom worth a look.

If you’re not interested in this story then all you have to do is wait. I will add a post detailing preparation, nutrition etc very soon.

Pre-race

If this is your first time here, then welcome, if not, welcome back. The story of my race this year really starts from the moment I crossed the line last year. From that instant, almost every waking (and sometimes sleeping) moment I have been obsessed with the Lakeland 100. All my training has been geared for this race. I don’t really follow any type of training regime, I don’t look at splits and I rarely do any form of tapering. I run because I enjoy it and I love the great outdoors. I had run the full course 3 times before race day this year and knew every inch of the route like it was engraved on the back of my eyeballs. I had experimented repeatedly with nutrition, pacing and kit to the point that I had to question my sanity. It was all worth it though because on race day I was totally relaxed and completely confident that all my hard work would put me in a hell of a better position compared to last year.

I drove up to Ambleside on the Saturday before the race to meet my partner, Annie, her parents and Lily the Golden Retriever (I have yet to see her retrieve anything!). We had a beautiful cottage hidden behind one of the best pubs in the Lake District (Golden Rule). A couple of real ales later and I was tucked up in bed. The next day the weather was stunning so we tackled the Fairfield Horseshoe, then watched the Red Arrow display over Lake Windermere. Monday was even better, so we went to the Langdales and climbed Bowfell via The Band, onto Esk Pike, Esk Hause and then up to Sca Fell Pike. The views around Lakeland were stunning, reaching as far as the Isle of Man. We returned via the Cumbria Way and enjoyed a bit more Ale.
Tuesday was another fantastic day with beautiful sunshine. We ended going up Blencathra via the infamous Sharp Edge before returning to Keswick and walking some of the old railway track. Wednesday we took the Coffin Route to Grasmere, ascended Helm Crag to say ‘Hi’ to the Lion and Lamb, lunch at Easedale Beck, another climb up Loughrigg, down through Little Langdale and then back to Ambleside. I then decided it was about time to remind my legs how to run so I went for a gentle 4 miles through Skelghyll Wood. Thursday I took it easy, wandering around Ambleside, coffee with Guy from Inov-8 then a 6 mile run under Loughrigg. Due to a very strong coffee, this easy run turned into a full-on sprint!

As for nutrition, I eat so much anyway that I find carb-loading pretty useless. Anyway, I’ve never found eating more so close to a race beneficial. If anything I find it has the opposite reaction. I usually just drink a couple of maltodextrin sports drinks leading up to race days.

Race day soon arrived and it was all about keeping relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere. I bumped into numerous people, some new, some old and it was good to chat. There was a real buzz around the place so I pretty much kept out of the way, aimlessly walking around and relaxing in the shade by my car.

5:30pm pretty soon pops up and I find myself funnelled into a chicken coop with over 200 other runners. I’m soon chatting to my running partner Ian Bishop and Irish runner Paul Tierney who I’ve just met for the first time. Paul is a very talented runner and we can expect big things from him (no pressure there than Paul! Oh, and he’s my number 1 fan ;o)). I’m not really worried who’s running and what the competition is. This isn’t being disrespectful; I just don’t approach races this way. I’m out to run against myself and the course and if I win then that’s a big bonus. Don’t get me wrong, I’m competitive but winning is not the most important thing for me. My only goal for the race was to try and run as close to the course record as possible. If that was good enough to win, then great. If not, congratulations to the winner, they deserve it. Stuart Mills had posted a very helpful preview of who he thought would be the front runners (and on the whole he was right). I expected my main rivals to be Andy Mouncey, the “far too young to be doing ultras” Adam Perry and of course my training partner Ian and then maybe some of the “unknowns” from Ireland, Paul and Barry.

1. Coniston to Seathwaite 7miles ascent 2162ft descent 1988ft

We’re off soon enough and me and Ian get into our training pace. Thankfully this year no-one shot off like a bat out of hell aka Stuart Mills! I soon find myself chatting along with Paul, Ian just in front and about 6 others. It really is a long trek up Walna Scar Road, but myself and Paul were having a good chat and some banter so it flew by. At the top we are welcomed with a beautiful view of the Duddon Valley. No time to linger, the descent is all about staying on your feet and trying not to run too fast. This section can really batter the quads, far too early in the race for that. We all soon hit the road and get to the checkpoint, although Ian did try to jump over the church wall!?!

2. Seathwaite to Boot 7miles ascent 1263ft descent 1375ft

Both myself and Ian dib in and are straight out before anyone else. This tactic is key our race plans. I wasted far too much time at checkpoints last year, working out that I probably lost at least 2 hours. I started with an extra bottle of fluid anyway, so left the empty bottle and went. We both set off on the trail through Wallowbarrow Crag and Dunnerdale Forest, hitting the boggy section of Grassguards Gill. To be honest, it was the driest I’ve ever known it to be, but we both took it easy and made sure of our footings. Descending between Harter Fell and Green Crag, we’re caught by Adam, Paul, Barry and some others. I’m not worried that we’ve been caught up. As I see it, they’ve had to work harder to catch us and there’s a hell of a long way to go. We all arrive into Boot together, following a bit of banter and a suggestion of popping into the pub. Unfortunately no one had any cash and apparently the race organisers weren’t running a tab? Dib in and I’m off.

3. Boot to Wasdale Head 5.4miles ascent 974ft descent 942ft

The shortest section of the race and one of the easiest going underfoot. Paul and Adam caught me again and we ran together through this section, banter on full burn, Adam running in nappies and myself getting in a rocking chair and slippers at the next checkpoint for an afternoon kip! Good times!
Burnmoor Tarn is a beautiful site and we were very lucky to have fantastic weather to take advantage of the beauty. We descend into Wasdale together and myself and Adam provide Paul with a free tourist’s guide to the fells. “There’s Sca Fell, the big looming chunk of dark grey mass. Lingmell and Kirk Fell to your right and Yewbarrow to your left.” It really was a beautiful evening.
Unfortunately I lost contact with Ian at this point. I assumed at the time that he was just going through a bad patch. Checkpoint reached, I dib in, top up my water and I’m off.

4. Wasdale Head to Buttermere 6.9miles ascent 2336ft descent 2188ft

I was really looking forward to the next three sections. There are some pretty big long climbs and some nasty technical descents. Love it. This is usually when the field starts to get stretched out and runners find out what they’re in for. I was also confident in my climbing abilities so decided to hit the next three sections quite hard. Not fast, just hard. I absolutely adore the climb up to Black Sail Pass, more so because at the top you are greeted by Jos Naylor’s infamous Iron Gate. Guess I’m a romantic at heart. The descent down to Black Sail hut goes well; I fall once and manage to run through some bog, but on the whole pretty good. I inform some people staying at the hut that they’re in for a great spectacle before I’m off up Scarth Gap Pass. Although it’s another long climb, it’s the descent that really hits you. The best way to describe it would be to say it’s a vertical slide with numerous boulders of numerous sizes scattered along it. Some of the boulders have solid footings; some are balancing on the edges of others. The hardest part is deciding which is which (made more difficult with the dying sun) and making sure you get the right line to the hole in the wall. Luckily I only have one fall, sliding on the left side of my body, only stopping when I hit a rather large boulder. When you do eventually reach the bottom, you are welcomed to a nice smooth run along Buttermere Lake and into the checkpoint. Water bottles topped up and I’m off. Just as I’m leaving, Paul and Adam arrive.

5. Buttermere to Braithwaite 6.5miles ascent 1880ft descent 2011ft

Leaving Buttermere, runners are greeted to an extraordinary arduous climb up to Sail Pass. In daylight, one would be treated to wonderful views of the Buttermere Valley, and the fells of Dale Head, Robinson and Whiteless Pike. Tonight there’s only the pitch dark and piercing evil looking sheep’s eyes to keep us company. I had already turned on my GPS device at this point and thrown it in a back pocket. I didn’t really need it to show me the way, but the little beeps every time I hit a waypoint were reassuring. I must also add, that I actually really enjoy running in the dark by myself. There’s something mysterious and wild that I find compelling and I think it probably shows in my splits that it was during the night section that I really started to make time on other runners. I soon reached Braithwaite and to my surprise, Ian is already there next to Stuart Mills. Sadly, Ian had been suffering from a chest infection leading up to the race and wasn’t quite fully recovered and decided to pull out. I was really gutted for Ian. He’d put in nearly as much training and dedication to this event as me and I really believed that we would be together until at least halfway. One thing you can be assured of is that he will be back and I can’t wait to start training with him again.

6. Braithwaite to Blencathra Centre 8.5miles ascent 1568ft descent 1001ft

The first half of this section is pretty much all flat along the A66 and part of the old railway track. It’s maybe not the most inspiring section of the course but it provides runners with the first opportunity since the start to get into any kind of rhythm. Before you know it, you find yourself climbing up Spooney Lane onto the Cumbria Way. This can sometimes be quite mentally tough simply because you know you’re being sent on a rather large detour before running back on yourself to the Blencathra Centre. Again, in daylight one would be treated to beautiful views of Keswick and the distant fells of Rosthwaite, Seathwaite and Glaramara. Tonight I got to talk to the sheep. Oh, hello Mr. Toad. You’re lucky I had my powerful head torch on because you might have been looking a lot worse now. I did have to check my sanity coming into Blencathra though. I’m sure there were balloons leading to and from the checkpoint. I though I’d taken the wrong turn at first and was gate crashing someone’s birthday party. Fortunately I was on the right track and was greeted to a cheerful group whom I thanked for the welcome party, shared a bit of banter and was off.

7. Blencathra Centre to Dockray 7.7miles ascent 1368ft descent 827ft

Leaving Blencathra I was in high-spirits so ploughed on and got to see a giant owl fly before me. This section starts easy enough, running down onto the railway track, before one is greeted with a climb up to the Old Coach Road. My climbing legs felt strong today so I took full advantage of it and walked strong. There’s no point running any of the ascents in this race. Save your legs and power trek. The paths to Dockray are pretty laborious but just grit your teeth and get on with it. Quick hi to the checkpoint staff, empty the shoes of debris, water topped up and I’m off.

8. Dockray to Dalemain 10.1miles ascent 1214ft descent 2093ft

A tale of two halves. The first half is a beautiful run through Aira Force and climb up and around Gowbarrow Fell. Then a lovely run through some unnamed woods and a bit of farmland. The second half is then all about the road. If you love tarmac, you’re gonna enjoy this section, if not, make the most of being able to run nice and relaxed and not worry about your footings. An uneventful section and to my surprise I get to Dalemain way ahead of schedule (well, I had no schedule for any of the checkpoints but hoped to get to Dalemain around the 12 hour mark). Quick changeover of gels and nuun™, debris out of shoes and I’m off. I think this was the longest I stayed at any checkpoint, about 4 minutes I think. Dawn is just approaching as I leave so I ditch the head torch and hand torch.

9. Dalemain to Howtown 7.1miles ascent 965ft descent 935ft

Because Dalemain is seen as such a pivotal moment for most of the 100 runners, it can be pretty hard to get going again. I just had to grit my teeth and half power trek and half run the grassy section to the road. Once on the road I could relax and run quite smoothly up to the start of the climb to The Cockpit and the stone circle, which I again power trekked. I then got into a form of running all the way to Howtown. During this section I made sure I took on quite a bit of fluid because I knew the next section was a bit of an ache. Quick top up of water and off again.

10. Howtown to Mardale Head 9.4miles ascent 2510ft descent 2205ft

It’s a long old trek up to Wether Hill, but my climbing legs were strong so I just kept on plugging away. Before I knew it I was up on top of Wether Hill, quick look at the beautiful display of fells and then off cruising along the relaxing and gentle Bampton Common. Last year I got a little lost at this point and took the wrong line down to the bridge near Sandhill Knotts, through some bracken which actually turned out the be a beautiful path. I’ve never found that path since but the proper path is nice and smooth anyway, although my quads were pretty tender by now and it was getting harder and harder to descend at any pace. Just before you hit the horrible technical section along Haweswater lake there are a couple of switchbacks along a beck which involves a little bouldering. I manage to completely lose my footing on one of these boulders, both legs in the air and land on my back. Luckily I manage to land on my bag and in a dry dirt crater. No harm done and I’m off. The route around the lake is arduous and annoyingly technical. Just when you think you’ve made it, the path brings you back in and takes you around another headland. This part of the section is all about taking your time, taking no risks and being sensible. The heat is really starting to rise now, so I make sure I’m drinking plenty of fluids. Checkpoint reached, top up of water and off for the vertical climb up Gatescarth Pass.

11. Mardale Head to Kentmere 6.5miles ascent 1677ft descent 1932ft

When I say vertical climb, I mean vertical climb. Man this is one hell of a climb. Not the longest climb, but tough. Climbing legs still feel strong so I just plug away. Think it takes me around 30 minutes to reach the top before the long descent into Longsleddale. This is quite a tough descent with foot battering chucks of slab and rock. I also need to protect my quads at this point and try to limit muscle damage. At the bottom I’m met with a wonderful surprise. Guy from Inov-8 is there to take some photos and ask if I would like to be a part of Team Inov-8. I agree on the spot and leave with a nice new shiny cap. Kentmere soon turns up but I don’t think they’re expecting me quite so soon. It’s very laid back, only 1 or 2 people there setting up the checkpoint. I top up my bottles and get out of there.

12. Kentmere to Ambleside 7.3miles ascent 1611ft descent 1975ft

The climb out of Kentmere up through Garburn Pass can be soul destroying at the best of times. Luckily I really enjoyed the run from Kentmere to Ambleside, although my quads felt pretty shot. The race now had simply come down to perpetual forward movement. My energy levels were fine and mentally I was having the time of my life. Just gotta keep on moving. Oh, and I must thanks the Japanese tourists who pull over in there car as I’m battling the vertical road through Troutbeck and ask me directions to the A592. Classic!

