And finally, an event that I have turned up for and successfully trotted around in 2016. Who would have thought?
For anyone reading this who is unaware, the Golden Fleece Circuit is a mixed terrain event in South Yorkshire. There are 15 and 27 mile options and it is organised by the local Scouts group. If you've ever been to one of these, or an LDWA event, you'll know the deal on the low key nature of the day. You'll also have a feel for how important your ability to navigate a route is if you want to have a good day out there. Generally you'll be provided with a couple of sides of A4 route directions, a basic map, and an expectation that you can look after yourself as an adult and not be a burden on the organisers (or mountain rescue, depending on the event).
As the name suggests, the Golden Fleece Circuit is a looped course which keeps the logistics pretty simple. The small hall that doubles as registration area pre-race, and soup kitchen post-race has enough capacity to store kit bags while you explore the nearby wilds.
For my part, the day went well. From some basic research I knew that the route would be a mixture of paths and tarmac. I was also aware that I wouldn't be standing on top of a moor trying to take a bearing with my rusty navigation skills. A good prospect for the first event in a long while. Still being in recovery from injury, and not wanting to explain a worsened wound to the nurse on the following Tuesday, my execution plan for this was to take it easy throughout. I'd say I was about 80% successful. I'd like to explain more about the route, but like just about every event I've taken part in, most of it was a blur. I can be sure when I say that this is a very runnable route. I think there was one hill that would force you to a walk even if you were looking to race this hard. Of course, that hill was in the last couple of miles because, Race Organisers. The route was relatively easy to follow for one of these types of events. If you're expecting ribbons on every corner, this is not the run for you. I did manage to step off the route for a while due to thoughtlessly following the couple of groups ahead of me, but that is most definitely my fault rather than anything else.
The weather was also a little interesting with all four seasons making an appearance. The drive up from Northampton had been shrouded in drizzle and flurries of snow. This is not a great sign when driving north for an outdoor event but for the majority of my run, the sky stayed on my side. The wide expanse allowed plenty of opportunity to watch the clouds as they rolled in, not that there was much to be done about it when it did arrive. 10 minutes of chilly rain 90 minutes into the race, sun so warm that I would have been happier in shorts and t-shirt during the next hour, and then a little later, driving hail as I travelled along a ridge line. It did finally throw it down with rain in the minutes after I finished. You couldn't help but feel for those still out on the course.
It is a couple of days later now and no particular ill effects seem to have occurred. My calves would feel happier if I'd put in some proper training in the weeks beforehand. I did pick up a head cold which is yet to clear but nothing that is preventing ongoing training, so it would seem that the Edale Skyline on Sunday is still on the cards. At least that is only 21 miles. This was certainly my thinking until I started to read the blogs of people who ran the race in 2015. The thought of running in thigh deep mud was not something that gets my juices flowing at this moment in time.
For reference, I've noticed that some of the events I attend do not have good route files available so I'll be uploading mine. The FIT file is direct from the Fenix 3. The gpx file is the converted version through Garmin connect. For this event, it is definitely worth bearing in mind that I took a bit of a detour 20km in.
Route files
Showing posts with label Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Thursday, 31 December 2015
And on to 2016
And it's time for that clichéd end of year post. As usual, I've not much to share nor many I
wish to share it with, but a public record of a few running commitments for
next year may remind me to put in a little more effort on the various start lines
throughout the year.
2015 has been a little variable. A couple of injuries that felt significant
but in reality meant 3-4 months in total of reduced running. The year was still interspersed with a number
of good events, a number of marathons, some on road, many on trail and a couple
in the mountains of the Beacons. These
latter ones speak better to me.
Maintaining an even effort in difficult conditions works well for me,
and although it is unlikely to put me near the front of any well attended race,
these races allow me to test myself against similar runners in environments
that leave me smiling after the finish.
And with these types of events in my mind, and closing out the year with
relatively good fitness, I’ve put more than the usual effort into planning out
2016. As well as picking out a few race
series, I’ve a couple of bits of guidance, reminders and little challenges to
complete.
- Goals:
- Might Contain Nuts Ultra series. Four 42 mile runs in the Brecon Beacons.
- Go Beyond Ultra series. Four races of lengths between 50 and 30 miles across England.
- Run Further Ultra series. More complex requirements but three from twelve races.
- Guidance:
- 50+ miles per week – exceptions for the week before and after a goal race or when injured.
- At least one quality session per week – exceptions for two weeks after a goal race of when injured.
- Challenges:
- Run a mile each and every day. No exceptions. (I feel this will be the first thing to fall by the wayside.)
