Brathay 10-in-10 Challenge 2009

The Experience of a Lifetime

2009-05-20T10:40:00.005+01:00

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I know that as a phrase is is much overused, but in this particular case it almost under-states the reality of what the 10 in 10 was for me.

Two years ago the first of these was held. Lorna and I didn't know about its existence before that, but once we did we looked at each other, and almost in unison said,

"You know what...? *WE* could do that."

That in itself was a significant point. It was a challenge that we saw as an *us* challenge. Something that we could do together. And that was really important.
And we thought about it from that point forward.
Logistically we couldn't organise things to take part in 2008, so we started badgering Scott Umpleby at Brathay as soon as we'd finished running the Marathon in May.

In our minds we were already training for it. At least, it was the *focus* for the training that we were doing. If I'm honest, I always thought that of the two of us, V'rap was more likely to get accepted by virtue of the greater number of marathons and longer Ultra events that she's done. I wasn't at all confident that *I* would get a place at all.

We talked about what we would do if only one of us got in, and really there was no question. The other would be there to do whatever they could in a supportive role.
Because it was an *us* thing!

We needn't have worried. An email and letter from Scott informed us that we'd both be part of the running 'team'

And then came the self-doubt for me
A marathon is a significant undertaking - it's a LONG way - it's a distance that you have to respect - ONE is pretty tough - how on earth does one train to do 10 on the bounce...???

We formulated a plan - which was quite simple really.

Make running something that we *DO* not something that we *TRAIN FOR*
Make sure we have one decently Long Run a week
Do some back to back long runs and races
And run more than once a day.

The last point was important, I think. We quite often ran quite long mileage broken up into smaller chunks. So getting the volume and the strength to hold good form, without battering the body too much with repetitive longer runs.
And it gave us the "get back out there and do another one" mentality that would be needed for the 10 in 10.
I also think that it went some way towards conditioning our bodies to quick turnaround recovery (although that is just a guess on my part!)

But it also changed the way we thought about running. A half hour gap would have previously been dismissed as too short to bother getting changed for.
Now it was an opportunity to trot out a 3 mile circuit.

Over a week - that's another 21 miles! Training without realising you're doing it!

We started training in earnest in September, and initially it was going well, and then V'rap developed a phigglesome shin in November, so December was a bit of a write-off. I found it difficult to get out and train when she couldn't - and even once she was back in January, it took me a couple of weeks to get back to it!

But from that point on it all went well.
We did most of our training together, something which I think benefited both of us.

An interesting side-effect of this was that I started to get quicker over every distance, and from February to April, I was bettering personal bests pretty much everywhere. And recovering from harder run races really quickly.
I was particularly pleased to run under 3 hours at Shakepeare, just 12 days before the start of the event, and even happier to see Lorna massacre HER marathon PB on the same day.
We had clearly got something right to this point!

There was something quite surreal about driving up to Brathay on the Thursday. We arrived reasonably early, having waited fro the rush hour traffic to peter out.
We followed the signs to Shackleton Lodge, which was hidden away in the woods away from the main buildings. There were a few faces that we already knew and had met.
Steve and Teresa Edwards, Aly Knowles, Tom Giles (briefly in passing on the race route on weekend when we were recce'ing it), David Baylay (briefly at Shakespeare), and then slowly but surely a bunch of new faces. As it is with groups of people meeting for the first time, Day 0 was NOTHING like any of the other days

The really striking thing about it was how relaxed people were in each others company from the off.

We were introduced to Robin, the Team Nutrition fella, and a little later, Amy the Super-Physio did a little presentation about what she and her team would be able to offer us during the event.
I wonder if she realised *then* just how much work it was going to be!!!!

Day 1 was the most nerve-wracking of the 10. I was my usual caged-lion self, and incredibly nervous. Logically I knew that once we got under way I'd be OK - and that proved to be the case. But the anticipation of ACTUALLY getting started was unbearable.
And the weather was unhelpful

I won't repeat the minutiae of each race here.... because there was SO much more about the event which I didn't put into those reports!

The most incredible thing about this whole event is that, while it is a deeply personal challenge, it was also one where the very BEST in people was brought out.
Nowhere have I seen the level of support between the participants as I did here. From Adam who broke the event record numerous times and was running just over 3 hours for most of the 10, to Anastasia who often took over 7 hours to complete the course - always missed Lunch and so had significantly less recovery time than everyone else.
There was genuine relief and joy when people returned - a fair number of "Oh. My God.'s" when folk defied their injuries and posted an unbelievably great run.
Tim winning a race outright - a real highlight for me

And the day that Tom came into the Lodge in immense pain, collapsed on the floor and sobbed, saw everyone in the room galvanised into action. The initial look on Amy's face was not that of a physio concerned for a client, but of someone that was truly concerned about another human being in distress, and one about whom everyone cared.
Tom rose up from that point with his infectious good humour, and his achievement blew me away

And a crashing low point when Gareth had to pull out of the event on day 3 with an injury with which he was simply unable to continue.
The strength of character, and the measure of the bloke that he is was shown in the fact that he came back to support the remaining runners for the last few days. And quite rightly took his place with the team at the presentation on Sunday.
It's hard to describe - but it was like being a Family - but one that REALLY cared about every person there.

There were few defences and barriers amongst the group. There couldn't be really. With Mark S on one bed and me on the other, galvanising the physios into a competition to see who could make whose 'bum' wiggle the most, and elicit the most humorous 'squawks' which WAS a great spectator sport

There were low times too.
On the evening of Day 6 I was all but ready to throw in the towel. I'd upset Lorna - and I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I really couldn't see the point of being there at all. I was REALLY bad company that evening, when Lorna's parents took out for a really lovely meal
And come the start of Day and Race 7 I was less than mono-syllabic - it was awful!

BUT - I ran better, and by the end of the race, the GrumpBee Demon had been cast off and under the wheels of a passing lorry. He wasn't a welcome guest!

I must just mention Day 8. As you know, I had a bad day at the office. My slowest marathon, and mild hypothermia by mile 14 - day saved by Amy and our friend Dave. Interestingly this wasn't my worst race! I very quickly accepted that I couldn't run (when I couldn't) and my head zapped into a completely different place. Finishing became to goal - do the VERY best I could became the goal as well

I was at peace with that - and suddenly walking sub 13 min/miles was not only a goal but a triumph!!
Starting to run again - an incredible experience
Spending a bit of time with Dave running just behind me yattering about everything and nothing - fantastic - it could have been as beautiful sunny day, I wasn't really noticing the weather.
I waxed lyrical about how much I loved the course (easy when you are on the 'easy' bit though )
Tim cheered me in as he was lowering himself into the river

I finished in 4:32 - it hurt - a lot. But I was strangely happy with it.
Lorna (who'd had a really good run) came belting out of the Dining Room to hug me looking worried and upset. She had scared the Kitchen Staff in to making up some more hot food for the cold runners. Dave and Helen came in for a chat as well.
Everything about that day summed up for me the incredible power of Good that is in people. It was both humbling and uplifting at the same time

The last 2 days were like a big party
Incredible support on Saturday, and the knowledge that, barring death, once it was done then completion of the event was GOING to happen.
Missed seeing Aly's parents though. They'd been a permanent fixture on the course but were otherwise engaged that day. It was really noticeable that they weren't there

The Final day was a revelation. The weather was perfect for running. The start 'huddle' was strangely quiet and intimate, and that spell broke when we stood up.
The end of the journey which had been such an intensely personal one - but taken with an incredibly tight-knit group of people- was in sight. It could have felt like an intrusion with so many people sharing in it..... but it didn't.
It felt like a celebration of something incredibly special, and with a large number of people that had been following our progress through the power of technology.

I felt incredibly privileged to be standing on the start line with the extraordinary people with whom I'd shared this journey, and for there to be so many friends, family and well-wishers there to see us off is something that I'll never forget.

There was a striking difference between the noise and hubbub of the build up to, and the start, and the quietness of the road once we had started. Because I was running well, I spent most of the run alone.
It was amazing - and intensely emotional.
I have come to think of the course as an old friend, and in a way every footfall was bidding it a fond Au Revoir.
I had to control the urge to cry may times during that peaceful first 12.5 miles.

The finish was the most spine-tingling thing I've ever experienced. It is a memory that will stay with me forever!

If the events of your life, and the people you meet along the way shape the person that you are, then this event and these people - EVERYONE who was involved - have been a huge chapter in mine.

I think that the synergy created by that specific group of people, at that time, in that place, doing that event was completely unique - utterly unrepeatable.......

The experience of a lifetime!

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10 in 10 - Race 10 The Finale

2009-05-17T18:56:00.001+01:00

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Woke up this morning feeling quite nervous, as did Lorna.
This is normally a Good Thing, but with the events of the last couple of days, I didn't dare hope for my self.
I had a really good feeling about what Lorna would do though :)

So the morning routine of food and physio commenced. Amy and I discussed what to do with my Left Ankle, and we felt that more of the same was sensible. So I was taped up.
We headed down to the start area to see if we could meet up with any Fetchies - and it didn't take long :)
Before we knew it our names were being called, and we 'huddled' before setting off from under the Finish Banner to the Start.

There were hundreds of people about and the start was a real party :)

Mind-blowing!

And so the final race started - Adam shot off (as he does ;)) and pottering up- the first hill my ankle seemed to be behaving itself.
The first downdulate was also comfortable, although I had to really concentrate on form so that I could run without anything hurting.

I thought to myself - "this is the last marathon - if you are feeling good, go for it!"
So by the 3rd mile I'd picked up the pace and was feeling good on it.

I was running alone, with Adam somewhere ahead, and Steve and Tim a little way behind.

"Run your own race!" I told myself - "Keep it relaxed, and just see how you go"

Before I knew it the Mile 7 Hill was upon me, and I took it easy on the ascent, relaxed on the flat, and bombed the down. I couldn't believe how good I was feeling, and how well I was running.
Psychologically, this next section is great. It's nett downhill for 5½ miles :)
Along here I was cheered on by Kelley and Sprog - Brilliant - unexpected surprise :)

And there were more supporters in Newby Bridge.

The next section to 17 miles is the toughest part of the course. Unremitting and undulating. I kept the effort level down on the Ups, and let it fly on the downs.
And then around mile 18 I saw Adam a little way ahead.

"No way!" I thought.

18-20 is delightful to run, and I saw that Adam was slowly coming back to me. I caught him just after Bowness where he said he was waiting for Steve and Tim so they could cross the line together.
I left him and headed up the Speed Bump, at the top of which were Stuart, Ruth and a few others - Awesome positioning guys :) That is the last of the hard running and the run-in over the next 4.75 miles is fabulous - I LOVE it!!!!!

I started to pick it up.
I wanted to finish with a good run, and I was running really smoothly.

The updulate at 23 miles went without a hitch - as did the move on to the road in Ambleside.
The last half mile started to feel a little more hard work.
As I turned into Brathay, I could hear the announcer telling the crowd that I was coming and a real shiver went down my spine!!!

I eased up over the crown of the hill, and then gunned it to the line.
There were LOADS of people there - it was amazing :):)
I think I put my hands above my head and started clapping back to the crowd.

I crossed the line and was completely spent, and who was there to give me a huge hug....??
"Where the HELL did THAT come from?" asked Amy.
I shrugged my shoulders because initially I couldn't speak - told Amy that I loved her (again) with her Hubby looking on :)
I know I've said this before, but she is amazing. She knows Sports Physio like no-one I've ever met - and if you live up this way and need looking at - she's the person to see!
Gareth was also there - which made the day complete. We'll SO be up to support him next year!!!!

The rest got a bit blurred.
Someone went to get my bag from Reception
I had something to drink and eat
10 minutes later Adam Steve and Tim came in :) the Sub-35 hour Posse :):):)

And I was waiting for my Soon To Be A World Record Holder Wife to arrive.

And she duly obliged with a STORMING run of 3:55, Closely followed by Adam T who has been truly inspirational in his squaring up to adversity having been held together with elastoplast since Day 2 :)

I missed a few coming in but caught up with them as soon as I saw them
Everyone was brilliant.
Incredible runs by incredible people - and it has been an absolute privilege to share the same space and road with every one of them over the last 11 days.

A bit of self indulgence here:

Finishing time 3:10:45

Splits:
* 7:54
* 7:42
* 8:05
* 7:35
* 7:37
* 7:42
* 7:16
* 8:07
* 7:05
* 6:49
* 7:15
* 7:13
* 7:06
* 7:27
* 7:23
* 7:21
* 7:07
* 7:07
* 7:08
* 7:13
* 7:13
* 7:14
* 6:57
* 6:40
* 6:41
* 6:45

1st HM: 1:38:02
2nd HM: 1:32:43

Quite pleased with that :)

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10 in 10 Day 9 The Race........

2009-05-16T18:23:00.000+01:00

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This morning was all about getting trussed up and minimising any potential problems from my ankle.
Walking was fine. I had no idea what running would be like.

We were a little late setting off and we did so just as the rain eased. There was a fantastic crowd of Fetchies to see us off. That set the day up for being a good one :)

Off we went and I hit The Wall after ½ a mile!!!
The sneaky blighter had done it's best to second guess me. And my ankle was REALLY painful.
I fiddle-faddled with different ways of running until I found a decent compromise that kept propelling me forward faster than walking.

V'rap, Adam T, Mark B all went past me, and I was struggling to get any kind of pace. I settled into 9:30's, caught back up to Adam and mentioned that I thought it was going to be a Long Hard Day.

At about 5 miles I was running a little more freely and caught back up with my lovely wife. Haddi and family Haddi were at the 6 mile Feed Station - Brilliant :)
He said they'd next be at Newby Bridge!!!
Once again people from the Fetch community prove to be the best supporters in the world.

The Mile 7 hill saw Adam's Dad catch up with me on his bike. I ran up it faster than he rode :) Funny as it seems, that was a real confidence booster!

I could see Mark ahead of me at the 8 mile Feed Station, and caught him at 10. The ankle was loosening up and giving me far less grief, and I started experimenting with running as fast as I could without hurting myself.
It was a really fine balance, and EVERY footfall had to be exactly right. Kept me very focused and I had to concentrate really hard.
Passing the 12 mile Station I knew that Newby Bridge was just around the corner.

And as promised, there was haddi - with the promised Jelly Babies. He said something about "....around the corner"

Oh.My.God.!!!!!!!!!

An enormous group of familiar Fetch faces making a huge amount of noise. What a lift :)
Thanks Guys - You are awesome :)

I started the long open section to the 14 mile Station, and was reeling in Foxy Davy. I caught him at the feed Station, where Amy had promised to be if I needed anything.
I didn't this time :):)

Things were going reasonably well - but this part of the route is the most undulating, and the quick changes were proving slightly troublesome with the ankle.
Amy drove past me just before 15, and checked on me. I told her that my ankle was a bit sore, but in 2½ miles the course becomes flat, and that I'd be fine from there.

She said she'd wait at the top of the Speed Bump :)

haddi was at the 18 mile Station and found my bottle for me and ran with me until I was done with it (Cheers mate - really appreciated that )
And as I'd predicted running was much easier. A quick check of the Garmin showed that I was averaging less than 9 minute miles overall now, and I was running well.

This section is easy to run, and makes it one of the best last thirds of a marathon I know.
I found myself waving at loads of cars with people who beeped their horns, or who cheered. It was great :)

Was feeling reasonable through Bowness and up to the Speed Bump. Amy was there as promised.

"You OK..?"

♫ "I'm still runnin'.." ♫ I warbled :)

And I headed straight on.

Average pace read 8:37min/mile!!!!

I started pushing the pace as far as I dared. There are some lovely downdulating sections along this section.
22 passed
23 passed
and the short section to the last water station loomed.
I felt like I was running well - and I was - I was seeing 7:3* pace
Blimey!!!

I was thirsty - so stopped for a decent drink and to wet my Buff. And set back off again.
2½ miles to go.
I picked the pace up a bit - ankle said - OK :)

Loved the run into Ambleside - managed not to fall over.

And as I headed out - ANOTHER Fetchpoint had created itself. AMAZING :):):):)

My average pace had dropped below 8:30's - now THAT I never expected at the start!!!

As I entered the grounds of Brathay I changed the display on the Garmin to show me the running time 3:37:57
Oooooh - If I get a move on, I'll get under 3:40.......... (sad, eh!!!)

As I crowned the hill, I picked it up...... and there was ANOTHER Fetchpoint at the finish line - Unbelieveable :):):):):)

3:39:45

GRRRRRRAAAARGH! (no Idea *why* I roared, but it seemed appropriate at the time!!)

Said a quick hello the the good folk who'd turned out to see us in, and went for FOOD!!
Cheered the next couple of runners in, and headed out to hug the wife who'd had ANOTHER brilliant run :)

When we went back up to the Lodge for physio and the like, discovered that Tim had won today:)
That REALLY made my day. Tim has been running really well, and is such a nice bloke. I was absolutely delighted for him, and I think that it showed. :)

Fantastic day :)
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10 in 10 Day 8 - the Race..... OR.....

2009-05-15T18:24:00.003+01:00

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Hi Dave and Helen :)

GO

Tum-ti-tum-ti-tum..... :)

Hmmm.....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH :-O (PTT which had been grumbling a bit became impossible to run on) (Mile 11)

Walk

See Dave and Helen at Newby Bridge - Say something like " I'm in a bit of trouble"

Set new goal - "finish"

Shiver (Blue lips the lot!)

WOO WOO WOO WOO (Amy comes to the rescue)

WOO WOO WOO WOO (Dave gives me ALL of his clothes and a couple of his buns :) )

Lorna goes storming past looking fantastic

Davy nicks a dry shirt off Dave

Mark and Adam T go past

Shuffle Shuffle

WOO WOO WOO WOO ( Amy comes to the rescue again )

Walk FAST sub 13m/m

Try shuffle run - OK for a bit

WOO WOO WOO WOO WOO ( Amy returns with Coffee, Jelly Babies and paracetamol)
(16 miles)

Start running really gently
Sub 12 min/mile - YAY - Go me!

Oooh - sub 11m/m

Oooh - about 10m/m

Oooooooh - 2 sub 10's I'm "nails", me :)

WHAT - miles with an '8' in them. YAY, I'm shuffling nicely now.

Some MEGA support from Dave - You are a star, mate - Awesome :)

Blimey - only 2½ miles to go

GAH - Garmin has died (25.2 miles) [ note to self - Charge it tonight!! ]

Ambleside - Helen tells me Lorna went sub-4. My wife ROCKS :):) Best moment of the day :):)

Finish - GRAAAARGH. 4:32:17

I'm SO happy with that - I thought I'd have to walk from 14 all the way.

Food - LornA has MADE the kitchen staff make a pot of HOT food "because there are some hypothermic runners coming in"

My wife ROCKS :)

Physio - Kath ( a friend) pops in to say Hi :):):)

Fetch People ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy and I have a conspiratorial chat about the plan for tomorrow ;)

Off for tea shortly.

All in all a REALLY hard day - but about an hour better than I thought It'd be.

Gotta be happy with that :):):):)

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10 in 10 Race 7 - What a difference a Day makes....

2009-05-14T18:27:00.004+01:00

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Was it sitting in the river?
Was it the incredible work that Amy has done making my Glutes wiggle (you had to be there ;))
Was it simply just a better day at the office?

Dunno.

But my legs were much *boingier* today

The only concern was some discomfort on the inside of my left ankle.

Lorna and Steve were being interviewed by Border TV this morning, and somehow I got dragged into the bit featuring my lovely wife
This was a reasonable distraction before the start of Day 7 - even though I was still feeling really low.
The first mile saw Adam fly off :) Followed by Tim, and for a short while I was running with Steve.
He pulled ahead and caught up with Tim around Hawkshead, and for the next few miles they were pretty much in sight. I was running comfortably and got a fantastic surprise just after 6 miles...

Hannah (SW from Fetch) was there at the side of the road, and I stopped for a hug :) Brilliant!

Mile 7 hill went fine, and the ITB didn't grumble.
Amy has done some real magic with me and the other TiTs - she is amazing!

I was really enjoying the nett downhill section to Newby Bridge today, the only concern being that my ankle was becoming more uncomfortable.

At the turn I could see both Steve and Tim.
"Do my eyes deceive me?" I thought, " they look closer"

They were!

By Mile 16 I was only about 20 seconds behind Tim, and looking good pace-wise for about 3:19 or 20.
Then the ankle became troublesome.

Mike the other physio was doing 'front' support and asked if I was OK at 18, and I said I was. About half a mile later I regretted that, as running was becoming more uncomfortable.
I really hoped that he'd be at the mile 20 Feed Station - he wasn't :(

I pottered on through Bowness and though 21 miles, running OK, if cautiously. And for the first time I walked up the first section of the Speed Bump.
It flattens a third of the way up and then steepens again, so I'd started running at that point, and saw Mike at the top.

MARVELLOUS :)

"Do you want some cold spray?" he asked
"Yup -and some scissors!!!!!!" I replied.

Off with the shoe and Mike set about cooling the hurty bits, while I set about surgically altering my shoe.

I muttered something about walking if I had to - and at the time I genuinely thought I'd have to!!

That all done I set off again, limping initially, and then getting back into my running. As 22 miles passed I knew that the running was nice and easy, and with a bit of work, I'd be able to get *just* under 3:30.
I ignored the 24mile drink and headed on, safe in the knowledge that if I could hold my current pace I'd get that time!!! :)

The ankle held up OK for the most part - stopped me from gunning the last incline, and I was REALLY happy to see the finish line hover into view

3:28:32

I was SO pleased with that.

I waited for Lorna to come in and went with her to the Dining Room (I'd already eaten) and then made my way to the river.

I don't think any 'normal' rules can apply to this event, which is BRUTAL!!!

Amy has worked her magic on me, and we'll see what tomorrow brings.
:)

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10 in 10 - Day 6 The Race

2009-05-13T18:20:00.002+01:00

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Warning - Self-indulgence contained herein....

With some physio work done on me with regard to my Rt ITB V and I headed to the start which was sunny and breezy, with a few fluffy clouds round about.

We were a bit late setting off today - and what a fantastic sight to see a Fetch vest with XB inside it at the start :)
And saw him again on the first half
Fabulous :):)

Within about half a mile a was feeling the fatigue in my legs,and Adam, Steve and Tim soon went out of sight.
The engine was ticking over fine with my HR in the 140's (just over 60%WHR!), but there was nothing in the legs!
At 6 miles the ITB started to twinge, but it coped OK with the hill at 7.
The nett downhill into Newby Bridge didn't yield any faster running, and I gave up on the idea of 3:30 at about mile 8.
12 through 17½ was turgid - and I had to adjust my shoes a couple of times.

At 18 I started to feel a little better and shortly after that saw a Fetch Away colours with Kev Scone inside it
Brilliant :):) That provided a real lift.

I stopped at all the subsequent Feed Stations for a drink and felt the pull of the finish at 24 once again.

Near disaster coming into Ambleside where I tripped on something and stubbed my whole body on the road, narrowly missing a car. And that really shook me up. Hip and hands were hurting, and I was virtually in tears running through the village.
Most odd!

The run in passed in a bit of a blur, and I clocked 3:37:41.