13. Ambleside to Chapel Stile 5miles ascent 768ft descent 699ft

Leaving Kentmere I was incorrectly informed by someone that I was about 3 hours up on 2nd placed Adam and Paul. Hearing that I had a 3 hour gap, I thought I could ease off a little bit. At Ambleside I was informed that Andy Mouncey was about 1:45 behind. Bloody hell! Andy must be on fire. I didn’t see him fly off at the start as I expected, so assumed he had either changed tactics or was suffering from an injury. As you could imagine, I started to get a bit worried and panic stricken at this point. To hear that someone was 3 hours behind and then only 1:45 behind in the space of an hour meant that this guy was flying and I was crawling. I left Ambleside in a hurry and a little confused. I wasn’t really in the right frame of mind to work out mathematical equations and didn’t realise that to make up 1:45 mins on one section would be almost impossible. Running into Rothay Park I got to see Annie, parents and Lily the dog for the first time since the start. It’s always a morale boost to see family and friends during a race but unfortunately I couldn’t stop and chat, I was on a mission. I marched on through the park and started the power trek up and under Loughrigg. Starting the descent towards Tarn Foot Farm, I thought I was hallucinating again. A half naked man in a skimpy pair of shorts and Inov-8 Bar-Grips jumped out of the path above me. It was Adam! Thank God.
I met Adam when I was up on my last recce and stayed at the local hostel. He’s a very good physio and top man. I lent him my Vibrams Five Fingers and he hasn’t looked back since. He was out on his lunch time run, so we had a brief chat before he made his way towards Loughrigg Tarn. I think he was glued to the live updates when he got back :o)
Skelwith Bridge, Elterwater and Chapel Stile soon came and past. My legs were tired but the path is pretty level going so I just kept on moving forward at a steady pace. I received a nice cheer from the good people sitting outside the Wainwright Inn and I took off my cap and tipped it to show my appreciation. Gotta stay in good spirits. That’s what’ll get you through the last 20 miles.

14. Chapel Stile to Tilberthwaite 7.1miles ascent 1270ft descent 1060ft

I found the gentle climb through the Langdales to be really tough. Usually, I would love running through here and find it relatively easy. Today it was arduous. Luckily I had the beautiful Langdale Fells to keep me company. Climbing up to Blea tarn, the heat was really pounding now and I was really quite dizzy. I thought I was about to faint but decided to leave that for later. Keep on moving, one step at a time. My focus now was to push on to Tilberthwaite and hope that the gap was large enough that I could take the last section nice and easy and just enjoy the moment. I still wasn’t sure how far anyone was behind me. I hadn’t let the thought of winning coming into my head that much, when I did, I felt quite emotional so I would snap straight out of it. No point wasting energy on thinking. I was told at Kentmere that I could be on for the course record, but my brain couldn’t cope with calculations, so in my mind I was still struggling to make 24 hours. Arriving at Wrynose Pass, a motorcyclist was kind enough to stop me and ask directions to Hardknott Pass! Think I just grunted this time. Just before Tilberthwaite, Guy popped up again to let me know I was now part of Team Inov8! Fantastic, it’s a great honour to be chosen by anyone to represent them, even more so when it’s a company that you believe in and use. Guy also set the record straight that there never was a 3 hour gap so that meant no one was storming through behind me. I now started to think about how it would feel to win the race that has taken over my life. No…feel like crying. Just keep on moving.
Running into Tilberthwaite was fantastic, the checkpoint was buzzing. I’m not saying any of the checkpoints were less so. I remember everyone being absolutely fantastic. It was just that I was in such a focus to keep moving forward that I didn’t really get the opportunity to take advantage of the checkpoints. I left Tilberthwaite with the loudest party going on down below me.

15. Tilberthwaite to Coniston 3.5miles ascent 928ft descent 1263ft

Only 3.5 miles to go but what a hell of a last section. Queue some vertical climbing and bouldering. Then to my shock and horror, half way up the climb and the checkpoint was partying again. Are they cheering me again or has someone else come through? I had no idea so I just pushed as hard as I physically could. When I finally reached the top I accepted that I must have a big enough lead to stroll into the finish. I took it steady down the miserably rock-strewn path, making sure of my footings. Quads were shot anyway so just prayed I wouldn’t fall. I managed to work out that I might just make it under the course record at that point. Hell yeah, come on! I started to dream then, imagining cruising in and really soaking in the atmosphere and showing my appreciation to everyone and anyone. Then I met Guy just before the road section and he told me that I had 7 minutes to break 22 hours. Really? Sub 22 hours? I was now on a mission. My tired and aching legs and feet all of a sudden took on a rejuvenated energy. I went hell for leather on that final section. I may have only been running 7 minute mile pace but to me it was an all out sprint. Final straight came into view and all I could think was “where’s the dibber?”. Crazy? I went for it, crossed the line and dibbed in. 21:58. I’ll take that.

Finish and after party

I tried to thank as many people I could at the finish before I had to get into the shade. Couple of well dones from various people, including last year’s winner Stuart Mills, then I faint! I suffer from low blood pressure when I finish a long race. There are exercises I can do to help, but I usually forget and faint. Luckily, I’ve never head butted the ground (yet). At the Highland Fling I managed to sit on the toilet before I fainted :o)

2 hours later and I’m starting to feel half human again. I catch Andy coming in, beating his best by an hour. Great job Andy. He will go down in Lakeland folklore, no doubt about that. Not long after Adam and Paul come in. Paul manages to trip and get precariously close to kissing tarmac just before the line. They cross together in 3rd place. Fantastic, chuffed for them. Perry snr. (Adam’s Dad) crosses the line not too long after. The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur after that really. I remember seeing Craig Stewart, my sometimes arch nemesis ;o), winning the Lakeland 50. Well done Craig. Fantastic to see you win. You looked thrilled. I then remember speaking to numerous people, before I head to the pub for a couple of pints of Stout and some food. Bed.

Next day, legs aren’t too bad so I decide to keep on moving and walking. I hang around and get to see the last of the finishers come in. I have nothing but the utmost respect for these guys and gals. I’m lucky that I could run the course in 22 hours. These remarkable people have been out there for 40 hours! Immense. I then spoke to numerous people again. Really nice to get so many positive remarks. Thanks everyone. Prize giving soon turns up and Marc gives out a fantastic speech. Before I know it, I’m up to collect my trophy. I wish I could say that I soaked the whole thing in and gave everyone there a good show, but I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t really know what to do. The round of applause I received was absolutely mind-blowing. I’ve never experienced anything like it. I can’t thank everyone enough. It really meant a lot.

Off for a veggie pizza then I see Paul at the pub with his partner. Time for a few cheeky pints I think. Really good to sit down with new friends, including Barry (who finished 9th, great result), his Dad and a friend. As you can imagine, being with the Irish meant that the banter was good and the stout even better. Good times.

Thank you’s

Just would like to say thanks to some people. Without these people, I don’t think I would be in a position to win a race like this.

First off, my partner Annie. Without her continuing support and belief I wouldn’t be half the man I am today.

Her parents David and Alison Baumber, Lily the retriever, Matt and Nick. They have been a rock for me and are as much family to me as anyone.

Mum and Dad. Thanks for putting up with me.

Ian Bishop. What can I say about Ian? This win is as much his as it is mine. He nursed me around the first half last year and was my personal navigator on all the recces we did together. He will be back next year and I will be looking forward to our sprint finish ;o)

The Climbers Shop, especially Nick and Lakes Runners, both in Ambleside.
Also Bilbo’s Café above the shop. Great cakes and coffee :o)

Guy Russell of Inov-8. I find it inspiring knowing someone who was not only a great runner in their own right, but ran with the greats of the great fell running era. Your passion for running and the Lake District is infectious.

Marc, Terry, volunteers and everyone else involved in the running of this event. Wow…you sure know how to put on a race! Brilliant work. Its just gonna get bigger and stronger every year. You have made a classic.

And finally, to anyone who took part in this fabulous event. You are all heroes and inspirational. See you all next year.

Montane Lakeland 100 UTLD 2011 Result

2011-08-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to say I won!

To say I'm happy would be the biggest understatement ever. I've been pretty overwhelmed with the whole experience and it's going to take me a day or two to come to grips with it. So bare with me, and I'll try and get a full race report posted in the coming week. There's so many people I would like to thank for all the support etc that I'll need at least a week to gather all their names :0)

If anyone has any questions they would like to ask, feel free to stick one in the comments box and I'll try my best to incorporate it into my race report.

Final thanks to anyone I met during the weekend of the event. Everyone was fantastic and the atmosphere was amazing :0)

Lakeland 100 – UTLD 2011 – Countdown to Race Day

2011-07-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

Well, what can I say? Just over 7 days to go and I should find myself standing at the start line of the “big one”, the Lakeland 100, and I can’t wait!

I still have no idea how I managed to get around the course last year, let alone finish 5th [well, joint 4th ;o)]. In reality, Ian Bishop led me around the first half and joining up with Robin Houghton got me through the second. Without these two, there’s no doubt that I would have really struggled to finish the race.

I came into the race last year completely unprepared and under trained. I had spent the previous 10 months transitioning to barefoot and minimalist running so my mileage was pretty low compared to previous years. I think I managed to get in a couple of trail marathons, a 30 mile ultra and a 44 mile coastal run. The significant issue in these races was that I pretty much bombed in all of them! That year, I pretty much went from running 5-10 miles runs (learning to run again), straight into marathons and ultra’s and my body just wasn’t having any of it. Two more reasons why I’m surprised I got through the race is the fact I had no idea of the course route and secondly I wore a test pair of Inov-8 Bare-Grips. Don’t get me wrong, the Bare-Grips are a great shoe, but the course is bloody vicious! I would say that at least 70% of the course is nasty, technical, feet battering shards of rock and stone, with a few bogs thrown in just to steal your shoes. Saying that, I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s all part of the Lakeland challenge. As for navigation, I only entered 3 weeks before so had no time to recce any of the course and didn’t really have chance to study any of the maps. Its hard going into an event without the proper preparation and my approach that year was almost comical. Sometimes, I have found it quite beneficial going into a race a little bit naïve and under prepared, but the UTLD is not one of those times I would recommend this approach.

Anyway, back to this year’s event.
I learned a hell of a lot from last years experience and hopefully I can put all this to good use this time around. I have chosen all my kit (weather dependant), planned a nutritional strategy and have managed to reece the course on numerous occasions. I have also tailored a lot of my training this year specifically for this event. This has meant that I have had to sacrifice almost any form of speed training, which has in turn affected my performances at shorter, faster races. Like any other runner, I have questioned my training methods (e.g. Did I do enough mileage? Have I done too much? Should I have done more hills? Would some speed sessions of helped?), but I have confidence that the type of training I have done this year has better prepared me for the race. I don’t really have a race plan as such because I find with a 100 mile race that there are so many variables and factors that can influence the race that I need to be able to adapt to any given situation. If everything goes to “plan” than I should have a great race, but I will be prepared for anything that the UTLD experience has to throw at me and bloody well enjoy every moment of it. This is what I live for. Bring it on!

So, good luck to all other entrants and I’ll see you at the start line :o)

Pimp my Blog!

2011-06-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let you know I've "pimped" my blog :0)

Hope you like it.

Montane Highland Fling 53 miles Trail (30/April/2011)

2011-05-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

Wow…what a great day and what a great race! The Fling this year incorporated the UKA Ultra Trail Championships, Scottish Ultra Trail Championships and GB Ultra Trail Team Qualifier so as you can imagine there was a very strong field. Jez Bragg, Stuart Mills, Allen Smalls were just some of the names I recognised. I was really excited with the prospect of testing myself with the best and seeing how far I’ve progressed and how far I am from some of the top UK ultra runners. Unfortunately I had a very “off” day at the races and the Highland Fling became one of the toughest challenges I’ve faced as an ultra runner.

The race itself begins with a staggered start between 6am and 9am, the idea being that it cuts down on congestion and the chance for everyone finishing closer together at the end. I was classed as an “elite” so would be at the 8am start, whereas Annie would start at 6am with the rest of the females and super vets. Consequently, we were both up at 3:30am to have breakfast and drive to the start at Milngavie for 5am. Although ideally I would have enjoyed an extra 2 hours in bed, it was good to be at the event so early and watch both the 6am and 7am runners set off and it also gave me the opportunity to take ample advantage of the toilet facilities.

8am soon came around and as we make our way to the starting line I bump into Stuart Mills and we have a brief chat. I’ve ran a couple of the same races as Stu before but we’ve never really spoke before so it was good to actually meet. When we get sent on our way, I expect Stu to go flying off on his usual “run as fast as you can for as long as you can” but he doesn’t. This time he sticks next to race favourite Jez in the company with two more runners. I decided before the race not run with the front runners and run my own race and find myself about 100 meters behind with a couple of more runners about the same distance behind me. This is pretty much how it stayed all the way to Drymen (12.6 miles) which I arrived in 01:23:58, an average pace pf 6:40 min/miles. On the face of it, 6:40 pace may appear pretty fast for a 53 mile trail race, but the route to Drymen and up to Conic Hill is quite easy going and I felt very comfortable and was enjoying myself. Just before coming out of the forest above Drymen and on towards Conic Hill I caught up and passed one of the runners from the leading pack but the other three were still about 100-200 meters in front. I was really enjoying watching the front runners (I think Stu had glued himself to Jez’s shoulder) and was happy to stay in my position and hoped to remain there until at least Rowardennan (around halfway) and see what happens from there. I was still feeling very comfortable and felt that I was running strong at this point. Arriving at the base of Conic Hill it looked like Jez had thrown down the first challenge of the day to the two other runners and ran strong to reach the summit, maybe a tactic to test the competition? I also felt strong running the hill and closed the gap to 3rd (Stu) to about 10 yards or so by the top. Unfortunately this is when the wheels started to fall off for me and the race got a hell of a lot tougher!

