I've been running on three consecutive days for a few weeks now and everything is still progressing well. Recently progressed from alternating running and walking to running non-stop. Feeling good but still doing lots of rehab exercises ...
... about 35 minutes a day at the moment which is much less than the 55 minutes I had to do daily in February. It will continue to decrease over the next six months or so but I strongly suspect that I'll have to do a little for many years to come.
Thoughts of racing have recently started to come my way. I'm trying very hard to not look for a race until late June or early July. The very fact that I'm thinking that way is a good sign and mentally I'm ready to go. Just need the body to catch up.
At last summer weather appears to be on the way. The bad weather during the World 24 hr Championships in Steenbergen ... well we had similar stuff here in Yorkshire. And William Sichel apparently had a heatwave during the 6 day race in Hungary at the same time. It seems to me that the world's weather is not how I remember it back in the 1970s. Summer's were hot and sunny, winter's were cold and snowy ... simple.
Showing posts with label World 24 hr Championships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World 24 hr Championships. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Sunday, 12 May 2013
The race I didn't run
By all accounts the weekend's race in Steembergen, Netherlands was a hard one. At one point there was a facebook post by the Aussie team which read:
"at the moment we're having four seasons worth of weather ... every 15 minutes."
No doubt about it that is the stuff that makes things very difficult in a 24 hour race and, I guess on average, performances will have been reduced by about 5 % and the winner's distance was probably not as far as expected in a World 24 hr Championship race. Previous winning distances (men) are shown below and full results can be found on the DUV website.
2013 ... 269 km
2012 ... 277 km
2010 ... 273 km
2009 ... 257 km
2008 ... 273 km
2007 ... 263 km
2006 ... 272 km
2005 ... 268 km
2004 ... 269 km
2003 ... 270 km
2001 ... 275 km
Some of the UK performances seem to have been quite amazing in those circumstances ...
Steve Holyoak ... over 246 km and a new pb
Robbie Britton ... over 239 km and a new pb
Sharon Law ... over 226 km and a new pb
Karen Hathaway ... over 210 km and a new pb
Sharon set new Scottish records for 200 km and 24 hours (on the road). Amazing.
Debbie Martin-Consani, Emily Gelder, Pat Robbins, John Pares, Matt Moroz and Lizzy Hawker had less successful races and, unfortunately, I wasn't there so I can't really comment as to the reasons for that. Perhaps an injury or two.
Congratulations also to Torill Fonn who beat her personal best by almost 5 %.
Overall, as I'm a recovering injured ultra runner, I found it quite difficult mentally to keep up to date with all that was happening in Steenbergen ... I guess I'm just missing the racing a bit. I'm glad I persevered though as it has given me some much needed motivation for racing next year and training in the second half of this year (with perhaps a race thrown in ...).
Full results here.
"at the moment we're having four seasons worth of weather ... every 15 minutes."
No doubt about it that is the stuff that makes things very difficult in a 24 hour race and, I guess on average, performances will have been reduced by about 5 % and the winner's distance was probably not as far as expected in a World 24 hr Championship race. Previous winning distances (men) are shown below and full results can be found on the DUV website.
2013 ... 269 km
2012 ... 277 km
2010 ... 273 km
2009 ... 257 km
2008 ... 273 km
2007 ... 263 km
2006 ... 272 km
2005 ... 268 km
2004 ... 269 km
2003 ... 270 km
2001 ... 275 km
Some of the UK performances seem to have been quite amazing in those circumstances ...
Steve Holyoak ... over 246 km and a new pb
Robbie Britton ... over 239 km and a new pb
Sharon Law ... over 226 km and a new pb
Karen Hathaway ... over 210 km and a new pb
Sharon set new Scottish records for 200 km and 24 hours (on the road). Amazing.
Debbie Martin-Consani, Emily Gelder, Pat Robbins, John Pares, Matt Moroz and Lizzy Hawker had less successful races and, unfortunately, I wasn't there so I can't really comment as to the reasons for that. Perhaps an injury or two.
Congratulations also to Torill Fonn who beat her personal best by almost 5 %.
Overall, as I'm a recovering injured ultra runner, I found it quite difficult mentally to keep up to date with all that was happening in Steenbergen ... I guess I'm just missing the racing a bit. I'm glad I persevered though as it has given me some much needed motivation for racing next year and training in the second half of this year (with perhaps a race thrown in ...).
Full results here.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Fay and me
As regular readers will know Fay and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We didn't really know how to celebrate this milestone (not having done that before ...) but, in the end, we decided to go back to the place we spent our honeymoon. Not the same hotel - I don't think that exists any more - but the same part of the world.
I suppose the story starts back in early 1985, a few months before Fay's 18th birthday. We decided, without much fanfare, that we would get engaged on her 18th birthday and married on her 21st. Between mid 1985 and April 1988 we hardly talked about marriage at all but we hadn't forgotten.
In March or April 1988 (I forget which) I secretly organised a wedding for us. We both knew what we wanted - a quiet marriage with a minimum of fuss. And that included nobody from our respective families and no large party afterwards. On the first of May I asked Fay if she still wanted to marry me - the answer was 'yes' so I told her what plans I had made. Bradford Register Office three days later, 4.00pm.
At that point we still didn't have a ring but that was no problem, on the morning of the wedding we went and bought one - but the one Fay liked was a bit too small, hmmmm. After explaining the situation to the jeweller he agreed to try and stretch the patterned band of gold a tiny bit. But we had to go back at 3.00pm to collect it.
