my year in brief

Well ... the end of another year and for me it was a year of three parts.

The first part was spent recovering from a broken bone in my foot - falling down a flight of steps at home is not a good idea.

The second (and best ...) part was training for, and taking part in, two long ultra distance races.  The first was the ULTRArace 100 mile event around the Cotswolds in England.  Really enjoyed this race in stunning scenery and good weather.  It was good to have Hugh Pearson (Otley AC clubmate) crewing for me and hopefully we'll be able to continue that relationship as his running and coaching experience is invaluable.  My report can be read here.

The second - and most important - race was the World 24 hour Championships which were held in Poland at the beginning of September.  The first 21 hours of that race were fantastic as I was on schedule for well over 240 km .. and feeling good too.  The atmosphere was terrific and the crewing was brilliant (thanks go to Eleanor Robinson, Richard Brown, Adrian Stott, Rory Coleman, Marco Consani and Andy Smith).  My brief report can be read here.

The third part of my running year began at 9:00am on Sunday 9 September.  Injury struck during that 24 hour race as it did for about 10% of the runners.  I've since learned that the IAU considered moving the race to a different part of the park because of the poor condition of the road surface and sharp corners.  This report by US runner Jonathan Savage explains ...

Although I seem to have now recovered from that badly sprained ankle I was also struck down by gout in late November and early December which delayed my return to running somewhat.  Thaings are now progressing nicely though and today's 20 minute run scored an encouraging 97.5 % although the abysmal weather made it very hard work.

That's a brief account of my running year but there has been other highlights too.  Most notably Keir successfully passing his A levels and getting into the university of his choice - Ulster - to read History.  That's been his plan for a few year's now and I'm pleased that it's come off for him.  I'm so proud of his achievements too.  He's worked hard for that and he deserves it ... I remember spending about an hour a day for three or four years helping him with speech therapy exercises.

And next year ... more races of course ... have fun and take care.

The next few weeks

Since my last post my training has been:

FRIDAY 13 JULY ... 8.5 miles (13.7 km) tempo.  The plan was to run at about 6:52 per mile (4:16 per km) but I can't say I was looking forward to it because of the strong winds.  Half way through I felt very good - and the wind was proving to be no problem at all - so I just continued at the same pace and finished in 57:23 (6:45 per mile/4:12 per km).  Really pleased with that.

SATURDAY 14 JULY ... just an 8 mile (13 km) recovery run.

SUNDAY 15 JULY ... hill reps up (and down) Newall Carr Bank just to the north of Otley.  Fourteen times, not excessive but that will increase to twenty by the middle of August.

Today also marks the beginning of proper training again after three weeks recovery from the ULTRArace 100.  If you haven't read it yet, my report is here.  Only eight weeks now to the World Championships which will be five weeks training and three weeks tapering.  The next five weeks (running) training will be:

MONDAY 16 JULY ... long run fartlek (25 miles/41 km)
TUESDAY 17 JULY
WEDNESDAY 17 JULY ... long run (28 miles/45 km)
THURSDAY 19 JULY ... steady (9 miles/15 km)
FRIDAY 20 JULY ... tempo (9 miles/14 km)
SATURDAY 21 JULY ... steady (9 miles/15 km)
SUNDAY 22 JULY
MONDAY 23 JULY ... long run (39 miles/63 km)
TUESDAY 24 JULY
WEDNESDAY 25 JULY
THURSDAY 26 JULY ... tempo (8 miles/13 km)
FRIDAY 27 JULY
SATURDAY 28 JULY ... 200m reps
SUNDAY 29 JULY ... steady (6 miles/10 km)
MONDAY 30 JULY ... long run fartlek (26 miles/42 km)
TUESDAY 31 JULY ... long run (29 miles/46 km)
WEDNESDAY 1 AUGUST
THURSDAY 2 AUGUST ... hill reps
FRIDAY 3 AUGUST ... tempo (7 miles/11 km)
SATURDAY 4 AUGUST ... steady (6 miles/10 km)
SUNDAY 5 AUGUST ... 1 mile/1.6 km reps
MONDAY 6 AUGUST
TUESDAY 7 AUGUST ... long run fartlek (27 miles/43 km)
WEDNESDAY 8 AUGUST ... long run (29 miles/47 km)
THURSDAY 9 AUGUST ... steady (6 miles/9 km)
FRIDAY 10 AUGUST ... hill reps
SATURDAY 11 AUGUST
SUNDAY 12 AUGUST ... steady (5 miles/9 km)
MONDAY 13 AUGUST ... long run fartlek (27 miles/43 km)
TUESDAY 14 AUGUST ... long run (30 miles/48 km)
WEDNESDAY 15 AUGUST
THURSDAY 16 AUGUST ... hill reps
FRIDAY 17 AUGUST ... tempo (6 miles/10 km)
SATURDAY 18 AUGUST

