South Downs Way 100 (83.3) race report....



That's me centre shot all in blue actually leading the SDW100 for 10 metres!! :-D

Well where to begin... This was most definitely not the outcome I was expecting. I went into this race full of confidence and came away from it with my first DNF! argh.... This race went from awesome to disaster in a very short space of time. What I want to do is to go back through events that led up to the point where I pulled myself from the race to understand where it all went so very wrong and see what I can learn from it for next time.....

The South Downs Way 100 mile ultra race goes from Winchester to Eastbourne with 12000ft of ascent along the way with as much descent too!

REASON 1 for my downfall - smashed quads and steep/long descents do not go well together. I camped the night before and got about 3-4 hrs sleep max (REASON 2 - lack of sleep). My alarm was set for 4:30 to give me enough time to cook up some porridge on the camping stove. That was lush. I was keen to get going and thoroughly looking forward to the race. The race started at 6am. Soon after the start the heavens opened but only for a short period. Enough to get a good drenching but we soon dryed out with the sun shining once again. I soon got into my stride and settled in for a long day out of the Downs.



The views over the South Downs were stunning



The first 50 miles went by without incident. I was working quite hard but it didn't feel unsustainable. Even my left foot which I was slightly concerned about going into this race was of no cause for concern. I felt good and was running with a group of runners in the first half including a chap called Ken Fancett wore number 62 and is also 62yrs old! He finished the TP100 in 20h:32mins!! (2 hours quicker than I did) and he finished this race 67 seconds quicker than his TP time in 9th place overall. Unbelieveable!! I tried to stick with Ken for as long as I could knowing who he was. I would gain and take him on the climbs and the descents but his pace on the flats was a couple of notches quicker than mine and I just couldn't keep up. Neverthess I got into the 54 mile checkpoint at Washington in good spirits in 10hrs 16mins. My average pace was 11:15mpm and I was in 25 position out of 163 starters. I was flying!! 



Coming into the Washington 54 mile aid station



Refuelling at Washington with a good cuppa and drop bag


My stats up to Mile 54

Dist          Time          Leg Dist  Leg Pace   Rank
9.8            01:40         9.8          10:12        34
22.6          03:57         12.8        10:42        45
27.2          04:54         4.6          12:25        25
35.1          06:15         7.9          10:14        25
41.7          07:49         6.6          14:15        25
50.1          09:24         8.4          11:19        27
54             10:16         3.9          13:29        25

I exiting Washington a bit slower than I arrived as my legs after 15 minutes or so of inactivity were feeling a little more fatigued. From here I can't remember much of the route but it continued to climb and descent regularly (as I did from the very start) and my pace dropped off between each aid station little by little and then by a lot. However I wasn't actually losing position by as much as I thought I might. My parents were out supporting me too and met me at various CPs along the way including Clayton Windmills (Jack and Jill) at mile 69.8. I was 70- miles in and very weary upon arrival but their support buoyed my mood momentarily. In the previous 3.2 mile section my average pace was 16:34.


Clayton Windmills at mile 69.8 (trekking poles NOT walking sticks!!)

I wrapped up as the wind was blowing and continued on. But the coat soon came off again as I warmed up with the sun still shining. At this point I was doing the maths and thinking that at the speed I was now moving a sub 24 hour finish was looking more and more of a challenge. But rather than using this as motivation to press on and pick up the pace I simply didn't have it in me and continued to plod on getting slower and more down beat with my lack of progress. My position out of Clayton Windmills was 32nd so despite the drama going on inside my head the reality was that I was still doing a lot better than I thought. My positioning simply didnt matter to me though. What mattered was a sub 24 finish and this had a dramatic and unexpected effect on me.There was no Plan B and I simply found it impossible to refocus my goals. As my legs too became heavier and my pace continued to slow the realisation that I was still gonna be out here for a good while longer starting to dawn on me.

