Longmynd Hike

For the past half hour I had been rationalising in my head why it was perfectly reasonable to pack in the race there and then. The wind was doing it's best to blow me off the ridge, the rain was hitting my face with such ferocity that it hurt and what's more, I was tired! I was by now, 20 miles into a 50 mile race and if the weather stayed like this for the duration, it was not going to be fun.

However, for some reason, I was still moving forward and perhaps there was a glimmer of hope that the rain was easing and the forecast was for the wind to drop so, I resolved to keep going and see how things felt.

This was my third year at the Longmynd Hike. A 50 mile run through the Shropshire hills covering 8,000 feet of ascent and, starting at 1:00pm meant that a large portion of the run is completed in the dark. I had enjoyed the previous two years and being local to my in-laws it had become a "must do" race. It also happened to be the final race in the Vasque Ultra Series and so does tend to attract a large field.

I line up with 500 other souls in the middle of a field waiting for the signal to go and no sooner were we off than the first hill loomed ahead. There are 17 check points on the route and many of these are perched on top of some of these hills so within the first 20 minutes, I was through the firts check point and heading down towards the second climb. It is quite a shock to the system as within the first 4 miles, you have already climbed two hills and your legs are feeling the effects. I was prepared for this and had set off easily determined not to trash my quads early on and so I felt OK as I left the hills behind and set off on the long drag up to check point Nr. 3. What I wasn't ready for was the strength of the wind which although forecasted, was still a surprise. The next 5 miles or so was spent with the wind head on as i climbed slowly to the next check point. I could feel the energy being sucked out of me and the noise of the wind around my ears was deafening. What amazes me on this route is that despite the inhospitable conditions and remote locations, the check points are all manned by incredibly cheery and enthusiastic volunteers who send you on your way with some words of encourangement and a huge smile.

As I turned and headed across the rough grazing land on my way to the next check point at the Bridges Pub, the rain started and within seconds I was soaked to the skin. The track eventually brought me out onto a country lane and I dropped down steeply to the waiting marshals and a refill of my camelback.

The next stage is a long, very steep climb up a tarmac road which seems to go on for ever and as the intensity of the rain increased, my spirits started to fall. At the top of this climb, you leave the road and start the steep climb up to the top of the Stipperstones. This is a hill from hell as the ridge is about half a mile long and is made up of brick sized rocks at every possible angle preventing you from placing a foot flat on the ground. Coupled with the wind and rain, it was at this point that I had started to entertain thoughts of a DNF.

I was determined to get off the ridge as soon as possible and so put my head down and pushed on. Sure enough, as I dropped down to the bottom, the rain stopped and, as forecasted, the clouds cleared and the sun actually came out. This lifted my spirits considerably and suddenly the task in hand didn't seem quite so bleak.

I passed the 20 mile mark and set off up the next climb of the day which was completed at a slow but steady pace. My quads were hurting on the descents now but I was managing a reasonable shuffle on the flats. The next check point at Bank Farm, allowed me to refuel with some soup and a rice pudding and as I set off into the forest section I was feeling more positive than I had felt all day.

One of the rules of this race is that the organisers group you into groups of three during the hours of darkness and I knew that by the time I reached the next check point at Shelve (30 miles) I would be getting grouped. It was therefore time to suss out the opposition and try to position myself with some one who i thought looked like they would run at my pace. There were a couple who i had been running behind, off and on for some time and they seemed the most lilely options so I spoke to them as we arrived at the checkpoint and they were happy to group up. It turned out that the lady was the same person I had been grouped with the previous year, so I knew we were evenly matched and after a quick introduction to to the other runner (her husband) we were off into the night and heading for the next climb up Corndon Hill.

Although the pace was higher than I would have liked, I was feeling OK as we climbed up under what was now, a bright, clear night with a full moon. A quick stamp on the tally card and we were off down the other side towards the trickiest navigation section of the route. We managed to work our way through the dense woodland and out the other side with a minimum of problems and got out onto a road for a brief flat section before tackling the next climb. Although tired, I was going OK and still felt that I had enough in reserve for the remaining 15 miles and that a reasonable time was on the cards.

