WHW Race 2009

A quick post to say that I finished this years race in a time of 23 hours, 30 mins in 37th place out of 142 starters. Obviously I am delighted and now somewhat tired. I'll post a full report in the next few days.
Now next year, if I could just.....................................................

Pre-Race Thoughts

My work is done, all that is left now is a gentle 4 miles tomorrow night and then it's time to count down the hours until 1:00am on Saturday 20th June when me and 174 others embark on a 95 mile trot from Milngavie to Fort William on the West Highland Way Race.
Rightly or wrongly, this has become my main focus for the last 12 months. All my training is geared up to this one race. My mind is constantly flicking through mental check lists, logistical options and different completion scenarios. Eve and the kids have had to put up with my anti-social running exploits and I have spent far too much time updating training logs instead of working. As with last year, Race Day accelerates towards you and before you know it, it's here and it's time to deliver the goods.
I could spout forth here about pace schedules, target times, nutritional requirements yadah, yadah, yadah but the thing is; this is a really simple concept. You start running in Milngavie and keep going until you reach Fort William. If you don't stop, you'll succeed, if you do, you wont.
Now I know that there is a bit more to it than that but I've decided that if I get too caught up in obsessing about splits and pace then I'll panic if I don't hit them and if I start to get defeated mentally, the race is over.
Goal number 1 is to finish (safely and in one piece). Last year I ran 24 hours 42 mins and so it would be nice to run under 24 hours this year but we'll see what the day brings. My support crew is the same as last year with Eve and Cameron (wife and Nr. 1 son) doing Milngavie to Rowardennan and then David, Pete, Alistair and Donald (Dad, father-in-law, brother Nr. 1 and brother Nr. 2) from Carmyle Cottage to Fort Bill.
It will doubtless be another emotional and physical rollercoaster with some glorious highs and a few deep troughs but one thing is for certain, if I keep moving forward, I will finish. That may sound obvious and kind of simple but when you've been out there for 15 hours, your legs are completely shot, your feet are in pieces and you're not quite sure which way is up and which is down, moving forward is quite a challenge.
I have written before in this blog about "enjoying the journey" and not focussing on the destination and that is what I hope to do. We are very fortunate to be able to take part in an event like this and so I for one intend to enjoy it.
So my overall race plan goes something like this:

Eat well, drink a little and often, start off slow and be patient. The end will come!
Wish me luck and I'll talk to you on the other side.

70 Wild Miles

Saturday saw me and my two oldest friends team up to take part in 70 Wild Miles. For those of you not familiar with the event, it consists of a 47 mile bike ride from the White Corries Ski Centre in Glencoe to Taynuilt at the head of Loch Etive, competitors then embark on a 10 mile canoe, the length of Loch Etive before handing over to a runner to run the 13 miles up Glen Etive to where it meets the A82 just beyond the Kinghouse Hotel.

It can be done as either a solo or a team event but the main purpose is to raise funds for CLIC Sargent, the childrens cancer charity.

We chose to enter as a team with Peter doing the cycle, Graeme doing the canoe and myself running. The cyclists were set off in 1 minute intervals and Peter was allocated a 7:50am start time and was away pretty much bang on time. As soon as he left I took the car back to Ballahulish where we were staying to pick up the rest of his and my family and set off to see him finish in Taynuilt. Peter had an absolutley storming ride such that we arrived at the finish pretty much at the same time as him. Despite some very poor course directions resulting in a 5 minute tour of the backroads of Taynuilt Peter did a fantastic 2hours 19mins.

Although the weather was fairly good, the wind direction meant that the organisers changed the planned 10 mile canoe up Loch Etive to a 2 mile thrash around the calmer waters by Taynuilt pier. Not put off by this slight change of plan, Graeme joined the other 90 or so competitors for the mass start and powered his way round the course to finish in a fantastic 15th place. As he carried his canoe up the beach, I retrieved the timing chip from him and we set off towards the run start.

