Choosing the right path

Sorry for being a day late with my blog.  I've been so tired with my training that I deferred it a day so I could eat my body weight in food and relax after a hard day in the mountains, again!  My weight is at my lowest and I think I'll be on the cake diet until the race to try and get some pounds on! 
The focus last week was on getting ready for a long day in the mountains on Friday and again on Sunday.  We've also had the benefit of sunny weather but that in itself presents some challenges which I'll come onto.
After a big weekend in the mountains there was no rest.  On Monday I completed a 26km road run, Tuesday 2 x 12km (am/pm) with gym on Wednesday, 10km road run Thursday and gym.  On Friday I headed up to Glen Feshie near Aviemore and completed a solo mountain trip of 27km with 1,379m of ascent.  The OS app on my phone is critical and I found my way to the first summit without a problem.  There was even a stream running near the top so I stopped to refill my bottles as I couldn't be certain when the next one would be.  There is nothing like fresh, cold water taken from a mountain stream.  The temperature was rising and I'd taken the precaution of wearing my desert hat to protect the back of my neck and obviously P20 sun cream.  The problem with the once a day sun cream is everything sticks to it and you come off the mountain filthy.
The views were amazing and the plateau at the top was very expansive - that's when the path disappeared!  You'd be on the path for a while then come to a bog and can't find one out the other side and boulder fields presented the same challenge.  I took great care to try and always have some landmarks to keep me right but on the way down I obviously detoured off the summit at a slight angle and was beginning to panic, although I could see my position on the OS map, when I eventually saw the landmark that I had observed on the way out.  I had a fabulous descent running at a good pace all the way back to the car - I like that kind of finish.  It was a long day with 6 hours of travelling and almost 5 hours in the mountains.
On Saturday it was another gym session.  Sunday I was up at 5am and off for my final day in the mountains.  My destination was Kinlochleven and the Mommore Mountains, 18km and 1,500m of ascenting, so another 5.5 hours of driving and 4.5 hours of running/hiking.  Coming through Glencoe in the early morning it was completely clagged in but when I got to Kinlochleven it was blue skies.  On running in there was some low cloud across the loch and I got one of my best pictures of the day.
Getting to the 1st summit involved some boulder fields and off course, no paths.  It also meant I needed to do some scrambling and rock climbing which had my heart racing (don't look down, don't look down!).  I was admiring the magnificent view at the top when a climber/runner came up the other side - this was the first person I'd seen all day.  So after a brief chat, Lizzie and I headed down a very narrow path with drops on both sides which again was challenging me.  But as an experienced climber she went first - it was though she'd been sent to look after me!  We diverted off my route so I had company and summited another couple of peaks.  The time flew by as we shared stories about races past and future and she enjoyed the company too having been wild camping in the mountains the day before - maybe try that next year to get better access to some of the mountains.
Lizzie headed off in a different direction and immediately, I found myself aone with no path.  Michael had warned me about this an said I'd just to head straight down the mountain - that takes time and is a real leg workout so I was glad when I got to the path at the bottom.  I followed the path on my OS map when I realised it was not going to finish where my car was parked.  Time to go off piste.  I followed some land rover tracks in the general direction but they quickly disappeared and I ended up plowing through ferns up to my shoulders for about a km and then wading through a river.  But I did wash myself down and drink pints of the fresh water before finding my way back onto a path that led me to my car.
It seams that while going solo in the mountains all I have done is search for paths.  I've now come to the conclusion there are many paths you can take but it's about understanding where you are in the bigger picture that matters.  My confidence is growing and now I understand my maps on my watch and phone I'm less likely to panic.  I've completed some "hairy" challenges in the last few weeks and while it's not going to make me a mountaineer, it will get me out of tricky situations although I will do my best to avoid them.
The paths between now and URR which starts two weeks today will be much clearer and I hope you will follow my progress.  I'll publish details on how you can track me nearer the time but for now, thanks for your support.  Now to finalise my shopping for the race, food, equipment, gear - that's got to be the best bit!!