I'll also try to fit in a few of the upcoming club events:

2.9 mile (4.7 km) handicap on Thursday 19 July
Golden Acre Relay on Wednesday 25 July
1 mile (1.6 km) track race on Thursday 26 July
3000m track race on Thursday 16 August

On to other stuff now.

There's a great new e mag put together by Paul Ali called Ultra Tales and the second edition has just been released.  See here for all the details and a great read.  And then there's the new book from Tim Noakes (Waterlogged) who argues that the human body is quite capable or regulating it's own hydration and electrolyte status - so long as we don't interfere by doing things such as drinking to excess or ignoring thirst.  That book is a fascinating read - see what the fuss is all about here.


Finally let me tell about something which happened on today's training run when four cyclists passed by ...


the first cyclist turned to me and said "100 miles today, Chris ?"
"Not today" I replied.
The second cyclist looked at us both in surprise then said "we are"
the third cyclist then piped up "but we're on bikes, you fool"
the fourth cyclist just laughed as they sped off into the distance.

recovery and race report

Recovery has been going very well at the moment.  I planned to take three weeks to get back into full training and everything is on schedule ... so far.

The last couple of weeks have included the usual stuff - tempo runs, hill reps, steady runs, a race, etc - just less of them.  Like a taper in reverse.

Today's training was a 5.5 mile (8.9 km) tempo run.  The target was just over 38 minutes and, with the heavy rain and strong winds to contend with, I was pleased to achieve that almost exactly.

Apologies for the ULTRArace 100 report taking so long but I've had a couple of gremlins in the system here and for some reason I don't seem able to include any photos to go with the text.  If I can get that sorted I'll put them in later and let you know.

Anyway - you can now read about my last ultra on this page.

ULTRArace 100

This will be just a short, preliminary report - no doubt I'll gather my thoughts for a proper report in a week or two.

You know it takes me a while to get those things together.


A month or so before the race I set myself a target of 16h 30 and I was about 5 minutes ahead of this until about 59 miles when I needed an emergency toilet stop.  At about 69 miles I was sick three or four times.  When approaching the 80 mile checkpoint I tripped/fell and whilst dusting myself down, locating the pain, limping, etc I ran past the turn and continued for about three quarters of a mile before realising - this means I ran about 1.5 miles EXTRA this year.


Makes up for last year I suppose !!!


At 80 miles I was scheduled to finish in about 17h 20.


So I dug in deep and finished in 16h 41:16


Pleased with that for three reasons:


(1)  an hour quicker than last year
(2)  to run a very fast last 20 miles after those mishaps was very satisfying
(3)  UK Athletics wanted me to run sub 18 hours to prove my fitness ahead of September's World 24 hr Championships - just a bit of added pressure


Disappointed with only finishing second though.


Many thanks to Hugh Pearson for being a great crew person ... and to Rory and Jen for organising a fantastic race.  I only wish there were more events of this type in the UK.


And not forgetting those people who anonymously donated via PayPal using the link on the right.  I welcome your faith in me and hope that faith is beginning to be rewarded.

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   :)

very long run completed

As most of you will know I spent much of yesterday running a hilly 43.8 miles (70.5 km) in the Yorkshire Dales with Hugh Pearson crewing for me for the first time.

It went exceptionally well and I'm very pleased at how things worked out.  I think Hugh learned a lot about how this crewing thing works but he was also very happy about how it all went.  He did a fair bit of running himself too  :)

The new nutrition strategy worked wonders too - giving me plenty of energy for running up a few big hills such as the one south of Bewerley which took me past Yorke's Folly [OS 1:25000 map - Explorer26 - ref 157643 to 156634].