As the time approached we remembered that we needed two witnesses ... no problem, I'm sure these two passer's by wouldn't mind helping out for a short while. Luckily they agreed and our wedding went ahead without a hitch. Afterwards we adjourned to McDonalds and laughed quietly to ourselves about what we had done.
Our honeymoon was spent on the wonderful Gower Peninsula in south Wales. We were there five or six days touring the area and it's beautifully unspoilt beaches, coves and villages.
We realised we had to tell our families sooner or later so we arranged two trips and two bottles of champagne to help break the news. Of course some people were not happy that they had missed out on a wedding. Tough. It's our life ... we'll do it our way.
Twenty five years later the whole area is still an undiscovered gem of a place with many quiet beaches and bays which are absolutely stunning on the sunny days we were there.
PS ... all the best to the UK runners in Steenbergen at the weekend. Hope you all have a good one, and injury free.
PPS ... the same for William Sichel in a six day race he's running in Hungary (I believe Sharon Gayter will be there too).
PPPS ... also all the best to the other runners I know who are running in Steenbergen (Torill F, Sharon S, David K, etc).
I suppose the story starts back in early 1985, a few months before Fay's 18th birthday. We decided, without much fanfare, that we would get engaged on her 18th birthday and married on her 21st. Between mid 1985 and April 1988 we hardly talked about marriage at all but we hadn't forgotten.
In March or April 1988 (I forget which) I secretly organised a wedding for us. We both knew what we wanted - a quiet marriage with a minimum of fuss. And that included nobody from our respective families and no large party afterwards. On the first of May I asked Fay if she still wanted to marry me - the answer was 'yes' so I told her what plans I had made. Bradford Register Office three days later, 4.00pm.
At that point we still didn't have a ring but that was no problem, on the morning of the wedding we went and bought one - but the one Fay liked was a bit too small, hmmmm. After explaining the situation to the jeweller he agreed to try and stretch the patterned band of gold a tiny bit. But we had to go back at 3.00pm to collect it.
As the time approached we remembered that we needed two witnesses ... no problem, I'm sure these two passer's by wouldn't mind helping out for a short while. Luckily they agreed and our wedding went ahead without a hitch. Afterwards we adjourned to McDonalds and laughed quietly to ourselves about what we had done.
Our honeymoon was spent on the wonderful Gower Peninsula in south Wales. We were there five or six days touring the area and it's beautifully unspoilt beaches, coves and villages.
We realised we had to tell our families sooner or later so we arranged two trips and two bottles of champagne to help break the news. Of course some people were not happy that they had missed out on a wedding. Tough. It's our life ... we'll do it our way.
Twenty five years later the whole area is still an undiscovered gem of a place with many quiet beaches and bays which are absolutely stunning on the sunny days we were there.
PS ... all the best to the UK runners in Steenbergen at the weekend. Hope you all have a good one, and injury free.
PPS ... the same for William Sichel in a six day race he's running in Hungary (I believe Sharon Gayter will be there too).
PPPS ... also all the best to the other runners I know who are running in Steenbergen (Torill F, Sharon S, David K, etc).
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Latest News
I've recently seen that there is likely to be a third Commonwealth Mountain & Ultra Distance Championships. The organisers have invited countries to submit bids with a view to staging the races in 2015. The long term aim is still to have mountain races and ultra distance races at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (Gold Coast, Australia).
I represented England at both of the first two Commonwealth Championships (Keswick 2009 and Llandudno 2011) and they were extremely enjoyable events at which the camaraderie amongst the athletes of different countries and disciplines was second to none.
I will definitely be aiming for a place in the England team for 2015 and 2018 ...
... but reading the tender document put together by the Commonwealth Association of Mountain and Ultra Distance Running to help with prospective bids I see there is no mention at all of 24 hour races except on the final page. And that solitary mention is a bit ambiguous in that it could mean that the 24 hour race has been omitted from the document by mistake. Maybe. Hope so.
As you probably know I'm now running on two consecutive days (well, running and walking) and it seems to be going well. No problems at all although I sense that the walking bit is still necessary at the moment. Getting there though.
Keir finally arrived home on Sunday. He was due to arrive on Friday evening but his flight was cancelled until lunch time on Sunday. That flight took off OK and made it all the way to Yorkshire before circling over Leeds Bradford Airport for 30 mins or so. We did wonder about that but we were then even more shocked to learn that it was flying back to Manchester as there was too much snow to make a safe landing in Yorkshire. He finally arrived home at about 4.00pm on Sunday. Normally the journey from Ulster University to Otley would take him about 6 or 7 hours ... this one took an amazing 51 hours.
Hope the weather is better when he flies back at the end of next week.
Before I go, well done to Debbie M-C on her win at the Thames Path 100 mile race at the weekend. Apparently the weather was atrocious and the race was diverted from it's normal route. Personally, I wouldn't race 100 miles (161 km) only seven weeks before a 24 hour race but recovery rates vary enormously between runners and I'm sure she'll have a brilliant race in Steenbergen - and come away with another pb and Scottish record.
And finally ... all the best to those taking part in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k in Perth [Scotland, not Australia] in a few days time. Hope the temperatures increase slightly.
I represented England at both of the first two Commonwealth Championships (Keswick 2009 and Llandudno 2011) and they were extremely enjoyable events at which the camaraderie amongst the athletes of different countries and disciplines was second to none.
I will definitely be aiming for a place in the England team for 2015 and 2018 ...
... but reading the tender document put together by the Commonwealth Association of Mountain and Ultra Distance Running to help with prospective bids I see there is no mention at all of 24 hour races except on the final page. And that solitary mention is a bit ambiguous in that it could mean that the 24 hour race has been omitted from the document by mistake. Maybe. Hope so.
