Stability Through Motion

I PBed! For those new to this blog, that means I ran a Personal Best. I think in America it’s a PR, or Personal Record. This is one of the occasional rewards for running, along with a sense of smugness, the odd T-shirt, a banana and some lucozade. Well I really should have PBed since I haven’t run a Half marathon in two years and a my previous PB was very rusty, but it’s still always nice isn’t it?
Right, as this is a running blog, tis time for some running statistics.

Chip time: 1:25:53

Gun time: 1:26:40 (so it took almost a minute to cross the start line)

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Pace / HR avg / notes
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Miles 1 – 4
6:53 – 191 – slow slow start edging past other runners – nonsense HR readings – strap fell off
6:21 – 211 – bit of catch up here through the town – more nonsense HR readings
6:39 – 159 – on to the prom at last but uphill, strap now secured and readings look right
6:24 – 157 – getting going properly now

Miles 5 – 8 – into the wind
6:35 – 159 – no respite here, battering wind and rain/sleet all the way along the prom, happy with the effort though
6:34 – 159
6:34 – 161
6:38 – 159

Miles 9 – 12 with the wind
6:25 – 158 – These miles were really nice, felt strong – the wind helped for sure
6:25 – 158
6:30 – 159 – Second time up the hill
6:18 – 161

Mile 13 - finish
6:34 – 162 – back into the wind for the final straight mile
1:04 – didn’t lose out in any sprint battles this time, I definitely have more push for the finish these days – intervals paying off?

Lessons learned / remembered
1. Start nearer the front. It was so cold I was reluctant to join the throng until it was too late to get nearer the front. The fact that there’s a minute between my gun and chip times says it all, and then the extra 25s in the first mile indicates the blockages encountered weaving through the town past slowing runners. I’ve got to start remembering that I’m in the top 2.5% of such a mass-participation event, not a middle of the race runner any more.

2. I still don’t need fuel or water during a Half (at least a cool weather Half). Still a big issue for me on marathons, fuelling is not a problem for 13 miles. One bowl of cereal 3 hours prior was all I had.

3. If you’re feeling good, don’t dawdle, push it! It was too easy at times to just relax (well, not exactly relax) into a pack of runners. This is called keeping focus I guess.

Conclusions
I’m happy with the result given the testing conditions and the fact that I’d consciously decided to aim to PB but not go all-out for a sub 3 indicator. Secretly, yes, I would have been happier to have run 1:24:xx and felt more confident about the marathon plan.
I was a bit concerned about endurance, as I’ve been following the lower mileage Furman schedules and not raced beyond 10k for 18 months. But no big concerns – I didn’t spot many signs of fading, the last miles were hard as expected, but not worryingly so, and I seemed to be able to pick up the pace when conditions allowed.

That said, there’s a big step up to 26 miles and my mind still says 3:05 is a more sensible target in April. But I’m in my 40s after all and no longer have to be all grown up and sensible about things!

Brighton 10k race report

This has been the target race for the last half a year, in my ongoing experiment with the FIRST schedules. Training went very well – it’s definitely easier running the fast interval paces and tempo paces now than it was in the spring, even the underventilated treadmill at the gym feels a little more manageable.

The target was 37:50, or under 38:00 and the optimistic aim was to keep at 3:45 per km. My first mistake was setting Garmin to lap miles not km (hence the miles marked below). Doh! It did display pace in km/min which helped. This was my first race ever with a Garmin, and this sort of confusion makes me think I’m still better off with just my watch with the manual lap function … or just chasing people.

okay, small warm up, a bit of getting used to the racing shoes which I’ve only used once before and never for 10k, then into the pen and negotiate a position. No talking to anyone, usually I do, but I think I was too nervous this time, then we’re off:

Mile 1: 5:57 – as ever started a bit far back, so nice speed here in the attempt to dodge past slower people who had mistakenly started in the 35-40 zone. Also running with the wind.
Mile 2: 6:04 – steady steady, turn back into the wind, but not too strong as yet.
Mile 3: 6:15 – quite lonely already as the crowds disperse, still overtaking, but no wind shelter between packs
Mile 4: 6:22 – tougher here, closer to the sea front and no wind shelter, then the turn back along the prom, and stopped to check on a guy down on the pavement. Don’t think I lost much time though as I caught up with the people I’d already overtaken.
Mile 5: 6:12 – really struggling to get the pace down lower, but didn’t seem to be able to, still feeling good maintaining pace.
Mile 6: 6:02 – wind helping much more now, and sighted the finish line banners, last push but sprinted a bit early
0.2 miles: 1:18  – all sprinted out far too early so easier pace to the line.