Headed straight to dinner and then went and sat in the river. After today, I'll try anything.

Head was SO scrambled that I thought I was first on Amy's physio list - apparently not!
upsetting Lorna is not on the the agenda.
Epic Fail!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy did all sorts of stuff that made my bum wiggle this evening. My glutes are tight and it's partly responsible for my ITB issues.

Having a real 'down' evening this evening, and I have hardly spoken a word
:(

Lorna's parents are here and are taking us out this evening, which is rather good of them :)
I'm hoping Mr Grumpy will make himself scarce!

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10 in 10 - Day 5 The Race

2009-05-12T17:30:00.000+01:00

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OK - that was tough!
I was clearly tired last night, judging by the amount that I slept last night.

And there was a great deal of lethargy hanging around this morning.

Adam, Steve and Tim headed off at a super quick pace, and for the first 7 miles I could see them (well, Steve and Tim!!) ahead of me running really nicely.

Although I was running OK - I felt tired. And my concern about my Right ITB, which said "Hello" briefly yesterday, reared it's ugly head on the hill at 7 miles. I stretched it out at the top of the hill, and it seemed to ease on the downs and the flats - but was niggling away at me on every incline.

By 12 miles it seemed to be behaving itself again, and once I was through Newby Bridge heading to half way, I felt ok - if tired.

I went through Halfway in 1:44:44 and then started the Bad Patch from Hell.
Every step was heavy - I'd lost so much time on the 3 ahead that the Feed Station was unmanned (and I needed a wee!) and I felt REALLY tired
The next 3 miles were horrible, and I was mentally having to break down the course into tiny sections
The 16 mile feed Station
The pub just before 17
The 18 mile Feed station.

I gave up on the idea of being under 3:30

And then it went away!

The section from 18 to Bowness (20) is really easy running, just after 21 is the Speed Bump which I ran at 'effort' rather than pace

The next 2 miles are lovely - really easy running and one almost imperceptible incline, and my last Feed Station was just before 24 (on purpose)
I glanced at the watch and realised that I could stop and take a decent drink and my average pace would be *just* sub 8. THAT lifted my spirits a HUGE amount!

The last 2½ miles are lovely - and some folk came out of the Hotel in Ambleside to clap and cheer

The run up the drive was fine and into the finish there were a decent number of supporters there including Teresa (of course ) Steve and Tim who'd had great runs, and Adam who'd had an absolute screamer

3:27:32

All in all that was far better than I expected.

Had a quick lunch - saw V'rap in, then headed up to be looked at by Mike.

Been ordered off my feet tonight!
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Race 4 - No-one finished before me!!!!! :o)

2009-05-11T17:12:00.001+01:00

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I was unbearable this morning. I had no idea why, but I was really nervous. You'd have thought that I'd got used to the routine and the like.

I paced about like a pacy thing, was dressed in my racing kit an hour and a half before the start. That said, my BP and HR were lower than they were yesterday. Curious!

It was a GORGEOUS day. Sun - Blue Sky - Cool and with a nice breeze. Couldn't have been better :)

We set off at about 10:05 and Adam headed off into the distance, albeit a little slower than he did the last couple of days.

Steve, Tim and I were in a little group initially, and I was waiting for the first downhill to test out my Left Foot.
I whizzed down it and it didn't grumble :)
Ooooh! I thought - That's good!

I let the brakes off on the next couple of descents and found myself a short way ahead of Tim And Steve at the 4mile Drink Stop after Hawkshead.
Theresa (who has been the most INCREDIBLE support) was a little way ahead of the station with a selection of drinks for those coming through, and told me to drop it when I was done and she'd collect it :)

I was running the next couple of miles really smoothly, and the foot was conspicuous by it's lack of noticeability ;)

The climb after mile 7 had me feeling a slight tightening in my Rt ITB - nothing too worrying - but one that I filed in my "To watch out for" box.
Mile 6 and Theresa had 'extra' water (I had no drink at this station) and asked if I wanted it - I did - It was brilliant. This was a pattern that repeated at EVERY station at which I didn't have a specific drink!
Shortly after this, I saw Adam ahead. I thought "I'm not getting faster - I wonder if Adam is OK"

Caught him at about 9 miles, and he said that he was having a problem with his Left Leg, and couldn't run down hill. I went past, expecting him to follow, but he didn't :(
Coming in to Newby Bridge I suddenly thought
"Sh1t - I'm in the lead - What on earth do I do now....."

I focused on my next drink at 14 miles, and Theresa met me before the station with my bottle again - with some words of encouragement.
I can't tell you how valuable she is to this event! Amazing :):)

The next section is quite undulating - and 16 and 18 miles were the spots where I'd had to stop the last two days. They passed easily - And the flat section to Bowness was really enjoyable.

I LOVE the section from just before 22 to the end - and with 4 and a bit miles to go - and feeling great - and with my running having a real spring to it, I headed for home :)
At about 23 I could hear the footfall of another runner when the wind was in the right direction. It didn't sound like Adam so it was going to be eight Tim or Steve.

And Steve is an incredibly strong runner, and I felt like he was bearing down on me like an exocet.

Realistically - I could only run my own race - and so I did :)
Last four full mile splits:
7:13
6:59
6:52
6:56

I glanced back as I ran into Clappersgate, and couldn't see anyone.
Was I about to record my first EVER race win..??

I hammered up the last slope and to the Finish Line.

3:16:29

And 40 seconds later Steve came in :)

AWESOME day.

Waited for Tim and Adam to finish, then went for a shower, and then dived into Lunch while there was still hot food around.
And cheered everyone else in through the open windows :)

And took my lovely wife a glass of water after she finished :)

It sounds like the physio team have had a really busy day today too.

Well - we HAVE run over 100 miles in the last 4 days....!!!

:)

.

Race 3 - VERY pleased

2009-05-10T17:44:00.000+01:00

.
The weather when we set out was perfect.
Still, cool but neither too cold or too warm, and high clouds. There was a forecast for showers during the day as well.

I had predicted a probable slower day, what with a swollen foot and some tendon crepitus, and was fairly sure I'd have to walk some of the downhills.

I set off really conservatively, with Steve again. Apart from anything else he makes a fabulous running buddy for me. We were pacing things slightly differently today. I was stronger on the climbs, andn he was quicker on the descents, which I was taking really easily. It was a case of working out what worked to prevent me from getting pain in my foot.

Just before we came into Hawkshead when I was about 10 yards behind, an elderly driver actually hit Steve.
He was SO close that the car brushed his leg, and the door mirror hit his arm.
The sound from where I was was sickening. And it could have been SO much worse than it was.
Steve was visibly shaken, and I was absolutely fuming...... even more so when the same driver then pulled alongside, wound the passenger window down and drifted SO far into the left that Steve was almost pushed into the hedge

YE 57(or 58) **D

We ran side-by-side for the next 4 miles, and then Steve seemed to get his 'head' back, and he picked up the pace a bit and went away.
With the first 'half' done out of Newby Bridge, I was running quite easily. The foot wasn't complaining - and the next couple of miles were a gentle updulate. Perfect for me. The foot was always happier when climbing :)

And I caught up with Steve again at around 14 miles.
Shortly after this was a Fantastic surprise.
CumbriAndy, resplendent in Fetch away colours came into view. What a boost :)
I managed to miss the low High 5 though - sorry Andy :(

There are a coupe of sections along here where the gradient drops away, and within a mile, my foot was grumbing at me.
So much so that I sat at the 16 mile Feed Station to adjust my shoe.
Tim went passed and asked if I was OK, to which I said "I'm in a bit of trouble" which I genuinely felt I was.
"I'll send someone back for you when I see them" he said.... and less than 400m later - Amy appeared :)

I pulled in to the next driveway - and asked for some scissors to cut my lace so that i could knot it in the second eyelet
Some magic cold spray on the new most painful bit, and a reattachment of said shoe, and I was off again.

As a result of the 8 minute stoppage, I realised that Adam (not Tango) must be fairly close behind, as his Dad cycled past me on the way to the 18 mile feed station (He was waiting for Adam at each one, then riding past to the next - AWESOME support - and he was also selecting my drinks bottle if he knew I was coming so that I didn't have to search for it :)

We had a pretty heavy shower around this time - and avoiding some of the deep puddles that formed was impossible. But trail shoes dry VERY quickly ;)

Coming to the 22 mile station - where I'd planned to take a decent drin and check out my foot, I saw Heebiejeebie NOT at the bottom of the hill.
Cracking place to wait, With a camera pointed at me, I wasn't going to grimace or anything ;)

A 30 second stop to check that all was well, and I headed off. With there being a little over 4 miles remaining, and it being the 'kindest' section of the course, I found myself revitalised and running better than I had all day. The foot had calmed down, and it was actually easier to run a little more quickly.
I like this bit of the course. You don't have to think too much about the terrain, because it's very easy running - and the first point that you can properly see Brathay is just before 24 miles. A real boost :)

I just got quicker!

My last 4 full mile splits were 7:51 7:36 7:10 7:06

I was LOVING this - and the sun had come out - It was perfect :)

I finished in 3:36:11 - and in the circumstances, I am absolutely delighted with that :):)
It's a lot quicker than I was expecting to be able to do, and I don't feel like I've taken too much out of myself.

Amy had a good work on my legs after Lunch, because I'm sure there was some sub-conscious compensation going on.

Very pleased with today :)

.

2/10 - Race 2 - ouch!

2009-05-09T20:25:00.004+01:00

- Race .
Before we started today I had terrible trouble getting the lacing right on my left shoe.
It felt too tight- I loosened it - it still felt too tight - I loosened it more. It still wasn't right - but I thought it would be OK
- this was to prove a problem!

The plan today was to set off more conservatively and spend the first couple of miles letting the legs loosen up, and then see where I went from there. This went well. The weather was good, windy but dry with the occasional spatter of light drizzle - perfect running weather

I ended up running with Steve, and we chatted about a whole bunch of things which made the early miles fly by. We run in a very similar way in that we run undulations at similar relative paces, and so there was no need to tweak pace

By Newby Bridge my instep was feeling a bit tender. A quick 'tweak' of the shoe seemed to relieve it.

And then on the downhill at 18 the discomfort became unbearable.
I had to stop and radically re-lace my shoe in a way that took ALL pressure off a large part of the top of my foot.
Stupid Stupid boy!

It was fine on the flats and the ups, and with this agricultural 'fix', I was able to run with less and less discomfort.
But it had wrecked my rhythm.

I stopped for a quick rest and to further relieve the pressure on the foot at the 22 mile feed station, and to have a decent drink.
With 4 miles to go, what had been a really nice run had turned into a slog.
I just wanted it over.

I finished OK - but was feeling a little sorry for myself as the wind and rain had started to pick up in earnest. Everything seemed to hurt as I went for a quick shower before heading to lunch.

Lorna came bowling in looking fabulous in well under 4 hours again

Foot was treated, and a plan for the morning was made. Swelling hasn't completely gone down yet.

I'm hoping that it'll settle by the morning!

.

1/10 - The First Race - TOO fast, Leon...!!!

2009-05-08T17:23:00.002+01:00

.

Not the best night's sleep, in that it took me AGES to get to sleep. But when I woke this morning I was feeling well rested.
Toddled off to make our porridge and kinda 'nodded' at a few early birds....

And then the rain started.

Well - hail!!

Hmmmmm!

It was incredibly relaxed actually.

I missed a call - which was from Jason - who had arrived to see us off
AWESOME, mate :):)

Shortly before 10 we trundled down to the Hall for a quick chat from Scott, Lorna and I had our pic taken with Joss Naylor (what a lovely fella) who - at the start line advised everyone to run fast enough to keep relaxed. :)

We were 'started' by the Gamekeeper - then we made our way to the start proper.
It was good to get started :)
There was a nice little crowd gathered to see us off and after the first mile folk settled into their own races.
I'd started with my Montane top on - it was quite cold. But I dispensed with it at Mile 2 where the first drinks were situated - Jason was there too, taking pictures - A really unexpected surprise :)

I was running a little quickly really, and I knew it, but it was comfortable and the HR was low enough.

And then the rain stopped. I was running pretty much with one of the Adams, chatting away and it was most enjoyable

Jason popped up a further couple of times before our 'agreed' meeting point at Newby Bridge where I grabbed a couple of Jelly Babies.

The turn there which FEELS like half way, saw the wind behind us, and the next few miles were delicious. I was averaging 7:45's which was faster than planned, and I kept on telling myself that this was JUST the first one and to stop running it like it was the ONLY one.
Did I listen?
Errr - no!

I was caught and taken by Tim who was running really nicely, and caught back up to Adam who'd shot off at one point, and then was going through a bit of a rough patch.

The Speed bump at 21 passed without fuss, and the last 5 miles I concentrated on trying minimise the effort I was using.

The run in to the Hall was really nice - there was a sizeable group of folk applauding us in - fab!!!

I dived into the Dining Room to catch the hot food - and to watch for the others finishing.
Lorna came bounding in looking like she'd been out for a 3 mile recovery run :)
And she ran an FANTASTIC time :)

Back to the Lodge for Amy the Physio and Support Person Extraordinaire to do her thing - and drink copious tea :)

It's been a cracking day - and the sun has just come out to cap it off. And Dinner is in an hour.

.

Day 1 of 10 - Like a lamb to the slaughter ;o)

2009-05-08T17:03:00.004+01:00

When we went down to the hall in the morning, Joss Naylor was already there. I gave him a big hug because he's the man I want to be when I grow up. He assessed the amount of flesh covering my ribs as if I were a Herdwick going to market, pronounced me to be in need of full-body thermals and gloves, and checked my F-Lites to make sure they wouldn't rub my ankles.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to last night. We had an early night, although a spectacular thunderstorm meant it took me a little time to fall asleep.

This morning, Leon was up before the alarm clock to make some of his excellent porridge, which only fell short of his usual standard because there was no full-cream milk in the kitchen, a situation which should be remedied by today. Amy the Physio arrived, and a queue formed for treatment. I didn't want fixing because I wasn't broken, so I did all the washing-up until there was none left, then wandered down to the road with Leon to see what the weather was like at the start.

It was slightly windy. "This'll do," we agreed.

Then the rain came on. Not a decorous drizzle, but full-on stair-rodding from a sky that looked as if it had enough of the same to last all day. "I'm expecting to hear that it's been cancelled," said Michelle, while Adam provided the quote of the day by telling Amy that he wasn't really a runner.

You'll recognise me in the start-line photos. I'm the one wearing the raincoat. It stayed on for almost 14 miles, too. No point stressing my immune system by getting cold and wet on Day 1. It's not as if I can rest tomorrow.

The support for this event is awesome. Not a "skeleton crew" at all. There are two physios patrolling the course in well-stocked cars, Steve's wife Theresa in another car, and Aly's husband Mac on a bike. We make up our drinks the night before, and they're taken in crates and left at strategic points every two miles or so along the course. Some people had a drink in every crate. Since the forecast wasn't for a heatwave, I put isotonic drink in the Mile 10 and Mile 17 crates, water in the Mile 22 crate, and a handful of Werthers Originals in my pocket. Leon and I have deliberately trained ourselves to get round a marathon without needing a picnic on the way.

And the course itself ... well, I still love it :o)

From the start, six fast boys - Steve, Adam, Leon, Mark, Adam and Tim - left the rest of us eating dust.

I set out to run at an easy pace, and mostly managed to stick to that plan. I did stiffen up a little around Mile 19, but you wouldn't spot it from my mile splits and within a few miles I was running comfortably again. Nothing hurt. I didn't feel thirsty or unwell despite only having a swig from each of my bottles of isotonic drink and a few Werthers on the way. I did have some mild complaints from my bowel, but managed to fob it off with promises until after the finish.

The finish. Yes. 3:52:02 by my Garmin (official time awaited). Scott Umpleby told me that I was seventh. I haven't been that high up the rankings since I came fifth in a Race for Life, and there were four women ahead of me in that one. He also told me that Leon had finished ages ago and had had his lunch already.

Lunch was a plate of a very substantial salad - think quiche, pork pie and potatoes, not lettuce and tomato. Excellent post-marathon food, except for committed salad-dodgers like me. "Could I have a sandwich?" I asked, before seeing some tuna and pasta in mayonnaise lurking within the salad platter and asking for a big helping of that. Perfect :o)

Now, three hours and one warm shower later, I think I'm fine.

Tomorrow will be the REAL test!

0/10 - .......and so it begins.......

2009-05-07T21:05:00.001+01:00

.

We have been fed (amazing food - this foodatarian will be WELL catered for this week)

We have been briefed - Amy the Physio who is charged with keeping us in one piece has outlined the options available to us, and the support she'll be available for - before, during and after each race.

We've loaded the feed station crates with the bits 'n' pieces that will be placed at strategic places around the course.

The porridge is soaking ready for the morning....

It's finally about to get under way, and our fellow runners are all displaying a variety of nervous behaviours........ and I've had to drag Lorna back a few times from getting herself changed and going for a run ;o)

She'll stop bouncing off the walls like a powerball at some point ;)

I get the impression that this is going to be a brilliant event :)

More tomorrow........

.

Event Kit has finally arrived.....

2009-05-06T17:46:00.002+01:00

And it's very yellow.

I approve :o)

A Brickbat ...

2009-05-04T18:04:00.003+01:00

... for T-Mobile.

Who, when my 'phone (and hence my mobile internet connection) completely stopped working today after a couple of weeks of being unreliable, refused to allow me an early upgrade despite the fact that my upgrade date is only 18 days away and despite my forthcoming separation from my family.

I wonder if Sir Ranulph Fiennes has to put up with this sort of mindless corporate obstructiveness?

(Actually, I've read his books and I know the answer. He does. Copiously!)

Ah, well. I signed a contract. T-Mobile is within its rights. What's one more ex-customer?

Shakepeare Marathon ....... OR

2009-04-30T18:16:00.004+01:00

The Last Long Run Before the 10-in-10...!!!!

OK - in reality I had about 4 plans for the race, and it depended variously on how the legs felt, how I was running, what the weather was like etc.
But in the context of Lorna and I having recovered from hard run races quickly of late, it was an ideal opportunity to run this as a pretty serious race effort!

I started too far back at the start which meant there was rather a lot of jinking about at the start - (stoopid boy), but once it thinned out a bit, running was reasonably elbow-free.

Plan A was simple - Aim for 6:50ish min/mile See how you are going in the first five miles, and reassess.
And keep reassessing until you get to the end!
I was running smoothly and easily, and really enjoying the ride. I was reeling in plenty of people and only occasionally being passed by folk who'd clearly started further back than they should have.
After about this distance, I could see a runner I know from Fetch some distance ahead. It took 'til after 9 miles to catch up to him. By this time we were on the Greenway, which I LOVED running along. Flat - nice surface - and perfect for just concentrating on minimising effort for the pace.

Then we split from the Half course for the second lap.
Half Marathon came up just before a Water Station

1:29:51

And on viewing the video on YouTube I was in 54th place!

Oooh! That's OK.
I knew that I was running at about that pace.
And I was feeling pretty good.

The updulations on the second lap slowed me slightly more than on the first lap, but generally I was making that time back on the downs.
The extra section that takes you further down the Greenway seemed to be all downhill - it was fabulous, and an opportunity to let the legs run that little bit quicker, for no extra effort.

And I was looking forward to the flat easy section along the Greenway for the second time. Somewhere along here 21/22 miles (I think) I saw a vest and pair of calves that I recognised ahead of me. Ian was running really nicely. I drew alongside with some inane comment like "Is this a Mr M I see before me?" Why couldn't I think of something better than that..??
We swapped a couple of comments, and then got back to our own runs, clearly both on course for quite significant Personal Bests!!

I tired a little in the last 2 miles, but was REALLY pleased with the way I held form. Waved madly for the second time at Alex who was taking pictures (and as I was in my Club vest, was not sure that he'd spot me)
The run into the finish along the river bank was a delight.

Second Half

1:29:52
Giving me a chip time of 2:59:43.
SUB 3!
And 22nd place overall!!

WOW!

The best thing was that I was waking about quite freely, chatting to folk, and getting some food and drink. I went to get my clothes from the clothes store and then to get a coffee for Lorna, who I estimated would be finishing around about that time.
Any event that gives free coffee and tea to the runners at the end of a marathon is a pretty damn fine one IMO.

She had finished! Already!!!!
In an outstanding 3:36. THAT brought about the biggest smile of the day for me

So this race marked the end of the 'hard' training for the 10-in-10, the plan now is to keep the legs turning over, and make sure they are in optimal condition for the 8th May!

I can't wait.

Thanks, Lizzie :o)

2009-04-30T17:35:00.002+01:00

Fame at last!

My mother writes one of the local news columns in the Kilmarnock Standard, and she contacted Lizzie Struthers, one of the sports reporters, to find out whether she would be interested in featuring the 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge, the local interest angle being that I grew up in Kilmarnock.

I'm delighted with the article that Lizzie has written :o)

Leon and I have both made an excellent recovery from the Shakespeare Marathon. I was a little unresponsive in the quadriceps department on Monday, but was running normally again by Tuesday.

Looking back at Shakespeare, I am very pleased with my finishing time, and even more pleased with ... LEON! Come and tell these good people what you did on Sunday! But I'm most pleased with how easy it was. I had to tackle some head-stuff in the first ten miles or so, but physically I was never out of my depth and at the end the people I was passing were commenting on how effortlessly I was running. I only felt as if I was working at all in the last two-and-a-half miles, and even then I managed to maintain sub-8.30mm pace and a respectable finishing sprint.

D'you know what? I think there's a sub-3:30 lurking in this old body :o)

Meanwhile, it's nearly 10-in-10 time. Eight days from now, I'll have finished the first marathon. I'm starting to think about things I haven't bothered with until now, like what running kit and additional food to take, how many pairs of F-Lite 230s I'll need (I shall probably alternate F-Lites with my least old pair of Vaporflys), and - as someone who is always busy, this is a serious consideration - how I'm going to cope with not having work or domestic chores to occupy me when I'm not running. I wonder whether there are any surgeries in Hawkshead or Windermere in need of someone to do a little afternoon surgery ... ;o)

The Three Final Trials :)

2009-04-28T13:11:00.002+01:00

I've been a lazy rascal again, except that this time, really, I haven't. Between work and running and domestic responsibilities, I've actually been extremely busy. But here's a short update.

A couple of weeks ago, I set myself a specific objective for each of our last three big training runs.

1. The Hawkshead Trail Race - to race it properly rather than just enjoying the scenery, and to run up all the hills.

2. Our final Windermere Marathon course recce - to run all the way up the three major hills (Mile 8, Mile 22, and the nasty little fiend at the end). Everything else didn't matter.

3. The Shakespeare Marathon - to avoid talking myself out of a PB attempt.

In summary ...

1. What a beautiful event! And yes, I did. I particularly enjoyed running all the way up the Coffin Trail, some of it at barely faster than 3mph. I went round under the illusion that I was racing with the big boys at the sharp end, and had a reality-check at the end when I discovered that I was, in fact, 233rd out of 560 finishers. Leon chose to run with me, and watching him dancing over the rough downhills and trying to emulate his footfalls was very useful.