Overall the route took us from the car park just north of Timble to Fewston, Wydra then via Penny Pot Lane to Hampsthwaite where Hugh managed to squeeze a 7' 6" wide vehicle (2.29m) across a bridge which was just 6' 6" in width (1.98m).  Don't know how he did that  :)

From there we went via Clint, Shaw Mills and Bishop Thornton to Markington where we turned north towards Fountains Abbey.  Here Hugh performed his second miracle of the day by getting his heavy motor home across a bridge with a weight restriction of 3 tonnes and then around a few sharp twists and turns in the road while avoiding two cars and a lorry coming in the opposite direction.

From there we continued north through Winksley to Laverton and shortly after this we encountered another problem - the road over the moors towards Pateley Bridge was closed to traffic because of re-surfacing works.  I knew I could manage for well over an hour without the need for more food and drink but at this point I half expected Hugh's inexperience to show ... there was none of that, and with no more than a 30 second conversation we decided I should continue and he should just take the suggested detour and meet me further along our planned route.

From there it was down to Blazefield and Bewerley followed by the large hill mentioned earlier.  Then south to Thruscross Reservoir and back to Otley via Blubberhouses (and a couple more large hills).

So, a very good 7 hours out on the roads in which we both learned a lot which will be good for the ULTRArace 100 which is now less than eight weeks away.  Really looking forward to that.

And so to today ... woke at 4.00am this morning as Keir was going on a school trip to Auschwitz - for the day !!!  He had to be at the airport for 5.00am and we're glad it's only 3 miles away (5 km).  His flight home arrives at 10.30pm so today will be a long one with not much sleep  :(

Already feeling a bit sleepy ...
zzzzzzz

headaches ... and other race news

After my last long run (Wednesday) recovery was progressing nicely when, about 7 hours after I got back home, I developed a headache.  Didn't think much about it but it gradually got worse and despite some ibuprofen before going to bed my head still throbbed when I woke the next morning.

I couldn't face a 16 mile (26 km) run in the rain with a pounding head so I cancelled that idea and went straight for the coffee.  Magic ... within half an hour my headache disappeared.  That got me thinking about the cause ...

I have had similar headaches in the past after a long run and my theory is that as the long run was in the morning I didn't have my usual caffeine shot (or three, in my case).  I guess my body was telling me what was wrong and now that I've heard the message I'm going to try taking some caffeine tablets during my next long run.

That is planned for next Wednesday when Hugh and I will be trekking around the Yorkshire Dales for 44 miles (70 km) so we can learn about how best to develop the runner/crew relationship and put into practise what we learn in my next race ... ULTRArace 100.  Only 8 weeks to go.

Which reminds me ... the organisers of that race (Rory Coleman and Jen Salter) have another race on the go at the moment.  A 16 day stage race from John O'Groats to Land's End which saw 11 runners leave northern Scotland last Friday ... there are only two remaining now as the other 9 have succumbed to injury and/or severe wear and tear, etc.  I've not been much interested in stage races before but I must say that I'm enjoying reading the race blog and I'm seriously thinking about giving it a go in the next few years - if I can find the £2000 entry fee.

William Sichel is still running well in New York's bad weather but it looks like he'll have to settle for second place this time although there's still a long time to go in that 6 day race.  He's now into the final 20% of the race though and I wouldn't be too surprised if he does end up winning.

various bits and pieces

Alright that's enough rain ... it's getting a bit boring now.  Every time I venture outside I get sodden and if I'm running for a couple of hours or more ...

With all this wet weather we're getting this month I expect the ULTRArace 100 to be dry this year.  As it takes place in June it should be dry anyway but you never can tell in this country.  Last year it rained solidly for ten hours or more.

It's good to come home to a decent cup of coffee though.  At the moment that's Starbuck's French Roast, and recently there's been either cheese on toast or porridge to go with that.  Recovery for body and mind.

Fay had some good news yesterday, she been nominated for 'customer services employee of the year' by Bradford City Council.  The awards ceremony takes place on 21 May but she thinks that, if previous years are anything to go by, the prizes will be shared and there won't be an overall winner.

It's still possible that, because of the stupid UK government, she may not have a job after September 2013.

Keir's just learned that he's been selected to go on a school visit to Auschwitz in Poland early next month.  Ties in nicely with his massive interest in history - fourteen days is a bit short notice though.

