Gower Trail Marathon

Endurancelife Coastal Trail Marathon – Stage 2 - Gower
Dark clear skies were broken with the glimmer of stars. The ground frost glistened. It was going to be a perfect day for running. A little cold to start maybe but it was going to be a good day.
It was an early start. Rising at 4am to pick up my buddy Nigel at 5am and then head south on the M5, then M4 to arrive in the Gower for 7:30am.
This was the second stage of the Endurancelife Coastal Trail Series. At registration, much of the chat was about the previous race in Dorset some 4 weeks earlier. Yes, it had been a real tough race and a real baptism of fire for many. Was the Gower going to be as hard?
I hadn’t looked at the course profile as I feel that it serves no real purpose. I take it as it comes and hopefully my body responds accordingly. Nigel however had come armed with a print out of the route. On paper, the route looked hillier than Dorset; oh joy we thought.
At 9a,m the marathon runners congregated at the rear of the village hall. The cold air kept everyone moving on the spot to keep warm. Or was it nerves of the run ahead?
Race briefing as per usual was informative. Any particular area of danger was pointed out to the runners. Everyone was told of the need to be self-sufficient. And most importantly, everyone was made aware that should you die during the event, it was our own fault for entering in the first place. Sounded like it was going to be a good day.
At 9:15 we departed the village hall. As per usual at these events a short section of road was soon replaced with trail. At first it was relatively firm grass. After a good section the profile started to go up and the ground became muddy. The course was still technically quite easy and therefore unlike Dorset, many runners grouped together. The climb started to spread people out and finally a natural order started to take place.
A nice run across the top of the ridge was replaced with some fast technical downhill and then a really lovely section of bog snorkelling. Yes, some really smelly lovely mud. You put your foot in it and sunk to mid calf. It was pretty tough but fun. I always get worried about these sections as I dread the thought of leaving a shoe behind.
From here we were treated to some great views of the coastline and sandy trails through grassland. It was really beautiful as the low morning light skimmed over the ground.
Eventually we started to drop down and we were treated to a long sandy beach and rolling waves. The early morning frost had frozen the top layers of sand it was just a real pleasure to run through virgin sand as the waves splashed to our right. The early morning light winds lifted the spray from the water and gently showered us. At the end of the beach was a checkpoint. We dibbed in with our timing chips and left the beach section via a narrow pathway.
A short section of road and then in-front of us a wall of grass. The early section was gently graded and it was possible to run. Inevitably though as the gradient increased we all started to power walk. The secret of trail running is knowing when to walk and save energy. It’s not a negative. It’s a positive. I strided out making small steps. The aim to keep the speed up. It was quite a long section and finally we were treated with a plateau and some great views.
We had a really good section of running here. Some mud and some boggy ground but on the whole it was good running. We had plenty to look at, cliffs, sea, great views and the opportunity to chat with other runners.
Some of the early runners who had set the pace out front now started to come back. Start too quick and inevitably you will start to pay for it.
I had hooked up with a couple of runners and we were really enjoying the chat and views. Running at a similar pace we helped keep each other going.
Down again. This time it was technical and rocky. Once in the dip it was time to climb out. It was possible to jog walk and then we had another section of good running.
Once again we reached another beach section. This sand was much softer with many rock sections. Much harder running here. It was tough on the ankles and knees but still a pleasure.
Off the beach we climbed again. This section was on road but it was possible to keep a good pace going even though this section was quite steep. At the top we ran through fields and the entered a lovely woodland section. Soft ground, trees, shrubs and subdued light made this a really memorable section.
From the wood we climbed upwards again. Through a tough field section and then a road. Once we crossed the road a final checkpoint. As I ran away I shouted ‘how many in front?’ a reply came ‘four’. Great I thought. That two days rest before the race was obviously paying dividends. Treat these races as training and very rarely relax on approach to them.
It was downhill for quite a long section now. It was welcome. It gave me an opportunity to keep my speed up and recover.
At the bottom I continued onwards, up a hill and then joined a road section. I came to a crossroads and unusually no ‘direction’ marker. I ran straight on doubtful I was running the correct way. I saw a woman with a pram. ‘Seen any runners?’ I asked.
Her reply was less than convincing “no” she said “but there are some race markings up the road”
I continued. Finally I saw an endurancelife sign pointing left to the village and race start. I continued on and eventually saw another sign. Must be the correct way? I thought.
This was a long section of road and I was surprised. I came into the village and entered the finish. I dibbed in for 3rd place. I knew this wasn’t correct. I hadn’t overtaken anyone. Although my GPS had the correct distance I had obviously missed a turn.
Neil Bryant came in and dibbed in. He was given 4th place. I was definitely behind him and I told him so. No glory in grabbing places by taking a wrong turn. I was happy with my race. I felt really good and although it is a real disappointment to go of course so close to the finish I know it wouldn’t have altered my overall place of 4th (or maybe 5th).
The Gower was stunning. It was a beautiful course of stunning views, great-varied terrain and excellent organization. It would be a great first time race for the Coastal Series. It was tough as all these races are. But in comparison to Dorset, it was a walk in the park.
As a footnote (no pun intended) I changed my shoe type for this race. Previously I had used the Salomon XD and found that on real muddy terrain I couldn’t keep upright. For this race I used the Speed Cross with a more aggressive sole. Perfect!! The added grip was so welcome and ultimately enabled me to keep my speed up. Winner of the race was Andy Jones in 3:20:41. I recorded 3:36:00.
See you in Portland for stage 3.

