1-100: Running stupid

Race Across Scotland nearly here (and looking back at the Cateran)

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000

17 days until the Race Across Scotland, 214 (ish) miles coast to coast along the Southern Upland Way. This is what this year has been building to without exception.

But first.

Cateran 55

The Cateran was meant to be a training race, but after a good Fling I was obviously thinking it could go well. I started with sunnies and vest but without any modicum of spring in my step, thinking of the previous week’s training and the Tuesday’s mile reps session. Quickly there were 4 of us running in a group at the front, chatting and yo-yoing back and forth a bit.

I was happy to land up at about 40k chatting with the group of 3 of us, at which point I accidentally took off when I realised we were walking on a flat, and didn’t see anyone again. It turns out that I was able to basically push on at the same pace while it had been too much for some - quite a few people found the turn-around to hot weather that day hard going, and there seems to have been a high incidence of wrong navigation.

After some good running I started to feel it a bit, managed to trip on the easiest bit of terrain and find myself getting blood all over my white vest, and still finding the final climb draining. I ended up coming home first in just over 8 hours, about an hour ahead of 2nd place.

Heavy training

I’ve put in some solid training since the Cateran. After a few races the week after I’ve been focused on training, concentrating on (in priority order)

Frequent back-to-back long runs (with some elevation)
High overall mileage
Still include short races/parkruns/interval sessions

From Cateran+3

203km (Recce weekend - 50k Sat, 37km Sun, 43km Sun night)
152km (65km)
206km (51, 43)
113km
212km (34, 59)
193km (51, 40)
186km (33, 51)
242km (50, 61)

That’s averaging 188km (117mi).

Some good long runs including some Munro-bagging outings, and some tough long runs after a decent parkrun outing.

And yeah, 242km last week (150 miles). That was enough to prompt a day off yesterday…

Race across Scotland

Now it’s time to taper down and start obsessing about my race in the detail it deserves.

Highland Fling

Fri, 18 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

As usual my race report has been delayed, but as I’m up against the next race (Cateran 55 on Saturday) it’s time to get around to talking about the last one.

The Highland Fling is a 53 mile race along the first half of the West Highland Way, from Milngalvie outside Glasgow to Tyndrum. It isn’t my main race of the year, but was definitely a target event, and I went into it with a taper and aspirations. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself mentioned in the pre-race preview - I know I’ve done well in a couple of events last year, but they were small ones without the greatest amount of competition, whereas the Fling is a big race, both in terms of numbers and in attracting racing talent.

Race morning

Sneaking out my hotel room in Glasgow town center to get a 4.30am bus, I was amused to see several other runners also walking in the same direction, only one random drunk to be confused. I was surprised to find myself sitting on the bus beside another entrant to the Race Across Scotland later this year.

We arrived at Milngalvie station to the distinct smell of bacon rolls. How odd at that time in the morning. As I’d registered the night before, I just had to drop off my drop bags and navigate the portaloo queues.

I chowed down on a bacon roll and coffee (the coffee stall on the station platform is opened for the event - so good!) and caught up with a few familiar faces, soon it was time to be going.

No sooner did we run up the high street, and drop down to the start of the path than I noticed the temperature was a bit chiller than the car park we’d been standing around, and I started fumbling to put on a pair of thin gloves while running and not dropping my pack. Took me long enough and unnecessary stress in the busy start, but once on they were to stay until 30-40k.

When we got to track up the side of the first small loch, it was a magical experience, and I started with the tedious “wow” and “isn’t this brilliant” theme, there was a thin layer of fog on the water below us.

Soon we come to one of my favourite little bits of the trail, after the first road crossing you hit the first thing that feels like a fun trail to run on rather than a farm track or cycle path (and in some cases get sucked into running the first downhill too hard, I imagine).

The motto is “the race to Drymen isn’t real”, I was feeling good and running faster pace than intended, chatting with a couple of guys, not pushing but maybe not taking it easy. Saw the one and only Adrian at a road crossing who said something along the lines of “that’s it, take it easy” and thought more on the subject.

After Drymen I was still finding myself running with the same companion as before, who I’d found out was more of a Euro/mountain style runner, ala UTMB etc. I’m not really sure why it seemed like a good idea to follow his lead and run most of the way up Conic hill, I thought better of it as I got closer to the top, but perhaps the damage was done. In any case I let him go on the bumpy bits and enjoyed the run back down to Balmaha.