All the best to those racing soon ... the JOGLE race starts tomorrow I believe and on the April 22 William Sichel is in New York for the 6 day race.  And then there's a marathon in London on Sunday which seems to attract ever increasing numbers of people who aren't well enough trained to run 20 miles let alone 26.2.

And finally ... I hope the hunters in The Magic Forest manage to recapture the lion soon.

past, present and future

Since my last post ...

Friday - the ultimate rest day.  No training at all.  Nothing ... no running, cycling, stretching or strength work.  Rest and recovery is vitally important ... and strangely enough it's something I look forward to.

Saturday - early morning speed work.  Left home at about 7:30am and ran 14 x 200m at a decent pace, concentrating on form, despite the early morning frost.  No wind or rain though.  Love training at this time of day ... so peaceful.  Lots of strength work in the afternoon.

Sunday - another relatively easy day.  Just over 7 miles (11.6 km) in the morning with a bag and then an hour on the bike in the evening.

This afternoon - left home shortly after noon for a 22 miler ( 32 km) fartlek style.  A few decent hills made it a good run, especially as it averaged out at 7:28 per mile (4:38 per km).  Pleased with that.  Later this evening there will be lots more strength and core work, and stretching.

Tomorrow - another long run, 23 miles, but a bit more sedate this time.  The weather seems to be taking a turn for the worse too but hopefully the overnight rain will ease off quite early and I won't get too wet.  Then it's a run with the club in the evening.

In the midst of all this the planning continues for the ULTRArace 100 in June.  It will be my first long race since last autumn's injury and since that time I've learned a great deal about nutrition during races.  Also planning a long run in the Yorkshire Dales at the beginning of next month with Hugh Pearson.  Mainly so he can learn about crewing in ultras but it's also the first proper chance I've had to put into practise what I've learnt.  Again that's something I'm looking forward to and after the 44 hilly miles (70 km) we should both have a very good idea about how things are going to work in the 100 mile race.

Richard (and other readers) - any questions about training, preparation, nutrition, etc please feel free to ask. Leave a comment on a post or use my contact details which are here.  Please be aware though that I'm still learning and whatever I've found to work for me may not work for you - so be prepared to adapt things for your own particular needs.  Everyone is different.

some ultra races

OK ... I know I haven't actually entered any races at the moment, and that will be corrected in the next week or so, but I have been making sure the heel and achilles injuries will stand up to running 100 miles or more non-stop.

Following some good training recently I'm now confident that the old legs can withstand the demands I'll be placing on them for the rest of this year.

Apart from the usual array of shorter races - mainly for speedwork, etc - the first important race will be the ULTRArace 100 mile in June.  I know I ran this last year but for a number of reasons I decided to go to Stratford-upon-Avon again (2011 race report here):

• I really enjoyed my time in the Cotswold's last year and hopefully the weather will be better
• last year's race worked very well as preparation for a 24 hr race in September
• after quite a serious injury last October, a 24 hr race this Spring may be a step too far
• Rory Coleman (race director) invited me back to "smash the course record" - that's a challenge worth pursuing
• after last year's mistake I feel I have a point to prove to myself

I'm also lucky to have Hugh Pearson crewing for me.  He's an experienced competitor in IronMan Triathlons and also the club's senior coach and junior co-ordinator, we've already been planning a long practise run and talking about nutrition, medical stuff and the logistics of crewing.  I'm very happy to be working with him.

Following that I hope to be running in the World & European 24 hr Championships in Katowiche, Poland.  This takes place on 8/9 September and I know I haven't been selected yet ... but I believe I will be in the team primarily because of my win in Perth (Sep 2010) but also because of my relative consistency.  The average of my best six 24 hour distances will probably be above the required 'team qualification standard' ... that's something I'm quite proud of actually.

After that - well I haven't decided yet but maybe Barcelona to make up for last year's disappointment of not being able to make it because of a clash of dates with Keir's visit to Rome University.  And then being injured anyway.

See here for the full list of planned races.

All in all ... I feel good right now.

injury updates ... stats ... other stuff

Quite a bit to get through today so ... here goes ...

My rehab from the calcaneous stress fracture and achilles tendon injury seems to be progressing very well at the moment.  Until Sunday evening I was a little unsure as to whether the ankle was actually getting any better.  But then, from Monday morning, things seemed to click into place and I'm now confident that my rehab is going to plan.

