My UltraRunning log

Krusty_Clown

I got some Honeystingers gels before, and just couldn't stomach them at all. Sickly sweet, massively sticky, I was bent over with cramps within 30 minutes. Just shows, you gotta try everything before the race environment, as it's different strokes. By the way, you can buy them from ISO active in Edinburgh: http://www.isoactive.com/hs/index-1.html (athough I see they are temporarily prohibited from importing them into the EU).

Can't believe you missed the opportunity to grab some photos for the 'photos of where I run' thread! Missed opportunity!

mithril

Saturday: Pilgrims Challenge North Downs Ultra
53 KM in 5:08 (5:48 pace)

Good run over the North Downs in Surrey,UK which got me home in 8th place on the day (winning time 4:44).

I will post a more detailed report later in the week.

Krusty_Clown

Great running mithril. How did the legs feel at that pace?

mithril

The overall time is a bit misleading since we walked the hills and stopped at each check-point for a short break.
Most of the guys were doing a second 33mile run back to the start on the Sunday, so pace was not very fast ,and I always was very comfortable with it. On the flat we were doing about 5:15, and my fastest KM was the second last when I picked up to 4:35.

mithril

Saturday: Pilgrims Challenge North Downs Ultra
Summary

8th place out of approx 110.
53 KM in 5:08 (5:48 pace)
Location:North Downs Way, Surrey ,England.

Introduction
I picked this 33 mile run as an intermediate race between a full marathon distance and the 39.3 mile Connemara Ultra Marathon which I am hoping to complete in April.

As a basis for comparison, I would rate the course slightly tougher than the Causeway Coast Marathon (also off-road), which I completed last year in 3:32), but easier than the IMRA Wicklow Way Trail.

The route follows the North Downs way along the slopes of a chalky ridge from Farnham to Mersham in Surrey (just south of London). It’s an undulating run along bridleways for most of the way, but gets tougher near the end. There are there are two significant climbs with elevation gain of about 400 feet apiece at miles 20 and 26 which you encounter when starting to get tired.

The event is marketed as a preparation event for the Marathon Des Sables - the famous long distance ultra-run in the Sahara – with an option of running a one day 33miler from Farnham to Mersham - or both days with the second day back from Mersham to the start point.

I picked the first day only, but 90% of entrants were doing both. Also a lot of the entrants were carrying their sleeping bag and kit in preparation for Marathon des Sables so the finishing times and positions are misleading in terms of the level of running ability.

Kit
· 1 pair Montrail Hardrock running shoes. (not ideal for conditions since designed for running on rock rather than muddy surface of this route but brought since well broken in and most of my WW training runs had been done in it. )
· 1 pair of Mizuno running tights.
· 1 pair x-sock sky run socks
· 1 Berghaus x-static long shirt.
· 1 Salomon waterproof top.
· 1 Salomon twin belt hydration pack (carrying 1 * 700 ml container only , with second holder adopted to provide more storage space).
· Compulsory safety equipment – space blanket, head-torch with spare batteries ,mobile phone and whistle.
· Garmin 305 GPSwatch.
· 1 Honey stinger gel ,1 Power gel, 1 viper bar and 700 ml of Lucozade sport.

Preparation

I completed a marathon distance training run on the previous Saturday in 3:18 on a flat course which probably was a bit close to the actual race but I do not think it took very much out of me on the day.
I had been working in Seattle for the two previous weeks and took an overnight flight on Wednesday, arriving home Thursday evening. Sorted out kit and re-packed again, had a big feed of pasta and straight to bed at 8 PM. Early flight next morning to Gatwick and then got train to Farnham about lunch-time. I had not got a full night’s sleep since the previous Tuesday but managed to doze quite a bit on route so did not feel too tired.

Interested in visiting castle on Farnham hill since it features in The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell , a book I had read last month but it was closed for the day. Still managed to admire great view from crag and I would not like to have to fight my way up it.

Then had a very dodgy baked potato with tuna for lunch which kept me close to the hotel bathroom for the remainder of the day, but worst of it was out of me by the evening, and I don’t think it had any impact on the day.

Felt a lot better by the evening , and had excellent dinner (salmon and potatoes and alrge glass of red wine ) in hotel where I met John who was also eating on his own and clearly running next day as well.

