Mountains, Dunes and Hot Yoga

Most of my recent training has been in the gym, doing as much low impact exercise – walking on a steep incline on the treadmill, or on the elliptical cross trainer.  I think it has managed to maintain my fitness as much as I could have hoped for, though obviously it’s not ideal.  Having said that, either way I will be doing a lot of walking in the Sahara, and the elliptical cross trainer movement seems like a good approximation for running in sand… so hopefully there has been a bit of a silver lining!

It was A LOT windier than it looks!

I've had the last two weekends up in the Lakes where I've been doing some fast walking with a pack up mountains.  The first Saturday outing was over Grisdale Pike and behind VERY windy – I almost got blown off the top!  I got some ITB twinges but they weren't bad considering, given the wind though and me building confidence in my legs again I decided not to stay up high for too long (the gusts were making me land in odd positions on my legs) and not to push my luck.  So I didn't go too far but got some good ascent in and resistance against the wind over the three hours or so I was out.

The next morning I went to a local smaller hill called Barf which is next to Bassenthwaite Lake and has some good scree up the first couple of hundred meters which I did (almost) five reps over an hour up to a white painted rock call the Bishop (I was running out of time and didn't want to push my ITB).  I felt very good and strong and fitter than I had expected which was a good boost.  I hand only slight ITB twinges but not bad really considering I was actually running downhill. No problems on the uphill at all, so hopefully I should be good at getting up things – might just be slower than others going down.

Last weekend I drove up to the Lakes on the Saturday morning and parked at Seathwaite and went over Styhead Pass to Wasdale Head, incorporating two or three hundred meters of ascent on scree low down on Great Gable (I could really feel my calfs going up the steep scree).  The cloud was low and it was very gusty so I decided it was best not to go to high and focus on the training.  I came back via Sprinkling Tarn, being tempted to go up Scarfell Pike which felt very close, but I was running out of time again – and best not to tempt fate with the leg at this point!  Again some ITB twinges going downhill but not too bad really. 

I did all of these sessions in my smaller pair of my Brooks Cascadia I’m using for the MdS – so some good exercise for the ankles.

The view was stunning!

On my way back south on Sunday I took in a trip to Formby beach – my last opportunity before the MdS and I wanted to test out my legs in the dunes and test out my gaiters.  I got some (ok a lot!) very funny looks in the car park in my gaiters with my Raidlight bottles and pack – given the location I must have looked very strange.  I would have thought I’d feel self-conscious, but as in the gym with all my layers on, I weirdly quite like the attention, even though everyone thinks I’m potty!

 It was a lot of fun as always and I actually managed to get some running in which was good for my confidence.  I did start to feel my ITB after an hour or so of running up and down dunes but after a couple of minutes walking it loosened out nicely.  I got some good reps done up and down dues despite the wind trying to blind me with sand and I found some nice people to take a couple of photos for me…  My MdS shoes were nice and comfy, if a bit loose, with my toe socks and X-socks metal.  The gaiters kept the sand out well, despite running through some knee deep fine sand on the dunes.  The front of the gaiters did start lifting off the velcro a bit but never got to the point where any sand got in.  I think this was probably my fault for attaching the Velcro from the back first and working forward as my shoes are at the lower end of the size range so stretching the elastic creates some slack – just a question of learning.

I managed to get some poor man who was trying to enjoy the view to take this - I think he thought he should call the men white coats...

In other news I’ve seen the Physio a couple more times and the effect feels positive – I just need to re-build my confidence in my legs; most of this experience is psychological after all.

I’ve started getting into the Hot Yoga properly now, building up the number of sessions I’m doing each week (3 last week, hopefully 4-5 this week and 6 next week…).  I wouldn't really call what I’m doing proper yoga (I’m rubbish at it) but the stretching and heat are good.  The studio I’m going to uses radiant heat panels rather than air conditioning which heat the body rather than the surrounding air, so while the air temperature might not be as hot as say in Bikram yoga, it does get the core body temperature well up!  I've also been combining this with my ‘Michelin man’ sessions at the gym first to de-hydrate a bit and get the core temperature up for a good period before going in.  I certainly start sweating a lot quicker having done the exercise beforehand!  I’m thinking of maybe extending the heat element by wearing a black long sleeve top and maybe leggings but bit by bit!  We’ll see how that goes! 

