Thames Gateway 100 mile preview

This is a quick update just as I prepare for my first 100 miler this weekend.

After Shotley, I was more than happy with the event. I'd learnt some good lessons on the run and that combined with everything I'd prepared so stood me in a good position to finish.

My last race showed me that support cannot be underestimated. So far all my events have been large scale ultras with really good support from the organisers. This has meant that I've not had to employ any support crews and as they've only been around 50 miles I've never had to use pacers.

This event was something different. Not only was this ultra run by a very small race company but the actual race itself was tiny compared to something like Centurions South Downs Way 100 with only currently 14 entrants for the full 100.

The other difference is that all other races I've taken part in have taken place on reasonably established paths but this was almost like a 100 mile trail race across fields and through towns. Who knows what the conditions and going would be like on the day?

Id managed to pull together a small support team made up from members of my running club and various other friends. I've always tried to help the running community whenever I can but I feel a little bad asking people for help now as they are giving up so much time.

I'd drawn up a plan that will hopefully get me around in just under 24hrs. This will be a major achievement as it will be the furthest I'd ever covered. I planned to average 13:45 min miles and with stops meant I needed to maintain approx. 13 min miles which should be ok but this is a very long time on my feet and I'm actually interested in seeing what running that slow is actually like?

Most the team gathered at the running club this week and this was for the most the first time some had met each other. Paul and the awesome Bridges family had agreed to cover Aid Stations up till 50 miles. I brought I plastic box and filled it with as much food and drink I could. I'd read loads of  material on CP's and took the guys through some basic drills with the main one being don't let me stay longer than 5 mins.

I next spoke to James Rideout and Debbie Mitchell who were a couple of the people who had madly volunteered to run with me as pacers. It's one thing meeting up for a social Sunday jog but another meeting up in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night trying to navigate and drag someone around that just wants to go home. I must say thanks to James and Debbie, Anna Luff and Mike Hall. I owe you all big time!

All that's left now is decide what footwear to use? I'd tried for some time in Luna Sandals but it was now raining and some of the course would be seriously muddy. I'd really struggled with Lunas in heavy mud so I'd also decided to carry my Vibram Five' Fingers Off-Road Spyridons.

Well Im as ready as I will be and next entry will be a review of the actual event.

Follow us @ http://ultra-trails.com/portfolio/thames-gateway-endurance-run/

LDWA Shotley 50 event review

The Shotley 50 is a 53 mile narrative off-road trail race run by the LDWA as one of their challenge events where runners as well as walkers are allowed to take part. As I’ve said previously, LDWA membership is almost essential for any off-road long distance running fan. In a time where fitness and outdoor sports are big business and race fees are now into hundreds of pounds (and I do realise there are a lot of overheads), the LDWA manage to put on events Like this for £11 where you can pay £60 plus for other events.

On route to the start

 The race itself actually started and finished in a little village called Holbrook which sits a few miles South East of Ipswich on the Shotley Peninsula between the Rivers Stour and Orwell in Suffolk. The event was split between the walkers and the runners and I got to the village hall in time to see the large group of walkers set off and after starting late on the last event I was determined to not make the same mistake so had plenty of time.

I registered early and made a note of the minor course amendments so there would be no surprises but as we’d been sent the route description prior to the event I’d already used my Ordinance Survey mapping software to review the course so I had a rough idea of the major landmarks we’d hit and even tried to memorise some of it. You could argue this takes some of the “fun” out of navigating during the event but nothing can fully prepare you to being on the ground running the event on the day and anything to help can’t be bad.

Kit wise for the event, this was going to be the longest I’d ever run in Luna Sandals. Before today I’d only ever run 30 miles in the minimal footwear and only covered 4 miles in the new Mono’s. Other than the sandals, I opted for my usual Inov-8 12 litre Race pack and I’d planned to battle the heat wave by carrying a spare 2 litre water bladder which I’d frozen. This would act to cool me in the 30 degree heat and also be spare water if required. This didn’t happen though as I’d managed to leave the pack in the freezer (actually it’s still there now) and I was lucky as the day was overcast and only 21 but still warm enough.

Fuelling wise I’d decided to use my two front mounted Inov-8 water bottles (one as a spare) filled with water with Nuun hydration tablets. I chose this combination as it wasn’t mega hot but also there were 10 aid stations so the legs would be short. As for food I’d again left the gels at home and carried a small bag of fig rolls in my back pack just in case and decided to keep my front bum bag empty and fill it as required at each stop as the LWDA events are well known for the amounts of food offered!

I was feeling really relaxed pre-event as I knew I’d prepared well and I was quietly confident that I should at least beat my 50 mile PB of 10hrs and 44 mins (and 9 seconds) as that was set on the South Downs Way in some of the worst weather where this was flat(ish) and near perfect conditions. I said hi to a couple of people I recognised from previous events including Jon Legge and Julian Catnull (SP) who I believe are Striders the same running club as me? As the clock ticked over closer to the runners start I was wondering where my friend Darren Coates had got to but with a few minutes to spare he arrived ready for action. There were a smaller group of runners ready at the start time which was exactly an hour after the walkers and I have to admit I was slightly surprised as there’s normally quite a large running contingent at these events but I guess the extra distance could have put people off?