I arrived at the summit of Conic Hill and felt great, the climb went well and I was feeling very positive but then out of nowhere on the descent the whole of my right hamstring turned into rock solid granite! I was brought to a complete stand still, not only by the pain and an inability to move but also from the surprise and shock. I’ve got cramp plenty of times in a race, but it’s usually towards the end and there are usually signs that it’s on its way. This came out of nowhere and I had to stop and spend a minute or two stretching and massaging the hamstring. I had to take the rest of the decent easy so not to aggravate the hamstring and easily lost 4-5 minutes on the front 3 runners.
Running into Balmaha (20 miles) I was close to pulling out of the race. To get cramp this bad after only 20 miles was not a good sign and I was pretty sure that things would only get a hell of a lot worse. I had been taking on plenty of fluids and electrolytes so was mystified why I was suffering so early. I’ve only suffered cramp this bad once before, and on that occasion it got so bad that it got to a point were I could no longer move and had to pull out of the race. I really didn’t want to pull out of this race but at the same time I wanted to be able to run at my best. I decide at Balmaha to keep going but reduce my pace a little to attempt to stem the cramp from getting any worse.

The route from Balmaha to Rowardennan runs along Loch Lomond and through some woodland areas so there’s plenty to take my mind away and I’m still enjoying myself. The cramp isn’t going away and I can feel my legs slowly getting tighter and tighter. I have to stop every now and again and go through a routine of stretches but arrive in Rowardennan in 03:27:10, seven minutes behind the front runners. It really is a strange predicament to find oneself in when the body and the mind feels great but dilapidating cramp takes hold. I want to run faster and I know that usually I would be able to but I can’t and it’s bloody frustrating! A little after leaving the checkpoint at Rowardennan, there’s a really nice climb up through the woods which also offers relief from the cramp and surprisingly I see Stuart Mills just in front of me. I eventually catch up with him and after a brief chat I find myself pulling away into 3rd place. I can only assume at the time that he was going through a really bad patch. Coming down into Inversnaid, the next checkpoint, cramp starts to take hold again and it’s now spread to both legs and into my hips and groin and I have to hobble in. Stu catches back up and we’re both diving into our drop bags when another runner comes blasting through. I think this takes us both by surprise and Stu’s off before I can say anything. I eventually get myself in order and get on my way. My constant battle with cramp has prematurely fatigued my legs and I’m struggling. Leaving Inversnaid the path gets pretty technical which brings me to a walk shuffle hobble sometimes running pace. I usually enjoy skipping up and over technical trail but on this occasion my legs aren’t in a fit state to deal with it, cramp bringing me to a stand still every now and then. Two more runners catch me up on this section but I manage to keep with one of them as we take turns exchanging places. It feels like I’m walking most of this section and it’s a battle to just keep moving. We arrive at Beinglas together where one of the marshals pours a bucket of water over me and I knock back a bottle of coke/water. Leaving Beinglas, I know there are only 12 or so miles to go but I’m suffering big time. I’m feeling exhausted with my constant battle with cramp which has now spread to the whole of my stomach muscles. The coke mix does wonders for me for at least 5 minutes and I catch back up with the runner I arrived with who says he’s had it. I offer him some encouragement and energy gel but he’s not looking too good so I leave him to it and crack on. Around this point another runner comes through and I attempt to keep with him but whenever I try to increase my pace, cramp takes hold and I’m brought to a stand still. All I can do now is shuffle along, stop and stretch every now and again and just keep on plugging away until the end.

I managed to finish the race in 8th place in 08:04:09 but to be honest I was just happy to get there. Actually, to say I was happy to cross the line would be an understatement, more so because I think if I had to run any further, cramp would of engulfed my whole body! I was feeling pretty ill and headed straight for the shower. I then passed quite a bit of blood which didn’t look too good and almost fainted on a number of occasions. I eventually managed to get myself together and throw some food down me before I collapsed into a chair.

Apart from the almost complete failure of my body, I have to say that on the whole it was a really good experience. Scotland is a beautiful place, the course is fantastic and everyone involved in the race was top notch. I also perversely enjoyed my own personal battle. I have no idea why my body reacted the way it did on the day. I felt fine the days before, making sure I got enough fuel and fluid into my system. I was well rested and felt good before and during the race until things went down hill. It was a warm day, but the past 4 weeks have been hotter back home and I had lots of days running in it.
I think sometimes, things just go wrong. There’s no specific reason why they do, they just do. I don’t like to dwell on things, so I’ll just take the experience and become stronger and more determined to improve my performance. During the race I did question whether I was cut out to really ever challenge the top guys but this experience has made me more determined then ever.
But, the most important thing is to enjoy running and I hope I always will.

Hell yeah…

About time….Quick update

2011-04-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s been over 5 weeks since my last update so thought I should really get my arse into gear and write a few words about what I’ve been up to…

Terminator, Pewsey, 11 country miles (27/Feb/11)

As I’ve mentioned before, the Terminator was my first ever race so will always hold a special place in my running heart. None of my training is geared towards shorter, faster races these days so I always come into these types of races with the plan of simply enjoying myself, the countryside, fellow runners, marshals, supporters and most importantly…the cakes! Ended up not having a bad day, finishing 9th in my best time for the course…happy days!

Lakeland Reece, Ambleside to Keswick, 53ish miles (7th – 8th March 2011)

First thing Monday morning I drive up to Ambleside to meet up with Ian Bishop (who I ran 40+ miles with last year) to run from Ambleside to Keswick over two days, staying in Boot, Eskdale at the halfway point. The weather was nice for running, a bit chilli, but dry. We had booked a camping pod in Boot and planned to sleep in bivvi bags to keep our weight down but a couple of days before I chickened out and bought a very cheap, light 1 season sleeping bag and an inflatable cushion. Ian decided to keep with the bivvi plan.

We took off towards Boot at a reasonably leisurely pace, enjoying the beautiful surroundings and conversing in general running chit chat. Navigation was spot on and we arrived in Boot after 4 ½ hours or so. We checked into our little wooden pod and put on the gas fire to warm it up. Shower, change of clothes and were off to the pub for a meal and a couple of pints…nice. We leave the pub and it’s a beautiful clear night, thousands of stars sparkling down on us but the temperatures dropped quite a lot…oh well, we’ll be fine in our insulated pod with gas heater? I snuggle into my sleeping bag, Ian wraps himself in turkey foil, the gas heater’s burning and within an hour the pod is nice and warm. Time to turn of the heater and get some well deserved sleep? Within an hour we’re both wide awake…freezing! I’m sure we we’re told that once the pod gets warm, it stays warm…apparently not! We stick the heater back on and leave it on this time. Ah…that’s better. Hiss…hiss...whiff…puff…its out! The gas has run out! It’s the middle of the night and we have no way of getting anymore gas and it getting bloody cold. When a pod gets cold it stays cold! Every now and then I would drop off before my body woke me up to remind me that I was freezing. We both spent the rest of the night continually rolling around on the floor to maintain some kind of body heat…it didn’t work. I managed to drop off for about 20 minutes, woke up at 5am shaking uncontrollably. Never a good thing. We head off towards the toilets and spend an hour under hair dryers attempting to raise our core body temperatures. This would probably look funny to someone else, two grown men cowering under hair dryers, and in hindsight it is. We decide to leave early and set off on the second half simply because it was better then hanging around to get cold again.
What should off been a nice easy run turned out to be quite a tough outing in the end. We were both tired and my left knee was really sore. The cold really agitated it and it was painful from the offset and got worse. Boot to Keswick took us 5 hours, but we did stop at Buttermere for a coffee and cake.
Endurance Life CTS Pembrokeshire Marathon 28 miles (12/March/2011)

After my adventure in the Lakes I had to take to rest of the week off running (3 days) because of my knee. It still felt sore on race day but hadn’t got any worse so decided to go ahead with it. A couple of hundred or so of us start off from Little Haven and within a couple of meters I’m running out in front by myself. My knee feels okay and I’m running pretty fast with the hope of getting near the course record. Everything’s going well, I feel strong and my knee’s feeling okay. I get to the second checkpoint after 11-12 miles and I’m already over 15 mins in front and still feeling strong. A couple of miles after leaving cp2 I follow an arrow pointing left, catch up with an early starter and say hi. She mentions she’s not seen any course markers for a while, I say I presume we follow this road to the end and go from there. I get to a T junction and there are no markers. I stand around; scratch my head and the runner catches back up with me. “There are no markers? Which way now?”. We go right for 200 meters or so but I doesn’t feel right. We turn around and run back to the T junction where we’re met by another early starter. “Have you seen any other markers since you’ve been on this road?”…“no!”...“okay, what now?”. Now the sensible thing would be to go back to the original marker and double check, but for some reason when you’re racing and especially when you’re out in front, you never want to go back! So we instead decide to go left and I race off fuelled by anger of wasting time. This stupid anger contributes to my stubbornness to accept that I was going completely the wrong way and I continue to pound on. After 20 minutes I return to the course a couple of miles before the point I first went wrong. Again, the sensible thing to do would be to get back on the course and go from there. Nope, Mr Stubbornness was having his way and I decide to run all the way back from where I came from and return to the T junction. At the T junction I’m met by some other runners. What the heck is going on? Someone pulls up in a car and informs us that loads of people are going wrong and getting lost. It turns out that the arrow that pointed left actually was supposed to point straight on. Someone had turned it around for fun! Just as annoying was the fact that someone had decided to park their car right in front of the “proper” path where another arrow pointed the way! I’m now halfway down the field after wasting god knows how long running around in circles. Nothing for it but to carry on and start chasing down everyone. I continually pass people but have no idea where 1st, 2nd or 3rd are as I’ve now caught up with the half marathons runners and 10km runners. I start to feel tired after the 20 mile marker and decide to relax a bit and just enjoy the experience and treat it as a training run. I disappointingly finish close to 4 hours but then notice I was only 7 minutes behind the winner and 30 seconds or so behind 3rd. Never mind, it was a nice day out in beautiful surroundings and pretty good weather.

Cleevewold 14, Postlip, Gloucestershire, 14 miles (27/March/2011)

A beautiful race in the Cotswold countryside, taking in Cleeve common and some of the Cotswold Way. It’s a fantastic event with some nice undulating hills and is pretty fast. I have a really good race and finish 3rd.

Solo Lakeland Reece, Ambleside to Keswick, 53ish miles (28/March/2011)

A great day out in the Lakes! I decided to do it in one go this time and by myself. Although it’s nice to run with other people, I also find it very therapeutic running by myself and its good experience to reece by oneself. Navigation was again pretty spot on apart from coming into Boot. I managed to miss a turn and arrive at the river a little further down. Not too much bother; I can cross using the stepping stone bridge. But I manage to slip on one of the stones and plunge head first into the river. Turned out to be quite a nice accident really. The day had turned out to be a lot warmer than I had anticipated and the impromptu dip was quite refreshing! I also had to drink a hell of a lot more water than expected and was thankful for the many becks and ghylls to top up my water bottles. I arrived in Keswick within 10 hours, refuelled on some Thai noodles and crashed out at the local YHA.

Exe to Axe, Jurassic Coast, Dorset, 20 miles (03/April/2011, ascent over 4000ft)

Another race I try to do every year. A simple point to point race from the river Exe to the River Axe following the coastal path. Unfortunately, my dodgy knee flared up the day before the race so I had to take it easy on the day. I managed to finish 3rd, although even if I was fully fit I wouldn’t of been near the winner who finished in a course record.

My knee’s still feeling pretty sore at the moment so I’ll be taking it easy for a couple of weeks until my next race…happy days.

Endurance Life CTS South Devon Ultra 35 miles (19/Feb/2011, Ascent, 5,769 ft)

2011-02-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

This was to be my 3rd ultra in the space of 5 weeks so I came into this race with the mental approach of taking it easy and enjoying the fine views and coastal paths of South Devon, plus we we’re on holiday for the week and I wanted to relax and enjoy the local traditional cider and fine food. We were staying in Torcross, which is a stones throw (and a climb over the coastal path) to Beesands, the event base. We spent most of the week running a 10 mile section from Torcross to just past Start Point lighthouse, running through Beesands and Hallsands. Have lunch and then go for a gentle 3 hour walk in the afternoon, followed by a couple of pints of delicious cider. I’ve been pretty tired for most of January and February due to the races and upping my mileage, so it was good to take it easy, relax and enjoy some good food and drink.

I’m still experimenting with nutrition at the moment and decided to go back to gel and plain water. I find gels logistically easier to use and prefer the taste of plain water over energy drinks. For this event I got hold of some Torq energy gels. I’d estimated that I would be aiming for around 5 hours so had 10 gels (4 rhubarb & custard, 4 strawberry yogurt, 2 Forest Fruits (with Guarana)).

I wake up 2 hours before the race start and chomp down a Torq Bar and banana followed by an energy drink. Get my kit ready and set off for the ½ hour walk over the cliff to Beesands. The ultra course incorporates the marathon course (28.1m); following the coastal path towards East Portlemouth where it returns inland to Slapton Sands and back to Beesands followed by the 10km course (7.3m). Obviously, this meant that the ultra participants would be running to the finish, only to carry on for another 7 miles before a return to the finish! Some of the runners may have found this mentally difficult, but I was lucky enough to go for a run on the Thursday and find the 10km route had been marked out. This meant that I was able to “recce” the route and I had found it enjoyable so had a positive attitude towards that section. Just before the start, Tobias Mews introduced himself and we had a little chat and then we were off.