Overcoming my fears

This week was all about recovery and getting ready for the big weekend.  The plan was to have 2 big days, back to back, in the mountains as this is my 2nd last weekend in the mountains before URR.  As usual my pal Michael planned the routes based on my coaches requirements.  They were to be approx 21 km  with at least 1,500m of ascent and rugged conditions.  He didn't disappoint and of course I'd be flying solo so we also had a session together making sure the OS maps were downloaded to my phone and watch.
Saturday involved visiting the mountains are Blair Atholl with the big one being Ben A'Ghlo.  It was a sunny day but the wind on the summits was very strong, so strong it was blowing my poles across me when I was running.  I even had to take my hat off or I would have lost it.  My technology got confused as my route doubled back on itself and I had to believe I was going the right way and ignore what the IT was telling me.  Once again the path disappeared and it took me 10 minutes to find the path out of the boulder field.  The descent was precarious and I remembered it from a few years back.  The stones were all lose and they just kept slipping from under me due to the steep narrow paths.  When I got to the bottom of the mountain I was glad not to have fallen and swore I wouldn't do that descent again.  However compared to what I faced today, it was easy!
Today my goal was Ben Lui & Ben Oss near Tyndrum.  The weather forecast said there was a chance of rain and there would be low cloud.  They weren't wrong about the clouds and I spend a lot of the time being guided by the OS map on my phone as there was nothing to see.  However that wasn't without it's challenges.  Approaching Ben Lui which was in cloud base I lost the path.  I couldn't see the shape of the hill and should have paid more attention to my phone.  If my watch signaled I was off the route, I never felt or heard it.  But I was heading towards the "Central Gully" as I thought I could see a route cutting off to the right.  The climb was vertical and made all the more difficult by loose stones which just fell away under my feet creating mini landslides.  I was digging in my poles and trying not to look down, I don't like heights, when I began to realise I was going to have to travers across some rocks.  Eventually I came to an overhanging rock that would have required me to fully commit to a grip and take my body weight.  By this stage I was talking out loud to myself and was trying to calm myself down and evaluate the risks in every move, every step.  I came to the decision this was crazy and I'd head back down. Easier said than done. 
When I turned around, the steep narrow gully of loose stones were below me and I really couldn't see how to get safely down.  It involved using my poles as brakes but actually sliding with the stones and sometimes sliding on my arse.  I never, ever want to find myself in that position again.  I was shaking with fear.
As I was descending I noticed a path (at long last) off to my right.  I checked my map are saw that if I followed it I would eventually get back on track and could complete the rest of the route including Ben Oss.  But it was totally clagged in with cloud and I couldn't see the shape of the hill to assess the risks.  The weather was threatening rain so should I take the risk?  I decided to press on as retracing my steps didn't appeal as I had been fairly shaken by the gully.
The path I had seen led me up the side of a sheer drop so that didn't help my nerves that were already frayed!  I just kept my head down and pressed on.  When I reached the top any sense of a path disappeared so it was down to my IT guiding me to Ben Oss which it did.  I was ecstatic to reach the summit and the clouds parted to allow me some photos.  I took time out to get some food on board and calm down.  The way down, although it also involved another climb, was fairly uneventful and after 4 hrs and 45 mins, 1,523m of ascent and 22 km I got back to my car.  Mightily relieved and kicking myself for not managing to follow my map.  At the same time I was pleased not to have totally lost it in the gully when I was thinking of lying down and calling for help!
People often ask me why I do what I do and yesterday was a great reminder when out of the blue I received a message for Jim, someone we met in a bar in San Francisco in 2019 who started following me on FB/Strava/blog.  He wrote to me to say that when he met me he thought 5km was like a mountain so as I'd just ran 205 miles non-stop, it helped him raise his own bar/goals.  He's teed up for two half marathons this year, has lost 45 lbs and is off his meds for high blood pressure and cholesterol.  What an amazing story and all because he was taken by my story about my running and wanted to raise his game.  Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than knowing that what I do can make a positive impact on some ones life.  I hope Jim realised that not only does this message give me a massive boost, but he will also be inspiring people around him who notice the changes in his life.  As I always say, we are all capable of so much more and growth only happens outside the comfort zone!  I must have had a major growth spurt today!  I don't think I've overcome my fear of heights but put in the precarious position, I was able to handle it.