Result: 37:55 chip time – 38:10 gun time

A pretty blustry day, but conditions otherwise were great, and the large crowd at the start didn’t hold me up much. It was fantastic to see the lead runners coming back towards us twice too. A winning time of 29 mins I think.

So the target has been achieved and I can relax a wee bit now until the spring, lazily resisting the temptation to try and blast a few more seconds off at another 10k immediately, or test out a Half.

The success of the FIRST cross-training approach has got me thinking more seriously about using it for a marathon attempt. The reason I’d do so, rather than upping the mileage in the traditional way, is that after the race I still felt a tiny lump of soreness where the shin splints got me in January. Since January, it’s never been more than a faint memory of a very localised sore spot, but I’m worried that higher mileage on tarmac will cause it to re-emerge and I really don’t want that. I’m also happy with the cross-training, and think that combined with the weights, they help strengthen supporting muscles and thus avoid overuse injuries. I’ve also enjoyed the gruelling track sessions.

I have a month or so before a FIRST schedule or a Pfitzinger and Douglas schedule starts for my April marathon: the Shakespeare marathon in Stratford, with a target time of 3:0x. So there’s time to just go for some gentle runs over 40 miles a week or so. It’s also time to really try to activate my lazy lazy left glute. I’ve definitely been slacking there.

Other plans for 2010 include the Lairig Ghru 28 mile hill race in June and the inevitable Snowdonia Marathon on October 30th: the rematch! I’m determined to enjoy it next year after my miserable experience there in 2008. If the Stratford marathon goes well, there may also be time for a flat road marathon in October before Snowdon, perhaps Brussels again?

If I do go with the FIRST schedules, I’ll note my progress more regularly on here. If I choose Pfitzinger and Douglas, I probably won’t bother as it consists mostly of 8-12 mile runs every single day and there won’t be much to write about.

Back to racing news now. I ran the Oxford Town and Gown 10k race last Sunday, and don’t believe I’ve even reported back on the 5k I ran back in April. Shameful.

Okay – the 5k, my first ever, was a great event. I caught an early Saturday train to Basingstoke, which didn’t quite seem like your dream start. However, Basingstoke is where the nearest Park Run event is held every Saturday. Basically you just turn up in the Park for 9am, and run round the park three times with about 100 others, for free! Your time is recorded, and there’s a trip to the coffee shop afterwards if you’ve time to chat. It’s such a fantastic idea, and everyone is a volunteer. The race itself was strange for me – so much shorter than anything I’ve done before, but nice and low-profile, so no pressure. There are a lot of people there who’ve really just started running, so it’s not an ultra competitive environment. Having said that, the record time is 16 minutes, which is quite bl**dy fast enough. I was confident of a sub 19 minute time, based on last year’s racing, but it had been a long while since my last competitive race (October’s Snowdon marathon really). Still, I managed 18:51, which seems a good starting point. I met up with a few people I’d met or heard of through Fetch, the running web site, and the whole occasion was really welcoming for newcomers. Highly recommended.

Last Sunday I ran in the Oxford 10k in a mixture of absolutely stonking rain and windy sunshine (not sure if sunshine can be windy . . . that’s a physics problem). I was hoping to crack last year’s PB (personal best) time of 39:18 (chip time, 39:36 gun time) and 104th position. This equates to about 6:21 per mile, or 3:56 per km, and I’d had a couple of training runs up to 4 miles at this pace or below which felt hard but tolerable.

The result: 39:16 (gun time) or 39:08 (chip time) and 70th position. Chip time is more accurately measured from the starting line to the finish, as it can take some seconds to cross the start line after the gun goes. However, I’m recording the gun time because I’m being mean to myself! In a big, congested race, unless you’re elite and start at the front, you’d always record your chip time. There are some photos of the day, which at least show how wet it was on the Oxford Mail web site.

So – onwards and upwards. As humanity pointlessly drives onward and upward, so do I. The new plan for 2009, which will disappoint fans of ultra long distance, or marathoners, is to concentrate on the 10k. My 24 week plan targets the November Brighton 10k for a record performance, somewhere in the region of 38 minutes, hopefully 37 minutes something. The longer term plan is to take that new speed into marathon training for 2010 and get that sub 3 hour time that we all, quite obviously, dreamt about as small children (except for Haile Gebre Selassie who dreamt about sub 2 hours).

