Going loopy

"Contrary to what we usually believe the best moments in our lives, are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile" Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,

To date, a 24-hour race is the epitome of my "stretching".  And the three that I have done have certainly ranked high in the most unforgettable moments in my life.  It's a year's worth of emotions in one day.  For all.  From the winner to the DNF-er.

I know I've missed the boat for endless ramblings on a race account, but as it was the biggest race of life to date (dramatic, but true) I know I have to write it down. Even if it was nearly four weeks ago! So, I will try to keep it tight.

The team

Men : L-R. Robbie Britton (Centurion Runners/ England) Steve Holyoak (RRC/England) Matt Moroz (Norwich /England) Pat Robbins (Poole Dorset/ England) John Pares (Buckley RC/ Wales)

Women: L-R - Emily Gelder (Dulwich Runners/Wales), Sharon Law (Garscube. Scotland) Karen Hathaway (Reading /England )   Debbie Martin-Consani (Garscube. Scotland) and Lizzy Hawker (North Face /England) 

Apparently it was the best team that GB have ever brought to the table. Or park.  There was a lot of pressure on the ladies team.  Scrap that.  There was a lot of pressure on world record holder, Lizzy Hawker to lead the team to gold.  Arguably the best female ultra-runner in the world, her presence caused quite a frenzy.

Travel and accommodation

We travelled out to Amsterdam from Glasgow on Thursday and met the group travelling from Edinburgh at Schipol Airport.  Then a pleasant train ride to Breda where we were picked up Team Manager, Richard Brown in a our team minibus to be taken to Bergen Op Zoom (yes, that's a real place).  Richard explained en route that there was a mix up with accommodation, but had managed to find the last two hotel rooms in the area to avoid overcrowding.  Poor Richard thought he was making a nice gesture by giving Sonic and I the hotel room, so I felt bad declining the offer in favour of staying with the team.

Arriving at The Stay Okay - I was never quite sure whether the name was a question or a statement - I nearly made a quick back track when I saw it.  Think I might be a bit long in the tooth for dorm living, but my bed was made - er, by me - so I had to lie in it. 

Thankfully we were the first to arrive, so we got to choose the best room - and KO any potential snorers.  Our "house" was dubbed the Celtic Quarters because of the Welsh and Scottish inhabitants.  Although, as we were housing the team physio, there were comings and goings than a brothel.

Cultural differences

I love it when people from all different backgrounds - with one common goal - come together.  Not just for the camaraderie, but the cultural differences between teams is fairly apparent and often quite comical. It's like each team has it's own personality.   I'm pretty sure the GB team were the most rowdy/giggly.  Sweden were the most dashing in their yellow and blue kit, which always reminds me of the BMX I had as a kid. The Japanese kept themselves to themselves and seem adverse to making eye contact. Strangely the guys and girls ate at different tables. Although they were all so tiny, I was suprised they ate at all.

The French were just being French.  Although there were many gasps when one of their star athletes was frequently spotted smoking.  And I don't mean behind the bike, I mean in full view. Adrian justified this by saying "because she's French" like she had some special gene that protected her ultrarunning lungs.  When she went bounding passed me in the final hour I made a mental note to add a pack of B&H to next year's shopping list.

The food situation was all a bit confusing.  On the first evening, there was a bowl of pale yellow gunk next to the salad trays, which I just presumed was some kind of dressing?  As I heatedly decorated my salad with said junk, one mouthful would confirm it was in fact custard.  Or at least it was supposed to be custard. Much to Sonic's amusement.  I noticed the mistake was made by many athletes. The Japanese team were spotted eating the custard impostor as a starter, with a fork. Before they gave up and drank it from the bowl.

The opening ceremony

This was magical.  Even better than last year and so nice to see so many familiar faces.  The small town of Steenbergen is lovely and lots of people came out to cheer. Or maybe they were just curious to see what the freaks who choose to run in circles look like.

As the youngest member of the team, we gave Robbie the great honour (or so he thought) of leading the team by carrying the GB flag for the ceremony.  He looked really chuffed with himself.  Although not so chuffed at the end of the parade when he realised how heavy the flag was and his arms were close to dropping off.  Sucker! :-)

Prior to the ceremony, we got the chance to walk the course. You know how I like to recce a course prior the race day :-)  It was fairly twisty and very windy in bits, but quite nice.  Well at least it would be for the first 50 times! It's only looking at other 24 hour courses that I wonder how we managed to run up and down that 1k loop/line in North Wales. 

The morning of the race

The race start at noon should have allowed for stress free morning, right?  Wrong.  It just gave me more time to flap. Pack and repack. Flap some more and check the weather forecast every five minutes.  And then check other sites/apps for a better forecast.  Although there was no denying it, it was pouring of rain and the trees were bending in the wind.

The team management and support went to the course first  - along with everyone's gear and supplies - to set.  The next bus load was for the athletes - including Lizzy Hawker, who had only landed on her journey from Kathmandu the previous evening - looking very bronzed. I'm sure the GM was happy she'd applied that extra layer of self tan that morning :-)

Despite being a 24 hour race, the sense of urgency is unsettlin.  Everyone seems to be scuttling about panicking. Of course, the arrival of Miss Hawker had caused quite a stir.  I felt really bad for her, as she really just wanted to focus and talk her support through her race plan and requirements, but there was a swarm of people wanting her picture or quote - or just generally gawking.

The race

You know how I said it ranked high as one of the most unforgettable moments of my life? Well, I seem to have forgotten everything.  Although there were no dramatics, which was a new experience for me. 

Add caption

For the first eight hours, I just did not want to be there.  Physically, I felt fine.  I just couldn't get my head into it.  I was conjuring up excuses to quit.  I even contemplated a fake faint at one point. Apologies to anyone who might have heard me muttering: "shut the f*ck up" over and over again.  I wasn't actually telling you to shut-the-f*ck-up, just the voices in my head.  It was pretty tough going as you really need your head and good spirits for a race like that.  You can't rely on stunning scenery or simply focusing on getting to the next checkpoint.

When it got dark, I took my iPod and it was like a rebirthing.  I felt brilliant and really enjoyed the hours of darkness - just singing away to myself.   Usually any overnight race, I will it to be light again, but this time I didn't want to see dawn break.