My problem running along Loch Lomond, which I recall having when recceing 4 years ago (bit early you might say!) - is I remember there is a much talked-about gnarly rooted section, but I never remember where it is. There’s some nice trail through the forest before Rowardennan which is a pleasure to run on, and then approaching Inversnaid there’s some rocks and roots, you know this isn’t the real deal but there’s always that idiot demon on my shoulder whispering “is it?”.

I had a moment of confusion at Inversnaid when after seeing a marshall approaching the checkpoint, I saw a checkpoint sign up at the bridge before the hotel, and no sign or indication down the steps towards the hotel car park area. I glanced behind me and misread the person behind me as not following in my footsteps, and actually jogged back to see if I missed the path turning right before the steps. I think a sign that my thinking was already clouded.

So the actual “interesting” section comes after Inversnaid, and by this point I felt like I was racing. Something about a narrow twisty path with roots etc had already made me up the effort from the previous checkpoint, and I continued it here, pushing hard along the least runnable section. I was breathing hard and the heart rate was far too high, but I was enjoying it. Occasionally I’d tell myself I was pushing too hard, and coming up behind someone I’d think it was an excuse to take it easy for a little while, and pace behind them. Of course anybody who hears someone come up faster behind them in a technical section ushers them past, you don’t want someone sitting on your shoulder stressing you out, so each time (I think maybe 3 times?) I had no respite and if anything felt the need to press on.

I came into Beinglas knowing the race was in the bag - just 1 section left, anyone can run another 20k right? I also knew that my initial optimism of being able to run the climbs in the last section was probably misplaced (as usual).

I think I was fairly swift with my water top-up and drop-bag rummaging at the checkpoints, so I found myself leaving Beinglas in front of the 2 guys I arrived behind. Knowing they wouldn’t be long after, I jogged up the first couple of inclines on farm tracks to try and put an initial gap between us.

From then on it was a case of grinding it out, walking up the (not particularly steep) hills and trying to keep moving. I’m really not sure how I had the energy or desire to take this picture:

As in every previous time I’ve gone past there, there’s a farm track that seems to climb endlessly up and to the right, and only on getting closer do you realise that the WHW forks and descends at that point. It really is a gift to see.

Under the road and into “cow poo alley”. The day was warmer by this point, and there were quite a few foreign tourists out hiking, as I struggled to run on I caught a piece of wit from a pair of Americans, something like “we were sitting in 4th and 5th place”. Was I really in 4th place? It’s hard to trust the information from random hikers, particularly as you know the first place runner may be so far ahead of the rest that he might not have been counted. But I heard this again later on, and just kept up my resolve to maintain the position - I was really concerned just not to lose a place.

I easily could have done so, I was not running strong, and climbing up to the forest above Crianlarich it was easy to find myself stopping dead for a couple of seconds when I stop to walk up the hill. Must always make deliberate progress! As soon as I topped out and started running downhill I felt I could attack it again, the spirit was there but the legs were not.

Across the road and I knew I had not far to go, flat running. But how far? I could see my watch telling me a few km to go, and I was calculating the minutes left to 8 hours, and thinking it could be possible. Could it? Fortunately the remaining distance was less than my calculation, but I think it was good having this target to push me on to what felt like fast running.

I finished in 7:54:44 for 4th place. That was way over my best projection, which would have been about 8:30/top 10. And I could rest easy knowing I was about 20 minutes behind 3rd, while 3 minutes ahead of 5th, so regardless if the pacing was right, I couldn’t have come away with a better result.

I discovered at the medal ceremony I’d won a sneaky Scottish Athletics Bronze in the 2018 Scottish Ultra Trail Championships, as one of the runners in front of me was English. That’s a first!

(extra photo credits - Willie Irvine‎ and unknown)

Post-Fling

Just about recovered from my big head from successful run.

Post fling, the idea was to squeeze some training in before the Cateran 55 (tomorrow). So with 3 weeks between, that’s a big ask, and has to work out as 1 week recovery, 1 week training, 1 week taper, right?

There has been some gorgeous summery weather, even too hot at times, throughout May, and I’ve been out enjoying it, whether running, cycling to work or I suppose staring out the window.

Training weeks:

W1: 75km (18:01 parkrun, 27km long)
W2: 181km - 112 miles! (Thursday hill reps, 17:59 parkrun, marathon distance Sunday run)
W3: 63km (Tuesday 6x1600, hard!)

Right now I’m wondering if that heavy week, or mile reps session on Tuesday, is still going to be with me at the Cateran, or if I’ll hit it just right and be recovered for Saturday.