Soon we were off and as we all jogged away from the hall I briefly wondered exactly how long until I saw the place again? A couple of really fast guys went off but the main group stuck together and it was nice to run for a while with some runners who were obviously in a different class to me. I knew I was going too fast but this normally happens so I thought I’d just enjoy it while I could and within a couple of miles let them go. Well the course took in some of the landmarks that I’d highlighted including running along a large dam next to a reservoir, sports fields, churches and eventually the banks of the massive river Stour. I’d already fallen foul in a classic trail race mistake when I missed a turning but was lucky only to do an extra couple of hundred yards before realising the error.

I was now following Darren and the rest of “the elite” along the beach. I’d pulled ahead of them earlier as they stopped to do a nav check but now normal service was resumed. The route was amazing as we ran with trees on our right and the water right next to our feet on the left. My only issue was that the fine sand didn’t really suit running in sandals as I’d found previously but although uncomfortable wasn’t really too bad.

Following the fast boys (Darren Coates in the blue)

We soon got to the first check point and we had started to pass the first walkers so we briefly stopped to swap pleasantries. I took on a couple of bits of bread with marmite and stuck two pieces of flapjack in the bum bag for later and I was off again. More and more walkers were passed and as usual it did get a little tricky in narrow sections trying to negotiate a route past them. Most of the time they are great and swop greetings but you do get the feeling that a small number of walkers might begrudge sharing the trail sometimes especially with comments of “hurry, hurry, hurry” as you would pass them at speed. I’m sure they struggle to get their heads around why anyone would like choose to punish themselves and miss all the wonders nature has to offer, and they do have a point!

Well I was still managing to keep with the group as we sped at speed across fields and through forests and within no time we approached check point two. I again ate a couple of snacks, filled my bottle and refilled the pouch. As I walked away from the CP I took out my phone and quickly recorded on Facebook where I was. I try and do this on long races so my supporters know my progress (ok it’s so the wife know where I am really). We were soon running again and we passed the site made famous the painter Constable and continued along some of the most picturesque scenes you could ask for. It must have seemed slightly surreal for many family’s enjoying the scenery as they sat relaxed on a lovely day only for half a dozen sweaty men to sprinted pass (one in flip flops).

Enjoying the race a little too much?

It was around 16 miles and I was feeling the pace now. I’d fallen off the back of the group and could barely see them in the distance. We got to cross over the A12 and they were all long gone. I was really starting to think I’d made a serious mistake starting so fast as I could barely run and I was walking up the hills now where I’d been running up them just a while ago. I was still managing to pass walkers (just) but I was also noticing a number of other runners that I’d not seen at the start so must have started with the walkers but were using a slow run/walk strategy and a few of them were staying with me. I got to the next CP to be greeted by Darren and the gang who were just leaving and I have to admit I was happy just to see them still as I thought they’d be long gone.

The next few miles started to get emotional. Although it wasn’t boiling, the heat was still strong and really humid, I was losing a lot of sweat even though I was drinking continuously. I was now passed by a couple of runners and I just had to keep telling myself to keep shuffling because I knew if I walked anything that wasn’t uphill I’d probably never run again. I passed the next couple of CP’s until I got close to the 25 mile point and halfway. This was a huge milestone as I always tell myself that it’s on the way home now even if home was still 25 miles away in this case. I took my pack off and sat down which is a usual no-no for me but I just felt I need a couple of minutes out of the race to relax the mind. This seemed to work wonders and I chatted to the volunteers swapping walking stories, I also noted a couple of people that looked like they’d dropped so I wasn’t the only person feeling it.

Halfway point

 I trudged out along a field and after another internet update start to jog as fast as I could manage. I was still in damage limitation mode as I approached the CP at the 30 mile point. It was then that I started to see things and I thought I was really starting to lose it. I could see a couple of people way off in the distance and I didn’t think much of it until I saw that one of them was waving in my direction? I looked behind me expecting to see another runner but there was no one in sight? As I got closer I could make out who it was! It was only my running buddy Andy Hind and his partner. I couldn’t believe it and actually felt slightly emotional as I was really at a low point in the race (sad I know). As I got to them Andy said that he’d read my progress on the internet and could tell I wasn’t in a happy place so decided to come down and support! What can I say? This race wasn’t just around the corner from home and he’d also brought me a huge bag of goodies.

I reached the CP over a large reservoir and at the top of a hill and slumped into a chair in the hall. Andy refilled my bottles as one of the young LDWA volunteers brought me a bowl of soup. Once again I’d like to thanks these guys for amazing service on these events. Andy asked how it was going and I explained I was running on empty. I remember telling him I wanted to pull out at this point and I’m sure I even asked him for a lift back to the start but he refused of course and I pulled on my race pack once more which was heavy with sweat now and went to leave. I thanked Andy for making the effort but made him promise he’d  go home as I was sure they had better things to do than follow me around.

Soon I was getting my second wind as the fuel taken in and the moral boast of seeing my friend really kicked in. The miles started to fly past and I was soon approaching the next CP when I saw the familiar figures in the distance. I cursed them jokingly but I have to admit it was awesome seeing the pair again! This time I sprinted past them and into the hall for a quick pit stop. I repeated my request for them to stop following me and as I knew Andy had somewhere to be I guessed he would stick to his word but his work was done and I was a changed man.