I ran fairly consistently.  Taking very few walking breaks - and that was only for a few metres the last couple of hours. There was certainly a LOT more running in the final hours than there has been in my two other 24 hour races.  The first I threw in the towel in favour of the death march at 22 hours and last year there was a spectacular KaBoom around 20 hours. 

The last lap was my slowest, not because I was knackered but I was gutted I had time to do another loop. But off I went. Mick (Robbie's support) took this video when there was about five minutes to go. I don't even remember him being there, which might explain why his request for "BIG SMILES" fell on deaf ears.

I turned the corner and looked up at the board as I crossed the mat. My name flashed up as 96 laps and 219km and about 700 metres. Sh***********t I had to get it over 220km, so I started "sprinting".  When I knew I'd covered enough, I just milked it a bit.  The crowds and support were amazing. When the horn went off, for once I didn't cry. But funnily enough, as I type this the tears are running down my face.

Weather

I've heard reports about it being "horrendous" and the "worst conditions ever" and people becoming hypothermic, but I didn't think it was that bad. And you know how prone to exaggeration I am. Although maybe because it was nearly four weeks ago and I've forgotten all the bad bits.

However, it did look really awful for the support team. Especially as the tables and tent were about 10 feet from course, so not standing in the rain/hail/wind wasn't really an option.

Runners who train in fairer climes took the brunt of it though. I joked with some of the Australian athletes at the start line who were in full winter training gear and I had only added a pair of sleeves. It was like a Scottish summer's day. Jeez, I was even wearing SPF 50. Later, I did have to chuckle at some of the Japanese team running in full shell tracksuits, wrapped in foil blankets.

Granted, when the hail started, I put on a long sleeve and some gloves and then later a lightweight rain jacket but after that I was fine.

I'm going to propose the next world championship is in Glasgow, so I might have a chance of taking gold :-)

Running Company - in no particular order

With such a short loop you're guaranteed to see everyone in the race at some point. Although sometimes it can be hours and hours before your see them again.  Except in the first couple of hours when there's frequent lapping from speedsters, who are guaranteed to blow up.

Firstly I ran with Austin Blackburn for a few laps, maybe even hours.  Also from GB, Austin was running in the open race.  He'd taking his campervan over to Holland. Probably not the best race strategy as he stopped during the race for two sleeps.  He didn't quite make his 200K target - the sleeps might have got in the way of that - but I'm sure he'll have another crack at it.

Karen Hathaway was my next companion.  She had the joy of putting up with during my eight hour warm-up.  Running with Karen was the only part of pre-darkness I enjoyed.  Can't beat a bit of girlie chat.  Karen went on to run a PB of 210km and even ran her fastest lap on her last lap. 

John Pares is a bit of a 24-hour race living legend. A commonwealth gold champ, certified trooper and huge asset to the team.  Injury and life have effected his performances of late, but there's no denying there's something special about our JP.  I passed him at one point - some point - and he asked to join me.  Great, I thought, some company for me and maybe my sparkling chat might help pull him through a bad patch.  So I unhooked my ipod and stuff it in my bra...as he buggared off and left me :-)

The GB champion Steve Holyoak seemed to charge around the course in a zen like state.  Either that or he was deliberately trying to diss me.  At the end of the race, we finished pretty much at the exact spot.  We were sitting on a curb side swapping race tales - and waiting for the official to verify our finishing distance - when a lady from a neighbour house came out and covered us in a blanket.  How nice was that?

The shy and assuming Robbie Britton  was the star of the show.  After befriending the commentators, you certainly knew he was in the race.  Frequent bellows of "and heeeeeeeeeeeere's Robbie Britton" followed by messages of support from his Mum et al.  He was always really chipper when he passed and just generally good fun to have on he team.  His distance of 239km certainly matched his race enthusiasm.   The only time I passed him in the race was when I was when he was depositing a litre of cola into flower bed.  Being the compassionate team mate that I am, I slapped him on the back and said: "just when you think you've hit rock bottom, that chap over there is taking pictures of you vomiting"



Matt with Shot Blok!

Matt Moroz had suffered from injury in the lead up to the race and his over-zealous first fews hours probably didn't help.  Bizarrely he did always offer me some Shot Blok when he passed.  Yuk!

Pat Robbins had a great first half, but confessed the wheels fell off thereafter. He showed great sportsmanship for just chipping away and making the best of a tough situation. He had a cracking race in Katowice last year, after a rough few hours at the start.  This was a back of mind when I struggled at the beginning, so helped pull me through.
Lizzy Hawker retired after around 120km.  She flew in for the race from Nepal fresh from breaking her own record running from Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu (319km/ 198m) and then racing the 277km Mustang Trail Race, so the 24-hour was always going to be a big ask. She was really upset about having to pull out, but came back out running in the latter hours to help the team. Fair play to her for giving it a crack.  It's not as if she could just blend in and gut it out. Even when she came back out and ran with Emily and I people were falling over themselves to take her picture and the commentator was shouting out her stats, which was a bit awkward.  I've recently learned she will be out for the rest of the season with stress fracture in her foot and hope she makes a speedy recovery.

The uber amazing Emily Gelder may not of gone home with a PB, but after spending a long weekend in the Celtic house she is now armed with a superior understanding of Scottish dialect.  Unfortunately for Emily, injury took it's toll and she couldn't defend her world bronze from 2012.  However, she's an amazing team player and fought - hobbled - to the bitter end.

 

I also ran with Italy's Virginia Oliveri, who I also shared a few laps with in Katowice.  She's also the Mother of a small child, so were swapped stories of training and Motherhood.  Although she bettered my tale of running of WHWR not knowing I was pregnant, as she ran the world 24-hour a few years ago blissfully unaware her daughter was on board.

Last, but certainly not least, Sharon Law (AKA the Gibbering Midget) had a belter of a race and set new Scottish records for 200km and 24-hour with 226km. She also won European bronze medal, which made the whole team very proud.  And made me bubble at the awards ceremony.  She could have also won an award for the frightening shade of cartoon-esque green she went after the race, which no amount of self-tan could disguise.  The sickness certainly didn't slow her down.  Fantastic performance!

