The 'fling is finished. What an experience. Possibly the best organised race I have ever taken part in. A huge congratulations to the organisers, marshals and medical staff - more of that later.
Who considers running a 53 mile race? One that is in the top 10 hardest unsupported races in the world? Well that's what happens when you hang out with "bad company". Athletes that don't have limits. I had the pleasure of getting together with my pals from tent 127 in the 2013 Marathon des Sables. We hadn't seen each other in a year but it was like yesterday. We had a blast.
If you think about 53 miles, double marathon plus a wee bit, you wouldn't do it. Especially if you look at the profile of Milngavie to Tyndrum - some big climbs and as I found out, some harder decents!
Loads of nervous excitement at the start. I wasn't going to run with my MdS pals as they were too fast. But I bumped into a running partner and we were the same pace. So David ran with me for the first 5k but wasn't feeling well so sent me on my way. I thought he was finished. 2k on there was a girl playing a fiddle in the middle of nowhere and everyone seemed to pick up their pace. This was giving the overseas competitors a flavour of the fling - a great advert for Scotland. 3k later I meet a runner with an ironman tattoo and we got chatting. This was a lucky break. Will and his friend John were up from England and didn't know the course. I knew 3/5ths of it and had run ultra marathons before so we decided to run together. We kept each other going and I can honestly say that the "chimp" didn't make an appearance because we were supporting each other. I may have met other people on route but meeting Will and John was fantastic - thanks guys.
It sounds ridiculous but this race is all mental I.e. In between your ears. I had planned every step, every stage, every food stop and hoped it would go to plan. Therefore I knew the pace I needed to run to achieve my target of 12.30 - 13 hours. But in truth I had no idea if it was possible. So much could go wrong like the girl who "face planted" a rock and broke her jaw in 5 places. With help, she ran on to the next checkpoint along the most technically difficult part of the course - respect.
I had planned my food stops but as time went on it became difficult to eat. I started to dig deep into my reserves. My body began to ache but we kept pushing on. The encouragement from the Marshall's was incredible. The supporters cheered and at times it was quiet emotional. Getting close to the end was really tough but the steep downhills on shattered quads was excruciatingly painful. It was as though I had no control over my legs.
1 mile out I tripped, again, over a rock and my hamstring took the strain. I had told Will and John early on that they should picture the finish line picture in their heads. As we approached we agreed that we'd run across the line together holding our hands up in the air. As we ran down the red carpet we joined hands and raised them above our head. 20 metres to go and someone shot me in the hamstring with a rifle! Bang! I almost collapsed but my new best pals were strong buggers and kept my arms in the air as I struggled to get across the line - hamstring gone. Greeted by the medics, carried to the tent, leg iced, foil blanket on and hot soup followed by beer. The ATHlete president Mark Russell ran around like my personal butler making sure I was ok - thanks Mark. Later I limped to my accommodation and curled up in my foil blanket feeling like shit. Shivering like a slapped jelly. My MdS pals delivered my clothes, I had a shower, followed by food and beer. Even better David who looked like death warmed up at 5k made it in 30 minutes after me - respect. And my pal, type one diabetic Roddy Riddle had his insulin pump fail after 18 miles and survived on water only while beating me by 90 minutes - respect. There are so many amazing stories in this race I really haven't scratched the surface. But what I do know is that it's amazing what you can do if you dare to try. For me it's a major achievement. I very deliberately treated it as a long training day (thanks Gen & Colin for that advice years ago) with fabulous scenery. A fellow ATHelite And relay runner John Young passed me at 24 miles and said I looked fresh. Thanks for that but maybe if I'd known it was 24 miles I would have shown it. And to answer your question, my time was 12 hours 16 minutes. I'm suitable chuffed. But the highlight for me was the journey. Thanks for your support. Now pass me the fucking wine. 😃
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Friday, 25 April 2014
Calm before the storm
When I was planning my 2014 season my "A race" was the 10km swim in September. A worthwhile challenge I thought. But as time went on I realised it was too far out with nothing in between. That's why I decided to run the 53 mile Ultra Marathon The Highland Fling which is now less than 24 hours away. I am so glad I did put this in the diary as it has meant a serious winter training schedule which I wouldn't have had otherwise. I'm in good shape and it will be the platform to build on for the other races I have entered which are all before my "A race".
But now is the calm before the storm. The trainings done, I've followed my nutrition plan, my Heart Rate Variance scores have been improving daily this week so all I need to do is pack my kit, carb load tonight and try to get some sleep before my 3.30am rise.
