Just A Walk In The Park - Likeys Beacons Ultra, 16th Nov 2013

It seems such a long time ago but, in fact, the disaster in the Elan Valley swamps on Exercise Cambrian Patrol was a mere 4 weeks ago. This was probably the lowest of the low points that had stricken my planned preparation for this year's Beacons Ultra. On the plus side, the good thing about the lowest of low points is that things can only improve. I did think that there was no way I was going to complete the Ultra due to the restriction of training due to my collateral ligament issue and the demoralising effect of Cambrian.

The effort and attainment in the Snowdonia Marathon perked me up somewhat with the confirmation that I could at least not forfeit the entry fee and pre-booked hotel by turning up in Talybont and cracking out 1 lap of this wonderful course. The next couple of weeks training, including a couple of reasonably big hitters confirmed this belief so I set my stall out for 1 lap plus a bit further down the canal bank to make up marathon distance..

This was the plan until only last week when inspiration beat me around the head as described in my previous post. I knew that I'd manage the one lap OK and I decided that I knew enough about the course to be able to mentally steer myself around the second and complete the full distance. If it took me the whole 15 hours to complete the course then so be it. At least I would still make it to the quiz!!

As it transpired, I crossed the finish line a whole hour faster than last year with an 800mtr sprint finish that Mo Farah himself would have been proud of and one which gained me 4 places on the finishers list.

The 10hrs 30mins was not without incident, nor did I finish unscathed. Quite early in the day, I bemoaned the lack of portaloos. I won't go into the gory details but there was an unplanned comfort break involving a handful or 3 of leaves. The improvisation worked well enough but contributed to some uncomfortable chafing which started around the 20 mile mark. I was also having a bit of trouble with something rubbing my back, which again caused some uncomfortable chafing.

Nice arse, sore back!

I managed to block out these things and soldiered on manfully passing the half way point in 4:50. I knew now that, even if I walked the rest of the way, I would be back inside 12 hours. I had, however also found a comfortable running rhythm towards the end of lap 1 and decided to continue that on the flats and power walk the inclines.

By the time I passed The Gap for the second time, I knew that 10 and a half was definitely on and pushed on with increased vigour. That vigour sharply stopped on reaching tarmac with a stabbing pain in my anterior tibialis ligament (lower shin) Again, a good dose of MTFU helped me to run in patches but occasionally it would bring me to an abrupt halt. On reaching the canal bank for the last 2 and a bit miles, the pain subsided enough for me to get back into the rhythm. And with the aforementioned power finish 10hrs 30m was hot almost bang on (by my watch anyway).

Other things probably helped throughout the day - consistent food and liquid intake, including Nuun tablets, fantastic weather for the time of year, marvellous scenery, knowledge of the course and a decent playlist of tunes on my phone. Above all though, I believe I was mentally prepared and it is this that I will take forward to future events, most notably the G2G next year and, if I can plan it and Martin and his team will have me, the 6633 Ultra in 2015.

Ah, yes the marvellous scenery. Here's a brief interlude of pics

The falsest of false horizons

Who needs to go abroad?

Due to the early finish I not only made it to the quiz (well by question 3 anyway) but managed to fit a nice long bath and decent power nap in beforehand. A couple of points on the quiz for Martin if he's reading this:

1. Gareth Bale signed for Real Madrid not Barcelona so technically the answer to that question was £0
2. Can you repeat Q13?

In closing this post I have to admit that I had pretty much made my mind up to do nothing now until after Christmas but I'm so chuffed with myself that it would be criminal not to ride the crest of this wave and push in and improve my performance. I know that my time didn't set the world on fire as everyone I spoke to after seemed to have finished about 2 hours before me but, with all the setbacks beforehand, I think I've reasons to be optimistic, especially if my lovely lady keeps up her level of support.

Here's to 2014

Inspiration Sir? Don't Mind If I Do

Yesterday I posted, on Facebook, a brief RIP for rugby league player Steve Prescott who died of a rare form of stomach cancer aged just 39 years old.

As is the case with rugby players of both codes, Steve was not the kind of guy to take a backward step. I had the fortune to see Steve play a few times in his St Helens days, most notably in the 1996 Challenge Cup Final. This was probably one of the greatest Cup Finals in rugby league history and Steve banged in two tries from full back helping Saints to beat the Bradford Bulls 40 - 32.

When Steve was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, he was given just a few months to live. The fact that he managed 7 years again shows the spirit of the man. Nor did he sit around waiting to die but started the Steve Prescott Foundation raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Christie NHS Foundation and TryAssist RFL Benevolent Fund

Just last year Steve accomplished a massive challenge. In the space of a week he completed the Paris marathon, cycled from Paris to Calais, rowed across the Channel, cycled to London and ran the London Marathon.

