Ultrarunning World Article: Western States Training Diary

Our Scottish weather may be taking some time to catch up, but spring is officially here! And with the change in clocks comes a three month countdown until the biggie. My March training has been all about heat and hills - here is the latest training diary I've written for ultrarunningworld.co.uk.

Week in Review...

Morning on Calton

Sickness and Snow
It's been a strange week - sickness, snow, stress at work. Last weekend I wasn't capable of training at all after developing some kind of noro virus like lurgy. I had to cancel my first heat training session at Napier (it wouldn't have been pretty) then a group run in the Pentlands.

This week I'm relieved to be back on track, and managed 3 days of hilly morning and afternoon runs, albeit plodding pretty slowly. Its official, I'm obsessed with running up Calton Hill as the sun rises and sets.

The treads

After the first day of snowfall, running on the soft powder was so much fun, using the snow treads my friend Andy Cole gave me - they are amazing, once you get over breaking your fingernails trying to stretch them round your trainers. Basically snow tyres for feet. Once the snow began to melt into a slush they just ended up cutting through and clicking down hard on the pavement though, so it was time to take them off. The looks from passers by due to the sheer noise coming from my feet was too much!

Speyside Way
We are heading up to the beautiful Cairngorms later on to stay with friends and I'm planning a day long run tomorrow on the Speyside Way, with maybe a bit of hill walking thrown in on Sunday.

Later on this year in August, I am signed up to run the 36-mile Speyside Way Race, so it will be good to scope and re-familiarise with part of the trail for this. I had a brilliant experience there in 2011 and was registered last year but had to defer due to the post-West Highland Way achilles injury. Lets hope I make it there this year after the Western States!

UltrAspire Surge Review
I also recently wrote another gear review for UltrAspire, this time for the Surge hydration pack, my first foray into hydration packs and most definitely a positive one. See the review on the Ultrarunning World site.

Next week I try again - Thursday brings the first Napier session and speed intervals will resume!

If Carlsberg did Ultras...

After all the obsessive planning and scheduling involved in Western States training, I reverted to impulsive form a couple of weeks back when Mark Cooper mentioned he was due to run the Endurance Life Northumbria Ultra soon, one of their Coastal Trail Series. I took a look at their website, which to a backdrop of stunning images of sandy beaches and sunshine read '98% full'. Too tempting. Having nothing on that weekend apart from a 30 mile training run - this race would end up being 34 miles - I signed up there and then. I'd never been to Northumbria - not counting East Coast Mainline - so wanted to explore there anyway.

It all serendipitously came together when my friend Julie decided to join me to explore Holy Island and the general surrounds. She even managed to get us a cottage for the whole weekend, courtesy of her kind friend from the area, so we headed down to the little fishing village called Craster on Friday night to settle in. We arrived to a night sky awash with stars and a house already cosy with the coal fire left on for us. Happy Friday indeed.

View from Bamburgh Castle Registration

And so the next morning we drove the 13 miles back up the coast to race registration in Bamburgh. And what a registration location - without a doubt the most stunning one I've seen to date - Bamburgh Castle, which was bathed in glowing morning light from the sun which had just risen. I had all of 10 minutes to register, grab my timing chip and do some general faffing and photo taking before hopping on the bus that would take us out to the start, inland in a town called Alnwick. It was great to catch up with Mark and his friend Tony Holland on the bus and hear about their plans for the year...Tony is taking on the West Highland Way Race and the Lakeland too - exciting stuff.

After a pretty comprehensive briefing from Endurance Life, including words on respect for the environment and a challenge to pick up at least one piece of litter, we set off across a series of fields and paths. After a wrong turn for 100 metres or so taken by the entire field of around 70, we got back on track that would take us 6 or 7 miles out to the coast. The rest of the course was brilliantly well marked with the consistent branding of Endurance Life and getting on to the coastal path at Alnmouth was just lovely, with the expanse of blue sky and sea all around us and soft sandy paths weaving through the dune system. I hit the first check point at 6.7 miles in 1.02 hrs and stopped only to tear my jacket off and stuff it into my hydration pack - the UltrAspire Surge, which I have completely fallen for. Its so lightweight I hardly notice it and has zero bounce and fantastic little fuel pockets.

Reaching the coastal path for the first time at Alnmouth

The route travelled up the coastal path for 20 miles, threading through little villages and towns - first Boulmer then Howick, Craster, Beadnell, Newton, Seahouses and Bamburgh. As per the typical Endurance Life event there were a number of races being held, a 10k, half marathon, marathon and the ultra. The marathon was setting off from where we did shortly after, and later on the fastest runners would begin to overtake us.

At around mile 12 the Norwegian girl who'd been behind me caught up and we chatted for a while before she sped off. I had to remind myself more than once to run my own race and of my promise to Julie that this would be a training run only.

I tried to keep my pace steady and didn't stop at any of the other checkpoints apart from the check the timing chip in and grab a handful of sweets:

CP2: Howick - 12.7 miles 1.51 hrs
CP3: Newton - 18.7 miles 2: 51 hrs
CP4: Seahouses - 24.6 miles 3.46 hrs

I was just enjoying the peace, soaking up the sun and scenery, and was on my own for much of the remainder, apart from around mile 20 when I passed Tony. He was struggling with gastro problems, mentioning a 65 mile treadmill run he'd done for charity last weekend might have been too much!  I also ran past a few other guys when we made it down onto the beach at Beadnell. One was one of the 'Vegan Runners' crew and mentioned I was moving into sixth place overall. The beach sections between paths were free and so much fun, apart from the seemingly endless final beach section into Bamburgh, where the marathon runners started passing us and heading up to the castle for the finish. Us ultra runners had to veer right round the castle instead for the final 8 mile loop, north around the paths and roads of Bamburgh to return to the same beach section and finish. Just as we started the final section I was passed again by another girl - who turned out to be the sister of the Norwegian girl in second place. Then all of a sudden Julie appears cheering in the dunes - a welcome support and encourgement not to slow and lose focus.

