SNOD Week 1 Marathon training

With the summer of Ultras now just a distance memory I'm looking ahead with much excitement at the prospect of returning to what is easily the BEST marathon in the UK - The Snowdonia Marathon!! Ok so I haven't run that many UK marathon but Runners World readers agree with me voting it the best marathon in 2011 and for very good reason.

My recovery from my recent trail adventures has been swifter than I had imagined so this has meant that I was able to launch into marathon training mode 1 or 2 weeks ahead of the plan which means that I have (had) a full 10 weeks to prepare my body and mind for all that snowdonia will throw at me.

My training plan for the 10 weeks is to get in 4/5 runs per week and keep the consistency high which has been so lacking from my training throughout the whole of 2012. In Week 1 finishing today I completed the following:

Last Sunday - (first run since NDW100) 12 miles slow/steady at 9mpm pace
Monday - Rest day
Tuesday - Speed session. 4 miles. splits: 6.00, 5.45; 6.34: 6.34
Wednesday - 2 runs. Lunchtime 5 mile  recovery run/ Evening club run steady 7 miles
Thursday - Rest day
Friday - Speed session on track - 5 miles in 30:14!! Splits: 6:10, 6:03, 6:06, 6:04, 5:52
Saturday - Rest Day

Total mileage for the week is 34.

The 30:14 five miler yesterday around the track was a total surprise. I never thought I was anywhere near this pace so this has given my confidence a nice boost and showed me that despite my lack of training and zero speed training in recent months (possibly the whole of 2012!) I haven't lost nearly as much as I thought I had.

Bring on week 2 of training

NDW100 splits

This is how my race unfolded in time.....

North Downs Way 100 Race report

The start of the North Downs Way 100 (Mile 0)

DNFs are like buses... You don't see one coming and then two come along at once! And this is the painful reality of what I have had to endure over the past 6 weeks with a DNF in the SDW100 (83 miles), hotly followed by another in the NDW100 (90 miles!) this past weekend. However the key difference with the NDW is that I never gave up and pushed all the way to the end (the end being the 90 mile aid station where I missed the cut off). This is despite being in far far worst state physically than I was in the SDW. In fact the contrast was so great physically and in pace that I will never know what possessed me to pull from the SDW when I was doing so well. In contrast I was not doing well in the NDW in the latter stages yet persisted as every ultra-runner should when it matters most (this is what we sign up for after all isn't it!?).

But anyway that was the prologue which rather gave the ending away I know however I'm gonna skip back through the race from start to finish so that no one reading this makes the same mistakes I did out there so here goes: Pre-race training: (and mistake no.1) is that you really must train for a 100 miler. Sounds daft and obvious but its true. I didn't and hell did I pay for it. I wasn't trying to be a super hero or thinking I was invinsible or anything. I simply decided that I would test the limits of the ElliptiGO as a cross-training device and use this exclusively in the 6 week lead up to the race between the SDW and NDW. Part of this was recover time anyway. This is not to say that the GO isn't great though or let me down. It is awesome and a fantastic cross trainer that definitely boosts fitness and performance (just not on its own). It can't replace running or the training effects that the body gets when running. There was one simple reason why the NDW trashed my body and thats because it wasn't use to the 'impact' of running after such a long break. The GO is zero impact so whilst it strengthens muscles and boosts lung/heart strength through high intensity exercise it doesn't teach the muscles or body to adapt or cope with the impact you experience when running (nothing can!) This is why at 40 miles and 9 hrs into the race my quads were already trashed from the impact on the ups and downs. So in future its back to what worked for me so well in 2011 which is to mix up the running and ElliptiGO sessions. Together they are stronger than either one in isolation.So to race day and I was feeling ready for it. I was full of confidence and targetting a sub 24hr finish again as I always have and will, but failing that I simply wanted to finish at all costs (or so I thought). I wasn't going to go out hard like I did in the same race last year (finished 7th overall in 22:51). I held back this time and happily watched what felt like the entire field pass me in the early stages. These early stages include the infamous Box Hill which was the scene of recent dissapointment for TeamGB cycling and Cav! I love it though and enjoyed the challenge of climbing the 200 odd steps to the top (but then the climbing actually continues some more after them!!). The views at the top were awesome.