2. Mission accomplished, and if you take out the stops and add-ons, our running time for the marathon distance was less than 3:55. My third sub-4 marathon ever, and I did it in training on an interestingly undulating course. I was well pleased :o)

3. I could write a long race report with gremlins in it, but, as I said, I'm very busy, so I'll cut to the punchline.

3:37:11 clock time, 3:36:39 chip time. A PB by 7 minutes.

:o) :o) :o)

I'm ready. Nothing more to do now apart from recover and stay recovered.

Last Long run in training

2009-04-24T12:57:00.005+01:00

This weekend Lorna and I are running the Shakespeare Marathon.
It will be the last long run we do before the 10-in-10 starts, and we are both really happy with the way that training has gone.
We have been running reasonably big weekly mileages sometimes without realising just how many miles we've accumulated, such has been the extent to which we've made Running a normal part of our daily life, as opposed to something we have been 'training' for!

My running technique has progressed fantastically well since the Pose Clinic in March - and teaching others has had a very beneficial knock on effect on my own running.

Last weekend we ran the Hawkshead Trail race. Lorna's remit was to 'run up all the hills' and I chose to accompany her. And what a good decision that was!
It was a BEAUTIFUL day, the Lakes at their VERY finest. Sunny, but not too warm and with a gentle breeze. Amazing! We also met a large group of our running friends there, so the social side of it was also spectacular.
Lorna ran beautifully - really strong on the climbs, and confident and quick on the descents. It was a real pleasure to run with her :o)

On the Sunday morning we parked up in the grounds of Brathay (Yes - we DID ask if we could!) to spend the next few hours running the Windermere course.
We'd planned to break it up into 3 sections, stopping at Newby Bridge and Bowness, the idea being to consolidate the details of the course, without working our bodies too hard.
And that was exactly what we did.
It was another stunning day, and we were running for a few minutes under 4 hours.
On returning to the car, my legs would have been happy to carry on, but we'd done what we set out to do, and getting home before the traffic became ridiculous became a more pressing priority!!

:o)

This week has been gentler.
Less mileage, and a couple of short faster runs for me (It was the quickest and easiest way to get home after dropping the car for a service, and then collecting it later) and we are having a small taper into Shakespeare on Sunday.

Looking forward to running it, as it's a race I've not done. We'll be playing host to a couple of folk too, and there will be a large group of our running friends at the race.

Should be good!

:o)

In the manner of Merlin (Disney version ... )

2009-04-10T10:22:00.002+01:00

"Madam, I have NOT disappeared."

I have, however, been very busy, what with working more hours, and doing the infrastructure for the POSE running course as well as attending the Clinic and eavesdropping on as many of the coaches' training sessions as possible, and, of course, running.

The intention was always that Rhayader and Ashby would mark the end of our peak running week, though 113 miles was a higher peak than we had anticipated. For Leon to run a 20-mile PB at the end of a week like that was astounding. I did well enough too. 2:53:21 at Rhayader without really putting in any effort until the last mile-and-a-half, and 2:49:42 at Ashby.

That performance has introduced the notion of trying for a marathon PB at Stratford on 26th April. I know it only leaves 12 days to recover before the 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge, but I've become quite good at recovering and it may be my only realistic prospect of a marathon PB this year. We shall see!

Since the POSE Clinic, I've been more aware of my running and my average training pace has increased a little. When the video clip of me running at the start of the course was shown, Dr Romanov asked me what I thought my legs were doing, and I had to confess that when I run I don't think about my legs at all. I've been working on staying associated with my running form, and would like to think I'm looking a little tidier now :o)

Since that 114-mile week, we've cut back to the 60-70mpw range and haven't run over 2 hours at a time. That will change next weekend when we do the Hawkshead Trail Race on the Saturday and another leisurely recce of the Brathay Windermere Marathon route on the Sunday.

Meanwhile, Leon's 10-mile PB is due for an update. We shall attend to that on Monday. Mine is probably unassailable without specific training for relatively short distances, but I'll do my best.

5 Mile Challenge!

2009-04-05T15:17:00.006+01:00

This has been a strange week.
It didn't feel like we'd done much training, and so I was very surprised on looking through my training log that by Friday I found that I'd covered 60 miles!

The focus for the weekend was TWO 5 mile races!
The first of those was the Midlands 12 Stage Road Races - I was running the 3rd Long (5.4 mile) Leg

The forecast showers and clouds didn't materialise, and the day was glorious. Sunny with a slightly 'sporting' breeze.

I was due to be running the third long leg, so headed over to Sutton Park an hour and a half after the start of the event to be sure of arriving in plenty of time, and I arrived just as Lorna was heading out on her leg

Had a chat with the folk from the Club in our tent, pinned on numbers, and made a half-hearted attempt to warm up. (I'd already run gently to the start area - so I wasn't too concerned about it!)

The runner before be headed off for his short leg and I ambled to the start pen about 10 minutes later to await his return.
In the start pen I bumped into Peter, a "V Older Than Me" and had a bit of a chat.
I was hoping that he'd set off before me, so that I'd not suffer the indignation of being overtaken by him.

He didn't....

Hmmmm

A great deal of the first half was uphill and into the wind! I managed to pass another runner on my leg in the first mile, and set my sights on a Solihull vest a short way ahead, I dragged him most of the way back to me on the steepest climb, and we held station side by side for the next half mile or so.

When the gradient started to climb again, I saw him drop back to my shoulder, so I put the hammer down and drew away from him.
The section that is the Long-Bit was tough - into a decent headwind, and apart from one little downdulate, climbs steadily to the turn.

At the turn I could see a guy in a Red Vest about 300m ahead who I thought I'd try and pull back to me - a big ask, I thought. And shortly after turning I caught Peter's eye as he headed to the turn.

Too close for comfort, I thought. I was sure that I'd lose that place to him!
I was descending better than Mr Red Vest and pulling back reasonably well. I wasn't sure that I had enough distance to catch him though.

A Short Leg runner came thundering past and when I turned Left at Keepers Pool and glance back, I didn't see Peter. As long as I didn't do anything foolish, I should be able to hold him off, I thought.

By the bottom of the final hill of the last 300m I was only a couple of metres behind Mr Red Vest. As I came onto his shoulder he kicked harder than I could, and he finished about 2m ahead of me.

I worked hard for that! It's 5.4 miles and my time was 32:37

My Mile splits were:
6:09
6:12
6:15
5:56
5:49
6:07

So I was very happy with that!

Got to meet up with loads of folk afterwards, which made for a fantastic day
Given the chance, we'd have stayed longer, but we needed to get home to make sure that the children hadn't been experimenting with fire or somesuch nonsense

I expected Lorna to drag me out kicking and screaming for a little run later - and she didn't disappoint

I even caught the sun, despite the prophylactic Factor 30!!!

And so that brought us to Sunday, and the Centurion Grand Prix 5 Miles, a fabulous friendly little event organised by our Club.

Lorna's girls declined the chance to come racing this morning, so Lorna, my 3 kids and I all piled into one car to go racing.

We arrived in plenty of time, and registered and ambled down to the start of the 2K for the kids.
My eldest son positioned himself at the front while I went to the back with my younger son and daughter
Lorna went off to warm up with a Club mate.

Very proud of my kids today.
My eldest paced himself really well to make up a place in the run in to finish 7th just a second outside his BP
My daughter ran beautifully (again) and got 12:37
And my younger son was awesome. Worked his little legs off, put in an incredible effort and averaged sub 11min/miles to break 13 minutes - 12:45 - Brilliant

That warm up told me that my legs were little fatigued, but otherwise in good shape for the race, and I lined up with Thomas in anticipation of Part II of our little 5 Mile head-to-head of the weekend (the first being yesterday, where I came out ahead by less than a minute)

He went off like a man possessed! And the first mile was a little 'hot' But I thought I'd see if I could hold on to him, and see how my legs coped.

I pulled ahead at about 2½ miles, and was pleased with the evenness of the pace I was running.

I was catching another runner in the second long lap, and we both got held up by a rather 'large' gentleman and his handsome canine companion at the one bottle neck there is on the course. Cost us both at least 5 seconds, I reckon - and meant that the Tipton guy just in front got away from us.

He picked up his momentum quicker than I did, and I couldn't catch him on the run in. But all in all I was delighted with my run.

Splits were:
5:52
6:02
6:04
5:59
5:57

And gave me

► 29:55 ◄

Which is a new PB - and my first time under 30 minutes for the distance - and a reasonably creditable 10th place.
Fantastic

Very happy with that!

From a pure running perspective, I was happier with the *way* that I ran today, too.

My lovely wife also ran really well - didn't try to hammer it, and was just a few seconds outside her PB too

The most pleasing factor about this weekend is the fact that I'm clearly running strongly on fatigued legs, and am recovering well from significant efforts.
This was always a focus with our training for the 10-in-10, and we appear to have been getting it right.

The plan now is to start winding the miles back - with still decent maintenance miles, but to ensure that when we stand on the start line for marathon Number 1 on 8th May, that we are properly rested for the challenge ahead.

Getting more and more excited about it

A gentle week, and learning about running!

2009-03-30T16:17:00.003+01:00

In training terms, last week was reasonably quiet.
37 miles and plenty of very small runs and rest.
In the front of my mind was an intensive weekend of learning and teaching to come.

I am always looking at the way that I run, and looking for ways to improve it. And over the years I've been running, I've made various changes to the way that I run, or the way that I train, in the hope of improving the whole experience for the better.

For the last year or so, I have had contact with Mark - a runner and General Practitioner with a specific interest and training in Sports Injuries (and their treatment and prevention), and through my contact with him, developed a significantly greater understanding of the issues and causes of the majority of running injuries.
And the statistics are amazing, with a greater percentage of runners suffering injury now than ever before.
Not a greater number, a greater percentage!!

With all this in mind, and knowing that both my running style and beliefs about it, and the fact that I want to teach Running Skills as part of my business, in conjunction with Mark, I arranged a Running Skills and Coaching Certification Clinic.
We invited Dr Nicholas Romanov, the creator of the Pose Method® of running over to Birmingham to run the weekend, and he arrived with Mark on Thursday evening.

The first day was aimed at those of us training for the first level of coaching in Pose Method®. Dr Romanov presented the theory of movement, and gave us some insight into the the depth and nature of the research that has been done to show just how robust that the things that he teaches are.
It was mind-blowing. There was some very complicated science, but also it passed the 'Common Sense' test at every turn. And it is breath-taking the amount and quality of the work that not only HAS been done, but that is CURRENTLY being done.
This is not a hair-brained scheme plucked out of some mystical space as a business proposition, but the result of decades of high quality work, a life's work indeed!
It was a long day - but one that I genuinely didn't want to end. Luckily Dr Romanov called time when we got hungry, because once I went to bed, it was clear that my brain was completely frazzled.
In a Good Way, but frazzled all the same!!

Saturday was the day of the Running Clinic.
15 people had booked onto the Clinic for the day for an introduction to the Method, and a load of practical work to put it into practice.
There were a number of folk who'd come along to help out, and a couple of us who were doing our coaching training.

Lesson number 1.
When you get yourself a coffee just before a day begins, DON'T pour it straight onto your leg when you sit down.
Skin doesn't like very hot liquid.
And scalds hurt!

We were booked into the room from 9-5, and the plan was for a break at 11, lunch at 1, a break at 3 - and finish at 5.
We alternated between theoretical input and practical work outside (which was a little bracing in the morning!) - and everyone was videoed running at various points during the day.

After lunch the time just flew, and we didn't actually leave the venue until almost 8pm. And once again I think most would have happily carried on until they dropped!

Some of the improvements that could be seen were amazing!

Back home with all our guests - 11 ended up around the table :o) - for more chat and a few beers.

Sunday was more theory for the coaches.
Once again - incredibly intensive, absolutely fascinating - and completely knackering!
Even Dr R was showing signs of tiredness. But considering just how hard he'd worked and for how long, it was amazing that he was keeping going!
I hope *I* have his energy when I'm ........... older than I am now!!

It has been an amazing experience, this weekend. I have a far greater insight into the intricacies of how we move in an environment governed by gravity, and how we can use that knowledge to our advantage.
I also got to talk about the 10-in-10 in some depth with Dr Romanov once all our guests had departed as well. And that was really interesting and gave me much food for thought.

And now..... we have a marathon to prepare for in April, and 10 marathons to be ready for in May.

Back to the training...........

A weekend Test

2009-03-20T18:34:00.003Z

The concept of training for the 10-in-10 has been a real jump into the unknown.
I have increased my training mileage really quite significantly, and have tried to be as smart about it as I can.

Generally the intensity has been low.

I didn't get the optimal speed and distance work in that I'd hoped for for Draycote, but still was able to pull out a very pleasing result there.

I have had the occasional niggle, including one this week, but by tweaking things and being careful, they have got better on their own, without me having to stop training.

I have discovered a ridiculously simple 'tweak' that has made a BIG difference to my form, and has reduced the extraneous work and tensions that I was experiencing in my lower legs.

I have been running virtually ALL my runs with my Lorna..... literally..... at her side. Not flying off and doing my own thing, or doing the loop-back thing. And my endurance and aerobic capacity and speed have ALL improved hugely.

I'm loving running strongly and smoothly and being able to run reasonable daily mileage and not feel like I'm getting tired from the volume.
It is also fabulous to see Lorna running more strongly and quickly for less effort, especially over the last week or so!!

We are clearly doing something right.

I had a worrying tweak to my Left Achilles early in the week, but by making some careful adjustments, have been able to train through it with it getting better day on day.

The MOST pleasing thing has been the simplicity of the training.
It really has been very very simple.
Easy paced miles - mostly a couple of times a day - sometimes more - the occasional harder session (the Progressive Run is AWESOME, btw!!) or harder run race.

And that is it!

Had I not been pacing the Silverstone Half last weekend, I was going to have a pop at my 5K PB, and I'm certain it would have gone. That *would* have been 4 PB's on 4 consecutive weekends - from 5K to Marathon - all on simple training!

This weekend is going to be a test.

We have purposely run 70 miles already this week, to see how we cope with two back-to-back 20 milers at Rhayader - a race I've wanted to do for YEARS as I was brought up just a few miles from there - and then at Ashby on Sunday, at the pace we intend to start out at the 10-in-10.

We'll also get to spend a little time with my Dad after Rhayader, which is a big added bonus :o)

But so far things appear to be going reasonably well

Thank you, good people :o)

2009-03-17T09:45:00.002Z

We've had another little flurry of donations, and each one of them is greatly appreciated. Every penny will be used to support the good work of Brathay Hall Trust with groups of disadvantaged young people - and, incidentally, when we popped into Brathay Hall a few weeks ago and looked at the displays in the entrance foyer, we were impressed by just how much the organisation gets involved with the real challenges facing young people in urban areas.

Leon and I had another good training week last week, with the highlight being our unexpected trip to the Adidas Silverstone Half-Marathon on Sunday for our first forays into official pacing. We both had a good run. Leon paced to perfection, and I didn't perform too badly. I am so pleased with my "Runner's World Pacer" shirt that I shall probably wear it for one of the ten marathons :o)

Last week's numbers:

Total mileage: 80.76 miles. A relatively light week, then!
Profile: 79.6% general training runs, average 9.26mm.
16.6% Silverstone Half-Marathon, average pace 8.43mm.
3.8% running with Catriona, average 10.24mm.
Longest run: 13.54 miles at 9.01mm.
Longest day: Sunday. We did another 8 miles in the evening after the race.
Cross-training: None.
Niggles: None.
Sofa-spud days: Saturday.

We expect to have a heavier week this week. We hope to run Rhayader on Saturday and Ashby on Sunday at our planned 10 Marathons in 10 Days pace on unrested legs.

From next week, we'll need to be slightly more organised about training as I've taken on another two mornings' work a week. Working half-time is all very nice, but it can't go on forever.

A Rest Day :o)

2009-03-14T16:24:00.002Z

Leon and I had planned to train through this weekend and not have a rest day until just before next weekend's back-to-back 20-milers, but the late insertion of Silverstone into our race schedules changed all that. On paper, a half-marathon at 7mm should be no more than mildly challenging for Leon, and 9mm should be very straightforward for me, but we don't want to risk letting anyone down. So today is for resting. And, of course, eating.

(Whoever piped up that you don't need to carbo-load for a half-marathon can shut up right now!)

We're also preparing for a houseful of guests in two weeks' time for the POSE course, so we've taken the opportunity to get some of the bedrooms in order, which has kept our minds off tomorrow's event. I now have a mound of ironing ... and some job applications, because working part-time is great but it can't last forever.

And a press-release and a report for the Centurion Running Club magazine to write ...

Stand by for Take Three ...

2009-03-12T15:09:00.003Z

It's my birthday on Saturday, and I had a notion of doing the Dent Brewery Dentdale Run as my first-ever race as a FV45. Being an unconventional distance, at least it would guarantee me a celebratory PB, and after spending Christmas near Sedbergh we promised ourselves that we'd get to know that corner of the country a little better.

But we decided that the travel would be impractical, and opted for the Bramhall Park Run on Saturday morning instead. Only half as far to travel, and Leon could chase a PB while I ambled round with my two youngest daughters. Sorted.

Then this afternoon, a call went out on Fetch for a 7-minute-mile pacer for a little race called the ... let me get this right ... Adidas Silverstone Half Marathon. A race which, I have to confess, we would never have considered entering of our own accord. But we're helpful souls, and a half-marathon at 7mm pace will give Leon a good workout while being well within his capacity, so I suggested that he should offer his services and ask if I could have a place in the (already full) race too.

So at midday on Sunday, Leon will be setting off to exercise his metronomic pacing skills at 7mm pace ... and I shall be cutting my pacing teeth on the 9mm group.

No PBs for us this weekend, then. But we're looking forward to developing a new skill :o)

Doing well on MY training ...

2009-03-11T21:34:00.003Z

... Leon, that is. In case you've missed it, on three consecutive weekends he's trounced his PBs at three significant race distances - the marathon, then 5 miles, then the half-marathon. And I think he has his eye on taking a pop at his 5k PB this coming weekend.

And that's all on 70-90mpw at 9mm-10mm pace with me. I'm delighted to see Leon being rewarded with PBs for valiantly plodding out those slow miles. He deserves them. It will be very interesting to see what he can do after recovering from the Ten Marathons in Ten Days Challenge and adding some pace-based sessions to his training.

In context, this is the first time Leon has managed to train consistently at such high mileage without breaking down, and, with a shorter running history than I have, he only now has the running-specific adaptations to allow him to do so much.

I had all the easy gains that are to be had from consistent high mileage in 2006-2007, so I'm not expecting great things during my build-up to 8th May. While Leon ran a new PB and came in 5th at the Friends of Mick'n'Phil Half-Marathon, I had to be content with 94th place (and 10th woman) and a time of 1:46:08, well adrift of my PB. I am, however, happy with my performance. I threw myself at my target pace of just under 8mm and sustained it for almost 7 miles. Conditions were difficult, with a brutal wind. When I realised that I was going to have to drop my pace, I resisted the temptation to drop right back to 9mm or slower and kept working hard (though not hard enough - Leon and I went out and did another run in the evening). More importantly, the children were excellent water-station and finish-line marshalls, and every scrap of my banana cake and bread pudding got eaten :o)

Last week's numbers:

Total distance: 90.32 miles. Yes, we did deliberaely run just far enough on Sunday evening to bring both Leon and me over 90 miles.
Profile: 82.04% general running, average pace 9.21mm.
3.4% running with my daughter at 10.43mm.
14.56% racing at 8.04mm.
Longest run: 15.35 miles at 9.26mm.
Cross-training: None.
Niggles: Slightly sore flexor tendon on my left foot persists, but isn't really a problem.
Sofa-spud days: Saturday.

AND ... at last I have some new Inov-8 F-lite 230s, and I have both the classy black ones and the screaming electric blue ones. I am well pleased!

The Benefits of Training for the 10-in-10

2009-03-11T20:51:00.003Z

As Lorna and I were out running this evening, I was reflecting a little on the benefits that training for the 10-in10 has given us.

We were running our second run of the day - a modest 5 miles to bring the total for the day to an also modest 13miles.
And I thought about how that statement could sound slightly ridiculous.

Or is it?

As human beings were are designed to be active. We adapt to it very well. The fact that running 13 miles seems, to most people to be excessive is more to do with the fact that we have become so much more sedentary in the last 50 years than we ever have been.

And I wonder whether this is going to benefit us overall.

Lorna and I discussed the fact that running would have to become something that was something we DID, rather than something we Trained For, to make ourselves robust enough to cope with the demands of the 10-in-10.
To make it part of our everyday lives.

And so we did!

We do a great deal of our running together, and THIS has been a truly excellent by-product of integrating running into our everyday routines. We get to spend significant amounts of time participating in an activity that we really enjoy doing together.

We have reached a point - by running twice a day most days, and sometimes three times - where we can run for a couple of hours - and we feel strong doing it.
Where we can do a 5 mile, or 6 mile, or 8 mile loop without really having to think about the distance, and just get on and do it.
We can decide to run the marathon distance on a whim - and know that we are in good enough condition to do it...... whilst respecting the distance, which remains a Very Long Way!!!!!!

From a personal point of view, the benefits have gone further than that.
The sheer volume of training that we've done has made a difference to my speed endurance over all distances.
With recent Personal Bests at 5miles, Half Marathon, and the Marathon.

Simply getting out there and running has done that.
No fancy schedules - no whizzy 'nutrition' - no Latest Gizmology - just running!

And being sensible with, and listening to our bodies.

So although the main reason for doing the challenge is to support the work that Brathay Hall Trust do with young people and children... a cause that we whole-heartedly support, and for which we were more than happy to part with the significant entry fee for that privilege...

It was also an opportunity to set ourselves a significant goal, and a journey to it.
And it has been an amazing journey thus far!!!

We are quite a long way down on our fund-raising goal at the moment, something we are going to have to address over the next few weeks. Because ultimately, the running is only a small part of the challenge!

A GOOD week

2009-03-09T12:11:00.002Z

This past week has been a very good week of training.
As planned, Lorna and I significantly loaded the front end of the week, with the aim of another mini-taper to have a hard run race at the Friends of Mick 'n' Phil Half Marathon at Draycote Water on Sunday.

On Friday we just turned our legs over with 5 miles and didn't run at all on Saturday.

We had friends arriving on Saturday too :o)

Stuart has been training really well and is running fantastically, and he was looking to obliterate his PB. Teasing his plan out of him showed that his early race plan was going to be a little quick for my blood in the context of running this race hard enough for it to be tough, and with enough in reserve to ensure that I could be training again the next day.
So going WITH him wasn't an option!

Beth - who has the tools to run FAR quicker IMO - was looking to run as much as she could and finish in one piece :o)

Lorna created a sumptuous feast for us and the children to dine on - It really was magnificent :o)
And I prepared my "I'll be up early and pacing about all nervous in the morning" cauldron of porridge.

Unusually, we were going to be taking 5 of our children to the race, and they had been allocated water station and Goody Bag Giving Out duties, to keep them out of mischief. So the was no time to get nervous in the morning!!
By all accounts - and from what I saw myself once I'd finished - they did a great job in really quite 'challenging' conditions!