2018 Part 1

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

It’s been so long since I wrote here that I didn’t even get around to doing a 2017 recap. The headline story of 2017 was being able to race all year after doing sod-all running in 2017 due to injury, and races of note were

D33 (March)
Stirling Marathon (May)
Midnight Sun Marathon (June)
St Cuthbert’s Way 100k (July)
Ochils Ultra 50M (September)
Tweed Valley Ultra 65k (November)

All went pretty well, St Cuthbert’s Way and Ochils Ultra I didn’t quite have the legs all the way to the finish line but went ok for 2nd in each, Tweed Valley I’ve not written about here but was great course, particularly the first half over the Southern Upland Way, bit of a slog over tarmac on the way back after I’d moved into 1st, did manage to race to the end.

The big target for 2018 is the UGB Race Across Scotland - 214 miles (345km) across Scotland following the Southern Upland Way from end to end (W-E). That’s as a continuous race, 100 hours limit, not a stage race. So far this year I’ve raced XC (fairly full season), Road Relays and the Tom Scott 10M, and the current race plan is this:

Highland Fling - 53M (28th April - tomorrow!)
Cateran 55 (19th May)
EMF half (27th May)
Race Across Scotland (18th-22nd August)

Training

I raced 6 times between Marathon-100k in 2017, and I think had a good level of fitness, but largely based on racing as training; there were a couple of decent training blocks, one running up to the D33 (and I guess to an extent Stirling, probably peak fitness of the year) and then a good block of longer/hilly stuff between St Cuthbert’s Way and Ochils as specific hill training was lacking (which seemed to work).

So I’ve been thinking of 2018 as a set of training blocks leading up to the Race Across Scotland, largely because it’s so far into the year that there needs to be some structure to avoid burn-out/injury. Broad strokes are starting off getting the mileage up, get some races in, and some specific training. I’ve not really sat down to plan how this will pan out - which as we’ll see may be just as well.

Block 1 - W1-W5 - mileage base and consistent long runs

As always I got a boost from running over the Christmas break, visiting my mum’s and running around the Ochil’s. I took Hogmanay off specifically to start a clean running streak on the 1st, something that’s often done the trick of keeping me consistent.

The aim of this training block was to get my weekly mileage up to allow for better training later in the year, so I was hoping to build up to a consistent 140km/week, a number that’s worked well for me in the past. Looking at my Strava I recall that I jumped up a bit quick, and then decided to hold it around there for a few weeks until my body gets used to it. I find that stepping up distance/intensity for 2 weeks can seem fine, it’s the 3rd week that any issues start to tell with injury warning signs. Weekly distances:

136km (35km long, 2 parkruns, 1 session)
132km (28km long, 2 sessions)
130km (38km long, XC race)
138km (39km long)

Break 1 - W5-W6

After a couple of London trips in consecutive weeks, I started coming down with a chesty cough, there was some general head-cold symptoms (not fun when flying) but ultimately the cough kept me off running for the tail of W5, most of W6, and I still had the cough to an extent when I started back - super hard to shake.

Block 2 - W7-W8 - thought I was back

A good week back after illness culminated in a 50k run from Edinburgh-Polmont via the John Muir Way, which was really enjoyable, there are some great sections on that path. Along the coast, but also up the riverside path to the canal.

134km (51km long)
107km (National XC)

Break 2 - W9-W10 - cold & cold

On Monday I felt so fine that I allowed myself to be persuaded to run triple after being asked if I fancied popping out at lunch. Tuesday, I was smashed with the worst cold I can recall, or has been suggested to me probably came down with the Flu. This coincided with the Beast from the East, but the cold and snow outside didn’t bother me so much as I barely made it out of bed for days, literally spent an hour putting off getting up to visit the toilet 5 paces away as it seemed too much work. By the Friday I felt up to working from home, which is not to say human, and normal life resumed the next week - but not running, as again I had a lingering chesty cough.

Block 3 - W11-15 - Races and back to backs

Week 1 - post the second break and I was back at it, I jumped straight back up to decent mileage, and as expected was super tired by this all week (but physically didn’t seem to be a risk). This culminated in my first back-to-back reccy run on the Southern Upland Way, and what I thought of as marathon+50k turned out as 59k+56k, with 1500m+ ascent each day. I can’t overemphasise how cold this was, this was the so called “Mini Beast from the East”. On the Saturday the snow had yet to move in, but the wind was cold and in my face the whole way, and the route is quite exposed (Sanquhar to Beattock/Moffat). I find I end up screaming at the cold when it gets sufficiently intense, I guess a warcry in the fight against the elements. Miscalculated my nutrition this day, and ended up completely spent at the end, with blurred vision due to the cold, really enjoying those bonus miles I didn’t count upon.