Weather

I've heard reports about it being "horrendous" and the "worst conditions ever" and people becoming hypothermic, but I didn't think it was that bad. And you know how prone to exaggeration I am. Although maybe because I've forgotten all the bad bits.

However, it did look really awful for the support team. Especially as the tables and tent were about 10 feet from course, so not standing in the rain/hail/wind wasn't really and option. 

Runners who train in fairer climes took the brunt of it though.  I joked with some of the Australian athletes at the start line who were in full winter training gear and I had only added a pair of sleeves.  It was like a Scottish summer's day.  Jeez, I was even wearing SPF 50. Later, I did have to chuckle at some of the Japanese team running in full shell tracksuits, wrapped in foil blankets.

 

Granted, when the hail started, I put on a long sleeve and some gloves and then later a lightweight rain jacket but after that I was fine.

I'm going to propose the next world championship is in Glasgow, so I might have a chance of taking gold :-)

The results

Full results here 

The race was won by USA's Jon Olson with 269km.  Mami Kudo from Japan won the ladies' race with a new 24-hour road world record of 253km.   For today's astonishing fact: Mami Kudo is the tender age of 49 years old.

As mentioned above, I ran a PB of 220km and finished 14th female. I was 14th last year too, but that race was a whole lot messier.

The GB ladies' team were 4th in the Worlds and silver for the Europeans. Yep, beaten by the French again. 

GM with her European Bronze

The aftermath

Just watching the fall out of a 24 hour race must be harrowing experience.  Like watching the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan.

I found just sitting on a chair in the hall awaiting the awards ceremony quite surreal.  I kept jerking await as my head kept rolling like I'd lost control of neck muscles. The rest of the ladies' team were - quite literally - asleep on the floor at my feet.  The GM was cocooned under Sonic's down jacket, out cold.  Then a German female athlete was wheeled past in a wheelchair carrying her own vomit in a zipped sandwich bag.  It really is very glamorous.

After returning to the hostel, I had a shower and a 20 minute sleep - I kid you not - then we were off out for team dinner.  A fabulous protein feast, washed down with cold beers and great company.  It was the perfect way to end the day that never ends, even if generally mobility was a problem for everyone.  In the restaurant, I needed to pee for about hour before I went as I needed maximum impact to make the journey.

Then we were all tucked up in bed before the arrival of the 3am walking dead.  At least I was prepared this time and had movies on a my iPad to watch.  But that soon started to annoy me.  Then despite me vouching for Sonic not snoring when we were allocating sleep, he started really tuning up.  I couldn't wake him, so I ended up reaching over and hitting him with an empty Pepsi bottle. Didn't work though, so I just lay there listening to Marco on my right, Guy downstairs matching his decibels and Sharon groaning next door because the nerves in her feet were having a party and forgot to invite her.   Ah dorm life.

At breakfast the next morning everyone looked like death warmed up.  Even Pat had managed to recreate his just-out-of-bed hair with little effort.  He looked particularly grumpy though, as apparently the snoring in our room wasn't a patch on ours.  His morning greeting was: "Next year, I'm sharing with the girls".  Considering British Athletics assumed he was on the ladies team and sent him kit accordingly, I'm surprised he didn't.  Anyway, I think he might reconsider that idea when I told him Sonic had to endure of an awkward morning being within ear sot of our intimate girls' talk of periods, boobs, chaffing and toilet adventures.  His contribution to the conversation was: "oh dear god. Kill me now".

____

So there you go.  Better late than never. Even now I don't know if I'm happy with my performance or not.  Sure, I got a PB and was a counter for the team prize, so yes, I'm happy.  But I will never be truly satisfied until I stop finding ways to improve.  

 

...Or find financial backing to bring the championship to Glasgow.

Huge thank you to all the team and management for making what should be a torturous experience a truly magical one.  Special thanks for Richard, for doing what Richard does best - everything.  But Sonic was the star of the day and I am eternally grateful for his support. Can you imagine having to put up with the GM and I for 24-hours+?  I really don't understand why he wants to have a go at a 24-hour race this Autumn...

So, that's it.  I'm off for a fag.  We've got a French team to beat in 2014.

The Morton Stretch

This was shamelessly stolen from Jonathan Savage's blog, but definitely worth reposting...

At last year's World 24 Championship, Mike Morton was the talk of the steamy with his random mid-race squats.  Of course, when he went on to win the race and set a new American Record, everyone know wants to be Mike Morton.  And do everything that Mike does.  I guess I will see (and, er, do) a lot of this at the weekend.

Jonathan wrote: This mid-run stretch is modelled after the stretch that Mike Morton did while setting the American Record for 24 hours (172 miles) at the 2012 World Championships. I saw Mike do this stretch repeatedly during that race, and I've since emulated it. I've found that it refreshes my legs in everything from training runs to 24 hour races. The Morton stretch is simple and quick, but does not act as a traditional stretch that holds a muscle at full extension. Instead, it moves multiple muscles through their natural range of motion. Unlike many stretches, The Morton does not fully contract any muscles, which can lead to cramping. I don’t normally have a problem with cramping, but the quad stretch where you pull your foot towards your buttocks can trigger a nasty hamstring cramp if I do it after the 50 mile mark. The steps to perform the Morton Stretch is below.

1) Find something solid to hand onto, such as a pole, fence, tree, bench or even a friend's leg. If you're running, slow to a walk before doing the stretch to let your heart rate drop. A sudden stop can cause you to faint.

2) Drop gently down into a crouch. This position stretches most of your quads, glutes and hamstrings.

3) Rise slowly, pausing part way. This pause should let your blood pressure rise so you don't faint. You can use this position to also stretch your hamstrings if you wish, but it's easy to overdo that stretch and damage the muscles.

4) Return to standing and then set off again.o overdo that stretch and damage the muscles

The Inbetweeners

I knew the recovery time between the Thames Path 100 and the World 24 hour was quite tight, but as I write this the former seems like five minutes ago and the latter is looming faster than I would like.  Still, I feel good and it's safe to say I've got the miles in my legs.

I've had my quota of canal/towpaths/flat runs, so I've doing lots of off road.  TP100 was my main preparation for the 24 hour, so after ticking that off the list, I've used the last few weeks to enjoy some fun and more inspiring runs.