I got to the 40 mile mark within almost 10 miles of the finish and it was at this point where I knew I’d finish despite the early hic-up. As I approached the last CP at 45 miles I was starting to feel it again. It was mixed emotions as I walked into very nice little church as I was feeling drained but good as I’d started to catch up runners again and I knew I was close to the finish. I had my card stamped by the support team there and like on many other occasions they asked what it was like to run in the flip flops. I’ve never really discussed these so far in the review and this is probably due to the fact that I wasn’t having any major issues. I guess it might have been different if it had been wet but apart from the small stones and gravel then I’d collect (but normally get rid of just as quickly), no problems.

I was now running along the Stour again and it was starting to get a little darker but this was more due to the clouds getting darker than the evening approaching. I passed another couple of people running and I just put my head down and pushed as hard as I could. I looked at my watch for the first time properly and was slightly surprised it was taking so long and thought that Darren and the others must have finished hours ago. As I passed the 50 mile point in 10 hrs 22 mins and I was happy to get a PB for that distance but wondered how much faster I might have been if I’d started slower?

Some amazing views

 The last few miles seemed to take forever! I knew that I was in Holbrook now and only a matter of minutes away from the finish but the enclosed path I was on just kept going and going. Eventually I was on the main road and took the right turn into the road where the hall was located and I finished. Darren was nowhere to be seen so I assumed the leaders had long gone. I did see a chap called Chris from Ipswich who I’d seen at a few other races. He was in a group who had finished in just a couple of minutes over 10 hrs. This guy was fast and I have to admit I was just as surprised as him that the course had taken so long? I still don’t know why? Anyway, I sat down for a quick bite to eat and other people finished and we swapped a few comments of how hard it was. I was just glad to finish and finish in daylight. It was an emotional journey but a journey left mostly good memories. A great event!

Post run feet

The winner finished in 9 hrs 35 mins, Darren Coates finished in a small group of people in 10 hrs 12 mins, I took 10 hrs 45 mins. Julian Catnul (SP) inished in 12 hrs 59 mins with Jon Legge finishing in 13 hrs 2 mins.

All and all not a bad day at the office really for all!

Decisions, Decisions!

Goodbye to gels, a Barefoot legend, Herts Hobble, Recce’s and VFF’s!

 

The long and winding road (well trail)

Fuelling:

In my last blog entry I was debating the powers of fig rolls as I’d been keen to stop using endless energy gels and find a natural replacement. Well so far so good. I’ve run a trail marathon and several 30 mile plus training runs on nothing but the famous fruit snack without a small silver sachet in sight!

So what has it been like? Actually fine, no withdrawal symptoms and the only real issues I’ve found is they take up more space to store while running, can be prone to crumbling under pressure (just like me!) and on a hot day they can be a little dry in the mouth.

I need to reinforce the above maybe with some other normal food on the longer runs and even carried a bottle of full fat cola when I need that boost at the end. Generally I’m really pleased to have weaned myself off gels and now just need to find someone that needs a load of them as I have stacks.

Next steps? Well as I said the biscuit part of the fig rolls can at times get hard work so I’m looking at just using figs for my next training run? I might need to carry some other “paper based” provisions in case of emergencies!

The fuel station!

 Barefoot Ted and the big decision:

In my hunt for true running nirvana I’d been using Luna Sandals for a year on and off. Despite what most people say, these are not 99p from the beach shop but specifically designed running sandals. Well Luna Sandals boss and “Born to run” star Barefoot Ted was in the UK to promote the launch of his sandals here and I took the opportunity to meet him at an informal gathering hosted by Tracy of Barefoot Britain.

I drove down to Brighton with Katie my daughter which was an adventure itself as she wanted to visit the famous chocolate sweet shop Chockywockydodah (sp) and I can’t say I was against the idea but we eventually found it and I can recommend their products, no idea if there any good for running fuel but probably!

OMG it's only.... Barefoot Ted

Anyway, it was soon time for the event and as we walked up to the shop where it was taking place I could already see Ted on his Laptop Vehicle unicycle “car” riding up and down the main road like something out Back to the future. There were already a crowd gathering and looking at peoples feet, I’d guessed I was in the right place as there wasn’t a “foot coffin” to be seen. Things started informally and Ted just spoke of his reasons for founding Luna Sandals but also how that has snowballed into changing everything in his life. I’ve hinted to this previously, once you go barefoot and see the advantages you can get then you can start to question other things in your life and wonder if you are actually doing what’s best?

Ted referred to many different subjects including how he got into barefoot running in the first place, persistence hunting and their links to long distance running and also his experience of the Tarahumara Indians from the Copper Canyons all of which linked to “the book” but he also spoke on his ambition to bring personal transportation to the masses. The Solo wheel isn’t his invention but his is heavily behind the project of this gyro self-powered mono wheel. http://www.laptopvehicles.com/

Ted with his "car" (pic off net)

For most of the discussion I just stood there “in awe” but I did manage to ask a couple of questions… The first was “Are Luna working on a product that will work specifically on UK trails i.e. wetter, more mud etc)” and the second was “I’m only running up to 20 miles in Luna’s, should I take the leap and convert fully to the sandals and not ever run in shoes again?”. The first question was answered quickly as Ted just said “yes!” He recognised that no one product would be perfect for everything but products like the Mono and the soon to be launched Oso would help all UK off-roaders.