John had some really interesting tales of some of the toughest endurance runs in the world which he had previously completed. The jungle ultra-marathon on Brazil is apparently the toughest - harder than Marathon Des Sables because of the humidity - and terrifying because of the threats from anaconda snakes and jaguars, particularly at night.

Race

Walked to Farnham station from hotel and got mini-bus there to start of race. About 120 in total had entered but the runners had been streamed into groups by expected finishing times. Walkers kicked off at 8, runners at 9 and in the final group fast runners which I optimistically put myself into, lured by an extra hour in bed, at 10.

Conditions were close to ideal – about 8 degrees and remained dry throughout but with a haze which spoiled some of the views.
About 30 of us started off from a grassy field and headed up a road for the first few hundred metres.

I had hoped that I would be able to stay with the leaders at the start, given I was only running a single day, but I found it too much effort to stay with the pace and wisely dropped back to about 12th place where I found a group that was closer to my level.

My left ankle then started to feel painful and unstable. I had deliberately rested it for the previous few days to see whether I could clear up the injury but this did not really work. I was starting to wonder at what point I would have to drop out when we moved off the road onto a muddy field and the softer surface cushioned the impact. The ankle remained painful throughout the race but after a while settled down into a dull ache which I was able to run through quite successfully. It’s a concern though for Connemara where I will be running on road for the entire race.

It then became apparent that the route card given by the organisers was woefully inadequate – the North Down Trail appeared to have been way-signed in the seventies and the marking posts had weathered and were difficult to pick out at speed, while they were missing entirely at some key junctions. I have difficulty finding my way around the office and it was a real miss not to have picked up a map (actually two would have been needed to cover the entire route).

Luckily one of the guys who later introduced himself as Andrew had some prior familiarity with the route and some better route cards, and I resolved to stick as close to him as possible pace as long as I could. In the end , about 6 of us ran in a group together , which allowed multiple pairs of eyes to watch out for route indicators and worked quite well. We took one wrong turning on an unsigned junction but only lost about 3 minutes and other than that we followed the correct route throughout.

The first check-point was about 8 miles on up a hill by an old ruined church which was very runnable by IMRA standards but all the runners immediately started power-walking up the hill - a pattern which repeated itself though-out the race. This was the major difference I noticed between marathon running and the longer distances (remember most people were doing 66 miles over two days). In effect it meant that a hill was an opportunity for recovery and probably these breaks were the reason I felt so comfortable at the finish.

I re-filled my container with water and picked up some food from the table – a large slice of cheese. The energy food offered got even more eccentric later on but in fairness there were regular energy bars supplied as well . Ate the first half of my viper bar as well which provided an excellent lift.

I had a look at the guide book after the race and it mentioned that WW2 pill boxes were scattered along the route all over the North Downs but I cannot remember seeing any of them – it’s really strange how you can get tunnel vision when running a race. The North Downs are the last significant natural barrier between the coast and London and had been fortified for a last stand, but I don’t think would have held the Germans up for very long.

Kept a consistent pace running well within myself and sticking with the same group to check-point 2 at 18miles which was beside another old Church , at Renmore. This time the offering was cold sausage. The sensible thing was to spit it out once I realized what I was eating, but I felt it would have been rude and downed it instead. It did not do me any good but no real harm either

Feeling very comfortable at this point as we headed into Denbies estate (the famous English wine producer) and ran through the vines where we had the first sight of the formidable Box Hill ahead, our first significant challenge. Before we could get up it we needed to cross the river Mole, - there were stepping stones in it which provided a short-cut in dry weather but were now impassable so we took a detour to a nearby bridge to get over.

I had started into my Honeystinger gel to give me a lift going up Box Hill but the path rose very steeply up a flight of steps for a couple of hundred feet and I did the sensible thing and walked up it with the others .The Garmin indicates 12minutes for the 1 KM ascent – I probably could have jogged up it in 8 so this was an opportunity lost to make up time – but I wanted to run the race at a comfortable pace rather than flat-out since I had never run this far before and I was not focussed on a goal time.

The views from the top would normally be magnificent over the Southern English plain and South Downs but on this occasion there was a haze which reduced visibility somewhat.