GM on Lairig Mor

It started with GM and I having cracking run on the Kilpatrick Hills, which gave us the first signs of a late-arriving spring. It turned out to be one of those mornings you just wish you could bottle. It was crisp, fresh, sunny, cloudless sky and my legs and lungs were cooperating - just magical.

Top of the Devil's Staircase

 The weekend after the GM was running 55 miles from Beinglas and Fort William on the West Highland Way, as her final preparation for the 24 hour race.   I joined her at Bridge of Orchy and ran the 36 miles into Fort William.  Another glorious day with a wicked tail wind.   It was just perfect.  No bursting a gut, just jogging and enjoying a day out.  

As we arrived plenty of time before the train departure, we had time for the traditional trip to Morissons and a well-deserved beer. 



Recovery juice



The joy bubble was burst the next weekend, when I had to run 20 road miles with a red wine hangover followed by a recce run on the Lakeland 100 course. Now, if anyone reading this is considering a run in Lake District, please consult my training schedule before you embark on the journey. I swear we are jinxed.  We've now done four recce runs, all in horrendous conditions.

Due to time constraints, the GM and I decided on Ambleside to Coniston, with an out and back tagged on to bring it up to 20 miles.  It's a long way - a 300 miles round trip - to only run 20 miles, but it would be worth is to cover another three sections of the course.  Plus, it's all motorway driving, so it's really only a couple of hours away.

It chucked down from the moment we started.  It was hoods up the whole way.  And the longer we were out, the colder we got.  We had to stop at one point to check the map as we had gone slightly off course and I was shaking so bad I thought I was going to break teeth.  I even had to run for a mile with my rucksack unclipped and hanging off my shoulders as I couldn't get my hands to work.  I'll be honest, being that cold was really frightening.  Although it was good hill training, as we running up everything in a vain attempt to warm up. 

When we got to Coniston we were beyond soaked.  We got changed in the ladies room of an establishment which remain unnamed, as we practically flooded the place just with discarded garments.  Called a taxi and called it a day.  Despite still be slightly traumatised, it was - as mentioned - worth it to cover another three sections.   And I got us unlost with the use of a map and GPS.  Check me!



Sonic (finishing 7th in 7:44) with Cairn



After last weekend's Highland Fling, when we were on back up duty for Sonic, the GM (she's not sick of me yet) were so inspired that we decided to run from Milngavie to Balmaha the day after.   And we called on favours from Sonic to come and pick us up.  He was still in good mood after his incredible performance, so we didn't even need to twist his arm.

It's been a while since I've been on the south sections of the West Highland Way, as I kind of sickened myself of it.  My lord, what's happened?  I knew thr trail and been resurfaced and upgraded, but it's practically been steam-rolled.  And with the deforestation, I wasn't even sure we were on the right track.  It all looked so different. I was bitching about it for quite some time...until we got to the otherside of Conic hill heading into Balmaha.  No slippy mud and breakneck rocky descents.  I take it back, I think I kind of like it.

So, that's me.  A couple of short speed sessions and few easy runs and then I'm Holland bound for the World 24 hour Championship.  I can't wait.  And even though everyone I mention the race too says: "At least it will be flat", I'm still politely smiling like it's the first I've heard it. For now.

BodyWorks Exhibition

Last summer, I was asked to be part of the new Bodyworks Exhibition which opened last month at the Glasgow Science Centre.  Considering I have the psyche myself up to wear a pair of shorts, the prospect of being shot in my undies was somewhat nerve wracking.   Especially when I turned up to be shown into a room with baby oil and weights, which I was told I could use to prepare myself for the shoot. I declined and opted to pace the floor inside, whilst listening to a fencer being pictured at the otherside of a curtain as onlookers oohed and ahhed at his muscle definition and chiselled physique. Gulp!

Then I was shuttled in wearing only my pants and bra to be greeted by the photographer... who I used to work with on a previous newspaper. Awkward!

Here's the marketing bit "All about you and the science underpinning health and wellbeing in the 21st century. Be a snot ninja, run in the giant hamster wheel, perform a virtual autopsy, solve a murder and bust some moves at the DNA disco. Record your own physical and physiological performance on your personal passport and compare with other visitors or become actively engaged with cutting edge research through in-depth research capsules and real-science live lab experiences. Come and find out how your BodyWorks"

My picture is part of a montage on sportspeople and their different body types.

We went along to the opening night last month. As it was three days after the Thames Path 100, my body was most certainly not working!

It's a fantastic exhibition.  Great fun for kids.  And Cairn had a good time too :-)  It's a permanent exhibition - included in the usual entry price. Hightly recommended for a day out.

New sponsor: Drymax Socks

I am delighted to post that Drymax Socks has asked me to be one of their sponsored athletes. 

I was recently introduced to Drymax Socks via the ULTRAmarathonRunningStore and I have previously posted that I'm a big fan.  Their products have definitely been a huge contibuting factor in helping me find a "cure" for the foot problems that have plagued me for years.

Visit their site HERE for more information and the full product range.  And please watch the video below.   Believe the hype.

Thames Path 100 race report





Windsor Castle. Picture by Stuart March

Organiser's race report here

Full results here

Race pictures here

My stats:

Final distance 104.2 miles

Time: 19:19:20

Result: First lady, 4th overall

Positions and splits throughout the race here - 40th to 4th 

My first ultra-race for 2013 was Centurion Running's Thames Path 100.  As the name would suggest it's 100 miles from London to Oxford on the Thames Path.  Unfortunately due to severe flooding in the latter stages, the course was rerouted to two out-and-backs.  Not ideal, but still considerably better than cancelling the event.  Although I still poised for the cancellation notice to appear. 

Here's a snippet from the race report...The danger presented to runners of course has nothing to do with the depth of the water sitting on the path, but rather the inability to distinguish between the path and the bank of the river itself. During the event particularly at night, a runner unable to tell the two apart could easily step off in to deep water and be carried downstream. With the current as strong as it was in the river, anyone falling in would have been swept away in an instant. ...gulp!  You know I have history.