On the Sunday I learned from my experience and wore 2 base layers (plus jacket, gloves, buff, of course), expecting to have to remove one at some point, but it was never an issue. I so rarely run with a hat on (I overheat) that it amused me that when I “stripped down” because I was warmer, I didn’t even notice I was still wearing one.

Week 2 - The National Road Relays intervened (tough 9.5k but felt good on the 2nd half), and Tom Scott 10m (59:10 beating the obvious hour target, but slower than my previous HM pace) which I combined with a long run along the Clyde walkway.

Week 3 - Hit 100 miles with 1 day off and 2 light days by virtue of another recce back-to-back, from Tweedbank to Cockburnspath on the SUW and continued on to Dunbar along the coast. Couldn’t be more different weatherwise as it was warm enough to run in a t-shirt in the rain on the Saturday, and genuinely sunny+warm on the Sunday.

Week 4 - Set out to run a steady 100 mile week, that is without just doing a ridiculous amount on some long weekend runs, but consistent daily mileage. I did it, including a couple of sessions, and a decent (but not overlong) long run.

175km (49km+56km long)
67km (RR)
152km (47km long inc 10M race, 1 good session)
163km (43km+46km long)
164km (37km long, 2 sessions)
87km (1 session)
37km to Friday (race week)

Fling

From that point I’m tapering for the Highland Fling, which is tomorrow starting at 06:00. I’m travelling over to Glasgow today, wish me luck! Tracking here.

A Tale of Two Ultras

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

One

One Monday in July I entered a race: the St Cuthbert’s Way Ultra (100k). I had the map sitting on the bookcase, after all, and had considered running it before. Luckily entry was still open: the race was on the same Saturday.

St Cuthbert’s Way Ultra

The race started on Holy Island, where I previously failed to wake up in time to be at for the St Oswald’s way race, so I was happy to finally run across the causeway. I sat by the front of the race in a small group including the previous race winner/record holder Ross Christie of Carnethy, mindful of the fact that the easy terrain meant we could easily run too fast early on.

The first part of the race (maybe 10 miles) was familiar in that I had been there before. A little climb and then descending into Wooler to the start of the shorter 45 mile event (an hour or so before we arrived) and the first real checkpoint, by this point just me and Ross. Refuelled, we headed up to the hills.

There was quite a bit of climbing, on open hillside which became rather warm - it turned out to be a stunning sunny day - and I soon felt the lack of hill training in my legs. Still I ran with Ross across the main hilly sections, enjoying a day out with good chat, good company. I fell behind descending to Morebattle, and along the roads I didn’t have it in me to catch up.

I remember an endless section of running along a riverside - looking at a map it can only be 6 or 7 km. At this point I was failing, on occasion having the inclination to stop running and walk or pause even on the flats. Feeling the effect of the lack of hill training, like I had many more miles in my legs.

The climb up through the Eildons was not so bad by comparison - a hill meaning the slow to a walk was excused - and the run through Melrose had the scent of the finish line.

11:12:26, 2nd. Strava. Results.

Two

Another late entry, I had had my eyes on the Ochil ultra for a while, but by the time I went to enter I found I was too late, entries were full. I signed up to the waitlist all the same, but got lazy. A month before the race, the wait-spot popped, and I realised I should step up training, and get ready.

Training

Having the vague inkling to enter the Ochils in my head, and the memory of being unprepared for the hills of the last race, I decided to take the chance to head to the hills, maybe bag a few Munros. Which is something I missed doing so much since pre-running days.

I had a couple of great training weekends - not running much mileage, but having a few big effort blocks.

40k day on the Munros east of Dalwhinnie
A week with a 30k “4 hills” post-work run followed by a decent meadows 5k the next day built up to 20k
That weekend, a visit to the Cairngorms, with a run up to Glemore on the Friday night, Aviemore parkrun on Saturday morning followed by a 35?k loop bagging a few Munros and taking in Laraig an Laoigh, and a decently long (if unsuccessful in the peak-bagging department) Sunday run back to Aviemore
A decent parkrun “sandwich” session and a nice run with company in the Pentlands, extended to a run home to make up a marathon distance

Really enjoyed the experience of getting back out to the hills again, and through it found some fitness.

