Crossbay Challenge

Last Sunday was one of my favourite events – the Crossbay Challenge. It is a 13 mile (ish) race across Morcambe Bay. The route, which changes slightly each year due to the movement of the sands takes you out into the bay, crossing the two rivers that flow into it. It involves a lot of sand and water which, depending on the height of the runner and the year can reach over your waist. The race is led by rangers on quad bikes, the tracks of which provide the principal method of marking the route. The distance varies from year to year due to the inherent variability of a course run over a tidal bay which adds a little mystery as you’re never entirely sure how far you have left to go (the mile markers are very approximate, and the organisers are fond of putting dog legs into the route!)

It is so fun and different to all the other races I have run, and the views as you run out into the bay are amazing with Heysham power station on one side of the bay, and the fells of the lake district on the other. There is a huge sense of space and your sense of distance is warped by the flatness of the sands. The runners form a great winding snake across the sands and is quite a spectacle to see, if only to be impressed by the number of loopy people wanting to take part.

Anyway, unfortunately this year the Crossbay Challenge fell the weekend before the Wall Run, my first attempt at an Ultra, and smack bang in the middle of my taper. Not ideal, though as it only ended up being 12.4 miles this year (according to my garmin) you’d have thought this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. However unlike the previous two years I have done it when it didn’t matter I’ve ended up with a nice deep blister on the inside of each foot… Hopefully it shouldn’t cause too many issues but we’ll see! Also, though I’m probably being a little hyper sensitive about it, my calfs and shins still feel a bit stiff two days later. I’m having a nice relaxing week so hopefully they’ll loosen up before Saturday!

Back to Back Runs Prep, and other Wall Run training

Since doing the Manchester Marathon at the end of April I have more or less followed the suggested training plan on the Wall Run website, which by the looks of it is designed for someone new to ultra marathons – perfect for me! My maximum mileage has been just under 60 miles, further than I have done in the past when marathon training and it hasn't seemed to cause any problems. During the week days I haven’t strayed too far from my previous marathon routine, though with a higher sustained weekly mileage. The main difference has been with the long runs, doing the main distance runs every other week.

As suggested by the plan I did a 30 miler (see separate post) four weeks before the race, and I have done a couple of back to back training runs, a couple of weeks either side, one 12+12 miles, and another 15+12 miles. I organised these by doing the first on the Friday evening and the second on the following morning, trying to keep less than 12 hours between them. I could feel that I was running on tired legs on the second run, but in the scheme of things they didn't seem too bad. I guess being used to longer distances in individual runs helps put the shorter ones into perspective.

I’ve done all the long runs with a pack, attempting to use a greater weight than I’ll be carrying in the Wall Run on the assumption that it is better to be used to a heavier pack than a lighter one! Anyway, I’ll have to carry a significantly heavier pack during the MdS so the earlier l get used to increased weights when running, the better.

So training down, only the race to go! Should be an interesting learning experience... and hopefully at least a bit of fun! (the weather is looking a little wet though..)

First Ultra Distance Run!

Last weekend I completed my first ultra distance training run - i.e. my first run longer than the 26.2 mile marathon distance. At 30 miles it was the longest distance I have ever run (or more accurately run with a bit of walking / staggering). See route below:

Not having any experience of running this far I wasn't entirely sure how it would go, particularly as while I have run 4 marathons up to this point, the mentality and atmosphere during a race is very different. When you are completely knackered during a marathon, there are at least others around you going through the same thing and people cheering you on. On a training run it is just you plodding along the pavement while the world goes about its business around you, which can feel quiet lonely sometimes.

The farthest I had ever run in training before was 22 / 23 miles which had seemed like a bloody long way, and a lot of time spent running, though at less than 3 hours it was significantly less time than I expected it to take me to cover 30 miles (with a practice weight rucksack). Planning the run I arbitrarily decided that I wanted to do it in less than 5 hours, which when thinking about it more seemed quite ambitious! It is a very different type of running pushing past the 26.2 mile distance, moving at speeds that make your marathon pace seem very fast indeed in order to keep your body going.

To make the distance less daunting I broke the distance down into 5 mile segments in my head and promising myself a reward (like some sugar or a walking break), a method that has been commonly recommended through the reading I have done. Happily it seemed to work - less than 5 miles left until the next reward is a lot easier to deal with than 15, or 20 miles!

I was lucky to have a couple of good friends run the first 15 miles with me, which must have been frustrating for them pootling along at such a painfully slow pace, but they were very nice about it! This helped no end psychologically, making the run feel half the length. These first 15 miles were in a big loop around Knutsford and Tatton Park which was lovely change from the standard trudge around south Manchester. They then left me in Knutsford, and I carried on, running home. It really helped to have an end destination rather than just a distance to reach.

I had originally decided to try running and walking at regular intervals, however in the end I ran (slowly!) for the first 10 miles before having my first walking break and taking on some sugar. After that I promised myself a walking break every 5 miles, for half a mile. This held up until the final four miles when I resorted to walking more frequently. I was starting to find it difficult and I could feel the effects of dehydration when I approached the 26 mile mark but I really wanted to be running when passed the 26.2 mile point, as that was the landmark point of the whole experience.