Tobias went straight out into a little sprint followed by myself and Rob Burnham then decides to slow down a bit and chat with myself and Rob. We begin the climb up to Start point, all three relaxed and chatting. I had been really looking forward to this event for a couple of reasons. One, I’m not really recovered from the last couple of races so had decided to just enjoy this race, relax, take it relatively easy and see what happens. Two, hills! Love ‘um! After the last two races I was craving a course with some nice climbs, descents and fine views. This had it. And finally, no pressure, none. I hadn’t set myself any targets so could really just relax and enjoy myself.
For the first 6-7 miles we’re all running together with another two runners a little further back. Then, Rob decides to pick up the pace and nail the next 6 or so miles towards Salcombe. Tobias follows suit, but I decide to remain at my current effort levels. I pass Tobias after a couple of miles and mention something along the lines of not to worry about Rob. He was going out pretty hard, and would either regret it latter or carry on and fly to victory. Usually I might have been tempted to chase after him, but on this occasion I was happy to let him go and hope to reel him in later. I would glimpse Rob now and again and estimated he was around a minute in front of me. For some reason I was really confident that I would catch him at the marathon point. I’m not sure where that confidence came from, all I knew was that I was running really relaxed and would be in a position to pick up my pace if I needed to. The route along the coastal path towards East Portlemouth was truly stunning and I thoroughly enjoyed this section of the race. Coming back inland was a mix of trail, road (a little too much) and farmland, but was also very pleasant. I caught sight of Rob now and again and could see that I had closed the gap a little but lost sight of him through a lovely wooded section of Slapton Nature Reserve. I knew coming out of the reserve we would be met by a 1 ½ mile section along Slapton Sands which is very flat and very straight. This could have been a mentally tough section, but in the week I had made a concerted effort to think of this section positively and it worked. I felt really energetic and strong entering the straight and could see myself slowly pulling in Rob. We climbed over the cliff at Torcross into Beesands and there’s probably a 30 second gap between us. I decide to hold back a bit a wait for the climb up to Start Point to make my move. I wanted to see how strong he looked on the climbs before I committed and it became apparent that I was running stronger at this point. Just before we arrived at Start Point I caught Rob, exchanged a few words and then carried on. After passing Rob, I relaxed again and concentrated on simply running strong on the climbs and narrow coastal path. It was pretty difficult at this point because we had caught up with some of the 10km runners. It can be pretty hard negotiating coastal paths at the best of times without having to jockey past runners who have no idea that you’re trying to win the ultra race. This is also where one of my only real bug bears really gets to me. i-Pods (or any similar mp3 device)! I understand why some people use them, but in my opinion (and it’s just an opinion) they should be banned from races, especially trail races when the course follows along a cliff and/or mountainous terrain. The main reasons for this are that I just think it’s dangerous and irresponsible. Wearing earphones and listening to music blocks a person out from their surroundings. This could simply be hearing someone running up behind you, asking to be kindly let through, being ignored (because you can’t hear), then jumping out of your skin when one attempts to pass. You can also not hear if anyone is calling for help (accidents do happen, people do fall) and almost as importantly you block out nature and the experience of running in the wild. Anyway, enough of my rant, each to their own…back to the race. So I’ve passed Rob and now negotiating the 10km runners and then the half-marathons runners further inland. I’m still feeling really strong and relaxed so carry on plugging away and enjoying myself. I finally hit the descent back into Beesands with a big smile on my face and cross the line in 04:43:23 hrs, an average of 8:05 min/miles. Not bad for a relaxing run around the beautiful South Devon coast and countryside.

Just before I sign off…Annie finished 2nd female in the marathon event. Great result and will give her confidence going into her next event.
Rob finished 5 minutes after me and Tobias 3rd 30 minute behind.
Torq gels…really happy with them and will use them again in the coming months.

Endurance Life website

Thames Trot 50 mile Oxford to Henley-on-Thames, 05/Feb/2011 (very flat)

2011-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Thames Trot is the second ultra organised by Go Beyond Ultra and I decided to enter a couple of days after Country to Capital. Again, the course is flat as a pancake but it provides another good opportunity to test my speed endurance.

5:15am…my alarm finally goes off. I’ve not had the best nights sleep, waking up every hour of so to cough my lungs out. I’ve felt a little run down this week, suffering from a phlegmy chest and a “sensitive” stomach. I’ve also had a bit of a twinge in my hip muscles. They’ve just felt a bit overused and tired. Oh well, that’s enough of moaning and excuses! Man up Conway! Back to the race…

I drag myself out of bed and knock back a sports drink then straight into the shower. Quickly get changed, eat an energy bar, a banana and I’m out the door to get the train to Oxford. On the train I notice another runner (we do stick out a bit), nod, but carry on past and take a seat. I wasn’t being rude or anything, it was early, dark and some people prefer their own company before a race, so I didn’t want to impose myself on him. The journey only takes 30 minutes, most of which I try not to fall asleep. Arriving at the platform, we introduce ourselves and have a general natter (about running) and make our way to the front of the station where we’re met by a handful of other runners and within a couple of minutes a shuttle bus to take us to the start a couple of miles away in Iffley. We arrive at the event base (Prince of Wales Pub) which is already quite packed and there’s only one toilet (never a good thing). I make a beeline for the loo to get “that” part of the pre-race ritual out of the way. I then start to prepare for the race, Vaseline, plasters for my nipples, sipping sports drink, but mostly thinking positively about running well and winning. Last years winning time was just under 6:25 hours and my aim is to get nearer 6 hours so I should be in with a shout. Could be difficult with the week I’ve had, but I keep positive and relax. “Unfortunately” Craig Stewart turns up, winner of the Country to Capital race! No…it’s good he’s here. The stronger the field, the more competitive a race usually becomes and in most cases result in faster times. Just before the start we have a little chat and the race photographer comes over and asks what times were aiming for. I say around 6 hours if all goes well. Craig mentions he’s only looking to get around 6:30 hours. He’s representing Scotland at a 100km race soon so doesn’t want to push too hard. I’m pretty sure he said last time he was just on a “training” run to get the miles in and ended up destroying the course record, so I take his announcement with a pinch of salt and expect him to run sub 6.

Quick race briefing and we’re off to the first checkpoint at Culham. The route follows the Thames river path all the way to Henley so is easy to navigate but pretty well flat. The underfoot conditions are sticky and there’s a bit of a wind blowing against us. Within a couple of miles me and Craig have pulled away from everyone else and get into a good rhythm just under 7 min/mile pace. We pretty much natter the whole way to Culham talking about various races, training, nutrition etc. I’d decided to try a different nutritional strategy for this race. Instead of gels I have a custom made sports drink which contains all the calories, salts and carbs I need per bottle per hour. If you fancy giving it a go take a look at Infinit Nutrition. Their website will explain it a lot better than I ever could (great customer service). I prefer to get all my nutritional needs during a race in liquid/gel form, but I find it almost impossible to consume 500ml of fluid every hour when I’m running at a pretty fast pace. On longer slower runs, it’s not really an issue. My “sensitive” stomach was also finding it hard to deal with this amount of fluid and started to cramp a bit and slosh around. We arrive at Culham and Craig continues straight through (he has a camelback); I have to stop to top up my bottle and mix in my drink. Although I lose a little time doing it this way, I just don’t get on with hydration bladders and I prefer having the option of changing what I put in my bottle. Unfortunately, the first pre-measured mix I pull out of my waistpack has somehow managed to split, I knock my refilled bottle on the floor but eventually managed to get it together and move on. I decide to put a little extra effort in to try to catch up with Craig and after a couple of miles he’s back within my sight…damn it…stomach’s turning. I dive into a bush for an emergency pit stop. I get back on my way a return to chasing after Craig. I realise pretty soon that I’m nowhere near 100% today. I’ve only covered 15 miles and I’m already finding it difficult to maintain the pace and it’s getting harder to drink my sports drink. My stomach muscles feel like they have been hit with a hammer and my hip muscles are tightening but I still manage to maintain my pace. I glimpse Craig now and again in the distance, maybe 2-3 minutes in front but decide it would be silly to try and chase him down so just concentrate on maintaining my own pace. The second checkpoint at Benson comes and goes (I top up my bottle a lot quicker this time!) and I carry on plugging away. I can’t remember if it was coming into Benson or some time after, but there was a couple of 2 mile sections of open ground along the river where the wind had picked up and was blowing pretty hard against me (and I guess all the other runners). With the sticky underfoot conditions, the wind was very unwelcome and felt like it was one step forward, two steps back, but it’s all good fun! I eventually hit mile 25 on target in just under 3 hours but knew I would find very difficult to run the next in 3 hours. I hit Goring, checkpoint 3, have a quick chat with the marshals and carry on. I had been looking forward to getting to this point as I know the course between Goring and Sonning very well as I’ve run it numerous times when I’m in Reading. Unfortunately I was feeling pretty crap at this point and not really enjoying myself. Quite a few times between Goring and the next checkpoint at Mapledurham I considered quitting at Reading but thankfully I managed to push those negative thoughts to the back of my head, concentrating on hopefully seeing my partner Annie at the last checkpoint. At Mapledurham I decided that I couldn’t drink anymore sports drink, my stomach just wasn’t playing along, so I knocked back three jelly babies and topped my bottle up with plain water. I wasn’t too worried about not getting the calories in at this point as there was only about 16 miles left and was confident that I could run that distance no matter how tired I was. I arrive at the final checkpoint and Annie is there which dramatically raises my spirits. I force down another 3 jelly babies, put 3-4 in my pocket and top up my water. The jelly babies in my pocket become my little sugar rush of joy on the way into Henley and I cross the line in 6:05:39, over 20 minutes under the old course record but still only second! Darn that Craig Stewart, who again annihilated the course record in 5:40:22! He’s a nice chap though and I no doubt will see him in future races. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him at the Lakeland 100 this year and the challenge of fighting it out with some pretty good runners.
There’s also quite a bit of positives I can take from the race, mainly that when I not 100% I can still be competitive and run hard.

For the future…I’m looking forward to not running the flats for a long time and getting back into the hills for some nice relaxing runs! Hell yeah…

Lake District holiday, running, coffee and cakes.

2011-01-31T03:54:00.000-08:00

If you’ve read my blog before, you will know that the Lake District has a special place in my heart and I try to get up there as much as possible (but never enough). We had this holiday booked before Christmas and it was supposed to be a nice relaxing walking holiday….well, things change and one must adapt!
Annie finally committed to running the Lakeland 50 a week or so before so we decided to turn the “nice relaxing holiday” into a “nice relaxing recce of the Lakeland 50”. Plus we were staying in Ambleside, which is pretty ideal for running the sections of the Lakeland 50 between Dalemain and Coniston. The first day we drove straight up to Dalemain to run an out and back from Dalemain. Turned out to be a very nice day and it was good to enjoy the route with fresh legs and an energetic mind! Last year, this section was just after halfway of the race and as you can imagine my mind and body was pretty much exhausted back then so much of this section was a bit of a blur! A couple of hours later and we’re back in the car and heading for Ambleside.

In my normal day to day life I keep to a pretty strict diet. When I say diet, I don’t mean I watch how many calories or fat I consume. I simply follow what I call a natural balanced diet of oats, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, diary, honey etc. I also gave up meat and fish about six months ago so now eat extra veg and a bit of soy based proteins now and again. When I’m on holiday I’m a bit more relaxed and eat homemade cakes and a “few” local ales. If you’re ever in Ambleside I implore you to visit Bilbo’s Café for some really good quality coffee, cakes and some ‘proper’ grub and a visit to the Golden Rule for a couple of nice ale’s in the evening shouldn’t go amiss. Bilbo’s Café is also situated above Lakes Runner so you get an excuse to buy some new running gear! We visited the café at least twice a day, once in the morning for some strong coffee and then after our run to consume some more coffee and a cake! John, the proprietor is also a keen runner and has entered the Lakeland 100 this year so we hooked up midweek to run from the café to Coniston. Turned out to be a fun run! Climbing out of Tilberthwaite towards Coniston we came to a beck that caused us to stop and think. The path had followed the
beck on our right for a while but then I noticed near the top that there was a path on the other side. I thought I recognised the path from last year but it didn’t look right on the map so we continued with the beck to the right. After running through some bog and hopping from one trod to the other we soon realised we had taken to wrong path. We looked at the map again and realised we had identified the wrong beck previously but we could see another path we could take to bring us into Coniston. So after running through some more bog and sheep carcass we got to the path which turned out to be vertical scree down the side of the fell. If you haven’t run scree before, give it ago! It’s bloody scary as hell but truly exhilarating! A couple of days later and I run the route again but take the correct route this time!

Some words of advice for anyone who is running the Lakeland this year:

1. Reece as much of the route as you can.
2. Make sure you know how to read a map.
3. If you can’t do 1 make bloody sure you can do 2.

All in all, it was a very good week. I managed to run just over 100 'easy' miles, eat a lot of cakes, drink far too much coffee and enjoy the odd pint or two!

Country to Capital 45 mile and Rough n’ Tumble 10 mile

2011-01-22T07:44:00.000-08:00

Here I am again with a double race report. This time it’s not because I’ve taken so long to do a write up…it’s simply because they were both on the same weekend.

Now…it’s been a couple of months since my last race. This isn’t through lack of trying. I had an ultra in the Gower, Wales in November, but driving down on the Friday night I broke down in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the only option I had at the time was to get recovery to take me back home. Out of frustration, I booked another ultra for December. This was to be in the Brecon’s, Wales again, and looked like a pretty good challenge. Again the gods were against me and relentless snow and icy conditions prevented me from even attempting to get to the start! These disappointments lead me to entering Go Beyond Ultra’s Country to Capital Ultra 45 mile race. I noticed the race a while back, but the course is very flat and ends with a 20 mile section of canal. If I made a list of my favourite terrains to run on, road would be at the very bottom and canal paths would be just above it. I just don’t enjoy running on flat surfaces, simple as that really. But, it’s a good opportunity to work on speed so I entered anyway.

Country to Capital, 45 miles, 15/Jan/2011

Like any running geek, I’ve checked past results and they’re pretty damn fast. Last years winner Craig Stewart finished in 5:30:37, an average of around 7:20 min/mile pace. I wasn’t sure if I could match that pace, but planned to go out at 7 min/mile pace and see how I went from there. I also decide to try a different nutritional strategy for this event. I wanted to see how I would do using energy gels and simply water. I’ve got hold of some GU Gels that are pretty big in the US, the gel of choice for a lot of top athletes and have just recently arrived in the UK. They are also very easy and simple to use. Each pack contains 100 calories and 20 grams of carbs. The train of thought at the moment coming from sports nutritionists is that we can only absorb 300 calories per hour and 60 grams of carbs per hour. This is just an average and depends greatly on the person and the intensity of the effort. I expected that I would be at the higher end of the effort scale so planned to knock back one gel every 30 minutes followed by a glug of water.