Ochils Ultra

The week and a half before the race I felt terrible, not sure if this was latent illness or taper madness. But every easy jog felt like an effort, my expectations plummeted. So I was keen not to be to eager, or have to high hopes on the start line, and set off easy not at the front of the race. I was initially maybe around tenth position, certainly by the climb after the first checkpoint I heard I was seventh. What I didn’t know was how many of the runners in front of me were relay runners - clearly a couple of guys shot of the front initially, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone was taking it out hard, who I’d never see again.

The initial leg saw a group of four or five of us running over Dumyat (with a descent that made me happy for the grip on mud of my Speedcross) and along the road/path through to CP1 and the sharp climb up into the Ochils proper. After the initial ascent the path became a bit muddy (but well defined), followed by a gentle downhill to the reservoirs which I found very runnable.

At this point I was running with Antony Brown, and we ran together for a good while, with a bit of chat (and I was reminded of the exact point he passed me on the Cateran 55).

CP2 was by the Glendevon road, and climbing out of Glendevon I had the intermittent company of a relay runner and briefly chatted to someone who was finding the route tough and had obviously overcooked the early sections. Descending the other side of the pass a runner flew past me, more of which in a bit.

After the next road crossing we were now on ground new to me, a Forestry sign that I had passed before was the last known landmark (until Perth). From looking at the map this looked like fairly dull field-side running, particularly from CP3 to CP4, but I rather enjoyed some forestry tracks and then more paths than expected. Even the wind farm was enjoyable to approach.

Approaching CP4 I’d been told I was sitting in 2nd place, but I wasn’t entirely convinced if that was the case (with the relay confusion). I had sight of the next runner and could almost see me catching him before the checkpoint - apparently I had a storming run on the 4th leg. As it happens I saw him (as it turns out, Scott Bradley who passed me earlier - his report here) at the checkpoint and caught up heading out onto the road, and we ran together through Bridge of Earn and towards Moncrieffe Hill.

Unfortunately I found that Scott had been coasting in the lead a little while I had been slightly over-eager in the previous section, and as we jogged along the road you could hear a difference in our breathing, I was not relaxed. Turning round to the climb of Moncrieffe hill, a long gradual incline which has never been my forte, Scott was looking strong and making it look easy, and I made the decision to ease back and walk/run the hill, feeling that however much I push myself Scott could clearly respond.

After heading over the top of the hill, I could feel my spirit was broken, and as it turns out I managed to lose 6 minutes in the last 10k, it wasn’t coming back at all. That said, happy to feel good for the first 70k…

Race summary: brilliantly organised first event, excellent route marking, great route itself (photos don’t do it justice as they’re taken on the easy running bits…)

Looking back, I maybe should have pushed harder when the legs went and powered through. There seem to have been very little after effects from the race - I took 3 days completely off and a few days with little running, then ran a hard 5k (club handicap race, sub-18 even accounting for what I think might be slightly short course, resulting in a position that made me look like a bit of a sandbagger - but fortunately not enough to cross the line first). Maybe it was just the proportion of trail in the course, but I feel like not hammering the legs after they said no probably contributed to a lack of muscle damage. And so to cross country season…

08:23:45, 2nd. Strava. Results.

Edinburgh to North Berwick, Stirling Marathon

Sun, 21 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

So bad at updating this, so I’ll pop out a brief update. Surely a marathon deserves a few words.

Edinburgh to North Berwick

By my estimation I was not in my best ever form, but the fitness had picked up a bit, maybe not so much on shorter distances but with some decent endurance. So I estimated my marathon shape was maybe 2:50 (slightly optimistic but realistic).

I aimed to set out the Edinburgh to North Berwick race at about this pace. Unfortunately the day came and it was a headwind; being a straight race along the coast this is therefore sustained.

As we set off down the prom, Dave Limmer shot off the front, a large otherwise leading group formed, and I found myself very soon relatively alone with 1 other runner behind this, ahead of the next group. We seemed to have the same pace, but after exiting the prom he was picking up a little and I let him go, setting up for a lonely race.

The first 5 miles I ticked along at this pace, spot on 4:00/km. Then progressively as the race went on, the energy fell from my legs, a few guys passed me and I tried to stay with them for a short while out of the wind, but couldn’t stick it.

I felt like someone had snuck in 10 miles when I wasn’t looking. 5 mile splits of 32:09, 33:20, 34:51, 35:28. Some good company for a while last mile or two downhill into NB were ok, but otherwise a real slog.

11th. 2.15.48.

Stirling Scottish Marathon

I ran this race with Owain. Backing off from my conception of having 2:50 shape, I sounded him out, in his goal of hitting a good sub-3 he was aiming for 2:55 pace and that sounded good for me.

