Musings of a running fool

Devil o' the HIghlands. The good, the bad and the ugly.

2011-08-08T14:55:00.011+01:00

Well this year's Devil was always going to be a wee trip into the unknown for me with my very abbreviated training but I was feeling good apart from slightly sore quads due to a slightly over-enthusiastic session of hill bashing on my bike on the Wednesday prior to the race.

Still, I wasn't worried and I was really looking forward to introducing Dave, a newish club member, to the delights of running in the highlands. He's been is Ayrshire for years but never up past Loch Lomond so it was a grand day out for both of us.

As usual, I was up at about 4 am to fry up some bacon for a sandwich. I always reckon it sets me up well for the day. Whether it does or not I don't really care, I just like bacon sandwiches. ;-)

I won't bore you all with minutiae of my run but over the first section to Bridge or Orchy I was feeling strong and reached BOO in 1:05. My legs felt good on all the hills and I really do think that the cycling worked improve my uphill running. The next leg to Glencoe was going well too until I got a bit over-enthusiastic running down the hill to Inveroran when I stumbled and came crashing down heavily on my right arm and leg. I rolled and was up on my feet again in an instant but needless to say it took the wind out of my sails for a while and as I assessed the damage, I realised that I had blood dripping off my hand coming from a cut on my elbow. My leg felt a bit battered but apart from a few grazes there was little to show for it.

After a brief stop for a bit of a clean up and some milk at Victoria Bridge I carried on to Glencoe and was pleased to get there only a minute down on my time last year. Unfortunately as I approached Black Rock Cottage I was overcome with a *very* urgent call of nature and had to drop my shorts within a couple of hundred metres of the checkpoint. Apologies to anyone's sensibilities I offended if you saw me! All I can say is, if you gotta go, you gotta go. ;-)

From here on I was joined by Dave, my clubmate, "a running bear" in hirsuteness and size. I've been trying to point him in the direction of ultra running for some time now as he's one of those people who seem to glide over the ground making effortless progress so I'm sure that ultra running will be his forte.

Anyhow, it was a beautiful day although getting a bit warm by now but we enjoyed the views as we ascended the Devil's Staircase and beyond. Once at the top, I was aware that my legs didn't quite have the bounce that I usually have for descending hills but nevertheless we made good progress down to Kinlochleven. As we neared KLL I remembered thinking "Wouldn't it be nice if the race ended here?".

When we arrived in KLL I was now 18 minuted behind last year's time and this was indicative of how things were going to go from now on. I sat down to have a bite to eat before setting off on the last leg and as usual, the climb out of KLL felt longer and harder than the Devil's Staircase. That said, once we reached to top I managed to keep running the downhills and level bits reasonably well AND some of the uphills but I was finding the underfoot conditions hard, usually an indication of how tired I am. On fresh legs I can skip along but today it was becoming a bit of a stumblefest. Things probably weren't helped by my wearing my "mono-vision" contact lenses which give me one good eye for reading and one good eye for distance. The trouble is they give be one pair of eyes rather poor at depth perception which doesn't help on uneven ground. During the climb I realised that my elbow was leaking blood again and dripping off my fingers so I decided to take advantage of the Mountain Medics who did a grand job of bandaging my elbow up.

Anyhow, as it does, the Larig Mor eventually comes to an end and we met up with Muriel for a spot of refreshment before carrying on to the last leg. Just before we left I heard the dulcet tones on Anne (Noble - support runner) and Karen Robertson approaching. Karen has had miserable luck with the Devil (and this year's WHW race) so despite being upset about being "caught by a girly from my own club!" I was absolutely delighted that at last she was having a better run.

Being a gentleman, I hightailed out of the checkpoint without waiting but it did me little good and she soon overhauled me and left me for dead, which was pretty much how I was feeling by this stage.

My quads were by now seriously trashed and going down steeper hills (or steps in particular) was very painful and it was a slow and painful descent down Glen Nevis to Braveheart car park.

Still, one foot in front of the other gets you there eventually and after we passed the 30 mph sign I tried to pretend that I was a runner with a rather feeble sprint finish.

So, firstly the good things.