Me plodding up the final hill to the castle

I found some energy from a Trek bar and pushed on, overtaking the girl again once we were round the side of the castle and heading up a hilly road. I thought she would follow in suit but she stayed back. I headed into another field section, where for the only time during the race the signage seemed to disappear. I did a few 180's until I spotted signage on the main road over the wall and promptly hopped over to get back on track. The tarmac went on and on - and every time I expected the signage to turn us logically back toward the castle we were sent off in the opposite direction, with the sun now beating down on us unrelentingly. Finally, after another field section the beach appeared again, and all of a sudden I was running the same stretch down towards the castle - a bit groundhog day but not exactly uninspiring scenery to be stuck with!

After the final cheeky little hill up to the castle finish line I was done, in 5.31. And pretty dehydrated given I hadn't refilled my hydration pack for the entire race. I was only over the finish line for 2 seconds when the Endurance Life team handed me a print out of my splits - who needs a Garmin! We were all confused about placing - the team included - as the first Norwegian girl had done a disappearing act and the second wasn't in yet either, so it turned out I'd come second female, and third overall, despite my print out stating eighth overall. The ladies came in 10 minutes after and it transpired the first had not taken the final turn off up the hill to the castle finish and continued running along the beach. Quite a few of the guys running had also decided to call it a day for one reason or another at marathon distance, which the organisers had spelled out would be possible and a finishing time still given. Chris Jackson won in 5.05 with Lizzie Wraith close at his heels, first female and second overall in 5.07. There ended up being 4 ladies in the top 5.

Race Results

So what else can I say - spectacular route, professional and seamless race directing, brilliantly marked course, sunshine, seascapes and later in the weekend, sticky toffee pudding. Julie and I even managed a lovely recovery run the next day alond the Craster section of the route, to soak up more of the scenery and surroundings whilst we could.

The beach at Bamburgh

The only slight (but barely there) negative would be the focus Endurance Life placed on essential kit all runners had to carry - for the ultra this included foil blanket, first aid kit, whistle, jacket etc, all of which would be spot checked and were available to buy at their shop at registration if runners didn't have them. I can understand this for a true wilderness trail race but I'm not sure it was warranted for the coastal path, which led us through villages/towns every few miles.

And now the rain has returned but at least I have the first heat training session at Napier to look forward to tomorrow. Happy running days.

Western States Training Plan

From the moment I found out I'd been drawn in the Western States lottery, I knew I had to make the most of the opportunity by committing myself wholeheartedly to the most specific training plan possible - try to train to my peak without getting injured. I don't normally struggle with motivation in actually getting out the door to train, but my track record with using the training plans I've spent time writing is not brilliant. After all, aren't plans meant to be useless, but planning essential? I've spent hours writing detailed plans and sticking to them for a few weeks but then opting instead for running to feel and balancing mileage and type of session out in my head very roughly based on what I have done already. If I want to run the best race I can in June, I have to take a more disciplined approach and ensure I get the required specificity into every training session. I guess its transferable to work in a way - would you spend weeks/months working on activities or projects without keeping to or continually referencing a plan or strategy? Answer should probably be no.

To get me into the disciplined state of mind that my winter certainly lacked, I gave up alcohol in early January - something I seriously regretted this week after a decent dose of stress at work! Nevertheless, it is amazing how quickly you adapt and accept and it already feels more than worth it.

Its fair to say I overdosed on Western States race reports, blogs, participant info and podcasts to help build the bare principles of my training plan for the Big Dance on 29th June. I even read Dean Karnazes Ultramarathon Man again - a different experience the second time round! The recent film  Unbreakable on Western States was by far worth the pricey download for pure inspiration about taking on the race - it follows the battle for first place in 2010 that took place between Geoff Roes, Killian Jornet and Anton Krupicka. Incredible to see a film about running that is so gripping!

Roes and Krupicka running the Western States

I digress....stellar training and race prep advice also came from Adrian Stott, who knows a thing or two about endurance training, and generous others like Ellie Greenwood and Lizzie Hawker, who Adrian put me in touch with. Tim Lambert has been a great source of info and advice on the actual race and logistics - he crewed Jez Bragg at the Western States last year and may be heading out to California again himself this year. By far the best specific training advice blog I read was Ian Sharman's - who has run the Western States several times, consistently finishing top 10.

So here is the finished plan for June - I may tweak a few sessions here and there as I go along but in general I'm determined to stick to this balance of specific sessions, the main priority elements being: 

• 1-2 weekends per month of long back-to-back runs on difficult, hilly trails like the West Highland Way, or in the Pentland Hills. 
• 1-2 x interval speed training sessions per week of 1 hour each  
• 2 x tempo runs per week of 1-2 hours each 
• Strength/core workouts using suspension belt 
• Training in a specialist heat & altitude chamber at Napier Uni’s Sports Science School for 1-2 hours (March - June)

As you can see I'll be training 60-70 miles per week. My main concern is staying healthy and recovering well after each session, especially the long back to backs and downhills. Super high mileage of 100+ is not for me - I know my body and dont want to take the risk of not recovering properly/fatiguing ahead of June, meaning my peak fitness will have passed and I won't be as fresh as possible by the time I'm on the start line.

The finish line I will be visualising (but not with this finish time!)