After the novel sight of giraffes from the start line (the race beings at Blair Drummond safari park) we were off, and started ticking off miles bang on pace. Running a constant effort (for me) I was falling slightly behind Owain on the uphills and rolling forward on the downs, otherwise shoulder to shoulder, chatting and smiling.

Firstly it was running through the countryside, then through Doune and Dunblane. This is what I really remember of the race, the support through those small towns was immense, maybe dangerously so early in a race with a temptation to pick up the pace. But high-fiving kids while the brain is still in a state of comprehension of reality kept the good cheer rolling.

Next memories were some also enjoyable sections out of town, along lonely roads, contrasted with the slog up through Bridge of Allan to Stirling university, the last bit of uphill and the turning point, if there is one.

Eventually we arrive in Stirling itself for the looped section. This was two and a half loops through the center of town, controversial but worked for me. Around the start of this I unintentionally moved away from Owain, and when I realised that I was alone and in striking distance of the finish, I started to pick up the pace and run it hard.

Passing the loop point I had the odd experience of Andrew Lemoncello and the fanfare of motorbikes and lead bikes coming past - slowly - and then it was my turn to loop around. On the first loop, passing those running the section for the first time, by the 2nd there are two sets of people being passed - slight potential for carnage - but other than progressively poorer lines (and a high-five in front of me that was almost a closeline) I didn’t find an issue.

Happy as can be with the time, it was a great race and good to finish hard, my 2nd fastest ever marathon.

20th. 2:50:52.

17th June - Midnight Sun Marathon. Afterwards cycling in the Lofoten islands.

July/August - Going to see if I can squeeze in a last-minute ultra.

D33

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Posting much belated, what has been in part sitting in my editor buffer for months.

Last Saturday was the D33 ultramarathon, 33 miles out and back on the Deeside Way from Aberdeen.

With an easy week going in, I had a race head on. A few good long runs gave some confidence I could run the distance, but far less training than I used to do meant I wasn’t confident what shape I was in. So the plan was to get around, maybe go out at a pace from 4:45-5:00/km and see what happened.

Stood at the start line with 10 minutes to go, the rain comes on in a light mist. Wearing a race vest with a 600ml bottle, my phone, and a jacket in the back, for once I had the confidence to stand in the rain and realise I wouldn’t want a jacket once started.

As we got off I let the lead-ish group of 10-15 go off, and settled into an easy pace with a bit of chat, along a flat paved cyclepath. The pace was maybe 10s/km faster than I was intending, but feeling easy, I hoped the distance wouldn’t prove too much.

Eventually the cycle path gives way to some tracks, a road section with a few hills, and some more paths. I was keeping the pace constant but moving forward occasionally, as people that went out too fast started to slow down.

Continued

And that’s as I wrote with the race in recent memory. Looking back, I recall chatting with one or two folk, and then approaching the turn-around. This was a perhaps anticlimactic turning circle of drop bags to run around, followed by retracing the path all the way back to the start.

Having hit halfway, I started to pick the pace up, while giving shout-outs to the stream of runners passing the other way - which started with a natural desire to do so for the first few passed, and continued with the conviction that if one deserves it all do…

I was feeling good and picking up the pace, but the ground was a little damp leading to some foot issues later. Moving from mental section to section, the road, the crossing of a work-site (with friendly security guard shouting out some words of encouragement). Back to the last 5-mile-ish flat paved cycle-path section for a final push.

I felt a little wooziness come on as I came to this point, and had a 1/3 bite of a protein bar which had been riding around in my pack for weeks. Later to be followed by another 1/3, which turned out to be enough to get me through, as I discovered after getting home with a lovely end of a bar in my bag pocket.

Towards the end

The cyclepath section was ticking away well, but it wasn’t the easiest. I didn’t have an accurate idea of the course length, particularly as my watch is in km, and I didn’t take a reading at halfway, so I had no idea how long was left. So I was looking for the signs for the park containing the start/finish line, as they counted out 4, 4, 3, 2, 3…?? Thought that one was too good to be true.

Approaching the last couple of miles, I spotted a runner who I could maybe catch? Maybe flagging? He stopped to walk, well OK, soon enough I got close and realised… he was out for a wee jog, nothing to do with the race. D’oh.

Pushed on through the last mile, tired enough to be a bit confused as the entrance to the park looked different from the opposite direction, and a sprint finish. 3:57:47.

Analysis

So I started out aiming for an initial pace of 4:45-5:00/km, kept it more in the 4:35-4:45 range, nice and easy. Hit half way and started to race it, 4:20-4:25, finished a little faster.