Legend and hero are words often overused in sport these days but, in the case of Steve Prescott MBE, they couldn't be more appropriate.

It is all of the above that has motivated me to push through the entirety of the Beacons Ultra this coming Saturday no matter how long it takes or how much it hurts. Due to a worrying lack of training, I had thought of giving the first loop a bit of effort and then putting my feet up in the hotel room before enjoying a beer or eight on Saturday evening, however I would be doing an injustice to Steve's memory.

So to Martin and all his team around the course, if you see me trying to take the easy option then politely remind me of everything I have just said and ask them to keep me a pint to one side in the pub.

Next week's post should be interesting.

Why, He Could Be Greased Lightning

A week has gone by since the suffering in Snowdonia and I can safely say that training has gone well. A couple of good treadmill sessions at work in the week plus over an hour yesterday and over 2 hours this afternoon. I can't say with confidence that I'll get round the whole Beacons Ultra and won't know for sure until the day but I'll certainly manage 1 lap of 23 miles plus push on for a wee bit longer to get the marathon distance under my belt. See how that is going and make a decision then. Training will still be for the full distance with a 90mins treadmill session planned for tomorrow.

I've paid for the entry and for B&B so it'd be a shame to waste that outlay. Plus, at the third time of asking, I can attend the customary post race quiz night and help England regain some self respect following what is becoming an annual slaughter at the hands of the Welsh!!

Now enough of this nonsense and back to Grease on Channel 4!!

Glad I Cut My Toenails

I have always said that I could wake up any day of the week and churn out a marathon. How I finish the distance is another matter completely and that is dependent on a number of things, not least the amount of training put in. Yesterday pretty much proved that statement to the letter.

The Snowdonia marathon is widely acknowledged as one of the toughest around. It's not the sort of race where you can just turn up with next to no training under your belt and nail it. However, having taken an overdose of MTFU, I turned up at the start with next to no training under my belt and nailed it!! Well, I didn't exactly nail it but I got round and even managed a sprint finish with a smile on my face.

Before the Pain

The weather forecast did not promise that conditions would be great with showers and winds all day. But, with forecasters generally being the sort of people who would struggle to know what the weather was doing if they looked out of the window, the race passed with very little in the way of precipitation and winds only really getting up on the high ground. I was actually grateful for a decent tail wind almost all the way from Beddgelert to Waunfawr.

The lack of training became apparent quite early as I could feel the burn in my quads and calves on the descent to Llyn Gwynant at only 7 miles and I did start to think about an early exit but a combination of the aforementioned MTFU coupled with some amazing scenery meant the miles ticked off with a decent regularity and I only really began to hurt properly after the steep ascent from Waunfawr to Bwlch Y Groes.

As the ground levelled off I tried to break into a jog again, which proved exceedingly difficult as everything had seized up. No matter, it was a mere 3 miles to the finish line and the sun had started to break through the clouds. All was well.

Almost Home :)

There was one last twist, which led to the title of this post. For the uninitiated the constant pounding of toes into shoes across 26.2 miles can have quite a severe effect, as I had discovered during MdS last year when I lost 5 toenails. This effect of the pounding is exacerbated on downhill runs when trying to slow the descent. And, just as the climb from Waunfawr had been cheekily steep, the descent to Llanberis was equally so. Had I not trimmed the old tootsies, I would have been pulling a nail or two off in a couple of days. You just can't beat experience.

4:47 is the slowest time I have done for the marathon without any weight on my back ( I don't really count the 4kg or so I had with my Camelbak and goretex) but it was possibly one of the more satisfying of the 30 I have now completed, mainly due to the challenge faced and conquered. I now have 3 weeks to push on with some quality training on the back of this and be ready for the Beacons Ultra. More suffering awaits but isn't that why we run?

As a post script, I found one more thing to be thankful for on the drive home. Cruise control, enough said.

Chance for Redemption

Of the 3 events I mentioned in the last post, I'm currently 0 for 1. The Cambrian Patrol did not go particularly well with the team (well, mainly me) suffering in the swamps of the Elan Valley. Things had started well enough, however getting soaking wet feet and legs from spending around 4 hours trying to get through 3km followed by a subsequent 8km on hard metalled roads had a debilitating effect and I made the decision, as the commander, to end the suffering (mainly mine). There is always the thought that maybe I could have pushed us on to see where we ended up but I felt that could result in injury so I'm happy with the decision, which was justified later that night as I struggled to get up the 50 metres of steep road carrying only a chicken kebab and 4 pack of San Miguel!! No-one from the many we have spoken to since holds us in any disregard so we'll learn the lessons and strive for success next year.