I encountered John, who I had met the evening previous, at the next checkpoint (he had started an hour earlier than me) and gave me great encouragement. He had done another ultra two weeks previously and was using this a warm-up for the John O’Groats to Lands End Ultra(Running 55+ miles a day, for 16 consecutive days) so naturally was completing this one at a slower pace then me.

Another big hill then followed and we then passed the marathon distance so we were in uncharted territory for me. My body still felt good above the knee but ankle was now quite inflamed but not noticeably deteriorating and calves were also getting very tight.

We lost some of our group before the final check-point 3 miles out and were down to myself, Andrew who was the principal navigator and Claire who was the leading woman. There was a gradual downhill down to the finish and psychologically it was getting easier as we sensed the end in sight. We overtook a few runners ahead but it was not clear which group they had started with and whether we were actually picking up places.

Last mile brought us off the North Downs through Mersham village (where I nearly took a wrong turning) to the finish in a school gym. I felt I could have pulled away on the final section since I did not need to hoard my resources for the following day but I wanted the three of us who had been together for the last 20 miles to finish together. The finish at least was well sign posted and I crossed the finishing line just behind Andrew and Claire in eighth place on the day in 5:08:56, a result I was well pleased with.

Most of the approx 100 runners were over-nighting in sleeping bags and mats in the school gym, which looked a bit of a grim prospect to me. Atmosphere was very friendly but I felt a little out of place as people started to prepare for the night and following day’s run so I headed off fairly early to my B&B in Redhill where I started the pleasurable task of replenishing the 3000 calories I had burned off with an excellent meal in the Italian restaurant there.

mithril

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Can't believe you missed the opportunity to grab some photos for the 'photos of where I run' thread! Missed opportunity!

I am hoping to have an even better opportunity shortly .

mithril

Noticed some marks on my legs and chest and went to the doctor this morning. There is a very nasty tick borne disease called Lyme Disease prevalant in the North American woods which matches some of the symptoms I have and I wanted to check it out.

Good news is that its unlikely to be Lyme's although its still a possibility. It appears I touched some poisoned ivy or similiar vegetation while running and have got an allergic reaction.

On steriods for the moment to try and clear it up. I might be risking a ban if I compete in any races for the next few weeks.

Krusty_Clown

mithril wrote: »

On steriods for the moment to try and clear it up. I might be risking a ban if I compete in any races for the next few weeks.

Best to wait-up at the finish line then, and aim for second place.
A great account Mithril, it's certainly given me a taste for this type of event for the future, after I have sowed my wild sub-3 oats.

dermCu

Great performance and race report mithril. Box Hill is my stomping ground of choice when I want to get some hill training in. I don't have very many options in North London so I make the trek down to Box Hill. I was actually there last Sunday.

I know the steps you were talking about. You can jog / power walk from the river (beside the stepping stones) to the top of the steps in 7:30. I know every step intimately, I've done a lot of reps and been in a lot of pain on that hill in the past. Its a lovely area to train in. Best of luck in Connemara.

shels4ever

mithril wrote: »

Noticed some marks on my legs and chest and went to the doctor this morning. There is a very nasty tick borne disease called Lyme Disease prevalant in the North American woods which matches some of the symptoms I have and I wanted to check it out.

Good news is that its unlikely to be Lyme's although its still a possibility. It appears I touched some poisoned ivy or similiar vegetation while running and have got an allergic reaction.

On steriods for the moment to try and clear it up. I might be risking a ban if I compete in any races for the next few weeks.

Oh this takes me back to the day, actually ended up with lymes myself a few years back, onc eyou catch it early your grand. I had text book version of the mark on my leg.

donothoponpop

Fantastic report to read Mithril. Navigation is so important on these long hill treks, you were wise to multiply your eyes looking for markers.

Looks like your speed (3:18 marathon in training), recovery, and endurance, are bang on for Conn.

mithril

shels4ever wrote: »

Oh this takes me back to the day, actually ended up with lymes myself a few years back, onc eyou catch it early your grand. I had text book version of the mark on my leg.

I don't seem to have the classic bulls-eye mark which makes me less worried. A bit of a concern when my Irish doctor could not remember the name of the disease - I had to prompt him - but he knew the symptoms and what it was about.

Its a good deal more common in North East America.
A lot of Americans have given up hill walking because of the perceived risk.

mithril

Wednesday.
Summary: 5.19 km in 27:37 (5:19 pace) in laps of Carysfort Park.