 

Obviously without the luxury of being nearby to the actual Western States trail it is tough to train with totally specificity. I am hoping that flying out 10 days prior will help more with my body acclimatising to the heat as well as give ample time to familiarise with the course - hikes in the midday heat will be the agenda! I'll be doing this from either end, staying in Auburn for a long weekend then Truckee (near the start at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe) for the week before.

 

I've also recently had my VO2 max and metabolic efficiency tested at Napier, the results of which have really helped inform my plan in terms of training in the right heart rate zones and increasing fat utilisation - an absolutely fascinating experience to go through and one that is worthy of a post all on its own, at the risk of boring folk with too many stats from the report.

 

And after all this talk of planning - last week I impulsively signed up to run the Northumbria Ultra this Saturday! Mark Cooper is running and I was persuaded by it only being 98% full, so I blame it all on him. The route heads from Alnwick to the coast and along what looks like a beautiful dune system up to Bamburgh, before a final loop around the town to the finish. It has to be a training run so I will be practising my displine with that! Happy weekends to all :-)

UltrAspire Molecular Belt System Review

Those who know me will know I am not one to be that interested in technical intricacies or specification of kit - one of the things I love about ultra running is its simplicity. But over the past 3 years of running ultras I have trialled and errored and learnt the hard way how important the practical parts of racing are. If you have an ill-fitting race belt or hydration pack you will be travelling a long way with the niggles.

Box of goodies

On talking to the European distributor of ultra gear company UltrAspire about the Western States, they kindly sent me a box of gear goodies to see me through training and racing with a view to doing a few reviews along the way. I'd been admiring their lightweight race packs for a while, some of which are co-designed by Krissy Moehl, eilte American ultra runner and one-time UTMB champion. Started by Bryce Thatcher, who also started Ultimate Direction before designing for Nathan, it is a relatively new company which, as the name indicates, is targeted specifically at the ultra running community.

The MBS
I tried the Molecular Belt System (MBS) out on recent training runs and during the Thames Trot 50 ultra earlier this month. Its such a personal preference but lightweight race belts have always been my gear comfort zone and having always run with belts rather than packs the MBS would have been my natural first choice of all UltrAspire's products.

Components
The main design concept of the MBS is interesting: that you can choose any one of a possible eight 'core' pieces and attach it to one of a possible five belt connectors. These are all interchangeable, so you can decide which combinations of the two components fit your running and racing best. The core pieces mainly consist of bottle options, designed to sit around the back of the waist. They include the Fusion (two small 0.24 litre bottles), the Synapse (one larger 0.6 litre bottle, in a bottle pocket with a large capacity zipper for gels etc) or the Nerve (large 0.6 litre bottle in a more lightweight bottle pocket). There are also other core pieces which act like additional connctors for minimalism or extra pocket space, I guess for those who are running shorter or have have lots of support.

The connector options are essentially the waist belt parts, designed to fit around the front of the waist. They include the Atom (waist belt with small mesh pouch), the Cell (with larger mesh pouch), the Peptide (minimalist belt with just a elastic cord for holding gels and a tiny mesh pocket for electrolyte pills or other small essentials) and the Neutron (pouch designed specifically for a gel bottle).

See the full range of core and connector pieces here or watch the intro video on the MBS.

I chose the Nerve as my core and the Cell as my connecter:

The Nerve

The Cell

With Western States training/long runs in mind I need a belt that will hold a decent volume of water (for the UK not in the US where you'd probably need to run with two large bottles in the summer) as well as nutrition and essentials like phone, keys, money etc.

What I like is the sheer number of options the different components give, depending on your need for nutrition capacity, water, extra pockets etc. The Cell pouch is a lot larger than the standard pouches on race belts, and I could get my iPhone, keys and a couple of gels in there. If you weren't carrying a huge phone then you'd most likely be able to squeeze 9 or 10 gel packs in. There is a handy inner pocket inside the pouch, offering security for cash cards, keys etc.

Or the Fusion core

Other options: the Electron connector

I ordered a small and at first thought this was going to be too tight, but the belt actually naturally fits higher around the waist than other belts I am used to, and in this position I've found it extremely comfortable - almost barely there. In the Thames Trot I found that I had to be careful when refilling/replacing the bottle and re-stocking the pouch at aid stations, as its important to get the bottle/belt back into the correct position - when replaced correctly it almost moulds to your shape but incorrectly it can jar.

I don't really like the weight of carrying a full bottle - something I am trying to get used to for Western States - so at the Thames Trot I just half filled my bottle and drank a lot at each check point. This probably added to my feeling of the belt being barely there. Thankfully wasn't any chaffage either - in my experience this can surprise you out of the blue at races even when wearing gear you haven't chaffed with in the past (after the West Highland Way last year I ended up with quite severe belly button issues!).

The bottle top was pretty easy to screw on and off and there doesn't seem to be any leakage when running with a full bottle, as I've found with so many other bottles (Nathan being an example). There's a handy wee finger loop on the side of the bottle too, and with the Nerve core there is also an elastic cord on the side of the bottle pocket which you could fasten a waterproof or other clothing item into if need be.

So my verdict on the MBS is entirely positive when worn for the right type of run or race. Though I have to say after spouting my preference for race belts this last few days I've been trying out the 'Surge' hydration vest. I think I am a convert! But I'll leave that to another post to avoid being disloyal to the MBS...

The Thames Trot 50

Much like the Country to Capital, the race ended up being comprised of two distinct halves - a strong, positive start then a bit of a muddy, blurry slog to the end.