It appears that the many hours spent massaging, icing, stretching, etc are finally paying dividends and that got me round to thinking about 2011 ... and then 2012.

Last year began with a knee injury which limited training during the whole of January but after that things went exceptionally well apart from the two important races.  In the first of those it was a momentary lapse of concentration that cost me the winner's trophy (and the course record by almost an hour).  That's something that needs to be corrected in the next year or two.  You can read that story on this page.

The second (and most important) race was a different story entirely.  I was in very good shape for that one but, stupidly, I stuck to my pre race plans and almost everyone else was adjusting theirs to take account of the very windy weather in Llandudno.  Having said that, if a very bad run produces 220km (136.7 miles) what would a very good have produced ?  There's something for me to think about.

So ... two big races completed and two important lessons learned.

Now, for everyone who's interested in the numbers, here are a few from 2011:

running
over 2444 miles (3933 km) in the year ... 46.9 miles per week (75.4 km per week) ... very nearly an hour per day

cycling
almost 18 minutes per day on average

stretching
almost 14 minutes per day on average

strength training
over 25 minutes per day on average

rehab stuff
over 18 minutes per day on average (not including ice)

In total my training and rehab took over 830 hours last year ... that's over 2 hours 16 per day which doesn't include changing clothes, showering, etc.


My end of year 24 hr ranking is correspondingly a bit disappointing and the stats read:

World ... 72 (down from 37)
Europe ... 49 (down from 26)
UK ... 5 (down from 4)
England ... 4 ? (last year 3)

Full details and year by year comparisons can be found over on this page.


OK ... on to other stuff now.
I was saddened to learn yesterday of the recent death of the great coach Frank Horwill.  I'm sure I've talked about him in previous posts but his wisdom and writings have been a large source of information about all thing training related.  I highly recommend that all runners read the articles on his club's website - here.

Local athlete Racheal Bamford (who lives about 200m from me) recently represented the North of England in the Nos Galan 5k in Wales recently.  She finished first woman on the uphill course with a time of 16:44.  Fantastic ... well done to her ... and she's going to get quicker.

Nutrition planning

Spent the last few days planning my nutrition for the race in Llandudno.  I'm sure I've explained before how I go about doing this but for newer followers I'll go through it again ...

First of all I consider the hydration aspect.  I've been weighing myself before and after every training run for a number of years now and combined with my training speed and the temperature/humidity I now have a very good idea of how much I will sweat at any given speed, temperature, humidity.  That liquid needs replacing but in a long ultra it's impossible to replace all of it ... the digestive system couldn't cope with that volume over a long time period whilst running.  Trial and error have shown that I can cope with 40%.

With a bit of research it's easy nowadays to find out what the mean temperature and humidity is for almost any location in the world (the data for my next race can be found here).  So, with that knowledge, I know how much liquid to take on board.

Secondly, that liquid, if not water, will contain calories, carbohydrates, etc.  I know that I can take on board about 250 calories per hour during a race but most of that needs to be carbohydrates and the rest mainly proteins.  I know that running uses a lot more than 250 calories per hour but the human body finds it difficult to digest food and run at the same time so, for me, about 250 calories per hour is the limit.  I know that other runners struggle with that amount and can only manage less than 200 whereas a lucky few can get away with 300.  Trial and error again.

Thirdly, the food has to be palatable because the most nutritionally perfect food in the world is useless if it tastes rubbish.  We all like different stuff and it's just a case of trying things out in less important races and long training runs.  Be aware though that eating near the end of a 4 or 5 hour training run is not the same as eating after 20 hours of racing.  Somehow things taste different and may be less easy to chew or swallow.  It's down to trial and error again.

Lastly, but possibly more important, are the electrolytes.  Particularly sodium and potassium but also calcium and magnesium.  These are lost through sweat and urine and need to be replaced but, again, too much all at once can cause the body distress.  As with the liquids I aim for 40%.

I learned quite a bit from my last race - ULTRArace 100 - about what works for me (and when) and now I aim to use all the knowledge gained over the past five years or so to put together a sound nutrition plan for 24 hours.

I like to have a plan so that I know in advance what food and drink I'm having and when.  I also know in advance that I'm getting all the correct amounts of liquid, carbohydrates, proteins, electrolytes, etc.  All the crew has to do is hand me the stuff at the correct time ... although sometimes a bit of preparation is needed.  I feel that this means that I don't have to think about what to eat and /or drink so I can just concentrate on running.  I don't carry a copy of the plan with me - I just let the crew follow the written instructions.