The race kicks off at 8:30am and around 115 runners head out of the pub car park in Wendover, Buckinghamshire towards the finish at Little Venice, London. I get straight into a 7 min/mile effort at the front and after about half a mile there’s about 5 of us in a breakaway pack. I’m soon enough running alongside last year’s winner and winner of Devil O’ the Highlands, Craig. We exchange a few words; he’s here on a training run to get miles in for a race he’s got planned coming up in July. I’m here to see what happens. It becomes pretty apparent that we’re running at a similar pace and we get into a good grove. There’s another guy determined to stay with us, but by the sound of his breathing, he’s going to find it hard to keep pace with us. Behind him, there’s another two guys a little further back.

The first half of the course runs through Chiltern countryside and after a recent deluge of rain the ground is pretty muddy and sticky and you could really feel it in your legs. The first two legs go pretty smoothly, navigation is spot on due to Craig’s experience and we’re both running very comfortably. During this time I had a brief chat with the guy in third who turns out to be a Sam O’Shea. This was his first ultra with only one previous marathon (same story as me) under his belt. He had been doing well to keep up with us but we lost him sometime after the second checkpoint.

We were now running towards Denham, Craig slowly pulling away from me.
Going through Denham village I lost sight of Craig and got a little disorientated but then found the correct road which lead to a golf course. The path I was following through the golf course momentarily disappeared and I had to stop and ask a couple of people the direction to the Grand Union Canal. I eventually got onto the canal so no need for the map anymore…navigation should be easy so in the bin it goes. My nutritional strategy had been going well, knocking back a GU Gel every half hour but I had found it difficult to drink enough fluid. I was also getting a but sick of the flavour after 4 hours but I know how important it is to look after the nutritional side of things so I forced the gels down and made sure I was drinking enough fluid. About mile 32 I was struck by the dreaded cramp! My right hamstring locked into a spasm of pain that brought me to an instant stand still. I took a minute to massage the muscle I was able to run again. I hadn’t taken on enough fluid earlier in the race to digest the gels, so at the next checkpoint I knocked back an extra bottle of water and carried two with me. My hamstring would tighten up now and again but as soon as I thought it might cramp I stopped and gave it a quick massage. This helped a lot although the stop start running was pretty annoying and prevented me from getting into a good rhythm.

I hadn’t seen Craig since Denham so I guessed he must have been flying along the canal. I crossed the line at Little Venice in 5:23:50, under the previous course record but still only 2nd place! I look around and find Craig who finished in a blistering 4:56:10! A fantastic run from Craig. Guy from GoBeyond worked out that he must have been running close to 5:30 min/mile pace along the canal section. I was pretty happy with my time, running at an average pace of 7:12 min/miles. I think if I trained more on flat surfaces I could improve quite a lot, but it doesn’t really interest me that much.

Pint of milk, a cereal bar, some water and a quick wash and change and I was off to the train station back to Wendover. Happy days…

Nearly forgot to mention...I wore a pair of New Balance MT101's which I zero flatted myself with a knife. I'll do a quick review another time.

Rough n’ Tumble, 10 miles, 16/Jan/2011

Although I consider myself an ultra runner, some short races I will always try and take part in, primarily down to sentimentality and because I really enjoy the race. Top of the list is Terminator 11, the first ever race I entered just over 4 years ago. The second is the Rough n’ Tumble…a fabulous x-country course in the Wiltshire countryside, with a couple of meaty climbs and some fantastic post race cakes! The race organiser, Steve Goulding is also a really nice guy and a pretty good runner in his own right. My partner, Annie is also taking part in this race and has a good chance of winning it. My only aim of the day is to get around the course and shake out the legs.

Close to 500 runners set of at 11am to enjoy a fantastic jolly through Wiltshire. My legs are pretty zapped and I’m running alongside Annie. We’re going pretty much the same pace and I ask if it’s okay if I try to run with her. We then hit the first climb and I’m so happy to be hitting a hill after yesterday’s flatness that I fly up it and start to really enjoy myself. I somehow manage to maintain a pretty descent effort around the whole of the course and actually achieve a course PB in 1:13:15. I have a quick chat with Steve, knock back a couple of jelly sweets look around and Annie comes storming into the finish to break the female course record in 1:15:28! Not bad for someone who has just come back from an Achilles injury and is going through the transition to barefoot and minimalist running. Annie really has the potential to do great things in Ultra’s and I look forward to being part of her journey.

Post race…3 cakes…a hummus pitta! Yum yum.

The beauty of nature and running

2010-11-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

Now and again I go for a run and the beauty of the natural world can be awe-inspiring. I’m very lucky where I live because of the Malvern Hills, a wonderful range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire. The highest summit of the hills affords a panorama of the Severn valley with the hills of Herefordshire and the Welsh mountains, parts of thirteen counties, the Bristol Channel, and the cathedrals of Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford. Although the highest point of the hills (Worcestershire Beacon) is only 425 meters (1,394 ft) above sea level, there are some decent climbs, all of which I can run without the need to resort to power hiking. The weather the past couple of days has seen blue skies, bright sun and zero degree temperatures, one of my favorite weather conditions. There has also been a low lying mist at ground level, so as you could imagine the views from the top of the hills have been magical. Yesterday I went for a 4 hour run, and throughout the whole time I was up there the whole of the world looked as though it was covered in a thick blanket of white marshmallow!
A week ago I managed to get out onto the Cotswold Way for a 15 mile out and back run starting from Broadway Tower. There were gale force winds and horizontal rain attacking from all sides, it was fantastic! The next couple of days I will be down in Berkshire, so will get the chance to hit the Thames Path, The Ridgeway and some of the Chiltern Way, can’t wait!

Everything has appeared to come together over the past couple of weeks. I’m running well and really enjoying it. Since going minimalist, my training has been patchy at best, so it’s really good to get some consistency in. I don’t have any races planned until the new year so I’m hoping to knuckle down and get some really quality winter training under my belt. Hell yeah…..

Endurance Life CTS Dorset and Beachy Head Marathons

2010-11-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s taken me a while to get my arse into gear and write a report for my latest races…so long in fact that it’s a 2 for 1 offer!

Endurance Life CTS Dorset, 16/Oct/2010, Ascent 5,176 ft

During September and up until the race, my training had been pretty poor to say the least. About 12 months ago during a non-running activity I suffered a bit of a knee injury. Short version, my left leg went one way and my patella went the other! This injury stopped me running for about 4 weeks, and when I did start running again, it “niggled” for a few months after. Then, whenever I tripped or fell over on the odd occasion, I would surely enough always land on my left knee and it would flare up. Eventually it dissipated and I forgot all about it, that was until I went out for a leisurely 16 mile run. About 14 miles in my knee just flared up. No warning, nothing. I hobbled the last 2 miles home.
So, throughout September and the beginning of October, I was restrained to running 3 times a week at a very leisurely pace.

So, race day arrives and my initial plan is simply to run, with no expectations and see how I go. This would ordinarily be quite difficult because of my competitiveness, which was made even more difficult when I looked at the entrants list to find my number. Scrolling through the names I notice Jez Bragg, arguably the best ultrarunner in the UK and a world class athlete. For my competitive personality, this was too good of an opportunity to really test myself, so I get in the mindset of running hard. My race plan now was simply to see how long I could keep up with Jez (turned out not long!).

The race starts and we’re off along a 2-3 mile stretch of shingle beach, Jez is leading and I’m trailing about 5 metres behind. We eventually come to the end of the beach and are greeted by some vertical steps, which we duly climb. At the top, Jez starts stretching his lead until we hit a grass field. Unfortunately, he runs towards the wrong side of the field and myself and a couple of runners call him back. At this point I’ve been caught up by two other runners, one of which I’ve run with before, Nathan Montague. Nathan is a very talented runner and I expect to hear great things from him in the future. Definitely a name to watch out for.

Jez catches up with the three of us within a couple of miles, and the three of them run pretty much side to side while I run a couple of metres behind. My plan now is to keep them within eyeshot and hope I have the strength to hit the last 6 miles or so pretty hard.
We all hit the first 2 stations within seconds of each other and I’m feeling pretty comfortable. I’m putting effort in, but not anything exceeding my usual racing effort. Then at around mile 15, my legs start to feel really heavy and I really have to put an effort in just to keep moving. My knee feels a little tight and there’s a bit of pain, but not bad enough to impede me that much. A couple of more miles in and I somehow manage to crack my knee (yes, the left one) while climbing over one of the many stiles. I immediately feel nauseous, but struggle on. There’s not too much pain, but I find the next couple of miles extremely difficult. I’m feeling extremely sluggish and I’ve allowed negative thoughts into my mind. I would like to say that I gave my self a kick up the arse and just got on with it and enjoyed the fine views that the Dorset coast has to offer, but I didn’t. The final 10 miles or so felt like hell, and I’m simply happy just to finish. I manage to hold on to forth place, over 20 minutes behind 3rd place and about 24 minutes behind eventual winner Jez.

Looking back, I really did expect far too much. Putting that extra pressure on myself, lead to my self doubt and negative thoughts. It spoilt the race for me, which is a shame because the route and location is pretty stunning.

Beachy Head Marathon, 23/Oct/2010

A week later and I’m standing at the start line of yet another trail marathon. Following my last race, I decide take this one completely relaxed, enjoy the run and put no expectation on myself.
I notice at the start, Stuart Mills, yet another very talented ultrarunner and winner of the Lakeland 100 this year, and winner of the Beachy Head on numerous occasions.
The race starts and around 1700 runners set off straight up a 100+ metre climb to Beachy Head. I get to the top and realise I’m around 5th place, running comfortably. Stuart is running ahead with two other guys and I pay little attention to it. I’m here to enjoy myself today!
I get to the first station around the 8.8 mile mark and am surprised to find myself in 6th position. I leave the station in high spirits and continue onwards and within a couple of miles I notice I’m gaining ground on 5th place and it feels pretty good. I’m really enjoying the run and feel strong, and I eventually catching him on a climb. We chat briefly before I move onwards. I now find myself running behind 4th and think I’m gaining on him as well. I hadn’t seen the first three runners since the first couple of miles, and didn’t think I would again. But, after about 13 miles I notice 3rd position just ahead of 4th, who’s just ahead of me. The guy in 3rd looks like he’s slowing down quite a lot and soon enough I pass 4th and 3rd within a couple of minutes of each other. As I catch up with the runner in 3rd, we briefly chat and he mentions he hasn’t seen 1st of 2nd for quite a few miles. This information doesn’t bother me too much. I didn’t expect to be in this position in any case. So, I plunge on and enjoy myself. The course is fantastic, running through open fields, woodland paths, coastal paths and some pretty meaty climbs. The weather has also turned out nice, the sun shining high in the sky. A beautiful day for a run along the coast. I get to 20 miles in and I arrive at the infamous Seven Sisters, a range of short steep climbs along the coast. I’m starting to feel quite tired now but there’s no way I’m giving up on 3rd without a fight! I battle over the Sisters and low and behold I can see the 2nd place runner ahead of me. Unfortunately, he’s about a mile in front of me with only a couple of miles left, but looks tired. Can I catch up with him? Well…….no! I reach the last climb up to Beachy Head and he’s nowhere to be seen. There’s only the short descent back down to the start/finish and I cross the line in 3rd, three minutes behind 2nd but a long 10 minutes behind winner Stuart Mills.

I really enjoyed the whole experience of the Beachy Head, and although I was nervous about my knee at the start, running 2 marathons a week apart appears to have worked magic on it! Since then and after 1 rest day, my training has been going well. I feel a lot stronger and have been lucky to run everyday. Here’s to some good running…………………………………………

My venture into minimalist running (part 2: The Transition)

2010-11-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

Injury wasn’t the only reason I was looking into minimalist running. For me, running is a type of meditation, a way of getting away from all the “hustle and bustle” of modern living. It’s a way exploring oneself and the environment in which one lives in. Running is simple and uncomplicated and for me it is important that I keep it that way to really enjoy and get the most out of running. I believe that my attempt to improve my performance by wearing “modern” running shoes with all their over cushioning and pronation technology, using a GPS watch to record every single detail and drinking the latest “recovery” drinks, overcomplicated things and removed me from the simplistic art of running. I needed to “reconnect” with my body and the environment around me. So all my running shoes went to the back of my cupboard, my GPS watch went to someone else and protein drinks went in the bin.

Six weeks passed and I’m itching to get back out on the road. During this recovery time I put a lot of effort into researching barefoot/minimalist running and felt confident that with patience and discipline I would be able to change my running form for the better. I also purchased a pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSO, which is essentially a “foot glove”. I would like to say that I was brave enough to go completely barefoot, but I’ve personally found that a certain amount of protection is essential (more on this later).