As the sun went down and the darkness descended this didn't help either. The 6.8 mile section between Clayton Windmills and Housedean Farm took me 2h13min (avg pace 19:34mpm). Throughout this section the thought of dropping was preying large on my mind. My quads were trashed and mentally I was a mess. I had given up all hope of a sub 24 hr finish even though doing the maths now in the cold light of day it was potentially still on. At Housedean Farm I took a long break and told the volunteers that I was thinking of dropping. What hadn't occurred to me was how long I would have to wait to get back to the finish if I did drop. It was only 10:30pm and the sweep up bus would be over a 8hr wait! The best they could offer was to crash in the back of one of the volunteers car until then. That wasn't very appealing. I had two hot coffees and a few bits to eat and ploughed on into the darkness.

An earlier Aid Station with a good section of fuel!!

It was the next section from 76 miles to 83 miles that put an end to my misery. On the flats I could hardly muster a shuffle, the downs were impossible (or at least that's what my mind was telling me!). On the ups I was still moving as quick as most aided by my trekking poles which were great for the climbs. Nevertheless it was my sheer lack of will to continue for whatever reason and lack of mental toughness that saw me drop at the next aid station. I was utterly relieved that is was over. There was no sense of dissapointment or shame at that point that I had quit. It was what it was and my race was over. My pace for the last section was 22mpm. My splits from Washington to Southease aid station where I dropped were as follows.  

Total     Total    Leg     Leg

Dist       Time    Dist    Pace   Rank

54         10:16    3.9      13:29   25

61.2      12:10    7.2      15:45   29

66.6      13:27    5.4      14:16   29

69.8      14:20    3.2      16:34   32

76.6      16:33    6.8      19:34   38

83.3      19:00    6.7      21:56   51 (DROP)

I was in 51st place when I dropped so dispite my anguish and constant lows I was still in the top third of the field. How strange then that I decided enough was enough. Even the lure of finishing my fourth 100 wasn't enough to make me want to continue. And there was the small matter of the Grand Slam in 2012 which was my ultimate goal to complete all 4 Centurion Running 100s. This hadn't even crossed my mind once during the race and hardly entered my reasoning for continuing. I look back now and am gutted that I didn't weigh this element up a bit more in my mind. My Grand Slam dream is over and with it the GS buckle slips through my fingers.

Had it been my first 100 I know I would have finished it for sure. That I am 100% certain. So therefore it seems that simply completing a 100 is not enough of a reason to go on when the pain really starts to kick in. Sub 24 was all that mattered.... AND THIS WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE. I was too narrowly focused on this one goal without any thought to a Plan B that I could call upon when things really got tough. I was so certain of running sub 24hr that it hadn't even occured to me that I would need a back up plan. So going into the NDW100 in 5 weeks time you can be certain that I WILL have a plan B and probably a plan C, D and E too. One thing is for certain and that is that I WILL finish the NDW100. I have no idea what time I will run and I don't care but I will finish and I will finish.

A few other things I have learnt from this run:

- music may have helped me when I got really low and couldn't kick myself out of it so next time I will have an emergency ipod shuffle in the pack (next to the emergency blanket) just in case

- if someone offers to run with you when you are about to throw in the towel take up their offer cos you won't regret it!!!! A fellow runner and CR Grand Slammer offered me exactly this when I dropped but I simply refused to listen to him. I'm very sorry Alan!!! You so very nearly saved me

- never decide to drop between aid stations. I did and this was the nail in the coffin. Get to the aid station first. Sit down, drink, eat, take time out to recuperate. Take 30 minutes if you need to BUT don't drop

- Have a back up plan!!!!

- Don't get fixated by time goals!!! OR Bucklemania!!

- Enjoy it out there....