- Track mileage against the cycling of Andy Perry via Strava. (Minor fun and will not impact training or racing. Well, unless it is very close in December and then all bets are off.)
In terms of those goals, all of the must-do races are now
booked. There is the opportunity to run
a couple of others in the Run Further series but I’ll leave those decisions until
the year has started to pan out.
The most immediate focus is Country to Capital on Saturday
16th January which seems a bit close now. It will be my first time at the event and my
knowledge is based mainly on a couple of blogs.
My key takeaways so far is that the second half is flat running
alongside the canal and that many experienced ultra-runners still decided to
set a 400 metre PB from the line to avoid congestion at an early gate. I do not plan to get involved with the latter
competition, but I’d like to have enough in the legs to benefit from 20 miles
of flat path on the way into London. We
shall see.
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
100 Mile Failure - Lessons Learned
So, before putting this event behind me, stuff that worked and stuff that didn't.
Training:
I don't think I'd change much here. The volume felt suitable and most of the terrain types fitted well for the event. Big chunks of running offroad, practised walking of hills, pack on the back for the longer training efforts, shorter faster bits once or twice a week. I'd maybe try and push those shorter, faster runs a little harder as I was generally holding back with the next days of long mileage in the back of my mind. I'd probably throw in a few more races of varying distances, and actually race some of them rather than taking each of them at just a training pace. The training had become a little boring by the end of the it and I felt I was spending as much time keeping on top of washing as I was advancing my ability to run long. I would stick with the lose plan of two heavy weeks with a step back week to seperate into the next two heavy weeks which helped to keep my legs relatively fresh. Fresh is subjective. The big difference that would need to be made is to get more rest so that there is some excitement for the even, and possibly a little energy.
Kit:
Shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3. So I've never exactly been in love with these shoes but they have always done the job. They fit like a built up road shoe and their lugs deal with most mud. Like most shoes I've tried, they're like ice skates when it comes to wet rock but so be it. In this event, they didn't really provide the service I was looking for. Having my feet move around during the first steep descent which then caused to insoles to bunch was not good mentally at such an early stage. I think I know what has caused this. I suspect the use of some thick SealSkinz socks for a couple of walks has probably stretched the upper. I did manage to keep them in reasonable order for the rest of my shortened run, but with the vast amount of cold water that had soaked into the shoe from the start, there were warm spots about the base of the heel and some soreness on the achillles where the rear of the shoe had rubbed. I'm not blaming the model of shoe for any of this as they have been solid, I'll probably pick up another pair as spares and relegate these to pseudo-walking shoes. For running where serious lugs are required, I'll make sure to keep my Fellcross 2s to hand. Lovely shoes.
Gaiters: Salomon Low Trail Gaiters. Mixed bag. They probably prevented me having to dive into an early bog to find my left shoe but did rub a little. For their main purpose of keeping as much rubbish out of the shoe as possible, spot on. I might investigate some other styles of gaiter but these were fine.
Pack: Inov-8 Race Pro 1 with Nathan 2 litre vertical bladder. Again, another bit of equipment I've never really loved, but we have come to an rrangement. I struggled with the drink tube for the horizontal bladder and found that I was just avoiding drinking during runs. That didn't seem like the way forward. As a hydration system this now works for me, but it does cause me some chaffing, across my back, nothing particularly painful but I'd prefer it were not the case, and in this most recent of events it seems to have caused some more major wounds across my lower back probably due to the additional weight in the pack. I'll continue to use it going forward but I'd like to fall in love with a pack some day, preferably with some reasonable storage access at the front.
Jacket: Inov8 Race Elite 150. It was fine but didn't keep me dry. There was a cold drizzle off and on with the rain getting heavier from time to time so the hood came up and down repeatedly so rain worked its way into the layers when the hood was down, and sweat built up easily when the hood was up and any effort was put in. For shorter runs, or to pass a kit check while taking up the minimum weight and space, great smock, but for something longer I probably need to look at something else. Certainly something breathable. Probably one of the many other jackets that I have which I've avoided using for races due to how much I like them not to stink of my stale sweat...
Socks: Injinji Run 2.0. No complaints at all. They protected my feet from any real damage during six hours of excessive movement in cold and saturated shoes. I sometimes feel they're a little thick and it takes away some of the feel of the terrain, but they were pretty perfect for this. I guess there was the option of waterproof socks (with or without a liner), but although I am happy to use them while walking, I can't see me using them for running. And besides, I don't think they would help much when your knee is getting wet by ground water.
Underwear: Rab MeCo 120 Boxer. They tend to keep chaffing to a minmum. They wick. They dry easily. Hard to get excited about them until I recall some of the issues I used to have with cotton or polyester while getting sweaty during ultras.