First words of warning! When you first go for a run without shoes it feels great! Why do I issue a warning if it feels this good? Simply because of this. You will want to run as fast as you can for as long as you can. The problem and danger with this is that although you may be used to running fast and for a considerable distance, your feet, ankle and legs will not! It will take time for all the muscles in the feet, ankles and legs to develop to minimalist running. After my first run, my calves were tight and my feet were sore. I had to take 3 days off running!
I really found it difficult at first to reduce my mileage and speed so dramatically. I was used to running around 100+ miles a week, ranging from 6 min/miles to 8 min/mile depending on distance. I was now running 3 miles, 3 times a week at a very conservative pace! Mentally, it was very tough, but I understood that I it was going to take time and that I was essentially starting from scratch. I very slowly built up mileage and my pace started to increase, now and again I would go too far or too fast but my body would tell me if this was the case. If the soles of my feet started to feel like they were burning or my calves were screaming with pain, I knew I had to stop, I was pushing it too soon. I would rest until my feet and legs completely recovered before I ran again. A couple of months had passed and the cross-country season came around. Most of the races are around 5-6 miles and I had built up to around that distance so felt confident I could take part. I needed a pair of shoes though! The courses are mostly mud and grass but with sections of tarmac. Although my VFF KSO’s were great on hard surfaces, on wet grass and mud there was no grip so I would have to slow my pace dramatically to combat the lack of traction. Obviously this isn’t ideal under race conditions so I start scrawling the internet for “barefoot” running shoes (yes, a contradiction in terms) that have grip which can handle UK terrain. After not much luck, I eventually came across inov-8. I already had a couple of pairs of their shoes, but now found them too built up and heavy. I also had an issue with the last (fit) that they use with their shoe range. The inov-8 design philosophy is to design footwear around the natural function of the foot. I had a problem with this. How can inov-8 say they design footwear around the natural function of the foot when none of their shoes are shaped like a human foot? I also had issue with the fact that inov-8 shoes had far too much cushioning. So, to vent my anger and confusion I sent an email to someone at inov-8 stating that I believed that although their philosophy was sound, their shoes were not. Guy from Inov-8 got back to me, sent me a pair of the newly released x-Talon 212 and a friendship was born. Now and again I get sent a pair of shoes, which I “test” and give feedback. Although inov-8 has not produced what I would call the perfect minimalist multi-terrain shoe, they’re going in the right direction and they’re getting close…anyway, back to the story.

A couple of months have passed now and my feet and legs have gotten stronger. Everything about the way I run is changing, my stride is relaxed, my cadence is increasing and my foot strike is below my centre of gravity (pre-minimalist running my foot would land on its heel a foot in front of my body). Most importantly I’m not picking up any of my former injuries, I’m really enjoying running and to cap it all I’m picking up pb’s in both the 10k and half marathon distance (I’m wearing racing flats at this point). Within 6 months of starting my transition I work up to running a trail marathon, then pretty much 12 months from the date I fractured my foot, I’m taking part in my first ultra. I wear some inov-8 f-lite 230’s (very light and flexible, still have issues with width though) and 44 miles later I finish second. Then, with the endorphins still pumping around my body I enter the Lakeland 100. To make things even more exciting, inov-8 send me a pair of Bare-Grip 200 (a new fell shoe with NO cushioning, NO midsole and NO differential) a couple of days before the start. I consider the fact that it may be to soon to run over 100 miles wearing minimalist shoes, but I had made a commitment and I was feeling pretty good so went for it. Turned out it went pretty well.

So…that’s pretty much the simple version of my transition to minimalist running. Below of some questions that I think people would ask and some other pointers I’ve picked up from my own experience.

Why not commit to running totally barefoot?

To be completely honest, I can run faster when I’m wearing shoes. I can run totally barefoot, and I often do for a mile or 2 after a training run. I can run barefoot on most terrain, but have to slow down a lot when running over technical, rough terrain. Obviously this is counterproductive to running fast, so I look for shoes that offer just enough “protection” for the environment I’m running in. I see barefoot running as a training tool to improve technique and increase strength in my feet and legs. It also allows me to feel closer to the environment I’m running in.

What did I do to maintain some fitness while injured?

Cross-trained! I discovered Octathalon – a fantastic cross-training fitness challenge. It is now a stable diet in my training regime. I try to do it at least 3 times a week in addition to my running.

Some simple advice if you’re thinking of trying barefoot/minimalist running.

Start SLOW and build up very very slowly. Take your time and enjoy yourself. Don’t follow exactly what you read or hear about barefoot/minimalist running. You will discover what works best for you.

My venture into minimalist running (part 1)

2010-10-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I would write a little about how and why I ventured into barefoot and minimalist running. To really make sense of it I really have to start at the beginning…

I started running just over five years ago simply as a way to get fit. But first, I needed a pair of running shoes! I had no idea then of such terms as “pronation”, “gait” etc, I just wanted a pair of shoes to run in. So I went out and purchased a cheap pair of Asics (I’d heard of them, they make “running” shoes!). Everything was fine until I slowly built up mileage and speed. I began getting sore shins and I became educated on pronation and gait etc and why you need to go to a “real” running shop and get shoes specially prescribed for you. How exciting! So I dash off to the local running shop to let the experts sort me out with some fantastic amazing shoes that would eradicate injuries and give me the ability to run further and faster!
I arrive at the store and a teenage expert gets me to walk up and down the store a few times in bare feet and I’m diagnosed as an over-pronator. So that’s been the cause of my injuries! 10 minutes later, I’m walking out of the store with my super new “anti-pronation” shoes! Things worked out fine for a little bit but then the sore shins appeared again. It eventually got so bad that on a training run I had to stop, the pain was too much. So…off to a sports Physio I go.

So, why the sore shins Mr Physio? Oh…it’s because I over-pronate. But I have special anti-pronation shoes? Oh…it’s a gimmick. There’s no evidence to support claims that running shoes with super cushioning, dynamic support, medial post etc etc prevent injuries. Oh, okay. So what do I need? Custom orthotics…cool. That’s what I need. And so I leave with my new anti-injury footbeds and a big smile on my face. After the initial “wearing in” period, they did appear to do the trick. My shins slowly recovered and I was able to increase my mileage. Things seemed to be going well for a while but I did start to notice that my knees would ache after my long training runs. I put this down to my knees taking time to adapt to increased mileage. I then began to hate the fact my feet felt like they were imprisoned and controlled so much. That’s when I started to question why I should need anything to control my legs and feet. Surely nature and evolution would have taken care of this? I began searching the web and soon discovered a load of information that basically said “traditional” running shoes are bad for you. A lot of what I was reading made sense (POSE technique, forefoot landing etc) and I developed an uncontrollable urge to throw out my orthotics and let my feet run free! So…that’s what I did.

I purchased a pair of Nike Free’s and was amazed at how flexible and comfy they felt. I had just started training for Ultra running so I’m pounding in the miles. I go for my normal 10 mile run from work and it feels great. Hell yeah…this is running! I’m running on my toes (I read that somewhere?) and it feels easy…oh, wait a minute…my shins are feeling sore again…couple more days and they’re in real pain. Damn it! Back to the orthotics I go and the pain goes away again. I real want to throw away the orthotics, develop a better running technique and run free but my running had been going well and I have some Ultra’s coming up. So I resign myself to accepting that I’m just one of those people who can’t run without some sort of support.

The next 12 months go pretty well, I’m running high mileage and feeling good. I’m still getting achy knees and my groin feels pretty tight on long runs but I can run and I’m improving my endurance. I eventually build up to taking part in a 100 mile road race, the pinnacle of my orthotics running days! The race goes pretty well and I finish first place in just over 18hrs. Predictably, I’m feeling pretty exhausted for the next couple of weeks and take a rest from running. My knees are also extremely painful and stiff and my right foot is a little sore. Again, I start thinking….is orthotics really the only option I have?

A couple of weeks later and I can just about walk and manage a hobble type run. But then I notice that my right ankle is rolling excessively and find it almost impossible to walk normally on my foot. So I’m off to the experts again and I find out I have a stress fracture. NO RUNNING for at least 6 weeks!!!! What?!?! And then only for a couple of miles and build up gradually! Damn it!
Wait there a minute….this could provide me with the perfect opportunity to experiment with barefoot/minimalist running! So….that’s what I did.

The Nottingham Ultra 50km

2010-08-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well, a month after the Lakeland 100 I find myself at the starting line of another Ultra. It’s only 50k, a marathon distance really, so I’m expecting it to be a fast race. My aim of the day is simple to run as close to 7 min miles as possible. My training over the last 3 months has been long endurance runs with plenty of hills and the odd faster session (very few!) so I haven’t really got the speed in my legs for the shorter distances. Also, my recovery after the Lakeland 100 has been arduous to say the least. First I had to take a whole week off exercise (my ankles took this long to return to normal size!) and it took a while for my hip flexor to return to normal. I’ve also been feeling pretty lethargic and ravenous (I’ve become addicted to biscuits and flapjacks!). It’s been a long recovery but I’m feeling ok at the start. I know I’ve got the stamina, just not the speed.

It’s the inaugural Nottingham Ultra and has been organised by Rory Coleman and Jen Salter of ULTRArace™. There are only about 60 runners at the start but its bright blue skies, a fantastic day for a run! The route follows the Robin Hood Way through Sherwood Forest into Nottingham, finishing at the castle. The route is way marked, however these are at best sparse/worn in places so are supplemented with way markings provided by ULTRArace™ along with a route map. 9am soon arrives and we’re off.

Checkpoint 1: Blidworth to Moor Road, Nr Papplewick
Distance: 11.34km Time: 00:47:58 Pace: 06:48 min/mi

Although my initial plan was to run 7 min/mi, Stephen Shanks runs off ahead. My competitive side kicks in and I chase after him. The first section is pretty flat and I comfortable tuck in beside Stephen until we hit a couple of hills towards the end and I take a little lead into the first checkpoint.

Checkpoint 2: Mill Lane, Bestwood
Distance: 8.61km Time: 00:42.02 (01:30:00) Pace: 07:51 m/m

We continue our battle for the next couple of km until we realise that we’ve pretty much running at the same pace. I always like chatting to people on the run so I open up a conversation. We’re soon chatting about the usual runners stuff (what races have you done etc etc) and take our minds away from racing. The lack of concentration causes us to go off piste a couple of times and naturally our pace slows down too much.

Checkpoint 3: Maws Lane, Kimberley
Distance: 10.42km Time: 00:46:00 (02:16:00) Pace: 07:06 m/m

Realising that I’m feeling way too comfortable, I pick up the pace and hit the trail harder. Stephen sticks with me but there’s less conversation this time.

Checkpoint 4: Coventry Lane, Bramcote
Distance: 10.58km Time: 00:52:00 (03:08:00) Pace: 07:54 m/m

We arrive and leave the checkpoint together and immediately take a wrong path. Luckily we realise after about a mile and soon get back on track. We do this a couple of times and get back into “chatting mode”. Again this causes us to relax and naturally slow our pace.

Finish: Nottingham Castle, Castle Road
Distance: 09.95km Time 00:46:42 (03:54:40) Pace: 07:32 m/m

We leave the final checkpoint and I ask what the plan is. Do we race it out or continue together. We decide to see how the next mile or so goes but agree that we don’t mind if we finish together. I think we had got to the point where we had run so much of the race together, we were simple relaxed and were just enjoying the race. Obviously this took the competitive edge out of the race but to be honest I was just enjoying the run out in the sunshine. With about 2 miles to go Stephen asks if we want to race it out. I honestly wasn’t bothered either way and I don’t think either was he so we just carried on and cruised to the finish line in joint 1st.

Totals
Distance: 50km Time: 03:54:40 Pace: 07:33 min/mi

Afterthoughts:

The Nottingham Ultra was a nice event and the route was pretty rural and flat. It has the potential to be a very fast course and with it being incorporated into the ULTRArace™ championship next year, I would expect competition and times to be a lot better next time. I was a little disappointed with my own performance because I relaxed too much and let it become more of a training run then an actual race. But, at the end of the day I enjoyed myself and that is what running is all about.

Inov-8 Bare-Grip 200™ – The Ultimate Test

2010-07-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

I recently posted a review of Inov-8’s new Bare-Grip 200™. I had just received the shoes from Inov-8 and only wore them for three runs between 1-2 hours before I submitted my initial review. The question most people would ask is “can you really review a shoe after only a couple of runs”? Well…the simple answer is no, not really. I could talk about the fit, the sole, insole, upper material, flexibility etc, but that’s it. Not now! I believe that I’ve put the Bare-Grip 200 through the ultimate test! I’m not talking about anything silly like driving a car over them or seeing how long it takes to melt the sole in a microwave. And I not talking about “scientific” experiments with stats and charts developed in the lab. I’m talking about sticking the Bare-Grip 200 on my feet and running 103 miles, with over 20’700 feet of ascent on some of the gnarliest, vicious and most technical terrain out there in just over 27 hours! I’m talking about taking the Bare-Grip 200 for a ride at the Lakeland 100, described as the “toughest ultra in the UK”!

First things first…I only started incorporating barefoot training and wearing minimalist shoes just over a year ago. It took me 12 months to go from wearing cushioned shoes with custom orthotics, to running 30 yards down the road barefoot, to running 44 miles in racing flats. Could I really run over 100 miles in a shoe with zero cushioning, zero differential and zero midsole on such difficult terrain? It was a risk, but one I was ready for………………………

Inov-8 Bare-Grip™ 200 review

Insole

The Bare-Grip 200 comes with a thin 3mm insole. Taking into account the type of terrain and underfoot conditions, plus the fact that my previous runs in them had been less than 2 hours, I decided to add an extra 3mm insole (making 6mm in total). Some may argue that this contradicts minimalist principles, but I’m not a masochist and I made a decision to be sensible. Choices are good and the option to personalise the fit or feel of the shoe is welcomed.

Outsole

I was a little concerned that the deep lugs may be too aggressive for the underfoot conditions. The mix of loose rock, scree, hard pack trail, mud, grass and tarmac would probably suit Inov-8’s Roclite sole. I’m happy to report that they preformed extremely well. I was sure that my feet would dread the road sections and the harder trail, but I can genuinely say that I didn’t really notice the lugs. Part of this may be due to my running technique, but it’s hard to retain good technique over 100 miles.
The traction of the Bare-Grip 200 is simply awesome! I only fell over once, and that was at the beginning and down to my own fault. I took my eyes of the path for a split second and tripped over a rock. I lost a little traction on wet rock and slipped a few times, but I don’t know of any shoe that can stick like glue to greasy slate!
The Bare-Grip 200 has Inov-8’s sticky rubber compound so there was some wear and I did loose three lugs on the left heel. I believe I caught these on the top edge of a sharp rock, slipped and ripped them off. I didn’t notice they were missing until the next day, probably because I land on my forefoot.
The flexibility and responsiveness of the shoe is truly amazing. I could really feel the ground beneath my feet, but there was enough protection to prevent any potential damage from sharp edges such as rocks or brambles.
Midsole
As mentioned on my previous post, the Bare-Grip™ 200 has NO midsole, NO cushioning and NO differential! This means that the Bare-Grip™ 200 is extremely low profile and flexible, allowing maximum proprioception feedback and a great range of foot movement. It’s a damn good feeling!