Pilgrims Challenge 2014

This weekend was on of my key training events running up to the MdS - the Pilgrims Challenge, a 66 mile 2 day event in Surrey. This would have been a key distance and back-to-back training event but.... My ITB went just after the second check point running down hill. For a little while I wasn't 100% sure it wasn't just general fatigue in my leg so I kept going (I can deal with fatigue!) but after another couple of miles in the valley it became obvious that it was something more significant. I decided to carry on to the next checkpoint which was up a nice steep hill, this was actually a relief because it didn't hurt going uphill. The next 5 miles or so along the top were less fun and I needed up hopping down muddy paths but we got there in the end. Max, one of my tent buddies to-be who I had been running with up til the problems started very kindly stayed with me for 4/5 miles of fast walking and hopping down muddy slopes - despite me telling him to, he refused to leave me on my own. I felt very bad to have to abandon him at the checkpoint, and a huge fraud to have to get a lift to the overnight point - even more so as I got out and walked in next to people who were finishing - not a good feeling! So my first DNF...

...I even finished the Seville Marathon (my first) in a respectable time with my arrhythmia playing up and a heart rate upwards of 240/250 bpm so dropping out isn't something that comes easily. I had to remind myself that this wasn't my target event (if it had been I'm sure I could have finished, just in lots of pain!), and that I had more to loose than to gain by carrying on, potentially preventing me running the MdS if I damaged myself badly enough. So hopefully the right decision to stop where I did and not try starting on the second day. Sophie who I met at the end of the C2C, and had been running near for much of the day actually, told me she would knock me out if she saw me at the start line for the second day - I think she was joking... but it is good to have the support of more experienced runners, knowing when to stop.

Anyway, now the negative bit is out the way, back to the beginning for the positives from the weekend - and there were lots of them. The terrain was difficult - lots of mud which was very tiring and good training for sand. I felt my legs tiring a lot earlier than I expected (probably partially due to a fairly intense training schedule recently) but it was good to have some time running on tired legs knowing that we nowhere near then end - there will be LOTS of that in the desert!

There were also loads of other people doing the MdS and it was great to meet so many of them. Great like-minded people, really up for the challenge. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better in Morocco, particularly my tent mates to-be. There was loads of conversation about food, weight and kit in general, and the over night camp in the school gave a great opportunity to look at all sorts of different night kit. I also got loads of tips, specific and more general. Danny Kendall's Q&A on the Saturday night was really good - not sure I'm going to be going quite so extreme lightweight (or anywhere like as fast...) as him though!

My favorite part of the weekend however was when the final walkers made it to the finish and came into the canteen. We were in the middle of a talk but everything stopped and they got a round of applause and some hugs. This sport is so inclusive and I think it is great. Even the elites are so friendly and shot encouragement on their way past - so different from a road marathon which is so serious! While we were waiting for our bags back at the start on the Sunday I me a couple of older ladies (at least one of whom was a grandma!) who were just amazing. The had all done the MdS or equivalents and one had done 14 multi-day endurance stage races, including one on every continent (including Antarctica), and the North Pole. How many other events would you meet such amazing and inspiring people?

Overall it was a really friendly and well organised event - definitely one to go back and finish in future. It also struck me how far I have come now that only having completed 26 odd miles was disappointing - a year ago I would have been very happy with that (particularly given it was off-road), and other than the ITB problems, I could have easily carried on and finished in a very reasonable time.  Not all bad then!

More Sand...

I headed out to the beach again last weekend for some more dune fun - 13 miles up and down over and over with the heaviest pack I have trained with yet - 6 - 7 kg. I met a friend out there to train with again and we ended up egging each other on so that every time we found a good dune, we ended running up it again, and again, and again. Good training but very tiring!

It is a lot of fun in a masochistic sort of way, particularly going down the other side. The views were stunning across the bay over to The Wirral and Liverpool, with the wand whipping across the ground with the wind  - wish I had hand my camera with me. 

My legs were absolutely dead by the end, particularly after having run a mile - probably the slowest mile that anyone has ever run - into a 40 mile per hour wind on soft sand.