I have a race plan in my head but am experienced enough to know it can go "tits up" at any time and it's how you react at this point that will determine the outcome. The exciting part about going this distance is it takes you to a place you don't visit very often. The hurt locker will be visited, dark crevasses in my mind will be explored and my mental toughness will either make or break me. It's not every day you face those kind of challenges and I am looking forward to it because it's been a year since I have been there.
I'd just like to thank everyone that follows my blog or tweats. It means a lot to me that you take an interest and sometimes get inspired to push yourself to new limits. Thanks to my fellow training partners and ATHelite members who are a constant source of inspiration and support. And finally to my long suffering family for all the hours I spend training, talking about training, talking about races, talking about food and the endless soggy lycra that needs washed! Thanks for your patience and support. You know I'd be a complete pain in the ass if I didn't take part in these challenges and it has raised a lot of money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres along the way. See you all when I get back from Tyndrum! :-)
But now is the calm before the storm. The trainings done, I've followed my nutrition plan, my Heart Rate Variance scores have been improving daily this week so all I need to do is pack my kit, carb load tonight and try to get some sleep before my 3.30am rise.
I have a race plan in my head but am experienced enough to know it can go "tits up" at any time and it's how you react at this point that will determine the outcome. The exciting part about going this distance is it takes you to a place you don't visit very often. The hurt locker will be visited, dark crevasses in my mind will be explored and my mental toughness will either make or break me. It's not every day you face those kind of challenges and I am looking forward to it because it's been a year since I have been there.
I'd just like to thank everyone that follows my blog or tweats. It means a lot to me that you take an interest and sometimes get inspired to push yourself to new limits. Thanks to my fellow training partners and ATHelite members who are a constant source of inspiration and support. And finally to my long suffering family for all the hours I spend training, talking about training, talking about races, talking about food and the endless soggy lycra that needs washed! Thanks for your patience and support. You know I'd be a complete pain in the ass if I didn't take part in these challenges and it has raised a lot of money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres along the way. See you all when I get back from Tyndrum! :-)
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Mind working overtime
It's been a year since I took part in any event, never mind a major event. So I had forgotten the feeling in the build up. The FB section of the Highland Fling has become very busy with nervous and excited runners posting how they are feeling, their apprehension, injury niggle, asking for last minute advice or just looking forward to meeting up with 800 likeminded nutters!
I took my last run yesterday which was a short 8 km but felt good. This is just to remind my legs not to retire. But I read last night it's worthwhile going a short run (5k) the day before and on thinking about it I definitely will because it's a struggle resting!
What I had forgotten about was the mental games. My mind doesn't seem to want to stop thinking about race day. Last night I was looking up websites with details of the route and tried to estimate my time. There was one sight that gave estimated times for the various sections and at one stage the speed goes to slower than walking! That is up the side of Loch Lomond where I "hit the wall" weeks ago and it is very tricky - even trickier because I will have 30 miles in my legs at that stage.
As I tried to get to sleep my mind was working overtime telling me not to start too fast, walk up Conic Hill and take my time on the way down or I'll have no quad muscles left and will be crawling at the end of the race. Mentally I must get into the "it's a long day out in the most beautiful scenery in the world" zone and on one hand ignore the time, but at the same time not to let time fritter away at water/food stations. I find it funny that the organisers have arranged the prize giving for 5pm (it starts at 6am) and a large chunk of the runners will still be out on the course - me included!
I will work on light yoga in the mornings this week to keep my muscles in good shape and have a sport massage today to iron out any knots that need a bit of encouragement.
Tonight I have a business function to go to which involves whisky tasting. Much as I like a whisky I won't be letting any of it past my lips but will give it a good sniff. I've been on the wagon since Saturday to make sure I am in the best shape possible but will play catch up at the Ceilidh after the race finishes. That should loosen the muscles off a bit!
I took my last run yesterday which was a short 8 km but felt good. This is just to remind my legs not to retire. But I read last night it's worthwhile going a short run (5k) the day before and on thinking about it I definitely will because it's a struggle resting!
What I had forgotten about was the mental games. My mind doesn't seem to want to stop thinking about race day. Last night I was looking up websites with details of the route and tried to estimate my time. There was one sight that gave estimated times for the various sections and at one stage the speed goes to slower than walking! That is up the side of Loch Lomond where I "hit the wall" weeks ago and it is very tricky - even trickier because I will have 30 miles in my legs at that stage.
As I tried to get to sleep my mind was working overtime telling me not to start too fast, walk up Conic Hill and take my time on the way down or I'll have no quad muscles left and will be crawling at the end of the race. Mentally I must get into the "it's a long day out in the most beautiful scenery in the world" zone and on one hand ignore the time, but at the same time not to let time fritter away at water/food stations. I find it funny that the organisers have arranged the prize giving for 5pm (it starts at 6am) and a large chunk of the runners will still be out on the course - me included!