I knew beforehand that walking breaks would be necessary to help me cover the distance, however I had decided that I would not stop, and any walking would be fast, ideally around a 12 minute mile, ensuring that I continued to make sensible progress. Looking at the data from my GPS watch I spent much less time walking than I thought I had and kept a reasonable speed, which was satisfying. Curiously towards the end it was actually less uncomfortable to carry on jogging than it was to walk.

It was a hot day (20 C ish) which was a good thing from an experience point of view, but made the distance all the more daunting. The warmth made me concentrate on drinking more than I might have otherwise have done, which will be crucial in the desert. I took on less food/sugar than I had expected (a clif bar, 3 shot blocs and a bottle of powerade), though I had taken plenty along with me in my rucsack. It wont have helped my pace but I didn't feel any ill effects which is good for confidence that my pace was right.

Anyway 30 miles... a step into the world of ultrarunning and the unknown, pushing the boundaries of my experience and confidence. In the end that is really the whole point of this MdS lark.

Marathons etc.

A Bit of Dodgy Wiring

My first experience of endurance running began with the Seville Marathon in February 2011.  I had heard while living in Madrid that this was a good race, particularly owing to its extremely flat course.  Prior to beginning training for this race I had been getting palpitations when out running and it was suggested to me that it may be a good idea to go and talk to the doctor about this before beginning training for a marathon. I was eventually diagnosed with Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT), meaning I had a dodgy bit of wiring in my heart. The treatment for this involved putting some electrodes up through a blood vessel in my groin and neck to find the dodgy connection and burn it away. Unfortunately this would prevent me training for some time after and I therefore decided to have it done after the race and was given some pills for the meantime.  

While these tablets worked during training, possibly not terribly surprisingly they didn't hold all the way through the race, and at just over 30 km my heart rate jumped to over 240 bpm.  I stopped straight away to try and stop it but after the thick end of 10 minutes it wasn't getting any better so I decided to carry on. I can’t say it was the most comfortable experience with my chest hurting and my heart pounding but given it was the last part of my first marathon I would probably have been feeling fairly uncomfortable anyway. Ironically I think it may have helped slightly, giving me a sustained adrenaline boost over the last 10 – 12 km and making up for my complete lack of knowledge and experience of marathon nutrition which I suspect would have resulted in my hitting The Wall otherwise.

A few weeks afterwards I had the operation, and to date have had no symptoms since, though I found the recovery a little bizarre - going from running a marathon to taking an hour to hobble less than a mile to the doctors is a bit of a contrast! Anyway it didn't last long.  

Chester, Edinburgh and Manchester 

The next marathon was Chester the following October.  There’s not much to tell about this race, other than to say that I didn’t entirely agree with its description as a flat and fast course. This wasn’t helped by my first experience of The Wall and, in my confusion, ending up convinced that I had passed the 23 mile marker three times! Suffice it to say I then got a feeling for the importance of getting my nutrition right…

The next one was in Edinburgh the following may which, while warm (over 20 degrees) was pleasant (lovely views) and everything seemed to come together to give me a time I was pleased with. 

More recently (April 2013) I ran the Greater Manchester Marathon as a training race on my way to The Wall Run.  This did not go well, and I managed to run it a full 8 minutes slower than Seville, having managed to progressively improve my tie over the first three.  Several things went wrong (no good excuses!) and together resulted in a terrible race, though it was a good learning experience, and I managed to come through it without injuring myself, so on the whole I decided it was a positive experience! Looking on the bright side is important in this business!

About Me

I have been running since I was 12 or possibly even earlier, I can't really remember. Initially it was an effective way of avoiding being made to play other sports at school! I kept it up when I was at university but it was only towards the end of 2010 that I got into endurance running when I decided to enter the Seville Marathon in February 2011. That was supposed to be to be a one off... It turns out that this marathon running lark is quite addictive... A succession of other races have followed (which I'll cover in another post), and now I've ended up entering myself for the Marathon des Sables in 2014. Hmm..., this should be interesting!

I am a fairly typical runner of average ability, not really competitive, except possibly with myself. My interest and enthusiasm for this sport has increased hugely since joining my running club the Manchester Frontrunners where I have made many good runner friends. 

This is me on top of Robinson in the Lake District after a very impressive hail storm (you might notice my legs are a little pink - hail stones on bare legs hurt!):

... not exactly your tall, lean and strong runner type!

I wanted to find a way of ensuring that I kept a bit of a record of both my preparation and of the event itself. Hopefully this will also be a useful tool to keep myself focused on the end goal, especially when I forget why I am putting myself through all this! 

There are many blogs and other websites out there detailing the experiences of people training for and completing the Marathon des Sables, and from these I have taken quite a bit of inspiration over the past year or so since entering.  A particularly good one is justajog.com by Kate Lee.

My musings are therefore unlikely to be ground breaking, but this is my contribution to the pool of information out there. I have absorbed a huge amount from what other people have generously shared, and it has helped my motivation enormously as well as providing me with very valuable insights over the last year or so.

I hope this account will provide at least a little useful information to others mad enough to be considering entering the MdS or similar events, and some insight into my motivation for others who can't comprehend why on earth someone might want to run 150 miles through the Sahara with a heavy pack on their back!