Shorts: Salomon Trail Long Running Tights. Functioned well. Kept me reasonably warm even when soaked through except when I stayed at a full stop a little too long at the third checkpoint. Still prefer these over my UnderArmour ColdGear Tights which do well for warmth in the dry but sag like buggery when they get wet and can easily get too warm.
Headtorch: Petzel Tikka-RXP. No idea how this would have coped in the race and I'm frankly grateful to have avoided that section of the event. One of the more special moments of my pre-race prep was realising that the newly purchased torch didn't take AAA batteries but instead used a Petzl specific unit. Expedited next day delivery for a new battery it is then.
Training:
I don't think I'd change much here. The volume felt suitable and most of the terrain types fitted well for the event. Big chunks of running offroad, practised walking of hills, pack on the back for the longer training efforts, shorter faster bits once or twice a week. I'd maybe try and push those shorter, faster runs a little harder as I was generally holding back with the next days of long mileage in the back of my mind. I'd probably throw in a few more races of varying distances, and actually race some of them rather than taking each of them at just a training pace. The training had become a little boring by the end of the it and I felt I was spending as much time keeping on top of washing as I was advancing my ability to run long. I would stick with the lose plan of two heavy weeks with a step back week to seperate into the next two heavy weeks which helped to keep my legs relatively fresh. Fresh is subjective. The big difference that would need to be made is to get more rest so that there is some excitement for the even, and possibly a little energy.
Kit:
Shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3. So I've never exactly been in love with these shoes but they have always done the job. They fit like a built up road shoe and their lugs deal with most mud. Like most shoes I've tried, they're like ice skates when it comes to wet rock but so be it. In this event, they didn't really provide the service I was looking for. Having my feet move around during the first steep descent which then caused to insoles to bunch was not good mentally at such an early stage. I think I know what has caused this. I suspect the use of some thick SealSkinz socks for a couple of walks has probably stretched the upper. I did manage to keep them in reasonable order for the rest of my shortened run, but with the vast amount of cold water that had soaked into the shoe from the start, there were warm spots about the base of the heel and some soreness on the achillles where the rear of the shoe had rubbed. I'm not blaming the model of shoe for any of this as they have been solid, I'll probably pick up another pair as spares and relegate these to pseudo-walking shoes. For running where serious lugs are required, I'll make sure to keep my Fellcross 2s to hand. Lovely shoes.
Gaiters: Salomon Low Trail Gaiters. Mixed bag. They probably prevented me having to dive into an early bog to find my left shoe but did rub a little. For their main purpose of keeping as much rubbish out of the shoe as possible, spot on. I might investigate some other styles of gaiter but these were fine.
Pack: Inov-8 Race Pro 1 with Nathan 2 litre vertical bladder. Again, another bit of equipment I've never really loved, but we have come to an rrangement. I struggled with the drink tube for the horizontal bladder and found that I was just avoiding drinking during runs. That didn't seem like the way forward. As a hydration system this now works for me, but it does cause me some chaffing, across my back, nothing particularly painful but I'd prefer it were not the case, and in this most recent of events it seems to have caused some more major wounds across my lower back probably due to the additional weight in the pack. I'll continue to use it going forward but I'd like to fall in love with a pack some day, preferably with some reasonable storage access at the front.
Jacket: Inov8 Race Elite 150. It was fine but didn't keep me dry. There was a cold drizzle off and on with the rain getting heavier from time to time so the hood came up and down repeatedly so rain worked its way into the layers when the hood was down, and sweat built up easily when the hood was up and any effort was put in. For shorter runs, or to pass a kit check while taking up the minimum weight and space, great smock, but for something longer I probably need to look at something else. Certainly something breathable. Probably one of the many other jackets that I have which I've avoided using for races due to how much I like them not to stink of my stale sweat...
Socks: Injinji Run 2.0. No complaints at all. They protected my feet from any real damage during six hours of excessive movement in cold and saturated shoes. I sometimes feel they're a little thick and it takes away some of the feel of the terrain, but they were pretty perfect for this. I guess there was the option of waterproof socks (with or without a liner), but although I am happy to use them while walking, I can't see me using them for running. And besides, I don't think they would help much when your knee is getting wet by ground water.
Underwear: Rab MeCo 120 Boxer. They tend to keep chaffing to a minmum. They wick. They dry easily. Hard to get excited about them until I recall some of the issues I used to have with cotton or polyester while getting sweaty during ultras.