Preparation, preparation and more preparation

With 28 days till I am standing on the start line of Ultra Race Romania, proudly wearing the number 1 bib, there's a lot to do.  Getting to the start line is difficult, but if you get there unprepared in other essential aspects such as food, equipment and the ability to work my technology i.e. online maps and my new Garmin watch then you are in trouble!  
Most of these races have the course well marked but over 250km it has been known for markers to be blown away and that could have serious consequences in addition to losing time.  So this week my pal Michael took time out to show me how to download maps to my garmin (I'm a dinosaur!).  He's also just helped me reboot my phone as today my watch wouldn't connect with my phone and this could be a real issue during the race.  I've also got to work out how to have enough power for my phone and my garmin to last 7 days as it's an unsupported race.  Carrying back up chargers means carrying extra weight so it's a balancing act.
I also reached out to the ultra running community for help with freeze dried food.  In Grand 2 Grand I really suffered and didn't enjoy the food and in the Tahoe 200 they supplied the food and it didn't go down well either.  In the race you'll be running on a calorie deficit but I want to minimise that as much as possible as it will impact on performance.  So next week I'll be testing a few different brands to see how they taste and if my stomach can take them.
It's been a good weeks training.  After my tough weekend last week I had the Monday off but then ran 26k on the Tuesday - my left calf stiffened up and later on that day I saw my sports therapist who worked on it, and my chiropractor who worked on my hip alignment, back, neck and shoulder!  I think I've said before that without my "medical team" I wouldn't be able to run as I do.
I took Friday off and went solo again.  A new route for me but the technology guided me round the 34k route with 1,400 m of ascent and descent.  I needed another mountain run on Sunday and because of the less than optimal conditions, I headed back to Friday's route but cut out the long run in and out.  I was in cloud base very quickly and the first summit was a white out.  Without technology I couldn't have guided my self across the various summits so this was good experience for me.  In total I completed 24k with 1,300 m of ascent and descent.  It's really important that I maintain the mountain sessions as I need to try and replicate the terrain in Romania although it is significantly steeper - 36,000 ft over the 7 days.
There's not long to go now so every session is important as is the data on how I'm feeling.  As I've been writing this blog my coach has just messaged me to swap my runs on Monday and Tuesday to optimise my performance.  In the end, running 250 km over 7 days takes a lot of preparation and it would be gutting to fail because not enough attention had been paid to the details - right down to taking wipes to clean my glasses, remove sweat from my eyes/face and .........you can work out some other important uses!  Let's just hope on Tuesday we get some good news about international travel!  I've held off booking my flights and accommodation so fingers crossed!

