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Hardmoors 60 - Race review

15 hours and 4 minutes, 3,300 metres of ascent and more steps than I can count but I finished the beast that is the Hardmoors 60.

It's actually more like 63 or 64 miles but what's another couple between friends.

This was the race I've been working towards for nearly a year and the biggest challenge I've ever undertaken so I was thrilled just to finish and after starting at 8am in Guisborough and following the stunning Cleveland Way down the coast I ran into the sports hall at Filey Secondary School a bit after 11pm a long, hard day was done.

Amanda and me ready to go at the start!

Breaking the golden rule - Starting too fast

There's a simple rule for ultra running and unless you're some sort of elite level ultra machine (I'm not..) you can start slow and steady because you're in for a long day and there's no need to rush.

As it was, I followed a load of people at a reasonable clip (about 8:30 min/mile on the runnable sections) for the first few miles onto the Cleveland Way and while I kept telling myself to slow down, my legs weren't having any of it and on I went.

Eventually at around 7 miles I eased right back, and from there started to finally settle down and run my own race.

Just one set of epic steps up the side of a cliff at 14 miles

Settling into the race

The first 20 miles rattled by in reasonable comfort and I think I got into CP4 at 21 miles feeling ok but definitely starting to get a stitch and already finding the novelty of eating regularly was wearing off but 21 miles covered in about 3:40 was about 20 minutes faster than I'd planned at this stage.

It was great to see friendly faces in the form of my parents and my son Felix at this point too and Felix kindly offered me his jam sandwich as fuel, he does like cheering on runners (thanks to Parkrun) but his claims of the rest of the race being "all downhill from here" turned out to be a little misleading ...

I made a point of easing off from CP4 to CP5 at 26 miles and indeed walked a fair chunk of this section because I've found in the past when I cramp up or start getting stomach issues it's normally because I've been going too fast.

26 - 41 miles - It doesn't always get worse

I'm learning fast to embrace the saying "It doesn't always get worse" when it comes to Ultra Marathon running and I found it tough heading out from about 28 miles after meeting up with my other support team - my wife Ally and her Aunty Sandra who'd caught us up in the camper van with a change of tech tee and a lemon curd sandwich and some apple juice to keep me going.

I was struggling to get into any sort of running rhythm though, even a slow jog was upsetting my stomach so I walked a bit more and eventually it started passing and I felt stronger as I went through the 30 mile mark heading for glamorous Whitby and its famous steps up to the abbey.

Stopping briefly for an ice lolly at the abbey with a chap who was on his way to completing the Hardmoors Gran Slam (30, 55, 110 and 60 mile races in a year)reminded me a little of what's great about ultra running - you can probably spare a minute or two to enjoy the day even if it's hurting!

Steps, steps, steps and a few more steps

This route is famous for being tough and one of the reasons is all those f**king steps cut into the cliffs. Down steep and crooked flights of steps then back up steep flights kill the quads and don't afford any time for recovery. I hate steps now.

Ravenscar to Scarborough (41 - 52 miles)

After stopping briefly in Ravenscar and beginning to run a little easier I really started picking up speed following my ridiculous early tactics and I was happier on the trail and following the well worn Cleveland Way although I'd run a lot on my own it turns out that because of winding and climbing and descending you're often a lot closer to fellow racers than you might think but ultra running is frequently a lonely sport.

I began running for longer and longer stretches now and after asking a couple of walkers if they'd seen any runners recently I found out I was only a minute or two behind several runners I managed to pick right up and run the last few miles into Scarborough at a good pace and rejoin a few of them getting to the CP.

My plan had been to get to the CP before dark for some decent food and change into my road shoes (Nike Free 5.0's) for the last 10 miles to the finish and so while a few people passed me as I rested for 5 minutes I felt ok and ready for the last stretch to Filey and the finish.

The final 10 nighttime miles

I've run in the dark before and it's quite good fun although it does take some significant concentration to not get lost and there were a couple of little bits where you need to pay attention leaving Scarborough and getting back onto the Cleveland Way and I had to hang back and follow a couple of other runners into Cayton Bay CP (54 miles) before meeting Dave (sorry didn't catch the surname) who was running his 1000th Hardmoors Race miles in this race.

I couldn't have asked for better company running those last 10 miles.

After initially leaving the CP at Cayton Bay I stayed with Dave for a mile or two before I had to slow down again for my stomach (hiccups and feeling sick) but again, it eventually cleared and after being a tiny bit sick (too much coke and pringles - sorry!) I felt the best I'd done all day and I begun powering round the remaining miles on my own in pitch black with just the light of my headtorch on the edge of the cliffs!

Strong finish

It took a couple of miles but I eventually saw Dave's headtorch in the distance and closed fast until I caught up at which point the low battery warning started flashing and my torch dimmed quickly.

Being a total gent Dave was happy to run with me sharing the light of his borrowed torch and we chatted and ran at a strong pace all the way to Filey picking up a couple of places before meeting up with all my friends and family who were waiting at the sea front at 11pm cheering us on before they jumped in their cars to get to the finish.

That boost I think led to the fastest mile of my day as Dave and I picked up (I think) about 6 places in the final mile to the school where we crossed the line together although he had an hour to knock off his time because he'd started late!

All done! 23:15 and an official finish time of 15 hours 4 minutes

Support and friends

You don't often get to do a race like this without support of friends and family who not only cheer you on during the day, they help you find the time to train and I can't say thank you enough to Ally and Aunty Sandra for following me around in the camper van trying to palm off their cheese sandwiches on me in my weakened state.

