Number 836

It's getting close - 8 weeks to be precise and I've even got my number, 836. For 2 years I have dreamed about setting off for the desert. What it will be like running in that heat, in all sorts of different conditions underfoot? Cooking my freeze dried food on a small stove, repairing my feet and sleeping under the stars while avoiding any beasties! I'll get a first glimpse of it at the end of the month when I will spend 4 days in the desert testing out my gear and myself. Between now and then I will be building up the miles in my legs. Tonight by contrast I went out for a quick 10k run with my rucksack on my back. Lit up like a xmas tree as I was running on "b" roads with no streetlights. Dodging the potholes and avoiding the ice wasn't easy but running in zero degrees is going to be completely different from 40-50 degrees. Perhaps in the double marathon day when we run through the night the temperatures will be near freezing but by then I'll be exhaused and running on empty. I can't wait but there's a lot of work to be done before then.

Wise words from a Scottish caddie!

Gail force wins, sleet & hailstones - thank goodness my training plan had this down as a rest day. However it won't mean my son misses his outdoor athletics training tonight - that'll toughen him up! I had a yoga practice this morning and as usual, following a running weekend, I was as stiff as a board. It's like 1 step forward, 2 steps back but I knew that after the practice I'd feel the benefit of it and if I keep this up all week, which I will, then the results will be so worthwhile. That's the thing about training. Sometime you really can't be bothered especially if it involves getting up on a dark and cold wintery morning. But that's when you have to question "why am I doing this?" I've explained to anyone who will listen that to achieve something worthwhile you have got to have a reason, a desire within you or else you'll give up when the going gets tough. My reason for going through the hours of training / pain is to raise money for Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres and this afternoon I visited the Glasgow centre. I had a cup of tea with two of the fund raisers and the boss of the centre. Everywhere I looked people were smiling and engaged in conversation. Not a sad face in the building. It took me a few minutes to realise that those smiling faces were on either cancer patients or family members of cancer patients. This is because the whole ethos of Maggie's is about life, not death. We'll all die one day and getting cancer isn't necessarily a death sentence. A positive attitude helps and in the wonderful, beautiful Maggie's Centre there was plenty of that around. I'm sure it's not easy to be positive when tackling cancer but as a wise old Scottish golf caddie once said to me when I was moaning about a bad shot, "at least you are the right side of the grass sir" - meaning not buried under the ground. That brought a smile to my face and I stopped moaning and guess what? My game improved. So to all those wonderful people I saw at Maggie's today, keep smiling. There is a magnificent support mechanism around you and if through my small efforts I can help raise some well needed money then I will. Thanks for making my day.

Recovery running

Last week was all about recovering. I felt very lazy doing only 2 yoga sessions and I had planned a few turbo sessions but was too tired. The rest did me some good and allowed the massive blister on my heal to repair. It now looks like a 2 inch oval shape of raw skin. But as it's been exposed to the air it's lost its senitivity. On Saturday and today I ran the same 10 mile trail route with my 6k rucksack. I was 2 minutes quicker today but that was probably because I had a running partner. However it wasn't easy as my legs were tired which was to be expected. I'll take a couple days off running now and concentrate on yoga, rest and recovery. I also need to set time aside to finalise the equipment I am taking and my nutrition. 8 weeks and 6 days to go!

Rest & recovery

This morning I noticed my throat was a bit "croaky". This has developed as the day went on but in the past when you take a rest this tends to happen. One of my fellow "Great Glen" runners has also come down with flu like symptoms so I guess the near hypothermic experience is taking it's toll. Looking at it positively taking a rest this week is essential to ensure my tired limbs and muscles don't get injured but I need to balance that against doing nothing. So I'll restrict myself to some light yoga and light spinning sessions. I will also use the time to make my preparations for the food, nutrition and equipment I will be taking which is a huge task. Let's see what tomorrow morning brings and hopefully it won't be "man flu"!