Shorts: Salomon Trail Long Running Tights. Functioned well. Kept me reasonably warm even when soaked through except when I stayed at a full stop a little too long at the third checkpoint. Still prefer these over my UnderArmour ColdGear Tights which do well for warmth in the dry but sag like buggery when they get wet and can easily get too warm.
Headtorch: Petzel Tikka-RXP. No idea how this would have coped in the race and I'm frankly grateful to have avoided that section of the event. One of the more special moments of my pre-race prep was realising that the newly purchased torch didn't take AAA batteries but instead used a Petzl specific unit. Expedited next day delivery for a new battery it is then.
Sunday, 25 May 2014
100 Mile Failure
So, while it is fresh in the memory.
After training for the LDWA Valleys 100 for more than five months, I stepped out of the event after 26 miles, just a quarter of the way through, or after half of a regular Sunday morning training run which is how I am currently viewing it. I have no regrets about giving up (can't think of a more accurate turn of phrase) at such an early stage, which after such a spectacular failure, I find interesting. Where to start with the review? Maybe it would be best to work backward.
It is the day after my event finished. I have slept well and eaten well, however I remain tired and my eyes are struggling to stay open. My usual post race concern of dehydration is under control. There are minor sores on my heels and waistband chaffing has caused a number of unattractive wounds on my back. Talking of which, both my back and neck are tight and ache pretty badly, as do my quads. Basically the sort of charge list that would expect after pushing a 50 miler without a proper taper, not half that distance with a taper suitable for the 100 miles that I was planning to tackle. So the event itself...
I dropped from the event at checkpoint 3. I had walked in and performed all the right tasks. I had swapped out my technical shirt, eaten and drank, chatted to a few volunteers, moved my night kit to the easier access pockets I even checked that each of the torches were still functioning correctly. I then wandered out of the village hall without any thoughts of not continuing, yet 100 metres down the road, I paused, turned around and handed my race card into the first official with a smile. From his reaction, it wasn't the way that most people hacked jacked it, and my card was added to an already growing pile. My back, but particularly my neck, was sore and stiff and I was not relishing 8 hours with a head torch altering every stride, but there was more than that. I had been pretty beaten up by the event, and although a finish was still very doable, this wasn't going to present the type of challenge I had in mind for the event. There was going to be a death march of a longer distance than I had in mind. I was definitely here for a running race and that was going to be intermittent at best. So that I don't sound too naive here, I was never planning on 15 minute miling from start to finish to nail a sub 24 hour finish, I had in mind to walk most hills from the very start, jogging flats and downhills, taking technical descents with whatever pace best mixed effort and safety. There would be walking when tiredness dictated, when lack of light required slower path choices, of course, as well as the munching of calories, but I had underestimated the course completely. Actually, probably not the course itself, but certainly the conditions underfoot. After 3 miles I had already plunged into a bog up to my knees and strained a selection of muscles to escape without losing my shoe (my gaiters earned their purchase right there). At the 6 mile mark, I had to remove my shoes as the insoles had bunched horribly during a steep descent. The intermittent heavy rain was expected, but a lack of proper pre-race lubrication was causing rubbing in a number of places from an early stage.
And in the lead up to the event, most things went well. The training went well, some tough technical stuff, heavy mileage weeks with step back recovery weeks. The only downside of the training was that I definitely fell out of love with running from time to time and putting on the shoes became a chore without obvious gain. Even after the poor showing at the race, I don't think I would change the training much, just to try and keep it slightly more fun. What I do need to fix next time is sleep, particularly in the lead up to an event. The negatives of tipping up to the start line of your big and scary event when your eyes are sore with tiredness cannot be overstated. Having your head hung from the beginning and not enjoying a step of the event is just not the way to go.
I learned plenty. I want to run 100 miles,so I need to choose an event where that is the target audience, not an event that is challenging for walkers to even complete. But not a canal run. I love hills and I will need something to keep me interested in the 30 to 70 mile section. I will start looking into it shortly, but at least I have the Ridgeway Challenge coming up soon which ticks those boxes. I also learned about a number of things which worked well on the day, or didn't, but I shall follow up on that next time, once I have started to catch up on this lacking sleep...
After training for the LDWA Valleys 100 for more than five months, I stepped out of the event after 26 miles, just a quarter of the way through, or after half of a regular Sunday morning training run which is how I am currently viewing it. I have no regrets about giving up (can't think of a more accurate turn of phrase) at such an early stage, which after such a spectacular failure, I find interesting. Where to start with the review? Maybe it would be best to work backward.