Arriving in London on Friday evening, I must have checked my phone every five minutes for race updates and weather forecast changes. Just pleading for the wind to die down.  Gusts of 30mph, snow showers and temperatures of "feels like" -8C were on the cards. I noticed on social media sites that races all over Britain were being cancelled, but I knew - based on the reputation of Centurion Running - that it would be the absolute last resort.

 

Picture by Stuart March

With no news on Saturday morning, it was full steam ahead.  Sonic, Brother Sonic and the gorgeous Gillian were on crew duty for the day.  After my antics at last year's GUCR Sonic refused to assume sole responsibility for me :-) Imagine.

Leaving the Twickenham Travelodge (I know I totally spoil them) it was pretty grim and pouring down, but certainly not as windy as the nighttime howls would have suggested. We arrived at the packed Richmond Hall to register, get my gear check and listen to the race briefing.



The original route from London to Oxford

The altered route was Richmond - Cookham (39 miles) - turn around - back to Walton on Thames (66 miles) - turn around - back to Cookham - turn around - back to finish in Windsor for the fourth and last time (104 miles).  Are you still with me? To some, this might seem torturous, but to gain some perspective I had to remind myself that I had run around a one kilometre loop in a housing estate for 24 hours before.

Race Director James Elson gave a fairly comprehensive race briefing, but I'm not sure if I took anything in.  Actually I'm pretty sure I didn't, as all I could think about was getting to the ladies for a last minute "make-sure" and get lubbed-up.  Ah the glamour.

Bang on 10am we were off, en route to the first checkpoint at Walton-on-Thames.   I pretty much ran the whole way there with a chap called Ben.  Just chatting away, so the miles zipped by.  Up until that point it was wet and mucky, but not too slippy.  And every bit was runnable.  Ben stopped to stock-up and I pushed on to meet the team a short distance away...trying not to think that I would be back at that point in 50+ miles time.

The route was fairly easy to follow and very well-marked by the race organisers, but I had to keep vigilant.  There rerouted course made it easier, because the runners covered the full route in daylight and there was generally always someone else around.  There were a few points that I could have gone wrong on, until I caught site of a runner at the corner of my eye.  Thanks to the chap with the high-viz jacket at the bridge before Wraysbury. 

I was also following Wouter Hamelinck, who must have been having flashbacks about me tailing him at the last year's GUCR. Thankfully the winter conditions meant was wearing slightly longer shorts this time ;-) His summer wardrobe would even make the GM blush.

The section between Wraysbury and Windsor was the worse.  I passed the uber-super Mimi Anderson aournd 25 miles, who said she was "flatlining". We did the girlie thing and hugged, before I pushed on to face mud, mud and more mud.  I may a mentioned a few (million) times that "I don't do cross-country" mainly because I cannot run on mud. Not only for it's shoe-sucking ability, but it also sucks the life out of me.  Knowing that you really want to run, but can't, is pretty soul destroying. But I just had to keep telling myself that everyone was in the same boat.

Picture by Peter Heald

Arriving in Windsor (28 miles) I needn't have worried about the mud accumulating on my shoes, as there was nice big foot bath waiting for me.  As I stopped at the water's edge the lovely Marshall looked at me apologetically and informed me that there was no two-ways about it.  Just man-up and get it over with.  Holy Moly, it was freezing!  And knee-deep.  And something that I would have to do another three times before the end of the race.  

On to the turnaround point at Cookham, it was fairly uneventful. The vast majority was runnable, but there were large sections of slippy muck, which seemed to last for miles. I was playing leap frog with Wouter who I always thought was in front and then he would creep up on me after a few comfort breaks and a detour at Maidenhead.

Heading towards the Cookham aid station, a few runners were starting to come back the other way, so I could gauge where I was in the field.  David Ross was the first to appear a few miles out, so I took it he had about a four mile lead. 

Into Cookham, passing through a graveyard (nice touch) and I checked in at the aid station, picked up some supplies and then headed straight back.  My race plan was not to stop, just to keep chipping away.  There was a group of people, bracing the cold, who cheered me on.  I tried to say something through a mouthful of Soreen malt loaf, which must have looked lovely.

So back the way I went...all the way back to first aid station at Walton on Thames.  And as suspected, the course was getting churned up.  I knew it would only get worse.  Especially with the rain and snow during the day.

It was really nice passing the others.  Not in a smug way, it just perked me up to see other faces.  Plus, everyone was really supportive and encouraging.  I passed the second lady, Wendy Shaw, a couple of miles into the return leg and she looked really smiley and comfortable.

I sat behind Wouter for the best part of 10 miles, but passed him just before Windsor.  He then overtook as I met my crew and I passed him for the final time when he stopped at the aid station.  I later heard he was also entered the Viking Way the next weekend. Ludicrous, but true. 

I'd picked up my headtorch as I knew it would be dark before I met the crew again at Wraysbury.   On the return leg I was passed a few times by a runner I now know as Luke Ashton - who had spent far too long in the aid stations.  Which I took the liberty of telling him so later on.  He could have easily won the race if it wasn't for that.  I told him that too :-) Actually, I even told my crew to tell him too. I was referring to him as "twinkle-toes" as he was so light on his feet I never once heard him coming.  Good job I wasn't talking to myself. 

I was then just focusing on the next chunk, rather than the bigger picture.  Just get to Walton-on-Thames and that would be two legs down.  Again, I just shouted my number - noting Luke was still in there - and headed straight back.  Then I only had 10/11 miles before BrotherSonic would join me for six miles from Wraysbury to Windsor aid station. Not only was a looking forward to the company, but I secretly giggling at the prospect of him experiencing the REALLY mucky section and THAT puddle ;-) Cruel, I know.  But I wanted them to see what I was whining about. 

I warned BrotherSonic not to wear new trainers - he's a bit of a shoe-inista - but didn't think to tell him not to wear lock laces.  He managed to lose his shoes four times in the mud.  When we left the Wraysbury aid station and cut straight across a field, he did question my navigation.  I don't think he quite expected the mud to be just as bad and kept asking if it was like this the whole way.  I did lighten his spirits by telling him there was at least half a mile of road just outside Windsor ;-) Thankfully it was to be the last time I had to squelch about in that section. BrotherSonic phoned Sonic prior to Windsor to "give him a heads-up on the conditions". Surely that's just cheating ;-)

Heading across the field to the Windsor aid station for the third time, I was 83 miles down and people were still leaving at 48 miles to head back down. As with all ultra races, the back of the field participants are always the true hardcore ones.

