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Time for a New Adventure
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What type of tape are you using on your feet?? Might be worth trying Kinesio tape, I've used it in the past on my calf. Took about 5/6 days to come off, and even that involved the removal of a lot of hair on my calf. I was using it when I was swimming too so is durable stuff.
Hi Joey, I've been using zinc oxide sports tape but it's been peeling back so it's not the best. I'll give the Kinseo tape a shot, thanks for that.
Career movie, thank you, I love the idea of the sealskinz socks, I'll be looking for a pair of thems
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Fair pair on all your training, your building up nicely for the Beast. Re the blisters on your feet try duck tape, find it works for me,. Have you tried double socks?
Yea, I tried double socks and I wear liners inside my wooly sock when I hike, I think there's no skin on my heel so whatever is there lifts. The taping has worked really well until this weekend though I did the taping when I was half asleep at 3am Saturday morning. I'll give the K tape and the duck tape a go though
Wednesday
No run at lunchtime because fancy monitors and touch screens wouldn't work so I'd to spend hours getting cables and laptops to get presentation to show on fancy screens .... technology is not my forte.
Instead I ended up doing a brick session of sorts after work.
Run: 5.11 miles easy p and down the river. 44mins @ 8:35/mi
Wattbike: 30mins pushing it averaging 145 watts
Circuits: 4x40 secs (7secs recovery)
1. Chin-ups
2. Ropes
3. Planks - held these through the recoveries
4. Backward lunge & thrust with 8kgs
5. Great game of dodgeball of sorts with my circuit partner (5kg spongy ball
6. Kettlebell swings with 16kg & 12kg (I was fading)
7. Box jumps
8. Dreaded mountain climbers
Legs felt tired on the run but the rest of the session felt good. Was bouncing off the walls when I got home but 1.5 hours later massive slump very happy zzz zzz zzz
Thursday
20 minutes on the Wattbike before circuits
Circuits: 4x60 secs (10sec recovery)
1. Backward lunges with 8kgs
2. Lunge walk & twist with 10kg
3. Ropes
4. Mountain climbers & ab wheel
5. Forward lung & push over the head with 8kg
6. Dodgeball game from last night
7. Boxing
8. Forward lunge & twist0 -
No PM session on Thursday, them lunges and squats caught up with me big time. Went for dinner with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, got up after sitting for two hours and was making like the tin man going down the stairs from the restaurant. Girls thought it was hilarious especially after I told them about the adventure race that's lined up
Friday AM
5.25 miles before work. Ran at a pace that was comfortable - this was slow, averaged 9:05/mi. I felt like I was running in slow motion, especially going up the hills. My legs are soooooo stiff.
On the upside, thank crunchie it's Friday 0 -
Friday Lunch
One of the lads from work was heading out for a slow one so I said I'd keep him company. Still stiff but felt much better than the morning run.
5.4 miles @ 8:46/mi.
Saturday
Lots and lots of walking around Dublin followed by the mother of all feeds in Bear with himself and two friends of mine. We got through 2kg of beef, them muscles needed repairing oh and some wine. This training has turned me into a little pigglet.
Sunday AM
Dragged himself out of bed for a light run despite much protestation that there was a lump of undigested meat still in his tummy.
4.6 miles @ 10:00
Sunday PM
Samsung 10km night run.
This was a valentines present from himself. No race report needed - there were 6,000 runners/joggers on very narrow streets with so many turns and twists I couldn't tell where I was. It was more a race to survive without tripping over someone than anything else. I've never seen as many people with skinned knees as I did at the end of this one.
It was nice to run around Dublin city in the dark in a florescent top all the same. Finished in 51 something minutes.
Monday
1:30 on the Wattbike (37km). Spinning at 90/91 rpm for the first 50 minutes and upped the tempo to 96/97 rpm for the last 40 minutes.
My tushy was hurting for the first 20 minutes but it was suitably numb for the rest of it. Felt good - just a little bored in the gym, I was hoping someone might fall off a treadmill or something but no such luck. Kept the handlebars quiet low so that my shoulders got used to the position - I found the last time I was out that my shoulders were aching after the cycle.
Did a 1.5mile run off the bike.
Didn't get to eat as quick after the session as I wanted and by the time I did and got into bed I was having a will I or won't I puke debate in my head. Fell asleep still wondering what was going to happen, didn't puke. Lesson learned - need to eat nuts or a bar after working out and not wait to find the time to cook something.