It is the day after my event finished. I have slept well and eaten well, however I remain tired and my eyes are struggling to stay open. My usual post race concern of dehydration is under control. There are minor sores on my heels and waistband chaffing has caused a number of unattractive wounds on my back. Talking of which, both my back and neck are tight and ache pretty badly, as do my quads. Basically the sort of charge list that would expect after pushing a 50 miler without a proper taper, not half that distance with a taper suitable for the 100 miles that I was planning to tackle. So the event itself...
I dropped from the event at checkpoint 3. I had walked in and performed all the right tasks. I had swapped out my technical shirt, eaten and drank, chatted to a few volunteers, moved my night kit to the easier access pockets I even checked that each of the torches were still functioning correctly. I then wandered out of the village hall without any thoughts of not continuing, yet 100 metres down the road, I paused, turned around and handed my race card into the first official with a smile. From his reaction, it wasn't the way that most people hacked jacked it, and my card was added to an already growing pile. My back, but particularly my neck, was sore and stiff and I was not relishing 8 hours with a head torch altering every stride, but there was more than that. I had been pretty beaten up by the event, and although a finish was still very doable, this wasn't going to present the type of challenge I had in mind for the event. There was going to be a death march of a longer distance than I had in mind. I was definitely here for a running race and that was going to be intermittent at best. So that I don't sound too naive here, I was never planning on 15 minute miling from start to finish to nail a sub 24 hour finish, I had in mind to walk most hills from the very start, jogging flats and downhills, taking technical descents with whatever pace best mixed effort and safety. There would be walking when tiredness dictated, when lack of light required slower path choices, of course, as well as the munching of calories, but I had underestimated the course completely. Actually, probably not the course itself, but certainly the conditions underfoot. After 3 miles I had already plunged into a bog up to my knees and strained a selection of muscles to escape without losing my shoe (my gaiters earned their purchase right there). At the 6 mile mark, I had to remove my shoes as the insoles had bunched horribly during a steep descent. The intermittent heavy rain was expected, but a lack of proper pre-race lubrication was causing rubbing in a number of places from an early stage.
And in the lead up to the event, most things went well. The training went well, some tough technical stuff, heavy mileage weeks with step back recovery weeks. The only downside of the training was that I definitely fell out of love with running from time to time and putting on the shoes became a chore without obvious gain. Even after the poor showing at the race, I don't think I would change the training much, just to try and keep it slightly more fun. What I do need to fix next time is sleep, particularly in the lead up to an event. The negatives of tipping up to the start line of your big and scary event when your eyes are sore with tiredness cannot be overstated. Having your head hung from the beginning and not enjoying a step of the event is just not the way to go.
I learned plenty. I want to run 100 miles,so I need to choose an event where that is the target audience, not an event that is challenging for walkers to even complete. But not a canal run. I love hills and I will need something to keep me interested in the 30 to 70 mile section. I will start looking into it shortly, but at least I have the Ridgeway Challenge coming up soon which ticks those boxes. I also learned about a number of things which worked well on the day, or didn't, but I shall follow up on that next time, once I have started to catch up on this lacking sleep...
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Bedford Harriers Half Marathon
And so a after a couple more good training sessions during the following, the weekend took a downhill turn with a stomach bug of some kind. Unfortunate after picking up a nice award at the Parklands Jog and Run Christmas party on the Friday night.
Having decided that I really didn't deserve the award after hosing each of my marathons this year as well as my original goal race at TR24, a weekend of illness has to be turned around. And if you can't get your long run in at the weekend, well, it may as well be a taper then. A bit of searching later, and entry to the Bedford Harriers Half Marathon was lined up for the following weekend.
I like running ultra marathons. Where I am in the field, they're sociable and relaxed. Walking almost always features and completing the distance in the top half of the field. A 5k is brutal little blast but at least it is over in short space of time. The distances between are a sliding scale from good form and a massive output of effort through to easy jogging and physical tiredness through time on feet. The tipping point for me is the half marathon which is short enough that it feels like my form should be good from start to finish, but it is just long enough that the legs and mind can get tired in the latter stages. This is why my PB still stands from 2011 in a race where I jog walked the last two miles in quite some pain. I've not been keen to go hard at one since then. But after a number of key races being failed this year and 2013 drawing to a close, it seemed like a particularly soft PB to attack but with little idea on what paces to target.