Going solo

With 35 days to go till Ultra Race Romania, this was an important weeks training.  I'd checked the weather forecast and took the Friday off work to spend 3 days running in the Cairngorm mountains - the weather was meant to get worse on Sunday so I had my fingers crossed.
Once again my pal Michael planned 3 days for me based on his extensive knowledge of the Cairngorms and managed to join me on the Friday.  I got up at 3.15am and met him at the start just outside of Aviemore at 6.45.  I was wearing my new (investment!!) watch, a Garmin Fenix 6 Solar Pro and loaded onto it was the route for the day - 43km with 1,897m of climbing.  I was able to follow our journey on my watch which will give me great confidence when out on my own.  The route starts along a very long valley and massive boulder fields so was slow going.  Then we climb into the mountains and WOW!  Three out of four of the summits were over 4,000 ft with the small one being a mere 3,300 ft.  The views were spectacular.  At one stage we were passed but ultra running legend Donnie Munro who was flying - glad to see he thought this was a worthwhile route.  We were out for 7 hours 40 minutes so were refilling our bottles from the fresh flowing streams.  On the finishing run out along a track I felt strong.  Michael headed home and there I was, solo for the next two days.  What could possibly go wrong?
Well for a start the maps weren't downloaded to my watch because I hadn't managed to do it before I left and I didn't bring my lap top so in short, no maps on watch. Day 2 I headed off following Google maps to the start.  It took me 3 attempts to find the start point having been driving through a private estate at one stage - stress city.  Eventually I get to the correct starting point and then lose my car keys and can't leave till I find them - in the car FFS!  200m in I get a missed call the 5 text from home.  So walking up the start I'm on the phone sorting something out - more stress!  But I settled down as not even I could get lost on this path.  Kept up a good pace and had a lot more running than the day before because the terrain was better/safer under foot.  Unbelievable views at the top with a shear drop from the edge of the path to the bottom and looking over to the mountains we'd been on yesterday.  On the way down I lost the path and had to improvise - for that read going straight down till I found the path again.  It was a fast descent of 1 hour and I felt the 17.61km with 1,004m of ascent was a good effort. Today Michael had gone to an extra effort with his instructions to make sure there would be no hic-ups.  Good try!  I left the car park via the wrong trail (my fault) but within 0.4KM realised it and reversed my path.  My OS Maps were worse than useless and I really need to get a grip with that app.  I asked a few people if I was going in the right direction and surprisingly I was.  It was a good path and I ran a lot of it.  When it started climbing I started power walking.  1hr 45 mins later I was at the top and the storm clouds were building as forecast so I did my "Deek TV live", took some pictures and got the hell off the summit.  Again a fabulous descent and I even overtook two cyclists who had to stop for the high edged drains across the path.  I'd set myself a target for the descent and was well on it when I got to 300m from the carpark, and got lost!  I knew it was close and even waded across a river twice but to know avail so I ran the long way round having wasted over 15 minutes fannying around.  Had my watch been loaded with the map it would have been stress free - every day's a learning day but 25km with 856m of climbing so not to be sniffed at considering it was day 3.  The good news is my body held up and that gives me confidence for URR.
My Garmin told me after day 1 I needed 4 days recovery!!  It probably wasn't wrong but sometimes you have to over ride the heath and safety aspect as I am pushing the boundaries.
Going solo isn't easy but I'm getting there.  Just got to sort the technology and the technology operator and I'll be fine.  I know my friends are "willing me on" and hoping I'll return safely and I appreciate everyone's concern.  At my age I really should be able to go out without getting lost but at least I make it back without falling.  In some ways getting lost is quite liberating as it's down to you, no one else.  When I get to Romania there will be regular markings on the trail but I'll have the back up of my watch if, and I'm sure it will, those markers disappear!  I've rediscovered my love of the Cairngorm mountains.  They are totally awesome and a great escape from this crazy pandemic we are all living through.  Get into the mountains (with a map!).  They will remind you about what's important!  Breath in that fresh air and relax.

Getting to the start line

I've often commented that getting to the start line is possibly the biggest achievement, bigger than completing the race.  I can take months or even years to prepare for an event and so much can happen during that time.  As you know my last few months have involved a few injuries which have meant my training plan has had to be adapted.  Not being able to work on my core due to the injuries meant I didn't complete a 50 mile race, but I did 35 miles and was happy with the result.  But what I wasn't expecting was for one of the kids to come home with Covid and having to self isolate for 10 days!  
This "delta variant" spreads like wild fire and within a day we had 3 people living with us who had tested positive for covid.  My wife and I had fortunately both been double jabbed and so far we remain negative, but 10 days of isolation - where was that in the training plan!  Fortunately the 3 young adults in our house are almost back to normal although two of them have lost their ability to taste and their sense of smell.
I am very fortunate though in that I've just had an out door gym build and had a treat mill (my wife's) sitting in a box as it had done for the last three years.  Quick call to my pal Stuart and he popped round, socially distanced, and assembled the tread mill.  It's been a tough week of adapted training but it's good to be back working on my core which is so needed for URR in 6 weeks time.
But like the injuries and the set backs, covid suddenly made me think what a struggle it is to get to the start line.  Your first priority is to get there.  The second is to hope you are fit enough and not injured and the third is to achieve your objective in the race.  At this stage I still don't know if I can travel to Romania but I have to keep training as though the event is taking place.  I know the race organisers are doing everything possible at their end to make the event safe for competitors and the organisers/volunteers so here's hoping we'll be able to enjoy everything Romania has to offer.  In the meantime, stay safe out there and get your jabs!