Also my parents for baby sitting Felix and taking him to the beach and then last but not least my amazing Parkrun friends who despite it being 11pm on a Saturday night were there in Filey whooping it up - Kerry, Wane & Katy and special thanks to Simon who ran the last mile with us in his jeans, hoody and hiking boots (good way to work up a sweat there ;))

I was gutted to hear Amanda had been forced by injury to retire but not before completing more than a marathon on that course - never nice being forced off but there's a line between carrying on through discomfort and injury which you must be sensible about and live to race another day and I hope to see Amanda in full force on the White Rose Ultra course in November.

I met and chatted to some great folks on the route and I hope everyone had a race to remember.

The organisation, marshals and supporters

On race day, runners take all the plaudits for being the ones out there but the sign of a great race is just that - focus on the runners because everyone organising has done an amazing job.

I'd heard a lot about the legendary Hardmoors family/atmosphere while researching the race and it's all true. From the very first minute of registration all the way through the long day, everyone involved was friendly and encouraging and as usual I make an effort to thank all the marshals and supporters as I run past but once again - THANK YOU FOR BEING AWESOME - races don't happen without those who give their time and effort and you must all have given a lot of both for such a long day.

Kit and training

Almost as an addendum I guess is the actual training and race day kit for those interested ...

On the day, the weather was perfect. Sunny, warm but not too hot and even in the night time stretch the sky was clear and warm so I ended up using minimal kit but the highlights were as usual my Salomon Speedcross which did me well up to 52 miles at which point I changed in my Nike Free 5.0's to run on the hard packed mud of the Cleveland Way and sea front of the last couple of miles.

The I actually only stopped to change shirt once as the Ultimate Direction Tony Krupicka race vest was superb.

I've long struggled with packs having used a Camelbak and a couple of Salomon bags, this was everything I've been after for a long time. The bottle (I run with one and use the other pouch for food) doesn't budge or wobble and the pack fit is so snug and comfortable I barely removed it or took it off in 15 hours running. I'll do a follow-up review of this one sometime but in the short term - buy one!

Training

My training has been a little sporadic because I like to try and just get out into the hills around my house when possible but for this I didn't really get into the distances a lot of ultra runners like to record.

I've been running around 35-40 miles a week consistently for months and I've been doing hill work but the killer on Hardmoors is the cliff steps, I suspect the only way to really train for those would have been in a gym doing more to target my quads. I didn't really mind running up and down the hills - they were familiar and comfortable for the most part but THOSE STEPS ...

I did ramp up to a couple of longer runs in the high teens and also included a full 32 mile recce run of the White Rose Ultra route I'll be racing in November but beyond that, much of my training was dictated by how much free time I had so I did a lot of shorter 2 hour runs with 1500-2500ft ascent but ran them harder than I would normally and I think this has worked well in the constraints I've got.

Interestingly the stamina part has come along a bit too as I've recently managed to run an 18:57 and 18:54 parkrun on my last 2 outings - not a bad improvement from the 29ish minutes I first ran less than 2 years ago!

Next year?

hahahahaha .. did I mention those million bastard steps?! ;)

My Garmin ran out at 55 miles so the last 10 miles are crudely plotted manually and therefore slightly inaccurate

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Winning my first race

To date I've been more than happy with my running progress having only taken up the sport in Jan 2012 I'm well aware of my place in the pecking order when I stand at the start line of a race and I've found in smaller local races I can sometimes sneak into the top 10-15 but this time, I won!

I love the variety of events my friend Wane at Organic Events organises and I'd been looking forward to the King of the Hill for a while because it's a 3.2 mile race on the other side of the hill I train and live on.

The format is simple. Start at the bottom of the trail and run to the top. 752ft elevation in 3.2 miles.  

A tough race in anyones book but one I'd been looking forward to for a while. In the end, the race was between myself and one of my friends who runs a similar 5k time to me and yes, two entrants does count as a race. I know that when the event picks up over time and becomes more popular I'll move down the field but this was a win for me!

Photo by Dogbomb

I started off on the initially quite flat first half mile at a reasonable pace knowing the trail starts climbing consistently soon enough so pacing would be vital because the last 0.2 miles of the course is a real uphill slog to the finish line. 

There are some flatter sections but the overall profile is up up up so speed is possible on decent parts of the course and there are two parts where I power hiked 30-ish metres up steep sides of the hill but apart from that I ran a steady pace and race that on the day was just good enough to take the win. 

Not only did I run a time I was happy with on the hill, due to rushing around all day doing various jobs I also had to run 5 miles over said hill to get to the start line so overall I couldn't have been happier with my performance and a win is very much a win, even in a field of 2!  

A brief note about the race and organiser - It's great to see more "indie" style events in the Huddersfield area being organised like this.

It has a flexible start time, is an interesting challenge in a great location and is effectively a labour of love because the entry fee (in the days where a novelty 5k like colour/zombie/obstacle run can stretch to £30 or £40) of £1 is great. Wane, if you're reading this - you could happily charge a little more!

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Adidas Thunder Run

Talk about a day of two halves. In the end the utterly grim weather overnight put paid to any serious targets we had as a team of hitting 250-260km in the surprisingly tough Adidas Thunder Run 24 hour race. 

Tough because the 10km course was actually pretty challenging in places with some technical terrain through woods and then a few short, sharp climbs. The aim being as a team (in our case 5 of us) to run as many laps of the course as possible in 24 hours.

I wasn't really sure how I'd actually fare in the end, I don't mind putting myself through pain in the name of racing but the idea of running 10km then sitting out 4 (ish) hours for my turn wasn't something I was entirely looking forward to I must admit. 

During the day (the race runs from 12:00 Saturday to 12:00 Sunday) the weather was scorching. Indeed, I saw one runner collapsing early in the race due to heat stroke so taking it reasonably steady was the order of the day and my aim for the race was to cover 60km in laps just around the 48-50 minute mark. 

Dire weather

This was fine for the first two in the daylight and heat, indeed I ran a little under in all the excitement but by the time I'd done my second lap and headed back to the tent (in the overflow field nearly 1km from the start) it was getting into the evening and the weather forecast said a massive thunderstorm would be rolling in about 9pm.