Top of Box Hill (26 miles in)

As it turned out I was positioned exactly mid pack in the first half of the race and I wasn't as far back as I thought. However I knew that I was still having to work harder than expected even to maintain a very conservative 11 mpm pace. However there was worst to come. In fact the pace that I thought I had been running and maintaining over the first 30 miles to Reigate Hill wasn't 11mpm like I had calculated in my mind but a minute per mile slower.

Reigate Hill @ 31 miles in

I had made up a pace band for the race which I always do. This had splits for each aid station for 10/12/14 mpm pace. However sweat washed off some numbers and for some reason I started reading off the 12 mpm splits thinking they were 11. To the point where I was convinced that I could keep this pace going and actually PB the course. Haha how wrong was I on that one. So anyway I eventually worked out that I was infact going much slower than I had thought but quickly put this to the back of my mind and carried on moving forward abet still at a slow(ing) pace.

Enjoying some melon at Botley Hill (43 miles in)

I could feel the effort I was putting in wasn't something that I could sustain (even with the Melon!) and knew that I would be walking in the latter stages of the race. I accepted this early on I think which probably helped prepare me for the inevitable. I reached the half way aid station to the cheers of my mum and dad in 11:30hrs. 2.5hrs slower than 2011! Ouch. That is a huge difference and has highlighted to me just how good a run I had last year (better than I had thought at the time).

Halfway at Knockholt Pound (50 miles in)

I filled up with pasta, hot dogs, chocolate milk, and tea and prepared my mind for the next 50 miles to come which were quite clearly going to take a lot longer than it had taken me to cover the first 50. Just as I was leaving so were 3 other runners and I quickly joined them as I was already thinking about the night stage and not wanting to particularly run alone. John, Dan (john's pacer) and Russell were great company over the following stages and hours and made the time and distance go much faster than it would have otherwise. We were all in similar shape so the pace we settled into suited everyone, and I was so relieved I found a group that I could keep up with as I was not moving particularly well.

All three of them were also local to Kent and knew the towns and villages we were running through and some of the trail. This was a real bonus navigationally because whilst the NDW is well marked with the National Trail Acorn finger posts it is very easy to miss one in the dark when your head is down and ploughing on through. Russell's local knowledge especially saved us on two distinct occassions and almost certainly saved us walking (which we were doing a lot by this point as it approached midnight) many extra miles which would have been extremely hard to take.

Me, Russell, John and Dan.... thanks guys!

The fact remained however that every mile was painfully slow and whilst we slowly racked up the miles so did the time as hours would past by one by one by one. Its at this point that you start doing the maths based on your predicted avg pace and what distance you have left to cover to work out time left on the course and predicted finish times. Sub 24hrs was long gone, but we were all confident of finishing in nearer 26hrs as we continued on our way along the North Downs Way racking up close to 65-70 miles by this point.

By now my pace was the worst in the group and I was just hanging on to Dan, John and Russell. But they never left me too far behind and didnt make me feel like I was holding them up. This is the camaradie you often find in ultra running which is so nice.
Dan the pacer left us after 20 or so miles and so John, Russell and I continued on our way with them still out in front and me clinging on. This pattern continued all the way to the 76 mile aid station where surprisingly Russell dropped due to a very painful ankle and knee which he did well to cover up as He was still moving faster than me. I had the decision there are then to carry on or drop. I made a right meal out of this and sat there for a good while nursing my aching limbs in a comfy camping chair sipping hot tea and contemplating whether to continue. John had already gone ahead with some other runner as was faster than me. So in the end I latched on to another group and set off into the deep dark night. I didn't stick with them very long as I shuffled along trying to immitate a runner but failing badly. Even my walk was laboured by this point as the sole of my right heel was painful with each step. However I simply continued one foot in front of the other. This was all I could do.
Those 6 miles to the 82 mile aid station took forever for me and I was a broken man when I arrived at the warm cricket club pavillion just as dawn was breaking. All I wanted to do was stop, lie down and sleep. And this is what I did taking up a comfy spot on the bench sofa.

