Brecons Ultra

This post is a little out of date now, but a quick update on our performance at the Brecons Ultra back in November.  It was a long drive down to Brecon on Friday night but rewarded with a pre-race pint in a village pub, before settling down for a night in the campervan.

The race day was grey, but promised to be dry which was a bonus.  Around 120 or so people gathered together in the early morning, and then set off along the canal path for the first of two 23 mile laps - the race organisers weren't really sure how long each one was. What was certain was the massive hill that we had to climb early on the loop, made harder knowing that we'd have to do it again with another 23 miles in our legs.

Our aim for the day was to practice for the long day in the MdS, which meant a lot of walking with our new poles, and much to the amusement of a number of competitors who passed us, a stop for a hot meal to see if that strategy would pay dividends in the desert. Not overly helpful, as I found it worked really well, but Rich didn't seem to get on with the food 2/3rds of the way into the event.

Rich "enjoying" a de-hydrated chilli con carne at mile 29

The event overall was good - I felt pretty strong all the way round, although my right knee was pretty sore towards the end. Going through the day and into the darkness of a November evening was good practice and rather odd, as it felt a lot later than it was due to the dark which seemed to add to our tiredness. I was pleased with my performance though, and despite a mild dose of trenchfoot my feet held up with no blisters.

I'll definitely be taking poles to the desert, and have at last discovered some shorts which don't rub in all the wrong places so another piece of desert kit can be ticked off and packed ready for the race. Alright, so 12 hours+ isn't going to win any prizes (it didn't!), with the winner finishing in 6 hours 20 or thereabouts, but happy with the day out.

Slowing the pace

Not that my pace needs to be slowed at all really, but I figured I'm unlikely to be running all of the MdS so the last couple of weeks have involved some brisk walking, practicing with poles to help take some of the pressure off the legs. Both sessions proved pretty sucessful, not too much discomfort from the shoulder during the walks, though it's got a bit sore afterwards. Last weekend's outing was in perfect, glorious Autumnal weather - chilly, bright morning with excellent visibility.

Rich on the way back from Redmires

The other main focus since the Race Kit weekend has been pack carrying, aiming to gradually build the weight up to the full 11-12kg we're expecting at the start of the race. Joy. The fun part comes in gathering the goodies that will make up all that weight - shiny kit shopping. Currently I've working with a 6-7kg pack, so there's some way to go.

The pace will be picking up again this week (it's all relative!) as the Brecons Ultra is only 2 weeks away, which will be a great opportunity to try out our new kit and some anticipated strategies for the desert.

Other than that, things appear to be going well in training, with an increase in stretching, some strength work and avoiding injuries. Happy days.

All revved up

Just spent a fantastic weekend courtesy of the nice folks at Racekit.co.uk on an MdS training weekend in the Peak District. A great mix of running, trying kit, learning about all things MdS (including mental preparation, foot care, nutrition and tent etiquette - apparently "whacking off" is a no-no!). And of course the opportunity to meet up with, weigh up and have a jolly good laugh with some fellow competitors.

It's left me with a good few queries over pack choice, and other kit options, but at least I know where to turn to for advice and kit shopping. Three fantastic runs between Friday night (run round Ladybower Reservoir), Saturday am (Curbar and White Edges in the glorious sunshine) and Sunday (through my old favourite Burbage and across the back of Hathersage) allowed us to try many different variations of kit, poles and clothing.

If Carlsberg made night runs.....Ladybower in the clear dark night

A few days afterwards and I'm still very very excited about the race now. So much to do, so many things to think about and prepare and so much to look forward to. Given it's 6 months away, there's still time to get things sorted, but not much time to waste so from here on in it's focus, focus, focus.

Less sunny at Burbage

A few pics of the weekend courtesy of Andrew & Amanda at RaceKit (www.racekit.co.uk) - thanks guys for a fantastic weekend.

Somewhere near Curbar Edge in the sunshine

6 months and counting

That's less than 26 weeks to go until we fly to Morocco. A quick summary of where I'm up to: lots of long, slow plodding - tick; avoided running injuries so far - tick; confident of running 150 miles in ridiculous heat with a stupidly heavy pack and sand in my shoes - work in progress!

Still much work to do in the next 6 months, or 26 weeks, or 182 days. Getting kit, sorting out some charity sponsorship, ramping up the training and probably a million and one other things I'll be thinking I should have done come the 5th April next year.

This week's change from summer to winter, including 10 very soggy, windy, cold miles on Thursday morning does not signal ideal preparation for 40 degree heat but the miles all count. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Now, best get on with that training plan......

Just like in the desert.....

A fantastic day out on Tryfan, passing itself off as a training event. Well worth the sore quads the next day. This is Rich climbing up, a long way from the summit.