First run since the ultra at the week-end and I seem to have come thru it OK.

This was meant to be a recovery run but struggled to keep down the pace which is always a good sign.

Lovely springy feel on the grass in the park which appears to have dried out a good bit while I was away.

Tried heat moulding my Dean Karnazes insoles which I picked up in U.S. to give a better fit.
The 2 minutes in the oven stated in the instructions is definitely too long and were sagging badly at the top when I took them out. Will try them out later this week and I have another spare pair if I need them.

mithril

Thursday
Summary: 10 aerobic kms in 47:30 (4:45 pace) doing laps of gaelic pitch in U.C.D.*

*Performed under influence of steroids.

mithril

Friday
Summary: Easy gym session in preparation for week-end's double LSR.
20 minutes on cross-trainer and calf raises with 5 KG weight.

Then sports massage. My ankle injury at last appears to be settling down.
I can now hop on my left leg almost without pain.

Finally more steroids.

mithril

Saturday
Summary: 32.21 KM in 2:39 (4:57 pace) initially on grass in Marlay Park and then headed up Three Rock Mountain for a final hilly section.

Ankle felt much better so executed initial 17 KM around grassy fields in Marlay at 4:30 pace. Even managed 1 KM at 4:06 but panting quite badly during it.
This would have been a comfortable pace before I picked up injuries in December but I am not sure anyway how relevant the ability to run at this speed is for the Ultra in Connemara.

Then headed up 3 rock mountain on the WW route via Kilmashogue lane. Ran the up-hill at quite a good pace and pleased that no apparent lingering tiredness in the legs from last week's race. Completed the loop via Ticknock road which was a mistake since the hard surface on the steep downhill started to impact my ankles and right knee and I finished the run at jogging pace to avoid further damage.

Headed to gym for shower but avoided the hot tub since I still have nasty marks on my chest which the doctor assures me are an allergy probably caused by contact with poisonous ivy (and therefore not infectious) but to me look more like medieval leprosy. I think if I got in everyone else would have made a quick exit.

Hopefully the steroids will start working their magic soon and clear this up.

Still if you meet me in a race, even though I won't be ringing a bell or shouting "unclean", the prudent thing to do would be to step immediately off the path and not get back on it again until I am at least 100 metres clear.

mithril

Sunday
Summary: 34 KM in 3:22 (5:58 pace) initially on grass in Marlay Park and then headed up the Wicklow Way for some hills.

First 10 KM on grass on Marlay at 4:29 pace. This is what passes for speed with me these days. I am not sure of the phyical benefit of running fast when tired - the consensus seems to be you don't get as good quality of physical adaption as when performed when rested - but mentally I think this is good to force you to run at a decent pace while a bit tired.

Then headed up the Wicklow Way via Kilmashogue, headed over to Tibradden and then up the new DMI route to top of Cruagh Mountain where I re-traced my steps back to Marlay.

Ran up the hills at a decent pace but my right knee is now giving trouble - I think it's ITB- so jogged the downhills and anything with a firm surface.
Calf muscle is now fine and left ankle is improving so I am down now to one niggle and a half.

Happy with this -could have gone on for longer and don't feel wrecked after two tough days - so stamina has definitely improved in the last few months.

Gave the Montrail Continental Divide - my new long distance off-road running shoe - its maiden trial after replacing the supplied laces with lock-laces. It's a fine shoe. Heavier, but much better protection underfoot than the Salomon x-wings I used yesterday and I think I will get good use out of it.

Krusty_Clown

Great consistent running there Mithril. Have you considered Inov-8 Roclite 288's? Very light, at just 288grams, but with ankle support.

mithril

I have 6 pairs of running shoes on the mat in my kitchen and another 7 pairs in the "archive" box upstairs. I never somehow can bring myself to throw out my old pairs even when I replace them.

So many choices!

The only Inov-8 I currently have is the Mudclaw which does what it is supposed to very well.

You are tempting me now to add to the collection - there always is something better out there.:)

mithril

Monday

Day of rest. Finished the course of steroids and they appear to be working. Hopefully I will be able to test clear by Connemara.

mithril

Tuesday
Summary: 8.69 KM in 36:48 (4:14 pace) on U.C.D. track

First successful attempt to run at marathon pace since start December and pleased with the fluency with which I was able to move around the track.
Ankle felt a lot better and no pain while running.
I am hoping to build on this and get back to a weekly speed session.