We pressed on up the climb of Black Radhley, passing another group on the way. This gave us a bit of a boost and after a very quick check in, we decided to push on hard to the next stage to try and open up a bit of a gap. 38 miles in and we reached the check in at Stipperstones Car Park, the scene of my depression a few hours earlier. Oh how things had changed and we pushed on hard down the road that I had plodded up in the wind and rain earlier that day.
I had been surviving so far on instant soup and coffee provided at the check points and this was being supplemented by some gels, dried apricots and the occassional mini mars bar. It seemed to be working as we kept up a strong pace to the second last check point where, conscious that we were still not clear of the following group, we briefly checked in and then headed for the final climb. By the time we reached the base of Ragleth, I was all but spent and those last steps up to the summit were like walking at high altitude. Very slow, small steps and then a brief pause every couple of minutes to catch my breath before carrying on. Eventually, the summit check point came into view and we knew were as good as home. We got our cards stamped and then mustered up a final push to descend through the trees and into Church Stretton for the last few yards along the pavement to the finish at Church Stretton School.
We crossed the line in 11 hours 25 minutes exhausted but delighted and 15 minutes inside my previous PB. The results are not published yet and so I don't know my position but last year with a slower time I was 38th.
This is a really tough race but now in it's 42nd year, it is really well organised and is over subscribed every year. The challenges this year of the weather at the start and the 8 climbs merely adds to the whole experience.
In the words of Arnie..........."I'll be back"

Roundabouts - a metaphor for life?

Few things in life really annoy me. On the whole I'm a calm, relaxed kinda guy who doesn't let things get to him. There are however, one or two exceptions to this and one of these is:
Why don't people signal at roundabouts?
This drives me mad. It is not a difficult concept to grasp and is one of (or used to be) the key parts to a driving test. It is simple;
If you are taking the first exit, signal left on approach to the roundabout and maintain the signal until you have exited.
If you are going straight on, do not signal on approach but as soon as you have passed the first exit, signal left to indicate to other road users that you are exiting the roundabout.
If you are turning right, signal right on your approach to the roundabout and then immediately on passing the second exit, signal left to indicate that you are coming off.
Simple!
Why then, do so many drivers experience a total memory loss and fail to give any form of signal at any stage in their trip around the roundabout?
Maybe I am doing them an injustice, maybe there is something deeper, more psychological about their inability to signal which mirrors their attititude to life. Perhaps they are people lacking in direction in their life, when faced with a choice they feel unable to commit to a decision and simply let life lead them by fate or chance. They cannot decide on a route or a way forward and so they are unable to inform others of their intentions.
Alternatively, perhaps these are extremely focussed, driven individuals who know exactly where they are going in life and how to get there and see no reason why they should let others know of their grand plan as it is none of their damn business! There may be a fear that they will be followed, or worse still, overtaken and no longer find themselves to be a leader!
Whatever their reasons, it is rude, ignorant, dangerous and very annoying that they cannot simply flick their indicator wand at the appropriate time and keep us all safe!
Oh, there is one other possible reason; perhaps they're all women!

Mugdock Turbo X and bunking off

Last Saturday, I raced the latest in the Saab Salomon Turbo X series in Mugdock Park. Billed as a 10mile trail race with plenty hills, mud, trail, mud, hills and more mud, it lived up to its billing. Over 400 people set off on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning on a route that took us through Mugdock Park, onto the West Highland Way and back up through woods and bog back into Mugdock Park again. It was a brilliant race and as it bears no resemblence to any other race , there is no pressure to make a certain time. For the record, I finished in 1 hour 33 mins in 60th place.

Picture courtesy of Chris Upson

I decided to take Wednesday afternoon off work to take a "fitness test" in readiness for the Longmynd Hike in 2 weeks time. I have completed the Longmynd the last 2 years and it's a tough course over 50 miles with 8,000 foot of ascent so it's not to be taken lightly. As I have banged on about in recent weeks, I 've had foot and ankle problems since the WHW and this has meant a reduced volume of training. Yesterday' s run was meant to provide a final decision as to whether I was going to get to the start line or not.