So it was, about 9pm Thunder Run lived up to its name as the heavens opened and it basically lashed it down for the next 6-7 hours but with the added bonus of thunder and lightning cracking overhead. 

We took a decision as a team to stop running for an hour or two until the lightning passed and unsurprisingly that took all the momentum out of our race. 

In the end it rolled around to about 1am and we decided to take a look at the leaderboard to see just how far we'd dropped off (we'd dropped off for sure, outside the top 50 listed) and the rest of the guys decided to hit their tents and grab a few hours sleep in order to try and make a bit of a charge in the morning but I couldn't sleep...

Night running

So it was that at about 1am I was back in my soaking wet gear and heading out into the darkness for a lap in the torrential rain. 

I love this stuff though, and once the lightning had passed rain is just rain. 

The course though had turned into a total quagmire for almost the full 10km and running it in the pitch black was a real test for the Petzl Myo head torch. One which it passed with flying colours. It's a very bright torch on full beam but I ended up using it on the 3rd brightest setting because running in the woods in driving rain and humid, muggy temperatures actually created a bit of a mist so a full blast head torch didn't help as much as a lower beam. Either way, if you're in the market for a torch, consider this one. 

After the first lap, I headed back to the tent to see if anyone else was mad enough to head out but seeing nobody up, I just carried onto a second night lap. This time I was actually sociable and spent a slower (1:05:00) lap chatting with a nice chap from Oxford. Targets were well gone so I figured it takes a special kind of mad to be out running at 3am in the driving rain and shin deep mud/puddles.

I actually felt pretty strong after a night time 20km but decided to grab some dinner from the reasonably well stocked (and half decent value) food tent and then being soaked through I headed back to the tents to grab an hours sleep and see what was going on. 

The morning shift

As I headed out for one more lap mid-morning in soggy wet gear and on a course that was now for the most part a muddy slide and slide I actually felt ok in the legs although now slow due to the nearly unrunnable conditions which even in my normally trusty Salomon Speedcross were slippy at best it was good to hit 50km for the day and when I got back to the start, the rest of the team headed out for a final lap together which I rejoined for a group crossing of the finish line to celebrate. 

The TR24 experience

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The atmosphere was great but sadly any hopes and targets we had as a team went out of the window when the weather turned nasty and even without the storm the rain and course conditions would probably have knocked a couple of laps off. 

As it turned out, our aim of 250km which last year would have put us into the top 20 wouldn't have been good enough to even get on the leaderboard top 50 this time out so the standard and popularity of the event has improved significantly and there were some seriously strong runners on display. 

Not for me

I'm not sure the run/wait/run/wait format is my cup of tea to be honest. 4 hours sitting around between laps is a long time and while my legs actually held out much better than I'd feared, I don't think I'd do it again as a team. 

Passing the solo runners and giving them encouragement certainly did appeal and I originally wanted to do TR24 this year as a solo runner but simply couldn't commit to the training time needed to meet my aim of 100 miles/160km but seeing how it's all set up and how many inspiring solo runners there were, I'd definitely consider TR24 again but probably only to take a crack at it as a solo runner. 

Great experience, everyone should give it a go once!

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Review: Columbia Total Zero Tee with Omni Freeze Zero Cooling technology

I was keen to try this top because it comes with some pretty bold promises about the effectiveness of it’s new “omni freeze" technology that wicks sweat away from the body and at the same time creates a cooling sensation. Not far off the perfect top then if it does what it says on the label!

As it turns out, the top performed superbly. In a 13.1 mile training run on a particularly warm, sunny morning and then a few days later in a 5 mile trail race in wind and rain the sweat wicking was excellent and considering it was a black top on a sunny morning I definitely felt far from hot although I’m not 100% sure if I was being “actively cooled" I do know that the top didn’t retain sweat like others often do.

In the rain and wind it also performed well and it was noticeable that again, it didn’t hold onto too much moisture either from sweat or the rain and remained light and a good fit.

Fit wise the material is very lightweight and the medium was a good fit for me without being too clingy and as someone who runs longer races and also run-commutes with a pack this top is a little longer than many of my others and I found this to be a benefit when wearing a pack as sometimes shirts tend to ride up at the back when the pack moves around but being slightly longer this didn’t happen.

Overall, a really impressive top with very good heat transmission to keep you cool. I’d happily recommend for any level of runner. You can buy it from Blacks

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Running faster by running faster

With time being at a premium at the moment, my plans of upping mileage significantly in order to prepare for a shot at placing high on the Hardmoors 60 leaderboard have had to be modified a little but I've not been wasting what time I do have during my morning run commute to work.

This is my unscientific and anecdotal report of the 6 weeks or so since I decided after the Manchester Marathon that I what I needed was to improve my fitness so that my slower runs were faster. The theory being that it represented a "step up" from cruising around at about 8:00-8:15/mile on slow runs to running closer to the 7:30/mile mark. My thinking is that if I could up the effort level just a notch to make 7:30 the new 8:00 a lot of things would happen speed wise over a range of distances. Since running Manchester Marathon in 3:36 which included staying at a comfortable 8:00 pace for the first 20 miles,

I'd also run the first 31 miles of the Dusk til Dawn ultra before withdrawing but found that even in the short space of time since upping my slow run pace, my fitness and strength as well as race speed have improved noticeably without having to really alter my mileage which remains a modest 30-40 a week.

It's been a bit of an effort but actually not that big a change after a week or so and sometimes it's worth checking your effort level on slower runs because it's all too easy to plod on a slow run because that's what it's called. I knew I could run comfortably at 7:30 pace for a couple of miles and it be considered "easy" so I figured increasing the amount of time spent at that effort level/speed over a few weeks (with some slower runs in there too to avoid over doing it) would be ok.