 

SDW100 training update

Its just 2 weeks until the SDW100 - my 2nd 100 of 4 in the Centurion Running Grand Slam 2012. Preparation and training has been going well within the time I can commit to training. In the last three weekends I have done a 42 miler, 30 and 41 so i'm pleased with that. The 41 miler was on the Friday which was a test run for the SDW and all the kit I would take. This included the treking poles which I used for the first time. They take a little getting use to but after that felt like they were helping to manage speed and form. But its on the climbs where they really excel and I'm hoping will make the difference on the big climbs on the South Downs Way. I set off at 7pm on Friday and the plan was simple - to run an out and back from my house joining the Ridgeway national trail turning around after 6 hrs. It was a good run/walk and everything I took worked really well. This included the bladder which will replace the hand held bottles which arent an option with the poles. I also invested recently in some new The North Face shorts and Tech T 'better than naked' series which are awesome. The shirt stays so dry.

I also tested my pacing strategy for the SDW which is to run 25mins and walk 5mins from the start. This I hope will keep me going far longer and more consistently at an even pace without the dreaded 'ultra plod' through the night. Not much more to say really other than that - I'm really looking forward to it and feeling like a 100 PB is on the cards. The terrain may dictate this to a certain extent but sub 22hrs would be great and sub 21hrs simply awesome. Not sure I'm anywhere near fit enough to get near the 20hr mark especially after James Elson (CR race director) said this would likely put me top 10. A little too ambitous I feel (but you never know what will transpire out there).

Tapering for 2 weeks now as the legs are fatigued from the recent long run. I will continue to ride the ElliptiGO to work once a week which is a 60mile round trip and a fantastic workout.

Round MK Relay race report

This is a very quick report on yesterdays Round MK Relay. In short this was a 31 mile course around Milton Keynes which consisted of four separate legs. The first two (10m and 5m) were mainly on hard surfaces - roads, riverside and canal path, whilst legs 3 and 4 were on muddy trails and water logged fields. Shoe choice was made tricky for this reason but in the end it was made for me. My trail shoes which I was gonna wear simply werent comfortable and rubbed my heel so I had no alternative but to wear my post-race shoes for the actual run... my Brooks racing flats! They certainly wouldn't have been my choice but they actually worked out well.

I ran the first two legs comfortably in 8 minute miling up to 15 miles and then hit the trails. This obviously slowed me down especially in the brooks but still comfortable. I was enjoying every second and the race was going well. 18 teams were running and all were chasing me down as I (the only soloist) started first. Others started based on their predicted finish time. The idea being all to finish at 13:30. I was fuelling well on nuun and gels and feeling good for the finish. After lots more mud, water and cow poo I made it first over the finish line in 4h37. A great training run and thoroughly enjoyable. Happy to get 30 miles (31.37m) under the belt and feeling ok today with no injuries.
The real suprise was the Brooks Green Silence. The longest I had run in them was a half marathon so this was quite a bit further. My feet felt like though and I definitely think my running style is improving thanks to all the miles I'm putting in in minimlist shoes. In fact the last 71 miles I've run were in the Merrells or Brooks. So is this the death for the conventional shoe... Its too early to say but I'm certainly enjoying my running in them. That said I have also just acquired some Salomon Crossmax which are a hybrid road/trail shoe with a chunky heel. Gonna wear them in two weeks time on the GUCR and will report back on how they are....

Training and race update...

This post offers a quick round up of the past two weeks since the Fellsman and a few thoughts on training and race strategy as I begin to focus on my next 100.

I took a whole week off immediately following the Fellsman to fully recovery both from the exersions and niggle to my right heel. Just a little sore thats all. Then it was off to Hungary with the family for a week and a bit (I write this as we drive (not me) to Budapest airport). To save space in the luggage I could only bring one pair of trainers so it had to be the Merrell Trail Gloves. Small, light and perfect for a bit of low mileage running. I've been wanting to do a few more miles in them and the track around the local lake in Gyor offered the perfect opportunity. With so little consistent running (really since the TP100 in March) my goal was to get most days. And I managed this for 6 from 8 days. For the most part taking it nice and easy completing a 6m on 4 days, a 10m and a 7m.