Upper

The upper is super-soft woven mesh allowing the shoe to be ultra-flexible, breathe very well, and allowed water to drain very well. It’s also extremely comfortable! I had a little concern that the upper wouldn’t be able to hold up the harsh conditions of the route but the only sign of wear and tear is a little scuff near the outside top of my left foot. I also had a concern that the lack of rand would mean that my feet would not be protected. I only felt a stab of pain a couple of times, and that was near the end of the race when I was extremely tired and lost some of my concentration and technique.
One of my bug bears with Inov-8 used to be the shoe last as I always found them too narrow. The soft upper allows a little more room and I’ve come to realize over time that the snug fit you get in Inov-8’s is needed for really technical terrain. The support you get from them cradling your foot prevents your foot from sliding and rolling and I never got near to twisting my ankle.

The Conclusion

The Bare-Grip™ 200 really is a fantastic shoe. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but that’s the great thing about Inov-8, you have choice. The biggest surprise was when I took off my shoes at the end of the race. My feet looked in fantastic condition and not one single blister. I think this was also part due to the Injinji socks I use (I swear by these socks. I’m not sure how or why they work, they just do). There’s not really anything I would change about the shoe but I would like Inov-8 to develop a range of shoes based on the Bare-Grip 200 concept but with a variety of different outsoles to cater for the varying terrains around the world (I’ve have suggested it to them).
A couple of days later and my ankles are a little swollen. I not sure if that’s due to using minimalist shoes for 100 miles before my ligaments and muscles were ready, or because my ankles were ripped to shreds by the bracken that attacked me (see race report). I’m thinking the later (there are some nasty gashes).
Run wild and free!

MONTANE LAKELAND 100 U.T.L.D. (103.9 miles, 6300m of ascent)

2010-07-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

A week after the Classic Quarter, I’m still on a high so decide to enter the Lakeland 100 Ultra Tour Lake District. I fell in love with the Lake District, Cumbria, three years ago when I first visited. Since then I have been back numerous times and is in my own opinion the most beautiful and awe inspiring landscape I have ever been to. Put together the fact I love to run with the Lake District and it would appear the Lakeland 100 was organised just for me! Unfortunately, because I only decided to enter at the last minute, I only had three weeks to prepare for the race. Would this give me enough time to train and recce the route?...the simple answer is no! But I had the 44 miles from my previous race to take into it. I tried to cram as much hardcore hill training as I could in the 3 weeks leading up to the race, which in hindsight was the wrong thing to do!
It my last post, I reviewed the yet to be released Inov-8 Bare-Grip 200. A zero cushioned, zero differential, zero midsole super flexible off trail shoe. I only got into barefoot training and minimalist shoes less than 12 months ago (I used to wear orthotics and overly cushioned shoes), so it would be a bit of a risk to run over 100 miles in them but I decided to go for it (I will post a separate post for their review)….back to the race!

The Lakeland 100 route takes you on a clockwise tour around the heart of the Lake District, starting and finishing in Coniston. The thing that really separates this from almost any other ultra race is the underfoot conditions. The only way to describe it would be to say its vicious! Imagine someone has selected the nastiest, sharpest stones, rocks and slate, and thrown them down in front of you and said, “go on then…run up and down for 100 miles”!

It’s 5:20pm and I’m at my car relaxing and sipping on some Durafuel Carbo Loader waiting for the 5:30pm start. I’m a little apprehensive because I didn’t get chance to recce any of the route before hand. You have to give respect to the Lake District, because it will take no mercy on you. Getting lost when it’s dark and cold up on the fells can be life threatening. There was nothing I could do about it now and I had a GPS with the route on it, plus the map and road book provided by the race organisers.

Section 1: Coniston to Seathwaite (6.4miles, 642m ascent, 594m descent).

The legendary fell runner Jos Naylor starts the race, and around 160 competitors set off for what will be a long long day. The sensible thing to do at the first couple of climbs would be to power walk up them. But of course, we’re not a sensible bunch and a dozen of us run the first section. Stuart Mills, the eventual winner, races off like he’s taking part in a 10km race! A runner in front of me takes a nasty fall and cracks his knee open on a rock. I ask the customary “you okay?” and he replies with the customary “fine, keep going”. On the first descent of the day after only about 6km I take a dramatic stumble, land on my left knee, roll around a bit and finish with a little slide on my back. Four runners pass me all asking the customary “you okay?” and I of course reply with the usual customary “fine, keep going”! I get back up, dust myself off, no real damage, and I’m off again. I arrive at Seathwaite Village Hall in 01:08:47. While there I’m met with the other runner who took a tumble and together we take a few moments to clean our knees! We then leave together.
01:08:47

Section 2: Seathwaite to Boot (6.7miles, 355m ascent, 410m descent).

The other runner turns out to be Ian Bishop and I we would spend the next 40 miles together. Ian had recce’ed the whole of the course but seemed keen to run with other people. We were both going the same sort of pace so it became natural for us to “buddy up”. I was more than happy with this! For one it’s a big advantage if someone knows where they’re going, and two, 100 miles is a long time to be by yourself and someone’s company can be a life saver. With Ian’s knowledge of the route and my GPS, navigation shouldn’t be an issue. Along the way we also team up with Paul Hart, whom Ian already knew from previous races
01:18:14 (02:27:01)

Section 3: Boot to Wasdale Head (5.4miles, 276m ascent, 249m descent)
This was a really enjoyable section, where the underfoot conditions and the terrain was relatively easy going. It was a time when one could get into a nice comfy rhythm, chat a bit and enjoy the views of Illgill Head, Great How, Scafell, Great Gable and Kirk Fell.
At Wasdale Head, I top up my Threshold, eat a couple of bread rolls and devour a Trek Bar. Paul decides to take this opportunity to change his socks.
01:04:56 (03:31:57)

Section 4: Wasdale Head to Buttermere (6.8miles, 743m ascent, 703m descent)

We left the checkpoint to be greeted with Black Sail Pass. At the time it felt like a monstrous climb which all three of us power walked. It was at this point that I first felt a twinge in my right hip flexors. Paul was also starting to suffer at this point and we sadly lost him on the descent. On the way down two runners from out of nowhere flew past us like they were at the end of a short fell race. Myself and Ian gave each other a quick look that said “let them get on with it”. There’s still a hell of a long way to go and you can trash your quads descending at that speed so early in a race. Thankfully we both got down just before dusk turned to night. By the time we arrived at Buttermere Village Hall it was complete darkness apart from our head and hand torches.
02:05:10 (05:37:07)

Section 5: Buttermere to Braithwaite (8.6miles, 744m ascent, 774m descent)

I always enjoy night sections because you focus so much on the small dot of light in front of you, that time can pass pretty quickly. For this reason, this section was pretty uneventful and navigation was spot on. As we came in towards St Hubert’s Church Hall Checkpoint, another runner was leaving who I would get to know very well by the end of the race.
Coming into the race, I had no real idea how long it would take me to get around the course, but I estimated around 24 hours so had prepared enough fuel to this effect. Arriving at the checkpoint was like walking into a buffet paradise! I realised I was pretty hungry and that there was a good chance that this was going to take longer to complete then I first thought. So I took advantage of the fuel available and devoured some pasta and cake. I had also discovered a great way of drinking fluid on the go. Camlebak had brought out a product which converts your drinking canister into a water bladder system. This meant that I could stuff my 750ml bottle into my bag and drink out of a tube, leaving both my hands free (I usually carry bottles in my hand). This was working great until someway through section 4, when I could no longer suck anything up through the tube. Luckily I was carrying a 500ml bottle for emergencies, but unfortunately I had pre-measured my Threshold for 750ml. This meant that I had to change tactics and knock back 750ml of Threshold in one go at each checkpoint and use fill my 500ml bottle with water to drip feed in between.
01:53:09 (07:30:16)

Section 6: Braithwaite to Blencathra (8.2miles, 472m ascent, 276m descent)

The first half of this section wall pretty much all roads, and it was a welcome relief in a way to be able to get into a nice smooth running rhythm. We then got back onto trail, skirting around Latrigg and joining the Cumbria Way. Nearing the top of a climb we were surprised to see a runner bounding towards us from our right. It turned out that it was the runner we saw coming out of Braithwaite. He had taken the wrong path for a mile, had turned back and was more than a little happy to see two headtorchs ahead of him. It was Robin Houghton, one of the guys who had raced past us down the descent from Wasdale. We all had a little chat as we ran together then Ian made his one and only navigational error. His pre-race recce, coupled with my GPS had worked spot on since we first teamed up but he thought he recognised a path we needed to take. I had turned my GPS off because it was low on battery, and I didn’t want to change them until I was at the next checkpoint so I didn’t double check. All three of us start descending down a path that suddenly turned into angry four foot high bracken! Ian was sure we were on the right course so we carried on descending through thicker and thicker foliage until we got to a beck that should be below us! I turn on my GPS and discover with horror that the correct path was a couple of 100 meters above us on the other side. So we jump over the beck and start ascending up through the bracken on the other side. I not sure how, but I’m pretty sure that the bracken on the previous side had a word with the bracken on this side and asked it to take revenge on us! The bracken got thicker and angrier, attacking us at all angles, ripping my ankles to shreds and tearing Ian’s poor knee to bits. A 5ft barbed wired fence then decided to greet us half way up which we somehow managed to climb over without any injury. Finally reaching the path, it is impossible to describe adequately the relief we all felt at surviving the “killer bracken”! The rest of the section was pretty uneventful after that and we arrived at Blencathra were I took the opportunity to devour some chocolate digestives! Ian had fallen on the same knee on a few more occasions since his first fall, and the bracken had caused more damage.
02:06:52 (09:37:08)

Section 7: Blencathra to Dockray (7.7miles, 439m ascent, 313m descent)

Halfway through this section, Rob was finding it difficult to keep pace with me and Ian and encouraged us to keep going. His quads were really suffering which was probably a result of going off too fast at the beginning. Dawn was fast approaching and it was a beautiful site to see the sun rise slowly. After 5 or so minutes we caught up with another runner. I think his name was Adam and he was suffering big time. He had got to the point were he could no longer eat any solids (big trouble when you’re not even halfway). That was the end of the race for him, which was unfortunate but can happen to anyone in an ultra. For me, my hip flexors had gotten progressively tighter and sore over the past 20 miles and it was really starting to affect my running gait. But I was nearly halfway, so I would just have to put up with it.
01:46:06 (11:23:14)

Section 8: Dockray to Dalemain (9.8miles, 356m ascent, 622m descent)

Rob caught up with us at the Dockray checkpoint and was looking strong again. We all left together and headed towards Dalemain. The climb up around Gowbarrow Fell was one of those relentless, steady climbs that seem to go on forever. Rob was an excellent power walker and soon gained a lead between us. Ian’s knee was really suffering and he was slowing down. The rocky descent down didn’t help and when we entered woodland I started to gain on Rob and gradually lose sight of Ian behind me. I got out of the wood just as I caught up with Rob. He needed a quick pit stop, so I waited for Ian catch up. It was obvious that his knee was causing a lot of trouble and he encouraged us to carry on without him. I can’t thank him enough for his companionship throughout the 50 plus miles we had run together and was gutted that we couldn’t continue together.
I carried on with Rob and we soon closed up on to another competitor. I recognised him as the other runner who had passed me earlier, racing down the descent from Wasdale. We gave him a quick hi and how’s things and carried on. We then hit an undulating 6km of road which had some very long straight sections that could mentally destroy anyone. The checkpoint at Dalemain was a very welcome sight as we were both really starting to suffer. My right hip flexors were in a lot of pain now and Rob’s quads were wasted. We took a long time at Dalemain to fuel up on pasta, rice pudding, tea, coffee and biscuits. I’m not sure we were that hungry, I think it was more of an excuse just to rest!
Ian arrived with Wouter (the runner we had just passed) at the checkpoint just as we were leaving. They both pretty much collapsed on a chair.
02:13:43 (13:36:57)

Section 9: Dalemain to Howtown (6.8miles, 285m ascent, 252m descent)

A very uneventful and quiet section of the race! We were both very tired at this point and suffering. It became simply a time to keep on plodding and getting to the next section.
01:49:31 (15:26:28)

Section 10: Howtown to Mardale Head (8.3miles, 738m ascent, 656m descent)

It was a difficult and slow 630m climb up to Wether Hill. The views were beautiful but at the same time the climb had been excruciatingly painful! My hip flexor was in a bad state and I was finding it difficult to raise my right leg above 5 inches or so. On the descent, Rob got into a pretty fast pace and we hit it hard down along the side of Haweswater to the checkpoint at Mardale.
02:44:13 (18:10:41)

Section 11: Mardale Head to Kentmere (5.9miles, 505m ascent, 593m descent)

I can confidently say that neither of us enjoyed the first half of this section! Climbing up between Kentmere Pike, Tarn Crag and Shipman Knotts was tough enough but the descent down was hellish! The underfoot conditions were tough to say the least. The path was very technical hard rock and stone, needing a lot of concentration which is difficult when you’ve been on your feet for over 18 hours. When we finally hit the grassy slopes to Kentmere it was a beautiful moment. Just as we arrived at the checkpoint, the 3rd placed runner Duncan Harris was just leaving! That raised our spirits but would it destroy his or make him more determined to regain his lead?
The people manning the checkpoint were in high spirits, which boosted our morale and we had a good old natter. We both were pretty knackered at this point but apparently Duncan wasn’t looking good! We fuelled up on pasta and rice pudding and got on our way again.
01:52:45 (20:03:26)