My second question was more aimed at the whole group as I wanted to get everybody’s opinion on how they converted to sandals and what distances they covered? The main reason I was asking wasn’t actually because I had this huge desire to run barefoot “hippy-like” through the fields but actually because as I switched from sandals to shoes sometimes I was picking up ankle injuries and I starting to think this might be due to the frequent change of running styles (this might be interesting to those who switch between regular and minimal shoes too?). Ted started by saying how impressed with the miles I was covering and simply said “why not!” He discovered barefoot footwear by accident in his search for pain-free running and like how he found Vibram Five Fingers that were being used as boat shoes I would have to take a similar leap of faith and just do it (no pun intended). I’d gone through the initial transition stage so there and then I decided to “try” and never wear trainers again even of the longest ultra marathons.

Herts hobble:

My next race was an LDWA off-road Trail marathon called the Herts Hobble. I can’t sing the praises of this organisation of predominately walkers enough as they put on some of the best events with entry fees that wouldn’t get you into a normal 5k road race. If you like running off-road and not a member, join your local group right now! http://www.ldwa.org.uk/

This was a key race for me as it would be the longest I’d ever run in sandals and also the longest off-road race in the Luna’s. I got there with time to spare and said hello to a few people including Mr Darren Coates from the same running club as me and then decided to make a couple of last minutes kit changes back in the car. As I walked back I bumped into James from Centurion Running (South / North Downs Way 50/100 ultras etc). James is a high class runner who had just won the Grand Union Canal ultra. We walked to the hall only to realise that everyone had started! We checked in and I started to follow the instructions for the route.

I soon began to pass people that were walking the route and then I got caught up by James. We ran together for a few miles and I was enjoying the opportunity to shadow a running “celebrity” and as I result took my mind off the directions…. This was at the exact point that James said he didn’t do a lot of these “narrative” type of runs as we both realised we weren’t where we were supposed to be. After running around and tracking back, we found the route and we ran again for another few miles before James dropped a gear and effortlessly sailed off into the distance.

I was following the route quite easily now and I got to a road crossing where I met a large group of runners coming from the oopposite direction, turned out they’d followed the instructions exactly and missed a turning. Anyone that runs trail races will know that sometimes you need to read between the lines at times as it isn’t easy writing the directions and these guys had run and extra 2 miles due to this. I was ok as we’d been sent the directions beforehand and I’d roughly traced the route in my head (probably my military training lol) “always follow the three P’s” (I’ll let you google that one!)

Anyway, I was actually finding the sandals fine and I was breezing through the Check Points with a huge grin (it couldn’t last). I got to the last few miles and I suddenly noticed that the legs were feeling like lead again and that spring in my step had “sprung”. I’d latched onto the back of a small group and we switched places a few times as we navigated and I tried to stay with them as long as I could. With a couple of miles to go I could still see them and eventually finished a couple of minutes behind but I definitely ran out of steam at about 20 miles.

The footwear had been ok apart from I’d noticed a couple of twinges in my hips that I’d never had before? They didn’t last so didn’t think it was a massive concern. This also marked the first major event that I didn’t use gels and ate the fig rolls all the way around. I thought that the energy drop might be because of this and thought I should look to also use some other food as well as the rolls, overall a good race as I’d run 27 miles in just over 5 hrs off-road in flip-flops.

100 mile TG recce

Next up in the training for me was a series of trips down to Kent to look at the route for the Thames Gateway 100 I was planning to do in August. On the first trip I planned to cover 30 miles from Rochester, around to Gravesend and then along the coast back to Rochester. The first section was ok as I left the car park in Upnor and made my way to the Rochester bridge (past two castles and a nuclear submarine!). Then the next 5 miles were through dark alley’s on industrial estates ending up under the M20 motorway. This is the point where I’d pick up the North Downs Way.

Rochester Castle with the sub in the foreground

I was now in the countryside and as I’d taken the day off it was like I had the whole of the place to myself! Eventually I left the downs and after a couple of minutes looking around the route manage to find the Weldway path which would take me all the way to Gravesend and the Thames. The paths were less defined and more overgrown now and in places in flip flops and shorts was hard going. After what seemed like an age I passed over the landmark of the M2 Motorway and pass the Cyclopark into Gravesend town. Here I left the Weldway and picked up the Saxon Way. Initially passing through some very suspect back streets that looked like a scene from Oliver, I was soon jogging along the river Thames passing old military defences dating back to Napoleon times (very surreal) again I was feeling ok but now as it had begun to rain the mud on the sea wall was making the sandals hard work. Soon I started to struggle and I could barely keep the Luna’s on! It was at this point that I decided that I would need a plan B on race day “just incase”.

The Toesox held up well (so I thought)

Soon I was at the familiar 20 mile low point and as I write this I’m realising that this isn’t a coincidence that this was happening every time at the same point. I don’t think this will ever go but I need to recognise this and push through as it doesn’t last. I plodded on and got to just over the 30 mile point after fighting my way through some of the most overgrown paths I’d ever seen and narrowly avoiding serious injury as I fell knee deep into a badger hole decided enough was enough and this would be where the recce would end. I left the path and walked to the nearest main road. I was still a few miles from the car so decided to try and get a bus back. After waiting a while it didn’t look promising so I walked along the main road back to the car park.

I’d covered approx.. 34 miles (longest ever run in Luna’s at that time) and I was shattered. The tough going really got to me as well as the drizzle which just seemed to kick me just as I was low. But job done and I’d reviewed a large chunk of the route for the race, I just pray someone cuts those trails or it’s going to be a long race! And as for the sandals? They were good but poor in mud, also my hips were quite tender.

