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!

Country to Capital 2014

So time seems to be going faster and faster and suddenly one of my key prep races has come around. Not being the final target I hadn't given this as much thought as I probably would have done and so despite this being farther than I have ever run before I wasn't really nervous. The furthest I had run in one go before last Saturday was 37 miles on the second day of The Wall, so this was going to be a few miles longer but at least I would be starting with fresh legs this time!

I woke up early as I normally do before a big race and got my porridge down me (seemed a good opportunity to try out one of the dehydrated breakfasts I'll use on the MdS). I had organised everything the night before so was nice and relaxed and headed down the road to Wendover with plenty of time to spare. After registering there was lots of time to mill about which gave me the opportunity to chat to a couple of other 2014 MdS'ers - the first I've met!

At 8.30, 400 of us (it is amazing that there are so many crazy people out there!) headed out onto the country trails of Buckinghamshire. Couldn't have asked for a better morning - clear skies but not freezing, and the light on the countryside was beautiful. The only issue was the low sun that prevented you from seeing where your feet were going. It was mentioned at the pre-race briefing that there was some ankle-deep mud... I did end up quite muddy, all part of the fun and I didn't get any blisters because of it.

I hadn't appreciated quite how much the map booklets we were given were actually needed - in the past any races I have done have been pretty comprehensively way-marked. I was just sort of expecting to put my head down an plod my way through it... Fortunately there were quite a few people about who had done the race in the past and knew the route. I have to confess (a little ashamed) I was pretty lazy when it came to navigation, despite being used to running over the fells on my own and needing to keep tabs on where I am.

The first couple of checkpoints passed pretty quickly it seemed, running through some lovely countryside and pausing every now and again as we came to the odd gate or stile, or points where it wasn't terribly clear where to got (I'm sure I'd have had a better idea of where we were going I'd actually got my booklet out!). I was surrounded by a very friendly bunch and the conversation was great. I love how this sort of running is so much less pressured than running shorter distances and people are more relaxed.

After crossing over the M25 and carrying on along some more rural trails we reached the Grand Union Canal - easy navigation form here on I had been assured, with the exception of a turn off to Paddington 13 miles from the end (which was pretty obvious thankfully!). I have to confess that I wasn't hugely enjoying things at this point as I stomach had been feeling dodgy ever since the first checkpoint where I had pretty stupidly decided to try the fruit cake and carry on running with it. The cake was amazing (worth doing the race again just for that, and I'm not generally a fan of fruit cake), but I should have known better and I paid for it over the next 20-25 miles.

It was much easier going along the canal and despite the state of my stomach I managed to keep a better pace... until the hiccups. I HATE them! They're the perfect thing to make a dodgy stomach worse. I got to checkpoint 3 and decided that the best thing to do was have something to eat even though I didn't feel like it - either it would stay down or it would make me throw up - either way I'd feel better! And it did - a few miles down the canal just after the turn of to Paddington... I disturbed a poor young couple who had evidently come down to the canal for some quite time together with some of the most horrendous wretching noises I am sure anyone has ever come out with (secretly very proud of myself). I did at least manage to get a few meters past them and not do it on their feet, I'm sure they were very grateful.

Anyway by this point there were just over 13 miles to go, and I suddenly felt great. I sped off down the canal determined to make the most of my second wind while it lasted. After a couple of miles it wore off and I fell into step with a couple of other runners who I stuck with for the last 12 miles or so from Checkpoint 4. One of them, Sophie, was an experienced ultramarathon runner and MdS veteran who kept me going with a mixture of her 10 mins running, 2 mins walking routine which really helped with discipline, and some amazing motivating words. Nick, a professional sailor, found his finish legs shortly before the end and managed to pick up the pace (there was no way I could follow!) and Sophie managed to drag me (psychologically) to the end at a very respectable pace for which I am extremely grateful!

My body didn't seem to be in too bad condition all things considered, no blisters at all, which gives me confidence in the shoe and sock combination. I was carrying 3 to 4 kg in my pack which I think I could have done to make heavier (need to carry more on the next race). A good confidence boost overall though!

On the way into Paddington I caught sight of another C2C-er coming in the direction. We caught each other's eye and smiled at each other - no words were exchanged but you know instantly when someone has just been through the same pain as you and come out the other end wincing and grinning at the same time that you have quite a bit in common, and they stand out even in a busy station!

MdS Training Elements

As part of my training planning I've isolated as many of the different training aspects needed to cover the attributes of the MdS (heat, sand etc.) as I could think of and identified what I can do to train for each one. They fit into one of four groups: climate, terrain, distance (multi-day running) and speed/strength. Below is what I have come up with....

Climate

Clearly one of the most significant elements to contend with is the heat. The two ways I have come up with to train myself for the heat are hot yoga, and training in the gym with warm layers and a hat (and looking spectacularly silly!).  The majority of the attention I'll pay to this is in the last couple of months running up to the MdS, however I have started running on the treadmill with thermal layers on (up to 5 miles or so) to get used to running with my core temperature raised. I'll increase the frequency and distance over the next three months or so.

Terrain

From everything that I have read, the terrain varies from flat rocky lake beds to 1000m high mountains to tall sand dunes. Flat, hard ground isn't too difficult to train for in a city- there are lots of pavements to pound. The mountains and dunes require a little more effort to train for however. For the dunes, I have been out to the coast to practice running on sand on repeated inclines and have another two or three trips planned before the MdS. For the mountains have a few weekends in the lakes planned so I can get some long days in the fells. I particularly want to get practice walking fast uphill with a pack on as I am not expecting to be running up any steep inclines in the desert!