Another outing for Transporter Mix yesterday, in the Quiet & Relaxation Room at the Becoming Ordinary conference at the Town Hall in Oxford. This was organised by RESTORE, Oxford, a charity that ‘supports people with mental health problems do things that they want to do‘. About thirty people  took off their socks and shoes and stepped onto the platforms provided to listen to the sounds of the seashore, woodlands and parks of the UK.

I must learn to make this experience more relaxing for myself, as by the end of the day I was completely exhausted!

Here’s one particularly sweet comment:

Absolutely blown away by this experience. Love the idea of textured boxes under my feet. Sounds were very relaxing and de-stressing.

Sunday was F’s birthday, so, naturally enough, we ran in a 10 km race together. This was F’s first ever 10k, and the furthest she’s ever run. Despite the unseasonable heat and sunshine at Eastleigh, we came in under our target at 1:09, so I’m really, really proud of her. Thanks so much to all the crowd supporters who helped make it a great event.

I can’t quite believe that this is my first race since October last year. Next on the agenda is the Stratford Half Marathon. I’ve crept up to 30 – 35 miles per week again now, so might still race the Half, but think I’ll just see how I feel closer to the time. However, I’m definitely doing the Oxford Town and Gown 10k on May 17th. And, all being well, that will be a PB (personal best) attempt. Gulp.

It’s supposed to be simple. Don shorts, T-shirt and shoes, run for 26.2 miles with a watch to check your pace, take on some fuel and water enroute, and Bob’s your uncle, or ‘Bob was my uncle’ as an American friend once put it.

Throw in some gale force winds, driving rain, then put on some previously untested running leggings and a fuel belt that hadn’t been worn for six months. Cue stomach pain on every much-looked-forward-to downhill section. I had to remove the gel belt and carry it all the way, but there was little I could do about the shorts and leggings. And the stomach pain meant I didn’t take on any fuel during the race, and very little water. Memories of Antwerp there then. In hindsight I should have removed the leggings and shorts and run half naked. Cold? Certainly, but better that than the pain on the faster downhill stretches.

Given all that, I’m happy to say I beat last year’s time and came in at 3:28:49, but miles off the 3:20 hoped for. My splits for the race tell it all. Too hard into the wind up to Pen-y-Pass, in pain on the lovely downhill stretch that followed, then giving up the ghost soon after Beddgelert in the tedious lonely section to Waunfawr. If I could have dropped out then I would have. It was lonely, endless road, mostly uphill, even though the wind was behind us.

I know a lot of folk struggle in every marathon, and thereby perhaps feel an incredible sense of achievement at the end, but I hate struggle! I run to enjoy it, and last year I did just that here – with energy left at the end, and a smile on my face. This year was just hard work, working through pain, and a pain that seemed to have nothing to do with running – not the legs, not the heart or lungs, just my bloomin’ stomach!

First half completed in 1:37, which was pretty much on target, second half in 1:52, ten minutes off target, and slower than last year. To my shame, I WALKED up Waunfawr hill – something I didn’t do last year, but was very glad to this year. Then, at the top, the winds tore my running number off my Tshirt, and I encountered a tortured scene of runners clutching their hamstrings or calves in agonising cramps, runners falling over on the slippy grassy section downhill, or being literally blown to the ground by the gusts of wind.

In fact at that point I was laughing, knowing I would finish sub 3:30 I cheered up no end. Sprinted to the finish to meet a smiling Bob (not my uncle, but really a Bob) and get back for a hot shower and food.

I set off with a plan to pace with Ru, a woman met on the Runners World Forums. We stuck together until the top of Pen-y-Pass, when she shot off downhill and I discovered my stomach was going to give me trouble. I found out later that she was 2nd lady with 3:18! Brilliant result, and she stars in the S4c (Welsh television channel) coverage of the race.

I’ll post pictures when they turn up – relying on official ones as I didn’t carry my camera phone for once.

So, top marathon tip: the same one as always for a marathon – don’t try anything you haven’t already tried! In my case, too-tight leggings.

Click on the top image for the S4C coverage of the race.

Time: 3:28:49
Position: 95th out of 1133 finishers.
Category position (men over 40): 23rd

Result:
40 miles, September 20th at the High Peak 40 race from Buxton, Derbyshire.
Time: 7:06:55
Position: 17th

I had a plan, having printed off the check point split times from two of last year’s contenders, one who finished in 7:07 and one who finished in 8:30. I stuck to the times of the faster runner almost to the T, didn’t really fade much during the race and legs felt fine later that day and the next. I still can’t quite believe it, but I guess the much vaunted training actually works.