Last week I'd been good. I'd studied the maps of the original course from Oxford to Henley-on-Thames along the Thames Path, asked the organisers for info I couldn't find and generally tried to swot up, knowing Go Beyond Ultra's tactics of giving PDF maps out beforehand but not providing any signage or marshalls along the way (bar a couple at each check point). Then on Thursday night all but 9 miles of the route was changed due to extensive flooding along the Path. New maps were sent out in part, then in full on Friday before I flew south. The new route was complex and so I knew it'd be a challenge, not just for me but even for those who'd run the race before.

My lovely Auntie & Uncle looked after me, driving me out to Iffley from Wycombe to be greeted by a registration queue that snaked out of the pub and around the car park. With over 250 runners and 20 minutes to go to the start, it was tight, and we ended up being delayed by 20 minutes or so. Setting off eventually, the stream of high viz runners immediately bottle necked to single file over a narrow footbridge, and we then all at once we were faced with flood water on the first stretch of Thames Path before diverting out to the roads. Even wading through freezing shin-deep water and knowing this would mean foot issues later on didn't deter me - the sun was shining beautifully and it was brilliant to be outdoors and on the move.

I felt powerful and full of energy but ran steady over the first 20 miles, which were mostly on road with a few extremely muddy fields thrown in, making me reflect on just how many mudbath races I have run over the last year. We passed through a number of quaint little thatched Oxfordshire villages and I was filled with nostalgia remembering visits to this part of the world as a small child with Mum, who grew up nearby. I thought of her strength and decided to try and channel this into the next 25 miles.

The Thames Path in Henley (completely under water)

The first half had us running through Abingdon, Appleford, Goring and on to Reading, with checkpoints every 8 miles or so. Reading was the scene of the first navigational crime. After running with a few friendly chaps for miles I'd lost them by running straight through the last CP, and ended up following a distant runner bobbing way ahead of me in a high viz vest. We were supposed to run through Reading for a few miles - definitely the least scenic of the race, featuring a seemingly never ending drag of retail warehouses - and then turn left down to pick up the Thames Path again for the one section that could still be run along the river. But I must have missed the turn by following this runner straight on, and couldn't work out why we hadn't come to CP 4 yet. A detour down an industrial estate and a few questions to pedestrians later I saw a sign for boating tours and headed down left to meet the river. I was relieved to see another runner and asked him how far we were from CP 4 - he shook his head and said I'd missed it, 3 miles back along the path. Timing chip or not, I wasn't about to add 6 miles on to my race so carried on regardless that I was out of water and the next CP wouldn't be with us for 6 miles. Due to the mishap, I was beginning to feel a bit low on morale which only seemed to enhance the emerging physical aches and pains. I'd developed a raging thirst that had me contemplating the Thames, so a mile or so later when I spotted a Tesco to the right I dashed in to purchase water. One occasion where I could definitely  have done without the self-service checkout and its helpful advice to place item in bagging area.

Found the finish.

On to the final CP, manned by a couple of marshalls and the usual stand of fruit cake and gels - the cake had served me well but I could stomach no more so ran right through, being told the finish was 4.5 miles away. I was on my own again so map in hand I navigated up a few pretty busy roads with one too many 4x4's beeping their annoyance at having to wait for runners. Confusion came again 3 miles later when the map route appeared to veer off into fields which seemed to go on and on. A short, sharp hill greeted us on the other side before a junction of small B roads which was absolutely impossible to cross reference on our maps, which only had a few of the major roads named. Two guys had appeared behind me and we asked some walkers who pointed us up to another busy main road which led stright into Henley. This again went on for 2 miles and can't have been right but we gritted it out and soon enough the town appeared. A few turns had us at the finish in a heap. I 'fessed up to the Race Director about my CP 3 bypass, explaining where I'd gone wrong and that I'd added a few miles on to the race's shortened 44 mile distance. My chip time ended up being 6.44.

Afterwards, I was a muddy mess and predictably my feet felt like toast. My blood pressure must have been low as the rest of the day brought quite a few episodes of dizzyness and seeing stars. But by Monday I was feeling almost fully back to normal, bar slight remaining stiffness in the quads - healthy servings of venison, greens and protein shakes have truly sorted me out! Reassuringly I feel like my recovery from every ultra now is getting swifter and easier.

So, whilst the Race Directors did brilliantly to perservere and ensure the race went ahead I am not sure I will run either again. Yes, ultras do involve a bit of navigation and all runners should be do their homework but these two ended up being so close to orienteering that I didn't feel I could run consistently and to the best of my standard due to the need to stop/check/start continually. But every experience is a valuable one and onwards now to the next few months of Western States training before the Fling at the end of April...

Country to Capital Ultra 2013

A 45 mile ultra from the lovely English countryside of Buckinghamshire into the plush surrounds of Little Venice in London, the Country to Capital was truly a race of two halves. One a stressful reminder of school-day orienteering ventures and the second a measurable, straightforward joy.

Walking adventures on Knoydart

Racing 45 miles on 12th January was always going to be a toughie. I'd had a pretty active couple of weeks, first running down to the Borders on the way to Dad's in Cheshire for Christmas - cut shorter in the face of yet more monsoon-like conditions - then quite a few long, challenging runs and hill walks in similarly wild weather through our week up on Knoydart. This was balanced neatly out by living it up with another 9 friends in Knoydart House, with couples cooking up a 3 course storm most nights and enough alcohol to sink a ship - the odd Jaegerbomb dropped in for good measure.

But I fancied an early season challenge, and my cousin and his family live very nearby to the start line in Wendover, a fabulous and rare opportunity to catch up with them and experience my first English ultra.