In the week before the race, I kept up the usual training with speedwork on the Tuesday and Thursday and used Saturday's parkrun to test a pace that I felt I could hold for the half. The first three kilometres at that pace felt tough, but I tried to remind myself that I always hate the first two miles of a race, whatever pace I am running. It still planted a seed of doubt on the viability of the pace but I had decided that I was going to go out relatively hard (i.e. harder than I have for anything over a 10k before) and then look to up the pace with 5k to go. If everything crumbled and I had misjudged the effort and my fitness, I figures I could cruise through the second half and still grab a PB anyway. A simple enough plan to which I also added that I wouldn't allow any kilometre splits to slide above a certain pace either. I knew the course was a little undulating and that I would use effort to guide some of the pacing, but I didn't want to let myself switch off on too many of the uphills and thus start giving myself an excuse to drift away from the goals. Finally, I wasn't going to be taking on any nutrition or water during the race. These have caused some stomach issues in a couple of longer races this year and I felt the cool weather meant I could blag 13.1 miles before the consequences caught up with me.
It couldn't have really gone better. The first 10 miles were exactly to plan. Paces within a couple of seconds of the target, accelerated the downhills and worked the uphills without blowing hard. Mentally, I was getting a little tired in the 8-10 mile stages and wondered if I would have anything to accelerate with in those last few miles. I also kept reflecting on that emergency gel in my shorts pocket. But lo and behold, at the 10 mile mark was a beautiful sweeping downhill that helped to build momentum into the finish and removed all concerns from my mind. My legs continued to turn over. My knees continued to drive. My heels continued to flick up behind. This was great. And when the flat came, and later the hills, the fact that I was crushing my goals meant that I didn't panic when I realised that I was running my 10k pace for those last 5 kilometres, nor when I noticed that I was below my 5k pace during that last kilometre uphill. And when running into the line, the time spent wondering if those 400metres were ever going to end were half felt. It felt smooth and easy. I had happily drifted past dozens of people in those last few miles and continued to do so up until the line.
The race couldn't have gone better. I had got in 4 minutes below my best possible dream goal. I felt absolutely fine (if a little spaced out until I found some calories). My legs had more than coped and a day later, still feel great. I had put in a decent effort and finished feeling good and knowing there was more to come. I'm unusually pleased with this. A nice way to round out the year.
Of course, there are three more weeks left of 2013...
Having decided that I really didn't deserve the award after hosing each of my marathons this year as well as my original goal race at TR24, a weekend of illness has to be turned around. And if you can't get your long run in at the weekend, well, it may as well be a taper then. A bit of searching later, and entry to the Bedford Harriers Half Marathon was lined up for the following weekend.
I like running ultra marathons. Where I am in the field, they're sociable and relaxed. Walking almost always features and completing the distance in the top half of the field. A 5k is brutal little blast but at least it is over in short space of time. The distances between are a sliding scale from good form and a massive output of effort through to easy jogging and physical tiredness through time on feet. The tipping point for me is the half marathon which is short enough that it feels like my form should be good from start to finish, but it is just long enough that the legs and mind can get tired in the latter stages. This is why my PB still stands from 2011 in a race where I jog walked the last two miles in quite some pain. I've not been keen to go hard at one since then. But after a number of key races being failed this year and 2013 drawing to a close, it seemed like a particularly soft PB to attack but with little idea on what paces to target.
In the week before the race, I kept up the usual training with speedwork on the Tuesday and Thursday and used Saturday's parkrun to test a pace that I felt I could hold for the half. The first three kilometres at that pace felt tough, but I tried to remind myself that I always hate the first two miles of a race, whatever pace I am running. It still planted a seed of doubt on the viability of the pace but I had decided that I was going to go out relatively hard (i.e. harder than I have for anything over a 10k before) and then look to up the pace with 5k to go. If everything crumbled and I had misjudged the effort and my fitness, I figures I could cruise through the second half and still grab a PB anyway. A simple enough plan to which I also added that I wouldn't allow any kilometre splits to slide above a certain pace either. I knew the course was a little undulating and that I would use effort to guide some of the pacing, but I didn't want to let myself switch off on too many of the uphills and thus start giving myself an excuse to drift away from the goals. Finally, I wasn't going to be taking on any nutrition or water during the race. These have caused some stomach issues in a couple of longer races this year and I felt the cool weather meant I could blag 13.1 miles before the consequences caught up with me.
It couldn't have really gone better. The first 10 miles were exactly to plan. Paces within a couple of seconds of the target, accelerated the downhills and worked the uphills without blowing hard. Mentally, I was getting a little tired in the 8-10 mile stages and wondered if I would have anything to accelerate with in those last few miles. I also kept reflecting on that emergency gel in my shorts pocket. But lo and behold, at the 10 mile mark was a beautiful sweeping downhill that helped to build momentum into the finish and removed all concerns from my mind. My legs continued to turn over. My knees continued to drive. My heels continued to flick up behind. This was great. And when the flat came, and later the hills, the fact that I was crushing my goals meant that I didn't panic when I realised that I was running my 10k pace for those last 5 kilometres, nor when I noticed that I was below my 5k pace during that last kilometre uphill. And when running into the line, the time spent wondering if those 400metres were ever going to end were half felt. It felt smooth and easy. I had happily drifted past dozens of people in those last few miles and continued to do so up until the line.