The next day got 16 very slow miles in with a slightly heavier pack with the middle 7 miles in the gym getting nice and sweaty on the treadmill (without the pack - haven't quite got to running with the heat and the weight yet, we'll get there though!). The weather was horrendous - not exactly representative of Saharan weather- but I managed to avoid the worst of it. By the final four miles home it really felt like I'd run an ultra with the build up of fatigue from the day before! Good practice for running on tired legs!

Mini-Adventure #3: Isaac's Tea Trail

So, Boxing Day 2013, and time for my next mini-adventure. I had been planning this for a little while, knowing that I needed to find something of the right sort of length to do over Xmas. I searched around on the web and came across Isaac's Tea Trail on the Long Distance Walkers Association and the North Pennines Website. It is a 37 mile circular route around remote villages and hamlets in the North Pennines, following the route of an itinerant tea seller called Isaac Holden.

The area south of the A69 in Northumberland and Cumbria is pretty sparsely inhabited and includes some of the most remote places in England. With the small hidden valleys, hill and high exposed moors, it seemed like a good place to get out and train and experience the landscape.

So, having organised my bag the day before (5 Kg), I started out from the market place in Allendale Town where the trail starts half an hour before dawn in attempt to maximise the amount of daylight available (only four days after the winter solstice, this was going to be the biggest issue).  It was a beautiful clear frosty morning and there was a very satisfying crunch underfoot as I started up the valley alongside the River East Allen. The pack didn't feel too heavy and my legs felt fresh which was good but progress was hampered by the number of gates and stiles and working out where the path went across each field - the route is probably more obvious if its light and you're walking! The only company at this point were the sheep in some of the fields who kept following me, evidently convinced I was there to feed them. The only unfriendly on was rather a grumpy looking up in one field, though fortunately I managed to navigate around him without upsetting him - I had a long way to go and didn't fancy being chased!

Frosty road at the top of Allendale before starting out over the moors.

Along the Black Trail looking towards Allenheads

After about 5 miles the trail turns out onto the moors, initially climbing on a well defined track and then heading off to the west over the moors. The views were absolutely stunning and it was clear from the snow on the ground that I was the first person up there that day (probably unsurprisingly!), and could well have been the first person to travel along the path in several days. I felt really privileged to be up there, on what felt like the roof of the world with these amazing views all to myself. I did have camera out a fair few times which hampered progress a little but I was never stopped for long - the wind was whipping across the moor and it was very chilly. These were clearly not conditions reminiscent of the Sahara, however the snow lying on frozen grass and heather on the trail made a good approximation of sand, so I may not have been moving fast (with the rucksack it wasn't so much as a run as a fast walk and bounce between tufts of grass and peat at this point) and been pretty cold, but the terrain was good practice.

View south from the path down to Coalcleugh

There is something about grouse - they never seem to want to fly away until you are within a couple of meters of where they are hiding, and then they jump into the air with very loud squawks, almost as if they are trying to give you a heart attack. Even though this was happening every couple of minutes, it still took me a good couple of hours to stop jumping out of my skin.

Having made it over the moors, admittedly slowly with the terrain and the photo-taking, but feeling fresh, I passed through a gate with a little Welcome to Cumbria sign on it and headed down into Nenthead. It was a little odd to suddenly be down in some form of civilization again and the next section was down the valley to Alston. At this point I was a little concerned about the time, so after following the trail for half an hour or so up and down through fields and round the back of some gardens (one of which had an interesting collection of old red telephone boxes and model villages in), I decided to drop down to the road of a little bit which wouldn't be any shorter but would allow me to make faster progress.

 After rejoining the path and following it down by the river I got to Alston. I took the South Tyne Trail along by the steam railway and I started to make faster progress, rejoining the trail at Kirkhaugh Station and crossing the river. At this point I was starting to feel the distance and was a little worries about the time, knowing I had a fair way to go. I organised to be picked up by the pub in Whitfield instead of going back to Allendale - not too far from the end but I knew the route.

Anyway, the brief section on the road from the river crossing was very pretty and I came within a few meters of a red squirrel on the wall- I haven't seen one in years. The trail then veered off up the side of the valley through some fields to Ayle. At this point I started to feel something pulling slightly in my left hamstring but it didn't get any worse. Another short section on the road and some backwards running up a hill to help with the hamstring and the trail joined a track below some old mine workings. I've seen these from the road above before and always been curious - all part of the adventure.