The race itself - organised by a group of like-minded folk who'd not organised a race before - was SLICK!
A huge amount of hard work had gone into making it happen, and the folk (all of whom we know) had really pulled out all of the stops to make it a quality event.
There were enthusiastic Marshalls EVERYWHERE (it seemed) and given that it was windy and cold - and about 1:50 in, the venue was hit by a brutal squall, they were magnificent.
Running was definitely the easier option......

Hmmm.... more of that in a moment.

The sailing forecast had suggested winds of 16-21 knot (of around Force 4-5)
That's windy!

The Wind direction meant that there wasn't going to be much shelter from it on the 'harder' far side, which also had the 'undulations'

When we set off - I found myself in a very unfamiliar position - with only about 10 people in front of me.
"That can't be right" I thought.

But I aimed for my target pace (6:24 - 6:30) and in that first mile hit it reasonably easily. Stuart shot off, and I didn't even try and go with him - too hot a pace for me at the moment.

When we rounded the bend that took us into the wind, I was hoping that the trees would shelter us. They didn't!
There was 2½ mile stretch that was into the wind here - and it slowed me, and most others it turned out, by about 20 seconds per mile. It was tough!

The near side of the lake was flatter - and had a tail wind - and served as almost a rest at a higher pace for the fight to come.

In the second lap I passed two fella that I'd been exchanging places with for about 6-7 miles, and set my sights on the hooped vest ahead of me.
I couldn't really close the gap, but I did notice that he was catching the runner ahead of him - and in the tail-wind section I was gaining on both of them.

The head wind for the 3rd lap had increased - and the wind direction had changed slightly, meaning that it was even MORE in our faces for the run in to the finish.

I didn't quite catch the guys ahead of me - but still finished in a very respectable 1:25:32, which is a 1 minute PB
I placed me 5th overall
And second Vet Male (by 24 seconds)

A very good days work!

Lorna and I popped out for another 6 miles in the late evening, which took both our mileages over 90 for the week.

The kids, especially our youngest girls were brilliant. Handing out goody bags with a smile and a "congratulations" to every runner as they finished - even when the heavy squall came through and nearly dissolved them and blew them off their feet.
Very Proud Mummy and Daddy

:o)

Front - Loading the week

2009-03-05T21:40:00.004Z

Lorna and I planned to front-load this week, and get the bulk of our mileage in early on.

There is method in that particular madness, because Friday is necessarily short on opportunities for running, with Lorna working, and me travelling to Wales to collect my children for the weekend, and Saturday is the only full day with my kids.

And we are racing again on Sunday.

For me - having posted a marathon best a couple of weeks ago at the end of a fairly high-mileage week, and posting a 5 mile best last week, it seemed like a good plan to have a decent crack at a Half Marathon after a short taper.

But with the MAIN goal being 9 weeks away, decent training mileage couldn't really be compromised

So on Monday, we clocked up 11 miles;
Tuesday 19 miles in a 13 and a 6
Wednesday Lorna and I ran in the morning and the evening together (5 & 6 miles) and in the afternoon I did 8 miles at 70%WHR just to find out what kind of pace I was running for that effort.
And I was very pleased with an average of 7:37min/mile
And today we did a 15 mile loop that I've run a few times, it was the first time Lorna had done it.
And THAT was a cracking run. Under 9:30's and Lorna is running really strongly :o)
We topped it off with a gentle 3 miles this evening with Lorna's eldest daughter, who has the makings of a very fine runner herself.

So I've racked up just over 68 miles, and now I'm going to have a short taper before the Half on Sunday.

It's at Draycote Water.
It's a pretty enough place, but I'm not that keen on running laps of the same reservoir where you can pretty much see the whole of the 4.71mile loop, and it magnifies the distance.

I think it's unlikely that I'll post another PB - but if I do - the FIRST thing I'm going to have to do after the 10-in-10, is target some nice courses for those best times :)

I had quite a good 5-miler too :o)

2009-03-02T10:56:00.003Z

Unlike Leon, I didn't run a PB at the Centurion Grand Prix 5-mile race yesterday. But I DID run a PB for the current series, break 40 minutes for the first time in over a year, and persuade my head to let me run sustainedly at lactate threshold.

38.45, with reasonably even splits. The 7.45mm average pace is slower than my current half-marathon PB pace, so I don't expect to pull any rabbits out of hats when we go back to Draycote Water for the Mick'n'Phil Half-Marathon next weekend. I do, however, intend to front-load this week's training, have a micro-taper, and give it my best shot :o)

I'm very pleased at how smoothly I recovered from the Draycote Water Marathon. My legs were slightly leaden on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I had no other ill effects and certainly no longer get any of the metabolic disruption that's commonly associated with marathon-running.

Last week's training:

Total Mileage: 73.05 miles
Profile: 6.84% racing at an average pace of 7.45mm, 93.16% easy running at an average pace of 9.53mm.
Longest run: 14.12 miles at 9.47mm pace, on Thursday.
Niggles: Still got a slight twinge under my left 4th metatarsal head, though it has improved over the week. And I took a tumble 11.5 miles into Thursday's run which took the skin back off my newly-healed left knee and left me with scuffed palms and sore upper arms.
Sofa-spud days: Saturday.

A Good Week (well, 8 days!!)

2009-03-01T22:16:00.003Z

I have done another 62 mile week this week - the same as last week - and I'm really pleased with that.
For most of the week, I have been feeling the effects of the Draycote Marathon, and the effort that I put in there, and so I have again been keeping the intensity down - and getting the miles in.

I raced the Centurion Grand Prix 5 mile today.
This is my running club, and the series is a fantastic one to participate in. There were a couple of folk that I wanted to have a decent chat with - which I managed to do - and I was going to warm up by running around the 2K fun run with my younger son.

Legs were feeling a bit tired, to be honest. But my calves, which had been a little tender since last Sunday, appeared to be behaving themselves.
So I thought that I'd give the race a decent shot - and have a crack at my pb - which stood at 31:05.

There was a larger-than-normal field of fast whippety blokes today (and some VERY speedy girls!!) so I settled in just behind that group at the start.
Legs felt strong - if a little lethargic - and the first mile was a 5:58.
I felt OK at that pace, actually, and was quite surprised to be sub 6

On to the second (longer) lap, and I went past a club mate who tends to set off a little fast and then slow up a little after 2 miles. Ahead were three runners, including Thomas, another fellow club member, that I set about targeting to see if I could catch.

Mile 2 was 6:07. Pretty pleased with that too

Mile 3 was mostly into the wind - and it was at about this point that I started to really feel the fatigue. I was running strongly, my legs were simply a bit tired, and although they weren't 'weakening', I simply couldn't make them turn over any faster.
6:20 showed this!!!!

For all of Mile 4 I could see that I was getting closer to Thomas, and I overtook him pretty much as Mr Garmin chirped for the Mile.
6:17 - so holding the pace reasonably well.

I tried to kick on when we came to the one small uphill there is on the course - I could hear Thomas trying to pull me back on it - but I can DO hills.... and by powering up it, and knowing that there was less than a mile to the finish - that seemed to give me more impetus.

There is a very tight turn with about 500m to go, and I glanced back to see that I had a reasonable cushion. And 100m later I tripped on an virtually invisible stone, and fell.
I was up very quickly, and hadn't lost much time, but felt like my running rhythm had been completely disrupted.

I did what I could to run in strongly to the finish, and was VERY pleased to see that I was under 31 minutes, and the last mile was 6:09, including the fall.

It rounded off a very nice 8 days, and shows that the volume and intensity of the training I've been doing has made me stronger and slightly faster overall

Short recovery run this evening was delightful.

Some Random Thoughts

2009-02-26T09:53:00.002Z

FLUIDS/FUEL

When Lorna and I decided that we were going to run Draycote a bit harder, I took a conscious decision to take no extra gloop or 'stuff' for the run.

The only marathon that i had used Gels for in the past, was Berlin. And although I ran a really good race, the whole timing gels and water stations and the like was more of a distraction than anything. And I wasn't convinced that it actually made any difference

Anyway - I wanted to do a little experiment with myself - just taking what was on offer on the course at Draycote - thereby minimising 'faffage' - and litter

So the fuelling strategy was this
Eat really well through Saturday and drink plenty
Porridge with banana and Maple Syrup 3 hours before - and 2 cups of coffee
No further fluid or food before the race started

This morning regime has been honed over many races, and I know is a formula that works well for me

- A visit to the toilet on arrival and just before Start

- Take the cups on offer at the end of each lap

I chose to take the High 5 drink only, stopping each time (because I didn't want my nice Fetch top to get all sticky )

I ran as well, faster, but not as hard, as I had at Berlin
Gels were definitely not needed for that effort level
I stuffed my face with the goodies on offer at the finish.

My total fluid intake during the race was 4 ½full cups of High 5 with about 50-75 mls in them.

No performance drop off - no low-sugar issues - and I drank as much as I felt I needed once I was done.

I'm not convinced by the marketing hype surrounding some of these 'essential' products that we are told will make us run faster, safer etc!
Of course, the difference at the 10 in 10 will be that re-fuelling is going to be crucial. And someone suggested that having SOME intake while running might help with that side of things. It’s certainly something to think about!!

RECOVERY

Once the plan to run Draycote at a hard pace - but not a Full-On pace had been made, it was clear that there was going to be a consequence in terms of the battering my legs took as a result.

I was also pretty certain that the pace that I was planning would not be easy - but as long as the weather conditions were kind, that I'd be OK with it as well.

And I was right on both counts. I was delighted with the metronomic pacing on a reasonably flat course - my legs hurt a bit at the finish, but once the Lactate Washout thing had gone (ably assisted by sugary tea and delicious munchies provided by the organisers) they felt reasonably OK.

And judging by the subsequent lack of Marathon Runners' Walk Syndrome, the effort level was hard enough - without being too destructive

But part of my plan is to run when I'm tired - because that WILL be a feature of the 10-in-10.

So..

By Wednesday of this week, I'd run twice each day since Draycote, purposefully at very low intensity.
(Apart from being very stupid to catch the John Lewis Delivery Man - which tweaked my Left Soleus!)

And while I could still feel the effects of the effort of running a marathon hard, about which I’m STILL smiling, I'm keeping runs really easy.

And by Wednesday I was still feeling a little tired in myself, as well as my legs feeling the same.

I've been concentrating on good form, at an intensity that has given me a kept my Heart Rate nice and low, and VERY aerobic
At the moment, there are very definite physical symptoms that say "Don't run too fast - You'll damage yourself" - and so I'm consciously running at a pace where nothing 'pulls' or 'twinges' or hurts.
No Central Governor Theory there - I'm just being careful

Why?

Because I want to get in decent mileage - and I don't want to 'over-train'

An early morning run today suggested that I ‘almost’ have my legs back, and I’m hoping that they will have recovered enough to have a bash at my 5 mile pb on Sunday!

Another Training Need ticked off :o)

2009-02-23T14:16:00.002Z

Much as I love the Windermere Marathon course, I suspect that it will lose a little of its appeal with frequent repetition. Boredom is not something I tolerate well. Forcing myself out to run the same route day after day will take a fair bit of mental resolve.

The Draycote Water Marathon didn't let me down. I knew it wouldn't. Last year, Leon and I entered the 35-mile ultra that's run at the same time and pulled out after 21 miles because we couldn't face doing the same uninspiring 4.71-mile loop around the reservoir three more times.

I was quite looking forward to the race. Lots of people we knew would be there, Leon was going to try for sub-3:10 (yes, he did tell me beforehand) and Aly's marathon PB was ready for an upgrade. Me? I'd have liked sub-4hrs, but my main objective was to get bored out of my skull and not quit. No performance pressure, then :o)

There was a vicious wind blowing, and it was so cold at the start that I regretted my decision to wear a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts, and ran the first 4 miles wearing a down jacket. I knew early on that sub-4 was unlikely and dropped down a gear. I slowed down towards the end of the race, ploughing into The Wall at 17 miles and not getting over it till 23 miles, but that just helped to bolster my attempts to have the worst possible race I could have without actually getting ill or injured.

I succeeded. I ground out lap after lap, telling everyone who would listen that I hated the course and wanted to quit (though, in reality, I was never going to quit). I fought the temptation to walk despite being perfectly capable of running (proof = I did run every step of it). I stopped eating my Werthers Originals because they weren't sweetening me up. I had mild phantom trots. Lots of people lapped me ... but I wasn't overtaken much by other relative slowbies except when I popped into the Portaloo.

Once I'd given up on sub-4, I didn't bother checking the time until Mile 24. Sub-4:15 was looking achievable if I got a move on, and there was no reason why I shouldn't.

4:12:41 by the clock. The time may be adjusted by a few seconds in the official results.

I wandered around in my t-shirt and shorts for a while, cognitively aware that I was getting cold but not feeling it. Drank coffee. Ate several pieces of the delicious bread pudding that is a Draycote constant. I so need that recipe!

Steve Edwards and Aly Knowles were the Prize TiTs of the day. In a Good Way, of course. Well done to both of you, and to Selina (who completed the Challenge in 2008) for her 200th marathon. I just lapped her as I was finishing. If I'd known that this was her 2ooth marathon, I'd have stood back and applauded.

This is a fabulous event. Really, it is. I hated it for specific reasons of my own. But it's well-organised, friendly, on gently undulating and mostly traffic-free roads. There's lots of encouragement from other runners, cyclists, and people out walking their children and dogs. At the finish there is hot coffee, bread pudding and chocolate biscuits. Fetch had by far the biggest group presence there (by contrast, apart from one of the officials Leon and I were the only representatives from our running club) and it was a wonderful illustration of how positive the internet can be in bringing together people with a shared interest who might otherwise never meet.

Today I'm painfree apart from a tiny niggle in one foot which I think will settle if I don't do any more long runs in my clapped-out F-lite 230s, which are approaching 700 miles and are worn quite thin on the midfoot. Leon and I went out and did 7 miles at 9.06mm pace this morning.

Last week's training ...

Mileage: 73.43 miles, average pace 9.35mm.
Longest run: 26.2 miles at 9.39mm pace.
Cross-training: 1,830m of swimming on Saturday.
Niggles: A little sore area under my left 4th metatarsal head, which I first noticed after the Keswick/Buttermere 34k. It settled over the week, but returned after yesterday's marathon.
Sofa-spud day: Friday, by accident, ending a 21-day running streak.

OOPS!

2009-02-23T09:51:00.006Z

Time to come clean...

At the point where Lorna and I decided to mini-taper for the Draycote Marathon, I knew that there was no chance of me running a 3:30 to see how it felt to train through a decent paced race.

My publicly started goal of 3:20 (and a Boston Qualifying Time) was the minimum I was after.
I toyed with the idea of 3:15, which had been suggested to me on one of the threads on Fetch
Sub 3 was definitely out - a tempo run at that pace was run at too high an effort level to make it feasible for the Marathon Distance - AND I had to be able to pick my training back up straight away.

And the pace difference between 3:15 and my current PB was quite small!

So in my own mind I cemented 3:10 as a target
That's 7:14 min/mile

A challenging pace to hold on the Draycote course, especially with the forecast wind, which was going to be in our faces on the undulating section of the course if the Weather Men were correct!

I had about four different plans that I'd use depending on how the first lap panned out :o)

On Saturday evening Aly came down to ours, clearly Up For It, and almost as nervous as me!!
We were joined by a friend, Michelle, who was coming to support, and look after Lorna's youngest during the race.
And we had a very pleasant, quiet and relaxing evening doing not much - eating, and lounging about on the sofas!

I'm awful on race mornings.
I don't mean to be - but I get very nervous, and experience has shown me that I need to get my breakfast down a Full 3 hours before the start of the race.
So I was up at 6 - making the porridge.
This worked out quite well really, because of the time we had to leave to get to Draycote in plenty of time to park and get ready. The morning wasn't rushed - and there wasn't time to pace about too much.

When we arrived, we bumped into Steve (Edwards) and had a really good chat with him before heading off to the Finish area to dump our bags and get ready.

There were a huge number of folk associated with the Fetch site taking part in the race (60 of the 200 entrants at the last count), and supporting. There were more of the Red, Yellow and White vests (as well as the 'away' colour of Black and Red) around than any other, I think. Amazing.

And so to the race itself.

7:14's would give me 3:10

And when we set off Steve and I had a little chat about the kinds of times we were looking for
"Around 3:15" he said. He's SUCH a fibber
;o)

The hooter went and we headed off for the first loop of the marathon course, which is the only bit that is different to the Ultra 35 course, and takes the marathon runners to the back of the field.
Once we turned around to head back to the Start line on the Upper Road, we had the wind behind us. And it made for nice effortless running at Planned Pace.
After the Sailing Club Building the first really exposed section had the wind coming from the side. Not too bad - but the 'buffeting' was quite wearing.

On the first lap you loop back to run this twice - so get to see most of the other runners at least twice - so waved to Lorna both times.

I wouldn't see her again for quite a while.

The first mile exuberance saw me clocking 7:12 - and I settled into a really nice running rhythm that had me peppering either side of 7:14's - to the extent that at 11 miles - and towards the end of the second lap - I was spot on target.

Mr Edwards (the aforementioned 'fibber') had shot off, and was out of sight in no time at all!!! ;o)

The undulating part of the course on the far side of the Reservoir was slightly 'slower' than the rest with the last mile and a half back to the finish being quite a lot 'quicker'. So by 16 miles, I was a Whole Second up on the time I'd set myself to run!!

The fourth lap I found the most gruelling. The pace was at the top end of where I was comfortable - and by this time I'd become a little bored of the tedium of seeing the same landmarks coming around with such regularity.
My mindset changed about 2 miles from the end of the lap (So that period only actually lasted 3 miles!!) Where I could feel that I had enough left in my legs to up the effort for the last lap - which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I passed Lorna towards the end of the Lap - and just as she predicted - she was not liking the course, and was bored of it - Job done, then ;o)

3 Seconds down on my target time at 22 miles, and feeling strong. This was going to be a Good Day!!!

And come the nice flat run in to the end, I opened up a bit.
Legs were tired now - but turning over pleasingly well.

And when the finish clock came into sight it said 3:08:55 - No chance of beating it to 3:09 - and I stopped my watch at 3:09:12.

A 2 minute PB
OOPS!

Bumped into Steve who'd finished a few minutes previously and had a little chat with him
:o)

In reality, I didn't think I'd be holding that pace for the whole distance. I'm delighted that I was strong enough to. The REAL test will be in how quickly I recover from that.

It was really windy and cold - so I clambered into every stitch of clothing I'd brought - 5 top layers including 2 fleeces and a Down Jacket.
I didn't get cold - just!
Time to get a cuppa tea and have a chat to a few folk - see Aly come in in a fantastic PB that also won her the F40 First place prize - OUTSTANDING!!
Then waited for Lorna to come in as well - which she did in around 4:12.

What followed was a bit of a blur of encouraging the ultra runners - congratulating a seemingly endless stream of people who'd run really well, balanced with commiserating with the few who'd not done so - or had to pull out for various reasons......

and eventually collecting everything and everyone up to head home.

It was a fabulous day.
The Support was awesome
The post race snacks were amazing once again.

For those that like stats, here are the numbers

26.22 miles
3:09:04 (official)
pace 7:13

Mile Splits:
07:12
07:15
07:14
07:15
07:15
07:16
07:16
07:15
07:14
07:09
07:13
07:15
07:17
07:15
07:16
07:06
07:15
07:13
07:14
07:15
07:13
07:18
07:10
07:10
07:15
06:53
06:28

1st Half: 94:53
2nd Half: 94:19

A Quiet Week - and an Uncertain Goal

2009-02-21T11:59:00.002Z

Having run strongly last weekend, Lorna and I both decided that we'd use the Draycote Marathon tomorrow as a run to put in a little more effort.

So we also decided to have a mini-taper into it as well.

So the mileage this week has been much lower. I've run just 36 miles - which with the marathon will be a weekly total of just 62 miles.

It's ALL about balance. We want to run this marathon at a decent intensity - but the GOAL is getting to May 8th healthy and ready to go. So rather than training through and pottering the marathon, we chose to allow our legs to rest a bit - run harder on Sunday - and be able to pick the training back up straight away next week.

That brings me to the business of the Uncertain Goal.

I'm not in sub 3 hour condition - at least, not as a goal after which I'll be looking to run a big week
3:30 pace would be reasonably easy
3:20 pace would give me a Boston Qualifying time - and should be perfectly feasible
3:15 pace is probably going to take a bit much out of me
sub 3:11:12 pace I think would be possible if I was targeting it - but would probably be foolish to contemplate.

So I think that 3:20 looks like the fella.

I'll have a far better idea after the first 2 laps. And I'll report back tomorrow.

Alyson will be getting here later, which will be fabulous :o)

Getting Stronger

2009-02-17T20:15:00.002Z

Well - that IS the focus of training at the moment.

The basic plan has been to run twice, most days, one shorter easy run, and then a 'main' run of the day.

The vast majority of our miles have been nice and easy paced, the idea being to build a really strong and robust endurance/aerobic base.....

and NOT get injured.

It's working.

Last week - I racked up 87 training miles. That is on the back of a 73 and 85 mile week.
they are without dount the longest three weeks of continuous training that I've done, and yet I didn't feel that I had had to work that hard for it!

Each run of every double day felt like the first one - and there are good signs that I'm adapting well to running long, and running again without ill-effects.

Last week was a funny one. Having run the Windermere course on Sunday, I'd intended to have a full rest day - but actually ran twice, notching up just 9 miles with 2 really easy paced runs.
Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday saw main runs of around 11 miles, and short ones of 4-5, and on Friday - just a short one of 5 miles

Of all of those runs - just one was run at PMP for the Challenge - the 11 miles on Wednesday
Everything else was nice and easy.

For the weekend we were heading to the Lakes - the Keswick Buttermere 34k beckoned as a "Brathay Time-on-feet" run for me - and a benchmark training run for Lorna.
On the way up we stopped of in Bramhall, to take part in the Bramhall Park Time Trial - a 5k Parkrun, and to meet up with a friend who is helping me with aspets of a website I'm building.
I wasn't planning to run this particularly hard - under 20 milutes would have done, but I was feeling good a mile in, so put the hammer down a bit, and posted an 18:43 for my pains.

And it felt good
And I felt strong.
Just 20 seconds outside of my best time for the distance, and I hadn't intended to race!

When we arrived in Keswick, we met up with another friend, and had a little leg-turner around Latrigg - before getting an early night for Sunday.

The Keswick Buttermere 34k is a GEM of a race.
Taking in Honister and Newlands Passes, it can be described as 'lumpy'.
We weren't racing - this was out LSR for the week, just on Cumbrian 'undulations' which is something we don't have in the West Midlands.

I never stopped smiling. Running conditions were fabulous. The course is an absolute peach - and Lorna and I resolved to come back and run it 'properly' sometime.
And we finished in 3:28:55. Perfect Marathon Time (for the Challenge) on feet for me - and an outstanding run for Lorna who is running more and more strongly as the weeks go by
:o)

The best bit - really springy fresh legs on Monday and Today.