The bench sofa in question and what killed my race! (82 miles in)

Mistake no.2! Never lie down! EVER. The will to continue was draining away from me but I composed myself drunk lots of tea got my drop bag and changed my t-shirt and socks. Had a choco mik and was going to go when I got a call from my mate Glyn who was also out of the course. I knew he was behind me and it turned out he reckoned about 2 miles from the aid station I was at. So I agreed to wait for him so we could run the remaining sections together. But when I agreed to this I wasn't quite aware of the cut-offs and how close we were getting to them. I waited and waited and when Glyn eventually appeared who then needed some convincing to continue at all I had been at this aid station for an hour. This was time that I simply could not afford to lose and it turned out to be the fatal error in my race. Glyn and I left the 82 mile aid station at 6am only 25 minutes ahead of the cut off. The next 8 mile section was extremely tough with very narrow single track and loads of steep steps up and down. It took us 3h:43m to complete this section but the 90 mile cut off was at 9am. We had missed it by 43 minutes and our race was over but we were still smiling.

Me and Glyn at 'our' finish (90 miles in and 27:43 on the clock!)

I only have myself to blame for the decisions I took out there. It was actually great to run the last section with Glyn but ultimately the time I lost cost me my race and third belt buckle. The game plan I should have had going into the race which I have been very good at sticking to in previous Ultra's is to get in and out of aid stations as quickly as possible however crap you are feeling its still best to load up with food and move on. Otherwise you can get caught up in your own self-pity. I was there to run and finish this damn race and not DNF so its so annoying post race to look back and see how much time I wasted at aid stations. In total well over 2hrs would be my estimate which I simply couldn't afford to do. I will and have learnt from this experience as I have every other which I will take into future events better and much wiser. For now though thats it for 2012 as far as ultras are concerned.
The next big race is the Snowdonia Marathon at the end of October. Once fully recovered I will only have 8 weeks to train for this but I will give it my best shot and try to better my 3:26 pb set last year on the same course. That is going to be an extremely tough ask as my base fitness is not where it was this time last year (the 7hr difference in NDW finish time is testament to this). But hey I'm forever the optimist!

North Downs Way 100 pre race preparation

Well this is it... The North Downs Way 100 is this weekend! :-) Just 6 weeks after my DNF on the South Downs Way. One might imagine that I've been getting in the miles and training extra hard in this interim period to improve my chances of a finish and fast time. Well actually I've taken a competely different tact and essentially done a 6 week taper. During this period I've run just once and that was down to the bike shop to pick up my new Trek. Instead I've been logging some major mileage on my ElliptiGO. Over 600 'no impact' miles since the SDW. This included a 100 mile event which I completed with 6 other ElliptiGO riders which was great fun. Those 600 ElliptiGO miles translate to 220 'running' miles which by my reckoning should therefore see me in good form come the start line on Saturday.

So instead I beating myself up and wasting precious energy going into NDW I'm feeling strong and fresh and am hoping that my cross-training strategy will pay off. By pay-off I mean that: 1 - I will finish. 2 - that the wheels don't fall off after 70 miles, and 3 - possibly go sub 24hrs. I would dearly love another '1 day 100 miles' belt buckle to add to the two I already have. The SDW was an inevitable blip on my ultra running record and I hope that I can puts things right in 5 days time. But whatever happens I WILL FINISH!

You can follow the race live on www.centurionrunning.com with updates at every aid station.

BRING IT ON!! :-D

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....