The 7 mile was a bit different as I decided to run a single mile as hard as I could. Something I've never actually done before so I was keen to know what my fastest mile was. I jogged 2 miles around the track to warm up and then hit the GO button. 1 mile was pretty much exactly 3 laps of the lake. I wore the Garmin to measure distance and pace. I went out too hard on the 1st lap, died on the 2nd as I felt my legs fading badly, but held on in the 3rd. I really didn't have a clue about what pace I could run and was quite happy with 5:15. Had I paced it a little better I think I could have got quite close to a 5 minute mile. What this little experiment brought home to me was just how fast the Elite marathon runners are going! They go FASTER than this for all 26.2 miles! Unbelievable! We all know what pace they run but these are just numbers which most of the time mean very little. So I urge you to go out there and run a single mile as hard as you can to see what I'm getting at.

There is also a local oval track (abet concrete) at home so I'm gonna keep up these mile sessions now on... perhaps once every 2-3 weeks to see where I can get to. My first aim will be to break 5 minutes.

The second experiment I tried as part of this 7m session was to walk a mile as fast as I could. So after a mile recovery following my 5:15 effort I walked a mile and managed a 10:59. Not bad for walking! There was a reason for doing this partly just down to curiosity and also to start to establish what an optimimal race strategy might be for my next 100. I'm coming to realise that running Ultras is about completing the distance in the most efficient way possible, not neccesarily about the 'fastest' or 'just getting around' but to do so in a way that has you moving at optimum efficiency throughout. In all my previously 100s I have slowed down too much in the second 50 so my quest is to find the balance between slowing down my running (a little) in the first 50 but also speeding up my walking which together I think will reduce my overall time and get me closer to sub 20hrs which is my ambitous goal for 2012. Hence the reason for the mile walk experiment. I've always been a fast walker and seem to power hike hills quicker than those around me in races so this is where I think I can further improve. Furthermore following on from a chat with a chap post Fellsman we were talking about UTMB and the virtues of using poles. He was a big advocate of them and got me thinking about introducing them as part of my ultras to maximise my walking speed and to improve my overall efficiency on the move. Hence I've bought some out here in Hungary and am looking forward to seeing how I can incorporate them as part of my training and racing. I plan to use them for the SDW100 in June and if all goes well they may well become a key feature of future races.

Utimately my focus here and the use of poles is for UTMB2013 where I have a guaranteed entry. They are I'm led to believe not only absoluetly invaluable on the long and steep climbs but also assist on the descents as well building confidence and helping with footing. We shall see...

Next up is the MK Relay race this Sunday. This is a 4 leg relay on road and trail. 19 teams are competing over the 31 mile route including 4 teams from LBAC. I'm running it solo as a training run to build up the mileage. It will be at a very conservative pace so as not to over do it. Plus the following Sunday I just arranged to pace a new friend (chap I met on TP100) in the 145m GUCR. It passes through Leighton Buzzard at 95 miles so I've tenatively planned to run the 'final' 50 miles in support. Its a relaxed arrangement with no pressure on me to have to do the full 50, but I'm sure once I'm out there I will be there til the finish! The GUCR isnt a race that i've been too keen to enter myself but I figure that this small taster will provide an ideal opportunity on which to base any future decision to take part. I'm also going to try out the poles to see what assistance they can provide on the flat.

So thats me sorted for the next few weeks....

Fellsman race report

The Fellsman Returns...