It is a great feeling to 'feel' like you are running strongly, and for all the evidence to be suggesting that, in fact, you are!!

Draycote Marathon is on the horizon at the weekend, and Alyson is coming down for that.
Can't wait!!

Last week's training :o)

2009-02-17T15:20:00.003Z

First, the big announcement ... LEON RAN MORE MILES THAN I RAN! On the one afternoon that we had to run separately, I ran seven miles and he ran eleven. That doesn't happen often ;o)

Here are my stats:

Total distance run: 85.28 miles. Another big week.
Profile: Can't be bothered dissecting it out in detail, since there were two very different races, and some off-road running, and some jogging back from the supermarket with glass bottles of beer in my rucksack. Average pace 10.03mm.
Longest run: Keswick/Buttermere 34k (or 21.3 miles). Average pace 9.53mm.
Niggles: Slipped on the kerb on Friday and grazed my left knee sufficiently for it still to need a dressing.
Sofa-spud days: None, but I took my fall on Friday as evidence that running while slightly sleep-deprived is hazardous and omitted the planned short evening run in favour of a very early night.

One of the advantages of the way Leon and I are training - doing easy doubles most days - is that no individual run is particularly significant so it doesn't matter if circumstances mean that we have to miss a run. It also means that this week, while we have most of our children staying with us, we can pounce on opportunities to go for short runs.

My weight has remained steady at 50kg despite the increased mileage. That's reassuring. To run one fast marathon, skinniness is an advantage. To run ten marathons in ten days without crumbling, being strong and well-nourished at the start is far more important.

Racing on a Shoestring :)

2009-02-16T08:56:00.003Z

Many charity fundraising events, from parachute-jumps to walking the Great Wall of China, appear to be nothing more than cynical ruses to allow people to ask friends and family to fund them to have experiences and holidays that most of us can only dream of. I can see the point of contributing if someone is also going to push back the boundaries of human endurance like Sir Ranulph Fiennes, or even to give their own limits a stringent testing. But trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro or running an overseas marathon ... just don't ask, please. All you'll get out of me is a sincere expression of hope that you have a good time.

The Ten Marathons in Ten Days Challenge is gleamingly free from such tricks. Each participant has paid £500 in advance towards accommodation (which won't be luxurious) and infrastructure. The training weekends are a bit extra. It doesn't involve big carbon footprints or worry over environmental damage. Running the same road marathon every day isn't a holiday even if the scenery is delightful. And I think it passes the "stretching boundaries" test for all 15 of us in one way or another.

Having blown most of our recreation budget for the foreseeable future on two pairs of skis and the deposit for a week in Wengen with five of our children next year, Leon and I have had to be sensible about our race choices. For example, we had a notion of doing the 39.3-miler in Connemara next month, but decided to do two 20-mile races closer to home that weekend.

When someone on Fetch tipped us off about the Keswick/Buttermere 34k, it sounded just what we needed. A long run on Cumbrian road undulations, adequate but not lavish support, and only £5 to enter. I took a nervous look at last year's results, and was reassured to note that the last finisher took four-and-a-half hours. The "for experienced senior club runners" comment on the Keswick AC website, obviously didn't mean that the event was only for fell-whippets.

We started the weekend early on Saturday morning. Leon had arranged to meet Neil, who is helping him with his new business website, in Cheshire. Neil was planning to do the Bramhall Park Run, so we decided that a short speedwork session in company would be good for us too. What a well-run event it is, and, like all Park Run events, entry is free. A pleasant, interesting 5k course, partly on tarmac and partly on trails, with a couple of challenging little climbs. In a pleasing bit of symmetry, Leon was 11th overall and I was 11th female (and 94th overall). My time of 25.14 was a PW for the distance, but I ran at a tempo-run rather than at a 5k-race effort level, so I can't complain.

In the afternoon we went up to Keswick and met Stuart, who took us on a run around Latrigg, followed by a trip to the Lakeland Pedlar for crumble and custard. Portion sizes were such that I DNF'd. It's possibly the first time in my life I have failed to get to the end of a pudding.

We stayed overnight at Cragwood B&B, on Blencathra street, where Janet looked after us very well and gave us an excellent breakfast.

The main event of the weekend was, of course, that appealing-looking circuit of the Honister and Newlands passes. The Keswick/Buttermere 34k may be quite unlike the Park Runs in terms of its target population, but it is similarly uncomplicated and basic. Entry is on the day with a simple entry form that doesn't ask about ethnicity or preferred Sunday newspaper, and costs £5. There is a distance-marker and a water-station every 5k, and the "marshalls" are orange signposts with arrows on them. And the course is just mind-blowingly scenic.

The threat of rain had drifted away. We lurked for a while in the cricket pavilion, chatting to people, then followed the other hundred or so runners up to the start at the Moot Hall. When the starting signal was given, we let everyone go. We weren't racing.

The first 7.5 miles of the race are benignly undulating and we trotted them out easily at 9 - 9.30mm pace. Then the course turns right towards the Honister Pass and our splits became a little more interesting ...

Mile 8: 14.44
Mile 9: 12.29
Mile 10: 7.49, including a pause at a water-station.

We LOVE downhills!

We took the rest of Honister Pass at an easy pace, conscious that we still had half of the race to do. Mile 15 was the ascent into the Newlands Pass and the only wholly uphill mile. We walked, passing someone who was running. 15.29 minutes. Not bad, considering!

By this time, Leon was offering everyone we passed a handful of Werthers Originals and sounding irritatingly fresh. And we were. Our legs were fine and we were loving every step of the way.

From the top of the Newlands Pass, the route is all downhill to Keswick in an undulating sort of way. At some point I mentioned the possibility of going under 3:30.

We blatted the descents - no point holding anything back now. About two miles from the finish, Leon, who had stuck close to me all the way, suddenly went ahead. Not out of sight, just about 10 metres in front.

What's that all about?

Aha!I know! He's pacemaking!

He half-killed me. For those last two miles, I had to get out of my comfort-zone. My legs stiffened up in protest. My head said, "Hey, remember your mantra! Pain is horrible, sub-3:30 is just a number."

We did it, though. 3:28:55. We were still a long way down the field, but we'd expected that. Next year, Leon can race it instead of running at my pace.

At the finish we were provided with draught isotonic drink and SiS Go Bars in my favourite cherry-vanilla flavour, tea, biscuits, and soup, and we chatted with people we knew from Fetch and the Runners' World website and people we'd met on the day. It's SUCH a friendly event!

In theory, my time yesterday should predict a sub-3:45 at the Draycote Water Marathon next weekend. In reality, I run far better on undulating courses than on flat ones (we measured 670m of ascent and descent yesterday) and, well, what do I want sub-3:45 for anyway? Having decided not to take up our GFA places at London this year, I can't see us wanting to do it again.

The right tools for the job :o)

2009-02-11T19:20:00.003Z

Long-distance running is a relatively inexpensive activity. The kit requirements, even for those of us who don't wear the same string vest, old P.T. shorts and black school daps winter and summer alike, are modest in comparison with other sports. As evidence, I offer you four bicycles, two pairs of skis, and a climbing rack. Use of the pavements and fells is free of charge. Joining a running club costs pennies, and most races are extremely good value for money.

You can, of course, turn this low-maintenance sport into a bottomless pit of expenditure if you're that way inclined.

You might, for example, insist that your racing calendar would be incomplete without the Great North Run or a full set of World Marathon Majors. You could decide that the Grand Union Canal Race (about 35p a mile, support included) sounds too, too boring to consider when the Ultra Tour de Mont Blanc and the Himalayan Stage Race are out there calling to you.

Or you might take note of all those articles in Runners World which suggest that failing to give your finely-honed athlete's body exactly the right fuel is tantamount to filling the petrol-tank of a Formula 1 racing car with unpasteurised milk. Rather than eating meals made of food, you become a consumer of sports nutrition products. Most of the calories in your diet come from three brands - Science in Sport, For Goodness Shakes, and Zipvit. Your supermarket trolley contains brazil nuts, blueberries, organic red peppers, and ... er, that's it.

Becoming a hypochondriac is quite effective too. To remain uninjured, you need full-body compression clothing, a weekly sports massage, a selection of Magic Sticks, eighteen different supplements, and gym membership to allow you to do resistance work and low-impact cross-training. To run your best, you need creatine serum and a Powerbreathe. Develop a niggle, and it's off to the Sports Injury Clinic. NHS? You mean, like, WAIT for an appointment? No, sirree! Osteopaths and podiatrists throughout the land live in mansions paid for by runners.

The fast-forward button to bankruptcy though, is the "CONFIRM AND PAY" link on the online entry site for your first triathlon. That's assuming the divorce petition doesn't get you first.

Oops! I went off on one a little bit there, didn't I?

Leon and I are fairly cheapskate runners, with one exception (two, if you include entering the Brathay Ten Marathons in Ten Days Challenge). We believe that, where sports kit is concerned, you get what you pay for. The recent cold weather has validated that view. Garments that we thought were extravagances when we bought them - Montane windproofs which pack down to the size of tennis balls, Lowe Alpine fleece-lined tights, Arc'teryx Rho baselayers, SealSkinz gloves, and, on a few occasions, down jackets - have played an essential role in keeping us running comfortably when the lure of the fireside and a cup of Horlicks was almost overwhelming.

I hope the weather is on the turn now, because next week most of my warm running kit will be on the ski slopes in Austria with my 12-year-old daughter. Oh, no, of course I'm not envious of her. Not even a little bit :oP

Planned Rest Day

2009-02-09T12:09:00.003Z

In this household, it's wise to plan nothing!!

So Lorna announced that she'd like to pop out for a little run. And I thought that a gentle Recovery Run would be a reasonable thing to do - considering that I've been bounding up and down stairs for much of the morning.

"How about the 5 mile loop, and then see how we are..??" she said

I wasn't expecting THAT!

Anyway - 5 miles it was nice and gentle - and I discovered that my legs were nice and 'springy' today.

Glad we did that!!

What Snow...???

2009-02-08T22:19:00.016Z

With the rest of the country gripped by something approaching an Ice Age, and whole swathes of the country cut off from civilisation, perhaps forever (if half of what is written in the Popular Press is to be believed), I did the old fashioned thing...

I looked up the Mountain Weather Forecast....

And I phoned a friend.

Both of which told me that Lakeland was NOT buried under a newly formed glacier,
and the Saturday would be coolish,
and Sunday would also be coolish, with weather arriving sometime in the afternoon.

Good enough for me!

Once the Training Weekend had been cancelled, Lorna and I simultaneously said,
"Well, if the roads to the Lake District are clear - we're going up anyway"

They were

We did!

The journey up was extraordinary in the amount of Green we saw
It was everywhere.
Our country is a truly beautiful place.
Indeed there was hardly any evidence of ANY snow between home and the Southern Lakes - and once we could see the Fells, it was clear that the volume of snow even there was quite small - and quite high!

The plans for the weekend were that we would meet up with Alyson - who's also doing the 10-in-10 and accompany her on a run in her back yard.

Then make our way to a hastily booked B&B in Windermere with the intention of running the whole Windermere Marathon course on Sunday.

We arrived at Aly's at 11:30 having battled our way North on relatively quiet, dry, clear roads.
A quick cuppa and a chat and we set off for a 7 and a bit mile off-road run that was simply delicious.

Some mud (a bit frozen on the way out - less so on the way back);
Some gentle hills;
trails through a couple of woods;
and back to Aly's for some rather excellent soup.

It was a PEACH of a run.

And really fantastic to meet Aly and spent a short time with her.
Some pictures from that run:

And so to today...
Following a marvellous sleep and breakfast provided by the very welcoming Dave and Debbie at Cambridge House in Windermere.....

Lorna has already told you about the details of the run from her perspective....
Here is mine.

I lost count of the number of times I said "I LOVE this course"
Running conditions were perfect.
Running got stronger as we went.
I LOVE running with Lorna!

Today capped of an 86 mile week. Which is by far the longest training week I've ever had.
The mileage has crept up on me almost unnoticed, and I did less than Lorna because I had a complete rest day on Monday as I was suffering the edges of a virus that was giving me a slightly grumblesome bowel.
I also strained a calf muscle very slightly last week doing a Tempo run with inadequate warm up. So all the miles THIS week have been low intensity, allowing me to get the miles in, while my calf sorted itself out.
It was a very successful strategy, and the last remnants of said strain appear to have Left The Building.

A few pictures from today:

The best "cancelled" weekend ever :o)

2009-02-08T21:36:00.002Z

There's been some weather the past week. Allegedly. Can't say we've seen much to get excited about here in Birmingham, although there has been just enough snow and ice to give our F-lite 230s an opportunity to demonstrate their excellence in slightly slippery underfoot conditions. Between Monday and Friday I ran 60 miles, and the only time I hit the deck was when I accidentally trod on some greasy chips that had been dropped on the pavement.

One unfortunate casualty of the alleged weather was the training weekend at Brathay Hall. With the local roads unrunnable and some of the participants coming from parts of the country in which driving conditions were treacherous, it was thought best to postpone the event.

Leon and I had already made arrangements to be free to attend, so we decided that if we could get up to Cumbria this weekend, we would.

On Saturday, we drove up to Ulverston and met fellow-participant Alyson Knowles, who offered us very generous hospitality and took us for a lovely off-road run. We were delighted to meet her. Alyson works at Brathay Hall and supported at the 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge in 2007 and 2008, so she knows more about the event than anyone else in the world. She's also, as her e-mails and video had suggested, a lovely warm and enthusiastic person.

Alyson kindly 'phoned Brathay Hall to let them know that we'd pop in today.

We had booked accommodation in Windermere for Saturday night, and our random choice from the internet proved to be an excellent one. We stayed at Cambridge House , whose proprietors, Debbie and Dave, are both runners! We had a good comfortable room and a particularly large and delicious Cumbrian breakfast for less than the cost of a broom-cupboard in Ambleside. Having dined on butties from Booth's and some sugary snash, we were more than ready for our morning fry-up and it was well and truly digested when we started running barely an hour later.

Rather than running an offset circuit starting from Windermere, we drove to Brathay Hall, introduced ourselves and checked that it was OK to leave the car there while we ran. Steve on reception told us that they'd had another 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge participant staying there and he'd (surprise!) gone out for a run. We hoped we'd meet him.

We wore cold-weather running-kit, including gloves, and hi-viz vests. Leon had a bum-bag with our Montane windproofs in it. For sustenance, we planned to stop for coffee and cake along the way. Memo to self - there were times on the run when the psychological comfort of a Werthers Original would have been welcome. Don't forget them again.

Two miles in, we met Tom Giles and stopped briefly for a chat. He'd run to Hawkshead and was on his way back.

I had a bit of a hard time psychologically at the start of the race. There was absolutely nothing to come over all mardy about. It was a perfect day - cold and clear, not icy underfoot, and with beautiful views. I was fine, give or take a bit of calf stiffness, and was running well. My head, however, wanted to quit, or at least wanted me to accept permission to quit early at a distance it considered "safe". Five miles in, I took my first walk-break up a little hill. I walked a lot of the seven-mile hill, notching up a 12.47-minute mile. I talked negative stuff to Leon. He talked positive stuff back to me. I accepted that, far from struggling, we had actually done a respectable number of hilly miles on tired legs at an average pace of around 10mm.

We'd discussed stopping at Newby Bridge (with the option of a second stop at Bowness), but I suggested running on and stopping after half-way. If I'd known how far after half-way the next coffee-stop opportunity would be, I might not have made that decision. At 17 miles, we came upon the Beech Hill Hotel . It's a rather elegant establishment, but we couldn't have been given a warmer welcome. The coffee was plentiful, we were given glasses of tap water on request, and the shortbread biscuits were a million times better than gels for mid-race fuel replenishment.

I told Leon that I was having a bad dress-rehearsal, and he pointed out that I was running strongly, and that we'd averaged 10.06mm pace so far and were in line for a big course PB if we maintained that.

Sometimes stopping during a run just results in difficulty in getting started again and, for me, it's one of the few situations in which I get hypoglycaemic. On this occasion, it was a very successful strategy. Most of our fastest miles came in that last 9-mile section, and I only walked a small part of the 21-mile hill. I even managed to run that last nasty little upswing into the grounds of Brathay Hall.

We ran 26.46 miles (the extra is because we started in the grounds rather than at the official race start) in 4:26:41. Our 26.22-mile split was 4:23:04 - my fourth-fastest "marathon" ever. We had a 2-minute negative split. And our average pace of 10.03mm is my "dream scenario" average pace for the event itself.

As an experience, it was very successful. I didn't let my head sabotage the run. We didn't hit the Wall. My intestine was a model of placidity. I had no aches, niggles, cramps, blisters or ... well, anything, really. I also don't think there's any risk of me getting lost running the course on my own now.

It had started to snow when we were about 6 miles from the finish. Running through the light snow was lovely, but it was getting heavier so we didn't linger. We headed off home, eating our way through our stash of fruit, flapjacks and the Trek bars that Aly had given us, and stopped at a service-station for coffee and sandwiches.

This week's training ... no, I haven't forgotten!

Total mileage: 93.29 miles, average pace 10.03mm.
Profile: 86.19 miles of road-running, average pace 9.58mm, and 7.1 miles of hilly off-road running, average pace 11.16mm.
Longest run: 26.46 miles, average pace 10.03mm
Cross-training: None.
Niggles: None.
Sofa-spud days: None.

I have never, ever run over 90 miles in a week, and don't intend to do it regularly. If I can sustain 60-70mpw, I shall be delighted.

We'll just tick over this week. For our next long run, we'll be heading back to Cumbria, this time further north for the "slightly bumpy" Keswick to Buttermere 34k. I feel far more confident about that race now :o)

Lots of small bites :o)

2009-02-03T16:09:00.003Z

Last week's summary.

Running: 73.55 miles. One 5-mile race at 8.17mm pace, and 68.55 miles of easy aerobic running, average pace 10.00mm.
Longest run: 10.54 miles, average pace 10.10mm
Cross-training: 1.01 mile of swimming to complete my 12-mile challenge.
Niggles: A mild dose of enteritis at the end of the week, not severe enough to stop me from running. Leon had it worse than I did.
Sofa-spud days: None.

Plenty of mileage, then, and several doubles, but none of the long, grind-it-out runs which ought to be the main feature of our training. We're looking to start setting that right this week.

This coming weekend, we'll be joining some of the other 10 Marathons in 10 Days challengers for a training event at Brathay Hall, including a course recce. That's something I need; navigation isn't my strong point and although I ran the Windermere Marathon in 2007 and 2008, that was with a large race field, Leon at my side, and a cheerful Westmorland Freemason about every 100m along the route. Running on my own is quite a daunting prospect. I truly, genuinely, could get lost along the way.

I am looking forward very much to meeting the other runners, and am hoping that it will be the impetus I need to immerse myself in training and fundraising for the event for the next 4 months without being distracted.

Meanwhile, February has got off to a good start. I've already run over 34 miles this month, including an 11.5-miler, which is almost two hours of running ... well, it's a little step towards those back-to-back long runs!

Ski Legs ... and an unexpected PB :o)

2009-01-25T19:09:00.004Z

Last week took more out of me than I thought, and until Thursday my legs felt like lead pipes and all my runs were sluggish and laborious. Most days, I had trouble cracking 10mm pace even on net downhill miles. But (crosses fingers firmly) I think normal service is being restored and my shin has been fine.

I ran well on Thursday afternoon. On Friday I didn't run at all, but swam just over a mile (of which more later). Then on Saturday we had one of the main events in our racing calendar. The Fetch West Midlands Mile.

Fetch Mile events are organised all over the country, and this is the third one we've had in the West Midlands. They're fun, family-friendly events, designed to get groups of local runners who might otherwise only "meet" online together to run short track races (focusing on the mile) and then have refreshments and a chat. Leon organises the running aspect of the event and I co-ordinate the catering - which mainly means that I provide a table and plates for the gorgeous cakes that people bring with them.

After the kids' 400m race, in which participants ranged from Leon's 13-year-old son (who strolled home almost half a lap ahead of the next runner, in 73 seconds) to baby Oliver being pushed in his buggy by his mum Clare, we had four separate mile races based on anticipated time. I lined up in the third race, for 7mm-8mm runners. Although I wasn't confident of my ability to run a mile in less than 8 minutes on the day, my previous track mile times (7.39, 7.31 and 7.23) suggested that this was appropriate, and I thought it would help if I had people to chase. Besides, I was planning to run with my 10-year-old daughter in the slower-than-8mm race.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found myself out at the front right from the start and working very hard indeed. I heard Leon counting "thirty-one, thirty-two" as I went through half-way, and knew that I would be struggling to break 7 minutes but had a good prospect of a PB.

I finished still at the front, in 7.05, only three seconds ahead of the next runner. Had it been a 1,700m race, I would probably have been fourth.

Several of the children (including baby Oliver, with his dad pushing the buggy this time) joined in the last mile race. I toddled round with my daughter Annabel, who, like me, enjoys physical activity but is not a natural athlete, and she ran all the way in 10.52, a good PB for her.

We finished with a series of 100m races. I surpassed myself in suckiness. 21.39s by my Garmin. I should hate 100m, but what's to hate about a race that's over that quickly?

The cakefest back at the house was possibly the most lavish ever. In the style of a Biblical miracle, I provided some hot pizza and sausages and was left with so much cake that we'll be bringing some with us if there is another 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge training weekend.

Yes, we haven't lost sight of our target event for 2009!

Training this week:

Running: 40.79 miles total. 39.79 miles at an average pace of 10.02mm, and 1 mile raced at 7.05mm.
Longest run: 10.09 miles, at 10.43mm pace.
Cross-training: Swimming, total 3.14 miles.
Niggles: Crocked my right arm on Friday carrying big sheets of cardboard to the recycling bin after the doorstep collection had failed to uplift it.
Sofa-spud days: None.

Ah, yes, the swimming. At the beginning of the month, I noticed that the Fetch Swimming League was limited to people who had recorded at least a mile a month of swimming in their training log, and set myself a mini-target of logging enough swimming in January to keep me on the league for the whole of 2009 even if I didn't swim another stroke all year. That's 12 miles of swimming. Did I mention that I hate swimming and take more than an hour to swim a mile? I'm nearly there, though. One more hour ploughing up and down the smelly pool is all I need to do.

Next week I shall run more than I did this week. And so will Leon :o)

Did you miss us?

2009-01-18T22:06:00.002Z

While the other 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge participants have been getting stuck into notching up training miles, Leon and I took a slightly different approach. We went altitude-training.

Our holiday in Zermatt last week had been booked almost a year before, and the benefits of a week in the best ski resort in the world (probably) at the quietest time of the season (definitely) far outweighed the risk of putting ourselves out of the 10 Marathons in 10 Days Challenge with a skiing injury.

We chose well. The weather was perfect all week, though very cold. We went skiing for 5-7 hours a day, six days in a row, without any aches and pains or fatigue. We had three days of lessons with an excellent young instructor who taught me to carve and Leon to do show-off tricks. He made us work hard. In a class of three, there was nowhere to hide.