Since making the switch in pace, I felt comfortable running in the Dusk til Dawn for the 31 miles (and 5700ft ascent) I completed, I ran the Dovestone Diamond 10k (a tough multi-terrain race) in 44:50 (I'd have been happy with sub 50!) and I managed to sneak in a 18:58 parkrun 5k last weekend. In addition to that, I've just done my normal run commute (10k) at a decent but not full on effort and run it in 42:36. That's only 20 seconds off a PB from the last 10k race I did last year.

So, if you've been stuck at the same speed for a while, try running a little bit faster. The results might surprise you.

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Marsden 10 mile challenge 2013

I love the Marsden 10 mile challenge for a few reasons. It's on my doorstep and I know the course inside out, it's got a great mix of challenging climbing with around 1500ft of total ascent over the first 6 miles and then 4 miles of downhill and flat trail to the finish and the organisation is second to none with the results published while you're having you free cake and coffee after the race.

Take note race organisers, this is how it's done!

The race

10 miles, 1500ft of ascent and a course profile that's not too far off being 6 miles up, 4 miles down, I ran it as a novice runner with 5 months experience last year in 1:28 and placed 42nd. 

I'd written in my aims for 2013 that I'd like to improve on that by running sub 1:20 or getting into the top 25 and I managed 1 of those yesterday with one of my best runs to date - finishing in 1:14:49 which on the day showed the depth of the field this year because improving by 14 minutes was only good for 36th this year!

Uphill

It's a really tough start climbing out of Marsden but I was keen to go out fast knowing that once you get to the top of Wessenden Head Road it's all downhill from there for the last 4 miles and I felt confident enough that if I could pace myself to the top I'd make up places going downhill and so it transpired.

I went out reasonably close to the leaders but slowed back quickly and dropped into a small group heading up to Deerhill Reservoir where I took my first little walking break for a minute just to lower my heart rate before the top and then onto the flat around the reservoir and down to the catchwater trail through to the beginning of the brutal climb up to Wessenden Head Road and another walking break for a minute or so to grab the one gel I'd carried and a drink of water at the second of 3 drink stations as it was roasting hot in the sun.

I'd managed to settle into a 10min/mile pace shuffling up Wessenden Head Road which goes on and on and up and up for a long time. I know it well as I live further down it and train on it but it doesn't make it any easier.

On reaching the bit where the incline starts to ease off, I definitely felt the benefit of those couple of little walking breaks and immediately started pulling away from the guy I was running up with and started my race plan which was to try and catch and take as many people as possible on the downhill from there knowing my downhill speed has improved massively since last year when I had none and was overtaken myself on the final 4 mile stretch by several people.

Downhill

A quick drink at the top of the trail and my actual race began ... I've been practicing running downhill since I saw a great tip from Ian Sharman on how to run downhill and I've gone from a slightly jarring style running at about 6:30/mile pace to flying down easier and at about 5:20/mile instead.

Knowing this I took a place on the first downhill section and the momentum carried me along the trail at a good 6:20-6:30/mile pace where I think ultimately I took another 3 or 4 positions and finished more than a minute clear of the man who was a good minute or so ahead of me only 4 miles earlier so I'm happy with that!

A view of the Wessenden Valley the course runs through

Lessons learnt

Walking is still ok. I have no qualms about taking a minute or so to walk on a steep climb because more often than not it's a chance to grab a drink and more importantly lower the heartrate quickly as you work very hard going up steep hills like these.

I know most of the people who finished in front of me ran the full course and I guess that's the step up I need to make next but compared to last year where I walked large stretches uphill my walking this year was less than 5 minutes of the total time so I'm happy with that.

Organisation and value

As with last year, this is a superb race. It's a great course, well marshalled and with results being processed while you're eating free cake and drinking tea you simply can't go wrong for a tenner. Thanks to the Colne Valley Lions for organising another great one.

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Dovestone Diamond 10k

Talk about tough.

The Dovestone Diamond is a 10k, multi-terrain route with about 500ft of ascent/descent and with the days rain it had turned the offroad parts of the course into a pretty muddy slop-fest so while it was tough, this was definitely my sort of race!

I'm not a fan of evening running but when it's a classic race a few miles down the road an effort must be made so off we went - me, the wife, Amanda and Simon all with varying goals and aims for the evenings running. For me, I'd run the Lactic Flashback a while back and figured if I went full bore here as I did with that race I might sneak into the top 25 although this field seemed to be a lot more competitive and stacked at the front end as it hit the full 250 runners limit before the day but having not run the actual route I didn't know what to aim for particularly other than to survive the first 2.5 - 3 miles of uphill and then be on flat/downhill on the way back.

Sprinting at the start line

I started at the front of the line because there's a short sprint along a road and you funnel into a very narrow, very muddy path before hitting a narrow gateway and a thin path so having found in previous trail races it's well worth making an effort to avoid getting caught up in a mass of legs and bodies trying to squeeze through a gate early in the race and so it proved. I went out with the front runners for the first half mile and settled into a hard working pace but felt reasonably comfortable although the first mile and a bit are hard hard work for sure!

The climbing continued but not quite as steeply as we headed into a wooded section and it while still puffing and panting I did enjoy some reasonably technical trail through there and along the side of Dovestone reservoir leading to a final little switchback before you hit the relative relief of knowing you're halfway there and the remainder is downhill or flat!

Trail spirit and a split field

Thank you to the racer behind me on the final little uphill bit who when I took a little breather by walking up a few steps encouraged me to keep running. I love offroad racing for just this sort of spirit.

There was a definite split in the field at the halfway point with me and a couple of guys at the back of the top 20-30 racers and then a gap where you could be reasonably confident that if you didn't fade badly you probably wouldn't lose position much. Probably an indication that a bit more speed training would be required to step up into the top 20.