Dorset Coastal Trail Marathon

DORSET COASTAL TRAIL MARATHON

So, you think a marathon is tough? Well, I can safely say that anyone who ran the Endurancelife Coastal Trail in Dorset this Saturday will re-evaluate that point of view. Yes, marathons are tough but the Dorset Coastal was ‘horrific’ but in a great way.
Mark Hughes ran the half marathon. I passed him on the course twice and when we met up at the end he just could not believe the severity of the course. In fact he quite rightly said it WAS the hardest thing I had ever done….. And he only ran the half!!! He couldn’t get his head around the marathon.
Here we go then, I will try to give an insight, however, unless you were there it is difficult to comprehend. I have photographs that I took whilst running to ‘savour’ the experience. Hopefully you will get to see them. If you would like to look, go to my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009654&id=1134337672&ref=mf
I arrived at the race HQ at around 7:30am. Registration was really well organized. A signature on a declaration form saying basically that if you die during the event it is no ones fault but your own for entering in the first place – always a good sign. Then it was collecting your race number and then your ‘dongle’. The dongle is a form of timing chip that goes around the wrist. At certain checkpoints you ‘dib in’ to a control box and it records your split and obviously records that you actually complete the whole course.
We stood in blowing winds, cold temperatures and listened to how the ‘course’ was treacherous and slippery. It is part of these events that you need to be self-sufficient. So everyone was told to carry food, liquid, warm clothing, mobile phones and basically to be safe.
At 8:00am we departed from the Square & Compass Pub on an epic adventure. After about 800m of road we jumped a gate and then it was off road. Initially running through fields, negotiating gates, running through woodland and then in front of us a wall of grass and a backbreaking ascent to the Coastal Path. Little did we know that this backbreaking ascent certainly wasn’t the hardest on the course or was it the only one…
You pretty much have to go single file on the ascents and decents. Most ascents had steps built in and so therefore it was just a real physical challenge. The descents however are a little more treacherous. Slippery mud, steep gradients and quad crunching pain; oh joy.
This section was like being on a big dipper at the fair; up one side, down the other side, back up, back down. The hills were filed in with treacherous coastal paths with stunning views out to sea and the rocky cliffs.
At about 6 miles we had to run through farmers fields. Thick clay stuck to your shoes and made your feet twice the size and weight. A grass vertical wall confronted us; you somehow had to climb up it. Grabbing tufts of grass you would pull yourself up, secure your foot and then repeat the process; running? No, this was climbing!!
At the top we were rewarded with some good trail and a short section of road. A feed station and checkpoint came at around 9.5 miles and then it was climbing again. This time up stony, rocky surfaces to a new summit. Good hard terrain gave me an increase in speed and I picked off 3 or 4 runners who basically had started too quickly. Running along the cliffs we could see the course continue on the cliff tops opposite. Problem was a big gap in between. We descended, entered a valley and then had to climb out. This probably was the hardest section. No footholds, constant slippery mud and basically just hard graft. In a sick way it was fun. I had joined a couple of other guys and we helped each other through this section. It must have taken 20-30 minutes to cover less than 2 miles.
The summit one again treated us to some firmer ground and then we re-joined the course to be confronted by the half marathon runners coming at us. They had started some 90minutes later. We now had to re-negotiate the roller coaster hills from earlier in the day. One foot at a time and keep working. You can do no more. I saw Mark in this section. I was just amazed at how tough it was….. I heard a few choice words and ‘mental’ a few times and pushed on.
The marathon runners now went onto a second loop taking in another section of the coastal pathway. Although we had loads more hills to traverse they in general were not as hard as the earlier climbs. However, the conditions underfoot just meant you slipped everywhere. I was not having a good time here. My hips, knees and core were really feeling the constant compensations one had to make not to fall over. I had Salomon trail shoes on but I couldn't stay upright.
Finally I reached the last checkpoint and feed. We had about 5 miles to go. Pretty damn tired now. Everything ached and you just wanted to be back at the finish. More climbing, more slipping, more falling. Down and up we went. You walked the hills. It just wasn’t practical to run. Finally we came down a hill to join the runners from the half marathon course. Guess what? Mark was there plodding on up the final climb. A quick hello and I pushed on at a brisk walk. At the top the finish was in sight. I ran down the farm track running and splashing through the puddles to finally join the road that led to the finish. Up some steps and home. I was absolutely happy to be back and so glad this race wasn’t an ‘Ultra’.
Everyone who came in had a story to tell. They all said how hard, how tough, etc etc…. BUT they all loved it and they all said how they would be back for the next one at the ‘Gower’ in early December.
In total there are 7 Coastal Marathons. One a month for the next 6 months. If you fancy a challenge and something to test you; Live outside the box and get yourself entered. Distances are 10k, half marathon or marathon.
Finally I need to make a mention about Nigel Addison-Evans. Nigel is attempting 8 marathons in 7 days in 2009 and I am coaching him. He decided that because I had done 8 marathons in 8 days in 2008 I was the perfect coach. I hope he still thinks so? He did a sterling run in 6:10 and really gritted his teeth to get round in one of the toughest marathons I have been involved in. Well done.
The winning time was a quite incredible 3:36 by a South African friend of mine, David Ross. I completed the course in about 4:08 (tbc)
Ian