Registration was a blast. Nearly 300 people crammed into a poky olde pub trying to avoid waiting outside in the rain. I messed about with my race number and kit in the usual haze of nerves and bumped into Donnie Campbell, who had had an impressively healthy Christmas and was racing to secure a place in the Scottish ultra team, aiming to finish in under 5:30 before jumping straight on a train home from Paddington.

The Route...
The less said about this the better. Knowing my navigational disadvantage - being in Edinburgh and all - I decided to study the maps in advance. Difficult, however, when the map PDF document (not a web link) that the organiser, Go Beyond Ultra, sent through in advance was of such low quality (even when zooming in) that you couldn't even read the place names, or cross reference with proper maps.

So we set off with our map books in hand and yes, I decided to follow those in the know. In the words of the RD "Don't worry too much about directions, most people have run the race before so just follow them if you're unsure".

The first half of the C2C is a mixture of path, field and road, following the Chiltern Way. This sounds simpler than it was - there were endless twists and turns with constant navigation required. On more than one occasion we'd turn a corner and see groups of runners coming from another direction, cursing their 'alternative' route. I went off course twice, thankfully finding my way back after less than half a km.

First Half: muddy

There was a lot of chatter, people mostly talking about the mud. There was a lot of mud - I was reminded of the Jedburgh mudbaths ultra last year. At least I had trail shoes on this time.

From the early miles I'd developed an irritating, persistent headache and low and behold at 20 miles I felt something strange going on with my face before realising I was having a nose bleed. I never get nose bleeds so figure it was connected to the headache. Anyway, after a tantrum moment contemplating whether to throw the towel in, I realised that being 5 miles short of the next checkpoint there was nothing much I could do but grin, look a mess and bear it. Thankfully it cleared as fast as it started and probably made me run faster.

At mile 23, we came face to face with the Grand Union Canal, signalling the second half - a flat as a pancake canal path all the way into London. With just one turn at a canal junction, this was to be a joy. And the second half of the second half was even better - after fuelling up on much-needed electrolytes I gained surprising strength back and was able to accelerate, passing 8 or 9 runners until we reached the finish.

The Checkpoints...
...were excellently stocked, with helpful marshalls and vollies. And the tastiest 'Go Beyond' fruit cake. They were spread nicely out throughout the course and although I was concerned about lack of drop bag system in the race as we are used to in Scotland, it actually wasn't needed, and meant a seamless, no-strings transition through each checkpoint.

Fuel...

End of the Grand Union Canal: Little Venice

I stuck to mainly Gu's and water combined with the regular checkpoint cake fest. I took on board gels more regularly than normal, every 30 mins or so, a successful strategy but no wonder I couldn't face anything sweet for days afterwards.

Performance
I did end up finishing in the time I'd aimed for - sub 7 hours, in 6:53. I was 7th female, with Scotland's Issy Knox being second lady in 6:25. The Scottish guys played a fast one, with Donnie Campbell winning the race overall with an amazing 5:26 (after getting lost 3 x and passing fellow Scot Ian Symington in the last mile). I was delighted to run a negative split between the first and second halves - not hard in this race but satisying all the same. I knew I could've run the first half better and been more prepared by perhaps training on the route, but this mixed bag is part of what makes an ultra.

Recovery
After a shaky few hours, which mostly consisted of a blistered hobble to my nearby hotel (the lovely Colonnade) and a very long bath, recovery was reassuringly swift. I think walking (shopping!) for over 3 hours around Portobello Road and Notting Hill the next day helped. I was running again by Tuesday and legs felt ok, if a little fatigued on hills. I was glad to be able to get back into training proper, with the Thames Trot 50 coming up fast in a couple of weeks. Also organised by Go Beyond. Better get off to start on the map book...

Western States 100 in 2013

The last whirlwind month has transformed all my running plans for next year. Firstly, much to my shock and excitement my name was chosen in the Western States 100 lottery. Secondly, and fortuitously, JOGLE race director Rory Coleman told me they had no choice but to cancel next year's JOGLE due to poor sign up (just 5 runners, even paying £2,200 each, does not make full back up for 860 miles worth it for the organisers). So the JOGLE is off the cards and all my training effort and energy will be going into Western States. A relief for me, mixed with disappointment of not being able to take on the JOGLE journey next year. But with the most ambitious will in the world there could have been no way to give both commitments full justice in the first 6 months of 2013, in terms of training, recovery, funds, work, other commitments etc.

And anyway, it was the phone call my Dad was waiting for! No longer does he need to worry (quite so much) about long term joint damage. And now I can safely reassure him about how much kinder the soft packed mountain trails are than hundreds of miles of tarmac.

So, to Western States! The race is 100 miles of well-maintained trail through the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Northern California, from Squaw Valley ski resort, near Lake Tahoe, to a small town called Auburn. It will be held on 29th June next year. Originally a horse race, it was run for the first time in 1974 by Gordy Ainsleigh (whose horse was lame) leading to the concept of 100 mile races being widely adopted. It's now hugely competitive with entry through a lottery system meaning applicants who pass the entry requirements have only a 7% chance of success. I am still feeling incredibly lucky but also sorry for those UK applicants who didn't get picked.

The Western States Course Profile

I may never get the chance to run this race again so I'll be putting absolutely everything into doing my best next June. Flights are booked, crew pleas posted on forums, lists obsessively written, training plans in progress. I hope to join up with West Highland Way guys and gals for some hill training, and get out for as many mountainous hikes as humanly possible, fast-hiking up, running down, starting with the week on Knoydart over New Year. The WS course has over 22,000 feet of downhill so I need to get very comfortable to dealing with the vertical swiftly, sensibly and without injury.