Tuesday AM
25 minutes on the Wattbike @ 85rpm. Found it hard to motivate myself this morning and get the legs going.
Circuits. 10 stations @ 4x50seconds.
This was a half baked effort by me, I could have made it more intense but I wasn't feeling it.0 -
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Friday AM
5.25 miles before work. Ran at a pace that was comfortable - this was slow, averaged 9:05/mi. I felt like I was running in slow motion, especially going up the hills. My legs are soooooo stiff.
On the upside, thank crunchie it's FridayFriday Lunch
One of the lads from work was heading out for a slow one so I said I'd keep him company. Still stiff but felt much better than the morning run.
5.4 miles @ 8:46/mi.
:eek: Not bad for just a Friday.0 -
Tuesday PM
First leg of the Galway 5km series in Athenry.
Made a massive shambles of this. Late leaving work, late getting home & putting food in my belly, late getting to Athenry, last one to leave the loos and just got to the tail of the crowd as the race went off. Started at the back so couldn't get out of the crowd, my first km was 5:09, nuff said. To top it off, in my haste to leave home, I put on my trail runners for some unknown reason and they don't grip wet tar mac very well so I wasn't super comfortable. Ran well as soon as the pack opened up at the first km mark - finished in 24:00. Next week WILL be better
Wednesday AM
Early morning run I like running around the city as it's waking up even though my legs don't play ball in the morning.
5.24miles @ 8:58/mi0 -
Tuesday PM
First leg of the Galway 5km series in Athenry.
Made a massive shambles of this. Late leaving work, late getting home & putting food in my belly, late getting to Athenry, last one to leave the loos and just got to the tail of the crowd as the race went off. Started at the back so couldn't get out of the crowd, my first km was 5:09, nuff said. To top it off, in my haste to leave home, I put on my trail runners for some unknown reason and they don't grip wet tar mac very well so I wasn't super comfortable. Ran well as soon as the pack opened up at the first km mark - finished in 24:00. Next week WILL be better
sandbagging the first race so you can point at the massive improvement. nice thinking..:)0 -
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Wednesday PM
Sqeezed in a run after work. It was raining so it was a bit of a slog but I was glad to get out.
5.1miles @ 8:30/mi
Thursday AM
1.2 miles before circuits.
Tough class this morning: 9 stations. 5x50 on each
1. Kettle bell swings and around the worlds
2. Forward lunge with a weight an push above the head
3. Planking while pulling on a dyna band
4. Throwing squishy 5kg ball
5. Powerlunges, squats and push above the head with weight
6. Sit-ups & push up and plank
7. Walking lunges with medicine ball above the head
8. Ropes
9. Backward lunge with a chest press
Bags are packed, off to Scotland after work for a weekend of fun filled hiking/snow ploughing I've never been so happy to be putting crampons and an ice axe into my suitcase 0 -
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Friday
Nearly a full day of traveling to Fort William in Scotland so no time for any training today.
A group of 12-15 of us go to a different place every year to get some hiking in and this year the destination was Scotland and Ben Nevis was in our sights.
We had arranged to meet up with two Scottish climbers that we met in the Alps a few years back and so on Friday night, over steak and pints, we made a plan for the following morning. The group was to split in two and the Scotts insisted that even though conditions were very wintery up on the hills, those of us that wanted should do the Carn Mor Dearg Arete route onto Ben Nevis with them - the rest of the group went straight up Ben Nevis. I'd climbed with them a few times and trusted them with my life so put my hat in the ring, in the end there were three of us and the two Scotts.
Saturday
We were on the foot of the mountain for 8 bells with plenty of warm clothes and food in our bags. It was nice and toasty at ground level but you there was nothing but white covering the top of the mountains around us and the weather was expected to turn after lunch.
The first three hours were a long long slog uphill. The first hour was on defined path, through forestry and alongside a river, all the time, facing in the direction of the north face of the Ben. We could just make out the ridge joining Carn Mor Dearg and the Ben .... it looked very white, very exposed and very long.
[IMG][/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/cnyir06yajrk5u4/Ridge-N.JPG?dl=0
After an hour we cut left from the path and up a steep incline of heather and marsh until we met a boulder field that was spattered with sections of snow that hadn't melted. This incline kept going on and on, I though we'd never reach the top but we eventually did. The guys were great, they were pointing out all of the gullies and climbing routes on the North Face of the Ben and had names on all of them - there was a scary story to go with each gully too.