Then it was in and out of the aid station - through the shoeshine puddle  - where we met Sonic and the gorgeous Gillian. Sonic was then going to join me on the out-and-back to Cookham until the finish.  A total of 22 miles.

Sonic opted for Inov-8 studs, but it made no difference in the mud.  Sonic actually likes mucky conditions.  His friends call him "bog boy", so it must have been frustrating having me refusing to run on it. My legs were just too tired from the slipping and sliding and my enthusiasm for mud was rapidly diminishing. I guess like most people at that point in the race, fatigue really impinged on balance, so I knew I couldn't stop myself if I tumbled.  I was going to mention to Sonic that I couldn't believe I hadn't fallen, but I knew that would tempt fate.

Passing over the bridge at Maidenhead we passed David Ross who was going the death march.  My vision was so blurry, I thought he was coming in the opposite direction on his final stint. He was shivering from the cold and looked really close to hypothermic.  Sonic stopped to try to help and David Shouted at me to keep going. He didn't need to ask me twice, I was off. Sonic sent BrotherSonic back and I looked back to see them running together for a bit.

Then Martin, Luke (twinkle toes) and Richard Ashton passed going the other way.  I'm not sure in which order, as headtorches are just blinding.  Plus, some had support runners, so it was hard to tell what position I was in.  Not that I cared.  As long as I still had the lead in the ladies race, that was all I wanted.

It seemed to take forever - mainly because it DID take forever - to get to Cookham.  Sonic questioned my navigation when we went through the graveyard.  On the way back, I must have running so slowly as Sonic stopped to read the gravestones.

We met David again who looked pretty disorientated and pointed him in the right direction.  I wouldn't have been surprised if he was pulled from the race, but I'm glad to see he battled it out. What a trooper! Such a shame, as he was leading for so long.

Running back to Windsor into a head wind in the early hours of the morning, I was FREEZING.  I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering.  Sonic donated his hat and called ahead for my diva demands on ski mitts and an ice-breaker sweater.  Gillian had thought ahead and put hand warmers in the mitts.  Sometime it really pays to have a girl in your crew.  It's the little touches that make it.

To be fair, up until that point the weather didn't bother me one bit.  I was fairly comfortable with the clothing I had on, even in the rain/snow/wind.  Considering the forecast, it wasn't that bad.  Or maybe it's because it's what I used to training in.  Good ol' Scottish weather came good.  It was just the mud that got to me.  Although regardless of how bad the mud got, it was still 100% better than a cancelled or postponed race.

The last 10 miles were a real slog. I never at any point in the race wanted to quit, but by this point I really wanted it to be over. We passed Wendy Shaw heading towards the final turn around.  I figured I had at least a 6 mile lead, but she looked so strong and chipper.  So strong in fact, that she put the shitters right up me!!

Again, there was lots of passing other runners who were heading in the opposite direction.  Most were encouraging, but some looked - understandably - down right p*ssed off.   The path was just a churned up mud bath.  There were few cheers of  "well done, lads".  I hope that was down to headtorch blindness and not me running like a man.

Heading over the bridge to Windsor, I was quite disappointed that the castle wasn't lit up.  I know it's not Disneyland, but I expected more. I joked with Sonic that the Queen, who was in residence that weekend, had asked for the race to pass by her four times and throw in some miles on for good measure.  Just like the 1908 London Olympics' Marathon when the Queen requested that the official distance be extended to (what is now the official) 26.2 miles, so that the race started at Windsor Castle and finished underneath the Royal viewing box.

Then I was only half mile or so, until we reached the ice bath at Windsor.  BrotherSonic has warned Sonic, so there wasn't the same level of fun when he saw it.  Still, his face was a picture.  We were greeted at the other side by Drew Sheffield and guided to the aid station for the finishing time.

It was my first time inside an aid station all day.  Wow! Talk about kitted out.  No wonder Luke spent so much time there.  Heaters, shelter, a lovely spread, hot drinks...fit for a queen it was.   I'm glad I waited to end to witness it.

The lovely James Elson presented me with the first lady's trophy.  In the picture I may seem ungrateful, but my first thought was how I am going to get it on the plane.

Happy, but knackered.  My legs were destroyed.  My right hip flexor was in agony for the last 20 miles.  I was really worried that it was a genuine injury, but it seems to have healed.  I never really knew how much you use your hip flexors for.  Getting up the steps to the plane was a riot.  For days when ever I had to lift my leg up, I literally had to lift my leg up!

I cannot put into words how thankful and grateful I am to Team Consani, who were truly awesome as always.   Thanks to James & Co for putting on a great race, under extraordinary circumstances.  Everyone I met spoke so highly of James, and now I know why.  He really cares about putting on a good show,  And what a show it was.  Although I'd be interested to know who eats cherry tomatoes during an ultra ;-)

Male

1st Martin Bacon 18:10:53

2nd Luke Ashton 18:14:18

3rd Richard Ashton 18:35:21

Female

1st (4th overall) Debbie Martin-Consani 19:19:20

2nd (10th overall) Wendy Shaw 20:58:15

3rd (43rd)  Ellen Cottom 24:19:45

I know you will all be waiting with bated breath for an update on my feet, as per my previous blog posting.  I can confim that I followed my step-by-step process and NEVER GOT ONE BLISTER.  Not one.  And my feet were soaking the whole time.  Being blister-free is a first for me.  I was full on great intention of changing my socks half way, but I knew what was coming up so didn't see the point.  Still, it seems to be working for me.

Best foot (going) forward

**  Please note:  This is still a work in progress **

I'm lucky in that I'm not often bothered with injuries (touch wood) but it's been well-documented that my feet are a source of pain and discomfort.  Some people might say that experience and mileage-bagging toughen your feet up for ultra-distance running.  Unfortunately, for me, the opposite is true.  Over  the years my feet have got consistently worse.  To the extent that it's a major limiting factor in the amount of races I do. 