Team work gets you there

I've been reflecting over the last few days about our epic 76 (or 79 if you take the officials measurement) Great Glen run. During the two days there were points that were very tough both physically and mentally. In the end I concluded that it was the mental side that took more out of you - having that voice in your head telling you how difficult it was is a real pain in the arse and serves no purpose! But it was my team mates that came to my rescue and visa versa when you saw someone suffering. On numerous occassions one of them would slow down, start a conversation to distract you from the pain and help you back to "a good place". On no occassion did anyone say "this sub-zero temperature is killing me so I think I'll stop". We were all feeling it, all going through the turmoil but instead of moaning (which would achieve nothing other than finding yourself running on your own) we all helped each other out. Even the super fit ones would enjoy helping someone else because it distracted them from any aches and pains they had. This experience will be the making of "The Tartan Army" in the Marathon des Sables as we will need to support each other over 6 days of gruelling physical and mental challenges. At 6.15am my yoga teacher treated me wisely taking account of what I'd been through. There were some physical signs and after an hour I felt great. Then off for a sports massage but not with the normal pressure being applied - wise move again! The weekend has taken it's toll on my body but with "my team" of experts around me, they can rebuild me! It's just great to be surrounded by so many "can do" people who are all pushing their own barriers and inspiring others. Thanks team.

The morning after the weekend before

I eased myself out of bed this morning checking my aches and paines. Achilles were tight, quads felt like they had been beaten up, scabs on my back were crusty and cracking - ouch! But I was able to walk down stairs so that was a good start, but not without some discomfort. A huge plate of porridge set me up for the day as I was in calorie deficit from the weekend back to back ultras. If I sat at my desk for too long and tried to get up it was comical - for anyone watching. A massive lunch followed by a massive dinner. Tomorrow I know it will be worse so I am tackling it with a 1:1 session with my yoga teacher at 6.15am followed by a sports massage. Neither of these will be particularly pleasant but they are essential. So is it worth it? When I think about what I (and my pals) achieved at the weekend, running 76 miles in 2 day with a racksack I have a satisfied grin on my face. It's amazing how quickly you forget the pain...until the morning.

Back to back Ultras

As I sit with my feet up, icing my achilles tendons, having scrubbed the dirt of in a hot bath, treated the massive blister which I picked up at mile 12, and down my pain killers with a chilled glass of wine - I now reflect on the last 2 days doing back to back ultras. I broke the rules. In running you are not meant to increase your distance by more than 10%.. Last weekend I ran 15 miles. On Saturday I left Inverness with 9 pals (6 of them doing MdS - The Tartan Army) to run the 79 mile Great Glen. Snow lay on the ground as we ran 41 beautiful miles buy unfortunately after 12 miles I picked up a blister which I treated straight away. 1 mile later, protecting the blister, I went over on my ankle and took a heavy fall - close call as it could have finished me. We continued and passed the marathon 26.2 mile mark; I was now into new territory. The group worked well together as we tried to get the pace right. When we finished I realised I was chaffed under the arms and my rucksack had rubbed me raw on my lower back - ouch. Unfortunately my blister was now 4 times the size and by mistake I ripped it off - double ouch. I was surprised to be able to run the next day but 8 miles in the weather turned, cold rain so I has to run without glasses which wasn't easy. My blister, chaffed armpit and raw back continually remined me I was doing back to back ultras and it was good practise for MdS. We ground out the run as we were cold and wet. The route was reasonably flat compared to the 4,500 ft (I will verify this once I've downloaded my garmin) the following day but this meant more running and the cold made that difficult. We were surprised when we learned we only had 12 miles to go. 12 miles, piece of cake. That was fine till the weather turned, the wind picked up and the rain came down. My core body temperature dropped and I started to struggle. The wind was so strong you couldn't run. I lost all feeling in my fingers but we trugged on. When we got to the end we went to a pub with a real fire and that's when the shakes started. I ordered a hot chocolate and almost threw it over the barman! 2 cups later, a bowl of soup and a change of clothes and I started to recover. But when I went outside to pick up my car the shakes started again. The 79 miles, the wind, rain, sleet and sub zero temperature had taken their toll. This has been an incredible experience. I have gone beyond the rules of running, beyond whatever I imagined possible but for a reason. This has given me the experience and the confidence I require to complete MdS. I entered the "hurt locker". I went to some very dark places but always believed I come out the other side, which I did. You need to do this if you are going to push the boundaries and not only am I proud of my achievement but also that of my new found friends that I will spend 2 weeks in the desert with learning a lot about what is achievable if you really want it. Another glass of wine I think then off to bed!