We also ran most days, either around the roads in Zermatt (at an altitude of 1620m) or on the hillside tracks. Yesterday morning before leaving we did an 11-mile run on snow-covered trails with 755m of ascent and descent.

And I swam a total of three-and-a-half miles in the chlorine-free hotel pool.

Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed attending to what more dedicated athletes might call "nutrition and hydration". You can't exercise at altitude (the pistes go up to over 3800m) on a diet of green leaves and green tea, and when in Switzerland it would be rude not to partake liberally of the excellent breads, cheeses, meats, and cakes. I'm sure our recovery was accelerated by hefty doses of sugar and saturated fat, and I intend to use the same strategy between marathons in May.

Now we need to translate that skiing-endurance into running-endurance. I need my shin to stay healed. We need to increase our training mileage and Leon, at least, needs to do some faster sessions. In particular, we need to start doing some longer runs. That 11-miler was our longest run so far this year.

This evening, after a day of putting the house in order, we went out for an 8-mile run. It was unpromising. I had to work hard for an average pace of 10.24mm. But at least nothing hurt :o)

Weekly Summary

2009-01-05T19:46:00.002Z

Time to start these again!

If I count from 1st January, last week was only a 4-day week.

Total mileage: 38.24 miles
My runs: 17.34 miles, average pace 10.12mm
Little runs with the children: 8.77 miles
Run/walking with rucksack: 4.13 miles
Cross-training: None.
Niggles: Developed sacro-iliac backache on Thursday. It was quite painful initially, but has eased off and is now only the vaguest discomfort around my right sacro-iliac joint.

This week, I plan to do about 40 miles of running, and some swimming and cycling, leading up to a rest-day on Saturday when we travel ... did I mention that we're going skiing?

;o)

Unfortunately, the timing of our holiday means that we'll miss the introductory weekend for the Ten Marathons in Ten Days Challenge. We hope that all those who are there have a great time.

Oops!

2009-01-03T14:35:00.003Z

Has it really been almost 4 weeks since we updated our blog?

Lazy rascals!

Actually ... we really have been lazy rascals. Our training in the second half of December was negligible and I ended the year with a total of 1,516 running-miles in my log. We did, however, have a lovely "non-Christmas" family holiday in the Middle of Scenic Nowhere which allowed us to introduce ourselves to the Howgills and to become inspired by local fell-runner Hugh Symonds's peak-bagging exploits in 1990.

We also managed a cold but cheerful 10 miles on Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn on 28th December. Leon has the photographs ... LEON!!!

Leon started running again on 30th December, and promptly ground to a halt on 1st January when he came down with a virus that was marauding around the household. He's better now, but still looking a little speckly, so common sense suggests that he shouldn't run today.

My training began on 1st January, with a couple of one-mile runs with the children and then 6 miles on my own. Given that my weight has crept up a few pounds and I was wearing three layers of clothes plus buff and gloves, I was happy with an average pace of 10.11mm for very easy running. And my shin was painfree :-)

We'll have another enforced break from running next week as we're going to Zermatt. We could make time to run there, but that would be such a waste of a skiing holiday so we're unlikely to run much unless the weather is so bad that we're forced on to the hotel treadmill.

We went to Zermatt last January, and did go running a couple of times to get up close to the Matterhorn and take some pictures. I believe I have the best-ever running-shoes for snow and ice - the Inov-8 Mudclaw 340, an orienteering shoe which has little metal posts in some of the forefoot studs. Sadly, it's no longer made. It's better even than attaching Magic Spikers to trail-shoes.

And after that, it'll be five weeks until our first marathon of the year - Draycote Water. Before my shin started to act up, I was hoping to try to scrape a PB. I've revised my objective for the race to "learn to laugh in the face of boredom". It's a well-organised race, but a supremely dull course - 4.75-mile laps around a reservoir on a gently-undulating tarmac road. Last year, Leon and I stopped at 21 miles because we couldn't be bothered going round again. We can't have that sort of attitude when our target event for 2009 involves running the same marathon every day for ten consecutive days.

Happy New Year, everyone :o) xxx

First of all, thanks ...

2008-12-07T21:55:00.003Z

... for some very generous donations, including £200 from Abbott Laboratories Limited and a couple of substantial personal donations from other runners.

Not much to report over the past two weeks. After our bike ride to Stratford and back, Leon and I expanded our cross-training options by buying a brace of nice Specialized hard-tail mountain bikes. I am gradually learning to handle this new toy. I've continued to run and swim and cycle, though slightly less because I've had two very full weeks at work. Leon's running ground to a halt soon after mine did. I may not be as good a runner as he is, but Leon seems to need me to be training in order to keep motivated himself.

Then on Friday I tested my Bad Leg with a gentle 4-mile run. It was fine.

And yesterday evening, after 31 miles of mountain-biking on predominantly rough canal paths, I ran just over 5 miles at around 10mm pace. It was fine again.

So today I raced. Without any children to transport, Leon and I cycled the 6 miles to Kingshurst for the Centurion Grand Prix 5-mile race. Leon decided not to run, and was deployed as a hazard-warning sign over a patch of black ice on the path. It was perfect weather for a PB attempt, and I'm at my PB-setting weight (49kg), but it was all too evident that swimming and cycling are not enough to maintain running fitness. I pottered round comfortably in 42:35, even slower than my last outing. My shin twinged very subtly. I won't run tomorrow.

AND I was presented with a nice little trophy by the club for being Runner of the Month for October, apparently because I'd done lots of marathons. I was chuffed to bits about that :o)

This week as things stand I have two full days and three half-days at work, so I'm hoping to have time to do more training, still mainly swimming and cycling but with regular short runs.

Weekly Report from the Injury Bench.

2008-11-23T22:41:00.003Z

Don't tell anyone I said this, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the past week.

Accepting that my shin would recover a lot more quickly if I stopped running was disappointing, but also quite liberating. I was giving myself permission to stop doing an activity which hurt and replace it with activities that didn't hurt. I stopped clinging hopefully to advice to "reduce mileage", and took note of Matt Fitzgerald's words in Brain Training for Runners:

Take it from one who learned the lesson in the hardest way possible. You will come out ahead in the long run (so to speak) if you adopt a zero tolerance policy towards injury pain ... and react to it with a hair trigger by ceasing your running as soon as the pain reaches red-flag level and not running again until you can do so without pain.

And later in the same chapter:

In the meantime, stay fit by replacing your running workouts with similar workouts in a nonimpact aerobic activity such as bicycling or deep-water running that you can do pain-free. Doing so will not only keep you fit while your injury heals and you correct its causes, but it will also greatly reduce the temptation to resume running too quickly.

I've had to fit my cross-training around a busy week at work, and think I've done not too badly.

Walking (with occasional little experimental runs): 33.04 miles, average pace 13.59mm.
Cycling: 95.07 miles.
Swimming: 3960m
Long Run Substitute: 70.8-mile bike ride with Leon, to Stratford and back along minor roads.
Niggles: Low back DOMS after my first bike ride in months. Must learn to relax in the saddle!
Sofa-spud days: None.

What I'm logging as "walking" has been done solely as training, unladen, wearing running-shoes, and concentrating on technique. I've probably walked almost as far again just going to work and to the pool and doing my housecalls. Being able to walk quickly without aggravating my shin has undoubtedly made cross-training more accessible.

All of my cross-training, give or take some uphill efforts on the bike, has been aerobic, and my body appears to have slipped happily into a routine of churning out little Krebs cycles instead of having to cope with unpredictable and sometimes intense demands for glycogen synthesis and breakdown. It feels as if it's ticking over very smoothly indeed :o)

My shin is definitely a great deal quieter than it was a week ago, but it wasn't entirely painfree when I tested it out with some very gentle running during my walk tonight so I'm anticipating at least another week on the bench.

Weekly Summary

2008-11-18T20:28:00.002Z

[Looks for Grumpy Face Smiley.]

Running mileage: 10.31 miles, average pace 9.50mm, all of it on Monday.
Various permutations of walk/run sessions: 21.37 miles.
Swimming: 2.2 kilometres.
Climbing: One 90-minute session.
Niggles: Have I mentioned that my training has been temporarily kiboshed by a sore shin? Yes? Oh, OK. And the lining of my nose has been stripped off by the chlorine in the swimming-pool.
Sofa-spud days: Friday.

Taking notice of whether or not I like the idea of cross-training isn't a luxury I can afford. If I keep running, my shin isn't going to get better. I don't want to lose impetus, and I don't want to lose fitness. In my pre-running days, I kept in shape almost exclusively by walking and swimming, and I've turned the clock back. I'm working full-time this week and next, and the adults-only hour at our local pool is conveniently between my morning and afternoon sessions. Swimming isn't running, but it has the undeniable virtue of not making my shin hurt.

I suppose less running has to mean less chocolate ... roll on recovery ;o)

Spoke too soon!

2008-11-13T22:29:00.003Z

On Monday I did just over 10 miles of running, split into two short runs. After the second run, my shin was sore, in a bad-dose-of-toothache-in-my-tibia sort of way, for fully half an hour.

On Tuesday, Leon and I went to Sutton Park to take some photographs of ourselves for the Brathay website and for the Centurion Running Club newsletter.

Yes, I know about the Q-angle and the K-bend and the femoral anteversion and the gruesome overpronation and the hairbrush-dodging, but ... does my bum look big in this?

;o)

After our photoshoot, we put on lots of clothes and went for a little off-road run. It proved to be even littler than we'd expected. We ran on the grass for about three-quarters of a mile, then set off down a rough, damp, stony path. F-lite 230s are excellent shoes for road-running, but they don't perform well when the underfoot conditions are more than slightly knobbly. I tensed up. My shin hurt. My left calf cramped. I had pain in my right buttock and thigh. Slowing down to walking-pace seemed the safest strategy.

I resolved then to stop running until I could walk without any shin pain.

Yesterday, I was climbing the walls. No, really. Leon and I are both partial to a bit of verticality, and for the first time in many months we dusted off our harnesses and climbing boots and went down to the Redpoint Climbing Centre to play.

Climbing is great fun, but it doesn't really help maintain running fitness. Now, I hate cross-training. I'm not an athlete, and I'm not the sort of person who exercises for the sheer joy of exercising. I'm a recreational runner. I don't want to do aqua-jogging, or spin on a stationary bike like a hamster on a wheel. I hate swimming. I'm too sound-sensitive to do "classes" at the gym (apart from yoga, and life's too short to waste on yoga).

I can't afford to lose fitness or training momentum, though. Leon has kindly offered to set up the turbo-trainer for me, and Kim has offered to lend me her aqua-jogging belt. Meanwhile, I'll do plenty of purposeful walking. I went to the local pool this afternoon and the experience wasn't as dire as I recalled, although my swimming is as scruffy as ever. Hopefully it won't be long before I'm back pounding the pavements.

Meanwhile, my priority is to make sure Leon doesn't forget to go out running :o)

Weekly Summary

2008-11-09T20:18:00.004Z

Total mileage: 56.92 miles
Profile: 100% steady road running, average pace 9.42mm
Longest run: 11.32 miles at 9.29mm pace.
Niggles: Just my right shin!
Sofa-spud days: None.

As predicted, a slower week, with almost 80% of the mileage coming in the 5 days after a blood donation. It typically takes 10 days for my exercise tolerance to come back to normal.

I plan to do around 70mpw for each of the next three weeks, maintaining an easy pace. Leon and I have agreed that we ought to start including some speedwork in December. We'll have to work out the least disruptive way of doing this.

Earlier this year, with the 10-in-10 on our wish-list for 2009, we asked an experienced coach for training advice. He devised a schedule for Leon and tweaked the sessions for me to reflect my slower pace. Unfortunately, the schedules didn't take into account that Leon and I like to train together and that, historically, I'm the one who has been able to tolerate higher training loads. I was unhappy at not being considered capable of handling as many miles, or as many reps on interval sessions, as Leon was, and I was unimpressed that so much of our training would have to be done separately.

Well-intentioned advice on coping strategies, and reminders that lots of two-runner couples don't train together and that maybe I should go out and find new playmates of similar ability to myself, completely missed the point and left me feeling as if I was being unreasonable. My confidence in my athletic ability is a fragile thing, and when Leon said something that I interpreted as "I can't do my long runs with you because you're too slow," which was not, of course, what he actually said, it crumbled to dust.

I barely ran a step from mid-June until the beginning of August. Leon's training log for those weeks looks similarly sparse. What was the point in being divided by a shared interest?

Since we picked up our training again, it's been straightforward. Lots of steady aerobic mileage for both of us, running together whenever we can. More miles overall for me because Leon was sidelined with a virus for a few days. No fancy sessions that we've had to think hard about.

On Wednesday, we did our standard 8-mile route. Leon was wearing his new Puma Salohs and I was as curious as he was to see how they performed when he ran fast, so I suggested that he went ahead, did a faster mile while I continued to plod along at my own pace, and came back to meet me. He did that three times. It was a very successful session and it may be worth looking at variations on that theme.

Meanwhile, I need to make more red blood cells before even thinking about speedwork ;o)

Easy Week and a shoe experiment

2008-11-09T18:25:00.003Z

I'd planned to make this a pretty easy week training-wise. No particularly hard sessions. Not worrying too much about mileage...

My Inov-8 f-lite 230's are coming towards the end of their useful running life, and having reached 603 miles they have done themselves proud. I'll get a little more out of them before I wear trough the outsole, but I doubt that I'll get to 700 miles - so less than a week of running left in them!

In the absence of a promised new pair of f-lite 230's from Inov-8, I ordered a Puma Salohs to try. It's a shoe that a number of people who have a similar running style to me wear, and I thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to try them out.
They are very comfortable - the midsole and outsole are made of denser materials than the f-lite, and the 'feel' on the ground is slightly less 'direct'

The decent test I gave them was on a 9 mile run that I did with Lorna, into which I injected 3 Tempo miles - at 6:13 - 5:53 and 5:50 min/mile. It's a shoe that comes into it's own at faster paces, although the harder compound rubber outsole is not as grippy on damp pavements as to be ideal.
It's a shoe that I'll road-test properly, as I'm often asked for advice with regard to shoes and the differences between them!!

The remainder of the weeks' training was all spent running with Lorna - and so it was with some surspise that I found that I'd racked up 57 miles. I really didn't notice the distance, which I'm guessing has to be a good sign.
Just the one day where I didn't especially enjoy running, all the rest were fabulous

57.24 miles
One Intervals-ish session that was 9.4 miles long
47.84 miles of aerobic running.

Quite a pleasing result for what was planned as an easy week and felt like an easy week!!

More of the same next week I think.

Lorna and I had a chat the other night and agreed that introducing some speed and harder stuff through December in the build up to a targetted faster 'raced' marathon in February made a great deal of sense, and then maintain that speed while building up the back to back long days in the run in to May!

Sounds like a plan!!

A Right Shin-annigan :o(

2008-11-05T21:41:00.002Z

I still have shin splints. It's nothing worse than that, and according to this article from Peak Performance, I have a moderately severe dose of this common running injury and should be reducing my mileage and doing exercises to strengthen my ankle dorsiflexors. Bah! Why couldn't the cure involve eating raspberry cheesecake rather than doing boring exercises?

The article also recommends NSAIDs. I know runners who don't get out of bed without taking ibuprofen. I never normally take NSAIDs for anything other than period pain. But I'm going to take 1g of nabumetone daily for the next week to see whether it makes a difference.

Last week, I did have quite a drastic cutback week ...

Total mileage: 35.5 miles
Profile: 82.5% steady road running, average pace 9.37mm
3.5% running with Beth (12), average pace 10.42mm
14% Centurion Grand Prix 5-mile race, average pace 8.14mm
Longest run: 9.2 miles at 9.51mm
Niggles: Just my right shin, in case I haven't mentioned it already.
Sofa-spud days: Saturday

My legs were clearly hungover from the weekend, as demonstrated by the slower average pace (though it hasn't dropped below my target training pace) and, especially, by my performance at the club race. The Centurion Grand Prix 5-mile race is run once a month for six months, and this month's was the first in the current series. This time last year, I ran it in 36:46 and got an age category prize. On Sunday, I took 41:11 over it (a PW for the course if you exclude the time I ran it with a dose of gastroenteritis) despite being at a good racing weight and having some decent mileage behind me. There was no power in my quads or hamstrings.

Considering how close I came to not starting at all because my shin was painful, I'm happy enough with that result.

This week's mileage will be higher, but the pace will be relatively sedate because I donated blood yesterday afternoon. I was able to run a few hours later, but every little updulate exposed the fact that I'd lost a chunk of my oxygen-carrying capacity. Nothing a few steak butties won't put right :o)

A light week - and an unexpected PB!

2008-11-03T18:48:00.004Z

Following the exertions of last weekend, a nice cutback week was definitely on the menu. I probably overdid it a bit - more than halving my mileage from the week before, and getting to the end of the week in no frame of mind for racing.

But my children were in residence, and wanted to race. Especially my eldest who has a decent chance of placing in the series if he does four of the 6 races.

The series is the Centurions Grand Prix - a series of 5mile (and 2K) races held on the first weekend of the month from November, meaning that Race 1 was on Sunday. Come the morning and my 3 little 'uns were all up for it. Whereas I was looking out of the window and secretly hoping that the weather would grace us with enough inclemency to have to stay indoors!
No such luck!
Overcast and a bit dreary looking, but no rain, little wind, and relatively warm in the circumstances.
We ran with the kids in the 2K to keep warm, and because it is just the Best being able to run with your kids

I ran with my middle child - who had to work hard being, as he is, the least sporty of my brood! He ran his little legs off, became pink of face, and smashed his PB for the course by over a minute - AND dipped under 14 minutes.
A magnificent achievement.
My youngest, who's 6, ran completely on her own for the first time and it was fantastic to watch her. She has a running style to die for!
She didn't pb - but I was really proud of her in completing the whole course without the need for verbal cajoling, or someone to hold her hand.
Fantastic!!
My eldest ran hard, finished in 9th place - then declared himself disappointed with the way he ran. He shouldn't be. He actually did fantastically well - and was only 14 seconds slower than his best for the course - AND there was a closed gate to negotiate which is normally open!

Having taken the kids back to the Gym for shelter and warmth, Lorna and I headed back to the start. I STILL wasn't sure how I was going to run, and was definitely not in race-mode.

I decided to see how the first mile went, and take it from there. And I felt OK!
Marginally over 6 min/mile pace, and running hard but steady.
By the time half way came, I had consolidated my place, and felt strong enough to click off pretty regular mile splits - so I did. And in so doing posted an 8 second PB.

I was reminded after finishing just how friendly our club is, as I was approached by a number of folk who all introduced themselves and had a chat. Excellent!

Back to the training this week. Not too hard, but keeping the miles ticking over.

Just one observation from todays run.

There are occasions when you run in such a way that you seem to just stroke the ground backwards with little effort, like you are only touching the ground to stop gravity pulling you downwards. Much of the 8 miles Lorna and I ran today felt like that. It was very satisfying!

262 miles ...

2008-11-01T14:48:00.002Z

... that's 10 marathons, isn't it?

It's also my total mileage for October.

Just need to be able to condense that into 10 days now!

The perils of peer pressure!

2008-10-30T15:31:00.003Z

I have a Footwear Problem.

I'm a late convert to running in lightweight shoes. Like Leon, I'm very keen on the Inov8 F-lite 230 as a road shoe, although I prefer the Nike Vaporfly. A preference that is currently of academic interest only as the Vaporfly has been discontinued and the F-lite 230 won't be available in my size until the new models go into production next year.

My F-lite 230s have done 300 miles.

My Vaporflys have done about 550 miles - more than double their allotted lifespan. I have another pair stashed away, but they won't last forever and I need an alternative shoe.

There has been much discussion on Fetch about the Adidas Adizero PRO, as modelled by one Mr Gebrselassie, and several people ordered them and declared them quite satisfactory. For a couple of weeks I dithered and swithered and put them in my cybertrolley and took them out again. They sounded perfect, but I've never worn Adidas below my ankles.

Last week I hit "spend", and they arrived on Monday. A pair for Leon and a pair for me.

They weigh virtually nothing. I put them on and was surprised by how big and baggy they felt. I went out for a run. Although thin, the soles were disappointingly rigid and unresponsive. I decided to reserve judgement until I'd taken them out a few more times.

The next day, I had a sore right shin. Not the fleeting niggle I've had a couple of times over the last few weeks. A proper sore shin.

I should have trusted my own judgement, shouldn't I?

If anyone knows where I might be able to buy Nike Vaporflys in UK size 5.5, please tell me. I did ask Nike if they'd give me some for the 10-in-10, but they sent me back a letter inviting me, in the most pleasantly-worded way imaginable, to go and boil my head.

Meanwhile ... [leafs through chapter on managing early shin splints].

Weekend Warrioring Part 2

2008-10-28T16:31:00.003Z

The First EDF Birmingham Half-Marathon

At last, a half-marathon in Birmingham!

When we sent off our entries, the plan was that Leon would race it, aiming for sub-1:25, and I would amble round with Catriona, my 17-year-old daughter. When Catriona's race plans were sabotaged by failure to train compounded by a nasty viral throat infection, I briefly considered racing, then the Snowdonia plan was formed and I offered to run with my friend Kim and try to support her to a PB in the 2:20s. We persuaded Beth to join us. Beth is a relatively new runner and had run her first half-marathon in 2:42 at Cardiff the week before. I was confident that she was capable of taking a chunk off that time.

The extra hour's sleep meant that getting up at 6am wasn't too much of a struggle. We'd decided to park the car at the finish and get the shuttle-bus back to the start, which proved to be a good strategy, even though the traffic in Perry Barr was heavier than the organisers had anticipated and we were given the opportunity to get off the bus early and walk to the Alexander Stadium. It was raining lightly. I kept my OMM Kamleika jacket on. By the time we finished, it was dry and sunny and I must have looked rather silly wearing a raincoat.

A quick pre-race loo-stop (plenty of Portaloos, shortish queues), then we went to the start to meet a group of Fetchies at the front of the "orange" section.. Don't you just hate slow runners who don't start at the back? "Everyone will overtake us," I warned Kim and Beth. "Just let them go." Leon went off to try to hook up with Neil, who was aiming for sub-1:40.

The start was delayed by about 15 minutes, and a couple of girls got up on the stage and tried to initiate one of those aerobics-class-type warm-ups to "Girls on Film". Given how tightly we were packed, I think that encouraging people to leap around and punch the air was irresponsible and would like this particular feature edited out of future events. Please. This is supposed to be a credible race, not a fun-run.

It took us about a minute to cross the start-line. The first few miles, across the overpasses along the A34, were more undulating than I'd expected, then we had a steady, shallow updulate into the city centre. The support in the city centre was fantastic. Lots of people, lots of cheering, no whistles. FLM take note!

Just before 6 miles, Beth had a loo-stop, I waited for her, and Kim, who was clearly having a Bad Patch, went on. We pelted down the next couple of hills and caught up with her, but she fell back again on the next gentle updulate and I had to make an executive decision. Kim's PB wasn't going to happen today, and I'd said I'd stay with her ... but Beth was running very well indeed, and if I stayed with Kim she'd hang back too and compromise her own excellent prospect of a PB. Besides, I know that Kim likes to be left to stomp out her Bad Patches by herself, and she would hate to hold anyone back.So Beth and I went on, feeling slightly guilty.