Using my 2012 ultras as examples.  Glasgow Edinburgh Ultramarathon - my toes were bashed and badly bruised.   During the GUCR my feet were macerated after being wet for so long.  I could hear and feel the blisters popping as I ran.  The end result was so horrific I had to shout everyone in when I was changing to witness the destruction.  On last 10 miles of the Devil o' the Highlands, I felt like I was running on glass.  And at 24 hour world champs, my big toes nails fell off during the race.

All as a result of negligent foot care.  Instead of worrying about "wasting time" fixing a problem, it could have enhanced my performance.  Especially in the 24-hour race.  I've often said, with foot destruction, that ignorance is bliss.  Actually, it's just ignorance.  There was nothing blissful about it.

So I bought Fixing Your Feet last June!  Basically within days of finishing the GUCR. And it gathered dust on my bedside table for quite some time.  Ignorance, no more though.  It has now been attacked with a highlighter pen and I am now armed with lots of useful tips and advice

As per the disclaimer above, this is not gospel.  What works for some, won't work for other. For me, it's a work in progress and I'm still learning what does and doesn't work.  I used a combination of the various steps below on my long run this year and my feet seem better.  Not perfect, but better

General foot care

1) Remove callouses and hard skin.  I soak my feet, use a pumice stone on the rough bits and then apply some Flexitol Callus Remover Cream, which I picked up from Boots for £6.99 (they've got a buy one, get one half-price deal on too).

2) Filing toe nails down the way - towards the tip of your toe - so they are smooth with no rough edges.

3) Apply foot cream daily.  I've been using Gehwol Footcream (based on a Facebook chat recommendation by Mike Blamires), which I bought from Mankind for £5.87... with free and fast delivery.

Pre-long run foot preparation

This is bit time consuming, but worth it.  As I normally start very early, I have done steps 1-5 the night before and then added some more cream in the morning before putting my socks on.

1) Apply what the book refers to as Compound Tincture of Benzoin.  I struggled to find this in the UK, until the lovely William Sichel told me it's called Friar's Balsam here - £3.50 from Amazon. (Try to) Ignore the fact it's a decongestant, just slap it on.  Top tip:  Wear rubber gloves.  The first time I didn't, and my hands looked like I smoked 40 cigarettes a day.  Also put down some newspaper on the floor, as it can get messy.

2)  Allow to dry for a couple of minutes

3) Apply blister plasters - I use Compeed (approx £5) - to areas which are prone to blister.  My worse points are the big toe joints.  Other blister areas I cover with step four.

4) Cover the other blister points and hot spots with Kinesio Tex Tape.  So far I have only covered my big toes and the second toe.   I first put on a vertical strip over the top of the toe and then wrap another strip around the toe.

5) Then I apply some Gehwol Footcream.  The book recommends Hydropel, but this product has been discontinuted.  If I prepare my feet the night before, I go to bed with loose fitting fleece socks and then I apply more cream in the morning.

6) First pair of socks is an Injinji light weight no-show. Available from the ULTRAmarathonRunningStore for £10.99

7) Then I wear Drymax Drymax Lite-Mesh No Show Tab Running Socks on top.  Also available from the ULTRAmarathonRunningStore for £7.99.  I tend to wear no-show socks - even for everyday life - because my ankles and feet are prone to swelling and I think this helps.

8)  I've bought shoes specifically for long-distance training runs and races, which are at least a half size bigger than my normal running shoes.  I take a UK4 in dress shoes, usually buy UK5 for trainers, but my new Hokas are a UK6.  They are small made, but the size 6 is nice and roomy.

9) And finally, I put on some Dirty Girl Gaiters (approx £15) to keep all the nasties out.

During this weekend's 100 miler, if my feet get wet or I sufffer some discomfort my (untested!) steps will be to dry feet - reapply taping if required - apply some Sudocrem and then some Gehwol Footpowder (£5.62 from Mankind) before putting on another set of Injinji and Drymax socks.

I will also keep hydrated and drink water with High Five Zero tabs, because dehydration and salt loss cause blisters too.  Trust me, read the book!

  

I'll post a picture of my taped feet...and let you know how it goes... :-)

Big (s)miles

This is lazy blogging, I know, but over the last month running has eaten into my free time.  With the Thames Path 100 looming, February was all about ramping up the miles.  It has been testing (on my legs and time constraints) but I'm truly thankful for my supportive family,  freakishly annoying organisational skills and never hitting the snooze button.  Plus, it's been great having the GM along for the long hails.  Although we need to talk more about the outfits.  We found ourselves on a 6am train to Edinburgh both wearing Buffs, Montane jackets, New Balance compression tightss, gaiters, Hoka and carring Salomon rucksacks... It was like Mary Kate and Ashley meets Dora the Explorer

Lakeland recce run part deux: Fail!

As previously stated, the Montane Lakeland 100 is one of my key races for 2013.  As frequently stated, navigation is not my forte, so full a course recce is required ahead of the race on July 26.

Although the course is only a few hours drive away from Glasgow, the recce runs involve meticulous planning.  The GM and I had pencilled in this date a few weeks ago.  After our first recce run, which involved hours of freezing cold wind and rain we vowed only to return on days when the conditions were favourable.  Unfortunately, we don't often have the opportunity to be choosy.  Windows and all that.  Although the forecast wasn't exactly horrendous - I did my usual and searched the sites until I found one I liked -  the risk of snow and ice were high.  And as the week went on, fog and mist appeared.  Although, no wind.  The latter was the positive mantra for the day trip..."...at least there's no wind".

An early start had us arrive in Ambleside before 8am.  I'd booked a taxi to take us to Dalemain, with the view to running back to Ambleside.  Simple?

As the taxi left Ambleside and started to climb over Kirkstone Pass into what can only be described Narnia, I'm pretty sure I could hear my heartbeat.  There have been so many horror stories from Scottish mountains this winter, I was a little nervous.  I don't make secrets of the fact that I'm a bit of jessie on snow and ice.  It doesn't stop me running, it just makes me whine more.