Leicester City Marathon

LEICESTER CITY MARATHON 19th October 2009



According to my calculations, Leicester was my 32nd Marathon of 2008. Admittedly, many of those marathons have been in training and obviously I did 8 in a row when I did the 8in8in08. However, Leicester was going to be different…..

I had targeted Leicester as the ‘only’ opportunity I would have a go at beating my PB. No doubt I have loads of miles in my legs. No doubt I have run countless marathons. But all of them in the remainder of 2007 and all those preceding Leicester had been based on ‘endurance’; the ability to run big miles day after day.

So Leicester was falling quite nicely as an ‘in-between’ race. Post my Ironaman I had run Coventry Trail 40 miler and the 100k on the Thames Path at the end of September, so, with those races out of the way I had a mini taper before re-building my mileage back up at the end of October, beginning of November.

Funnily, my marathon PB is not that quick, 3:12 ran at Paris Marathon in 2007. However, I have run lots since then and I know on a good day I can get a good time. My prep for Leicester, although good, was not ideal for a fast run. I had too little time to add any speed work and my mini taper in true marathon terms was not long enough. Give it a go anyway I thought…

In marathon terms, the weather was perfect. Cloudy, with a slight chill. However, after mile 13 the wind really picked up and made the last half tough going. So, the race !

The gun sounded at 9.20am and we were off. Difficult start as the half marathon race started with the marathon runners. It was too easy to start too quick as the ‘halfers’ flew off. My target was to really push myself, throw it all on the line and either come up with a thrashing of my PB and a long desired sub 3 marathon or die in flames….

Mile 1 was 5:57, mile 2 - 6:22, mile 3 – 6:23, mile 4 – 6:27 and then I settled. My target was to try and keep 6:30’s going and see what happened. Slight undulations slowed the pace every now and then but in principal I was being consistent. I felt good. Breathing was easy, I was on my toes and the miles were clicking by. I went through 10k in 38min (ish) and then the half marathon at 1:25, so, all good….


Then the wind and a few hills came. It was tough for a while. Then next 4 miles went by at 6:47, 6:46, 6:49 and 6:47. It wasn’t a problem, 6:50’s is sub 3 hr pace aand I had time in the bag from the first 13 miles.

At 18 miles I started to suffer a little and then at 19 miles the legs started to twitch. Oh dear, the wheels were coming off. Going long and steady no problem but my legs were just not used to this pace. Mile 19 - 7:09 and then I just had to hold on. My legs were giving me some real stick. If I could have held 7:30’s I would have still gone sub 3 but my legs were not having any of it. Mile 20 – 7:12, mile 21 – 7:31, mile 22 – 7:38….. you can see a pattern forming can’t you!! Grit your teeth and keep running I thought. I was still going to thrash my PB but not going to get that sub 3.