The run around the 3-5.5 mile point was around the reservoir and was a case of getting into a consistent pace and calming down the breathing from the climbing and then came the great fun of the traverse down the side of the big grass bank at the side of the reservoir. I'd always wondered what it would be like to do that and it was reassuring to take back all of the 100m lead the person in front had in a matter of around 20 seconds. Thank you downhill practice!

Forrest Gump survival finish mode

I wish I'd known the last last km of the race better though, I kicked waaaaaaaaaaaay too early with a km to go and while I think I held the two places I gained, there was nothing consistent about the pacing now, just Forrest Gump survival mode. Still, I managed to out-sprint the chap in 25th and crossing the line at around a 3:20/mile pace even for a few seconds was a great way to finish off a really tough but enjoyable race in what actually is my 3rd fastest 10k time of 44:50 and the other two were road races so to say I'm happy with that would be an understatement.

Lessons learnt

I can race uphills reasonably well these days and I'm glad I decided to start at the front to have a chance to stay clear of any queues at the first narrow path. Hard work but definitely worthwhile. Apart from that, I probably got a bit carried away kicking early at the 9km mark and faded badly so probably worth leaving it a little later next time but ultimately no real harm done as I'd have been more than happy with a couple of places and even a minute or two slower in the conditions and terrain.

Results

Me: 24th in 44:50

Simon: 182nd in 1:02:21

Amanda: 193rd in 1:03:46

Ally: 202nd in 1:05:58

Thanks as ever to all the marshals and volunteers who help organise and support the race, standing around in the rain is never much fun but each one gave me a bit of encouragement as I went past and I always appreciate the little boost you get from it.

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Dusk 'til Dawn 50 mile ultra

Gutted doesn't cover it. Not by half.

I retired from this extremely tough 50 miler after covering 31.25 miles having run pretty much all that distance with a small group of guys in joint 4th place and while I was feeling extremely comfortable at that point. I suspect it would be foolish to speculate that I'd still be that far up the field after another 20 miles but you never know in ultras.

The reason I am so deflated about the race is because I'd retired when in a good position and running strong but this was a course that required at least competent navigational skills and the weather in the Peak District yesterday meant that as someone who basically couldn't navigate their way out of a paper bag I felt a little insecure in the fact I was essentially relying on following other runners and trusting in their skills and yesterdays conditions were basically a thick layer of mist with visibility of around 100 meters and with it being so easy to get split up from a small group I erred on the side of caution and called it a day knowing having learnt that if a race says you need navigational skills, I should probably have some.

The course

Tough to say the least but I vaguely know some parts of the Peak District and with 9000ft of ascent over the 50 mile route it's not really surprising there was a lot of walking and indeed by the time I'd retired, I'd already done nearly 6000ft of the climbing. Shame about the grim weather and mist because some of the views in the area are nothing short of stunning on a good day.

Pacing and nutrition

In what is only my second ultra, I wanted to make sure I paced myself better and find a balance of how much food and drink to take on because in all my long runs to date, once I get to around the 17-18 mile mark my stomach starts complaining and it's something that I'm sure is down to getting the right balance.

I actually managed that and reached the CP where I retired feeling great in that department too. No stomach issues, still had an appetite for food and generally felt well hydrated and good to go. I think I probably over-hydrate slightly on many of my runs and this time I basically carried a 500ml bottle which I refilled at each 10 mile CP and sipping as I went seemed to work.

As the course required a lot of walking due to amount of climbing, I tucked in with a group of guys who seemed to be getting along at a reasonable but steady pace and jogging where it was flat, running around 9 minute/mile pace on the downhills and taking it steady uphill. Definitely slower than I'd probably have been running if left to my own devices but left to my own devices I'd have no doubt burnt out long before 30 miles!

The DNF

As I mentioned, I feel a bit deflated about the day because there are a lot "what if's?" when you retire from something. Should I have been a bit braver and not wimped out over my ability to read a map? After all, the worst that might have happened if the guys I was following disappeared would have been that I could have waited for someone else to come along and I could have followed them but frankly that just felt like a shitty way to try and run a race where it was my own shortcomings in navigation were to blame for the feeling of insecurity.

Who knows, maybe I could have clung on and finished in the top 10, maybe the proverbial wheels would have fallen off later in the day. I'll never know. I felt confident I'd finish the distance even if I'd had to slow down, to be honest, once I get past halfway in a race my mindset changes a little and even if there's a long way to go I think about it as a "home stretch". I just didn't feel confident in my navigation ability in the conditions and while I probably would have been fine in the end I erred on the side of very cautious in my first crack at this distance and a navigation race.

The organisation and staff

Simply brilliant, thanks to Richard and Wendy for putting on a great event and to all the marshalls who no doubt had a long day in some grim weather but offered support and advice at all the right times. For £28 entry fee (all profits are actually donated to McMillan) this is a really great event.

There's a night time edition of the race run on the course in reverse direction overnight in October which is a tempting option for closing out the unfinished business of yesterday but in the meantime I'm going to spend some time and effort learning navigation skills which I hope will open up a range of other race options to try and I'll stick to heavily marked races in the meantime.

I hope at some point the feeling of frustration with myself fades and while I learnt a lot in my time on the course yesterday and can take a lot of positives from the race to the point of retirement, I suppose I'll have to live with the decision I made.

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2013 - Manchester Marathon

It's done, in short I'm really thrilled to have finished with an apparent chip time of 3:34:58 and what turned out to be a much better run than I'd feared might have taken place given a very disrupted training program from January.

My stretch target was to basically follow the 3:30 pacer around the course and basically overtake them on the finish line to sneak in at sub 3:30 but despite going into January with a good level of base fitness and mileage I struggled with a knee injury and then spent most of Feb-April catching seemingly every cold going around meaning that around week 4 of my training plan I started having to deviate and drop runs and mileage in order to rest and recover.