Distance

There are two elements to this one: outright distance (non-stop) and repeated long distance runs (back-to-backs). I have been increasing the maximum distance (and time on my feet) up to a maximum 45 miles on the Country to Capital race this weekend.

For back to back training, I started with 3 x 10 miles and I'm working up to 3 x 25 miles (that'll be a fun weekend!). I'm also doing the Pilgrims Challenge race at the beginning of February (2 x 33 miles).

Speed/Strength

I had planned to do more speed work than I have been doing (I've been doing track sessions every other week or so), however I've found that if I try and push it too much I can feel it in my shins over the next few days, so in the interests of self preservation I have been holding off. The track sessions are a good opportunity to do some faster (if not fast) running.

For strength, I've been doing a set of core, upper body and leg strength training exercises, which is not something I have ever done before, but I think is having an effect and is a good way of breaking up the running. Hopefully the increased strength will improve my posture and endurance over long distances and help with carrying a heavy pack over 150 miles.  I have also been doing a proportion of my training with a pack, using copies of the Good Beer Guide for weights (they conveniently weigh approx 1 Kg each), and took a 5 Kg pack with me on my Boxing Day 32 miles. I need to increase this to 9- 10 Kg however ready for the MdS.

Christmas Morning Running

One of my favorite runs of the year is my Christmas morning run - nothing too extreme just a relaxed potter. It is just so quiet, very few people are out and about before 9 am and so there are no cars on the roads - nothing to get run over by or disturb the peaceful morning atmosphere. This is the third year I have got out for an early run and it wasn't any different this year, running along the top of the hill on a gorgeous (and pretty mild for December) morning. No rucksack, and a comfortable amount of clothes - no MdS focused things here, just fun for once!

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.

Mini Adventure #2: The Edale Skyline

My second mini-adventure started with an unwelcome alarm at 6 am on Saturday morning signalling the need to get out of my nice warm bed in time to get over to Edale in time to see the sun rise. I was planning to run the route of the Edale Skyline,  an annual fell race race of 21 miles and 1400 m of ascent, starting at Edale and hugging the skyline around the valley.

I crawled out of bed, got some porridge and coffee down me and headed off in to the Peaks. After some minor unplanned detours due to a road closure and a stupid car park ticket machine not wanting to let me buy a ticket until 8 am, I set off from the car pack by Mam Tor (just missing the first bits of the sunrise as a result of that ticket machine!). 

There was biting wind but I warmed up quickly, gaining a bit of height getting up onto the ridge and then quickly getting cold again as I got the camera out – couldn’t resist, it was a stunning morning.  The ridge took me up over Lords Seat and after a bit of indecision as to the best route to take over to Brown Knoll I found the path.  This section is hard going over the bog (good training for the sand!) and I wished it had been a little colder over the preceding days as there was only a thin skin of ice over the peat.  I can be a real wimp when it comes to first getting my feet wet, so there was a bit of fannying about trying to keep my feet dry. Once even a tiny dibble of water gets into my shoes I don’t care anymore and will run through anything – you would have thought I’d have grown out of this by now!

Anyway it was a beautiful morning, I had only the grouse and skylarks for company and I was buzzing – definitely worth getting out if bed for. Once I had got by feet wet I was really enjoying the terrain – not moving terribly fast it has to be said, but this wasn’t about speed. I got up onto Brown knoll, had a quick breather (not the first I have to confess, but the earlier stops were mainly driven by photo opportunities), and headed off over towards Kinder – more fun bog and then… out on to a walkers motorway – not nearly so much fun! I met my first people on my way up toward Kinder Low – all nice and cheery having been up for the lovely rise too.

I briefly departed from the route here to pop up to the trig point on Kinder Low.  I’ve only ever been up on Kinder Scout in the cloud so I was curious to get a view over the plateau – and this was supposed to be about exploring after all.

After this point the trail becomes quite rocky with lots of amazing weathered rock formations in a strangely alien looking landscape. I may have been hallucinating, but I was sure I saw what looked like the outline of a family in one of the formations (sculpture not real of course – I’m not that loopy yet). There was a really fun bit with the trail going between the rock in a formation, with some rock acting as stepping stones over a small gully. I was glad I wasn’t doing this bit in the dark!

After a couple of miles I reached the path split down to Edale and having been robbed my opportunity to do the route from the correct start point by the stupid ticket machine, decided I had to go down to the bottom of the valley to make sure I didn’t miss any height gain. The sensible people out for their Saturday walk evidently thought I was out of my mind as I passed them for the second time on my way back up.

As a reward I stopped back on the top for a little lunch and to take in the view. Then set off again round the edge of the moor with a wide open view over to Win Hill. The downhill stretch was lovely but I realised on the way back up again that I hadn’t been quite vigilant enough with my sugar and suddenly found myself very grumpy at the path for daring to go upwards, however gently. That uphill seemed to take ages (I wasn’t moving very fast) but the views were lovely and the sun surprisingly strong. From the top of Win Hill it was a quick (or not so quick) downhill into Hope, past the Cheshire Cheese Pub which looked far too inviting. The final uphill was a 300 m ascent up to the top of Loose Hill, which wasn’t too far but it felt like a very long way with my knackered legs. The views were definitely worth it though, and I could see the entire route.  From there it was just a last couple of miles along the ridge back up to Mam Tor, into the sun. I was rewarded with some spectacular views of some hang-gliders to finish off with.