Geoff Roes & Anton Krupicka running the WSER100

I am not one for idolising elite runners (they are but human!) but have to say I'm hugely excited about running (quite far behind) some of the world's fastest ultra runners. Next year will see Ellie Greenwood return to the race to defend her title - in this years Western States she became the first woman ever to run faster than 18 hours - by 50 minutes! She broke Ann Trason's course record, which previously had seemed unbeatable. The 2013 race will also see 8 of the top 2012 women return to the field, as well as male runners including Hal Koerner, who won the Hard Rock 100 this year.

One of the many downhill sections of the race

There will be some things I can't train for....California heat being one of them. Temps can reach 102 Fahrenheit (38 C) in the canyons but tend to fluctuate throughout the route, due to a chilly 5am start up in Squaw Valley. In fact temps stayed cool for most of this year's race - the second coolest of all time - leading to both male and female course records being broken. However in the history of the race this is extremely rare and many runners even turn to sauna training as part of their prep. I've been told by a couple of seasoned Western States runners that this isn't entirely necessary, what is more important is to acclimatise in the two weeks prior, so I'm heading out ten days early to get friendly with the route and the sun, spending a few days exploring either end of the trail from Auburn and Truckee.

So...if anyone fancies joining in training - or indeed a week or two of running in California - just shout. Until then, I'm looking forward to blowing the cobwebs away at the Country to Capital ultra (from Bucks to London along the Grand Union Canal) on 12th Jan, followed by the Thames Trot 50 miler (Oxford to Henley-on-Thames) in early Feb. Bring this year on!

Wishing you all a Happy Hogmanay and healthy, adventurous 2013.

Glen Ogle 33: ending on a high

It would be difficult not to have a ball running this route. 33 miles of stunningly beautiful soft paths winding through an autumnal Glen Ogle in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, near the tiny town of Strathyre.












It didn't start well though. The race prep was a disaster. I couldnt sleep AT ALL the night before. James was out, I knew I had to be up at 5am and I must have turned over 65 times. Eventually the alarm went off and I struggled to get in gear and over to meet Karl and grab a lift with Carole Fortune, thinking all the while that I'd be too exhausted to out in a good effort.

But fortunately enough the adrenalin kicked in and the beautifully fresh air of the Trossachs helped me wake up. My muscles felt fine after last weekend and we concluded all the mud at Jedburgh had softened the impact. The start line had been changed from last year in a bid to lengthen the race to its promised 33 miles so we walked a wee while up the forest path to get to it, squeezing past cheery, surprised looking blokes in massive farm-type machinery. Then we were off, to face the first hill of a fair few in the first miles, which was a welcome way to control my early pace tendencies. To my surprise I felt great, enjoying the steady effort and the crisp freshness of the morning. It had been pouring with rain en route to Strathyre but had cleared to leave a gentle mist and scattering of hail and we were surrounded by the gorgeous snow capped hills.

A dusting of snow/ice on the paths through the glen

I didn't really want to stop to walk on any of the hills but was forced into it on the main steep incline up to the old railway line above the road. At the top, the flat path that runs above the railway arches is just spectacular, with views down to Loch Earn and through the misty forest. I'd seen a few ladies I knew were fast on the start line so was expecting them to trot past at any moment, but it didn't happen until around mile 14, when Alison from Aberdeen drew up beside me. We chatted and ran together for a while and almost immediately Emma Baker appeared also before dropping back again. We continued that way for miles before Alison gained a few hundred metres. We headed through checkpoint 3 at mile 18 and I stopped for just seconds to grab some coke, half a bagel and a chia flapjack for later.

The route is roughly out and back, with the exception of extra miles added to the return to take you down sleepy Balqhuidder B roads after coming down from the hill instead of the path we'd headed out on from Strathyre. After checkpoint 3, we were back on the same beautiful railway path, and the sun was just beginning to emerge from behind the morning's snow clouds. I still felt strong but and incredibly free without my Garmin, with just the trusty OMM waist pack for company (it survived the mud of Jedburgh; unlike my white top). I knew I'd begin to tire soon so was just trying to keep the pace steady and run efficiently, concentrating on my stride and contact with the ground.

A few miles later Emma appeared again and passed me, she looked strong too and I did my best to stick behind her. We hit the downhill in what seemed like no time at all, which I think I hammered slightly too hard. After that I stuck my my iPod on for a diversion, the album reminding me of the elation of finishing Jedburgh. I recalled from last year that the last 6ish miles of road through Balquidder were really quite undulating and predictably this did drag on a bit again this year, but knowing they were coming, I tackled every hill with an 'I can take you on' attitude. Another reason why knowing the course helps so much - not just navigationally but as a mental motivator too.

And then all at once the shoogly bridge preceeding the finish line appeared, and the finish was right there with Ada's cheers and my go-much-faster friend Karl already getting changed.

With Michael and Ian Beattie at the finish

Considering Jedburgh Three Peaks the week before was just 5 miles longer than Glen Ogle, at 38 miles, it could hardly have been a more different race experience in terms of terrain (did I mention Jedburgh was muddy?) and runnability. This goes to show in the results - my Jedburgh time was 7.16 and I finished Glen Ogle in 4.39 as third lady. I saw Emma Baker who'd finished second lady and she said she'd only been in for two minutes. Alison had run a belting final 10 miles and finished seven minutes ahead. Craig Reid won overall in 3.43. All in all I was delighted with my time given a few miles had been added on to the course this year to make it up to (almost) 33 miles.