The initial plan was to include speed work in the form of fartlek once or twice a week and to eventually build to around 45-50 miles a week following a standard plan 3:30 pace from Runners World which I'd modified slightly to account for the fact that my run to work in the morning is 5-6 miles instead of the 3-4 outlined in the plan. I'm comfortable enough with allowing some flexibility and tweaking and the big change for me at this early stage in my running "life" is the long sunday run is now done at a set pace that was faster than I'd typically been used to plodding at but the aim obviously is to get to a point where race pace (8:00/mile) is comfortable and sustainable.

Ultimately the injuries and illnesses meant the longest run I'd managed during training was 15 miles. Not enough. Not by a long stretch.

Race day

Last years Manchester Marathon was nothing short of an organisational disaster, with utterly dreadful weather and incompetence on so many levels by the company running the event I was honestly amazed nobody died. This year, they took on board all the feedback and came back with a new flat course that remained in the city rather than going through the outskirts and the race village was at Old Trafford instead of some sodden muddy park last year.

It made it a lot easier to get ready and was certainly more organised but I did feel there was a distinct lack of signage when entering the city and then very little direction to official parking.

On to the race itself, having studied the course and availability of gels & drinks etc, I'd decided to carry 3 gels from the start and take them at 5, 10 and 15 miles then pick up some Clif Shot blocks at the closing aid stations as I'd had them before and knew they were a "safe" option on race day.

Even pacing

The plan for running with the knowledge of my lack of distance training was basically to follow the 3:30 pacer for as long as possible and then basically jog in at an easier pace according to how I felt. I knew I'd be OK at the 8:00 pace for about 15 miles and also figured race day adrenaline would help carry me along another couple of miles. As it turned out, I made it to 20-21 miles at the pace before my lack of fitness caught up with me and I hit the wall.

The pacer went out fast, around 7:40-7:50 miles and there was only one mile in the first 15 that was over 8:00 pace (8:05) but then he eased up a little and I believe eventually finished around 3:27 but I had to let him go around 21 miles, I just couldn't keep my form or pace steady. Still, happy to have got that far at that pace to be honest.

I'd had stomach issues (which necessitated a 2 minute porta loo #2 break at 8 miles!) which I still need to work on generally and again they cropped up a little towards the end but it was amazing I'd lasted that long to be honest.

Effort levels

I was really pleased I was able to run through 20 miles at a sub 8:00 pace in comfort, I went through 13.1 miles in around 1:44 very comfortably which was pleasing. I'd definitely run within myself so I'd be confident with an uninterrupted training program I could run into the 3:2x:00 range next time (if there is a next time). I wanted to tick off a flat road marathon just to see what sort of time I was capable of at the moment and that's now done.

My longer term goals this year are trail ultras and I've got a 50 miler (Dusk til Dawn daylight) in May, Thunder Run in July and then the Hardmoors 60 in September so my main goal is to improve my running style and efficiency over long periods of time on my feet and this was a good outing for many reasons.

Being a student

One of the things I've learnt leading up to the marathon and during the race itself is that good preparation and planning is something that can make a difference of minutes over the course of a long race. I'd planned in advance when I was going to use my gels, when I'd pick up more and unlike previous races I'd not gone Forrest Gump from the start and paid attention to how I felt knowing what sort of time I should arrive at certain stages of the course and it made a big difference.

I'd expected to blow up in the closing miles due to the lack of training and while it was painful and not pretty losing around 5-6 minutes in as many miles, it didn't phase me and I stuck to the task about as well as I'd hoped for.

Review

One of the things that last years race got slammed for was the frankly dire organisation from start to finish, rightly so. It was bordering on negligent and dangerous. This year was a massive improvement across the board apart from perhaps a bit of missing direction to parking and my wife said the trams getting out to the halfway point were chaos, I'm not sure if that's the fault of the race organisers or the tram company.

The race village was well organised and bag drop was very quick and easy. There weren't enough toilets but I'm not sure there ever will be at a mass participation event where pre-race nerves kick in 20 minutes before the gun!

The new course meant better access for supporters and all round the course they were wonderful. It was great fun high fiving kids on the way round and great to see so many of them getting into the spirit of supporting sport. The looping nature of the course also meant it was possible at a couple of points to see the elites speeding past in the other direction and then for me to see the other folks behind my pace. I really liked that as it was possible to be inspired by the speedsters and to cheer on the folks behind.

One of the disappointing aspects following the race was getting home to try and see official times and splits on the official website to find it hadn't changed at all (not even a check here for results later link or anything). As a web designer, I would have pre-planned a race day change to the site to give links or results etc once the winner had crossed the line. Fuller results could follow but I'd have liked that to have been better managed.

A great day out all in all, perfect running weather, a much better course, a massive PB and a performance I was very happy with. Can't complain too much really!

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Lactic Flashback

The Lactic Flashback is a brutal 8 mile fell race with about 1500ft climbing and a quad trashing mile long xxx rated descent to the finish where a free chip buttie was waiting as part of the £7 entry fee.

I'd not run much going into this and I knew it was going to be tough hearing from friends who'd run it previously in 2010 and certainly wasn't disappointed. The profile for the course is largely climbing for 6.5 miles and a quick but exceptionally steep descent to the finish which saw several runners crossing the line bloodied and bruised but luckily I wasn't one of them and managed to race hard but tactically for a 23rd place finish (of 109 runners) in 1:09:13.

Technique and practice paid off

I'm trying to be a student of trail and fell running and I know when the terrain gets steep, there's often little benefit to trying to keep a running pace up when walking is just as efficient and affords the opportunity for a (relatively speaking) breather and it proved as such during this race as the two runners who eventually finished behind me in 24 and 25th were clearly fit and strong and they ran the entire course while I walked in short bursts on the uphills keeping them in sight pretty much at all times but was able to run a slightly faster pace on the flatter (again, relatively speaking!) sections meant they never really built an unassailable lead.