Abandoned buildings above Nenthead

 Next it was up a rocky track and up over the main road and past the pottery (another thing I've driven past many times over the years but never gone into). Then it was back up onto the moors with the sun getting lower in the sky and casting a lovely golden glow. At either end of the track I came across some old rea advertisements attached to the gate posts which was a nice curious touch. The views were stunning again in the evening light as I got up over the moor and started the descent on the icy track down towards Ninebanks. It was at this point I saw the only other runner I saw that day, dressed in red and coming in the opposite direction. It turned out to be my brother with two dogs which was a nice surprise - he had come with my mum and dad to meet me in Ninebanks which was a nice moral boost - I had started to feel a little tired. 

My brother joined me for the last few miles which was nice company having spent the previous several hours in my own company. We carried on up the road, through the village and then up the hill and through some final few fields and into the woods above Whitfield Hall. I had a surprising amount of energy left and enjoyed the last few miles and it was a lot more fun with the company. 

I had only drunk 1.5 liters (all I had carried with me) over the course of the route and two and a half Clif Bars - not ideal for speedy progress but good practice I think (hope!). We made it down to the pub just after 4.30, completing 8 and a half hours and 32 miles of trail running - a great day out and mini-adventure in a stunning part of the world that I now know that bit better... Onto the next one! 

Back to Back Runs: 15 + 10 + 15 miles

So this set of back-to-back runs was originally supposed to be three 15 milers but I had the opportunity to head out to the seaside to run up some dunes on Saturday, and I wasn't sure my poor little legs could cope with doing the whole 15 miles on the sand with my rucksack so I stuck with a few less miles in the middle.

I have got quite used to go heading out for my runs after work in the dark now, but it is just a little bit more difficult on a Friday when everyone else is heading out to the pub! Anyway I got my first 15 out the way nice and easily running near home. Then it was up early on Saturday morning to meet one of my colleagues at Formby beach for to run up and down some dunes. This is another place that isn't far away from home but I've never been before, nor would it probably occurred to me if I hadn't been looking for some sandy terrain to train on, so it was great to have an excuse to visit.

The first few meters on the sand were decidedly uncomfortable - while my legs felt fine on solid ground, I could really feel the extra effort of moving over the sand, particularly with a few kilos on my back.* We started running up an over every dune we came across, managing a blistering 14 and 17 minute miles for the first 2 miles. This did include a certain amount of route finding  but nonetheless progress was not fast! The ups were tough, often on all fours and once on top we were greeted by amazing views down the coast over the dunes in the winter sun. The downs were a lot of fun and I felt the need to provide a suitably silly accompanying soundtrack on my way down - I'm never really going to grow up!

After three miles or so of grueling dunes, scratchy grasses and nasty spiky plants we ran out of dunes and carried on for a couple of miles (ish) down the beach to take in a little more distance before turning back into the wind. It  had seemed a nice gentle breeze on the way out but suddenly seemed 10 times stronger running back, picking up sand and blowing it in our faces as it went - our very own scouse sand storm! Not fun getting sand in your eyes - definitely need a good pair of wrap-around sunglasses for the MdS. We headed back into the dunes and made it back to the car having done just over 9 miles - quite enough for me!

The next morning I was up and dreading the next installment. In the end though it wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I had expected. Once I had got my legs going and used to the weight of the pack again it was almost even pleasurable! My legs were tired but didn't seem to have any problems plodding along and I enjoyed a few loops round Salford Quays, dodging a few thousand santas the were pouring in from Old Trafford on the way. I even managed to build in a little more exploration, down the side of the River Irwell on my way back which, while not the prettiest on an overcast December day was interesting, and there is some impressive graffiti (not sure I'd want to head down there on my own with my camera though).

So next set of back-to-backs done and not too sore for it - may have been slow but got some good terrain and a good chunk of distance in, lets hope I keep it up!

*A note on the training pack

I've been using my smaller Inov8 pack (RacePac 16) which is very comfy and made of the same materials as the larger version I'm planning to use in the race. For weight I've been carrying 1.5 litres of water, an old Good Beer Guide wrapped up in a hoodie, supplemented with as much additional clothing and odds and sods I can fit in. Not sure how much it weighs (need to weigh it over xmas!) but I think I'm moving in the right direction and I have a few more iterations of the Good Beer Guide to add as we go on.