Due to the change of canoe route, the run had to be amended to start at the finish point and run 6.5 miles down the course, turn and then head back up to complete the 13 miles. Given that the route is pretty much uphill all the way, this was a slight blessing allowing the first half to be run downhill. The runners were allowed to start as soon as we reached the start and so I was third away and very quickly passed the other two people to find myself in the front. Knowing that the second half of the run was all uphill, I tried to relax as much as possible on the outward half, holding back for the return leg. Although I was only in the lead because I was one of the first to start, it was a very strange experience to be leading the field and having no-one to chase and it meant I had to concentrate on doing my own thing whilst feeling the pressure of being chased by everyone else. I had a great uphill leg and ran strongly all the way to the finish in 1hour 29min and the 8th fastest run of the day. There was a fair amount of shock on my family's face when they heard that the first runner was coming in only to see me cresting the hill and sprinting home. My youngest son still believes that I won the race and it would be cruel to tell him otherwise - wouldn't it!?

Our team finished a very creditable 6th out of 18 teams competing and at the last count we had raised just over £1,250 for the charity.

It was a great weekend and one that I'm sure we are all planning on repeating next year. Thanks to Peter and Graeme, the event was all the better for being able to share it with you guys!

Last run on the Way

Last Thursday night saw me line up for the Helensburgh 10k. Conditions were perfect with clear skies, a light breeze and a flat course. I was feeling pretty good and looking to get under 42 mins. In the back of my mind however was the prospect of an early start the next morning for my last long training run on the West Highland Way. Is a 10k race the best preparation for a 40 mile trail run?
I decided I would try and hold a bit back in the race so that I wouldn't be completely done in for the next morning so I joined the 1,000 other runners on the start line nervously jumping up and down and doing last minute stretches. Bang! - as soon as the gun went off, the red mist descended and any thoughts of holding back went out the window. I weaved my way through the slow runners who always manage to start too near the fron and eventually found some clear ground and settled into a surprisingly comfortable 6:30 pace which I managed to hold onto uncannily accurately the whole way round finishing in 40:24 and 110th place.
I stretched out, had a gentle jog back to the car and relived some childhood memories by calling into The Palace chippy for a fish supper before heading home.
I got home at about 9:45pm and after running around sorting my stuff out for the next morning, I was showered and in bed by 11:00am.
6:00am the next morning, the alarm woke me from a fitfull sleep and it was off to Tyndrum to meet up with Mark Hamilton and Ellen McVey. I was running from Tyndrum to Kingshouse and back and they were running straight through to Fort William. My legs felt OK considering the previous night's efforts and we set off at a nice steady pace jst after 9:00am.
The weather had looked a bit ominous with black clouds up ahead over Glen Coe but other than a light shower as we passed Bridge of Orchy, we stayed dry. Running the flats and downs and walking the hills we made steady progress, reaching Kinshouse in 3hours 40mins. After a quick scoff, I turned around and left Mark and Ellen for my journey back to Tyndrum.
It is the first time I've run over Rannoch Moor in that direction and it's only then that I realised just how much of a climb it is as I managed to run the whole way across back to Victoria Bridge with a steady descent the whole way.
By this time the clouds had gone and it was a glorious sunny afternoon. I pressed on passed Bridge of Orchy and reach my car in Tyndrum 7hours 30mins after I left it.
On the whole, the run went well especially after racng a 10k the night before. I had to work pretty hard from B of O back to Tyndrum but the coffee in the Real Food Cafe in my Highland Fling mug made up for it!
So, this week is a bit of a recovery and I've got 70 Wild Miles next Saturday, the Milngavie 10K, the following Saturday and then WHW the next one - Bring it on!

Stuff

Well Sunday morning's run broke new ground once more and I managed 18 miles through some very attractive scenery. Looking at the map, I had anticipated more of it being on rough ground and so I wore my trail shoes. Unfortunately, the disused railway line which is now a cycle path had been tarmaced and so by the time I got home my feet were pretty sore.

The photos below are taken en-route to give you an idea of what it looks like

Tomorrow night sees me running in the Helensburgh 10K which, many many year ago, was the sight of my PB. Those days are sadly long gone but never the less it is still a fairly fast, flat route so i would like to sneak in somewhere under 42 mins. Unfortunately, my timing is somewhat lousy as I have also planned my last long training run on the WHW for the following day! So it will be an early start, up to Tyndrum to run the 40 miles from there to the Kingshouse Hotel and back.

I hope to run the outward leg with a few others who are carrying on up to Fort William so it will be nice to have some company for a change.

I'll let you know how I get on.