Beth really was running well, despite repeatedly predicting the imminent demise of various parts of her body in a totally matter-of-fact way. From 8 miles, I knew her PB was in the bag even if she slowed to 13.30mm pace - but she wasn't slowing. On the way, she notched up a 10-mile PB by 5 minutes (1:53:43). By 11 miles, sub-2:30 was looking like a very real prospect. Beth was clearly in a little more discomfort than she was at the start, but she was still giving it everything. Or so I thought ...

"So where's the finish?" she asked, as we ran down Broad Street bantering with the supporters.

"There," I replied, pointing to the flag. And she took off as if she'd been fired from a gun, leaving me chewing on a mouthful of dust. I pelted after her, but still finished a full 5 seconds behind.

2:27:58 for Beth, 2:28:03 for me. AND the first time I've ever run a negative split in a half-marathon!

We'd seen Kim coming up Hagley Road as we ran back towards town. She'd come through her Bad Patch and picked up her pace again. I'd shouted that I'd go back for her, intending to drop Beth off just before the finish, loop back and run in with Kim, but the way the route was fenced off made that impossible. She finished in a creditable 2:40:29 - not a PB, but a good display of mental toughness.

The finish was reasonably well-organised, with plenty of water and Powerade, a nice cotton goody-bag, a big blingy Brummie medal, decent t-shirts (they even had them in "XS", which is almost not too big for me) and sundry bits of tat. Traidcraft dried kiwi-fruit? [Rolls eyes] This is Birmingham. The Home of Chocolate.

Apart from a few teething-troubles, our inaugural half-marathon was a fabulous event and made me proud of my adopted city. The first few miles are unscenic, but the Edgbaston section is as attractive as you'll find in any big city race. There were pockets of support all around the course, which had obviously been carefully planned to allow for road closures to take place without disrupting the main shopping areas, bus routes and through traffic. Only a Brummie or a map-geek would have spotted just how convoluted miles 5-12 were!

The course is one that would suit me well for racing, and now I've done a recce, I can aim for sub-1:36 here next year :o)

Weekend Warrioring Part 1

2008-10-28T14:45:00.005Z

Snowdonia Marathon

"Whose stupid idea was this?" I said to Leon, as we huddled together behind a wall near the start-line in a rather ineffectual attempt to stay warm and dry.

"Yours," he replied. Sometimes my lovely husband is SO not a gentleman! He was right, though. The suggestion that we should try to scavenge some unwanted Snowdonia Marathon places barely a week before the race had been mine, and I'd done a lot of the active scavenging. The only reason we hadn't entered sooner and targeted the race was that we had decided we ought to support our home city's inaugural half-marathon the following day, but with the 10-in-10 to train for it seemed like a good idea to race twice in the same weekend and, for the first time ever, to run in the same marathon but not run together. I was hoping to be a bit faster than at Langdale, with 4:30 my aspirational time.

We'd set off from Birmingham at 5.30am. Until 20 miles from Llanberis, there had been no sign of rain or wind. A beautiful red sunrise had followed us in. Then the wind started to pick up, and by the time we had parked and set off to register it was obvious that the forecast rain wasn't far away.

Registration in the Community Centre was quick and simple. We met Steve Edwards (who holds the 10-in-10 world record), and several people from Fetch. I had a wander round and resolved to return after the race with my purse to buy some of the lovely offerings from the hand-made jewellery stall and Dilys the Sheep, as well as a souvenir hoodie. Leon had already descended with glee upon the Snowdonia Marathon buffs.

The race starts in a lay-by a couple of miles out of Llanberis and buses are laid on. We got on the first bus. Elementary error. The first bus got us there more than an hour before the race was due to begin, and the start area consists of a gantry and a few Portaloos. It was cold, it was windy, and it was starting to rain. Not only that, there was a sign warning us that there were perygls in the vicinity. Leon had told me some scary tales of perygl encounters from his days as an Outward Bound tutor. I was secretly a little worried about these tough little Welsh gremlins.

I was wearing tights, a merino wool baselayer, gloves, my JW Ultra buff and my yellow windproof gilet, having decided that my Montane windproofs would be distractingly rustly in the wind. We had forgotten to bring bin-liners to wear at the start.

We weren't planning to race hard, so we started well back. Starting off a race with numb feet and all the toes of my right foot raynauded-out was a new experience but I'd warmed up within a mile.

For the first few miles I felt a little sluggish, but still appeared to be passing people, even going uphill, without working particularly hard. Once we'd got to the top of the Pass at 4 miles, I was ready for the downhill ... wheeeeeeee! I coasted out four consecutive miles at sub-8mm pace. After that, the route undulated gently to Beddgelert. I was still running strongly - just under 9mm pace. "I'll regret this later," I started to tell myself, then remembered the Brain Training. "I'm nearly half-way, I'm about to go through the half-marathon split at Snowdonia in two hours flat, and I am showing no signs of weakening." That's better!

The two-mile drag uphill from Beddgelert was vigorously wind-assisted. I was soaking wet from top to toe, I was a bit chilly, the lovely views that we'd had at the start had been obscured by a falling cloud-base, and I was telling everyone I passed that I loved tail-winds. Trying to run downhill with the wind blowing me to a standstill was just as entertaining, in a perverse sort of way.

I must add that, in my part of the field at least, the atmosphere was calm and uncomplaining, even in the squalliest weather. That was good. What's not so good is that I have never seen so much litter dropped by runners during a race. And don't try to tell me that it was the grockles. Grockles don't eat gels.

Up to Mile 22, I'd have said that the course was easier than either Windermere or Langdale. There had only been two big updulates, both were runnable, and the gradual downhills were fantastic for banking saved time. Had the course continued to undulate in a civilised manner for the last five miles I'd have cracked 4 hours, even with a brief loo-stop, because I didn't hit The Wall or fade away and continued to overtake people almost till the end. The Waunfaur climb, however, put an end to my running-all-the-way intentions. I ran some of it, and was pleased with a 13.33-minute mile in Mile 23.

When the slope became gentler, the road underfoot became a muddy, puddly trail. The wind at that point was vicious, and swirled round in such a way that it was impossible to brace yourself against it properly. The slippery, uneven conditions underfoot added to the hazard. Several people were blown over and for once I was glad of my low centre of gravity.

The sharp descent into Llanberis starts with a bit of fell-running. Fell-running descents are not my strongest point, especially in Vaporflys, and I was overtaken mightily at this point. I did manage to claw a few places back once we were on the road again. Nothing - NOTHING - at either Langdale or Windermere comes close to this evil little sting in Snowdonia's tail.

The last mile is a relatively tedious drag around the roads into Llanberis. When I got to the Mile 26 marker, I noted that I had to do the wee pennies in well under 2 minutes if I was going to crack 4:10. I was ready to stop running, not to pick up the pace.

Sod it, the worst I can do is puke on the finish-line, and nobody knows who I am. I gave it everything. Didn't even look to see if Leon was among the few bedraggled spectators by the finish.

4:09:54, 495th overall, and if I had been running officially I'd have been 11th FV40. Not bad for a race I'd run at the last minute with a pacing strategy of "set off easy and see how you go" :o)

Leon, bless him, wasn't expecting me for another 20 minutes or more, so by the time he'd got changed and brought my clothes to the finish I was colder than I've ever been after a race despite having wrapped myself around a cup of hot tea. The hall was heaving with space-blanketed runners and supporters and all thoughts of buying handknits and hoodies were gone - we just wanted to get into the car, put on the air-conditioning, and go home.

There was a lot more water coming off the hills than there had been in the morning, but by the time we'd reached the border we had left all trace of the weather behind. And I didn't see a single perygl. I wonder if the rain kept them away?

Last week's statistics

2008-10-28T10:11:00.002Z

Weekly mileage: 69.64 miles
Profile: 43.5% steady road running, average pace 9.10mm
37.5% Snowdonia Marathon, average pace 9.32mm
19% Birmingham Half-Marathon, average pace 11.18mm
Longest run: 26.2 miles, Snowdonia Marathon.
Niggles: I'm watching a little twinge in my right shin, having had a tibial stress fracture on the left a few years ago.
Sofa-spud days: Friday, which was a mini-taper and carbo-load day.

Note that I am not obsessed enough to go and run round the block to bring the mileage up to a nice round 70.

A very pleasing week indeed, with far more confident training runs, a good marathon, and a great day out in Birmingham. Of which, more to follow :o)

Snowdonia Marathon and Birmingham Half Marathon

2008-10-27T10:18:00.004Z

Lorna and I have had a busy weekend!

The Snowdonia marathon was one that had been on our Must Do list for quite some time. With the inaugural running of our local city half marathon falling on the same weekend, we'd felt that supporting the local event had to take precedence this year.

That was until we were accepted for the 10 in 10, of course!!

So very late in the day, we were able to procure numbers for the Snowdonia event with a plan to run it at our own paces and then just see how we felt in terms of a goal on Sunday.

The story of Snowdonia

...was one of wind rain - and wind, and more rain - and not wearing enough clothes to keep my legs warm!

The first climb up the Llanberis Pass was brilliant. A slight head/side wind that was swirling about and a fair bit of precipitation - but I made steady progress through the bit of the field I was in.

Over the top of the Pass and the wind was in our backs. What fun it was hopping off the ground and being blown along approaching 6min/miles on occasion down the first section of descent!

Turned the corner and the head wind down hill was fabulous - strong enough to stop you running too fast - not too strong to slow you up. This was good!
And running nicely.
reaching the bottom of the valley where the route gently undulated was also nice.

Sheltered initially.

Then we came to Beddgelert and the 2 mile Updulate.
Fabulous - really enjoyed this bit - did start to notice that as the terrain became more exposed to the elements, and the breeze was in our backs, that my legs were getting a little cold.

I was REALLY looking forward to the climb at Waunfawr, but as the exposed miles ticked past, I felt the ominous signs of my calves turning to stone. Not an "I've been working too hard" threatened cramp - an "I've got so cold that no matter what you do, I'm just going to hurt more and more" pain.

And because I had to stop and couple of times to stretch them out, I cooled off even more

Come Waunfawr, come the climb. And I *couldn't* run. Gutted

So I walked up much of it with someone I knew from the Fetch Forum, and once it started to even off on the gravel track, I cautiously started running again. Was OK, not great and the pace was turgidly slow.....

Until we went over the top of the hill.
It was quite breezy here, and a few people were getting knocked about by the unpredictability of the wind. But it was Off-Road

So I put on my Fell-running head...
Relaxed...
and flew!

I LOVED this bit

The rough ground was just what I needed, and I started to pick of countless runners who found this bit "tough on tired legs"
For me it was just the tonic my legs needed.

Picking the flat grassy bits to run on (because it's easier!!!!!)
Splashing through the muddy bits and the puddles while people tippy-toed around them,

And hammering down the descent, everything well with the world again

It was AWESOME

Warmed me back up again too, so the last slightly contrived mile around the back of Llanberis wasn't so bad!

And in the last 0.2 mile has a great duel with a young fella who showed a decent turn of pace - but not quite decent enough!!!!

It wasn't the race I had planned and as a result of a Schoolboy error I missed out on the section of the race I was most looking forward to.

Finished in 3:50 which was quite a bit slower than I wanted - but given the conditions and the mistakes I made, I was very happy with having made it across to North Wales to do this!!

We had friends coming to to stay with us to run the Birmingham Half the next day, so we had to shoot off after the end of the race to get back in time to greet them, and as a result missed out on what was certainly an excellent social gathering afterwards.

The story of the Birmingham Half Marathon

...necessitated another early start on Sunday morning
The race began at 9:30, and we had to get the car parked at the finish to catch a Shuttle Bus to the start by 8:15.

The rain was just stopping as we arrived at the start.....

Being - as I was - not entirely sure how I was going to run the Birmingham Half Marathon, and having seen on a thread on Fetch that 'N' (who I'd not met before) looking to run about 1:40, I thought

I know... I'll see if we can meet up and run together for as long as my legs last.

So I dis-robed as far as my "I'm a Fetchie" kit -
which included long X-socks - I was taking no chances with cold calves today - and ambled about a bit slightly nearer the front than where Lorna and the group that she was going to be running with were congregated...

And sure enough I was rewarded with a tap on the shoulder from 'N'

RESULT!

We introduced ourselves properly and had a chat, and we agreed that we'd run together for as long as we could, and see how it went!

Brilliant. It gave me a specific target to aim for AND someone to run with!!!

I was glad that it was a nice early start too, because my legs were still asleep, and hadn't had time to complain about having run around North Wales yesterday
I was really pleased to find that I was suffering no ill-effects from yesterday, and we were bounding along at slightly under the 7:30 target pace that had been set.

I liked this course.
It undulated.
The updulates were soft enough not to have to work too hard at, and the downdulates were that perfect angle to let gravity do the work and speed down without having to apply the brakes

Ideal!

At some point I said "I'm REALLY enjoying this"
'N' replied with "Ask me if I am after 13 miles...!!!"

The only mile split that was disappointing was mile 9 where I think we relaxed a bit too much.

Having reached mile 10, however, 'N' had done some maths, and realised that he was actually on for a really decent time and was going to be pretty close to a pb, and "Wouldn't forgive myself for not at least trying for it"

So at the turn on Hagley Road with the fast slightly downhill 2-and-some-small-pennies mile run in, we kicked for home

HARD!

Mile 10 7:38 Fine - but here the thoughts of a decent time kicked in
And from mile 10¾ the ¼ mile splits went like this:

7:16
7:04
6:55
6:40
6:48
6:44
6:45
6:43

Then we could see the Finish gantry about 500m away

6:01
5:38

It was phenomenal.

I'd be lying if I said it was an easy run - it wasn't! But it was a run that I was able to churn out comfortably at a decent pace that was very pleasing after the rigours of Saturday.
And it was very pleasing to realise that I had more in the tank to pick the pace up over the last 2 miles to that extent.

And 'N'...??

PB by 6 seconds.

Now THAT was priceless!!!!

It's the little things!!!!

2008-10-23T18:54:00.006+01:00

Today Lorna and I went out for a little 5 mile 'leg-turner'. It was lovely running weather: cool enough to be comfortable; breezy enough in the right direction to make the route we ran a real pleasure; cloudy enough to suggest that some proper weather might be on the way.

And we cracked on at a decent pace. 3 of the 5 miles started with 8:** and that included the last one, which has a stiff little hill and is nett uphill!!!!

So the legs were certainly working very nicely.

While we were running I was thinking a bit about my shoes.

These are they:

Actually - this WAS them the day they got used for the first time! On a lovely sunny evening in Skye with just enough breeze to keep the midges away!!

It was something of an experiment really. Shoes that weight 230 grammes and are pared right down to a minimum might not be some people's idea of an ideal road running shoe. Especially one that is aimed at the Trail Racing fraternity. I bought a pair for Lorna too..... "because they are Blue!"

Actually, that's not entirely true! We both tromp about the hills both running and walking in lightweight fell shoes, and have done for a number of years, and we knew that this shoe was likely to be very comfortable..... even if we couldn't use it as a road shoe.

Neither of us run with a heel-striking gait, which was clear from the wear pattern of out 'other' running shoes, so theoretically, there was no reason why this particular shoe shouldn't suit.

Any doubts that either of us may have had were dispelled in that first 4.17 mile run.

Here is what I said about them at the time....

"...Just taken the his 'n hers Inov-8 F-Lite 230's out for a spin

Initial Impressions.......
I could use this as a road shoe.
Comfortable in a - So Light You Hardly Know It's There - way.

Stealth Running just 'happens'

It helped that this run was on a quiet minor road on Skye..... but even so....!!

I like!!!!!!!!! ..."

Incredible comfort for a shoe with such a thin sole, and you really don't know you are wearing them!!

That was 505 miles ago!!

I'll be wearing them to potter around a hilly marathon on Saturday, and our local Half marathon on Sunday.
This is ALSO something that has raised a few eyebrows among some of my fellow runners. Using effectively a racing flat for longer distance races.
But it's really not that surprising!
I have worked on my running style over a fairly long period, and I'm now at a point where I don't 'clatter' the ground with each footfall. I run the same without shoes as I do with them, and THAT is highly protective of your feet, ankles, knees hips and so on. The dynamic impact forces of running are reduced to a bare minimum, and the feedback that your brain gets from a very light shoe is instantaneous - and allows you to make tiny adjustments to keep the way you run 'light'

You simply don't get that in a very cushioned shoe!

As an aside, a significant thing that I've noticed is that the balls of my feet don't hurt after a long run any more - and neither do the fronts of my ankles! And I was the most comfortable I've ever been at the end of the Langdale marathon 6 weeks ago.

And my shoes are as great to run in now - 500+ miles later - as they were when I first tried them!
Now THAT is a quality bit of kit.

Considering the fact that I now almost exclusively use Inov-8 shoes for all my running and outdoor activity, I wrote to them to ask if they would consider supporting us in our training, and for the 10-in-10.
I was really pleased to get a response to my email with the news that Inov-8 would, in fact, be happy to support us. There was certainly something of a sharp intake of breath when I expressed my intention to run ALL 10 marathons in the f-lite 230's.
But that IS my intention.

We will get through a few pairs of shoes before May - but as I have have said before, any help is very gratefully received

Leon's Secret Speed Formula?

2008-10-22T21:17:00.003+01:00

We have two elderly boy-cats called Tizzy and Tinka. They sometimes pee in Leon's trainers, but not in mine. We thought it might be an alpha-male thing, but the vet said it's probably because cats always pee on the smelliest thing they can find.

As you may have spotted, Leon runs a lot faster than I do.

Today I planned to do a gentle 4 or 5 mile run, work permitting, and a suitable opportunity arose in the early afternoon.

I unpacked my kit-bag, and opened the plastic bag with my F-lite 230s in.

The smell of cat-pee almost knocked me over! I should have put the shoes through the washing-machine after they had a dog-poo encounter a few runs ago. The vet was right.

I wore them anyway. It was that or run in my work shoes. And, with little effort, I rolled out 5.32 miles at an average pace of 8.43mm, which is 30s/mile faster than my recent good-legs runs and 60s/mile faster than some of my more ploddy runs. That's despite over 12 miles at a respectable pace yesterday. The only thing I'd done differently was to wear daps that the cat had peed in.

From now on I'm going to store my trainers in the cat-litter tray, then once I've won a few races I'll bottle and sell my "secret". Only through Leon's company, of course. It'll go down a treat - runners are suckers for magic go-faster potions :o)

Good Call, me!!!

2008-10-21T16:41:00.003+01:00

Sometimes the extra days rest, to make sure that you are completely over a viral thing, is definitely worth it!

I woke up this morning with no hint of a sore throat and all glands were back to their rightful size.

So after the School run this morning I thought it would be a good opportunity for a decent, but not too long, 'leg-turner'. There was a chance that I'd be able to meet Lorna for a lengthier run later on, so I didn't want to go too mad!! And the weather was perfect, sunny but cool, and a slight breeze.

Fantastic.

My left calf had inexplicably cramped twice in the night and was a little stiff, but didn't stop me from running - and running quite nicely.
5 miles at an average of 7:23 min/mile. It was relaxed and comfortable. 7:30's are a Good Pace for me!

And a little later had a fantastic run with Lorna in between her work sessions.
12 miles at 9:12 min/mile.
Brilliant aerobic conditioning for me - and a stunning run for Lorna who is running better than I think I've ever seen her run.

And news hot off the press..... it looks like I'll be able to run a marathon this weekend. One off my 'Must-Do' list. So I'm really pleased about that :o)

Final Day Off

2008-10-20T20:48:00.002+01:00

I have been sensible today.
The last fragments of sore throatedness have been disappearing today. And so despite straining at the leash, and WANTING to get out and run..... I didn't.

I will tomorrow, though.

Twice, probably!!

A Short week for me

2008-10-19T21:38:00.001+01:00

I'd planned a fairly robust training week after the Langdale Fell race to give my legs and brain something to think about rather than just pottering about in the same old same old pattern.
It was a plan that I had to review on Thursday as I was developing a sore throat and a swollen gland in my neck.
It's a symptom that I watch out for and treat with caution - and this approach has served me well over the years.
In normal circumstances by pulling back and resting for 24 hours, it sorts itself out... but this has hung around until today!

Monday - I rested. Legs were still feeling the effects of racing and walking - and I'd planned to rest anyway

Tuesday - 6 miles Tempo. Cracked this out at 6:55min/mile, and it felt good! Legs were a little heavy, and 6 miles was my limit for the day. But my legs were much happier for the blast than they were before. There's nothing like a good 'blow away the cobwebs' run for that :o)

Wednesday - 10½ miles Aerobic running. This was a fantastic run. Really enjoyable!

Thursday - Intially planned an easy run and a Tempo run - but I was starting to feel slightly below par, and my Early Warning System was alarming at me - so doubled up with 2 Aerobic runs at 9:16 and 9:42min/mile.

Friday - driving all day and definitely not feeling well enough to run

Saturday - Worst day with a high temperature and very sore throat. In hindsight, I was right to not run on Friday

Today - Have obviously seen the back of it. Feeling MUCH better, but decided to rest again having driven for 6 hours - have a decent nights sleep, and see how things are tomorrow

So - good training in the early part of the week - and being sensible in the latter part of the week means a mileage of just 29.4 miles.

But I'm in good shape, I have no niggles, and I'm really pleased with the way I'm running at the moment.

Weekly Summary

2008-10-19T20:53:00.003+01:00

Weekly mileage: 67.47 miles
Profile: 100% steady road-running, average pace 9.31mm
Longest run: 15.15 miles at 9.25mm pace. And it felt quite long enough!
Niggles: [Takes a deep breath.]
Monday - Woke at 3am to pee warm beetroot juice. Found some Cefaclor, expiry date August 2006. Took three-day course properly. It worked.
Wednesday - strange crampy pain around my left heel, mostly laterally. Came on about a mile into a run, was quite uncomfortable for a mile or two, then eased off. Was still there on Thursday morning but disappeared as soon as I started Thursday afternoon's run and hasn't come back.
Wednesday, after run - nail from third toe on my left foot came off in my hand. Nailbed fine, with healthy new nail growing in.
Thursday evening - tripped over a speck of dust in the dark and measured my length on the pavement. Took skin off right knee and left elbow, and still haven't retrieved the last piece of grit from my left hand.
Saturday - Slight tenderness at the front of both ankles.
(I'm OK, really I am!)
Sofa-spud days: None, but Monday and Saturday were "easy" days.

A good week. Lots of comfortable miles at target pace, and an increase in the length of my longest run. Although doing races as training is an enjoyable strategy, the mental toughness that comes from doing those solitary long training runs is important if I'm going to be prepared to run marathon after marathon mostly on my own.

I'm also planning to do my long training runs at planned marathon pace rather than plodding them out more slowly. Or, more accurately, I'm planning to do the 10-in-10 at a long-training-run effort-level. I may twiddle around with the pace on some of my other runs, but those long runs will remain around 9.30mm.