The race couldn't have gone better. I had got in 4 minutes below my best possible dream goal. I felt absolutely fine (if a little spaced out until I found some calories). My legs had more than coped and a day later, still feel great. I had put in a decent effort and finished feeling good and knowing there was more to come. I'm unusually pleased with this. A nice way to round out the year.
Of course, there are three more weeks left of 2013...
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Heavy Legs But Good Training
So after a little more than a week of more solid training, the old feeling of unresponsive legs has returned. It is oddly reassuring.
Post-Snowdonia recovery is going well. A weekend of walking during a navigation course with constantly cold and wet feet in the Peak District seemed to help as a starting point and a progressive return to training has started to develop well. Light circuits on Wednesday followed by a few minutes off road and then Thursday's club track session of 300s at 80% effort. Friday a recovery run and then a couple of events at the weekend.
Saturday was the Seagrave Wolds Challenge, a 16 mile off road run a little outside of Leicester. Beautifully organised. Starting from the local village hall where, being on the edge of my local running events, it was interesting to see different running club vests. It also seems that Salomon's decision to offer a wider range of colours in their Speedcross 3s has paid off handsomely. I've never been to an event where they have been more visible in numbers (and bright hues) despite this being a small, local race through some fields. Pleased to see the smattering of Inov-8s too as well as the usual cross section of road shoes. Being my first appearance at this race, it did leave me pondering whether I'd made the right decision to wear the somewhat aggressive Fellcross 2s. Much as I enjoy them off road (they're now permanently the colour of mud - at least I think it is mud), I am aware that their grip on tarmac, or worse still, stone, is somewhat akin to rollerblading. Fortunately, the race briefing laid my mind at ease in this area, while also highlighting the particularly heavy going for the first two and last two miles of the race. Having decided to use the race as a hard training session, those last two miles preyed on my mind until the end. We set of from the front of the hall with a short tarmac section before we dropped into fields whereupon the reason for the warning became clear. We were crossing on unmarked paths and the field was ploughed, heavy clay. The type that really wants to stay attached to your shoes until the double in size and treble in weight. Well, won't this be fun in the latter stages of the race? There wasn't much in the elevation profile of the race to cause any worry and after settling in to a steady pace and slipping my estimated finish time backwards with each clay-filled field, I started to enjoy the race. Looking back, the whole thing went by quickly. The gels were taken at roughly 40 minute intervals and went down without the type of problems I seem to suffer in marathons. Grabbed a little water at the aid stations, but nothing significant. I particularly enjoyed the section roughly two thirds of the way around when we ran along the canal, although the canal had overflowed into the path enough at one point that we did a bit of splashing. All except when we had to duck through the tunnels on the wet stones and I couldn't help but imagine sliding headfirst into the canal. There were some lovely woodland sections too but they went by quickly while I was trying to assess how well my legs were coping and how much I was going to put in at the end. Coming out of that canal section into the final few miles I held my pace which the guys and gals around me were struggling to do. I guess I picked up a dozen places or so in the last couple of heavy miles although this became difficult with gates or styles every couple of hundred yards during one section. And finally, in the last kilometre, I did drop to a walk for a few yards. A muddy field with a slight incline where the grass just ripped away as you tried to move forward rather than provide any traction. The two guys ahead were just too far away from me to catch. The guy behind that I had just passed was not going to be coming back at me. And so, for the count of ten, I strode steadily forward and pulled myself together for the last few hundred metres. The only complication left for me was trying to work out how I actually finished the event having not realised that I needed to find someone to scan the bar code on my wrist band. Great little event and I was grateful for the abundant tea and crumble which I consumed in my slightly dazed state before setting off. It is a race that I intend to return to next year.
And then Sunday's run, to be undertaken at roughly recovery pace, was the Remembrance 11k at Fineshade Woods between Stamford and Corby. It is a race that I attended last year and also an area that I've used for training previously. A 3k loop, followed by a 8k loop, mainly on well maintained gravel trail. No real adventures here other than being amused by a guy in the last couple of miles who's ego was larger than his ability. Watching him respond any time a girl went to overtake him was moderately amusing and led to a somewhat inevitable detonation in the last kilometre. It took me the first mile or so before my legs started to respond and, although obviously heavy from the previous day, they kept moving fairly easily throughout the race. There may have been a minor hangover in there too but it didn't cause any problems.