Replicating race conditions

A break of 3 days after my race last weekend let my body recover and I prepared for a weekend in the mountains.  If Ultra Race Romania is on, and I think that will be a late decision, then I have to prepare for 36,000 ft of climbing in 6 days while completing 250km.  Sadly there is no way to replicate the URR conditions in the UK but we need to make a good go of it.
On Saturday I was with my running buddie Michael who is great at mapping out days in the mountains and we headed to Glenshee to complete 3 Munro's which would take Michael's total to 100 - 10 that week!  As so often is the case with me on the mountains, the conditions were sub-optimal which meant the summits were all in cloud base.  1 hour in 1 didn't feel great and my heart rate reached 186 bpm, normally when pushing it, my HR would reach 168 bpm so this was either a blip or I should have been lying on my back.  We had some food, rehydrated and dropped the pace which solved the problem.  The conditions meant we didn't hang around and we completed the 33km  with 1,546m of elevation in 5hrs 41 mins.  It was a good day out.
Today I was back in the mountains but on my own.  As you know I can get lost in a car park so I was slightly nervous.  The plan was about the elevation, not the distance so the mountain selected, Ben More, has possible the steepest climb out of all the Munro's.  My coach wanted me to climb up once then go half way up and back down.  I made sure I had plenty of food and headed off trying to get my map on my phone so I didn't get lost - but I did.  Fortunately I picked it up early on and reversed my steps.  The cloud base was about a third of the way up the hill so I had little visual queues to go on.  Once you find the path it's very straight forward, except it's vertical and the stones you are stepping on all present a risk.  It got a bit "spooky" at the top as you are surrounded by clouds with some sheer drops but not being able to see the drops was a good thing.
When you reach the top you can go down the other side which is a much easier descent but my instructions were to go back the way I'd come up.  It was a very difficult descent and the pace was really slow as it was on the way up and I had to concentrate very hard.  I decided on the way down not to repeat the first half again as it really was risky and I was on my own.  Better get to the race slightly under prepared than injured!
Getting back to the car I was delighted that my HR had stayed low and that my legs felt great.  I've four long runs planned for the next 5 days.
Some big weekends lie ahead as I spend as much time as possible in the mountains building up my strength.  Hopefully one of these days I'll reach a summit and have a view!

Build back better!