Once we got to the top of this first climb we met the snow line proper, there was another 400 meter incline until we hit the top of Carn Mor Dearg. This was a nice pull and gave us a change to practice walking in loose snow and take turns breaking trail. The wind was picking up now and snow drift was starting to pierce my face so I took out my ski goggles, hat and buff. We hunkered down in some shelter and took plenty of food on board before we started out on the ridge. The water pipe on my water bladder was frozen solid by now but luckily I had a bottle of water tucked away inside my bag.
We stood up and the snow and fog cleared for just long enough to get a good view of the ridge we were just about to take on.
[IMG][/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/jqgjn30mok96cl3/Ridge3.JPG?dl=0
[IMG][/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/rjdb2l5ihvwf1a9/Ridge2.JPG?dl=0
When I saw it, all I could think was f**k me, that's the longest ridge I've ever seen and the wind is starting to blow me off my feet, this will be fun
Off we set, the first section was straightforward enough though I was being blown a good bit so was taking it pretty handy and making sure I had two points of contact at all times. Then we came on two tricky sections of rock that took some concentration to get around, one wrong move or slip and it was game over. After half an hour I remembered my ice axe so took it out and it was great to give me balance. It was super windy by now, I was thanking my lucky stars for my goggles because I wouldn't be able to see a thing otherwise. It went from sections completely covered in snow to rocky sections.
After about 55minutes, we came to a right turn and the guys assured us that it would get less hairy from here. It was much less exposed here and the wind was at our backs instead of blowing us off the side. We stopped for more food and on we went.
The final section was a 350 meter slog up a really steep section of crusty snow. Davey kindly broke trail and I followed him, kicking in to make the steps more defined for the others. This was the most draining part of the day, it's just a really brutal slog and in certain sections your foot falls through the snow up to above your knee and you have to haul it out, it saps the energy out of you. I don't know how long this section took but boy was I glad to see the trig point on top of Ben Nevis. I was a complete white out by now with only a couple of feet of visibility. Lots of hugs and back slapping when we stopped at the top.
[IMG][/img]https://www.dropbox.com/s/ylibt07ojx2hmrd/The%20Ben4.JPG?dl=0
We took in some more food, took a bearing and headed for the bottom. It was snow for about a third of the way down and then we met a defined path that the locals call the tourist trail. It's rocky and difficult to get any kind of rythm on especially when you're wearing the heaviest of winter boots that have the most rigid sole. I think it took 2 to 3 hours to get down. People always think that the toughest part is going up but for me it's coming down. It's tough on the knees and it's when I'm most tired so mistakes can easily happen. I was so super happy to get the boots off when we arrived at the pub at the bottom, I had the best hot chocolate I think I've ever tasted
It took about 8-9 hours altogether. It was a good pace all day with short breaks to refuel.
Sunday
No hiking today, conditions were too bad to gain any height so when the crew went for dinner I put on my runners and snuck out for a run along by the Lake. I had no distance in mind, just to run at a comfortable pace for s long as my legs held up. I always love running in new places, the views distract and the miles tick away very quickly. I covered 10.2 miles in 1:25 @ 8:23/mi pace. Was super happy with that given I wasn't pushing the boat out and I felt I could have done more but my belly was rumbling.
Monday
It took most of Monday to get home and I was shattered so a day of rest it was.
Tuesday AM
Circuits:
8 stations doing 6x45 seconds on each. Tough session but just what I needed.
Tuesday Lunch
Hadn't planned on a run but was fading at my desk so I figured a run would perk me up - it did the trick.
5.27 miles at an easy pace in 46minutes. 8:43/min0 -
Wow that sounds like an awesome days hiking!!!! Well done. Sounds like you were putting it up to the boys as well
Just a little thing I've noticed and I hope you don't mind me saying. You're doing your easy runs way too fast. You're far more likely to get injured doing that and your not getting the proper training stimulus. Try putting your most recent race time into this calculator https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
It shows you what paces you should be training at to improve0 -
career move wrote: »Just a little thing I've noticed and I hope you don't mind me saying. You're doing your easy runs way too fast. You're far more likely to get injured doing that and your not getting the proper training stimulus. Try putting your most recent race time into this calculator https://runsmartproject.com/calculator/
It shows you what paces you should be training at to improve
Thanks CM, I'm really happy to get some feedback from the more experienced. You're right, the calculator tells me I should be doing easy runs at between 9.40 - 10.15. I've been way overshooting the mark. I've just been going out and doing what my legs feel like doing. Thanks for pointing it out It will take some training to go slower when my legs are feeling like they want to go faster 0 -
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Very little to report this week because it's taper week, which is just as well because it coincided with a mental busy week at work, an outbreak of a virus on my lip, moving himself from one one place to another (bringing on a dust allergic reaction - cue the swelled red eyes and face rash) and a general lazy week
There were a few slow runs and spins thrown in but nothing worth writing home about.