Knee started to go off track after 8 KM and I immediately abandoned the work-out (the original plan was 12 KM) to prevent damage but this has been a minor enough problem when it happened previously and I think I know the exercises to fix this.

Picked up another new road running shoe in the UK after doing gait analysis in a running shop in Guildford. The new one is the Brooks Adrenaline. This felt great whizzing around the track but the real proof is how well I feel after running with it on 1KM of concrete pavement.

Off to Newfoundland tomorrow for a holiday so not sure how often I will be updating the log for the time being.
Hoping to give cross country skiing a shot and also have thrown the Mud Claws into the bag for some snowy running.

mithril

Wednesday
Summary: 26.02 KM in 1:59 (4:35 pace) on coast path around Irishtown. Jogging on concrete paths to protect knees and quad stretches every 8k . Very comfortable now ankle is behaving itself.

mithril

Canada

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47985272@N04/sets/72157623404900217/

Running on a frozen lake in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland.

The guys in the background are boring through the ice to fish.

Newfoundland has received its mildest winter for a generation and it was actually warmer than Ireland for most of the time I was there.

Not so great for skiing since normally there are a few feet of snow this time of year but almost nothing this year so I was skiing mainly on ice which is not ideal for a beginner.

Still I escaped with a sprained thumb which I think I will be able to run thru.:)

Not much running the last 10 days since roads are all concrete and this is too hard a surface for my body to tolerate.
Niggles though have cleared up with a rest and looking good for the final stretch of training before Connemara.

Krusty_Clown

Nice! You look nervous. Were you waiting for the ice to crack, and the frozen lake to swallow you up?

We must put together an album of the most remote Boards AC vest sightings. I think Rusty Cogs owns the honours at the moment.

mithril

If I looked nervous it was about my brother's ability to use my camera.
This was take 8!

Someone had driven a snowmobile onto the ice and I figured if it could take this I would be OK.

mithril

Sunday

Summary: 12.15 KM in 57:18 (4:43 pace) aerobic run in laps of Carysfort Park. Tired since I had missed previous night's sleep with flight from Canada but i reckon I will be running tired in Connemara as well.

mithril

Monday

Summary: 16.51KM in 1:12 (4:22 pace) in laps of Carysfort Park.

This is one of the workouts I used quite a bit in run-up to Berlin Marathon in the autumn which I think worked well.

1 KM interval at slightly faster than MP (average 4:05) and then 1 KM at aerobic pace (4:35)
The change in pace breaks up the boredom of running laps around a field.
Found this more comfortable than I expected - I think previously I was protecting my ankle and running form was off.

Right knee appeared to be going off track so I abandoned the run a little early (planned distance was 18 KM).

mithril

Tuesday

Yesterday, although it would be routine if I was doing a proper marathon program and was fully fit, was my toughest workout since December so pleased that I still felt very fresh and well up for the long mid-week run I planned.
However, my knee cap was inflamed, and although I know I could run through it, I headed to the gym instead as a precaution, did some calf raises with weights, and then cross trained for an hour.

Then headed to the pub to watch Ireland lose, downed a few pints and junk food and undid any benefit from the training session.

mithril

Wednesday

Summary: 32KM in 2:27 (4:36 pace) around Carysfort Park, Blackrock Park and Sandymount sea front (dead flat)

Benefiting from rest on holidays, this was a comfortable long run at a decent pace.

Legs felt in good shape at the end but upper body, particularly back and neck, were quite stiff so think I will have to try more actively to loosen these while running and/or get a massage.

Knee cap went off track after 20 KM , stopped and did some quad stretches and a gruesome looking exercise the physio has given me to lift and loosen the knee cap and managed to complete the run at a slower pace.

Fuel: 1 Powergel and bottle of water after 10 km.

mithril

Thursday

Knee still sore after yesterday's session so swapped a recovery run for 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer, calf raises and stretching in the gym.

Good session since I felt better coming out of it than going in which is the goal of a recovery workout.

I am a fan of the elliptical training for easy workouts since I think you get virtually all the benefits of a recovery run using it without the impact and risk of injury.