I decided to run an out and back route from Milngavie to the Beech Tree Inn and back but on the outer point, I would cross the road and run up Dumgoyne twice. Kind of extreme hill reps! this was a total of about 22 miles that I hoped would feel "comfortable". The weather was brilliant and I felt great up till the last couple of miles through Mugdock Park but kept my head down and pressed on quite well. As I sit here typing this, my legs are a bit stiff and my PF is giving me some gip but I've decided to go for it and head down to Shropshire for a wee trot through the hills! - wish me luck!

Great Scottish Run 1/2 Marathon

Sunday morning saw me line up for my 20th Glasgow Half Marathon. I have spent a lot of time in the last few weeks whinging about my sore feet and ankles and how my legs have been tired and how my running just wasn't going well. Generally the kind of attitude that really annoys me in other people and so I'm not overly proud of my own self pitying. I had decided that I would run on Sunday with the plan to just get round in somewhere under 1:40 and to try and enjoy it.
The race got under way 10 minutes late and just as the rain started. Not heavy rain, but just enough to keep the temperature down. I was determined not to set off too quick and managed to settle in to a 7:15/mile pace feeling surprisingly good. The first few miles went in fast and I was enjoying the atmosphere and all the crowds who were standing in the rain cheering us on.
6 miles in and I was still on pace and feeling really fresh so I decided to step it up a bit and brought the pace up to about 7:00/mile.
I normally hate the section through Pollok park as there are some sneaky wee hills that sap your legs at about 8-9 miles in but yesterday I kept pushing on and came out of the park still with plenty left and starting to think that a reasonable time might be on the cards.
I decided that I would wait till 10 miles and then see if I could up the pace again for the final 3 miles in to the finish. I hit 10 miles and, feeling strong, I pushed hard and stayed at about 6:40 ish all the way to the finish to come in on 1 hour 31 mins.
I was absolutely delighted, not only with my time but at how good I felt all the way round.
I have an entry for the Longmynd Hike, the first weekend in october and I've been unsure as to whether I should start or not as training hadn't been going well and my feet are still bothering me but after yesterday's run I am much more positive. I am running in the Saab Salamon Turbo X race at Mugdock on Saturday and, if that goes ok then I'll commit to the Longmynd.

Thank You Darling!

I'm not much of a Political animal. I have no allegiance to any particular political party and have little time for the petty squabbling and points scoring that goes on at Holyrood and Westminster. As a business owner, I have to have a weather eye on what is happing in government circles particularly as most of my work is within the public sector and just occassionally, something comes out that is actually of tangible benefit to us, the working public. I'm not talking about policy reviews or complex and inpenetrable incentive schemes. Alistair Darling will help you buy a bike! How cool is that.

A number of years ago, the Government introduced the Ride to Work scheme which lets employers purchase a bike on which they claim back the VAT, the balance is then deducted as salary sacrifice from the particular employees monthly pay over a 12 month period meaning that the employee doesn't pay NI or Income Tax on the monthly amount. In real terms, what this means is that we, the bike riding public can save around 45% on the cost of a brand new bike and pay the balance on a 12 month, interest free loan. Good eh!

So being the kind, understanding employer that I am, I registered with Evans Cycles Ride to Work scheme last year and have recently acquired my second bike through their scheme. Isn't she nice?...............

So my training is now interspersed with the occassional bike ride to and from work made all the more pleasurable by knowing that Mr Darling is helping to pay for it!