My drinks will be an isotonic sports drink and For Goodness Shakes sports recovery drinks.  The food will include jaffa cakes, protein bars, energy gels, Turkish Delight, grapes, dried apricots, breadsticks and baby food.

Of course sometimes things come unstuck, for example in Brive last year the temperature was about 10 C (18 F) lower than usual for the time of year.  That wasn't the main reason for my bad race that day but it did require some quick thinking and this is another area where a good crew can help.

Hope there's something here that you can use in your own racing.  Whenever I'm doing this planning I'm always reminded of a quote from ChristopherMcDougall's book (Born to Run) in which Sunny Blende describes an ultramarathon as  “an eating and drinking contest, with a little exercise and scenery thrown in.”

PS thanks to Matt for posting details of the New Zealand runners at the upcoming Commonwealth Championships - see the comments after my last post.  See you all there.  Of course it'll be fun.

Recent training

Recent training has been going well and I've now started including more speedwork as it's only 10 weeks before the Commonwealth Championships.  The organising committee have set up a new website at http://www.cmudc2011.org/en/  Well worth a look.

A couple of long runs last Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning showed that I've recovered from the 100 miler.  The Monday run especially as that was my first long fartlek since 31 May.

Yesterday evening I took part, again, in the Otley AC organised Washburn Valley Relay for the club's B team.  Sadly I'm not quick enough any more for the A team although someone mentioned that for a club to have an international runner in their B team ...

I ran the first leg (of three) and covered the 3.02 undulating miles in about 20:30.  Pleased with that as it improves my course best by about 50 seconds.  An excellent event at which there appeared to be a record number of teams taking part - the large car park was overflowing.  Official results are not available yet but check the club's website in a few days and I'm sure they'll be there.  Thanks to Nick Hodgkinson, John Dade, Andrew Robertshaw and Julian Mawson for their work in organising this relay in, what regular readers will know, is my favourite local running location.

This morning, bright and early [well it was when I left home !!!] I ventured out for a session of hill reps up and down Newall Carr Bank on the northern outskirts of Otley.  After about 20 minutes it began raining and progressively got worse over then next hour or so.  I just smiled to myself as I remembered the ULTRArace.100 in the Cotswolds when it rained continually for 12 hours or so.

After that deluge I'm sure I'll never be put off by rain ever again.

Race report

The report from my recent 100 mile race in the Cotswold is now available.

You can read it at http://ultrarace100.blogspot.com/

I'll keep a link to it near the top of this page for at least a week but after that there will be a permanent link to the report from the page which lists all my races - here.

first run

Last night I ran for the first time since ... well, you know ... THAT race.

Anyway it was a local 5 mile race as part of the Harrogate & District Summer Road Race League.  I got all the usual jokes which I sort of expected.  None of them made me feel any better but I guess the other runners had to get it out of their system.

Fay said:  "Let them try run 99.5 miles in 17h 45 ... or even 24 hours."  The big hug that accompanied that made me feel better.

I know they'll be something in this week's Wharfedale & Aireborough Observer as my club (Otley AC) always have something in about recent races, etc.  Haven't seen it yet - I will tomorrow - and then PLEASE let that be an end  to it.

Training continues in preparation for the Commonwealth Championships which is by far the most important race for me this year.

the future

Alright it's time to move on.  I took a tiny short cut and paid the penalty for my mistake.  On the plus side - very nearly 100 miles in about 17 hours 43 when it's raining for over 60% of that time - I do realise that was a good run in the conditions but a bit slower than I would have liked.

Yesterday was the day when all the emotions finally caught up with me ... anger at myself, exhaustion, pain, feelings of a wasted 18 hours, letting down my crew (who was brilliant), etc.  If anyone was caught in the crossfire please accept my apologies.

As I said before I really enjoyed it despite the rain and I'm sure these experiences will only make me stronger mentally in the long run (excuse the pun).

I've started work on the report which follows all my ultra races and that will appear only on this site in due course.

Right, let's draw a line under the Cotswold 100 ... please.