I will work on light yoga in the mornings this week to keep my muscles in good shape and have a sport massage today to iron out any knots that need a bit of encouragement.
Tonight I have a business function to go to which involves whisky tasting. Much as I like a whisky I won't be letting any of it past my lips but will give it a good sniff. I've been on the wagon since Saturday to make sure I am in the best shape possible but will play catch up at the Ceilidh after the race finishes. That should loosen the muscles off a bit!
Saturday, 19 April 2014
Light training
It's now 1 week before the onslaught of the Highland Fling. 53 miles from Milngavie to Tyndrum up (and I do mean up!) the West Highland Way. It's at this stage your training becomes light as you try and rest you body, let it recover from the hard training but don't let it think you've finished or it will shut down for a holiday along with your brain.
On Friday I headed off to do one lap of Chatelherault - hardly even a warm up so I ran it 4 minutes faster just to make it a bit of an effort but not too tiring. The sun was shining through the trees and I saw my first bluebells - beautiful. In the next few weeks I expect the place to be covered in them and I'll walk round as part of my recovery from the 'fling and get some pictures.
But the day was so nice I decided to venture out on my bike for the first time this year. I went out for just an hour but that was plenty for my first ride. I could feel the different muscles working but I didn't push it. Getting out on the bike on such a glorious day was amazing and I will have 7 weeks from the fling to get bike fit as I have a 70.3 Tri coming up. I deliberately planned my season to start with a run focus, shift to Tri and finish with swimming (10km swim in September). That should reduce the chances of picking up an injury from doing the same thing all the time.
Later on I headed out for 13 holes of golf with my son. A bit of a warm down however I was tired when I woke up this morning and I won't be doing any training today in order to recover despite it being another glorious day. I have booked my sports massage for Tuesday to allow me time to recover from that before the race. Isn't life good when the sun shines? People smile more and places can be transformed. Enjoy it while it's here. 😎
On Friday I headed off to do one lap of Chatelherault - hardly even a warm up so I ran it 4 minutes faster just to make it a bit of an effort but not too tiring. The sun was shining through the trees and I saw my first bluebells - beautiful. In the next few weeks I expect the place to be covered in them and I'll walk round as part of my recovery from the 'fling and get some pictures.
But the day was so nice I decided to venture out on my bike for the first time this year. I went out for just an hour but that was plenty for my first ride. I could feel the different muscles working but I didn't push it. Getting out on the bike on such a glorious day was amazing and I will have 7 weeks from the fling to get bike fit as I have a 70.3 Tri coming up. I deliberately planned my season to start with a run focus, shift to Tri and finish with swimming (10km swim in September). That should reduce the chances of picking up an injury from doing the same thing all the time.
Later on I headed out for 13 holes of golf with my son. A bit of a warm down however I was tired when I woke up this morning and I won't be doing any training today in order to recover despite it being another glorious day. I have booked my sports massage for Tuesday to allow me time to recover from that before the race. Isn't life good when the sun shines? People smile more and places can be transformed. Enjoy it while it's here. 😎
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Fresh legs
On Monday & Wednesday morning I went out for a run just to keep my legs ticking over. Both were about an hour long which seems a very short distance now, almost a warm up. It's funny how you condition your mind to 3 hour runs as being the norm and when you cut back it seems so easy. But I mustn't forget that in 9 days time after I've completed an hours run, I'll probably have another 12 hours to go! Now that's a mind blower if I don't handle it properly. This elephant will certainly be eaten in small slices.
My priority at the moment it to stay injury free and allow my body to recover while continuing light training. But I am also in planning mode. What will I be wearing on the day and what extra clothing will I be carrying? I will want to keep this to essentials only. I need to plan my race strategy, which if experience is anything to go by will be blown out the water by something happening - but you need a plan in the first place. Plan B will depend on what went wrong with Plan A.
Then there are the feed stations and what goodies I will have in my drop bags. Because I will be drinking High 5 (sweet calorie drink) and munching gels when I have to along with jelly babies, my drop bags will have savoury treats in them mini pork pies! They are great for calories. I'll have nuts and raisins and bananas as well.
I don't intend spending much time at the feed stations unless necessary e.g. treating blisters or just trying to "man up". Eating on the move will make a big difference to your eventual time.
This is an exciting stage in the run up to the race as it plays in your head every night before you crash out. I'm so please I fitted in this early season event as it has got me focused and soon after the event I will be switching the training back to triathlon for my 70.3 Ironman 2 months later.