Next weekend will involve training by running must-do races. So I plan to cut back in the early part of the week, a process likely to be helped by the fact that for the next fortnight I won't be working on my doorstep with a long break between sessions.

Abingdon Marathon :o)

2008-10-18T20:23:00.002+01:00

We won't be there this weekend, although lots of our friends are running or supporting. Maybe it's just as well, because Leon has been bitten by a Martcrag Moor mosquito and has malaria. Or maybe it's just man-flu and an over-imaginative doctor in the house. Whatever it is, if his temperature doesn't come down overnight I'll be cooking a full English breakfast on his chest in the morning.

When the Abingdon Marathon was last run, in 2006, we were there. Leon had a place. I didn't. An autumn marathon wasn't on my agenda. I'd restarted training in June after a long gap enforced by domestic upheavals, and my target race was the Windsor half-marathon. Which is why, about six weeks before the race, I heard myself offering to relieve someone of an Abingdon race number that they didn't want.

My training went well. I got up to 50mpw for the first time ever, and didn't break down. I did everything right for Windsor, didn't have a particularly good race on the day, and still brought my PB down from a frustrating 2:00:47 to 1:47:54. Two weeks later, I did the Kenilworth half-marathon as a training run without any taper, and finished comfortably in 1:42:24. A few days later I did my only pre-Abingdon long training run - a 19-miler.

I was running faster and more consistently than I ever had before, and Leon offered to give up his chance of sub-3:15 to help me aim for sub-4. This would be an even bigger leap than I'd made at the half-marathon distance, since my marathon PB was 4:41:21.

We had company for the race. Valerie, also looking for sub-4, ran with us for the first 17 miles but then had to drop back a little. And early on, we were joined by a V70 gentleman who was aiming for the 5 hours he needed to qualify for Boston. "I'll stay with you for as long as I can keep up," he said. He stayed back with Valerie, then caught us up again a few miles later and went on to leave us to eat his dust. Respect :o)

I saw The Wall. I gently ploughed through it and, for the first time ever in a marathon, came out the other side running strongly again. That was an enduring lesson.

We finished in 3:54:49. I was delighted - and, physically, absolutely fine.

Next lesson. We went out for a late lunch with a group from Runner's World and Fetch, to which we'd just been introduced the previous evening. We found ourselves sitting beside the MV45 winner and another very fast male runner. This gave us an opportunity to observe what champion distance-runners regard as recovery-food. We were very pleased to note that instead of a protein shake and a handful of pills, they each had half a farmyard, fried, with chips, and washed down with a pint of beer. Anything green and leafy was left on the side of the plate.

If I could turn in that sort of marathon performance off half-marathon training, what could I achieve if I actually targeted a marathon? After five consecutive ballot rejections, I had a guaranteed FLM place for 2007 ... sub-3:45? Sub-3:30?

Pride goes before a fall, and that's a story for another time. But that Abingdon performance showed me that I could take control of a marathon instead of letting it happen to me :o)

Life

2008-10-17T21:53:00.002+01:00

Sometimes gets in the way!!!
Helping my step-son with a job this morning, and 6 hours driving put paid to any training thoughts I might have had.
It's probably a blessing in disguise. A slightly sore throat is hanging about, so a day resting from training isn't going to hurt!!

A huge "Thank You" to socksfox

2008-10-16T15:25:00.006+01:00

When we started out on our little journey towards May of next year - there were a couple of "Stare you in the Face" priorities:

Training - lots of it - and geared towards the ultimate goal of successfully completing the 10 marathons is good shape;

Sponsorship - it is a fantastic thing that Brathay do for disadvantaged children - and work that I have had a very personal investment in in the past, so supporting it as well as we can is really important to us.

And Kit..!!

For Small companies, financial investment in charitable causes can be really complicated, and a bit of an accounting nightmare. With this in mind, we asked socksfox - the only retailer that we could find who could supply us with Falke SK1 Ski socks a couple of years ago - if they would consider supplying us with the Falke RU4 Socks that are our running foot-covering of choice.

Well -

Not only did they agree to assist us in this regard, the personalised service and interest that we have subsequently received has been outstanding!
And it is very much appreciated!!

Every training run should have an objective ...

2008-10-15T20:59:00.003+01:00

... and the objective of my run today was to do 10 miles at my aspirational 10-in-10 pace on slightly sluggish and over-used legs. Running on legs that would prefer to be resting is something I expect to be doing rather a lot in May.

Leon blogged earlier about adaptation. Well, adaptation is my favourite physiological process too. It's taken me from being barely able to move for days after my first marathon to being able to complete two marathons on consecutive days then spend the next day hill-walking and scrambling. It's made me such a fuel-efficient runner that I can maintain my weight easily even at 70mpw without blowing the food-budget. It's made running 10 marathons in 10 days look feasible.

What would you expect to happen to a recreational athlete if they ran a marathon every day for 10 days? Conventional wisdom suggests that they'd develop progressive muscle glycogen depletion, accumulate microscopic muscle damage, and produce increasing amounts of cortisol and other stress hormones. A more holistic assessment would consider the complex neuromuscular, psychological, immunological and endocrine changes that take place with intense prolonged exercise. Either way, the conclusion would be that the athlete's performance would decline and they would succumb to physical and mental fatigue, illness or injury.

What actually happens?

http://www.brathaychallenge.co.uk/brathay-10-in-10-marathon-times-2008.asp

Those are last year's participants' times. Everyone finished apart from Susan Adams, who fractured her foot in the 6th race (and whom I'm delighted to see will be back in 2009). Most of the runners ran remarkably consistently over the 10 days, without the progressive fading-out that might be predicted. Some got faster as the days went on. One man ran a PB - that's a career PB, not just a 10-in-10 PB - on the seventh marathon.

There are no short-cuts to that sort of performance, and you can't do it on bloody-mindedness alone. It's the result of years of running experience.

Back to today. My legs were feeling the effects of the run I did yesterday - 9 miles at 9.30mm pace, then a fast quarter-mile to finish - and my calves hadn't forgotten the 20 miles of hill-walking at the weekend. Leon and I had decided yesterday that we'd do 10 miles together this afternoon between my work sessions, and there was no reason to abandon that plan.

I was very pleased with an average pace of 9.45mm for 10.5 miles on an undulating route, and could have gone on longer had I not needed to go back to work.

I'm hoping that the rhubarb crumble and custard we had for dinner tonight will have worked its magic by tomorrow :o)

Adaptation - Some thoughts

2008-10-15T13:10:00.001+01:00

Yesterday Lorna and I ran at different times. I had to shoot off to a meeting when she was at home at lunchtime, so we didn't run together.
I was still feeling the remnants of the effects of a hard run race on Saturday and a longish day on the hill on Sunday, but fancied turning my legs over with a bit of pace. So I chose one of our standard training routes and decided to make 6 miles of it a Tempo run

Aim for 6:50 - 7:10 and see how it goes, I thought!

There was a degree of sluggishness to my legs that I could still feel - but not too bad, and the undulating route is one that I know very well. And it was passing at a slightly higher effort level than the last time I'd done it as a Tempo, but not overly so. I started to tire a little in the last mile, but maintained the pace nicely.

I had half a mile to complete after the 6 miles to get home - so used that as a gentle Cool Down.

The interesting thing was that my legs felt better after the run, than they had before! Looser and with fewer aches! Is it the effect of training consistently, or is it the cumulative effect of a running 'history'.... or perhaps a bit of both.

We had a bit of a chat about a Fell series AND a Trail Series that look very enticing for after the 10-in-10, and what kind of recovery would be needed after the event. It's a bit of an unknown, but our training is going to be focused on making sure that we are in the kind of condition that WILL allow us to do multiple back-to-back hard days... and then look forward to the next challenge without too much of a pause!

It IS noticeable for both of us, though, that we are recovering more quickly, and able to train at relatively high volume since having a relatively long break earlier in the year!

Langdale Horseshoe Fell Race Report

2008-10-13T13:50:00.008+01:00

I was really nervous about this. More than I have been for all but a couple of races in the past, and they were significant 'target' races. So in a way I suppose that illustrated the importance with which I was viewing it.

For a Fell race, it's big!
There were around 500 runners..... all milling about at the start. And that was intimidating enough as it was. Because there were some hardy looking wiry, strip o' wind, proper fell running types who I doubted I'd see again once we were off!

On Thursday and Friday there had been "End-Of-The-World" weather according to my very good friend and 'confidence' booster, Stu!!!!! And the evidence was there to be seen with the amount of wet stuff coming off the hill!

"Martcrag Moor is going to EAT people," I wryly observed to Lorna on the way up!!!

Having no idea how I was going to do, and no idea who the characters around me were and what THEY might do, I stuck myself right in the middle of the crowd for the start. I didn't fancy being too far in front - being knocked down by a tidal wave of rampaging Fast Folk Fell Runners, and then being ceremoniously trampled into the path by 500 pairs of be-studded feet..... and yet I knew that from previous years' results, that it was unlikely that I'd be last.

It worked out OK!

The first section from Old Dungeon Ghyll is along a footpath - quite narrow, but with a few places for passing people with "Stomp Me Into The Mud" 'written' on their backs
(That SO could've been me!)
It wasn't a path though - it was a river! It made for interesting foot-fall experiences as there was no way of telling what was under the water - Flat stony path, ankle-turning rocks, Sucking Mud, novice who'd started too near the front, perhaps ........

By looking for the often easier alternatives to the main path, I made up quite a few places in that first section.
Then the first climb started. Already there were loads of folk breathing much harder than me I noted.

That's got to be good, I thought!

The first mile 'beeped' just under Pike Howe on a very narrow little bit of traversing path.
From here up to Stickle Tarn I kept thinking "I can run this" but there was no way that I could with the volume of people around me... so I accepted that for the most part this was a fact-finding mission.

Yes - I can Run up hills
Yes - I can run down hills (though not as well as I go UP them!)
Yes - I can do THIS route
Yes - I COULD be going faster

But......

I'd never put all the bits together at the same time before!

There are types of ground that I'm confident on - big rocks is one of them, so while loads of people were tentatively crossing Stickle Ghyll, I saw the big stepping stones that I knew were there from a previous visit - and hammered across them - and in so doing passed about 20 people!
Excellent!!

Lorna, and our friends Jim and Agi had set off earlier to be up at the Tarn before the runners arrived - I looked for them as I ran around it, but didn't see them. I wondered if they might have gone up higher as I knew the route they were planning to take, so I hoped that I hadn't just missed them, and I'd see them later.

I was quickly learning that making up time on other people was more about making really good route decisions than simply being 'quick'!
And making decisions that play to your strengths too!!
I was really surprised, even at this early stage how quickly I had to think... and adjust... and re-plan

No chance to get bored!!!

Checkpoint 1 came up at 1.8 miles - a couple of folk with clipboards noting down the numbers as people went past.

Mile 2 'pinged' half way up the climb towards Thunacar Knott. Lorna and I have been up this route a couple of times before, and it seemed to go by pretty quickly this time. Thunacar Knott and Checkpoint 2 hovered into view. Which meant the really nice descent on soft ground to Martcrag Moor was to follow!!

Lorna, Jim and Agi saw me go past - the JW Ultra Buff was 'distinctive', apparently!

Runners heading to their doom on Martcarg Moor
Centrally in the cloud is Crinkle Crags,
the col to the right is Three Tarns

The visibility was perfect and route-finding was simple. As I came to the flatter wetter part of the Moor, I saw the bit of bog that had swallowed me the last time I was here, and went to the side that HAD been more solid last time. Didn't slow down at all....

HA HA Mr Bog - I WIN!!!

And just as that thought went through my head......

....I plunged to belly button depth into the Quick-Mud. I was carrying quite a bit of forward momentum, so as my legs stopped, my body carried on moving forwards - and in went the chest, arms and head!
For a brief moment I must have looked like a turtle!

But I was enjoying myself so much that I just chuckled quietly to myself - and extricated myself as quickly as I could. I wasn't the only person eaten by the Moor that day..!!
Down into Langdale Combe, and I was overtaken by two runners - I definitely need to work on my descending!

I could see the line of runners on the ascending traverse up through Black Crags, but looking at it, they were intially losing height to gain it again, so I decided to head to the first grassy ledge above the trod, and hammer along that. Good decision! I climbed quickly and was running again at pace, rejoining the trod about halfway up. And I'd passed 15-20 people!!! Nice!!
Over the col and onto the boggy section towards Angle Tarn. Another micro-bog-swallowing moment along here but otherwise relatively easy running and was able to pick off another few runners!

Angle Tarn was at 4.8 miles and 1:08 from the start. I enjoyed this bit - running up the main path (well, mostly on the grass at the side) picking off a few more people and not getting passed until I got to the third checkpoint at Esk Hause shelter.

5.5 miles in and 1:20
970m of ascent to this point!!

I was hoping to get here in 1:30 - so I was quite chuffed at being there a little earlier than that.

Decision time - Over Esk Pike - or follow the race line on the traverse
There was a gap ahead of me - so Traverse it was.

This section is quite difficult, the ground is really rough and steep - there are soapy rocks everywhere - and BIG holes of thigh-deep Sucking Mud, and the 'path' is small, clinging as it does to the North-East slopes of Esk Pike
I LOVED it

About half way along the traverse I caught the 3 blokes ahead of me which slowed me up a little - but that was fine, I kept reminding myself - you've still got 3 climbs and 2 long descents to come!!!!!
As the traverse ended and widened at the Ore Gap -
(1:33, 6.3 miles) - I went past 2 of the 3 chaps. And on to the grassy trod which I KNEW I could find on my way up to Bowfell.
Couldn't have done that better! I saw lots of people who'd gone the longer way, over to my left, and I got to Bowfell summit and Checkpoint 4

1:42 (6.9 miles).

Into unknown territory for me now.

There was no-one ahead of me that I could see when I reached 3 tarns having come off Bowfell - and I knew the race line traversed around the right side of the crags at the 730m contour. I needn't have worried, it was REALLY obvious where I needed to go - and the 'path' was really nice to run on too.
I rounded a corner and there were 3 other runners going the same way as me. It was nice to have confirmation that I was in the right place - but I was relying on my own hill-craft to get me where I wanted to go. I really enjoyed this section. SO much nicer than following the 'safe' cairned route some 60 metres above!

The ground steepened a little but as still runnable until the last little scramble onto Crinkle Crags and Checkpoint 5

2:03 (8.2 miles)

Again I was at the front of the group heading to the Bad Step - No queue - Excellent. No question as to which route to take then!!!!

As I started on the descent to the Step, I did my ankle-turning thing. The ligaments on my left ankle are very 'loose' and occasionally I'll turn my ankle - It always looks worse than it is, as my foot turns through a whole 90 degrees so that the sole faces where my right foot would be if I were standing still - but there was a collective [GASP] from a group of lads sat eating their Butties.
I just carried on running

When I got there there was a walker struggling their way up the Step..
"OK if I come down, mate?"
"Not while I'm on it"

So I gave him enough space to continue and lowered myself down, pushed off, turned and started running again.

Here I made a tiny error

I was looking for the path that skirted the right hand side of the ridge path - though I saw it at the col, and dropped 10 metres in height - only to realise that I had to then traverse back up to it on an easy grassy path. I was a bit annoyed with myself about that, but I didn't really lose much because of it.

Then came a reasonably grassy (if you chose your route carefully) descent towards Red Tarn and the final little climb to Pike of Blisco. When I started to ascend, I realised that I was getting a little tired, and the middle of my right quad started to suggest that it might like to cramp.
I dropped to a fast walk (still ascending at 20m/minute though) and part way up it started to ease.

It was both a relief and with a degree of dread that I touched the cairn on Pike o'Blisco
2:27 (10 miles)

Climbing done, 1495m of it - just 600m of descent over the next 4km to come...

[GULP]

I was able to follow an Ambleside runner onto the grassy line - which luckily just served to confirm that I was going where I thought I should have been, and then the trod over Wrynose Fell and down to the final checkpoint at the cattle grid by Side Pike was really obvious.
Actually - It's a nicer way off the hill than the main footpath - by SOME margin!!!!

I was really tiring now though and 4 runners went past me over the course of the descent. My running-on-the-flat legs were working pretty well though, and once we reached the last 0.3 mile flat section to the finish, I was reeling in a couple of the runners who had previously passed me.

I didn't catch them - but I didn't mind. I'd worked as hard as I could on the day.
I finished in 2:48 which I was really pleased with
In 82nd place on the very provisional Sticky-Label-On-A-Board results at the finish.

So what were my impressions of my first Fell Race...??

▬ It was tough! My legs haven't worked that hard in a long time
▬ I'm glad that I can read a map and that I did some planning - it made life a lot easier!
▬ I'm not a great descender - I need to work on it!
▬ X-talons are a very good racing shoe - I only had one loss-of-traction fall and that was on the final descent
▬ Fully weighting a foot against the sharp edge of a rock causes bruising (did this on the Esk Pike Traverse)
▬ Peat bog doesn't taste great!
▬ Plastic buckets filled with water to scoop into your own self-service paper cup (Pint ones - none of this 330ml rubbish!!) and add Orange squash to - is the drink of the Gods when you are thirsty after a hard run on the Fell
▬ Doing an AL as your first one is probably a bit silly - but this one ROCKED!!!!

If you are at all tempted to have a go at running on Trails and Fells, then do it!!!

It is awesome in the extreme..!!

Elevation profile

Weekly summary

2008-10-12T21:36:00.002+01:00

Weekly mileage: 58.67 miles
Profile: 65.5% road-running, average pace 9.20mm
34.5% hill-walking, average pace 29.55mm
Longest run: 12.1 miles at 9.27mm pace
Niggles: Blister developed on left big toe on Tuesday. Didn't affect training. Now painfree.
Sofa-spud days: Monday.

Leon and I had a great weekend in the Lake District. Despite Martcrag Moor attempting to swallow him whole, Leon performed not too badly for a first-time fell-racer in the Langdale Horseshoe Fell Race (and I still can't help thinking I *might* have been able to make that Esk Hause cut-off).

Unlike Leon, I'm not a fell-runner. On rough terrain, I'm a feeble ascender and a cowardly descender. Mostly, I'm a road runner. When I go out on the hills, I'm a hill-walker who wears fell-shoes and sometimes runs the easy bits. It has been suggested to me that it's misleading to log my hill-walking trips as training mileage and that they shouldn't feature in my training log at all. To which I say, firstly, it's bad manners to be disrespectful about anyone's training apart from your own, and, secondly, stomping over hills with a 5-6kg rucksack is resistance-training by stealth, and is a great deal more sustainable than doing leg-presses in the gym.

If I'm deluding myself, well, it's worth it :o)

Today, we talked about how essential it is that we build as much functional physical strength and endurance as we can for the 10-in-10. The characteristics we'll need to be able to run 10 marathons at a reasonably consistent pace are not the same as those we'd need to target one marathon for a fast time.

Incidentally, our blog picture was taken one year ago today, when, with Leon at my side, I ran my fastest marathon to date - 3:44:10 by the clock, on an undulating course at Leicester. The objective was to get a qualifying time for both London and Boston in 2009 - something Leon had achieved two weeks earlier with a 3:11:12 marathon in Berlin. We subsequently decided that we didn't fancy London (great event though it undoubtedly is) and couldn't afford to go to Boston.

Final Preparations for Langdale..!!

2008-10-10T08:41:00.004+01:00

Mountain Weather says this for Saturday 11th October

WIND:	Westerly 15-20mph with gusts to 30mph (on the hills ). Buffeting possible on higher slopes at times
RAIN:	Isolated showers. Showers very isolated and mainly confined to the western fells, elsewhere dry.
CLOUDS:	Clouds likely to cover higher slopes above 800-900m in any showers, otherwise clear hills.
SUN:	Very localised hill fog in showers, otherwise very good visibility and sunny periods.
TEMP:	At 750m: 8 to 10C.

Knowing what Cloud-Magnets that Bowfell and Crinkle Crags are in reality, I suspect that the ability to interpret the squiggles and splodges on a paper representation of the ground, and knowing which way the 'red' bit on a compass points is still going to come in useful!!

And the outlook for Sunday is for even better weather.

So Lorna and I will be plotting some gentle trotting about the Lakeland Fells for then!!

THANKS, MUM AND DAD!

2008-10-08T17:25:00.002+01:00

[Blows a big sloppy kiss northwards.]

Only, I know that supporting this silly hobby of mine isn't something that comes instinctively to you, and for some very understandable reasons.

So I really appreciate your donation :o)

And the plod-all-day gene is coming in useful too!

Preparations for Langdale

2008-10-07T21:34:00.003+01:00

I had a little peek at the forecast for the weekend, and that along with a helpful post by a good friend on the Fetch Everyone forum who posted..

"..Looks like the Fetchies at Langdale are going to have perfect conditions on Saturday - quagmire, rain, wind, low visibility...

Think the rest of us might just support from inside the pub!!! ..."

..I made some very visible directional and navigational 'adjustments' to my map of the course.
It's useful to know - slightly in advance - what compass bearing that you 'll need to be following from certain points. And which contour to follow when you can't see your hand in front of your face.

A little play with the laminating machine, and it was sorted..!!

Sounds like it's going to be a proper challenge on Saturday. Excellent

Some Trail Shoes are also excellent Road Shoes!

2008-10-07T10:17:00.001+01:00

Click on the Image to see it Full-Size

Running in these shoes was an experiment!
I knew they would suit my running style, but I also wanted to keep a record of how they wore over time and miles.
Considering the fact that the rubber is a 'soft' 'sticky' rubber, I'm quite pleased with the way they have stood up to the pure tarmac mileage that I have subjected them to. It is also a good indicator to me that I am in fact running the way that I perceive that I am.

How can a Rest Day be so tiring..???

2008-10-07T08:46:00.004+01:00

A nice easy week for me ahead of the Langdale Horseshoe, which will be my first foray into actually racing on the Fells.
Not one to do things half-heartedly, I'm jumping in with an 'AL' with pretty tough cut-offs.

For anyone who doesn't know about the classifications in fell races.....

Ascent Categories

Category A:- at least 250 ft (76.2 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km); should not have more than 20% of the race distance on road; should be at least one mile in length.
Category B:- at least 125 ft (38.1 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km); should not have more than 30% of the race distance on road
Category C:- at least 100 ft (30.5 m) of ascent per mile (1.6 km): should not have more than 40% of the race distance on road: should contain some genuine fell terrain

Distance Categories

Category L - for Long - over 12 miles (19.3 km)
Category M - for Medium - over 6 miles (9.6 km)
Category S - for Short - less than 6 miles (9.6 km)

Having been to the area a few times, I'm under no illusions about how difficult it will be!

So yesterday was a Rest Day - from running!
But by the time tea-time came around I was really tired.
I'm in the process of setting up a small business, the details of which I'll elaborate upon in due course. It is something I have not done before, and there is SO much to do.
So yesterday was spent on the PC, making phone calls, emailing people who have offered their help.

It's all well and good having an idea that you are pretty sure is going to work.... but putting in place the structure to actually make it happen is really quite involved. So I got to the end of the day yesterday feeling like I'd been wading through treacle, and with my head so full of 'stuff' that it had reached exploding point!

An early night was needed - and had!

And it all starts again today!!