The marshalls were all incredible - great to see Lorna, Ada, John et al - and must have been freezing their a*ses off by the end of the afternoon, it was baltic! The fire they'd set up at the finish was amazing, and we huddled round it for a while drinking the GO33 beer like dutiful ultra runners. Congrats to all who ran, particularly Karl, Michael, Carole, Helen, Emma and Ian, who didn't have a good day out on the race but stayed around for hours to cheer folk on.

So, feeling great at the moment, I'm reluctant to admit defeat and not race again until the New Year, but the decision has been made for me (for Scottish ultras anyway) as I'm back on Mull the weekend of the Winter Ultra on 7th December.

My running energies instead will be focused on using the winter months to get in some speed work, get back into the gym to build core strength and plan an adventure to run half way down to Dad's in Cheshire for Christmas, leaving a day ahead of James. 2 out of the 3 wouldn't be too bad if I still can't face the gym claustrophobia....

Happy winter running

Jedburgh Ultra Mudathon & Loch Ness Marathon

I signed up to Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultra in a bid to get the body moving long distance again after the few months of injury and recovery post-West Highland Way, and approached the race in the most relaxed way I think I've ever approached an ultra. I was more apprehensive about the Loch Ness marathon which I decided to run as a last-minute challenge in September to join Julie in her first foray into the marathon. Despite wanting to see Loch Ness as a 'training run', that distance for me seems to come with a certain pressure for speed and temptation to compete with my own  PB (3.26 in San Francisco, when I actually used to go to interval sessions!) Needless to say getting anywhere near this PB was an unrealistic aim after a summer of injury and lack of speedwork.

The opposite ended up happening for both races - Jedburgh was extremely hard work, a struggle throughout the entire race, and Loch Ness was a chilled steady run against a backdrop of beautiful weather and a sparkling loch. So I thought I'd compare and contrast the two little adventures:

PREP & PLANS

The camping barn in Fort Augustus

Loch Ness -  A two week holiday ending with a night camping in a chilly Fort Augustus barn with rain battering the roof may not have been the best precurser to a happy race but I knew my recent hilly, weather-battered runs on Mull would be good prep. Plus having having run Loch Ness as my first marathon in 2009, I had a good feel for what to expect, and the forecast was looking good for Sunday. My main plan was just to take it easy, run steady and finish under 4 hours feeling comfortable and with no achilles pain.

Jedburgh - Similarly, I hoped running Loch Ness at the end of September followed by a few weekends of tough, hilly Pentland runs afterwards would serve as a good base endurance for Jedburgh. Having not trained on the route at all it was hard to know what to expect but I had a good look at the route online and through John Kynaston's recce vid - leaving no excuse for what happened during the race! To suss out a time goal, I compared it with the Speyside Way ultra which also had a fair few ups and downs and was just a few miles shorter at 35 miles, and give myself a 7 hour aim.

THE RACE
Loch Ness - a shaky start, as the crowds of runners streaming out of the 37 buses made for a frustrating queue to the start line, and with 10 minutes to the start, the portaloos were a complete no go. Julie and I lost each other and I worried she wouldn't have made it to the start on time and would be beginning the run under stress. I started in the 3.30 group which quickly turned into a bottleneck and it took a few minutes to get going, past the pair of pipers who set us off. I'll spare you the mile by mile monotony but after a quick loo stop at mile 3 I got into the stride and was feeling good, with plenty of energy and enthusiasm for the run - the sunshine streaming down on the loch helped. I have no excuse having run the race before but was surprised again by the number of undulations from early on that didnt seem to show up in the route profile. After the long hill at mile18, I was feeling pressure down my right hamstring and the old glute pain had returned. It didn't worsen though, so I ticked the miles off slowly until the memorable run into Inverness and over the bridge to the seemingly endless strip on the other side to finish in Bught Park.



Karl Zeiner & I: pearly white before mudfest

Jedburgh - It was good to see some friendly faces at registration and we set off in slight drizzle at 8am, running on the main road out of Jedburgh and onto paths leading out to the little village of Maxton, then St Boswells. From around miles 4 or 5 the path began to get muddy and I came round to the idea that my feet wouldn't stay dry for long. Having unpleasant visions of the macerated state they ended up in during the WHW, this was the first introduction to what would become some of the most frustrating terrain I've run on. For many miles the path took us through ankle deep mud and I slipped and slid all over the place, crashing into stiles and brambles. From mile 13ish Sharon Law caught up and we started chatting. In fact we must have been so deep in conversation we missed the right turn just before St Boswells as we both ended up in completely the wrong place. Fortunately one of the race organisers - thankfully they were everywhere - found us and stuck us back on the right track. Mentally, that threw me for a while and I was out of my pace as we arrived into the checkpoint at Rhymers Stone, mile 18. The three peaks came next and I can honestly say hiking them was a welcome break from running through mud on flat ground - plus the views were stunning. We had more time for a chat with some other folk and had an excellent cheer from the marshalls on the top of the third peak. It was fantastic to run and talk to Sharon for a while before she took off on an incredible downhill display of speed. Thinking about our navigational adventures, they were really just a good example of part of what ultras are about - running into challenges and getting through them without giving up.
I ran alone again for a few miles afterwards, and took a good body slam into the mud on the track through the forest after the third peak. I was covered in mud with a few bloody scrapes which made for an interesting marble effect on the legs. I think I even shouted 'Right, that's it, I'm done!' at the trees before breaking into a run again to channel the mud anger into something useful.


From the Eildons

Later on I met John Kynaston, who got me back on the right track after yet another veer off the path, and we ran for a few miles together. We talked for a while and I began feeling positive and fairly energetic again. I then ran alone up until the bridge at mile 35 ish, where who else but my Dad jumped out shouting 'Hi sweetie!'. He'd driven up from Cheshire to see me finish and come stay in Edinburgh for a few days and had floated the idea of running out to meet me but I didnt really think it would logistically work, so it was fabulous to see him! I felt as good as new then, and we chatted and caught up all the way back into Jedburgh, where Lisa and Jodie, who'd run the half marathon, were waiting for us.