Probably I could have stood to run the first half slightly faster and continue for a slightly faster time, if I knew how I’d feel ahead of time. But I had no idea if even an easy pace would still tick over to the end. So it feels like the right way to do it, nice confidence builder in my recovery, faster time than my target. Scraped top ten, maybe I could have been 9th with a different run (within a couple of minutes of it) but the next place was way out of reach.

Krakow and some long runs

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

John Muir Way run

Went for a bit of a long run with a difference, longer and slower. From Falkirk back towards Edinburgh via the John Muir Way.

It’s always nice to run through Callandar park, then it’s a fairly nice section of canal over to the Avon aquaduct, then turning left just before Linlithgow. Immediately off onto a lovely section of trail. Then a nice mixed run over to the forth, the odd little bit of road, through Kinnel estate and along by the rail line to the coast. Lovely wood trails along the coast, past the Hopetoun estate and to South Queensferry.

Spent a mix of the time listening to some interviews on Talk Ultra, and finishing as I got tired with some Electro Swing mix, which I’ve been getting into recently and seems to give a nice running groove when tired/ pushing hard.

Krakow

I went over to Krakow for the lambda days functional programming conference. I came expecting to get some runs in, and happily I did.

The first morning after arriving I got out early, and boy was the cold a shock! The temperatures over my stay were hovering around -5C, day and night, and finally I was forced to assume a standard running outfit of tights and jacket and buff/hat, as well as gloves.

I stayed for a couple of extra days after the conferenc. On Saturday I got in a parkrun, where I kind of paced 1st place for the first 2/3 then pushed on the final straight for the fastest one for the last however long (18’). Spiced up by some guy doing intervals/fartlek along the event and bungeeing off the front. Post-run chat was friendly as you might expect.

Sightseeing ensued.

Sunday I had been staring at schedules, with a long day of travel ahead, but I had time to get a long run in. I won’t pretend that this wasn’t planned ahead of time while booking! I got out west of the city, in some nice woodland, though unlike the rest of my stay the going underfoot was affected by the conditions. Spent a great hour and a half running on snow-ice through forest trails, gorgeous and surprisingly OK going in standard road shoes. Even opening up the stride on the flats.

CSR marathon

3 weeks until the D33, the time for a peak big weekend of training.

Decided to get myself an Edinburgh parkrun sandwich, home-parkrun-home for about 20k running. Inadvertantly set out late and was on a mission to get there on time, actually not pushing too hard but running at a relatively decent pace, 4:15-4:20 into the wind. Made it there with time to spare, and ran decently hard for something in the 18:30s, so then my run home ended up being run at a hard effort. Great hard session, all down to leaving 5 minutes after intended…

Sunday was more to plan, big long run, including the usual group run. I ran from home to join the Craiglockhart group run, then ended up running at what seemed like a fairly decent pace. Really feeling the effort of the previous day, and when I hit the hill I suddenly was running through treacle, flying backwards at quite the rate. Eventually made it back to the canal and struggled on home for (per Strava) 43k in 3:15. The fry-up I was selling to myself for lunch, was too much for the stomach despite the eyes; I was knackered, quite the effort.

Consistence in distance

Sun, 29 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The last couple of weeks have been aimed at consistency, having hit a 50-mile week I wanted to stay above that mark and get in decent long runs around 30k. I’m trying to work out how to build up my running without stopping cycling, a 30-minute (indirect) commute twice a day most days has been working well for me but it’s easier to work in running directly after work. On the upside some lunchtime runs have given me a sight of daylight, but eventually there’s a limit of how much one can get in.

Hills

I’ve been out for a few lunchtime hill “missions” recently, last time up Arthur’s Seat was a few weeks ago, I went up Corstorphine with a colleague on an icy lunchtime. Last week I had an inclination to run down the canal at lunch, and got the idea to loop out round over Craiglockhart hill and back via the meadows, which as it turns out was a bit of an effort time-wise.

Also had a nice run up by the Radical Road, under Salisbury Crags, back over Calton hill.

A challenge comes to mind, is it possible to run out and back to any of the Seven Hills of Edinburgh within the confines of a lunch break (lets say an hour)? Clearly Craiglockhart is possible from my office on George St, I guess Blackford hill is therefore also fine. Braid hill being the furthest may be a problem? I’d imagine I could make it up Castle hill…

The real challenge is to complete all 7 in a week of lunch-breaks… Lets say generously 1h of running each, starting from the same spot. 5*1h may sound like a lot of time compared to more like 2h during the 7 hills race but with the constraint of returning to the same spot in an hour it’s logistically interesting regarding which hills can double up. Or do you think it can be done in 4?

