This ultra came as a
complete surprise to me in that I had completely forgotten I had entered. It
was only 4 weeks prior that I received an email from Centurion Running race
director James Elson detailing final race instructions. There must be some mix
up so I emailed James as I was 100% certain I had not entered. Yes you did came
the reply - turns out this was my free entry after volunteering last year!
Oops. After getting over the initial shock that my longest MK marathon training
run was now no longer a 20 miler around the street of Leighton Buzzard but
instead a 50 miler over some pretty brutal terrain I actually started to enjoy
my training again. This training didn't though come in the form of long 6 hour
weekend runs in the hope of tricking myself that it was an ultra runner again.
Instead I focused on stacking up the mileage on the ElliptiGO (see www.elliptigo.com if you haven't a clue
what I'm talking about :-). I incorporated my commute from Leighton Buzzard to
Watford as a long training ride and was doing 45-50 miles to work and 22-30
miles home twice a week, plus a longish ride at the weekend including a 76 mile
sportive across Buckinghamshire - Cobblers Classic.
In total in the
preceding four weeks to SDW50 I only ran a handful of times, and didn't make a
step in the final two. My last ultra was UTMB in August and since then only ran
Snowdonia of any significant distance.
Fast forward to race
morning and I arose at 6am in the back of my car at the start in Worthing. A
broken nights sleep but its all good and I was looking forward to the day ahead
whatever it had in store for me. I registered early and then went in search of
breakfast ~paleo style. That can mean only one thing - a massive full English
breakfast. By sheer good fortune I came across a local café (@downlandscafe)
which cooked up the most amazing breakfast with double everything!!
 |
| I don't think pre-race fuelling gets any better than this!!... 1hr before race start :-O |
This was
without doubt the single best decision
all day as it fuelled me throughout the day, topping up on just nuts, fresh
fruit, cheese and a couple of Cliff Bars/ shot blocks on the way around.
My strategy for this
race was going to be just to finish. I had no right to expect anything else
based on my lack of any specific training. But that then changed when I checked
the race shuttle bus times that took runners back to the start. I had two choices
- a 6pm bus (sub 9hr finish) or 11pm (finish under the 13.5hr cut off). My
planned relaxed day out in the hills had now turned into a full on race! I now had one very clear goal - get back by
6pm for that damn bus!! Just 9 hours to complete the 50 mile route which
included 4500ft of elevation gain.
I knew a section of
the route as it's the second half of the SDW100 but I would be revisiting the
place where I had my darkest EVER moment in an ultra in 2012 when I pulled out
at the 83 mile mark (even though I was doing well and had LOADS of time in the
bank - don't ask!). I therefore had unfinished business with this course and
was looking forward to reaching and moving beyond that point, in a physical and
mental sense.
I planned to run an
even paced race from start to finish - not something I have ever successfully
managed in an ultra. But I knew this was my best chance of success rather than
going out too hard on no run training and blowing up big time before half way.
So with a fully charged Garmin I kept a close eye on my pace never running
under 9 minute miling except for a few down hill sections. My average pace as I
hit the first aid station at around 12 miles was exactly 9:30mpm which felt
right. I was running well within myself and I positively encouraged people to
pass me in these first miles to ensure I kept a lid on it. I was certain I
would be seeing these runners again today.
There's nothing too
dramatic to write about that happened in the rest of the race. The best ultra
strategy is often the least exciting and I guess that's what happened. So no
drama, just spectacular views of the South Downs when they weren't shrouded in cloud
and mist. I was feeling surprisingly good throughout and kept expecting
something to happen that would reduce my steady run to crawl but the strategy seemed to be paying
off. Throughout the second 25 miles my
average pace stayed at just under or just over (depending on whether we were
going up or down) 10 minute mile pace. For many runners this might seem a tad
slow but over the distance and terrain it was for me more than I had ever hoped
for coming so under-trained into this race.
The climbing
continued in the final 10 miles which when you've already covered 40 only gets
harder. However the ElliptiGO training was really paying off. It really is the
case that the ElliptiGO motion is very similar to climbing the South Downs. I
could actually physically sense the same movement in my muscles as they worked
efficiently to drive me up and over the Downs.
And whereas the majority of runners were now walking all the climbs in
the final quarter of the race I was able to maintain the same pace that I had
from the beginning. It certainly wasn't effortless, this was a 50 miler after
all, but it was mildly comfortable and came as a huge surprise to me. I just
didn't expect it.
Another strategy
that paid off was to spend the minimal amount of time at the aid stations. My
substantial breakfast meant that I was never hungry and just grabbed a handful
of stuff on the run only stopping long enough for the superb volunteers to fill
my water bottles.
And so that's the
tale of my South Downs Way 50. Well almost... I reached the top of the Jeverton
climb from where you had just 4 miles to the finish. Word has it they are all
downhill however the reality is that 1 of those miles is but the rest are all on
the hard pavements of Eastbourne and boy was that tough going. I felt worst in
the final 2 flat miles of this race than I had in the proceeding 48 miles
combined. I'm not sure whether it was just the mind letting go when it sensed
the finish line or just because I had battered myself on the trails and only
now was starting to feel the effects of this effort. On reflection it was
probably both. As I came around the corner and spotted the sports stadium for
the trac kside finish I was mightily relieved but hugely satisfied with my
performance. I crossed the finish line in 8 hours and 7 minutes in 35 position
out of 350 or so starters. My 5 mile splits and stats from the race are below.
5 miles splits
|
Strava link here with full mile splits and stats - SDW50 Strava page
So what do I take
from this for my next and only other
ultra of the year (NDW50 in May). Well its just one thing...actually two
things.... Run less, ElliptiGO more!!! :-D
oh And pace it
right!!!
What may change my
approach to the NDW50 however is that I've planned my own dualathon with the
run on the Saturday followed by a 100 mile sportive on the ElliptiGO on the
Sunday. If you asked me on Sunday whether I could have ElliptiGOed 100 miles
off the back of the SDW50 the sheer thought would have put my legs in a cramp
so I clearly have a bit of training to do for that one, but the signs are good
after the weekend. Next up is the MK marathon on the May bank holiday where I
plan to run sub 3hr pace and just hang on for dear life. I have no right to
expect such a finish time on my current training but it will be interesting to
see how close I can get.