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?