Didn't even notiwerehis till the end... oops

Next time out I returned to Rochester as I planned to cover the 20 so miles to a tiny village called Swale (right under the Isle of Sheppey bridge). I parked the car near the train station and after a short struggle managed to find the Saxon Way path through the town. I didn’t realise beforehand but Rochester soon becomes Gillingham as one large town and the route passes back alleys and council estates (not very picturesque). Finally after a while I once again hit the river and some amazing views of the waterfront and I think it’s a shame that this 20 miles will be covered in darkness come race day.

  

Great views!

The day was absolutely boiling and I was lucky that I was so close to the coast as I always seemed to have a light breeze cooling me slightly and it would have been torture without it. I passed some really nice locations and the route was mostly better going than my last recce so at least come the big day by the 70 mile point the going would be ok. The route had country lanes fields and sea walls and a couple of times the recce paid for itself as the path led to dead-ends and in the dark could be an issue. Finally I got to the coast again and I could see the huge Sheppey bridge towering into the distance which represented my finish point for the day. I got to the end just as my water ran out and next time I really should plan better and as I stood on the isolated platform in the middle of nowhere I hid in to shadow like a small animal trying anything to cool myself down. Luckily the train arrived right on time and I took the simple ride back to the car.

New Rubber:

Due to my comments above I was getting a little nervous on what could happen on a long race if the sandals just got too much? Because of this I’d planned to leave some “normal” minimal shoes in my various drop bags just in case but I had the idea of also carrying a pair of VFF’s in my pack as a back-up at anytime. Well my slick tread VFF’s would be hard work so I did some reading and decided Vibram’s toughest shoe the Spyridon might do the trick? I searched for a pair and luckily my local specialist running shop Run Active Chelmsford had some in stock! (say “Barefoot Ian sent you for special service” lol). http://www.runactive.co.uk. Well I gave them a test run on a couple of local short trails and apart from corn fields and toes, no big issues.

Next time:

It’s been a while since my last entry and since all of the above, I’ve now run my first ultra race in sandals and picked up a new set of Luna Monos! I promise I won’t leave it so long!

"Fig rolls – sustenance of kings!" – Mr Andy Hind (a runner and the front end of Dobbin)

My training partners opinion of the powers of figs...!

Below is part of an email conversation I had with Andy on last weekends ultra training run and fuelling experiments!

I've not included Andy's input as I've not asked him if I can use it but here's what I had to say and you can work out what's happening from that I guess......? I've left it as is so hope it makes kind of sense, I have added some text just to give you a little more background.

The Emails...

"Agreed! I think we’ve stumbled onto a gem here…. I think but I need to mix them with something else though but I did the whole weekend on nothing but them and was no worse than previously (I did a half marathon Sat and 30 miles Sunday)."

"I did have some of the worse wind EVER Sunday afternoon but put that down to not “going” early in the day (sorry)."

"I’m going to try and bin gels for good now as I’m literally sick of them (plus they cost a packet if you use loads)."

"I think I’ve also decided to stop using coconut water during running but will save it for pre or post event as again I get sick of it on long runs."

"Post event I just eat LOADS. Full roast dinner and just kept drinking for the first few hours. What I did notice was that I wasn’t as dehydrated as I have been but I probably drunk a lot less than normal for that distance?"

"I drunk 500ml of water with a single Nuun tablet for the first 15 miles then another bottle for the last 15 (so carried 3ltr’s extra in a bladder for nothing). I normally refill a 750ml bottle with a single tablet (should have really use 1.5 tabs) every aid station which in an ultra will be between 5-12 miles."

"I’ve find the above very interesting as how can I drink less but be better off? One of the main differences is recently using coconut water so I’ll stop that during the race plus in long runs cannot refill from aid stations so Nuun from now on for me. I am going to try plain concentrate orange squash next time maybe with some added salt tabs as I’m trying to stop using specific sports products."

"I had slight trouble sleeping Sunday night but I normally do post big run as the body is run down but muscle pain wise I’m just a little bit sore but cycled the 24 mile commute today in record time."

And finally...

I think I'm going to stop using the GU gels I've had for now and see how the figs work out. 64p a packet at Tesco means I've a kitchen cupboard full of the things! If it doesn't work I could always build a mini fort out of them...

I compared my usual gels with the power of figs and approx. two rolls have the same amount of carbs as the gel pack. I normally consume one gel every 5 miles so simple, I needed to carry roughly two fig rolls for this distance.

The only difference in nutrition stats were the gels contained a larger amount of calories but as I was only really interested in carbs as I could take on calories via other means, I was quite happy.

Next steps...

DIY Electrolyte drinks

Room for improvement?

More racing, Cross Training and even more eating!

It’s been a few weeks since the Halstead Marathon where I finally managed to break the 4hr mark after a struggle. Since then I’ve ran a couple more races with mixed results, experimented a little more with fuelling and also stepped up the cross training by getting back on two wheels!

On your bike mate…!

A year ago I’d brought a new Chris Boardman mountain bike specifically due to recovering from my foot operation and also because I couldn’t run.

 

The Coat Rack!

I’d justified the purchase also by telling myself that it would pay for itself in no time as I’d commute to work on it everyday and think of all the fuel money I’d save! Well you guessed what happened next can’t you? Strangely the bike suffered the same fate as our cross-trainer in our bedroom but instead of clothes, the bike was used as a stand for various rubbish in the shed.