Yesterday was the Moray Coastal Trail 80km ultra and I was so excited to be racing for the first time since September 2019 with competitors around me ie not a virtual race.  I had decided I was going to race the race rather than just complete the race.  With my coach we designed an ambitious race plan where we agreed the pace for every section and whether or not I stopped at an aid station and if so, for how long - the stops ranged from 90 secs to 2 minutes!
My wife was my crew although officially a supporter as it was an "unsupported race" so she couldn't hand me food or drinks.  Her main job was to tell me when I arrived at a check point if I was on target, how long I had to stop for and how far to the next check point.  I had all this information written down and had studied it but your mind plays tricks on you in these races so it's good to have someone to remind you and it's always amazing how you feel better and pick up your pace when you can see your supporter cheering you on.  As the race went on I lost track of this information so it was a great help.
The race started in Forres and the first 11.2km are on tarmac and a bit boring.  Then you get to the coast and wow what a beautiful run it becomes.  It's more or less flat and as I have found out before in my first Ironman, flat is very tough.  You're running across stunning beaches, miles wide, and I was one of the few wearing short gaiters so had no issues with sand in my shoes like some did.  The organiser said you could wear road or trail shoes so I found a shoe that did both and am glad I did because there were plenty of stones to kick along the way and the "trail sole" did it's best to protect me from the unforgiving large pebble we spent many KMs running over.
There were cliff top trails and stunning forests to run through and I was grateful for the steady tail wind which did it's best to keep the temperature down, but it was warm.
Fiona was reporting to me that I was ahead of schedule despite me trying to keep to the agreed pace.  But once I hit the beaches and the trails the pace slowed significantly.  Running in sand saps your strength but running on sandy trails with big pebbles is really tough and twisting an ankle was a real concern.  However when I did fall, I always fall, it was on a dirt trail and fortunately it was soft earth however try telling that to my shoulder (38km into the race).
To this day I haven't found a food strategy that works as you get sick of gels and bars quite quickly but know you need to keep eating.  In hindsight I carried too much with me and when I got to my drop bag at half way I only ate my custard and drank half a bottle of coke, took a handful of gels and left - in under 3 mins.
My pace was getting slower and slower and my right ankle was sore as was my lower back.  It didn't help that I, along with others, got lost 3 times due to poor signage (it was the first time this race has been run and I'm sure they will attend to this next year) - I heard the leader got lost and was a mile and a half off track (he found his way back and was still in the lead!)
In all my endurance events I've had highs and lows and in the lows the possibility of pulling out the race comes into my head.  But after 45 kms I was starting to walk and walk run and the pain in my ankle and back was getting worse.  There was a 7km section to Kingston that really finished me off and that was along the sandy track with big pebbles next to the beach - it was brutal, the hardest section of the race so I was told.  Eventually it ended and I came to the decision I'd pull out at the next check point as I was concerned that I would really hurt myself and not be able to train as normal and as my "A race" is 8 weeks away, I couldn't afford time out.  I text my wife who was at the check point at Kingston 56km (my garmin said 53km) and she walked out to meet me.  On the way in we talked about the fact there was only 24km to go and I was only 3 minutes behind target despite all my walking in this section (total time 5hrs 29mins).  I could have walked to the finish line in 3.5 hours and got my medal but it was never about just finishing the race, it was about racing the race.  I informed the officials I was pulling out and got in the car and was driven home.
I've only experienced a DNF once before and it made me change my training so I didn't suffer with a hamstring problem again.  As you'd expect I've been given my decision a lot of thought.  Should I just have applied rule 5 (Man The F@@k Up)?  I'm 100% certain I made the right decision as I feel after a couple of days rest and a sports massage, I'll be back running.  But I'll also be back in the gym working on my core because this in my opinion was the main problem.  I hadn't been able to work on my core since I injured my ribs 6 weeks ago followed by my back and my core wasn't strong enough to finish the 80kms properly.
Nobody likes failing but as a friend pointed out, DNF means did nothing fatal!  There's lost of lessons learned but I mustn't forget the positives such as a 4 hr 12 min marathon on a trail which is slower than on tarmac - it also includes all the time I was lost which could take another 10 mins off.  My pace of 53.2km was 6:23 per km but I'm not sure if that's entirely accurate as the organisers have it down as 56km to that point so it was possibly faster - who knows?
We should learn from every race and when you have a set back then "build back better" - where have I heard that phrase before?  The building back starts on Tuesday and the Moray Coastal Ultra did exactly what I needed it to do.  It pushed me hard and I think staying on an ambitious pace target for 56km is a good training run.  
I'll leave you with one last thought.  What makes you have a sleepless night before an event and your stomach churn on a start line is knowing that the result is not guaranteed otherwise it wouldn't be worthwhile.  Growth only occurs outside your comfort zone and it's fair to say that certainly was the case yesterday.  I live to fight another day.  No damage done and 8 weeks till my "A race" - assuming Romania is on the green list but there's nothing I can do about that, other than continue with my training.  Thank you all for your words of support yesterday, they mean a lot.  Thanks to my wife for her "crew" responsibilities which she did so well and to my coach for designing a great training plan around my injuries and always helping me push the limits.