I think the cycling definitely helped with running up the hills. Considering the amount of running I've done lately that went well. I will be including cycling as part of my future ultra training.
It was also a great pleasure and a privilege to get to introduce David to this beautiful part of the highlands on such a great day.
My running went well (apart from my tumble)up until Kinlochleven. Dave was good company on the run and Muriel did a sterling job of trying to satisfy my whims throughout the day.

The bad things.
It doesn't take a genius to realise that I would have done better if I had started slower and I have to admit that I was really pushing myself in the early stages to see how close I could run to my times last year. It was always going to be a risky thing to do but I wanted to see just how well I could run on so little running in training. I would have enjoyed the race overall more if I had started slower I think. Also, having to drop your shorts in easy view of a check point isn't something I want to repeat in a hurry!

The ugly things.
My elbow doesn't look too pretty but it'll heal. I've some fairly impressive bruises on my thigh but I think they're all pretty superficial. I'll spare you the pictures of those. ;-)

NEXT year, I'll train properly, I promise. ;-) Unfortunately I'm going to have to find a new support runner as Dave is determined to enter the Devil next year, which at the end of the day, is a great result.

Running the Devil, on a wheel and a prayer.

2011-08-05T15:16:00.002+01:00

It's been a funny old year and admittedly, it's not gone to plan running wise but I'm not too dismayed.

I've done less running in preparation for this year's Devil o' the Highland race than ever before but oddly I'm really looking forward to it. In fact, I'm even kidding myself that I might actually do quite well in it.

So where does this (very possibly misplaced) confidence come from? Well for a start, I've been doing a lot of cycling and most of that has included as many hills as I can point my front wheel up and nearly all of that has been done pushing a biggish gear (52x23 minimum) which I feel has really toned up my quads.

I've lost a good half stone in weight over the last few weeks thanks to the cycling and feel all the better for it.

Whilst I've hardly run I did do the sweeping for the Clyde Stride which was useful "time on feet" and I got talked into doing a hilly 7 mile leg of the "Round Arran relays". I think I done 2 other shortish runs as well and that's pretty much been it as far as running's concerned over the last month.

The other thing that's helped was watching the following video which has pretty much cured me of whinging about my sciatica!

Jamie Andrew: Mountaineering, Amputation, and Changing Nappies with his Teeth. www.jamieandrew.com from Alastair Humphreys on Vimeo.

So, whatever happens tomorrow, I hope I can finish with a smile.

Chim chimeny, chim chimeny, chim chim, cheree...

2011-07-18T22:29:00.004+01:00

Well I've done some daft things in my time but it's been a while since I've done something quite as silly as this.

When I heard that Lee (the Clyde Stride race organiser) was in need of some sweepers (the folk who jog along at the back making sure that all the stragglers are accounted for) I thought it would be fun to bring my chimney sweeping brush for the photos at the start of the race.

Well, as you might imagine it caused a wee bit of a stir and folk were asking if I planned to carry it the whole way. I must confess I had thought about it and I decided that I would indeed find out what it was like to carry a chimney brush for 40 miles.

As it turned out, it was in in fact easy to run with (it's pretty light) and by the time I'd reached the first checkpoint I'd decided that it was going the whole way. Of course, when I say "run", I actually mean "a wee bit of running and an awful lot of walking". This suited me okay as I've done very little running in the last few months due to my chronic sciatica, which incidentally, is getting a bit better if you're interested. I'd been out on my bike for 4 rides in the week before the race (2x17 miles and 2x40 miles). Hard to be sure but I think they've helped me physically a bit. Whitout doubt thought they've helped me psychologically a LOT!

Today I had a really enjoyable 40 miler on my bike with no embarrassing walking breaks and plan to go out again tomorrow.

It been a very frustrating few months struggling to train in almost constant pain and having made the decision to forget the running for a while and just cycle, I'm really enjoying being able to get some decent exercise again. I'm now really looking forward to the Devil of the Highlands race which I was dreading before the Clyde Stride. I now feel confident of finishing at least.

Back in the saddle...

2011-07-07T18:12:00.003+01:00

...literally.