Anyhoo, tomorrow gives me the chance for a spot of redemption in the shape of the Snowdonia Marathon.There are certainly easier events - click for profile - I could have chosen to regain self respect and, with only a week passing since Cambrian, I am likely to be a tad sore on Saturday night. But as the wise man once said, when you fall off the horse the best thing to do is get straight back on.

Now where did I put those MTFU pills?

A Bit Busy?

Haven't trained much lately so my upcoming schedule seems a bit daunting. Andy the physio is not going to be too impressed when I see him tomorrow and own up to what I'm going to be up to with my sore collateral ligament over the next 4 weeks.

First up and starting at 06:00 on Friday morning is Exercise Cambrian Patrol. Yes, it transpired that our young chosen one made the decision not to take part as a result of his injury so I have stepped up to the plate and will lead the team on a 60k-ish patrol across some of the most challenging terrain in Wales completing various military tasks along the way. This will last around 45hrs during which time the team will snatch about 2hrs sleep at the most.

As a sort of masochistic warm down, the following Saturday, I will line up for the Snowdonia Marathon, which is widely acknowledged as one of the toughest 26.2 miles to be found anywhere in the country.

As if all of that wasn't enough there is the many times mentioned Likeys Beacons Ultra on 16th Nov. So that's over 100m of events in 4 weeks on the back of training amounting to next to bugger all.

How hard can it be? Watch this space for tales of derring do!!

Men and Medical

Men and medical. Two words that both start with the same two letters so should have something in common and yet are diametrically opposed! What is it about men that makes them loathe to seek medical advice and then, when they get it, ignore it completely. It's as though taking the advice is like signing a contract of emasculation!

Last week I went to see the physio at work (coz it's FREE!) and after a good pull, twist, poke and prod along with a number of searching questions, Andy decided that I have collateral ligament stress with possibly a slight meniscal tear, which should be able to repair itself. He gave me some exercises to do and advised (there's the get out clause) not to run for a week or two and then build up slowly again. With the Beacons Ultra looming on the horizon this was a hard agreement to make but, looking at the long term, made a lot of sense.

The day after I set off down to Brecon and the delights of Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA) for a week to prepare some young bucks for the trials and tribulations of Exercise Cambrian Patrol . In line with my discussions with Andy, I left my running kit at home, packed my Swiss ball and set of for God's country...

SENTA - God's Country

...and then it all fell apart!! I did my ball exercises, heel lifts, back arches an the like as promised. I didn't run as promised. What I did do was spend the week tabbing all over the area with daysack and webbing following the blokes, conducting recces and generally doing what people do on SENTA culminating in a 12 mile self-induced thrashing trying to make it to a pick up point on time after a solo recce.

Scarpa Terra GTX - COMFY!

During the training the team commander, a chap half my age, managed to sprain his ankle. His age and fitness should hopefully see him recover in time to lead the patrol in 2 weeks time. If not then Plans B - Z are yours truly!! Potentially I could be the oldest person ever to lead a Cambrian Patrol team! Gulp! This gave me the excuse to nip into Cotswold and buy some new boots but I can't really see Andy being too impressed when I have my next appointment on the day we travel down for the exercise!!

Men, eh?

Stop Press

My comment yesterday about my knee pain disappearing has proven to be a false dawn as it has hurt like buggery today. Self diagnosis has led me to think that I need a new leg so I have booked in with the physio at work so he can reassure me that my existing one will be OK and then tell me not to run for the next few weeks, which will not be easy.

Watch this space...

Kit Test

An Army Reserve adventurous training weekend doesn't come around all that often so when one did this weekend I took the opportunity to test out some new purchases:

Inov8 Terrafly-343-GTX    purchased from www.sportspursuit.com (sorry Martin) £59.70 plus p&p

Under Armour 3/4 Leggings  purchased from Likeys (am I forgiven?) £29.99 plus p&p

Saturday 7th Sept

Scene of much dampness!

As Snowdonia weather goes it wasn't really that bad. It certainly was raining but it was coming straight down as opposed to sideways and peeling off bits of your face. Also it wasn't torrential rain but that fine rain that gets you wet- very wet!! 

Clad from head to toe in goretex including the aforementioned trail shoes we set off from Llyn Ogwen up towards Llyn Bochlwyd, scrambled up to Bristly Ridge, skirted round Glyder Fawr and back down Y Gribin to the start point. 