This was an epic race of all proportions made even tougher by the worst conditions in the event's 50 year history. I say this on the grounds that this year was the first time they have ever had to abandon the race whilst many were still out on the course. More on this later....
I met up with Nick Ham (my Fellsman buddy!) on the Friday in Ingleton where we enjoyed two dinners! Fish and chip supper and pizza at the local italian restaurant with my parents who had driven up with me to support me out on the course. Fuelled to the brim and after a Black Sheep Ale to aid a good nights sleep we retired to our 17c guest house.
It was a very calm still evening. How that was to change! Half way through the night you could here the wind battering the windows of the bathroom. By the time we were standing on the start line at a low level the wind was unbelievably strong. And you knew that higher up it was gonna be a lot LOT worst. This made kit choice very easy though. I opted for my heavier weight TNF wind/water proof jacket which I wore from the start and left out my lightweight jacket that would offer less protection against the elements.
As always the race starts with very little fanfare. Just a nice warming speech from Suzanne Carter to get runners and hikers on their way as they enter the 'twilight zone'. My mum and dad were taken by surprise as they were still right in the middle of the pack as everyone got underway and were almost unwittingly swept along by the 500 strong pack.
For this race report I'm not going to recount every section and checkpoint as there were 24 of them! My 2010 goes into more detail if you are interested (although it is a long one nevertheless! :-) I set off at what I thought was an average pace but by the climb up to CP3 at the top of Whernside (2419') I realised that I was going a little faster than was probably wise. For company alongside me was Nicky Spinks who was last years female winner in 13hrs (and this years winner too). A time way beyond my capabilities. I had 15 hours in mind this year but that was before the true horror of the conditions were evident. The full on head and side winds were so strong that you were using half your energy just to stay upright and not be blown off the hillside! I'm not kidding. I can't overstate just how strong the wind was. The only other time I've experienced wind like it is in the Wind Tunnel at my company BRE which can blast you with up to 200mph winds! And as time went on it was more and more apparent that this was a matter of survival of the fittest over anything else. Time was quite frankly irrelevant.
Nicky Spinks and those she was running with were soon infront and moving a lot quicker than me. The 1000ft climb from Kingsdale up to CP5 (Gragareth 2058') was HUGE. You cover this ascent in just 1 mile which goes straight up! I remember it well from 2010 but this doesn't make it any easier. I nibbled on some flapjack and pushed on up taking a well earned breather every now and then.
From CP5 to CP7 (Flintergill 1150') the going was much better and flatter along the ridgeline but also much wetter too. The ground was marshy in places and the sealskinz socks were working very well at first in keeping the water out. This was however before the water and mud came above the sock line rendering them pretty much useless as the water got in and there was no escape. This section was a slog as my energy levels and speed dropped. I was paying for my early enhausaism, but I looked forward to and focused on getting to Dent (CP8) which was the first major food stop and lowest point on the route at 570'.
After the long stoney descent into Dent my mum and dad were there to cheer me in. I refuelled well on beans, sausage rolls, hot cheese rolls, tea and choc digestives. Yummy. I felt a hundred times better after that little lot and prepared for the longest section from Dent up to Blea Moor (1756'). I changed my water logged socks to the injinjis which would at least let the water out again. In 2010 this next section was a real slog in the heat but this time around it was far cooler and went very well without a hitch. There were also many more runners around this time which allowed me to follow and take a direct line to CP9 positioned at the top of Blea Moor. To get there however required a hike through ankle/calve deep water and marsh land. Once your feet are wet they're wet so it became less of an issue after a while. Get use to it and man up Blofeld!
The section down to Stonehouse (CP10) which is the next major food stop is beautiful and downhill! I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pasta and tea went down a treat and I was soon on my way. It was at this point with the sun out that the blue wig that I had been sporting since the start and had remarkably stayed on despite the gale force winds had to go in favour of a white cap to keep the sun off my face. Many spectators remarked on the wig which kept me smiling. Many thought I was running for charity (I wasn't) but to keep things amusing I made up a story about running to save the blue squirrel!
After Stonehouse (840') I put my powerhike to maximum effect to reach the top of Great Knountberry (2203') in good time. I was now pacing myself much better on both the uphills and the flats and had regained my confidence and was feeling strong. The food definitely played a major part in this. The section down to CP12 at Redshaw was swift and very enjoyable as were the ones that followed. I had found my groove and was moving well eating up the miles, and the food on offer.