Spent this evening preparing everything for the Coast to Coast as we're hitting the road after work tomorrow. My friend was supposed to get married today but they called it off last week but then they called it back on on Sunday so in the end I decided to forgo the nuptials and spend the evening packing (in case they called it off again, it's their fourth engagement so anything is possible - you could write a TV series on them).
The chaos in the house this evening trying to get everything organised and in the proper order and bags and himself sitting there asks why there's so much fuss 'sure ye'll be sitting for most of it anyway' :eek: :eek: I guess he has a point.
I'm really nervous, hoping that I have everything that I'll want and reminding myself at the same time that this is training for the bigger one. It doesn't all have to go perfectly right this time.
Looking forward to meeting some of the other boardsies at this gig, it will be nice to put faces to the names
Oh and in case you were wondering, they both showed up and they tied the knot
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I know AKW has done his in instalments but I’m throwing it all up here together even though it’s taken me three days to write Put on the kettle and grab the bickies …..
Saturday, May 16th
Coast2Coast
We hit for Enniscrone Friday evening after work and arrived 10 minutes into the race briefing. I’ve never been to one of these before so was unsure of what to expect but it wasn’t very detailed or long as we had received a race info. pack during the week with pretty much everything we needed to know included – in short, the whole course was way marked with yellow arrows so there was no navigation necessary. We got a very comprehensive pack for our support crew. It had detailed instructions as to how they would get to each point along the various sections that they should meet us. The rest of the guys and I were very impressed with this, it had maps and pictures of exactly where they should turn on off onto roads etc., great booklet from 26Extreme.
We hit for Ballina where we stayed the night and agreed on a 9am start the following morning for breakfast. A litre and a half of water down the hatch before the race start – Alpine style
I couldn’t believe how well I slept Friday night, usually I don’t sleep the night before something big but I was as calm as I could be and slept like a log.
My plan for nutrition for the event was simple – I was going au naturale, no gels or protein bars on the menu, just regular food, bagels at transition, pot noodles in case we managed to get our hands on hot water, 9bars, yogurt covered oat bars, picnic bars, jelly beans, jelly babies, nature valley cereal bars and dextrose tablets were all laid out in different bags, ready for each transition. I had 4x1.5 litres of water mixed with powerbar isotonic powder and 2x1.5 litres of plain water ready to refill my bike water bottle at each transition. Realizing on the way to Ballina that I left my 5 bagels in the fridge in Galway was frustrating but we stopped at a deli and I got a few brown bread sandwiches – those bagels were the tastiest bagels I never got to eat
At the beach we unloaded the bikes and got all our gear ready. Each of us had a plastic box with all our gear in it and the plan was that the crew would have them out of the van and ready at each transition. Frank had my bike during the week to give it a once over, put the gaitorskin tyres on it and fit the new pedals. I’m ashamed to admit that when my bike was taken out of the van, I didn’t recognize it, I even asked where my bike was. It was spotless and like brand new. It had been pretty rusty and Frank had done a savage job of cleaning it, he said I wouldn’t know myself on it as the chain was much freer and the new tyres were much lighter. I took it for a quick spin and quickly learned hot to clip in and out of the pedals. What a way to try this clipping in and out business for the first time, on a 250km cycle :eek:
5km Beach Run
This headed out towards the West for 2.5km before turning around and coming back to the vans. There was a nice wind blowing into our faces on the way out and I was so glad that we were going to have it on our back for the cycle East. First 5km went off without a hitch, the sand was nice and hard and we took it easy.