I did use the bike for a couple of days last year but just didn’t keep it up although probably not helped by the logistical nightmare of “laptops and work clothes”, the journey time was also more than doubled so I had to get up at really stupid o' clock! Well for whatever reason as I said the bike became a very nice piece of static art.

Well almost a year later and I’m in the process of training for my first 100 mile running race and I’m looking at ways of topping up fitness levels but taking the strain off the joints and cycling seemed to tick all the boxes. I dusted off the bike and took her for a spin around the block just to see if everything was still working, I then thought about ways of making the commute more maintainable so I would still want to ride to work come rain or shine!

I’m sure you know this already but I use a simple set of rules when trying anything new for the first time. It’s not rocket science but if you plan a routine that’s extreme you can do it once or twice but you will probably fail in the long run. It’s a little like my last race… start too quick and in the end it will all go wrong.

So I decided on a 3 day cycle (24 miles a day) commute Tuesday to Thursday leaving Mondays and Fridays free to drive (and deliver anything required for the week). I also knew I'd have to think about the second rule. Do something once or twice and you can easily quit but get me past that honeymoon period and this reinforced by our classic British weather where I would probably experience everything from hale to tropical heat in the same day and in a few weeks you can do anything.

A month later and I’m still cycling. I’ve missed a couple of days here and there but just carry on with the routine and I can tell you I’ve never looked forward to Fridays and Mondays so much as you start to take the little things like listening to music and heating whilst on route to work for granted

Anyway, training value? How has the above effected running? Well it’s hard to say at this early stage but I’ve stopped running as much mid-week so the training/work/wife errr I mean “life not wife” balance works better and I haven’t noticed an negative results so far in fact I’ve manage a couple of decent times.

One big bit of news on the cycling front is the fact that I took on a little project purchasing an old racing bike off the noticeboard at work for £50, stripping it down and rebuilding it as a Single Speed bike. I’d never done this before but thought they looked cool so what’s the worst thing that could happen?

The Advert

I totally guessed the gearing set-up but the conversion actually went pretty well. I took the decision to try to use it to ride to work but 24 miles a day over hilly ground would prove a test for the machine AND my legs! Well I have to admit I’ve fallen for her! A harder workout and faster times straight off the bat have relegated the top spec mountain bike back into the shed.

Post Conversion

Anyway, I’ll let you know what happens long term but so far, so good.

Baddow 10…

Last time out I’d just PB’d the Halstead marathon and was basking in the fact I’d finally broken sub-4 hours. Well where normal people (and I don’t qualify as one) usually put their feet up for a week post run, I was lining up at the start line in Great Baddow with …. you guessed it Mr Andy Hind (of previous blog entries fame).

This 10 mile road race isn’t normally on my schedule but a place came up via elite club runner Nikki Brockbank who couldn’t run and considering I can walk to the start I was in. The collective plan in this race was to start as quick as possible and try to maintain the pace. 10 miles is a strange race distance for an ultra-runner as it’s almost sprint like but still not really short. Andy led the way and set the pace and I was struggling. I always hate the first couple of miles of any race and this fast pace didn’t help.

Eventually I started to settle and I got into a rhythm, I’d moved slightly ahead of Andy but we were in the same pack that was now pushing hard up a 1 mile long hill which passed my house. I waved to my son who was walking the dog and then it was head back down and push on. I was slowing a little but kept on the heels of the people in front and was having some success hanging in there. We got to the top of the hill and then we could freewheel back down hill. I took the brakes off and let gravity do its stuff.

It was then that I turned around and I noticed that my partner in crime Andy was nowhere to be seen? For a few seconds I wondered what I should do but I was now with a couple of other runners from our club so decided to just keep going (I later saw Andy at the finish as he’d had to pull out due to a hip injury). I’d only ran this race once before and I hoped to get close to my PB as I still felt strong from last week, I was enjoying myself and on schedule to get close to that last time so just kept pushing, I got to the last turn before the finish and just as I approached the line I could see the clock and managed a PB’d by about a minute, that was 2 in 2 weeks!

Capital Racing…

More than happy with my progress so far I carried forward my new found enthusiasm to London town where the whole Brazier family were running in the Bupa Westminster Mile. This was going to be a simple slow jog around part of the London marathon finish area near Buckingham Palace. Part of the proceedings for the day was the opportunity to meet some of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic teams and the children were looking forward to meeting them.

As I’d recently observed that the lack of true “barefoot” running material on the log so the Luna Flip Flops came off and I was running around the streets of the capital without footwear. First impressions? You would have thought that the Queen would have spent a little more money and got the road surface a little smoother.

It wasn’t actually that bad and if I’d been travelling a little faster then I think it wouldn’t have been so much of an issue but I was getting that familiar barefoot burn but was probably more to do with the lack of practice, post run the feet were a little sensitive in the forefoot area but fine. The funniest thing about the short run was the crowds though. There were 30 separate small races during the day that set off back to back and no one was really trying too hard. We ran past a large bunch of Japanese tourists who noticed my lack of footwear and must have assumed I was some form of celeb as they started going mental shouting and screaming at me. I smiled and waved back as my wife was wetting herself next to me.

Mr Wolf meets the Brazier's

Post run, the family finally managed to meet up with David Weir, Richard Whitehead and Mo Farah! It was a great day, check it out next year.

It’s a sprint NOT a marathon…!