As you probably know I'm now running on two consecutive days (well, running and walking) and it seems to be going well. No problems at all although I sense that the walking bit is still necessary at the moment. Getting there though.
Keir finally arrived home on Sunday. He was due to arrive on Friday evening but his flight was cancelled until lunch time on Sunday. That flight took off OK and made it all the way to Yorkshire before circling over Leeds Bradford Airport for 30 mins or so. We did wonder about that but we were then even more shocked to learn that it was flying back to Manchester as there was too much snow to make a safe landing in Yorkshire. He finally arrived home at about 4.00pm on Sunday. Normally the journey from Ulster University to Otley would take him about 6 or 7 hours ... this one took an amazing 51 hours.
Hope the weather is better when he flies back at the end of next week.
Before I go, well done to Debbie M-C on her win at the Thames Path 100 mile race at the weekend. Apparently the weather was atrocious and the race was diverted from it's normal route. Personally, I wouldn't race 100 miles (161 km) only seven weeks before a 24 hour race but recovery rates vary enormously between runners and I'm sure she'll have a brilliant race in Steenbergen - and come away with another pb and Scottish record.
And finally ... all the best to those taking part in the Anglo Celtic Plate 100k in Perth [Scotland, not Australia] in a few days time. Hope the temperatures increase slightly.
Monday, 31 December 2012
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 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.
Saturday, 22 December 2012
too busy recently
After work and training I seem to have had too many other things to do recently which has left no time to update this blog ... apologies for that but things should be back to normal now.
Visiting far flung relatives ... being a volunteer postman with the local scouts ... having the gas fire repaired ... meeting Keir at the airport ... a couple of Christmas parties ... and attending an awards ceremony at which Keir received a shield for best overall year 12 student from his old school.
The ankle seems to be holding up well to increasing training loads and I'm hopeful of being able to actually enter a race next month.
Still keeping up with the rehab exercises three times a day (which are not detailed in the 'training' tab above) and remembering to ice the area at least twice per day - although I suspect that is not really so important anymore.
Interesting to read about last weekend's Barcelona 24 hour race. Fantastic result from Matthew Moroz who finished third with 234.893 km and Robbie Britton in third with 231.392 km ... both have now qualified for the UK team at next year's World Championships in Steenbergen. WELL DONE TO THEM BOTH.
I suspect John Pares may have learned the hard way that he wasn't quite as fit as he thought he was, despite immense training in October and November. He was sixth with 222.638 km. I have no doubt he'll be ready for a good one next May. Also well done to (not so) new mum Vicky Hart who ran 164.125 km which is a new pb.
I'd like to end this post by saying that typing this hasn't really been easy after injuring my index finger this afternoon. Doing some DIY for my mother in law. She wasn't impressed to have my blood dripping all over her new carpet. I wasn't impressed by her worn out tools and lack of first aid knowledge.
Sunday, 25 November 2012
still progressing slowly ... too slowly
After a week of being able to run (only when interspersed with walking though) I've found that progress is still exceptionally slow. So much so that I've been told by the medical guys to stop for a fortnight so they can do some more tests to find out why I'm taking an unfathomably long time to recover from a badly sprained ankle. [eleven weeks and counting]
The theory is that I have some kind of illness or condition which is effecting things. Something like calcium deficiency or not being able to fully utilise proteins.
Or maybe something more serious and sinister. Much blood and urine has been taken away for analysis, different parts of my body have had x-rays and CT scans taken of them and all the results should be back next week.
In the meantime there is no way I'll be anywhere near fit enough for the World 24 hr Championships next May so I've reluctantly sent an email to the team management letting them know that I don't wish to be considered.
A sad but necessary decision. I'll just have to run well in the second half of 2013 to get back into the team :)
The theory is that I have some kind of illness or condition which is effecting things. Something like calcium deficiency or not being able to fully utilise proteins.
Or maybe something more serious and sinister. Much blood and urine has been taken away for analysis, different parts of my body have had x-rays and CT scans taken of them and all the results should be back next week.
In the meantime there is no way I'll be anywhere near fit enough for the World 24 hr Championships next May so I've reluctantly sent an email to the team management letting them know that I don't wish to be considered.
A sad but necessary decision. I'll just have to run well in the second half of 2013 to get back into the team :)
Friday, 28 September 2012
now .. and next year
Just a short post today because, as you probably know, I haven't been running for almost three weeks now. At the start of this week the right ankle was still periodically aching but with each passing day that became less and less. Today has been the best day since the injury.
At the start of this week I began strength and core work, being careful not to do anything to further damage my ankle or hinder the recovery. It now seems very likely that I can begin cycling on Sunday ... that's never been my favourite form of exercise but I guess at the moment it's necessary. More fun than swimming though.
At the moment it's unlikely that I'll be able to run for at least another seven to ten days.
That hasn't stopped me planning next year's racing and training though. Many of you will know that I had planned to enter the Barcelona 24 hr race when I arrived home from Poland. Well ... for the second consecutive year that has had to be abandoned. Maybe next year ... or maybe it just isn't meant to be.
So, next year. The World Championships will be held in Steenbergen (Netherlands) in May and UK Team Management have already informally suggested that those who ran in Poland should also run in the Netherlands. I may have trouble proving my fitness though ... we'll see.