Up to this point I still had no reason to consult my maps or route description penned masterfully by Nick Ham. This was invaluable in getting me around in 2010, but a mix of following those in front and knowing the route this time around meant that navigation was not an issue. This was however until Fleet Moss (CP15) where I took too long to refuel and missed the opportunity to head off with others that I had been running with prior. My first and only big mistake on the whole event. Once ready I preceeded on my own from Fleet Moss to Middle Tongue. A long 4.5m section. I didn't give it a second thought and ran along the fence line up and over the peat hags. It was slow going. I made several navigational errors on this section where I ended up heading too far left and climbed higher than I needed to, when I should of stayed to the right and lower down to pick up a quad bike track which would have taken me straight towards the next CP. Instead I had to contend with some horrible terrain that was tough mentally and physically. I reckon I added a good 1/2hr to my time on this section from mincing around eating jam sandwiches instead of getting out and sticking with others who knew the way. Of course if I had also consulted my map and route description far earlier than I did on this section then this would have also helped. Note to self: unless you KNOW the way don't guess cos its unlikely to be the right way or save you time.
I finally found the new Middle Tongue CP which had been shifted slightly further South due to land owner permissions not being granted across the original route. The next section was equally tough to navigate made worst by the continuing stupidly strong winds and the first of two snow bizzards that were horozontal. THAT's how cold it was getting by this stage with the wind chill factor sending it below freezing. Conditions were definitely deterioating so all I could think was to keep moving as fast as I could which would help to stay warm and keep spirits high.
I stumbled across CP17 (Hell Gap) through better navigation (although tough terrain) and from there it was a short downhill section to Cray which was the next major refuelling point and also Grouping point for the night stage. Basically beyond this point you HAD to stick with those in your group (4 minimum) to CP24 at Yarnbury. If you didn't you were in danger of being disqualified. The condition of many runners at Cray wasn't good with many going no further due to exposure and illness. It resembled a scene from a war film with bodies wrapped in body bags! In this case foil body bags shivering vigourously. After some warm spaggetti hoops and warm creamed rice pudding (both tasted SO good!) I got changed into my night gear adding an extra long sleeve base layer and wind/water proof bottoms to go over the tights. On with the head torch too as night descended and our group of 6 was off into the dark windy cold night and straight up Buckden Pike. A climb just shy of 1000ft! But we were use to this by now .
It was soon apparent however that all was not well in the camp. One member of the group Mark was not moving well and feeling sick. In hindsight he should have headed back down to Cray and bailed (something he was quite keen to do) but the group convinced him to battle on to the next CP with road access at Park Rash which was another 4 miles. This doesn't sound far but on this terrain and with the worsening conditions this was definitely the wrong decision putting Mark at more risk whilst slowing the group down considerably. On a plus point though Michael - another member of the group, had run the Fellsman 6 times before and was faultless on the navigational side which makes the night section far easier and more enjoyable as you're able to relax and run instead of worrying about what way to go.
We made it to Park Rash (CP21 of 24) with just over 10 miles left to go. Mark did well to make it this far and bailed here. At the same time several others from other teams all fighting for warmth in the small tent were also worst for wear and called it a day. Subsequently the 5 remaining in our group were grouped with 3 others as they couldn't leave without making up the minimum 4. So we headed out of CP21 as 8 strong and set off to into the fog and started the notorious ascent up Great Whernside (2310'). We were all I think feeling strong and no one was holding up the group as we ran where we could still fighting THAT WIND and hiked the uphills. The 2 volunteer marshalls at the top of Great Whernside were holed up in a tent squeezed between two giant boulders offering a little more protection. We heard later that one competitor had a bad fall up here and broke a foot requiring rescue by air ambulance. Flying in these conditions requires some insane commitment to the job so hats off to them for that.
Descending Great Whernside felt for the first time like the end was in sight. I could visualise what remained and thoroughly enjoyed the last eight miles with the wind on our backs and a 1000ft descent which made the going far easier.
Before long we were heading into Yarnbury. The mood in the camp was high and we had all made light work of the night section all things considered. What remained was whether I could get a PB but to do so I would have to sprint the final section to Grassington. All down hill and on road i thought it would be easy but those final two miles were very hard on the feet. Nevertheless I didn't give up and made it to the school with just one minute to spare. finishing in 16h:47m.
:-)
what a race! I be back next year for more....