Monday interval session with Parklands Jog and Run was not a lot of fun and I could have coped without the decreasing recoveries but my pace held up okay. It did convince me to take a couple of lighter days to recover and so I look forward to Thursday's track session with the club with a bit more enthusiasm. 3x 1500m efforts. Much more my thing.
Post-Snowdonia recovery is going well. A weekend of walking during a navigation course with constantly cold and wet feet in the Peak District seemed to help as a starting point and a progressive return to training has started to develop well. Light circuits on Wednesday followed by a few minutes off road and then Thursday's club track session of 300s at 80% effort. Friday a recovery run and then a couple of events at the weekend.
Saturday was the Seagrave Wolds Challenge, a 16 mile off road run a little outside of Leicester. Beautifully organised. Starting from the local village hall where, being on the edge of my local running events, it was interesting to see different running club vests. It also seems that Salomon's decision to offer a wider range of colours in their Speedcross 3s has paid off handsomely. I've never been to an event where they have been more visible in numbers (and bright hues) despite this being a small, local race through some fields. Pleased to see the smattering of Inov-8s too as well as the usual cross section of road shoes. Being my first appearance at this race, it did leave me pondering whether I'd made the right decision to wear the somewhat aggressive Fellcross 2s. Much as I enjoy them off road (they're now permanently the colour of mud - at least I think it is mud), I am aware that their grip on tarmac, or worse still, stone, is somewhat akin to rollerblading. Fortunately, the race briefing laid my mind at ease in this area, while also highlighting the particularly heavy going for the first two and last two miles of the race. Having decided to use the race as a hard training session, those last two miles preyed on my mind until the end. We set of from the front of the hall with a short tarmac section before we dropped into fields whereupon the reason for the warning became clear. We were crossing on unmarked paths and the field was ploughed, heavy clay. The type that really wants to stay attached to your shoes until the double in size and treble in weight. Well, won't this be fun in the latter stages of the race? There wasn't much in the elevation profile of the race to cause any worry and after settling in to a steady pace and slipping my estimated finish time backwards with each clay-filled field, I started to enjoy the race. Looking back, the whole thing went by quickly. The gels were taken at roughly 40 minute intervals and went down without the type of problems I seem to suffer in marathons. Grabbed a little water at the aid stations, but nothing significant. I particularly enjoyed the section roughly two thirds of the way around when we ran along the canal, although the canal had overflowed into the path enough at one point that we did a bit of splashing. All except when we had to duck through the tunnels on the wet stones and I couldn't help but imagine sliding headfirst into the canal. There were some lovely woodland sections too but they went by quickly while I was trying to assess how well my legs were coping and how much I was going to put in at the end. Coming out of that canal section into the final few miles I held my pace which the guys and gals around me were struggling to do. I guess I picked up a dozen places or so in the last couple of heavy miles although this became difficult with gates or styles every couple of hundred yards during one section. And finally, in the last kilometre, I did drop to a walk for a few yards. A muddy field with a slight incline where the grass just ripped away as you tried to move forward rather than provide any traction. The two guys ahead were just too far away from me to catch. The guy behind that I had just passed was not going to be coming back at me. And so, for the count of ten, I strode steadily forward and pulled myself together for the last few hundred metres. The only complication left for me was trying to work out how I actually finished the event having not realised that I needed to find someone to scan the bar code on my wrist band. Great little event and I was grateful for the abundant tea and crumble which I consumed in my slightly dazed state before setting off. It is a race that I intend to return to next year.
And then Sunday's run, to be undertaken at roughly recovery pace, was the Remembrance 11k at Fineshade Woods between Stamford and Corby. It is a race that I attended last year and also an area that I've used for training previously. A 3k loop, followed by a 8k loop, mainly on well maintained gravel trail. No real adventures here other than being amused by a guy in the last couple of miles who's ego was larger than his ability. Watching him respond any time a girl went to overtake him was moderately amusing and led to a somewhat inevitable detonation in the last kilometre. It took me the first mile or so before my legs started to respond and, although obviously heavy from the previous day, they kept moving fairly easily throughout the race. There may have been a minor hangover in there too but it didn't cause any problems.
Monday interval session with Parklands Jog and Run was not a lot of fun and I could have coped without the decreasing recoveries but my pace held up okay. It did convince me to take a couple of lighter days to recover and so I look forward to Thursday's track session with the club with a bit more enthusiasm. 3x 1500m efforts. Much more my thing.
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