Section 12: Kentmere to Ambleside (7.1miles, 486m ascent, 590m descent)

We really believed that we could catch up with Duncan through this section. One problem that we encountered was our inability to run for any decent amount of time. My hip flexors were shot to bits and I could no longer lift up my right leg any higher than an inch. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem on smooth flat terrain because I could just shuffle along, but the climbs on this course were relentless. I soon discovered a rather inventful way of lifting my left leg up over rocks and boulders! I used my right arm to grab the bottom of my shorts and pull, thus lifting my leg up! The only problem was on the descents! All stability had gone in my right leg and there was nothing I could do on this front apart from pray that I don’t fall! It was tough going!
02:03:00 (22:06:26)

Section 13: Ambleside to Chapel Stile (4.8miles, 245m ascent, 201m descent)

This should have been one of the easiest sections of the route but it felt like the longest section of the day. We were both feeling pretty sorry for ourselves now and going at an excruciatingly slow pace. We ran when we could, shuffled when we couldn’t, but ultimately crawled most of the way. We got to a path, and I’m not sure if it was the correct path, but it was a case of bouldering up and down knee high rocks until we got to a road section. I found this section extremely difficult and my hips really didn’t appreciate it. When we hit the road we turned around to see two runners bombing down a nice grassy section of path down to the road. Our hearts sank when we though that after 90 miles we had been caught by two runners who were obviously running a lot stronger than ourselves. The relief was unbelievable when we learned they were doing the 50 mile route!
01:26:48 (25:56:02)

Section 14: Chapel Stile to Tilberthwaite (7.7miles, 402m ascent, 334m descent)

The Langdales is one of my favourite parts of the Lake District, so even though I was in a lot of pain and had almost lost the ability to run, I enjoyed the view and the memories of the place. This and Rob’s company got me through this long section. Rob was a lot stronger walker then me and I had to force a shuffle type jog just to keep up with him! I think I held him back on a few sections, but after running 60 miles together I think we came up with a mutual agreement that we would finish together (even if one of us had to carry the other!).
02:22:48 (25:56:02)

Section 15: Tilberthwaite to Coniston (3.5miles, 283m ascent, 385m descent)

The final section, and only 3.5 miles to go! Hell yeah!.....Hell no!....the climb from Tilberthwaite felt like a vertical climb and was horrible! My right leg was completely useless by now and I really struggled to drag myself up the rock face. The relief of reaching the top soon subsided when we realised there was still a long long stretch of gradual climb! We then only had the descent down to Coppermine’s Valley track and a final stretch of tarmac to the finish. Rob shuffled down as I crawled down behind him until we hit the tarmac. Then a 50 mile competitor ran past and informed us that there was a guy five minutes behind us. No way were we going to lose our positions now, so we forced ourselves into what felt like 6 minute mile pace but probably neared 10 minute mile pace and crossed the line hand in hand back at Coniston!
01:14:26 (27:10:28)

At the finish (103.9miles, 6300 ascent and descent)

Walking back into the Race HQ, around 30 people were there clapping and cheering. I nearly broke down in tears but managed to keep composed and go through the obligatory health check (only lost 1kg). Ian was there to great us (he unfortunately had to retire after 75 miles)! For him to wait around for us to finish just proves what a great character he is. We both then took advantage of the free massage service provided and then I crashed out on a sleeping matt inside the hall. That was the last I saw of Ian or Rob, but I hope to make contact with them again in the near future. Their companionship during the race was invaluable and I will remember them for the rest of my life.

One final note!....to the organisers, the volunteers, the runners and anyone else who played their part in this fantastic event, here’s a big thank you and high five to you all. You are all inspirational and I hope to see you all again next year!

Inov-8 Bare-Grip™ 200 review

2010-07-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

I’ve been very lucky to “test” a pair of Inov-8’s new Bare-Grip™ 200 and boy….they’re good!

Here’s my initial review….

Outsole

This shoe, which is born for off trail and fell running, features deep, aggressive lugs (similar to the X-Talon 212). Inov-8’s Sticky Rubber compound gives the Bare-Grip outsole even more traction to optimize grip in wet conditions. The tradeoff of the soft rubber’s awesome traction is that it will wear down more quickly than Inov-8’s Endurance Rubber.
The entire outsole and shoe is extremely flexible, incredibly light and responsive. There’s nothing in the outsole to prevent or interfere with it flexing. You really get a good feel for the trail beneath your feet.

Midsole

The Bare-Grip™ 200 has NO midsole, NO cushioning and NO differential! Inov-8 indicates the level of cushioning in its various models by the number of arrows on the heel of the midsoles. The more arrows, the more cushioning. The Bare-Grip™ 200 has 0, yes, ZERO out of 4 possible arrows and is intended for racing and those wanting to experience a minimalist shoe . All this means is that the Bare-Grip™ 200 is extremely low profile and flexible, allowing maximum proprioception feedback.

Upper

The upper is primarily a super-soft woven mesh (similar to F-Lite 230). This allows the shoe to be ultra-flexible, breathe very well, while allowing water to drain. It’s also extremely comfortable!
With the Bare-Grip™ 200 you also get a new tongue design! The tongue is an extremely soft, suede-like material, which again is very comfortable.
Unlike the some of Inov-8’s range, such as the X-Talon, this shoe has hardly any rand. You get a bit on the front, but that’s it. This means that the shoe is a lot more comfortable and allows a bit more room in the toe-box. The obvious trade-off of to this is that there is less protection and probably will mean that they will be less durable than the Mudroc 290 for example.
The fit is based on Inov-8’s performance last, which is narrow through the toe, but soft upper allows the toe box to provide your toes with ample space. The upper is very secure and I didn’t notice my foot sliding around at all when bombing steep descents.
The heel is also super-soft and is fully collapsible, but keeps the heel securely in place.

Insole

The Bare-Grip™ 200 comes with a 3mm removable insole. It is very thin and relatively flat, so it doesn’t provide a great deal of support. You can customize the volume of the shoe by using Inov-8’s 3mm and 6mm footbeds. If you find there is too much room, you just add an extra footbed, not enough room, take the insoles out.

The Conclusion

The Bare-Grip™ 200 is very lightweight, extremely flexible and extremely grippy. If you’re looking for the ultimate off trail shoe, this is it! If you’re into barefoot/minimalist running, but need grip and a little protection for running in a harsh trail environment, this is the shoe for you!
This is the shoe that I’ve been searching for, for the last 2 years and I can’t wait to hit the trail again as soon as possible!

The real test!

I've got a 100 mile off trail race with over 6300m of ascent next weekend. More to come...

Run wild and free!

ENDURANCELIFE THE CLASSIC QUARTER LIZARDS TO LANDS END 44 MILE COASTAL TRAIL ULTRA

2010-07-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

It’s Friday the 25th June and my alarm goes off at 5am. I’ve decided to get up early to travel down to Land’s End, Cornwall and hopefully miss the traffic. I packed the car the night before (very organised and very unlike me!), so just needed to have a quick shower and a bowl of porridge with banana and honey, yum yum!
I’ve had a bit of a gastric stomach bug all week and have found it difficult to eat and drink properly so have a little worry that I wont have enough stored energy and hydration for the race, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.
I arrive at YHA Land’s End five hours later and put up my tent. The view before me is breathtaking. In front of me, Cot Valley descends either side to meet into the calm blue waters of the Atlantic coast.
I grab a bite to eat and feel the need to stretch my legs. I join the South West Coast path just around the corner and do a quick 3.5 mile hike to Sennen Cove. Again, the natural beauty of the Cornish coast takes me aback. I chill out for a couple of hours, grab a coffee and then make my way back. Dinner is fresh pasta with pesto, a salmon fillet and a salad. I need to get up at 2:30am so huddle into my tent at 8pm. My stomach’s performing somersaults throughout the night.

I’m looking at my Phone…the clock say’s 3am…I’m confused…my alarm is set for 2:30am?!...damn…I’ve slept through my alarm! In a blind panic I grab my running kit from the car and dash into the shower room to get changed. I’m in my car and heading for the pick up point at Land’s End within 30 minutes. I arrive at the car park, where I’m met by other runners and the race organisers. I knew I wouldn’t have time to have my usual pre race breakfast of porridge, banana and honey so had a couple of granola type bars to munch on. I get into one of the minibuses and relax during the 44 mile drive to the start of the race at Lizard Point.

We arrive at the starting HQ, and there’s the usual mix of excitement and nerves, mixed with various odours. I just stay relaxed, and get myself ready. Stuff my hipsack with Durafuel™ Threshold Sports Mix, a couple of Nak’d™ Bars and a bottle of Elete™ Electrolyte Add In. I mix a Threshold into my hand bottle and I’m ready to go.

06:15am Start
Section 1: Lizard Point to Church Cove Car Park
Distance: 10 miles / 16 km
The race is about to kick off but nobody seems willing to get to the head of the start line, so I make my way there. The buzzer goes and we’re off. A group of about five of us quickly separate from the rest of the pack and get into a nice rhythm. The first 5-6 miles is relatively easy going running along rolling lush green fields up into the first water station where I top up my water bottle with Threshold and get going. The next section becomes more interesting, with more technical winding narrow coastal trail. I really start to enjoy myself now and begin to pull away from the rest of the group keeping a nice comfortable tempo. I arrive at the first Check Point in 1:30:54. Replace my Threshold with a fresh batch, down a cup of water with Elete and munch on my first Nak’d bar at which point the following pack catch up with me before I’m off again.

Section 2: Church Cove Car Park to Perranuthnoe
Distance: 10 miles / 16 km
After leaving Church Cove, I begin to feel the effect of the stomach bug I had been suffering with. I spent the first 2 miles trying not to throw up. The heat really started to kick in at this point and the outlook of the day predicted that it was going to get hotter! I continued at a steady pace, forcing fluid down my throat to stay hydrated. The first 5 miles to the next drinks station was still pretty good trail and I refreshed my Threshold and carried on, with the trailing pack nowhere to be seen. I assumed at the time that maybe everyone else had slowed down due to the heat…and carried on at a steady pace to checkpoint 2, Perranuthnoe 3:25:52 (1:54:58). This was roughly the halfway point and our bags had been brought along by the EnduranceLife team. I refreshed my hand bottle, knocked back some Elete and chomped on another Nak’d bar then was surprised to see 4-5 people bomb down to the checkpoint.
1:54:58 (3:25:52)

Section 3: Perranuthnoe to Lamorna Cove
Distance: 13 miles / 16 km
Perranuthnoe to Mousehole was not good. Although the views of the sea and land were still stunning and the villages and towns passed through were very pretty, this section of the coastal path is predominantly run on pavement and the temperature had got up to 30 degrees. I was finding it more and more difficult to drink fluid but at the same time craved fluid! The first sign of mild heat stroke was rearing its ugly head and I just couldn’t get my body temperature down. At the water station in Penzance I drank about a litre of water and had one of the helpers dowse me with a bucket of water. It didn’t appear to have any effect but I didn’t see any other runner at this station which gave me a boost and I carried on. Thankfully the trail between Mousehole and Lamorna Cove was back to proper coastal track. Unfortunately my body was really suffering! My legs felt fine, but I just had no energy and the heat was really getting to me. I stopped at every stream and used my cap to dowse myself but no matter how much water I dumped on me, I just couldn’t cool down.
1:51:23 (5:17:15)

Section 4: Lamorna Cove to Land's End
Distance: 11 miles / 22 km
I arrived at the last checkpoint feeling pretty crap but encouraged by the fact that there was only 11-12 miles left and I hadn’t seen any other runner for a couple of hours. I topped up my hand bottle, forced down a Nak’d bar and some Elete and got ready to go…out of nowhere Chris Gilbert came bounding into the checkpoint! I gave him a quick thumbs up and tried to up my pace. The section from Lamorna Cove to Porthcurno is stunning but at the same time is a very technical section. On any other day I would excel on this terrain, but my head was away with the fairies and I found it really difficult to control my legs. It took all I had just not to fall over continuously through this section. Chris caught up with me after a mile or so and we chatted for a bit. It was his first Ultra and I think he was a bit nervous of taking the lead. He looked in a lot better shape then me so I gave him some encouragement and told him to go for it. I continued to plod on with what felt like snails pace, just happy not to faint or puke up. Porthcurno is a stunningly beautiful place, and on any other day I would have really took my time to appreciate its pure beauty. Today was not the day. I felt on my last legs and just wanted to collapse into a cold stream. Luck would have it that on the vertical climb up to Mimic Theatre, there was a couple of guys renovating a building. I spotted a couple of buckets and hoped they had a water supply. They did! One bucket of water over my head later and I was off again. The last water station was just after the Theatre and I was again dowsed with water and forced down a litre of water. Only 5-6 miles to go!...but I was gone. My legs felt fresh as a daisy but I had no energy and my head way in the clouds somewhere. The final 5 miles was extremely painful. I was basically crawling and expected some runners to pass me at any time…but no one did. I arrived at Land’s End 7 hours 46 mins 37secs after leaving Lizard Point in second place and I was wiped.
2:29:22 (7:46:37)

TOTALS
Distance: 44 miles / 70 km - Elevation gain: 7850ft / 2393m

Afterthoughts
Although I was disappointed in my time, the stomach bug really had taken a lot out of me and affected my performance on the day. Chris was a worthy winner and a nice chap at the same time. I hope to return next year and aim for sub 7 hours.
To my surprise the next day I was able to run 8 miles along the coast, followed by 17.5 miles the day after. Proof I guess that my legs were in good shape and that my nutritional and hydration plan was ok, but my body didn’t have enough strength on race day.
Overall, I had a fantastic long weekend in Cornwall and enjoyed the run (even when I was hanging!), the sun and the amazing landscape. Life’s great…run with it!