At the Ogwen visitor centre I stripped off my outer layers and, although my golfing waterproofs turned out to be not so, my feet were bone dry. The shoes had been comfortable, sturdy, flexible with good grip on some tricky underfoot conditions. I had just one pair of trail socks and was very pleased to find not the slightest trace of a blister. 

Cantilever stone with Laney

The 3/4 leggings had proven of equal worth with no evidence of chafing on my more susceptible areas and were so lightweight and comfortable that I hardly noticed they were on.

Such quality deserves reward so, once all bodies were safely down, we headed back to base via the Pen Y Gwryd Hotel for a couple of swifties and to view some of the climbing history that the hotel is famous for. 

Sunday 8th Sept

I decided today to avoid the crowds so, whilst groups went off mountain biking, wall climbing and kayaking, I took myself and my new kit off to Newborough for a trot around the forest trails. The heavy rain that morning had ceased as I arrived at the car park but had left plenty of evidence that it had been around, which again out the Inov8s to the test. And once again they came up trumps.

All in all I am extremely pleased to have 2 quality items which will serve me well over the coming weeks and on the Beacons Ultra in November.

Another plus form the weekend is that the curious knee pain that has bothered me for about the past 6 weeks seems to be easing. I think I can chalk this up as a good weekend.

Fingers Out

Started something resembling a structured training programme this week with the 46 mile Likeys Beacons Ultra in mind. Just as well really as a cursory peek at the website revealed that I'll be on the start line 11 weeks today! Gulp!

Anyhoo, the week has gone well with a mixture of speedy sessions, plodding sessions, treadmill and a 2 hour tab in Snowdonia thrown in for good measure. I'll be off out for the 'long run' later today. 'Long' is stretching it as I'm only doing 10 miles but don't want to be hammering big miles straight away and doing myself a mischief. I'll be looking to increase each week to a point that I'll be hitting marathon distance by week 7. Nice rest day tomorrow and then back on it Monday morning.

House move is getting closer. Solicitors are never ones to rush anything but I wish he would take a leaf out of my book and get his finger out. Getting impatient for runs on the 'on my doorstep' coastal path!

Last on the finger out command is P&O who still haven't revealed their annual offer their 2 for 1 mini cruises to Bruges so have bit the bullet and booked the hotel already. Hope they actually do it this year!! We're going the week after the Ultra so it'll be a nice reward. Especially for a few beers in one of the World's greatest pubs. Aaaah, beer!

Sh*t Just Got Real

Bad Boys Hear Dan's News

Well that's that sorted. Been to the bank and paid $1000 deposit so that's me officially entered. Experience from MdS tells me that the next 13 months will zoom by so I need to get on top of things now.

House purchase is progressing well and when that completes it will be a massive bonus for training due to location. I've started the kit list and revising my MdS menu. It worked well at the time but 7 days of noodles was a bit mind numbing. I have a few variations in mind and will fine tune that in the coming months.

First big test is in November when I return for my 3rd go at the Likeys Beacons Ultra. Having jibbed after one lap in 2011, I managed the full 46 miles last year albeit in a comparitively slow 11.5 hours. Objective for this year is to knock at least an hour off that time, which I reckon is doable. All will be revealed in due course.

Haven't decided on a charity yet or indeed if I will be running for charity. It is quite energy consuming badgering people for sponsorship as there are so many people doing so many things these days.

Any messages of support over the next year and a bit will be most welcome.

No I'm Not a Nutter

Strange, isn't it that the first comment posted on Facebook when I announced I had an entry in the 2014 staging of The Grand to Grand Ultra was "Nutter!" My view was somewhat different, that only a nutter, when presented with an opportunity like this, would walk away from it. 

Those who decide to click on the G2G link and view pictures of the event will see some of the most stunning scenery you will see anywhere in the world. I'm sure the reality will be even more impressive. Starting on the north rim of the Grand Canyon is motivation enough for me; all else is a massive bonus. I'm reminded of Forrest Gump when he was describing to Jenny some of the sights he'd seen. 

That is a very brief picture of the fantasy part of it. The realism is that I have to fork out $1000 in the next week to secure my place. Hopefully I will do a better job of gaining corporate support than I did for Marathon des Sables and won't have to live on bean on crumb for too long.

Anyhoo, I hope this blog proves to be as well received as my last effort and I hope the run is even more successful. I'll update it and make it a bit jazzier as time progresses but for now, this is yer lot!

Oh, and I shouldn't sign off this first post without a vote of thanks to my lovely lady, Claire, who is behind this venture all the way. Love you babe, hope I live up to your expectations.