And then, in August 2013, I plan to be in Abingdon, Oxfordshire at the British Ultra Fest. I know that Pam Storey has long wanted to stage a six day and 48 hr race in England and it seems that she's finally succeeded by getting together with Alan Young and Abichal Sherrington. Should be good fun.
And then, maybe, if all goes well, I'll be off to Barcelona, at last ...
Now that I've got some time out from running I can properly review what I've done over the past year or so and ask myself some serious questions. Did my training work ? Could I have done anything better ? What are my weaknesses ? etc, etc
Answers please to me at the usual address ...
At the start of this week I began strength and core work, being careful not to do anything to further damage my ankle or hinder the recovery. It now seems very likely that I can begin cycling on Sunday ... that's never been my favourite form of exercise but I guess at the moment it's necessary. More fun than swimming though.
At the moment it's unlikely that I'll be able to run for at least another seven to ten days.
That hasn't stopped me planning next year's racing and training though. Many of you will know that I had planned to enter the Barcelona 24 hr race when I arrived home from Poland. Well ... for the second consecutive year that has had to be abandoned. Maybe next year ... or maybe it just isn't meant to be.
So, next year. The World Championships will be held in Steenbergen (Netherlands) in May and UK Team Management have already informally suggested that those who ran in Poland should also run in the Netherlands. I may have trouble proving my fitness though ... we'll see.
And then, in August 2013, I plan to be in Abingdon, Oxfordshire at the British Ultra Fest. I know that Pam Storey has long wanted to stage a six day and 48 hr race in England and it seems that she's finally succeeded by getting together with Alan Young and Abichal Sherrington. Should be good fun.
And then, maybe, if all goes well, I'll be off to Barcelona, at last ...
Now that I've got some time out from running I can properly review what I've done over the past year or so and ask myself some serious questions. Did my training work ? Could I have done anything better ? What are my weaknesses ? etc, etc
Answers please to me at the usual address ...
Tuesday, 11 September 2012
well, I made it (back home)
Just a brief race report for now ... more later, I'm sure.
The first ten hours went very well indeed and at that point I was still on my 245km schedule. The eleventh hour was a struggle and my left shoulder began playing up so I went in for a massage which worked wonders.
The next few hours were also good and I managed to keep to my schedule well although it was inevitably getting harder by now. Had another short shoulder massage at 15 hours before being told to get moving ... passed 100 miles a minute or two outside my pb but felt much stronger than when I set that time in 2010.
Towards the end of the 16th hour both my big toes began to feel badly bruised and within ten minutes or so I could barely put any weight on them. So ... I asked the physio to sort me out. And he worked a miracle here, both big toe nails had almost come off and both socks were quite badly blood stained. At this point I was just on target for 245 km so I knew that a new pb was in the bag (my pb is 238.286 km). I don't know what he did but within fifteen minutes of lying on his couch I went from having badly bruised feet to having feet that felt like new again.
Looking at the hourly splits now, it was obviously not quite as simple as that because I was slowly falling behind that schedule. Then ... at 19 hours I suddenly had a feeling of pins and needles in the sole of my right foot - not a good sign I thought. So, once again, physio Guy sorted me out (pointing out that the toe on my left foot was still bleeding). For the next couple of hours I ran much as before but I was aware that it starting to become seriously hard work now. I still expected to finish with more than 240k though.
But then, at 21 hours, tragedy struck. My left ankle began to feel very weak and over the next lap or two got very bad indeed. I knew this was serious so I had Guy sort me out again - lots of strapping and bruising. And my toe was still bleeding. When I mentioned that "I hope it isn't a stress fracture" he said: "we'll worry about that after the race ... just get out there for three more hours."
And so I did. The ankle was still weak but there wasn't much anyone could do about that but I decided to run for one minute then walk for one minutes, then two minutes of each, then three and so on until I reached the point which was most comfortable. Within a couple of kilometres I had decided to go with four minutes running and two minutes walking.
Over the next hour or so I began to realise that 240k was now out or reach - I was walking two much. I had no idea how far I had run but I didn't want to know either. I was just trying to focus on blocking out those regular four minutes of pain.
After the race had finished Guy helped me hobble back to the crewing area where slowly everything was packed away. For a few hours afterwards I simply didn't care about my final distance. I knew I didn't have a pb and that was all I wanted to know.
Sleeping on Sunday night was not easy and when I finally got out of bed at 6.30am my ankle had swelled considerably and walking was difficult. It only got worse as the day progressed. During breakfast, the day after the race, Guy suggested I have an x-ray when I arrived home just in case ...
Getting home from Stansted was very difficult and painful and I'm deeply grateful to Eleanor Robinson for carrying my bag and physically helping me onto the Leeds train at Peterborough.
As I write this post I now know that my left ankle is just badly sprained and is probably a repetitive strain injury caused by the uneven surface on a 300m section of the circuit. A tight left hand corner leading into that section didn't help either. I'm not exactly happy though having to sit here with a crutch, an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
On a positive note ... I now know without doubt that I can run 150 miles (241.4 km) in 24 hours and I would have do so but for a sprained ankle.
The results for the UK runners were:
Pat Robbins ... 246.071 km
Steve Holyoak ... 240.377 km
Emily Gelder ... 238.875 km (3rd woman)
me ... 231.339 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 217.180 km
Sharon Law ... 210.404 km
John Pares ... 180.838 km
Karen Hathaway ... 179.956 km
Jen Salter ... 145.217 km
To finish I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who was there for Team UK (athletes and helpers) - they all made the weekend a memorable experience and I hope to get another chance next year at 150 miles.
Lots of photos here from Rory Coleman and from the IAU here.