After yesterday's cathartic whinge, I decided that the only way forward at the moment is to try and forget about running and try some cross training. I know, I know, you're all thinking "Duh?", it's an obvious response and an obvious answer to my current malaise but it's a route I've been reluctant to follow. I mean, everyone knows that running is The One True Sport don't they? Why would I want to do anything different? Anyhow, I decided that if I can't run and not running properly is making me miserable, I just HAVE to do something different for a few weeks.

I thought about swimming but with the schools on holiday I decided that my chances of getting any uninterrupted lengths in were going to be near zero. So today, I ventured into the garage and peered into the garage pile and pulled out a sporty looking number with no mudguards and not enough gears. After wiping the worst of the cobwebs and sawdust off (I kid you not, it's been sat there for about 5 years) I pumped 100psi into each tyre, crossed my fingers and wobbled off on a 17.3 mile ride.

It's odd really that I should be so reluctant to embrace my bike these days as I used to be a very keen cyclist when I was younger (and thought runners were absolutely potty) but I've somehow fallen out of love with cycling.

Anyhow, it wasn't long before I was regretting picking the bike with no granny gears as I wheezed my way up hills. My worst moment came on a long (but not steep) incline when I wobbled to a near halt and realised that I was going to have to walk. This was when my trust in bike turned out to be a little misplace as my SPD pedal was darned if it was going to let go of my shoe! Fortunately, I managed to get one out before I fell but I think a little lubrication and adjustment is in order before I venture out again. ;-)

Not long after that the rain started and the lack of mudguards meant that my feet and back got a good spraying. Admittedly, by the end of the ride I was almost enjoying it so I suppose I can stand to do this for a few weeks. Goodness only knows what it'll do for my sciatica but i guess I'll find out soon enough.

What do you do when can't do what you love to do?

2011-07-06T11:54:00.003+01:00

First post in absolute ages and it's to have a self-pitying whine. ;-)

I'm having real problems with my running at the moment in that chronic back trouble is making it incredibly hard for me to train to anywhere near my potential.

Yes, I can still go out for shorter runs and enjoy them (after a fashion) but my sciatica constantly undermines my ability to do the longer runs that I need to do to train for ultras. Every day I'm thinking that if I wasn't a runner, my symptoms would be quite bearable and then I feel guilty for aspiring to something that most people wouldn't even dream of doing. It's not like I'm seriously disabled in the conventional sense of the word but and many folk would be grateful to have my present level of fitness, such that it is. Life would be a whole lot simpler if I wasn't a runner!

It's just that I so want to run next year's WHW race and while I know it's a long way off, this back trouble has grumbled on and off for months and months. It put paid to my plans to do the TDS earlier this year when I was forced to accept that there was no way I could put in the appropriate training to do justice to a course like that.

On the immediate horizon I have an entry for the Devil o' the Highlands race which is in August. I would love to run it but I'm having serious doubts about attempting it. It's not that I'm too worried about running with my pain (I've been doing that for ages) but that I know that I just can't get the training done that I'd like to do to run it "properly". I've never been a great fan of just achieving a finish for the sake of it.

I've seen my own physio who has given me mobilisation exercises to do for my lower spine but they've made no difference. I'm currently waiting to see an NHS physio so I suppose I should see what they can do. Although highly sceptical of surgery as a treatment for back pain my symptoms are very specific (single nerve root pain) and I'm beginning to wonder if that's the route I might eventually have to follow.

If any runners out there have been down the surgery route and have any comments they'd like to make, I'm all ears.

Strathaven Striders "Run with the Wind" race report

2010-11-07T18:56:00.006Z

Well I tried, I really did. Ever since we got back from Nepal I've been working on my endurance and speed. Indeed, I've even tried training every day with no rest days but it was all to no avail.

There was just no way that I could drink my two pints of beer fast enough to justify a third before Muriel (designated driver) had finished her one pint.

It's not that I really wanted three pints [1], but when you're drinking with a certain London fireman, it somehow seems the right thing to do. It seems to me that if he's prepared to travel the length of the country to run the race, it would be rude not to down at least three pints with him. Alas, that goal has eluded me yet again. :-(

As to the race, well, for a change, it was glorious weather, if a trifle chilly. I really had no idea how I'd do after so little running over the last couple of months but with no real expectations, I was free to run how I felt and not worry about my time too much.