My priority at the moment it to stay injury free and allow my body to recover while continuing light training. But I am also in planning mode. What will I be wearing on the day and what extra clothing will I be carrying? I will want to keep this to essentials only. I need to plan my race strategy, which if experience is anything to go by will be blown out the water by something happening - but you need a plan in the first place. Plan B will depend on what went wrong with Plan A.
Then there are the feed stations and what goodies I will have in my drop bags. Because I will be drinking High 5 (sweet calorie drink) and munching gels when I have to along with jelly babies, my drop bags will have savoury treats in them mini pork pies! They are great for calories. I'll have nuts and raisins and bananas as well.
I don't intend spending much time at the feed stations unless necessary e.g. treating blisters or just trying to "man up". Eating on the move will make a big difference to your eventual time.
This is an exciting stage in the run up to the race as it plays in your head every night before you crash out. I'm so please I fitted in this early season event as it has got me focused and soon after the event I will be switching the training back to triathlon for my 70.3 Ironman 2 months later.
Saturday, 12 April 2014
Let the tapering begin
Having ran 10 miles yesterday, today was my last 15 mile run before my race in two weeks time. I was joined by a pal John which was great. He's training for his first ironman and hadn't run 15 miles before and certainly not on the trail at Chatelherault which is tough. He was happy to go at my pace and it certainly was a tougher session than the day before. My average heart rate was 11 bpm faster even although my pace was slower so I think I was tired.
But tonight I am out at a family birthday celebration and tomorrow is a day off. I start my tapering on Monday which means I will reduce my training to allow my body to recover between now and the 26th. This is an important stage because in 2 weeks time I will be putting myself through hell - 12 - 13 hours of exertion followed by a Ceilidh and beer! Somehow I don't think I'll be doing the Dashing White Sergeant!!
The longest I have ran for in my training is 5 hours 20 minutes so this will be a big step up. But I've been there before and know at the end it will be down to my mental strength. I'm actually looking forward to visiting some unusual places in my head which you only get to through pushing yourself to the limit. I have a number of friends running the London Marathon tomorrow and I wish them a great day. Nothing better than having done the training to go and enjoy the event. Have fun guys.
But tonight I am out at a family birthday celebration and tomorrow is a day off. I start my tapering on Monday which means I will reduce my training to allow my body to recover between now and the 26th. This is an important stage because in 2 weeks time I will be putting myself through hell - 12 - 13 hours of exertion followed by a Ceilidh and beer! Somehow I don't think I'll be doing the Dashing White Sergeant!!
The longest I have ran for in my training is 5 hours 20 minutes so this will be a big step up. But I've been there before and know at the end it will be down to my mental strength. I'm actually looking forward to visiting some unusual places in my head which you only get to through pushing yourself to the limit. I have a number of friends running the London Marathon tomorrow and I wish them a great day. Nothing better than having done the training to go and enjoy the event. Have fun guys.
Friday, 11 April 2014
Dawn chorus
This morning started with an amber warning on my HRV. I think being so busy at work, with family life and the fact I had a few beers to relax last night were probably the reasons. So sticking with this system I cut back my planned run to 10 miles around Chatelherault and I paid close attention to my heart rate on the way round.
It was a beautiful early morning and the birds were in full song. For the first time ever I heard a wood pecker doing his thing, it was amazing. The sun shone and the forrest was just stunning so it made my run special. It allowed my thoughts to wander and get some quality time with myself. Not a bad thing to do when you're so busy. My heart rate was perfect which means I must have got the pace right. I could have run another lap as I was feeling great but time was getting on and I had a busy day ahead.
My calf strain disappeared as I was wearing compression calf guards. I'd not been wearing them recently - I won't make that mistake again because they really work.
Tomorrow I am aiming for a15 mile run but it's a late night with dad's taxi duties so I hope that won't affect my HRV tomorrow. Feeling great and with two weeks to go I'm looking forward to the 'Fling.
It was a beautiful early morning and the birds were in full song. For the first time ever I heard a wood pecker doing his thing, it was amazing. The sun shone and the forrest was just stunning so it made my run special. It allowed my thoughts to wander and get some quality time with myself. Not a bad thing to do when you're so busy. My heart rate was perfect which means I must have got the pace right. I could have run another lap as I was feeling great but time was getting on and I had a busy day ahead.
My calf strain disappeared as I was wearing compression calf guards. I'd not been wearing them recently - I won't make that mistake again because they really work.
Tomorrow I am aiming for a15 mile run but it's a late night with dad's taxi duties so I hope that won't affect my HRV tomorrow. Feeling great and with two weeks to go I'm looking forward to the 'Fling.
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