I crossed the line in 3:03:18 with bloody sore legs. I had knocked 9 miinutes of my PB but missed the holy grail by just over 3 mins. It will come. I know it’s there. I just need to dedicate a period of running purely for that target and not trying to ‘fit it in’.

Next time?

Ian

Thames Path 100K

To re cap. My re-run of the Thames Path section from Henley on Thames to Staines was a distance of 50k (32 miles) and was the run I performed on my 5th day of 8 marathons in 8 days. For those who don't remember, the 5th day was the day after my Dad had major surgery for stomach cancer.

In April, when I initially ran I remembered stunning scenery, beautiful trails and great views. However, these memories blurred with the stress and worries of Dads operation. I therefore decided post the 8 marathons that I would re run this day with the addition of running back the next day. So, a total of 100k or 64 miles.

I started at Henley on Thames in glorious sunshine and this weather held for the full two days. In-fact, it was a little too hot but I wasn't going to complain. I was running with a multi-day Raidlight running sac, so, the added weight contributed to extra fatigue and heat build up. However, I kept a steady pace and just made sure I hydrated. Obviously, due to limitations in carrying capacity I had to make sure I could re-fuel on route. Not a problem on the path as you pass villages, locks, rowing clubs, ice cream vans etc at regular intervals.

So running from Henley I ran east along the Thames passing through Aston, Hurley, Marlow, Little Marlow, Well End, Bourne End, Cookham, Maidenhead, Bray, Eton, Windsor, Datchet, Old Windsor, Egham and finally Staines. Needless to say, the views on such a beautiful weekend are fantastic. In areas of interest, in particular Marlow and Windsor hundreds upon hundreds of people were on the path enjoying the sun. It was a real pleasure to be out there....

Saturdays run took 5 hours 19 mins and Sundays 5 hours 30 mins. I ran at a steady endurance pace and apart from miles 30 and 31 on Sunday, I had no real problems apart from tender legs.... I mention Sunday because without any warning dehydration hit with just a few miles left. I had failed to re-fill a bottle at Marlow, missed vital electrolytes and paid the price. The dehydration hit me like a wall and I was reduced to a walk to recover.

It was a fantastic weekend. I loved every minute of the whole two days and I loved the self sufficiency that comes with this sort of running. It's a real buzz and adventure. I strongly recommend it is a variation to your training. Obviously, no need to run such a long way.

Go LANCE Go !!!!

Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement and compete in next year's Tour de France, VeloNews reported Monday, citing sources close to the situation.
Armstrong, who will turn 37 on Sept. 18, will join the Astana team and compete in five road races, the sources told VeloNews.
He will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France. The sources told VeloNews that Armstrong will receive no salary or bonuses.
Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins, would not comment.
Sources told VeloNews that Armstrong's comeback will be the focal point of a story in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, to be published later this month.
Armstrong, who overcame testicular cancer he was diagnosed with in 1996 en route to his string of Tour de France triumphs, has remained active in the three years since his retirement.
In August he raced in the Leadville Trail 100, a 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies, finishing a close second to the six-time defending champion, Dave Wiens. It's the country's highest-altitude bicycle race.
Armstrong has also run the New York and Boston marathons and was set last month to run the Chicago Marathon in October.