After paying the £55 taxi fare for the 19 miles journey - what is it with steep taxi tariffs in the Lake District? - we were at Dalemain House

Before the Kevin the taxi driver had even got into third gear, we got lost.  I kid you not, it took us the best part of a 40 minutes to cover one mile.  And it wasn't even one mile in the right direction.  We were running back and forward across fields, basically reading too much into the course instructions.  Thank goodness the GM saved the day by retrieving her trusty (in that it's always part of her race kit, but never been used) compass from her backpack.  I know, I know.  I'm laughing as I type this.  We were then huddled over said compass, turning around in circles trying to work out whether it was the red pin or the white pin we should be following

It gets better. I then brought out my new (also never been used before) Garmin e-trex 10 and turned on the compass.  Obviously Sonic had uploaded the GPX files to it. Result.  Something we could trust.  We jogged across the field in the correct SSW direction, with a hoity GM muttering: "Well I trust my compass too".

We found the stone stile we had searched for and we were off.  Across water-logged fields.  All the standing about meant our feet were like ice-blocks. We trotted along in single file on the faint path.  Next thing the GM was by my side, squealing expletives.  I turned to find we were being set on by a flock of sheep.  I've never seen anything like it. Cumbrian sheep are certainly more hardy than their highland counterparts.

It was pretty much plain sailing all the way to Pooley Bridge and en route Howtown.  Clutching our laminated sheets, we felt invincible having conquered about five miles without any mishaps.  We were then joined by Alex, a young chap who was doing a recce the course ahead of his first ultra at the Lakeland 50.  He was armed with only an OS map, so knew his navigational knowledge was infinitely better than ours.  We chatted for a bit, before I told him to push on and we would see him on his way back.

We arrived in Howtown - although the "town" part is quite misleading.  It's more of a clutter of houses with expensive cars.  We went down to suss out the checkpoint area and then started the ascent over to Mardale Head.

After watching JK's videos, this is the section I was most nervous about.  Words like "open fells" fill me with fear.  I was quite comforting to see Alex's red shirt in the distance.  To be honest the section wasn't as daunting as I thought.  The path, although faint, through Fusedale Valley was fairly obvious, but the further we went up the foggy it become and the thicker the snow got.  We were then just blindly following Alex's steps in the snow.  The GM was dragging her cautious heels  a bit, but I was a little more confident that we would be fine when we got over the hill top.  But we were just heading into a total white out and the snow was getting thicker.  There was no sign of any path - or even of any other hills.  With no trajectory, we didn't really know where we were or where we were going. 

In hindsight I guess it was a little  foolish putting trust in a stranger's footsteps on the basis that he had a beard and was reading the route from a map.

Bizarrely, it was lovely up on the hill top "...at least there was no wind". I don't think I've ever been up that high for it to be so still and peaceful. In Scotland, we would have been on your knees battling with the elements.   It would have been glorious, if it wasn't for the fact my feet were turning ice.

A couple appeared on the left and then we spotted a wandering Alex, who was retracing his steps. It turned out that Alex's map didn't have the course marked out on it, so he was lost too. Doh! He was quite amused that we had followed his steps.  

After asking the couple for directions, we headed on. Unconvinced.  I took out my e-trex and the course map (yes, I had one of those too) and was impressed that I could pinpoint where we were.  That was it though. No idea where to go.  Not even which direction to go in.  We were standing debating which way to go.  Alex saying west and we saying east.  Another couple came along and told us to go even higher to take a shortcut down into Ullswater. All conflicting, which didn't help the situation.

After spending the best part of a hour on the hilltop, my feet were frozen solid but "...but at least there's no wind". It was then after 1pm and hours of daylight left were diminishing. Alex made the decision to head back (he was doing an out and back anyway) and generously offered to give us a lift back to Ambleside.  More because we had become a liability, and less to do with civic duty.

It's amazing that it such a short time - with a rapid descent - not only do the visuals and surroundings better clearer but you have more metal clarify too.

So we retraced our steps to Pooley Bridge, where Alex kindly gave us a lift back. 

Even despite the obvious dissappointment, I had a great day out. Not quite the day I had planned, but it was a blast. We had a right good laugh.
...Then the GM and I spent the whole journey home trying to justify our decision to quit.  We both knew we made the right choice, by my lord we do chastise ourselves for it.  No worries though, as we will just need to go back next month and try it again.  That give me time to learn how to use the e-trex

_____________________

Other another note, it was second outing with my snazzy new Dirty Girl Gaiters on.  I must say, I'm a little bit in love with then.  I don't really like anything tight around my ankles - I always wear no-show socks for that reason - but they are very comfortable and really do stop all the nasty grit and debirs getting in your shoes.  Now I just need the collection to match my outfits :-)

Plans for 2013

The first race didn't go to plan, as the Gloucester 50K on January 20 was cancelled because of the bad weather.    Not a great start to the year, as I'd like to think I was in good shape for a 50K...she says from the comfort of a keyboard ;-).  Thankfully the race organisers made the decision to cancel on the Friday, so we didn't actually waste the weekend by travelling down there.  Unfortunately we lost everything -  race entry, hotel, flights and car hire.  On a plus note, we didn't have the same horrendous conditions (first time ever!) so I managed to fit in some quality back-to-back long runs.

The plan for Team Consani is pretty full-on for 2013.   Trying to organise a family holiday around our race schedule is a joke. Of course you don't want to go on holiday too close to a race (for training/tapering reasons) and you don't want to go too close after a race.   It's not great going on holiday when you look and feel like a car crash.  I learned this after going to Madeira the week after my first 24 hour race.  

As Cairn starts school this summer and we will be at mercy to the academic calendar, the October week is the only time we could agree on.

So, here's how the Consani family calendar is shaping up for 2013

March 23 Thames Path 100 (DM-C)
March 31 Anglo Celtic Plate 100K - representing Scotland (Sonic)
April 27 HOKA Highland Fling 53 mile trail race (Sonic)
May 11 24-hour World Champs in the Steenbergen (DM-C)
June 14 I've got Sonic's Sister's hen holiday in Lisbon, Portugal.  Hot weather training :-)
June 22 West Highland Way Race (Sonic)
July 6 - family break in North Wales which just happens to coincide with the IAU Trail World Champs.
July 27  Montane Lakeland 100 (DM-C)
August Cairn starts school, so that will curtail race weekends away
September 29- Loch Ness Marathon (both)
October holiday at Club la Santa.  Although, I'm sure holidays are supposed to be about R&R....