Oakley 20 race report

When I entered this race it was going to be the final sharpener before the MK marathon, but my race schedule has since changed with the Fellsman in 3 weeks time instead. Nevertheless I have been looking forward to the Oakley 20 and that's not just because of the cool hoody every entrants gets (although it was a key reason for signing up :-)

My training for this race has been nil. Since theTP100 I have ran just 5 times in 3 weeks not because of any injuries but because of self-enforced time off to properly recover. However I've still managed some good runs since the TP100 including a new 10k pb and fastest stag time for over a year so the speed is there. But would it be there over 20 miles? That was the big question...

I've never raced 20. Some may appproach it as a marathon but I wanted to ignore the distance and run sensibly hard but pace it well from beginning to end. So the plan was to maintain 7 mpm pace from start to finish. This is just over 3hr marathon pace so if I could hold this pace it would be considerably faster than I've done before even at 15 mile distance.

I had company for this race. Pete Mackrell from LBAC is running really well at the moment in the lead up to London. He even won the MK park run the day before the Oakley 20! Pete's plan was to run 7s for the first half with me then go for it. I was glad of the company as we ambled along this very undulating but beautiful course. We started right at the front but ignored the pace of others around us and set about our game plan.

The climbs were constant which I had not bargained for. My 7mpm pace was based on a flat course! But it was certainly still very runnable and the downhills were fun. The course consisted of a 12m first lap and shorter 8m second. All on very quiet country roads. It was a lovely course and this made the miles fly by. Pete and I reached the 10 mile mark in good form and spot on pace (6.54 avg. I was certainly feeling the pace, whilst Pete was fresh as a dasiy and eager to push on. I wouldn't see him again until the finish and he flew off at 6:30-6 mpm pace!

I settled back into the same pace and carried on. I was very glad of my bottle of nuun water as it was a warm clear day. Perfect racing conditions. At 12 miles you came back over the start line and started the shorter second lap which is on many of the same roads as the first lap. The incline at the start which I didn't notice on lap 1 could certainly be felt now. I was flagging a little as 7mpm became increasingly more difficult, but of course it would! That was the point. It wasn't a surprise to me and I pushed on. I had an energy gel as I could feel my energy levels dropping. It helped.

There was no drama on the second lap as I continued to keep my eyes on the garmin. This was one race where I didn't follow my normal rule of ignoring it. My eyes were firmly fixed on the average pace all the way away and my mile splits. Without doubt the most pleasing thing about this race was the consistency of my pace. I didn't fall off the pace at any point. The only flutuations were dictated by the undulating course so where you lost some time on the up hills you would try and make it up on the downs.

The final mile was tough. You once again came across the start line but still had just under a mile to run which looped around narrow lanes between houses left right left and right again. It was unbarable but finally an opening into the school playing field emerged and there was the finish line but not before you had to do a full loop around the field! Argh. I sprinted around overtaking a few runners and knocking every second off I could.

I saw the clock ahead which read 2:19:30... and crossed the finish line 4 seconds later. I had held on and managed to run sub 7 mpm pace for 20 miles! It was a lesson in perfect pacing and something that I'm getting much better at. Gone are the days where I would fall off a cliff in the second half of a race because of going out too hard. My mile splits for this race as follows: 6:53 6:55 7:07 6:27 7:03 7:10 7:01 6:58 6:55 6:34 6:46 6:58 7:02 7:05 7:07 7:05 6:52 7:02 6:43 6:56.

I finished 60th out of 870 or so finishers. Pete who stormed round the second half of the route finished 14th in 2:10! Making up 46 places in the process. Awesome running and a dead cert for a 2:45ish marathon time in London on that form!