Next up was yet another road race. I’m not a lover of these but they always help to keep me motivated and are better than endless training runs. This time the distance dropped even lower as again the family travelled this time to the Hatfield Broad Oak 10k. This race is probably one of the prettiest races in Essex as you run around the picture postcard village.

I had no idea or plan to follow before the race but I was interested in seeing how the long distance training would effect this short race especially as this was my PB course. I started the event quickly and tried to keep going as fast as I could (the usual default plan). It was a warm day and I soon noticed that I was struggling and it was hurting. I got to the top of the short hill at the start and eased off a little but mentally I think I had already thrown the towel in as I felt so slow and couldn't see myself getting faster. After approx. 3 miles though I realised that I wasn't as shattered as I thought and when I tested myself with an injection of pace and didn’t have any issues I kicked myself for not trying harder earlier, I then dropped a gear and increased the pace from Baddow 10 speed.

I latched onto the back of a slightly faster runner in front and kept running with them all the way in and I'm sure I negative split the second half of the race and finished only 30 seconds off my PB. Lesson well and truly learned! Lack of strategy slipping into long distance mode had resulted in missing out on my 3rd PB in as many weeks by seconds.

No actually it is a marathon NOT a sprint…!

The last road planned road race of the year for me was the Kent Road Runner marathon. This differed from a normal road marathon as it was 17 laps of a cycle circuit. The race director is a guy I work with and is a serious ultra runner and I'd been told it was relatively flat so good for PB's and you never know, could another sub 4 be possible?

Well the venue was very impressive and the track seemed a lot bigger than I imagined, I'd thought it would be almost an oval but it was just under 2 miles of winding perfect tarmac... Oh and it was also built on the side of a hill!

The organisation was impressive with everything running as clock work and soon when the race started I was running just over 8 min miles encouraged by Mr Paul Bridges from our club, the first few laps passed quickly and I did actually think the time and miles were going to fly but that thought wasn't to last.

The actual course was generally undulating but on one side featured a long steep steady incline up to the start finish. This wasn't bad but large enough especially as you had to do it 17 times! Everything looked good until about 16 miles when the fast start caught up. I'd actually managed to open a gap between me and Paul when he had answered the call of nature but he was now back and carried on straight past. By now the course was starting to get to me as we went round and my mood dipped. I was now doing approx. 8:50's and every minute that pace got slower until we had 10k left to do in under an hour, this should have been achievable but the wheels well and truly flew off.... Paul managed 3:58 in the end and I followed in 4:02. To be honest I'm happy to get my second fastest ever marathon time.

I'm convinced that if I'd started slower, I would have had the energy left at the end but I also don't regret giving a different strategy a go.

The race was completely different to any other marathon I'd done and I noticed a lot of ultra runners I knew taking part opposed to the "racing snakes" in the normal road races. All in all a good event and a real mental test, totally harder than I imagined! Back next year? Hmmmm we'll see!

What's up next? Longer training runs, more back to backs and a couple of LDWA Challenge Events building up to my first 100 miles.

Marathon Man

Return to Road Running, Alternative Fuels and Running Fast.

The build up...
 
A couple of weeks of build up and the day had finally arrived that I swore would NEVER happen again! Yes I was running another road marathon…
 
I’d spent the last couple of weeks also changing the way I fuelled for these type of events. Out went the Nuun Hydration tablets and it was hello to the Coconut Water. I’d got on with Nuun hydration tabs quite well in the past but during the SDW50 I’d found myself too dehydrated post event but I thought I needed to up the dose as I was using one tab per 750ml bottle of water and the recommended dose was one tab per 500.
 
As you’ve hopefully read previously, after reading various articles on the magical hydration capabilities of Coconuts I thought I’d test it to see if it worked for me especially in anger? I’d been drinking this frequently and also combined it with the Chia Seeds which were supposed to give you some energy at the same time. I guess together they could replace Hydration tabs AND carb gels (fingers crossed).
 
During the recent spring "heat wave" I’d had reasonable results using the above on various runs with the water leaving me feeling psychologically refreshed if not maybe physically and it was time to put these tests into practice.
 
In the mix...
 
One of the key things to anything “home grown” is the preparation! I’d been caught out a couple of times in practice and so I was taking my time to get it right for the race. I’d entered the Halstead marathon only because I had to run that distance for ultra training so thought I’d also test and see how ultra training effected a 26.2 mile road race?
 
Halstead is a quality event run really well and and also features the capability to supply your own drinks to be put out on the course just like the elite runners do at London etc. I decided to use the same Nestle water bottles from the London Marathon that I’d used in training for this event and modified the spout to support the capability to drink the Chia Seeds without the “clogging issue”.
 

I’d mixed the seeds with the water the night before in order to soak them and allow them to expand which makes them easier to consume during exercise. I’d filled 3 bottles with my magic mixture and labelled them with my race number and also the number of the aid station they were to be placed at (miles 6, 12 and 18). I also decided to use an ultra-marathon trick I’d learnt and filled half a bottle with flat full fat cola for mile 22. I thought if I hit a low at this point, I thought this might help? what’s the worst that could happen?
 
The final step was to deploy yet another ultra piece of advice I’d been given and asked my 8 year old daughter to design some labels with various good luck messages to me. This hopefully would give me an extra morale boast if feeling low.
 

 
Scream for speed...
 
