Where you set the bar

Last weekend was epic in Scotland with huge events taking place across the country in scorching weather.  An extreme ironman, the Celtman, took place in Wester Ross.  You're lucky to get out the swim (3.4km) without hypothermia or some nasty jellyfish stings.  The bike (200km) is on a hilly, tough and technical course and the warm down is a marathon with 1,600m of ascent.  If ironman wasn't hard enough then this  really is tough and the finishing times are significantly slower due to it being longer and more difficult than your normal ironman event.  But still people take it on.  I salute any finisher, or for that matter, anyone brave enough to make the start line.  Congratulations to my friends that finished.  You certainly have raised the bar from ironman which is a high bar to start with.
At the same time, the West Highland Way race, 96 miles from Milngavie to Fort William with 3,155 metres of ascent started at 1am on Saturday.  Entry into the event is by a ballot, as runners from around the world want to take on this challenge - I've tried twice and haven't got in.  It's a brutal course and leaving aside the winners who manage the event in around 14 hours, getting in under 24 hours is amazing and under 30 hours is still a good result.  To be honest, completing it is a massive achievement and our club mate Paul Noble managed it in 28 hours and 21 minutes on his first attempt.  I have ran the first 53 miles of this route in the Highland Fling and finished in 11 hours 6 mins but couldn't manage another step,  so the thought of going past this takes a lot of mental strength.  It depends on where you set the bar I guess!
I mention those two epic races as I was thinking about them this weekend while I was training at shorter distances.  On Saturday I ran with my pal Stuart as we replicated the race we will be doing in 5 weeks time.  The Highlander, Last One Standing involves a 6.7km loop around the Atholl Castle Estate which you have to do in an hour.  Easy I hear you say.  If you do the loop in 40 mins you can have 20 mins rest before starting again.  If  you complete the lap 59 mins you have a minutes rest, however you are disqualified if you exceed the hour.  Stu and I did four laps but the hard bit is sitting waiting for the next lap.  Do I drink, eat, stretch?  It's more of a mental challenge and while I have ran for extensive periods of time, over 24 hours, this is a different challenge.  Last year the winner completed 39 laps - yes 39 hours and 257.4 km to be the last one standing and everyone else disqualified!
The next day I ran 19km in the heat of the day and it made me think about "where you set the bar".  It was only 19km,but in the heat of the day it was a slog.  Only two weeks ago I ran/walked 60km and I also completed 2 marathons (42km) in the last few months.  So why was I struggling at 19km.  I had a good talk to myself.  Only 2 nights before a good friend of mine had visited me and it took him 7 mins to climb 3 flights of stairs.  He refuses to have a stair lift put in at home because it would be admitting defeat.  I had to physically lift him into my campervan as he has lost the power in his quads, and there will be no improvement.  So who was I to be struggling at 19km in the heat.  He's set his bar high and is defying gravity by hauling himself up the stairs.  Keep it going Al, you're doing amazing and an inspiration.
My next race is a trail half marathon and I'm excited about it.  Beth and I are heading up to Stonehaven to join her daughter and this will be her first half marathon.  It may "only be a half" but I know we'll have to work hard to get a decent time because we will set the bar high.
I'm going to finish on a sad note.  A long time friend of mine died in a tragic accident at the age of 69.  He was young for his age.  Always had a glint of mischief in his eye and read my blog every week.  He enjoyed pulling my leg and he will be greatly missed.  It's a reminder how fragile life is and why we should live in the present and make the most of this wonderful life we have been given.  Rest in peace Nick.  You will be missed but never forgotten.

The Full Tilt Ultra 2023

What a week of racing it has been!  On Sunday 28th May I completed the Edinburgh marathon and having pushed for a PB, in the heat, which I just missed I had five days to recover before the Full Tilt Ultra with my partner Beth.  I knew Edinburgh had taken it out of me as I was a mess in the last 4km but I hadn't realised just how bad I looked until I saw the photos - won't be buying them then!  At least I wasn't as unfortunate as three runners who had a cardiac arrest, according to a paramedic at the Full Tilt!  But my legs were "shot to bits" and I struggled to walk properly until Wednesday and even then it was an effort.
We were both excited about the Full Tilt as it was helping us both in the build up to our "A" races, the Highlander Last One Standing for me and Ultra Race Romania for Beth (I'm going as a volunteer to help the organisers).
Having got my pace wrong in the Edinburgh marathon and with it only having been 5 days before, this was never going to be a fast event.  We were joined by our pal Stu which was just as well as he had to bring a spare pare of shorts and socks for me as I'd left them behind.  Stu is also in the Highlander but hadn't got as much training in as he would like and it wasn't long before he left Beth and I trailing behind.  We overtook him on the first Munro but by the summit he wasn't far behind.  Descending is his strength and he passed us on the way down.  I caught up with him and we got talking to another runner, Jordan who was a nice lad.  Just as the pace was quickening I realised I had a blister.  Knowing we were only 30km into the race and still had a Munro to go I stopped and repaired the damage.  Soon after Beth appeared and we decided to run together  It's good to have company in these long races and with the temperature in the low 20's we slowed down along Glen Tilt as the road underfoot was terrible.  
We were getting very hot and were travelling at a snails pace so I suggested we wade into the river to refresh our tired and aching legs.  That was 7 minutes well spent as when we came out feeling refreshed.
We reached the checkpoint before the last Munro and were told the climb started in about 1 mile; it was nearer 2 which plays with your mind.  The organisers had told us how "horrendous" the first 2-3km of the climb was and to have something left when you reached this point.  We'd taken it very easy from the last Munro 19kms ago and flew up the "horrendous" hill.  It was easy.  We like hills but to be honest, I think Tinto is tougher.  However, Stu had pushed too hard too early and was spent.  We caught him half way up the hill and it was obvious his race was over at 40km.  We forced him to drink some coke, under protest, and by luck a photographer was coming down the mountain and agreed to look after him - thanks Liv.  Ultra running is brutal and there are no short cuts in training, you've got to put in the hours.  You have then to pace yourself depending on your current fitness which was what we were doing.  We may have been slow but our mission was to complete it on our tired legs from the week before.
We descended relatively fast, taking the conditions into account and from the bottom is was approximately 10km back along that awful track through Glen Tilt.  We ran most of it and all the way Beth was giving a count down by each km.  However I knew she was 2 km out as the advertised 58km was in fact 60km.  I didn't have the heart to tell her but a passing truck said to us just under 2km to go when she thought we were about finished - she was gutted.
But we ran into the finish straight with big smiles on our face and no feeling of pain.  We crossed the line holding hands as we had planned (always have the finish line picture in your head) and Stu organised the best beer we have ever tasted.  Success but only just.  We hadn't realised the cut off was 10 hours which was not generous and we came in in 9hrs 45mins.  
Today I ran a slow 5km recovery and it was sore.  On Wednesday I have a massage as I rebuild myself for my next challenge, a trail half marathon before Last One Standing.  It's good to have different types of races in the calendar as it means your training is also varied.  Enjoy this wonderful weather but make sure you stay properly hydrated using isotonic drinks and salt tablets.