Coventry Way 40 mile Ultra

Coventry Way 40 mile Trail Run
Needless to say, the past weeks weather gave me some major concerns for an off road trail run that circumnavigates Coventry. On Saturday, the day before the race, the weather was horrendous with torrential rain and strong winds. It didn't look good....
Race morning came and the tring from the alarm got me out of bed quickly. A quick look out of the window confirmed the rain had eased but not stopped. A good breakfast of about 600 cals and 750 ml of electrolyte set me up for the 8 am start.
The journey to Coventry saw me drive through some real heavy rain storms and I was diverted twice because of flooding. Not a good sign....
I arrived at the Village Hall at Meriden a little later than I would have liked but I had about 20 min to spare. Walkers had set out on the course as early as 06:00. The cut off for the event is 21:00. So as you can imagine, the course is challenging. They operate a rolling start, so basically you may leave at any time. You have a card that needs to be marked at checkpoints on route; 8 in total.
I started at 8 am in a group of approximately 12. We started in heavy rain wearing waterproofs, however, it soon became apparent that a waterproof wasn't needed. Temperatures were mild and basically a jacket just made you hot. I however was running with a 'Raidlight' sac to get some practice for multi-stage racing. I therefore needed to wait till the first checkpoint before removing my jacket.
The first couple of miles ticked over but then a group of 4 of us upped the pace. Navigation on the course was quite tricky and 2 of the guys I was with were old hands... basically, they new the course back to front. I made a decision to stay with them as long as possible. They clicked out a pretty hard pace considering the terrain.
Muddy? no... imagine the worst cow field you possibly can and then imagine it water logged... add to that gates, hills, turnstiles, corn fields, forests etc... and you have a rough idea on how hard the course was. At several points we were wading above knee height in water.
We made checkpoint 2, 14 miles in 2 hours. We had a break at each checkpoint, refill bottles, get some calories and basically just break the running up. Checkpoint 3 came at 18.5 miles and by now we were in the lead. We had dropped one guy and the three of us pushed on. Checkpoint 4 cam at 24 miles and we were feeling good. I expressed concern about our pace. I felt we were running too quickly... the terrain was so sapping and when you have 40 miles to go you know at some point you are going to pay for your efforts.
The distance between point 4 and 5 was the longest at 7 miles, so it was important to make sure you had drink and food to sustain you for an hour. At 28 miles, Mitch, one of the locals started to get cramp... he pulled through it well but it dictated a slower pace for the remainder of the race. At checkpoint 5 we had a slightly longer break, plenty of liquid and food and then moved on. How painful.... getting the legs going after a few minutes break really is sore.
Two more checkpoints left, 6 at 34.4 miles and 7 at 37 miles. We kept pushing and although our pace had dropped we kept running. All the turnstiles and gates were pretty painful, particularly for Mitch, he was really frightened of his legs going 'ping'.
In this section we had to 'wade' a couple of times as the river that had broken its banks. We also had to run through a couple of corn fields.. this was weird. Felt like I was in a movie, 'North by Northwest' or more scarily, 'The Children of the Corn'.
Finally, the last checkpoint. We had 3 miles to go. We had hoped to go under 7 hours, in-fact, we had hoped to go 6:30 but the conditions were just too hard. So, 3 miles in 30mins... it was gonna be a push. We finally entered the Village Hall after circumnavigating Coventy in 7 hrs 03 mins. At this point we thought we had all finished in joint first, however, it turned out a couple of other runners beat outr time. First place was 6:40, 2nd 6:51 and the three amigos came in at 7:03.
It was a tough day. One of the hardest days I have done in racing but it was a great day and a real experience. I really cant recommend this type of racing enough.

Training Update

I have been a little quiet on my training post Ironman. It has not been a calculated decision. It is just the way things have worked out. I have races planned pre Christmas but all major targets are now in 2009.

Having said that, next week I have a 40 mile trail run and then two weeks later I have two days on the Thames Path covering 100km.

So, as you can expect, I have been doing lots of running. This week I have been training in Nice in the South of France. It was an intentional end to my training period post Ironman and before I start racing again.

It has been a really tough week. I have covered just under 300km in 8 days. Admittedly not all running but my intention was to put time 'on' my legs to prepare for the challenges ahead. Needless to say, the week is over and my legs are tired... very tired! 

Breaking the week down I have run every day and walked approximately 10 miles a day. My running breakdown has been as follows:

• Sunday 24th - 14.21 miles at 7m 42s pace
• Monday 25th - 8.2 miles at 7m 05s pace
• Tuesday 26th - 9.84 miles at 7m 52s pace
• Wednesday 27th - 13.62 miles at 8m 13s pace
• Thursday 28th - 6.33 miles at 7m 30s pace
• Friday 29th - 15.63 miles at 7m 59s pace
• Saturday 30th - 10.42 miles at 7m 30s pace
• Sunday 31st - 18.15 miles at 8m 30s pace

It has been a good week. But I can really feel the effects. It was intentional though. It has been plus 30 deg everyday and hydration has been really important. On my runs I was carrying a double Salomon bottle belt (1 litre of liquid). I have used 'Nuun' electrolyte tablets as they are the most efficient way to replace sodium. I have also used 'endurolytes' by Hammer. Again, really effective. Because the pace of my runs has been relatively easy I have not eaten too many calories whilst running. Just a Hammer Gel every 45 min or so... carbs have not been an issue.

This coming week I am going to really ease back and recover. I will run daily but only short distances. I will also get some pool time to help the overall recovery proccess.