Summer's over

So, that was the summer. Hardly a great year for getting used to running in the heat but all things considered, I'm not too upset with where things are currently.
After my last post I spent a week in Devon on holiday with the family and friends and only managed 1 run, but spent a lot of time stretching my leg muscles which was good. I came back not so much refreshed, but certainly not over trained like I was at the end of August last year.
On returning home, things have gone manic at work. This has put some pressure on the running, but so far I've been pretty disciplined and kept more or less to the schedule. The next big target was the High Peak 40 on 17 September. A few long runs of up to 20 miles were all I had time for in the build up, though frankly there's not much point running lots of much longer stuff. I bonked completely on the 2nd loop of Fairholmes a week before the HP40, which did my confidence no good at all.
On race day, I felt a bit lacking in oomph but ok for the first 14 miles, then it all started to unravel. I had a bad day. The next 24 miles were pretty abysmal really. No energy, sore knees and hip, and I had to really struggle to keep going. But keep going I did, cajoled on by an uncharacteristically spritely Rich. The last 2 or 3 miles were much better and I seemed to find enough to run pretty strongly home. Not enough to beat 9hours 30, but only 22 seconds outside it, and a full 1hour 15 quicker than last year so was pleased with the end result.
I was pretty sore after that, but managed a couple of mid-length runs the following week. Then track sessions with Sheffield Tri Club started up again on 27 Sept - an easy week to start us back into it (I haven't been track running for about 4 years) before getting serious in October. The aim is to try to inject a bit of speed into my running as I've kind of been training myself to plod. I'm pretty good at plodding now, but could do with an extra kick.
Last weekend was a sort of training weekend in Snowdonia with the Hammer & Pincers quiz team. A fantastic scramble up Tryfan and across the Glyders on Saturday, followed by a quick jaunt up Snowdon on Sunday. Interspersed with one or two beers, a curry, a poker night and much hilarity. My legs are actually pretty beaten up after that, I think from the downhill section on Saturday which saw us drop 900m in about 3km. So I'm resting up before getting on the turbo tomorrow and running again on Thursday.

....and relax.

A flurry of activity to report on since early June when I last posted. Training has been going pretty well really, and as it's summer holiday period I'm booking in for a couple of weeks off from running, mainly to avoid injury and give my ageing body a chance to recover but partly also because I'm trying to juggle looking after the kids through the summer, going to work and being on holiday and it's just too much to juggle sensibly.

Since my operation I've been receiving plenty of physio help and according to the experts, all is progressing very well. From my point of view it's slow going though and my shoulder still gives me considerable pain at times. The first big test of it was the Coniston Trail Marathon on 3 July, just 4 weeks after the op. The physios had a long debate over whether or not I should do it, then realised whatever they said I was likely to try it anyway so they showed me a strapping and sent me on my way. As it turned out the shoulder was fine. I carried a bum bag instead of a rucsac and that obviously kept any weight off the injury. The race itself was pretty tough though. Roasting hot, very exposed and far hillier than I'd anticipated. Combine that with some random mile markers around the course to confuse us all, and it proved a serious challenge. Richard, my training partner had a shocker of a day and so, combined with the topographical and atmospheric issues we jointly finished in 5 hours 25 mins. Not my fastest marathon, but a good test.

After a bit of recovery including some cycling, which was great for a change, our minds focused on the Long Tour of Bradwell in early August. In the lead up to that I did what is probably my daftest training run to date - 20 miles on a Monday morning with a deadline to end by 7.30am so my wife could get to work and I could take the kids to school. 3.30am saw me heading out into the dark, without a headtorch (I assumed being summer it would be light at that time - it wasn't). I slipped and slid down some very rocky and tree covered trails without being able to see my feet, and it wasn't until best part of an hour into the run that I was able to see fully. The route I had planned was a familiar 10 mile loop done twice. First loop was ok, on the 2nd loop however my energy just seemed to evaporate and every incline became a serious problem. I limped home at 7.15am just in time to start my day!

Finishing the Long Tour of Bradwell

On to the Long Tour of Bradwell on 6 August - a 31 mile jaunt around the Peak District, with 6,500 ft of ascent thrown in for good measure. Brutal. Absolutely brutal. I felt good (as good as could be expected) for all bar the last 3 miles by which time I'd kind of switched off, but it was tough. Unfortunately Rich wasn't feeling great again so struggled for much of the way round. Low points for me included falling into a quarry and struggling to uncramp my left calf as it seized up, and coming in joint 2nd from last. But at least we finished - if you look closely, we're almost smiling! I kept well hydrated and fuelled well throughout, which for an event which took us 9 hours 31 minutes to complete (I said it was brutal!) was good going.  

And since then I've been concentrating on recovery - sports massage (incredibly painful but allegedly good for me), and trying to stretch out my legs which are currently causing stiff lower back (hamstrings too tight) and tender right achilles tendon (calf muscles too tight). I've been in and out of work looking after the kids during school holidays for much of August, and I'm off on my jollies to Devon tomorrow for a week. Hoping to get some running in whilst away, but very steady stuff and not too tough I hope. When we get back there will be 32 weeks to go to the big race as the date has been set - we fly out on 5 April 2012. It's time to get serious I think, and really put my mind to getting fit and staying healthy, and I'm looking forward to all the shiny new kit I've got to get........