Last night Norman Wilson phoned to confirm my selection for the Commonwealth Championships 24 hr race in Llandudno in late September.  Hope to do better than last time when I finished fifth with 231 km and came away with a team silver medal.  My report of the first Commonwealth Championships - Keswick, 2009 - can be read here.

error details

Just looked at the map and found that I didn't actually miss out the big hill.  Which I'm pleased about !!!  Here are the details for those that are interested.

Using the 1:25 000 OS map number 151 (Stratford-upon-Avon) I can now see that I ran up Ebrington Hill from Chipping Campden (GR 165 396 to GR 188 427).  However I took the right hand fork instead of the left about 450m from the summit (GR 187 422) - after running uphill for almost 4 km.

I rejoined the proper route immediately after the village of Ilmington (GR 214 440) and did indeed run only about half a mile short.

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

initial (brief) report

It's now 28 hours since I stopped running and in that time my thoughts about it all haven't changed much, for the record here they are:

I finished first by 55 minutes but was disqualified for accidentally taking a wrong turn and only running 99.5 miles (and missing out one of the many hills).  This happened at about 82 miles.


The course record was 18 hours 38 minutes and my time was 17 hours 43 minutes.


The race started at noon and it rained solidly from 5pm to 4am and in those conditions, at night, on unlit country lanes, navigating with photocopied maps and a headtorch, it is easy to miss a direction sticker the size of a mobile stuck to a lamppost or road sign.


It is far easier to see these direction markers when running at 14 minutes a mile compared to when running at 9 mins per mile.  Only me to blame though.


I found it a really good race in spectacular countryside - although I couldn't see much of it after about 6pm.


Full race details and results here.


Thanks to Rory and Jen for organising it ... I know I'll be back because I enjoyed it so much (but then I always enjoy these long races).  It is a good one though.


Congratulations to Robert Treadwell for winning fair and square ... and beating the course record by a few seconds.


A fuller report later.

Aaarrrgh ... Keir has a bad cold.  I hope he stays away from me, I definitely don't want a cold so close to a 100 mile race.  Luckily for me he's a teenager which means he spends most of his time either in his bedroom or outside.

Heat training has been going well generally but causing lots of extra laundry.  Running with lots of extra clothes is quite a bit harder sometimes and about a week ago I found a 6 mile tempo run to be extremely difficult when wearing 2 T shirts, a long sleeved top, a sweatshirt and also tracksters and tract suit bottoms.

Tomorrow, with only a week to go, I start on the beetroot juice.  You may remember that I drank 500ml per day in the week before the Perth 24 hr race last September - with excellent results.  It does taste better than expected and 500ml isn't too much really ...

All the best to those who are running the West Highland Way Race - I hope the weather holds out for you all, or at least that it doesn't rain solidly for the entire race.

And watch out for Richard Hamer - Otley AC member - who set off yesterday to walk the route.  I hope he doesn't get in the way too much !!!

This morning I noticed the route changes for next week's race.  Especially the major one involving the first 8 miles or so.  Looking at the map (and being a former Race Director) I can understand the reasoning behind it but personally I would have preferred the original route as footpaths on the course of old railways tend not to be too inspiring - those I have used anyway.

So long as the overall distance is the same.  That's the main thing I suppose, along with runner's safety.

Almost There ...

Eight days to go before my first important race of the year.  I'm ready to go but in a bit of an unusual situation really.

I've now taken part in thirteen ultra events and won three of them.  Of the other ten, one was a solo run and two were trail races in which I wasn't competing seriously.  So ... I've competed seriously in nine ultras and won three, not a bad record overall.

But now, for the first time I think, before the race starts I'm expecting to win.  In a few of the others I knew I could win ... but this feeling is different because I know I should win.  I've got to try and keep that pressure under control.

As part of my planning I looked at the route map and decided what my times should be at 5 mile intervals.  But yesterday I received an email from the organisers which shows the exact location of all the checkpoints ... and also shows that the points on the route map at 5 miles, 10 miles, 15 miles, etc are all wrong.  Still, I'm very glad to get this revised information - changing my plans slightly won't be too difficult and will make things easier during the race.

Thanks to those people who have voted in the poll about my finishing time.  You seem to have quite a bit of confidence in my abilities.  I'm not telling what I'm actually aiming for but my planned running pace (minutes per mile) does seem slow compared to normal.  But maybe that's because I'm also using this race to try out a few new things regarding nutrition and pacing.