It's never as bad as you imagine

It's been a tough week as I start to recover from my chest infection, but I felt well enough to go out for my longest run this year at the weekend.  I prefer training with a partner, especially the long runs as having someone to chat to takes your mind of the pain and the boredom.  I certainly get tired of my own internal chat especially if I am out for a long time.  But on ultra marathons, you can spend a lot of time on your own, in your own head, and you need to be able to cope with it as it can destroy you especially if going through the night like I will be on the West Highland Way.  Anyway I had no choice as Stu had caught my infection and messaged me at 4.45am to say he wouldn't be going!
I have ran the Highland Fling twice (80 km) and everyone says, and I agree, the worst section is up the east side of Loch Lomond from Rowardennan to Beinglas Farm (22 km).  Exposed tree roots, rocks, large rocks you have to scramble over and big steps up and down make it a slow section requiring your full attention.  Some of the path is narrow with a drop of 5 metres to the rocks on the shore line if you miss your step.  You reach this section 44 km in during the race so your legs will be warmed up, but I was starting from fresh.  Because of logistics, unless you have someone picking you up at Beinglas and driving you back to your car, it's an out and back so it's 2 X hell - 44km!
I set off early to miss the scores of people walking the WHW.  I took the pace slowly as I am still trying to keep my heart rate down and not wanting to fall!  In my mind I'd agreed that I was out "all day" which should equate to about 7-8 hours.  The purpose of planting this thought in my mind was not to think about getting to Beinglas and turning back - just think about the time.
The way out was uneventful and I stopped at Beinglas for some coffee to give me a boost as I ate my food.  The coffee was shared with a midge who had decided to go for a swim in it.  Many of the campers were wearing midge nets, wise move, so I didn't hang around long before I headed back.  My quads, calves and knees felt the way back and I was careful to use my gels to keep me from "bonking".  The flat coke I carried certainly came in handy.  The big steps, up and down, took some navigating as I tried to reduce the strain on my legs.  But I completed it in 7hrs 2 minutes and thought overall, it was a good mental exercise.  While thinking about my race I was dreading this section but not any more.  It's like a hill you see in the distance that you are dreading but before you know it you are at the top and it's never as bad as you imagine.
That's a really important "thought pattern" to keep hold off as if I allow my mind to think about the enormity of the WHW, it will only make it more difficult.  It's check point to checkpoint and forget how many hours you have been going for.  It's about how bad I want it and the pain I'm prepared to go through to succeed.
I did a recovery run the following day but since then have been exhausted.  Today, 4 days later, was the first time I felt normal which is just as well as I had my PT session.  Bartek is such a Pro - he has been rehabbing my knee for months now through active recovery.  It's not 100% but in the last 5 months I have come from literally being broken and looking like an 80 year old getting off the floor to now regularly doing squats.  The more I've visited the PT, the less I've needed to visit my physio and that's an excellent result.
So if you've got a challenge coming up that you are concerned about, just remember it's never as bad as you imagine.  All that worry does you no good so why bother.  Just "programme your mind" to understand that everything is possible with the right mindset.
This week will be a light week for training and I have one last long day which will be the weekend after next before I can start tapering.  I don't want to wish time away but I am very excited about being on the start line at 1am on Saturday 22 June with circa 250 other like minded people.

Tick tock

Tick tock.  42 days to go and there is nothing I can do to slow it down.  Time waits for no ultra runner as the saying goes...I think?
It hasn't helped that I came down with a chest infection which meant no running all week and just one light weighs session.  I've been coughing my guts up and was off work on Monday & Tuesday which is unheard off.  I should have taken Wednesday off but we're too busy.  By Saturday I had to do something so Stu and I headed to the Devil's Staircase to do an out and back to Kinlochleven.  We left at 5.30am as the weather forecast was good and we knew the mountain would be very busy and parking is limited.  We weren't wrong!
The Devil's Staircase sounds worse than it is under normal conditions.  It rises out of Glencoe and after 25 mins we were at the summit.  It's not too steep and you have a long undulating run before the big descent to Kinlochleven.  After 1hr 20 mins we were in Kinlochleven getting ready to head back and it is a tiring, steep climb out until you reach the pump station.  On the way up we met a lovely girl from Belgium and gave her some tips on the best way to climb Ben Nevis which she was going to do the following day.  We shared stories and she told us how lucky she'd been with the weather and how she loved Scotland.
Then we bumped into Becky who was walking from John o'Groats to Lands End - WOW!  That puts my 96 miles into context.  As I've said before, it's the people that make running so interesting, especially in the mountains.
But I'm all too aware that what seemed easy in a 21 km trail run, will be different when I'm 80 miles in.
My chest was ok and my knee held up.  The sun shone, the company was good and to top it all off we met Michael Martin who was running/climbing the Buchaille Etive Mor - some serious climbing and not for the faint hearted, like me!
I spent a lot of the night coughing so elected for an easy day today.  Started with yoga then time in the gym hammering my legs followed by a 6km run.  My heart rate was elevated and I coughed throughout the run so tomorrow is definitely a rest day.
I've said before my goal is to get to the start line uninjured and a fit as I can be.  I can't catch up on the missed training and if I take on too much, I'll end up injured so it is what it is.
What I will be spending more time on is the logistics as it would be heart breaking to fail due to poor logistics.  During the week I will be running consistently and at the weekend I'll be keeping up the consistent running, with longer runs on the race route at the weekends.  Tick tock!