The other key element to offroad running that can make or break a race is the ability to run downhill on very steep and/or technical terrain and the last descent was most certainly that. I reached the top of the descent and was immediately overtaken by the guy who'd been following me closely up the last couple of miles but who I'd made an effort to try and drop by allowing him to get close while I was walking before running again but he didn't break and then flew past me on the extreme downhill with the ease of a clearly practised fell runner.

Not much I could do other than try and keep up which I did reasonably well in the end by staying far enough back to see the terrain safely but letting gravity help me down.

We both passed one of the stronger runners in front who I'd been trailing for the previous 6ish miles and reached the bottom reasonably close and I pushed hard to catch and pass the downhill demon who gave a friendly compliment on the way past about me probably leaving him for dead on the last bit (I didn't, despite cranking up to around 5:30/mile pace for the last half mile or so).

I'm glad I've spent time reading about, and practicing good downhill technique and also not being afraid to walk up hills when it's clear running isn't going to shave off much time versus the effort level.

I really enjoy local races like this, the entry fee was excellent value, the course very clearly marked and hugely challenging and the level of support and marshalling was great. Even better was the fact that results were available less than half an hour after the final runner coming in.

As a final awesome bonus, my wife Ally and one of our friends Amanda won their respective (F35 & F40) age categories!

A really awesome race and I'd be confident of shaving off a good 2-4 minutes if I'd actually been fitter as I should be in the middle of marathon training but it's been a nightmare of niggling injury and illness so not actually done much training but some room for improvement in 2 years time. As ever, it's great fun running with great people so a tip of the hat to Deborah, Amanda, Ally and Darren for their great (prize winning) runs too.

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Sealskinz waterproof socks and beanie hat

Sadly I've been injured recently which has delayed my getting around to giving the latest waterproof beanie and socks from Sealskinz so this review is a little later than I'd hoped but I've put both through their paces with some good trail runs and also a couple of very cold and boggy mountain bike rides (in the socks) and the feedback is a bit split so I'll cover them separately.

Sealskinz waterproof socks

These are billed as waterproof and as a fan and long time user of Sealskinz products I have no complaints here, the double lined socks certainly do a good job of keeping your feet dry. I typically enjoy 10+ mile fell & trail runs and often the worse the conditions, the more I want to be outside so nothing really keeps you completely dry whatever the manufacturer says but these socks do a pretty decent job and for general running you'd be pretty comfortable for anything less than grim conditions.

The construction of the sock is a new one to me personally as they're double layered which I found to be a bit loose fitting although I'm not able to say if this is because the sizing of the socks run a little on the large size. I had a pair of large socks and am a 10.5 shoe and there was definitely a fair bit of movement inside the sock which no doubt was partly because of the double layering construction.

They did keep my feet drier than my normal socks though and I am happy to report no blistering or hotspots despite them potentially being a little large.

I'm not sure I'd buy them personally as despite being marketed as part of their spring range, I'd say these are a pretty significant sock and for colder, grim days on the trails and if like me you tend to prefer the comfort of a tighter, more minimal shoe your feet may be a little snug.

Sealskinz waterproof beanie

The reason I split this review in two was because I could probably take or leave the socks in the grand scheme of things but the hat is exceptional. I tried the XL one and it's perhaps a tad small but apart from that, I can't say enough positive things about it.

Again, despite being part of a spring range, this is a winter hat. I don't really see myself wearing it when the weather gets a bit warmer but I've been wearing it a lot in the recent weeks both as a casual wear hat initially (the black one is a nice enough shape and subtle enough to wear a "normal" hat) and then running now I'm back and in all the recent cold weather, it's kept me toasty warm at all times.

We've actually not had that much rain so I've not been able to push its waterproof properties that much but I'd be happy enough to buy this hat as it is just for how warm it kept me day to day and also after a few recent races when it's easy to cool off quickly and feel the effects.

If you're looking for a new beanie, this is a great choice for warmth and could happily be worn casually as well.

Thanks to Carly at Canoe Inc for giving me the chance to check out the products.

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Winter gear

Most people seem to put on all their running clothes when the temperatures drop below zero, you probably don't need to.

I've just done a lovely 9 mile trail run to work and when I set off it was probably a degree or two below zero (Celsius) but I still wore shorts and a lightweight jacket. A lot of friends on Twitter mentioned that they were deciding on which tracksuit trousers/tights they were going to wear in the meantime.

I do own a pair of running tights, I think I've worn them once. Quite often I run with compression sleeves which I mainly wear for warmth and a bit of protection from flying mud or brambles etc but I didn't bother today and went with this rather natty spiderman inspired get-up.

What's all the gear?

There are a couple of things I've found invaluable, one is a the polar buff [1] I wear as a hat, I rarely run without it in cold weather. They're versatile and extremely warm. I'm one of those people who put a wooly hat on in September and it barely leaves my head until spring. I think if you limit heat loss from your head you will always feel a lot warmer. The other item is my bargain Karrimor gloves [2]. They're thin enough to take the edge off the cold but not too thick you end up carrying them after a mile.

As an added bonus, you can actually operate a touchscreen phone without taking them off.

The rest of the gear is fairly standard stuff, typically I will wear 2 tech shirts (again, bargain basement Karrimor stuff) - 1 long sleeve and one short/vest. A pair of standard running shorts with lycra under shorts and then a pair of shoes. In today's case Brooks Pure Flow which are excellent on frozen trails. The jacket is a lightweight Montane H2O [3].