The next few hours were also good and I managed to keep to my schedule well although it was inevitably getting harder by now. Had another short shoulder massage at 15 hours before being told to get moving ... passed 100 miles a minute or two outside my pb but felt much stronger than when I set that time in 2010.
Towards the end of the 16th hour both my big toes began to feel badly bruised and within ten minutes or so I could barely put any weight on them. So ... I asked the physio to sort me out. And he worked a miracle here, both big toe nails had almost come off and both socks were quite badly blood stained. At this point I was just on target for 245 km so I knew that a new pb was in the bag (my pb is 238.286 km). I don't know what he did but within fifteen minutes of lying on his couch I went from having badly bruised feet to having feet that felt like new again.
Looking at the hourly splits now, it was obviously not quite as simple as that because I was slowly falling behind that schedule. Then ... at 19 hours I suddenly had a feeling of pins and needles in the sole of my right foot - not a good sign I thought. So, once again, physio Guy sorted me out (pointing out that the toe on my left foot was still bleeding). For the next couple of hours I ran much as before but I was aware that it starting to become seriously hard work now. I still expected to finish with more than 240k though.
But then, at 21 hours, tragedy struck. My left ankle began to feel very weak and over the next lap or two got very bad indeed. I knew this was serious so I had Guy sort me out again - lots of strapping and bruising. And my toe was still bleeding. When I mentioned that "I hope it isn't a stress fracture" he said: "we'll worry about that after the race ... just get out there for three more hours."
And so I did. The ankle was still weak but there wasn't much anyone could do about that but I decided to run for one minute then walk for one minutes, then two minutes of each, then three and so on until I reached the point which was most comfortable. Within a couple of kilometres I had decided to go with four minutes running and two minutes walking.
Over the next hour or so I began to realise that 240k was now out or reach - I was walking two much. I had no idea how far I had run but I didn't want to know either. I was just trying to focus on blocking out those regular four minutes of pain.
After the race had finished Guy helped me hobble back to the crewing area where slowly everything was packed away. For a few hours afterwards I simply didn't care about my final distance. I knew I didn't have a pb and that was all I wanted to know.
Sleeping on Sunday night was not easy and when I finally got out of bed at 6.30am my ankle had swelled considerably and walking was difficult. It only got worse as the day progressed. During breakfast, the day after the race, Guy suggested I have an x-ray when I arrived home just in case ...
Getting home from Stansted was very difficult and painful and I'm deeply grateful to Eleanor Robinson for carrying my bag and physically helping me onto the Leeds train at Peterborough.
As I write this post I now know that my left ankle is just badly sprained and is probably a repetitive strain injury caused by the uneven surface on a 300m section of the circuit. A tight left hand corner leading into that section didn't help either. I'm not exactly happy though having to sit here with a crutch, an ice pack and some ibuprofen.
On a positive note ... I now know without doubt that I can run 150 miles (241.4 km) in 24 hours and I would have do so but for a sprained ankle.
The results for the UK runners were:
Pat Robbins ... 246.071 km
Steve Holyoak ... 240.377 km
Emily Gelder ... 238.875 km (3rd woman)
me ... 231.339 km
Debbie Martin-Consani ... 217.180 km
Sharon Law ... 210.404 km
John Pares ... 180.838 km
Karen Hathaway ... 179.956 km
Jen Salter ... 145.217 km
To finish I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who was there for Team UK (athletes and helpers) - they all made the weekend a memorable experience and I hope to get another chance next year at 150 miles.
Lots of photos here from Rory Coleman and from the IAU here.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
last post
Well, that's it for now. A short while ago I completed my last training session before leaving for Poland tomorrow. It was 7 x 200m in 42.7s each with a 200m jog recovery. Except that my time was about 40s each.
This morning was my last session of strength work - core mainly but also a bit of work on the legs. Right now I feel better prepared than for any of my previous 24 hr races. I'm also very aware that in long ultra races fitness is not necessarily a good indicator of performance ... there are so many other factors to consider such as nutrition, hydration, weather, crew, blisters, electrolytes, etc. I believe I've got them all covered but if I've missed anything I'm sure some other member of team GB will be able to help out.
Between the strength work early this morning and the running this afternoon I spent the time making sure everything had been packed ... especially kit and food. And then I did some more baking. Fay and Keir's favourite desserts for the weekend. Elderflower cheesecake and rose flavoured ice cream. Shame it'll be all gone by the time I return.
This will be my last post before the race but you will be able to follow the action at www.run24.eu and at www.iau-ultramarthon.org
Thanks to everyone for wishing me well. I'll write again next week.
This morning was my last session of strength work - core mainly but also a bit of work on the legs. Right now I feel better prepared than for any of my previous 24 hr races. I'm also very aware that in long ultra races fitness is not necessarily a good indicator of performance ... there are so many other factors to consider such as nutrition, hydration, weather, crew, blisters, electrolytes, etc. I believe I've got them all covered but if I've missed anything I'm sure some other member of team GB will be able to help out.
Between the strength work early this morning and the running this afternoon I spent the time making sure everything had been packed ... especially kit and food. And then I did some more baking. Fay and Keir's favourite desserts for the weekend. Elderflower cheesecake and rose flavoured ice cream. Shame it'll be all gone by the time I return.
This will be my last post before the race but you will be able to follow the action at www.run24.eu and at www.iau-ultramarthon.org
Thanks to everyone for wishing me well. I'll write again next week.
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
one week and counting
As race day approaches I've found a few interesting snippets of information ...