KIT & FUEL
My trusty OMM waist pack toughed it out with me throughout Jedburgh, and survived well despite being slammed into the mud. Its super light but spacious - one of my favourite pieces of kit at the moment. I cant say the same for the Under Armour top - yes, in white - which was also thrown into mud and attacked by brambles and is still lying sadly in the washing basket. And never again will I be wearing road shoes in conditions like that....especially not when I have 4 decent pairs of trails at home! What was I thinking? Fuel-wise the race was uneventful - I ate regularly without problems - homemade chia/cranberry flapjacks, banana, coke, gels - and drank mainly electrolytes - flavoured by mud post-fall.

Loch Ness was also uneventful fuel/kit-wise, but it was a dream to run light with a pocket full of gels and a handheld bottle. The race being sponsored by Clif, I just picked up additional gels along the route, although I wasnt impressed when I managed to grab the strongest caffeine variety going pretty early on - not a good plan.

RESULTS & RECOVERY

Julie and I pre-Loch Ness

Loch Ness - I finished feeling good despite the glute pain and seizing up which was to come during the car journey home. At 3.42 I was a minute under my previous Loch Ness time and largely happy with the way it unfolded. Guy Van Herp sorted me out after in physio by cracking my sacroiliac joint in my hip back into place, which he said had been jammed and would have been affecting my hamstring. Julie ran a real beauty of a race for her first marathon coming in at just minutes over 4 hours and raising over £600 for the Scoliosis Society in the process. Well done to that girl.

Jedburgh - after all the issues I was elated to cross the line at all, and even more so to come in at 7.16 as third lady, behind Sharon in second (7.04) and Izzy Knox in first (6.46). The organisers made us laugh as they whipped us immediately on to the podium wanting to get the prizegiving done, despite me being absolutely caked in mud. The race directors and marshalls really were amazing throughout and kept us going with so much encouragement. Well done to them all, and everyone else who ran and supported.

On Saturday I'm running Glen Ogle 33, which will be the first time I've run two ultras on consecutive weeks - not intentional but Glen Ogle gave me a place from the waiting list after I'd signed up to Jedburgh. Hopefully a good way to end the season until January when JOGLE training in earnest will begin - bring it on!

Road to Recovery and the JOGLE

If there's one thing about getting injured, it's that it allows too much thinking time about what's next. It may be twisted logic, but since I injured both my achilles in the West Highland Way Race in June I've spent so much time doing what I should to recover the tendons that I feel I've earnt the right to take on a real wishlist race next year.

The Mull 10k/half marathon in August

On strict physio instruction after finding out the left achilles did have a minor tear, I took the month after the WHW completely off running, and started slow 3 mile runs again in August. I was gutted not to be able to run the Devil O' the Highlands and the Speyside Way Ultra as planned but the scare of the injury was enough to teach me to listen to the physio - pretty important to recover before going back into racing otherwise a persistent case of tendonitis was apparently likely. Thankfully improvement came amazingly suddenly and the scar tissue bumps have now shrunk to almost nothing. In August we headed to Mull for the half marathon weekend (Julie's first very successful half!) and I ran the 10k. Proof if I needed any more that I find shorter races harder and less enjoyable than ultras, but running the distance with no pain was still an absolute joy.

A sunrise run

My recovery strategies have been rest, a heady regular mix of Voltarol and arnica, Rocktape and slowly starting to run again with walking breaks. I've also been breaking my runs up into shorter outings of a couple per day. I've fallen in love with running first thing and then again at lunch, and my energy levels have gone through the roof.

So to the wishlist, I have a place on the JOGLE race - a 16 day running race from John O' Groats to Lands End next April - May. Gregg and I considered running the UK as an expedition a while back so the seed was planted long ago. Organised by Ultra Race, which in itself is led by a couple of super experienced ultra runners Rory Coleman and Jen Salter, the race will have a max of 16 runners, all of whom will tackle an average of 55 miles per day as part of the route. Rory and Jen coordinate the race from start to finish with runners starting early and running through the day (cut offs for disqualification are midnight). We'll sleep on a 'rock & roll luxury sleeper' with chef on hand to feed us. 

No women have actually ever finished the race, which is an intimidating stat in itself, and in 2011 none of the starters finished at all. I followed 2012's race through its blog - aghast as one by one every runner DNF'd until just one, Rainer Koch, was left. He completed in an astonishing time, and had maintained an average speed of 9 min miles throughout the 16 days.

I can't contain my excitement and the planning spreadsheets have been started already - its going to be a winter of building major distance and I plan to make the back to back training sessions mini adventures in themselves. I'll be building up VERY slowly and staying in tune with myself to stop at any flare up of achilles issues. Even so, after the WHW telling my Dad was another matter completely!

And for now, encouraged by feeling so much improvement in the tendons, I recently floated the idea of registering for the Glenmore 12 hour - perhaps a step too far - before deciding instead to take on the Loch Ness marathon at the end of the month. Julie is running it as her first marathon, so it'll be an exciting weekend.

Major plan for me is NOT to race, not to focus on time, and just to enjoy the scenery and being able, hopefully, to run longer again. Saying that, it will be interesting to see if I've lost or managed to maintain any speed at all in relation to my San Francisco marathon PB a few years back.

Peace, fresh air and stretching the legs await over the next few weeks off work on Mull and in the Cairngorms - just enough time to bank some final miles!