I do run pretty much everywhere with a rucksack which does add some element of warmth and back protection because I have to carry my work clothes but when I run at weekends without one I still wear the same gear.

The oft used rule of thumb for running is to dress like it's 10 degrees warmer. Sure you'll be cold when you step out the door but it doesn't take long for your body to heat up and all those layers to become stifling.

Backup gear/longer runs

This is my fairly typical workday commute gear, I don't run more than 13 miles to work and I'm never far from civilisation so I don't carry much to account for weather and variable conditions although I've run in rain, sun, wind and all sorts in this and been fine. It's a balance I've reached over the last 6 months of varied running.

When I go out on longer runs or more technical trails etc then I often carry a pair of tights and a fleece to wear under the jacket along with food etc if I'm going a long way.

References

Polar buff - £23.99

Karrimor gloves - £3.99

Montane H2O jacket - £search for offers

What sort of gear do you wear when it gets cold?

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14 day improvements - yoga

As part of a plan to make small but considered improvements to my lifestyle physically and mentally, both at home and work I've just finished the first of my 14 day trials - Yoga.

I'm often pushed for time so I've been using Wii Fit and picking up where I left off about 3 years ago and while I'd committed to doing 30 minutes of yoga daily, it's ended up being more like 20 minutes a day. I must say I've been encouraged by this lifehack. Because I enjoy longer distance running and ultimately I'd like to test myself in 50 and 100 mile races I'm looking at improvements that would benefit long distance running and improve efficiency, yoga was a good place to start.

Using the Wii has been an interesting way to measure things like my centre of balance (actually not too bad) and guide me in the various poses.

The main benefit I've drawn from only 14 days of yoga is that I already feel a lot stronger than when I started. Noticeably stronger. Legs and arms in particular but it's also been good to stretch out some of the muscles that running a lot of miles seem to have knotted up a bit.

I've also noticed that my balance has improved massively. Not that I was swaying around like Shane McGowan on the way home but using the Wii did highlight that posture and muscle strength wasn't as good as I'd thought.

Longer term, I don't think it's possible to keep up yoga every day but I'm certainly going to continue making an effort to fit in a longer session twice a week. If I feel like this after 14 days, I'm looking forward to seeing how it pans out over a few months and what improvement it has on my running.

Verdict: Success - yoga stays

Next up: 20-30 Sit ups a day

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http://Personal Best

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2013 races and goals

Now I've got my first year of running done and somehow managed to get hooked on the sport enough to run over 1,000 miles over the course of the year, there's a lot I want to revisit now I've got a bit more experience and my fitness is a bit better than the same time last year and there's a lot I want to do this year that's new.

Major events confirmed

Manchester Marathon (April)

Adidas 24 hour Thunder Run (July)

Hardmoors 60 mile ultra (September)

Secondary races I'd like to run

Dusk 'til Dawn 50 mile ultra (May clash with Thruscross though)

Marsden to Edale 20 mile trigger race

Races I'd like to revisit

Thruscross 5 hour endurance race - Aim: Better prep and in-race nutrition strategy (and to run 5 laps).

Marsden 10 miler Aim: Run sub 1:20 and/or top 25 (ran 1:28:29 / 42nd place)

Manchester Marathon Aim: Run sub 3:30

So far I've got three major runs planned which have a few months between so offer a good opportunity to taper and jump straight back into training and then I'm planning on running a lot of local events particularly focusing my efforts on fell and trail running along with improving my non existent navigation skills as there's so much incredible terrain around here it feels I'm often missing out on getting truly offroad because in the interests of safety I don't stray where I can't navigate.

Along with these races, I'm intending on working on improving general speed with more hill and Fartlek work with the long term aim of having a crack at a 2014 good for age time (3:10 mararthon) to get into London Marathon 2014 although the more I run trails, the less road appeals but I'm keen to work on shorter distances and bring my 5k down to sub 18 and 10k to 38 or 39 minutes if I can.

In addition to that, I want to keep supporting the awesome Parkrun which has got me here and where my wife and I have met so many great new friends.

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When running isn't a chore

Through the course of my day, I see lots of friends on Twitter mentioning that they've missed a few runs and need to force themselves to get out for a quick run in order to get back into it because it's still not quite "automatic".

Like most things, a run is something that needs to be ingrained in your day/schedule and once you do it often enough, it ceases being a chore to get out of the way to something you miss when you're not doing it. How long does it take for that transition to take place?

For me it didn't take that long, about 4 months or so and I was hooked by a regular training regime and the signs of improvement meant it got easier to do shorter runs so the trauma of going for a run was lessened quite quickly. I go out in pretty much all weathers and I found the same was true when I was cycling the 10km route to (and from) work all year round. I miss not doing it.

Bad weather is a challenge for kit selection, that's all. 

Once you've got over that hump where running is a chore to something you enjoy, an entire new world opens up to you and you start exploring and changing your routes with new found confidence but you need to stick with it and push yourself to get out on the road or trail regularly so it becomes a habit because there aren't any shortcuts to this.

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A quick way to improve mental strength

Mental strength plays a massive part in running. Whether it's a training run, your first 5k or an ultra marathon you will at some point need to face up to the fact that you won't always cruise and you'll have to dig deep and carry on when you're not at your best.

Without pushing yourself to the absolute limit you can actually recreate a bit of the feeling you get when you're switching off / winding down simply by carrying on a little bit further.

Next time you want to jolt your legs into a last half mile or mile, don't turn up your path to the house or to the office, carry on a little more. Not enough to ruin your schedule or plan, there's no need to go another 10 miles or anything crazy but I do find quite often that my legs and mind start to get comfortable when I'm a few hundred meters from finishing and it's good to occasionally tell them they might need to give more.

This only really works when you run past your finishing destination so don't just plan an extra mile on your run. Actually do your normal run/loop and go straight past your front door instead of stopping. It's harder than you think.