Hitchhikers guide to the West Highland Way!

I was once told, there is no substitute for preparing for the West Highland Way other than getting on it and running it.  It was over 30 years ago since I walked it in 5 days while there was a hurricane of the west coast of Scotland which meant I had to miss some sections out, and there was snow - in September.  Since then I have completed the Highland Fling twice so I am reasonably familiar with the first 53 miles.
With time running out and the difficult logistics of doing sections without the need for two cars, I have started to "fill in the gaps" of the sections I haven't run before.  
When the Fling was on two weeks ago, I ran from Tyndrum to 1 mile short of Bridge of Orchy - a short section.  Last weekend, Stu and I parked up at Bridge of Orchy and ran to the ski centre in Glencoe - 18kms.  I'd heard a lot about how exposed the Rannoch Moor was and wanted to see for myself.  We picked a hot day and there was little breeze so I carried plenty of hydration and isogonics - I was testing out new products to see if they were better than what I'd used before.  If you are going to be running for possibly 30 hours it's important that your stomach is happy with what you are taking or it can be the end of your race.  In this short section, the Maurten carb drink and gel worked so I'll be buying more of them.
The route was mainly "land rover tracks" which is really the main surface on the WHW.  You have to get used to occasional stumbles on the rocks or going over on your ankle which is why you need to spend time on these trails.
We weren't trying to go fast but there was more running than we expected so we had the chance of catching the earlier bus back to Bridge of Orchy.  When I was packing in the morning I had a bad feeling about the bus so took a piece of cardboard with BOO in it so we could hitch a lift back - not something I have ever done before.  My premonition came true and Stu couldn't believe it when I took the card out my rucksack and stuck out my thumb looking for a lift.  20 minutes later, and 40 mins after the bus should have turned up, a van pulls up and gave us a life back to our car.  This certainly restored my faith in people.  The driver chatted away but asked that we didn't mention his name or the company name as his boss wouldn't be happy he'd picked up hitchhikers in the company van.  But we were very grateful.
The next day I ran Tinto 3 times and came across Mark Reilly, author of The Lives of Reilly and a fabulous ultra runner.  He's preparing for the "Jungle Marathon" and had ran Tinto 5 times the day before and was painfully running it another 5 times that day - puts me to shame!  But his words of encouragement were well received and gave me a lift.  Good luck Mark and I am sure you and James Allan will have an amazing adventure.
Lighter road runs during the week, yoga and gym work kept me ticking over.  Remember I am trying to avoid aggravating my knee and foot injury and just getting to the start line.  Unfortunately I can't run much with Beth at the moment as she is doing different training for the Edinburgh Marathon but after that we will be back on the trails together.
Yesterday Stu and I headed up to Kinlochleven for the final section through the Mamores to Fort William.  It was a scortcher and it was good to understand where the tough sections were although with over 80 miles in my legs by this stage in the race, it's all tough.  I had to keep reminding myself of that as the slightest incline will have me walking and I must be prepared for that happening.  That's why I practice run/walk/run/walk.  Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to start running again.  It's difficult to start the momentum if you've been walking too long and your muscles will complain at the pain.
I had been told that towards the end their is a 4 km downhill section.  Normally you'd welcome that but even yesterday I could feel my knee complaining as the downhill went on forever.  With Fort William in sight that's the motivation to keep moving no matter how slow.
I'm under no illusion as to how tough this 96 mile/153km race will be.  Doing short sections is for familiarisation but I can't replicate the pace, much slower than I've been running, or the discomfort whether that be my limbs or my stomach.  But that's the challenge and I need to keep my mind focused on check point to check point and not think about the race in it's totality.  I know my support crew Beth & Stu will help me in every way possible but it's also a long shift for them too.
When we got to Fort William the bus was on time so I was able to get a short sleep on the way back to my car.  While the focus is on the race, I always try and take in the scenery which in this part of the world is stunning.  The WHW was full of walkers which is great to see although a few had been caught out with the sun and the backs of their calves looked like they were a Glaswegian on the beach in Spain - painful pink lobsters!
My body is telling me I need a rest as I have started to cough up "gunge", it started yesterday.  I appreciate how important rest is and always build it into my schedule but this type of rest doesn't sit well with me.  However rather catch the bug this far out from the race than just before it!  Till my next blog, take care my friends.

Preparing for this adventure on 22-23 June has been fun and I'm still smiling at the van pulling over and giving two strangers a lift.  The route of the WHW is fully of amazing scenery but what really makes it for me is the people and their stories.  Instead of running on tarmac breathing in the fumes, get out on the WHW and enjoy yourself.  Even better if your route finishes at a coffee shop with cake or even a cold beer.  People travel from all over the world to enjoy this treasure and it's on our doorstep.  Get out there while you are still fit enough to do so.