What I want to touch on now is where the hell has my recent good form come from because I'm at a loss to explain it... When I entered the MK marathon at the beginning of Jan my goal was a sub 3hr but I didn't think I was anywhere near that and haven't done any marathon training since then that would according to most marathon training plans get me anywhere near the sort of shape needed to achieve such a feat. Instead I put in the slow long runs in the build up the the TP100 but still averaged only 3 runs per week. A sub 3hr marathon schedule from RW would have you running 5/6 times per week covering between 40-60 miles per week. I'm no where near these figures. And since TP100 as I said above I have run just 5 times.

I've always said that its quality runs not quantity that matters and after the Oakley 20 I've never been more certain of this fact in all my life. The majority of advice and training schedules that have you out most days racking up the miles are in my opinion severely flawed and a recipe for disaster leading to injury. Rest is by far the best medicine to run faster. I'm so certain of that. The problem is that what happens with most runners is that they don't see the improvement they think they deserve from the amount of training they have done so ramp up the training even more rather than doing the complete opposite and resting. And so extreme fatigue and ineveitably injury then occurs as a result.

I'm still at a loss to explain my form but less is most definitely more. Have conviction in yourself and your training. Don't be fooled into beliefing that because others around you are running big mileage that this is what you should be doing. Half the time I think runners (and I include myself in this) only run big mileage to impress our peers with the mileage.... Look at me I've ran 60 miles this week and ran every day... Aren't I amazing.... What you only ran 3 times and did 20 miles... Oh well.

Its such an ego thing that we all have to change. Furthermore we also only do it to impress ourselves with the big numbers. We find comfort in the fact that we have done everything possible to get faster and fitter by adding up the miles ran and sitting around in self-admiration at how wonderful we are. Forget all that bollox. Instead:
1 - Listen to your body and stop listening to others (that includes listening to me!)
2 - run less not more
3 - run with real purpose
4 - mix it up. Run short. Run long. Run flat. Run hills
5 - don't be a slave to the numbers
6 - race short and race long
7 - pace evenly and stick to it
8 - sleep more
9 - eat well
10 - fuel your runs

... and watch as the times tumble!

Sorry for the rambling post but I'm really starting to believe that the misinformation to runners from RW and other sources especially around this time of year when everyone is training for the spring marathon and religiously following the training plan is misguided.... Ok I'm done....

Post recovery training (and racing)

I've taken it very easy since the TP100 before getting back into any consistent training pattern. What I have found is going for shorter fastest events post Ultra is a great morale booster as well as a good physical test whilst recovering from the toll of a 100 miler.

The wednesday after the Leighton 10k race (see previous blog post) was the Club's Stag handicap race. A lung busting 2.5 miles around 3 laps of a local park and industrial estate. I haven't run well in the stag for well over a year now not getting anyway near my PB set way back - 14.04.

On Wednesday I ambled up to the start not expecting much but always willing to give it 100%. I paced the first lap well using fellow club member and speedster Pete Mackrell to good effect. Pete (despite having run a 2:02 20 miler on the Sunday!) was too quick for me in the 2 lap as he pulled away. But Andy Inchley (another speed freak) caught up with me having started behind me (due to the handicap start). I latched on to him and upped my pace for the second lap trying staying with him for lap 2 and then just hung on for lap 3.

My lungs were bursting as I stuggled up the final small incline through the park to the finish. Time on my watch was 14:16 (official 14:18). A very rare return to form in the Stag. What was most pleasing was the even splits which I rarely manage to ger right. Mile 1: 5.36, Mile 2: 5.40, Mile 3 (half) 5.39 pace.

I followed this with another fast session on Sunday morning. 14 miles on the roads. Out 2 miles from home to the Leighton Tough 10 course start (undulating 10 miles on quiet country roads), and 2 miles home. I wanted to run it in 7 mpm pace and just managed this finishing in 1h37m. It was tough going though and to maintain this same pace in 2 weeks time for the Oakley 20 race (Bedford Harriers) which is my target is going to require a consistent and tough period of speed training between now and then.

I'm confident I can do it (you have to be otherwise it won't happen), and I'm enjoying a slight refocus away from long and slow training runs before I get back into it in preparation for the Fellsman. For now though I have a 20 mile PB to focus my energies....