New discoveries on my door step

Tim Downie blogged a while ago about heading off on routes close to home that you've never done before and so, in this spirit, I decided last night to head into pastures new.
On my usual run around the quite country lanes of Baldernock, I regularly pass a signpost indicating a footpath to Lennoxtown and so I decided that tonight was the night that I would investigate.
Immediately I was onto a rough Landrover track that started to head steadily up alongside a Beech Wood and after half a mile or so, another signpost took me left, through a gate and up onto the moor heading towards Lennoxtown Forrest. It was probably a combination of late evening blue skies, great running terrain and a steadily improving fitness that resulted in a fantastic run. As I reached the top of the moor just before heading into the forrest, I took a detour over a fence and up to a small cairn on the brow of the hill. From there I watched the sun set behind Ben Lomond with all the surrounding hills perfectly silhouetted as far as the eye could see. After a brief dip into the forrest (where I spotted some great tracks for possible future runs) I turned and flew back down the tracks to emerge back onto the road and the continuation of my normal route.
Envigorated by the experience I sped along the last four miles on the road at 7:00min mile pace (it's all down hill!) and arrived home with 11 brilliant miles in the tank .
I can't believe that I've lived in my present house for almost 12 years and not been up into this area before. From what I saw, and from studying the map last night, it looks as though I could link up well over 20 miles of off-road trails and track straight from my front door.
I am planning a 25 mle run on Sunday and rather than the intended trip up through Mugdock Park and the WHW, I'm heading for Lennoxtown forrest and some more new adventures!

Reflections on a far flung Fling

So it's now almost 2 weeks since I finished the Highland Fling and I've had a chance to reflect on how the race went on what lessons I can learn from it. As always, it was a superbly organised race and Murdo and Ellen are to be congratulated on a job well done.

The race didn't go exactly according to plan and my hopes for sub 11 hour time were scuppered by significant cramp. I am however, a firm believer that you gain more from a bad experience than from a good one and so what have I learned?

1. Pacing - OK so I know this is rule nr. 1 in running ultras but I still managed to head off too fast, worrying about times and splits when I should have had the confidence to set off slow and let others go off. I'm sure I paid for this by the time I reached Rowardennan as I was already feeling tired at that point. So for the WHW race I need to set off nice and slow!
2. Nutrition - My problem is that there is no real strategy behind what I eat and when I eat. I tend to try to fill up at check points when I think I need to nibble away at something every 15 mins or so and then top up at the check point. As the race progresses, you tend to feel less and less like eating so I need to find something that fills the tank and that I actually want to eat. I generally eat gels, dried apricots, baked beans and rice pudding which I think are all fine but it's how much and when I need to improve on. During the Fling I carried water with me and drank some coke and lucozade at the drop bag points. As it was quite warm during the race perhaps I should have drunk more which may have helped with teh cramps. I don't tend to measure how much I drink, rather doing it by thirst but I think I should try and keep tabs on how much so that I can increase if necessary.
3. Supplements - There has been much discussion over why I cramped so badly during the Fling but one point that comes out time and time again is the issue of salt balance. I generally take Hammer Endurolyte caps but rather erratically instead of every hour. I have switched to Succeed S Caps which contain about 4 times more sodium than the endurolytes and am determined to stick to a one an hour plan so hopefully this will help.
4. Mentality - I have run enough ultras now to know that you have periods when you are feeling pretty low and you just need to keep your head down and press on and you generally come out of it. In the Fling, I became very negative by about Rowardennan, convincing myself that I was not going well and that i might have to pull out which, as you would expect doesn't do a great deal for your motivation to keep going. I need to remain more positive and focus on the good elements at a particular time. I wrote a piece recently about "enjoying the journey" and not worrying about the destination and I think I need to practice what I preach.
5. Perspective - when you are involved in the ultra running community you tend to loose focus on what it is you are actually achieving. Being disappointed in only running 11 hours 42 mins for a 53 mile trail race when most people shudder at the thought of running 5 miles is putting myself down.

Since running the Fling I have been back training with avengance and am now really looking forward to the WHW race which is now only 6 weeks away. My plan for the rest of May is to put in a 56, 65 and 75 mile week and then to gradually ease off from the start of June onwards. I,ve got three races before then with the Helensburgh 10k next Thursday and then 70 Wild Miles and the Milngavie 10k in the two weeks preceeding the WHW.

On a final positive note - whilst not completely gone, my Plantar Fasciitis seems to be in remission and is now only slightly tender if I have done a lot of road miles.