American ultra runner (and fellow ex-cancer patient) has written a fantastic preview of the race on his blog. Unfortunately he won't be in Katowice this year but I had the pleasure of spending some time with him at the last World Championships in Brive.
The start list has now been confirmed and is available on the IAU website. The most interesting name on the list is one Yiannis Kouros. I don't think he's in the kind of form to win the race but one thought stuck me ... will it be the first time he's not finished first in a 24 hr race ?
Also missing this year will be Amy Palmiero-Winters. An amazing woman who runs with a prosthetic leg after being involved in a motorcycle accident back in the mid 1990s. Very close to 200 km (124 miles) in Brive but still about 15 km (9 miles) below her best ... truly inspirational. If she can run 24 hrs there's nothing to stop you ...
The official race website is http://www.run24.eu/en,news.html and it looks as if there may be live coverage. The IAU website will also have regular updates, interviews and other information.
I'm sure many press releases have gone out over the past few days from runners, associations, sponsors and others. One source of internet news local to Yorkshire which I've recently found is The Yorkshire Times. An excellent site for anyone born and bred in God's own county.
American ultra runner (and fellow ex-cancer patient) has written a fantastic preview of the race on his blog. Unfortunately he won't be in Katowice this year but I had the pleasure of spending some time with him at the last World Championships in Brive.
The start list has now been confirmed and is available on the IAU website. The most interesting name on the list is one Yiannis Kouros. I don't think he's in the kind of form to win the race but one thought stuck me ... will it be the first time he's not finished first in a 24 hr race ?
Also missing this year will be Amy Palmiero-Winters. An amazing woman who runs with a prosthetic leg after being involved in a motorcycle accident back in the mid 1990s. Very close to 200 km (124 miles) in Brive but still about 15 km (9 miles) below her best ... truly inspirational. If she can run 24 hrs there's nothing to stop you ...
The official race website is http://www.run24.eu/en,news.html and it looks as if there may be live coverage. The IAU website will also have regular updates, interviews and other information.
I'm sure many press releases have gone out over the past few days from runners, associations, sponsors and others. One source of internet news local to Yorkshire which I've recently found is The Yorkshire Times. An excellent site for anyone born and bred in God's own county.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
last long run
This morning I set out on my last long run before Poland. A few days ago I decided to make it a bit more enjoyable by catching a bus somewhere and running back home through some of the fantastic Yorkshire countryside that we have around here.
Limited only by where buses from the small town of Otley actually go to, I decided on Leeds. And from there I chose a 30.3 mile route (48.8 km) which would take me through Seacroft, Thorner, Collingham, Wetherby, Sicklinghall, Kirkby Overblow, Weeton, Castley and Pool.
Obviously I had a decent cup of coffee in Leeds before running but the only places I found open at 9.00am were Costa, Nero and Starbucks. I chose Costa.
The weather was lovely when I started running at 9.45am and it remained good all day. Mainly cloudy but dry with temperatures peaking at 19.8 C (67.6 F).
The running went well although the first 50 minutes or so were spent leaving Leeds to the east, after that though the route was almost entirely on country lanes and it was a joy to be out and enjoying the day. Passed through Thorner in 1h 10 mins and Collingham in 1h 45 before reaching Wetherby in 2 hours exactly. That's 13.8 miles (22.2 km) at, what I felt was a fairly slow pace ... so I ran a bit faster for the remaining 16.5 miles (26.6 km).
Between Sickinghall and Kirkby Overblow the 360 degree views were awe inspiring and in the distance I could see Otley even though I still had over 10 miles to run (16 km). The time from Wetherby to Otley was just under 2h 20 and the very last mile took just 7:54. Overall that was very pleasing because it seemed so easy. The times weren't spectacular but I did stop for a bit of food every hour which meant that the 'official' time of 4h 19:56 should probably be reduced by about 6 minutes. So that's quite easily under 8:30 per mile (5:17 per km) which is always a benchmark for me on long runs.
Feel very good at the moment - long may it continue.
Limited only by where buses from the small town of Otley actually go to, I decided on Leeds. And from there I chose a 30.3 mile route (48.8 km) which would take me through Seacroft, Thorner, Collingham, Wetherby, Sicklinghall, Kirkby Overblow, Weeton, Castley and Pool.
Obviously I had a decent cup of coffee in Leeds before running but the only places I found open at 9.00am were Costa, Nero and Starbucks. I chose Costa.
The weather was lovely when I started running at 9.45am and it remained good all day. Mainly cloudy but dry with temperatures peaking at 19.8 C (67.6 F).
The running went well although the first 50 minutes or so were spent leaving Leeds to the east, after that though the route was almost entirely on country lanes and it was a joy to be out and enjoying the day. Passed through Thorner in 1h 10 mins and Collingham in 1h 45 before reaching Wetherby in 2 hours exactly. That's 13.8 miles (22.2 km) at, what I felt was a fairly slow pace ... so I ran a bit faster for the remaining 16.5 miles (26.6 km).
Between Sickinghall and Kirkby Overblow the 360 degree views were awe inspiring and in the distance I could see Otley even though I still had over 10 miles to run (16 km). The time from Wetherby to Otley was just under 2h 20 and the very last mile took just 7:54. Overall that was very pleasing because it seemed so easy. The times weren't spectacular but I did stop for a bit of food every hour which meant that the 'official' time of 4h 19:56 should probably be reduced by about 6 minutes. So that's quite easily under 8:30 per mile (5:17 per km) which is always a benchmark for me on long runs.
Feel very good at the moment - long may it continue.