Good times, bad times

Last Sunday saw me on the start line for the Helensburgh Half Marathon, trying to better my time of 20 years previously. The weather was unusually warm and with not a breath of wind, it was going to prove to be a harder run than planned.
I didn't realise how much harder until, the race began to unfold.
I had decided to set off at 7:00min mile pace, thinking that if I could hold that as long as possible and maybe push on the last two or three miles, I may just sneak in a 1hr 30mins. My first mile was 6:45min, a bit fast but ok. The second one was 6:59mins, bang on schedule. Mile 3 was 7:15mins but that was ok as there was a bit of a hill here. That was when it all started to go wrong!
By the time I'd got to mile 4 my legs felt completely done and I was struggling to keep going. I couldn't figure out what was wrong as I was only 4 miles in, the pace was high but not excessive but there was just nothing there. My mind started to get in on the act too by saying that this could be my first DNF, I may as well just stop there and then coz it was only going to get worse! I had given up looking at my splits by now and just decided to keep my head down, plod on and hopefully things would pick up.
Miles 5 to 9 were a battle between body and mind but my body was just managing to keep on top and the miles crawled by. By mile 9, I knew I was at least going to finish (phew!) and so resolved to try and make a reasonable attempt at chasing my 1989 time. I was enouraged on route by Ellen McVey and Aileen Scott who were marshalling and supporting respectively and their presence kept me going so thanks ladies!
I tried on a number of occassions over the last two miles to pick up the pace but each time I tried, nothing happened. The final mile is along the main street which is flat all the way and I was determined to salvage some dignity and managed to hang on to the heels of a couple of guys who passed me to cross the line in 1:38 and 130th place out of about 350.
So, what was my 1989 time.................1:44. Despite my physical stress, I had manged to run 6 minutes quicker than I did 20 years ago. I don't recall anything about how that race felt all those years ago but I'll bet it didn't feel as hard as today's. I also have the certificate for the following years race but if I want to beat that time I'm going to have to have a hell of a lot better a day than this year!
Looking back, I don't know why I struggled so much on Sunday. It was pretty warm which didn't help but not roasting. I had had a hard 10 miler on Thursday night but I felt that was out of my legs so I've just put it down to "one of those days".
I've been hobbling around this week a bit as the PF in my right foot is playing up and there seems to be some nerve damage in my left ankle which has never really recovered from the WHW Race. I've booked in to see my Physio next week to try see if she can keep me going as September is looming with a couple more races followed by Longmynd at the beginning of October.
I also have some big plans for next year, but more of that in a future post.

Holding back the years

I was having a bit of a tidy up at home the other day and came across a couple of finisher certificates for the Helensburgh Half Marathon for 1989 and 1990. At the time, I was a young, fit 23/24 year old exploring my running limits and training for my first Marathon.
Co-incidentally, I have entered this Sunday's Helensburgh Half Marathon (which I don't think I've run since the aforementioned dates) and so I find myself, 20 years older, wondering whether I can still run the times I did as a younger man.
I'm not giving too much away at the moment but suffice to say that, on a good day, I think I may be able to pull one out of the bag. I'll divulge both past and current times in my next post.
Helensburgh was also the venue for my 10k pb of 35mins 12secs back in 1990 something which I can confidently say I will never come close to again. Last year I ran my first marathon since 2001 and came very close to a pb but due to an over enthusiastic couple of sub 7 min miles early on, I died horrible in the last three miles coming in at 3:29.
In recent years, I have joined the ultra running community having now notched up 8 ultras over the last 2 1/2 years and, with the exception of this years Highland Fling, I have gone faster in each race.
As I get older, I therefore seem more suited to the longer events. This is no doubt in part due to the combined effect of years of training and running resulting in a deep reserve of fitness but it must also be down to the mental approach of running longer. The requirement for patience and to "think" your way round a course that perhaps isn't there in the youthful enthusiasm we exhibit in shorter events. One look at the age profile of a typical ultra is clear evidence of this with many competitors well into their forties, fifties and beyond.
One other trait which seems to benefit me in these longer races is my sheer bloody mindedness not to give in. I have never yet experienced a DNF and whilst I'm sure it will no doubt come, it will not be for lack of trying. In my first year running the Longmynd Hike (50 miles) I was in a pathetic state after 20 miles and was considering throwing in the towel when I grouped up with a couple of other guys who knew the route and so I tagged along behind eventually finishing in 12hours 15mins, totally spent. During those 30 miles running with the two guys we had chatted away and it was clear to them that I was only just hanging on in there. We sat down after the finish to enjoy the hospitality at Church Stretton School and one of the two turned to me and said "you are one stubborn bastard!" Now there's a compliment!
So, what happens on Sunday will be as a result of being a fit, middle aged, stubborn bastard - that's got to look good on my CV!