I was picked up by my “other, other half” Mr Andy Hind and we were soon parking up at the race HQ and getting our last minute admin sorted. We dropped our bottles to the collection point for the course (top tip, remember what aid station you placed them at) and I stored my gels that I was going to use (5 in total). At this point I’d like to give another shout out to Andy for his experiment regarding gels. He, like me had found using gels a little “hit or miss” so this race he would be following the manufacturers guide for consumption and was to use 11 during the event (accident waiting to happen?)
 
Everyone was talking pace during the build up the the start. There were a huge mixed bunch of runners mainly split between “get around and enjoy” to “full speed ahead”. My tactics were quite simple and I’d decided to start as if I was trying to get a sub 4hr time and see how long I could hold that for. It was exactly the same plan I’d used for the last couple of marathons but for some reason I always seemed to “blow up” “at 14 miles on race day.
 
The race was off and for once the weather looked as if it wouldn’t be scorching as usual and it was actually mild and slightly overcast. I started to settle in on this roller coaster of a course and looked at the watch to see I was running a steady 8:40/min mile pace. I was aware this was a little quicker than expected but I felt ok and if experience taught me anything I’d need that time in the bank later.
 
By the time I got to the first of my drinks at 6 miles, I was feeling slightly guilty to everyone I told on the start line that this course was actually flat with only a couple of climbs as that was a blatant lie! Not on purpose honestly but “roller-coaster” sums this race up for me physically and later I’d find emotionally. I grabbed my bottle from the aid station crew (great volunteers including a large amount of air cadets) and the different taste to plain water was a welcome distraction. I wasn’t too sure about how I’d handle the chia seeds during a race but they weren’t actually that bad despite the comments from the crew members on how it looked!
 

 
By 12 miles I was coming up to the dreaded halfway point and also my second drink on the course. I was still feeling ok at this time and I was even passing a few people that I’d normally be behind (everyone was obviously on different plans and many had also done back-to-back long runs). I was careful not to start celebrating too soon as I’d been here before and the wheels well and truly fell off.
 
I got the point in the course where you turn left for the second lap or right for the finish and by the crossover point on this figure of eight course I was still feeling reasonable especially and there was great support from fellow club members and Fetchies from the Fetch Everyone social running site. As I approached the biggest hill on the course for the second time, the weather was starting to warm up and I was finally starting to get that familiar feeling where the energy slows starts to fade and things become hard.
 
 
Dig in lads, this is the “real thing”...
 
The battle for a sub 4hr marathon had begun. I wouldn't let myself walk at any time! to me that was simple. I’d given enough advice to people recently including my daughter and wife and said the key to running was the transition point from walking so I felt I’d be a hypocrite if I did it now but I was slowing more and more. I kept asking myself how could the same road I was running earlier so easily now feel so hard? By now I’d had to look almost continuously at the bottle in my hand and at the message my daughter had written “Well done Daddy”, well I was "done" alright, down but not quite out.
 

Still I trudged onwards running from mile marker to mile marker noticing that the time between them was increasing combined with the fact that the people I’d run with for hours had one-by-one left me and I now seemed like the only person running. I got to the 18 mile point and things were starting to really get to me. This was the point where I picked up my last chia bottle and I realised I still had half a bottle on me despite me sipping all the way around. I felt like throwing the bottle at the smiling aid station staff at this point as I was a little sick with coconut water, chia seeds and defiantly sick of running! (actually the drink wasn't even that bad). Reading this back now, I think how stupid I was compared to people that really have serious things to worry about.
 
In my head I was now on my hands and knees and I was waiting for Andy and the rest of the crew to come flying past but then by some form of miracle noticed I was still catching up people I’d normally finish well behind so it looked like we were all in the same battle, maybe things weren’t as bad as I thought? I decided to just keep moving until I reached my last bottle at around the 22 mile point where I deployed my last secret weapon, time to deploy the cola! This had worked for me on the SDW50 and all I needed as I little kick to keep me going, 8:40’s were now history and I was now averaging 8:55’s and any slower and the goal was gone.
 
Crossroads...
 
As I approached the crossroads on the course where the Striders were camped out in force, I actually got to a metaphorical “crossroads” in the race :) I noticed I could probably back off now as I was close enough to the finish to get a PB (a good result on this course) or keep I could keep pushing? As I saw the Striders for the last time I made my mind up to give it everything I could. I then looked at the watch with a mile to go and I had just over 15 minutes left so in theory I could fast walked to a sub 4 finish and it was at this point that I allowed myself a little sigh of relief.
 
I got to the road where the finish was and I still didn’t know for sure if I truly was going to get the time I was after as I’d not looked at elapsed time on the Suunto watch and I asked myself "was my pace correct?" I took the last sharp turn left into the finish line and I could see the clock as I passed under 3 hrs 55 minutes!
 
I almost cried as I finished and still didn’t believe it until a good friend came over and congratulated me breaking this milestone. I was totally spent with almost nothing left but felt on top of the world. I’d waited 4 years to beat my PB and I’d also managed to break the magical 4 hr mark at the same time. I understand some people will read this and think sub-4 isn’t actually quick but remember I don’t do any specific marathon training or any real speed work and everything I do is now geared towards long off-road so everything is an experiment.
 
Had the chia seeds and coconut water worked? Well I never “hit the wall” and the lull I felt was manageable today so I honestly think it did help. Next time out I’ll start weaning myself off gels and see what happens with that?
 
Sub-3:30 anyone?