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Olympics and World Championships
Fantastic few hours for UK last night at the London Olympics. Gold for Jess Ennis in the heptathlon. Gold for Greg Rutherford in the long jump. Gold for Mo Farah in the 10000m. Great Stuff ... especially when added to more gold medals in cycling and rowing.
Shame about the men's football though.
As I type this the women's marathon has just started in a rain soaked London. I don't think we'll get a medal in this event though. Especially now that Paula Radcliffe has withdrawn because of injury.
Planning for the World 24 hour Championships goes ahead unabated. Flights have been booked for the runners, team managers, physio and helpers. Accommodation will be booked shortly. Then there's kit to sort out. Fay reckons we'll be wearing the same kit as the Olympic runners (minus the 5 rings logo) but I'm not so sure ... we'll have to wait and see. I guess UK Athletics are a bit busy at the moment.
It would be good to get the stuff as soon as possible though so that it can worn, washed and worn again in training to make sure it fits perfectly and won't chaff or rub anywhere. Twenty four hours is a long time to wear running gear ... it NEEDS to fit properly.
Training today is 6 x 1 mile (1.6km) and tomorrow is just cycling and strength work. Long runs on Tuesday and Wednesday but on the former I need to leave home early so that I'm back in time for the men's triathlon in which the Brownlee brothers are competing for Wharfedale. Start time 11.00am
Must go now ... the flapjack needs to come out of the oven and then I'll start on the bread. The smell of fresh bread ...
Shame about the men's football though.
As I type this the women's marathon has just started in a rain soaked London. I don't think we'll get a medal in this event though. Especially now that Paula Radcliffe has withdrawn because of injury.
Planning for the World 24 hour Championships goes ahead unabated. Flights have been booked for the runners, team managers, physio and helpers. Accommodation will be booked shortly. Then there's kit to sort out. Fay reckons we'll be wearing the same kit as the Olympic runners (minus the 5 rings logo) but I'm not so sure ... we'll have to wait and see. I guess UK Athletics are a bit busy at the moment.
It would be good to get the stuff as soon as possible though so that it can worn, washed and worn again in training to make sure it fits perfectly and won't chaff or rub anywhere. Twenty four hours is a long time to wear running gear ... it NEEDS to fit properly.
Training today is 6 x 1 mile (1.6km) and tomorrow is just cycling and strength work. Long runs on Tuesday and Wednesday but on the former I need to leave home early so that I'm back in time for the men's triathlon in which the Brownlee brothers are competing for Wharfedale. Start time 11.00am
Must go now ... the flapjack needs to come out of the oven and then I'll start on the bread. The smell of fresh bread ...
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
The last few days
Yesterday's long run went without hitch. I decided to run two separate 18 mile (29 km) routes with no rest between them - mainly to avoid carrying lots of refreshments. It could have been a bit boring but by choosing the routes wisely that was avoided.
So, overall I ran 36.4 miles (58.6 km) in five hours exactly. Very pleased with that as the weather has decided to give us something resembling summer ... at last. Very warm and sunny towards the end (23.8 C/74.8 F).
Only strength work today but tomorrow it's an 8 mile (13 km) tempo run and on Thursday it's the club's annual 1 mile track race over in Keighley. Looking forward to that.
And congratulations to Simon Anderson on joining the Bob Graham club at the weekend. His time of 22 hours 33 was fantastic and well deserved.
Also well done to all the runners at the Anglo Celtic Plate who successfully proved their fitness to the selectors for the World 24 hr Championships. Especially the English women who retained the team title.
So, overall I ran 36.4 miles (58.6 km) in five hours exactly. Very pleased with that as the weather has decided to give us something resembling summer ... at last. Very warm and sunny towards the end (23.8 C/74.8 F).
Only strength work today but tomorrow it's an 8 mile (13 km) tempo run and on Thursday it's the club's annual 1 mile track race over in Keighley. Looking forward to that.
And congratulations to Simon Anderson on joining the Bob Graham club at the weekend. His time of 22 hours 33 was fantastic and well deserved.
Also well done to all the runners at the Anglo Celtic Plate who successfully proved their fitness to the selectors for the World 24 hr Championships. Especially the English women who retained the team title.
Sunday, 15 July 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
a very good week (updated) ...
Training has gone exceptionally well so far this week. My training week starts on Sunday (yes, I know that's a bit unusual but it just fits better with everything else in my life) and apart from strength work it was just a steady 6 miles (10 km).
Monday afternoon was a long fartlek of just over 19 miles (31 km) which basically comprised alternating 6:50 at 10k pace with 4:00 easy. That went very well indeed on an undulating route and the following morning I did another long run - more than 22 miles (36 km) this time. Again I couldn't believe how easy it all seemed [8:11 per mile/5:05 per km]. I seem to be flying at the moment and I'm not sure why. Feels good though.
Wednesday afternoon was to be the most difficult session of the week ... 5 x 1 mile (1.6 km) in 6:16.2 each. Made even more difficult by the strong westerly winds in Wharfedale. As I hadn't done any similar training for about 12 months, and I'm still in recovery mode (just about), I wasn't sure how I would fare. I used the Otley 10 mile markers along Pool Road which meant reps 1, 3 and 5 were with a tail wind while reps 2 and 4 had a head wind. The times were 5:58.2, 6:29.2, 6:16.2, 6:23.2 and 6:16.5. The mean was 6:16.7 and considering the strong winds I very pleased with that.
Rest day today.
Yesterday I also received an email from UK Athletics confirming my selection for the World 24 hr Championships in September. Very relieved after everything that happened in June. I know that a few other runners have still to prove their fitness so I don't really understand why this confirmation email has been sent. To everyone I presume.