Run: 27:30 Total: 27:30
108km cycle
We had a seamless transition and off we went. We hadn’t gotten to the end of the village when I heard a roar from one of the guys, flat tyre. So I took the opportunity to bolt into a pub and use their bathroom. A few minutes later and we were on our merry way but unfortunately at the back of the pack. The pace from the off was quick – faster than I’m used to cycling so it was a bit of a shock. The guys were fantastic, it has always been obvious that I’m the weaker cyclist so they took turns leading and I was drafting in second or third place most of the time. We very quickly got into a rhythm of one of them dropping off and going to the back – if I was falling back, I’d shout and we’d gather together again.
This section went off without a hitch though Franks pedal came loose so he stopped for a bit to sort it but John and I kept pedaling and they caught us up not too long after. After two hours, my shoulders were starting to hurt a little so I was trying different grips to get comfortable and just kept changing them. The guys kept reminding me to drink and eat but I’m not good at multi tasking while cycling/drafting so I didn’t do too well at this. I drank a good bit less than 750ml on this cycle and only had one bar, I knew it wasn’t good enough but I was feeling ok, if I really needed it I’d had said it to the lads. I figured I’d ask the guys if on the night cycle, we could stop for two minutes every hour so that I could refuel or I’d be in serious trouble.
After three hours, my knee started to niggle a little bit. Not too painful but enough to get me worried about the second bike leg and the hike. It seemed to get worse after a freewheel downhill. I mentioned it to John and told him exactly where the pain was and he said it was most likely a cramp. This put my mind at rest. When we got into transition, I couldn’t feel it when I walked so that satisfied me.
With about 30km to go, we could see another solo cyclist up ahead and we closed the gap and finished out the ride beside him, the guys were chatting to him but I didn’t suite get up close to him. As we got into transition, AKW, Mrs AKW and Mossy were carrying their kayak to the water. Man they were super fast on the bike.
Transition was quick. I drank lots of water, had a sandwich, wetsuit on, waterproof jacket over it and had my pockets already stuffed with food for this section. We opted for the hired sea kayaks so I sat in while the kayak guy set the foot rests at the right spot for me.
Cycle 1: 4:15 Total: 4:43
Kayak 27km
This was the section I feared most, after the night cycle. It wasn’t the physical bit I was worried about, it was the sit in kayaks and the fear of how quick I’d be able to get out if it capsized and how much water I’d have gulped in panic by the time I got out. We sat into the kayaks and I was happy straight away with how stable the sit in kayak was compared to the sit on kayak. I buddied with Bryan for this and he sat at the back and steered. We had four lock gates to navigate on this section so we would be getting out and in each time to lift the kayaks out and back in.
I think we were second last into the water. There was a pair just in front of us and a solo guy coming behind. We hit off at a nice pace and passed out the pair, they seemed to be having difficulty figuring out the rudder system as they kept ramming into the canal bank and turning around. It wasn’t long before we met the first lock gate. Bryan had been saying that he was warm so he was going to adjust his clothing and I was already feeling that my shoulders were sore but I was putting it down to the restrictiveness of the wet suit. At the lock gate, we met race support who helped haul the kayaks out and into the water – they’re bloody heavy. As we were hitting off, solo guy was launching his kayak and I think I remember him saying that someone told him he’d never finish the kayak section in the kayak he had. I was feeling bad for him because however bad it was doing it with some buddies, it must have been horrific to by on your tod for that length of time.
At the second lock gate, our crew, along with some other crews were on hand to help us take the kayaks in and out of the water. It was so great to see all the crews help each other to help the adventurers. At this point I figured I had to do something about the wetsuit. I wasn’t that cold so I took off the waterproof jacket and peeled down the wetsuit to my waist, put waterproof jacket back on and off we went. Bryan did similar. The difference we both felt with this little adjustment, it was as if we were both given a new pair of arms. We were sucking diesel and quickly ploughed on. Our other two team members were beside us in their kayak and we had some chats and giggles along the way though we pulled away a little bit from them.
Before we knew it, we were at the end of the canal and at the entrance to the lake. We had been told in the morning that the lake was choppy and that if we were going to fall in, it would be here. I was a bit apprehensive entering the big mass of water and even more so as I had a spray cover on which would definitely hinder any kind of quick exit from the kayak if it was needed. We met a race marshal at the entrance to the lake who pointed us in the right direction and told us there was support on the lake should we need it. This was reassuring. The lake wasn’t as choppy as I had expected and we moved across it pretty quickly. A man on a speed boat came over to us twice to check that we ok and tell us we were on the right route, you couldn’t fault the safety and directions.