Running along the Goyt Valley on a misty morning

The start was a casual affair with around 160 runners gathered in Broad Walk, Buxton on a sunny but cool September morning. Here I met up for the first time with a few of the brilliant forumites who had inspired me to do this challenge. But the quick hellos were cut short by the start, and we crowded through Buxton off into the hills. There were no supporters to speak of, in fact no one in Buxton seemed to have heard of the race which was a bit of a shame.

As with the Swaledale Marathon in June (24 mile fell race), the first ascent was narrow and crowded, so there was a lot of walking, but that was fine as it saved your energy for the later bits. We wound up and up and then down proper off-road terrain to the first checkpoint. Loads of runners seemed to have headed off pretty fast, allowing those of us further back to tut-tut knowingly “ah, they’ll pay for that later on“, ah how I like to sound like I know what I’m doing! Then a couple of miles alongside the sunny reservoirs in the Goyt Valley, chatting to a few people including the guy from the Downlands Challenge that I again seemed to be pretty similar pace to. People were mostly concentrating and running solo however – it’s a long day and everyone had a lot on their mind. Although everyone is incredibly friendly at these ultras as far as I can tell, there’s definitely a sense of doing it alone for most of it. Pacing is important, and if you step into someone else’s pace, you might just blow up later on. Blow up = run out of energy!

I was due to meet F at the third check point at Eccles Pike, where she might join me for a bit of the route. I waited a few minutes, ahead of schedule anyway, and downed water and jaffa cakes, but no sign, so plodded on and phoned her to check. They just couldn’t get out of Buxton in time, so we planned another meeting point. Then it was a steady climb up tarmac then gravel path up to Rushup Edge where the route met the Pennine Way.

View from Rushup Edge westwards

This was glorious running, though sore underfoot with so many boulders and rocks. Miles and miles of hill top running with gorgeous views over Derbyshire. Finally arrived at another checkpoint where P and F were waiting. Had the usual joke with the marshalls, grabbed water and jaffas, re-arranged my rucksack and set off with F to run up to Mam Tor. Unfortunately the terrain was pretty rough and a bit unexpected for F, and I had to keep going, so we weren’t together as long as we’d hoped. But it was such a boost to have company and her smile. Mam Tor – an incredibly thin ridge with the sort of views that inspired me to take up this off-road running lark.

Mam Tor ridge

Encountered quite a few walkers here, so lots of excuse me, runner coming through, and again no one seemed to know what we were up to, so not exactly the Flora London Marathon experience. Also no steel bands, or jelly babies from villagers.

After all this up, it was time for a quad thrashing downhill to Castleton then the long anticipated cruel climb up Cavedale. As with most of the ups, there was limited running, everyone at my end of the race was walking the uphills, maybe shuffling into a jog if we spotted a photographer or a crowd of tourists. You have to show willing! Someone told me I was in 38th position as we descended from Mam Tor.

Cavedale was followed by more climbing slowly up to the more desolate Old Moor, where at least 15 people on the race got badly lost I discovered later in the day, including people who’d raced this before. It’s incredibly hard to resist the instinct to just follow the line of runners in front of you, even if you have your doubts about the direction they’re heading. I was lucky in that I never followed someone who went wrong, but also kept checking my little bits of map. Signage was actually really good, and it was only at one or two points that it could have been confusing. Not a patch on the confusion at Swaledale.

After Old Moor, there was a lot of road before hitting Tideswell, the long strung out village, deserted but for two gangs of Morris dancers. Everyone ignored us again, but by this stage I was beginning to pass people who’d slowed. We reached the marathon point (26.2 miles) at the Tideswell Dale car park, where my folks awaited with jaffas, congratulations and smiles. I knew now that I could make it – I was still feeling wierdly strong and really happy. The river section went on for miles and miles, but was largely flat and very good underfoot. All the time here I was expecting P to turn up – he was due to set off from the final checkpoint and run back towards me. After four more miles I was getting worried that he’d got lost, but still passing slowing runners, then finally, in the horror that was Deepdale, he came running towards me. Fantastic! Deepdale consisted of two miles of uphill in a narrow valley.