Fitness

I’ve had a decently fast parkrun last week (18:11), fastest for a year, though it certainly took everything to get there. This week was rather suffering from the previous night’s beer and curry, thinking more of running to the toilet than the finish line, though after a while running always starts to feel better (19-something).

On the long front, last Sunday I managed 30k with a 10k cycle on either end, though it seemed to stay with me in effect half-way through the week. Today I’ve gone for a more restrained 27k without the cycling, hopefully it will take less out of me. That said, I like to have the odd bigger outing when preparing for…

Future

I don’t think I mentioned, but I entered the D33, a 33-mile trail race starting in Aberdeen, in March. And on impulse, the new marathon in Stirling. So I’m happy that I seem to be able to get in some consistent training and long runs.

Getting back, Broxburn XC

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been happy to get back to some consistent weeks of running, something I might go so far as to call training. Finally last week I made it along to the club long run. I thought I’d be falling off the back of the group, but got a good run in at a decent pace, good indicator of fitness.

Cold Weather

The weather’s been somewhat changeable recently, with temperature from one day to the next varying by up to 10 degrees. On the cold end of the scale on Thursday night it was chilly following a light snowfall through the day. First order of business was to stop and buy a pair of gloves… followed by my most tentative run ever. Edinburgh’s pavements were a sheet of ice and running was a constant quest to stay upright. Rule 1: don’t fall over.

Corstorphine hill was actually a welcome relief, snow instead of ice, trail visible in the moonlight. So good I visited again the next lunchtime!

Broxburn

This Saturday saw the last in the East District League XC series at Broxburn, a race I’ve never yet made it to - always came to a halt before the end of the cross-country season.

I was blessed with a gentle return to the sport, with a beautiful sunny day, without wind, not too cold to be happy racing in vest (though with gloves). And a pretty welcoming course - lots of flat and good footing, a few awkward icy slidy bits, one sharp and some less sharp hills, but ultimately no mud. Felt good to run hard (if not fast). At least initially, then it felt hard. But that’s all good. Didn’t have much left or die on the last lap - all good.

Sunday

Today sees me with a longer long run (28k this week) and hitting 50 miles to the week at last. Yes, I think in both systems, gives more round-number milestones to hit! Next will be 100k.

2016

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the title of this blog, I never intended to stop writing after running a 100 mile race. It just happened that way. And once the chain is broken, it’s easier to just stop…

Wrapping up 2015

Looking back to the rest of 2015 on my Strava, I raced 22 times: many being minor Meadows races or cross country, 3 10k’s, 2 HM’s

July was what I would call for fun.

August started with the Donkey Brae (fit enough to run hard and do fairly well) and ended with Barry Buddon HM (wasn’t feeling it but fit enough to go at a decent pace regardless).

September I think could be my peak fitness, hitting the Stirling 10k sharp and ready for a 33:57 PB. The next week, Linlithgow for a slower time but better performance.

October finished up the road season with the GSR 1/2M, just missing the 75m mark to be my 2nd fastest half, though probably from a position of more fitness but less destroying myself.

Then Oct/Nov for XC, and my awesome fitness fading away, failing to quite stretch to meet what was asked.

Injury

The last couple of weeks of November I felt a bit of an issue in my right tibia an inch or two above the ankle. Enough to scale back to run only about 50k a week (but still race). Soon after I caught a nasty cold that had me running in misery for a couple days and then stop. The rest of the year disappeared.

I tried to start the year with a bang with the Porty Promathon and a couple parkruns, and start into training. Too much?

I went through some iterations of taking a break until my injury felt better then starting back too quick.

I went to a physio who diagnosed a “stress reaction” (certainly not stress fracture) and prescribed (the usual) rest and strengthening exercises.

I dipped my toe in with the odd run.

I went through some iterations of starting and backing off.

I had some scans show up nothing.

I got into cycling as a way of doing more. In summer, cycling is fun, and I really did get into it, regular post-work long-ish rides, finally got around to doing a ride of 50-odd miles.

Then and now

I still don’t know what to conclude from all this. I’m prone to doing too much. So I consequently resolved to listen to my body when it says no. Yet it would seem I have been too cautious, listening to minor whinges and over-reacting. Breaks from running, losing fitness, and becoming more injury prone when coming back. Better not to break?

It seems that I’m building back more sustainably now, slowly getting back some fitness. About 60km/week, feeling that I can keep adding gradually. Feeling like I’ll be able to enter some races for next year and actually make it there.