We got back on the river and kept a good pace going until we met the last lock of the day. When we pulled in, I handed my paddle to one of our support crew, Dorina, and my right hand was in the shape of a claw and wasn’t budging. Dead mans grip and been addling for a bit too long without stopping We quickly got back in at the other side of the lock and the crews at the lock said we hadn’t much further to go. This section went on and on and on and on. We had no idea how far we had to paddle so I was hoping to see the end in sight with every corner. I ate a lot in this section but didn’t drink anything which wasn’t a good. Finally we reached civilization and boy were we glad to get out of the sitting position ☺ though overall I really enjoyed the kayak, more than I though I would. It was a great way to see the countryside, from a different perspective. I even asked the guys if there was any chance we could cut a bit off the cycle by continuing down the canal
Over to the van, peel wetsuit off and put on dry clothes. Half a sandwich down the hatch washed down with plenty of water and got the bikes ready for road.
Kayak: 4:15 Total: 8:58
Cycle 2: 17km + 122km
Our initial plan was to have some hot drinks here and a good bit to eat but after hearing about the light dinner and hot water that would be ready for us at the Share Centre 17km in, we decided to wait until then to refuel. We got to what we thought was the entrance to the Share Centre but the gates were locked and it looked like it was shut. We took out the camper stove and warmed some water for pot noodles. This took a while but was a welcome break.
Finally got on the bikes again and just down the road passed, what looked like the proper entrance to the Share Centre … ah man we thought, everyone else is enjoying a hot meal and we wasted time heating water. It looks like that wasn’t the case though – the Share Centre was shut. We got mixed info. on this from the race organisers. At the race briefing the night before, we were told that we’d have to dib here and that we’d get food but in the morning, just before he run they told us we didn’t have to dib and that the stop at the Share Centre was optional.
A bit further down the road, my water bottle popped off my bike, the support crew tooted the horn and I turned back down the road to get. A kind man had gotten out of his car to get it and handed to me asking what we were up, as quickly as I could I said we were crossing the country on foot, bike and kayak. He then starts squeezing the tyres and saying ‘that’s a grand bike you have, what kind is it?’. I’m looking at him in disbelief, tell him I’ve no idea but I really have to go. Some people are just mad for the chats.
An hour after out first pit stop, we pulled into a little village for a stretch and a refuel. Between 11 and 12 o clock was the worst time for me - mentally. There was nothing to look at, everyone was getting quiet and I was trying to figure out what I’d think about for the next 6 hours aahhhhhh. For this reason alone, breaking the cycle into one hour segments was great.
We kept this pit stop every one hour up for the rest of the cycle. The only place I remember distinctly was Armagh. We pulled into the forecourt of a petrol station and a man on his way home from the pub came over for the chats. There was a monstrous pull out of Armagh. My knee was giving me a bit of bother on the downhills and my shoulders were getting very sore so I kept changing my grip. It was comforting to have the van drive behind us to shield us from oncoming traffic – we were cycling two abreast and it was late with a chance of drivers who might be tired or have a few drinks onboard so I felt a lot safer with the van there.
The next thing I knew, we could hear the birds start to sing and it started to get bright as we headed along the water into Rostrevor or maybe before that – it was all a blur at that stage. We got rained on for an hour during the end of the cycle and we all said that if it had rained all night, it would have made a mentally difficult cycle much much worse.
We dibbed in, met our crew and were all dam glad to be off the saddles. I was starting to get tired now and cold so I put on some extra layers and my waterproofs to keep the wind off and it looked like it might rain.
Cycle 2: 8:07 Total: 17:06
35km Trail Run over Slieve Donard
A group who had come in beside us set off just before us. They had their shorts, compression socks and light backpacks on. I had heavy gear and a heavy bulky backpack. I looked at them and thought, there ain’t no way that I’m doing the pace that they are.
Off we set at a nice brisk pace. Oh man was I tired. I was so looking forward to this section of the race, hiking, I should have been in my element. I love skipping over stones and climbing, I love climbing but yikes, the tiredness was unbelievable. We started on an incline up a nice smooth forest path and I was literally closing my eyes and walking ten paces. If I could have curled up into a ball and slept, I would have. Lagging a bit behind the boys, I started to think that it might be dehydration so I started pumping the water into myself along with a ball of dextrose tablets. After about an hour it washed over me and I was back to skipping and jumping over the stones and little rivers.
