from 5k to 24 hours

Apologies for not posting for a while but I've been a bit busy recently ... and Fay was ill at the start of last week which didn't help (but she seems OK now though).

Yesterday I ran in my first open race of the year.  It was only a local 5k but it was good for speedwork and after running to and from the venue provided another 20 miles or so (32 km) to my weekly total of over 90 (145 km).  I was very pleased to complete the three lap 5k in 9th position with a time of  19:58, especially as the 373 other runners caused a bit of blockage on the second and third laps.

Also pleased with that run because on 28 May last year I did the same race (and also ran to the start) with a time of 20:59 ... so that's an improvement of over a minute in twelve months which bodes well for the ULTRArace 100 which is less than 6 weeks away now.

I've also been experimenting with flapjack.  I've been using homemade flapjack to fuel my long runs for a few months now.  Recently I had a thought that perhaps I could fortify it with added electrolytes and/or extra vitamins and minerals, especially for long ultra races where electrolytes are very important.

Well, I made a batch yesterday afternoon and to the 1000g flapjack mixture I added 16g salt and also some extra B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, zinc, selenium, calcium and magnesium.  I added the quantities needed for my next ultra race after taking into account all the other stuff I plan to eat and drink.  I've had a small piece of the finished product to see if it is palatable ... and it's not too bad (very slightly salty) but I'll have more of an idea about whether it may be suitable after Tuesday's long run when it gets it's first road test.  More details later.

I'll have to get myself a digital camera.

On Friday Fay managed to find some coffee from Thailand.  I've never actually come across any Thailand coffee for sale so that was a big surprise - it's quite good too if a little mild for my taste.

And it's Keir's 18th birthday at the end of this month so that's something he's looking forward too.  Today we booked his accommodation in Belfast for when he starts university there in September.  Yes, I know he hasn't even taken his A levels yet but apparently they want accommodation to be booked first - and a £300 bond paid too !!!

This weekend has also seen the annual Basel 24 hr race in Switzerland in which several UK athletes were attempting to get World Championship qualifying distances before the end of May.  I'm not sure of any distances or results other than John Pares finished first.  Congratulations to him ... it's practically a home town race for John though   :)

oh no ...

This morning's run was not good.

Yesterday afternoon's was perfect.  I ran 13.4 miles (21.5 km) in 1h 45 ... easily.  This morning though I woke up with a pain in my left ankle (as well as both elbows).  The ankle felt stiff all morning and was quite painful for the first half of my 8.6 mile run (13.9 km).

This afternoon it's been fine but I'm a bit worried about the possibility of having picked up an injury.  I would like to think that it was caused by falling down the stairs on Saturday night (without the aid of alcohol I may add ...) and that a few days rest with ice and ibuprofen will help enormously.

But I won't know for sure until I've seen the physio tomorrow.

Thanks Anth for recommending Basel as a possible 24 hr race next May.  That's definitely one to consider - even if in recent years UK runners have not done well there.

bad weekend

Looks like John Pares had a bad run in Basel. I don't think he'll be happy with 133k. Ramona would, I think, be pleased with her 162k. Les Hill I think will be disappointed with 180k but where was Jim Rogers ...

My bad weekend has resulted in me having to take some drastic action to restore my sanity. More details another time.

The reasons for Sharon's bad run in Bergamo appear to have been of a medical/nutritional nature ... too much sodium.  Electrolyte imbalances over a long period of time when exercising can cause major problems.

chasing the distances

All the best to Les Hill, Jim Rogers and John Pares who are running the Basel 24 hr race this weekend no doubt in a bid to get a qualifying distance for the Commonwealth Championships.

As Les is Scottish and John is Welsh their performances won't effect my chances of being selected for England. Jim is English and although he had a bad run at Tooting Bec last October he is definitely capable of passing 225k to join Chris Finill, Ken Fancett and myself with the English qualifying standard.

I hope Les has a better time than his previous 24 hr race (Hull 2008) when he collapsed during the 22nd hour whilst in a good position - I don't think he ran again in that race.

Ramona Thevenet-Smith is also running ... hope she does well too.

Thanks to Nadeem Khan for posting the piece on the IAU website. I feel honoured to have my story on the site of the world governing body (I did find a small mistake when I read it but I think it's just a typo).

I certainly don't feel as if my life has been extra ordinary ... I'm just a lucky guy doing something he loves which he happens to be quite good at.