Planning can now go ahead - pacing and nutrition mainly but also training for the next eight weeks can now be finalised. For the nutrition plan I will use the ULTRArace 100 as the starting point as, in general, that worked very well indeed. Just needs tweaking. For pacing I'll probably use ... well, I know what my targets are. And what I'm capable of.
Right, got to go, no more time. More later.
OK I'm back now, sorry about that. Worries regarding Fay, work, health sometimes take priority over this blog. I'm sure you understand.
After editing some of the above I'm not sure I should be blogging about selection just yet as it doesn't seem to have been officially announced just yet. Anyway congratulations to JP, PR, SH, DMC, EG, KH, MD and JS.
A couple of things I've just noticed: (1) I'm the oldest person in the team and (2) the youngest man is a couple of years older than the oldest woman. Hmmmm
Monday afternoon was a long fartlek of just over 19 miles (31 km) which basically comprised alternating 6:50 at 10k pace with 4:00 easy. That went very well indeed on an undulating route and the following morning I did another long run - more than 22 miles (36 km) this time. Again I couldn't believe how easy it all seemed [8:11 per mile/5:05 per km]. I seem to be flying at the moment and I'm not sure why. Feels good though.
Wednesday afternoon was to be the most difficult session of the week ... 5 x 1 mile (1.6 km) in 6:16.2 each. Made even more difficult by the strong westerly winds in Wharfedale. As I hadn't done any similar training for about 12 months, and I'm still in recovery mode (just about), I wasn't sure how I would fare. I used the Otley 10 mile markers along Pool Road which meant reps 1, 3 and 5 were with a tail wind while reps 2 and 4 had a head wind. The times were 5:58.2, 6:29.2, 6:16.2, 6:23.2 and 6:16.5. The mean was 6:16.7 and considering the strong winds I very pleased with that.
Rest day today.
Yesterday I also received an email from UK Athletics confirming my selection for the World 24 hr Championships in September. Very relieved after everything that happened in June. I know that a few other runners have still to prove their fitness so I don't really understand why this confirmation email has been sent. To everyone I presume.
Planning can now go ahead - pacing and nutrition mainly but also training for the next eight weeks can now be finalised. For the nutrition plan I will use the ULTRArace 100 as the starting point as, in general, that worked very well indeed. Just needs tweaking. For pacing I'll probably use ... well, I know what my targets are. And what I'm capable of.
Right, got to go, no more time. More later.
OK I'm back now, sorry about that. Worries regarding Fay, work, health sometimes take priority over this blog. I'm sure you understand.
After editing some of the above I'm not sure I should be blogging about selection just yet as it doesn't seem to have been officially announced just yet. Anyway congratulations to JP, PR, SH, DMC, EG, KH, MD and JS.
A couple of things I've just noticed: (1) I'm the oldest person in the team and (2) the youngest man is a couple of years older than the oldest woman. Hmmmm
Sunday, 24 June 2012
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.
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.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Crisis ... what crisis
Bad news (I think) at the weekend.
I've been told that the 100 mile race I'm due to run in less than two weeks is not a suitable race in which to prove my fitness for the World 24 hr Champs in September.
I've also been told that I was required to prove my fitness before the selectors met a couple of days ago. Despite the fact that I entered this race BEFORE the selection criteria was announced.
Hmmmmm
The good news is that I'm injury free again but working with lighter weights than normal for the next few days 'just in case'. That was a strange injury though - painful at the time but quick to heal. Prompt action I suppose.
Still tapering hard.
I've been told that the 100 mile race I'm due to run in less than two weeks is not a suitable race in which to prove my fitness for the World 24 hr Champs in September.
I've also been told that I was required to prove my fitness before the selectors met a couple of days ago. Despite the fact that I entered this race BEFORE the selection criteria was announced.
Hmmmmm
The good news is that I'm injury free again but working with lighter weights than normal for the next few days 'just in case'. That was a strange injury though - painful at the time but quick to heal. Prompt action I suppose.
Still tapering hard.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Ouch ... maybe ... or maybe not
On Sunday, when training with some weights, I felt a pain in my lower back ... ouch. I immediately applied ice, took some ibuprofen and stopped exercising.
On Monday I went to the physio and was relieved to discover that it isn't at all serious and that I can continue running ... so long as I continue with the 2Is * No weight training for a while though and I've booked a couple of light massages. The first was this morning and I fell much better.
After that scare I'm fully confident of being completely pain free and back to normal next week.
Must congratulate Debbie Martin-Consani on her fantastic run in the Grand Union Canal Race at the weekend. She finished first in appalling weather and set a new women's course record. And, I would suggest, secure her place in the UK team for the World 24 hr Championships - although that is for the selectors to decide when they meet at the weekend. Well done Debbie.
* 2Is ... ice and ibuprofen
On Monday I went to the physio and was relieved to discover that it isn't at all serious and that I can continue running ... so long as I continue with the 2Is * No weight training for a while though and I've booked a couple of light massages. The first was this morning and I fell much better.
After that scare I'm fully confident of being completely pain free and back to normal next week.
Must congratulate Debbie Martin-Consani on her fantastic run in the Grand Union Canal Race at the weekend. She finished first in appalling weather and set a new women's course record. And, I would suggest, secure her place in the UK team for the World 24 hr Championships - although that is for the selectors to decide when they meet at the weekend. Well done Debbie.
* 2Is ... ice and ibuprofen
Sunday, 13 May 2012
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 :)
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 :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)