I trialed my new sealskin socks with my trail runners and they were perfect. I walked through a couple of little streams and I could feel the coolness of the water but my feet stayed dry – result
We crossed the dam and on up the road until we met the Mourne way again. It was a really nice walk but I was getting a bit concerned because we’d been walking for a few hours and I still couldn’t see Slieve Donard. The next CP we met was at Trassy Track. This was manned and the super nice man offered us food and drink, we were good for everything but all I had was water mixed with powerbar and I asked if I could get a mouthful of plain water. He obliged and insisted that I take the bottle of water with me. Onwards and upwards.
Trassy Track: 5:16 Total: 22:22
This was a really nice gravel track followed by some nice chunky stones to scramble up until we met a ridge and the next track traversed another mountain until the second last decent before the long pull up Donard. Bouncing across this I heard someone calling my name from further up. It was a friend of mine from Dublin who I climb with and another friend of ours who I’ve climbed with before. They’d been tracking us and came up to see us. We stopped for a chat, they offered us food and drinks and great encouragement before they hit off in their own direction with plans to them at the finish line.
We finally came to the col and looked up at our final climb. There was mutterings that went something like ‘why the f**k would they put that at the end, have they not put us through enough’ but on we went anyway. It felt like we were going pretty slow on the ascent but we were passing out tourists to bate the band so we can’t have been going too slow. We dibbed at the top and hit for the bottom, you could just see Newcastle off to the right – it was soooooooo far away.
Slieve Donard: 1:29 Total: 24:29
Onwards and downwards. We split into two groups at this point. Frank and I enjoyed the sights on the way down and had a great chat about the whole event. I always love this part of a hike, the best chats are had on the descent when all the hard work is done. We reflected over the last 24 or so hours and talked about our strengths and weaknesses. It was great fun though by the time we reached the bottom, we were pretty much done with it. Liam and Dorina, our support team met us at the bottom gate with two cups of tea – they just thought of everything. Siobhan and Peter who we’d met on Donard were there too. We hugged and kissed and chatted a bit before they led us along the beach front to the other end of the prom towards the finish line. As Frank and I neared the finish line, the organisers were jeering us and telling us to run so we broke into a slow trot to finish. The main organiser presented me with my medal and stressed that it was well earned. It may not have meant much to him but it really stuck in my head, awe kept going for 26 hours and 36 minutes, that was fair going.
We took our time on the last few hours of the hike but the game was over at that stage and we had overshot our target but all in all, it proved to us that as a team, we could keep each other going, support eachother and keep moving for a long time.
I really enjoyed the whole event. I didn’t suffer as much as I thought I would on the bike during the night, we didn’t capsize in the boat, I survived without gels and protein bars, I didn't forget to clip out and fall over on the bike and we all finished. It was a true show of team work to get all four of us to the finish I thought it was a well organized race but it was my first one so I’ve nothing to compare it to. The support on the lake was great, the arrows on the hills helped with navigation and the soup and beer at the end was to die for I think I could be getting hooked ☺ 0 -
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Fair play Sinead. Ye were looking good in the hills though the last lad following you looked well shook!
Fairly pissed at the miss information about the share Centre myself.
Onwards and upwards, acrosswards, downwards and back upwards again
Yea, he was feeling it at that stage.
Ye were looking fresh too, ye's have had no bother making it up Donard
Bring on the next one 0 -
well done neady, having seen first hand what it took to get through this i can say it's a hell of an effort.
jsut to say though our van was cooler than yours. your van was way too shiny, didn't fit the AR scene. the AKW van has been *well seasoned* to fit right in..;)
Thanks Mossy and well done to you too, driving through the night was not an easy task, all the support crews were tough out.
Ha ha ha but we had flash green lights on top of ours?? 0 -
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Truffle Pig wrote: »Great job Neady!
Well done. Oh, that solo cyclist and guy with the wrong kayak was me....just taking it handy like
You had a great race! Fair play.
Oh no Truffle Pig, I'm so sorry. We caught up with you at the end of the first cycle, the guys were chatting with you I think. I didn't quite catch ya for the chat, I was at the back praying for the transition area to come into view
I said it in my report, hats off to anyone attempting that race on their own, I couldn't have done it without the lads to chat to and the help with paddling the kayak 0
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