Perfectly harmless on a nice day’s walk, but after 28 miles, quite depressingly unending. The top was the penultimate checkpoint, with waiting parents once more and the marmite sandwiches. More chat – there was always time to stop and banter – and I set off on the tarmac section of the route towards Chelmorton and the last 8 miles or so to the end, and more importantly psychologically, the last hour of running. I’d already been out running longer than I ever had before, and almost crossed my 34 mile barrier. Buoyed by these thoughts I set off far too fast on the tarmac for 1/2 mile, before realising what I was doing too late and suffering accordingly. It was just the sight of the walking runners ahead of me and thinking I could pick them off, but I knew I was spot on target for my goal time and that I’d rather finish feeling good than suffer needlessly. Of course I could have pushed, but for what? To be another four minutes quicker and two positions higher? What’s the difference between 15th and 17th really? I was out of reach of a sub 7 hour time, which was the only goal worth speaking about. So, quite smug and content, but also painfully aware of my legs, we ran on to the final checkpoint – a fairly easy plod apart from the deathly gully of Deepdale 2.

Rounding the corner after Cowdale we could see Buxton ahead, the railway viaduct, and there again, the familiar green top of F, sitting waiting! Three of us ran together in on the road to Buxton, then they left me to cruise the final 1/2 mile to the finish and even a final spurt to the non-existant finish line and the rest of my waiting support group. Thanked the organisers, drank endless plain water, and kept my legs moving as much as possible, amazed at the lack of pain, blistering or despair that I’d felt throughout.

At the end of this long journey, thanks are due to the fantastic support from F, P and my parents, who met me and fed me at three separate points on the route, then J and A at the finish line, and the moral support I know I had from others. The training has taken me away from home more than I’d have liked, has occupied far more of my spare time and spare mind than I’d have liked, so thanks are due more to anyone than to F who encouraged me to push myself through this. I hope I’ve proved that running forty miles in one day can be an enjoyable experience for even a forty year old previously non-sporty person, not a body-shattering one.  I’ll always struggle to convey the joy I feel on occasions, up on a hill, running down a hill, walking up a hill, with few possessions, with little need for food, with the knowledge that you can keep going if you wish, almost all day long, that time is meaningless, that distance is meaningless, and you can just be.

Stability in motion.

The race is so close now, I’m beyond nerves, just counting down the hours and compiling endless lists – Tuesday: cut toenails (don’t do it too close to race in case they’re still sore) Wednesday: bake oat biscuits for race etc etc

I’ve created a race map – since the route is mostly off-road and there are few runners it’s going to be very easy to get lost. I scanned in the two huge OS maps, printed out the sections I need, drew the route on with highlighter and stuck them back together and covered them with sticky back plastic so I can run with them in bad weather. It still covers seven A4 sheets!

My first race over marathon distance, though not really a race, was the Downland Challenge in July this year. A tiny event running 30 miles out and back from Clayton (near the Jack and Jill windmills on the South Downs Way) and Rodmell, further east on the SDW.

Since I’d already run 28 miles with no significant damage a couple of weeks earlier, I was hopeful this would go well, although I knew the South Downs were a tougher proposition than the Ridgeway. Much much hillock-ier, lots of up and lots of down and hardly any flat. What I didn’t bargain for was the heat – 28 or 29 degrees most the day, and cloudless. Ugh.

I might have made it round in the heat, it’s difficult to say because I’d made the mistake of tying my shoelaces too tight earlier in the day and walking round in my running shoes. By mile one I was already noticing the effect and stopped to re-tie the laces. Too late ! The damage was done. By mile 20 I was hobbling down the hills, the very bits I was most looking forward to at that stage, nice freewheeling breezy downhill stretches were agony to me.

TOP TIP: check your laces before you set out on a run – loosen them around the bridge of your foot, especially if it’s a hot day or a long run.

So, I made the sensible decision to pull out at the last available checkpoint, 7 miles from the end. A nice guy in a truck gave me a lift back to the start where I refuelled and chatted. I wasn’t the only DNF (Did Not Finish) by any means, many suffering from the heat alone, but I was really annoyed that something so simple as lacing could trip me up (hah hah!). The same shoes with the same lacing had never given problems before, but I guess the heat just made my feet swell. A week without running at all followed, but I’m now convinced that, lacing aside, hot July runs in the middle of the day are not a good idea for me.

I run because I love it, to reach that floaty feeling you get sometimes, that you could just drift along for hours with a small pack on your back, admiring the scenery. OK, sometimes I run too to feel the adrenalin rush, and speed past people when I can. But I don’t run so I can suffer draining heat, cramps, pain, blisters, excessive sweating etc.

To get back to the point, this means I will never ever ever run the Marathon des Sables. You can hold me to that. It’s just a pointless exercise in will and determination over pain and chafing.