The first 4km were great and if it had finished there I would have been a happy man. Unfortunately, this "downhill" race then runs uphill from 4 to 6km. Despite that, I made good progress on the uphill section catching and passing several runners. After 6km, I more or less held my position as we headed gently downhill again. Sadly, at 8km there was another uphill and it was here that I discovered that I had probably worked a wee bit too hard on those hills as I went rapidly backwards and lost 3 places very quickly.

At about 8.5km the route went more or less downhill and I held my position despite the accelerating pace of everyone. When I turned the corner to the finishing line and hit the last little hill, my legs almost crumpled beneath me until I reached the finishing straight. I tried to put on a last ditch sprint to see if I could regain a place but it was not to be. All that happend was that I crossed the line gasping like a fish out of water and retching my guts up.

I'm not sure of my time other than somewhere between 43:00 and 43:10. I guess a sub-40 will have to wait for another day. ;-)

[1] That's a lie.

Annapura 8K report

2010-10-23T14:29:00.008+01:00

Loads of pics here.

I was going to do a really long write-up of our trip to Nepal to do the Annapurna base camp (aka sanctuary) trek but Muriel has already done that and it seems daft to do it all over again. Instead, I thought I'd write about the real reason I went to Nepal, to have a crack at Thomas's Machhapuchhare base camp (MBC )to Annapurna base camp (ABC) and back again record. ;-) You can read about it on his blog here.

The trek to Annapurna is a fantastic trip. I suspect it's no more than about 50km from where we started trekking to ABC but what a 50 km! Strongly recommended for any reasonably fit adult. Be prepared for stairs though, lots of them.

After 5 days of trekking we had arrived at MBC at 3,700m elevation in time for a spot of lunch.

Pretty stunning view from our dining table!

After lunch, the plan was to have a little stroll around, go look at a river and then walk a bit up towards Annapurna base camp to aid our altitude adjustment. Well I stuck with the group as we wandered over to see the river but when we got back to the teahouse I could contain myself no longer and took off towards ABC. Slow trekking does not come easily to a WHW runner!

At 3700m altitude, you very definitely know that the air is thin and the moment I hit the first hill I was reduced to puffing my way up all the climbs. As it's a 430m to climb to ABC this was a feeling I was going to have to get used to! That said, it was pretty much like any hill race, striding purposefully up the steeper bits and running all the flatter bits.

I started to pass a number of trekkers and porters. If they didn't hear me approaching a cheerful "Namaste!" usually had them making way for me. It didn't seem long before I reached a large rock with "ABC 1 hour" painted on it. (In the Himalayas, you never see signs with distances, it always done in walking time). This seemed a trifle pessimistic as I could clearly see ABC about a mile ahead but the times are based on wheezing trekkers, not WHW running supermen. ;-)

Those blues roofed buildings are ABC

As you can see, the land flattens out as you approach ABC so I was able to pick up a bit of speed on this stretch. As I neared ABC you pass a large "Welcome" sign.

I agonised for a few moments wondering whether this was Thomas's turn around point but decided that I really had to go the whole way to the camp rather than stop about 400m short. I pushed on until I reached the top of these steps (now looking back down) at 4130m.

I then did something I not particularly proud of, I defaced ABC. ;-)

I did look for "CG" and "TL" briefly but couldn't see any sign of his moniker. ;-) After that, it was a quick turn around and then racing like a loony back down the hill. This did cause a bit of consternation amongst the trekkers. One rather worriedly asked me why I was running to which I could only answer "For fun!" as I hurtled back down the trial. Although altitude makes ascents hard, the descent was easy although I did take a bit more care than normal as access to medical facilities is somewhat limited up there. I misjudged my route as I neared MBC and ended up running up a long flight of steps back to our teahouse, cheered on by a camping group of trekkers.

So, did I beat Thomas's 59 minutes for the round trip? Well, sad to say I didn't start my watch properly when I set off so I'll never know. I suspect I was over the hour though so until I go back and time myself properly, I guess Thomas's record will have to stand. ;-)

These next pics are just an illustration of what breathing air at only 60-65% of normal pressure does for you (and a bag of peanuts).

That top figure (a measure of how saturated my haemoglobin was with oxygen) would be reading 98 to 100 at sea level.

This was a floppy bag of nuts when we go it on the plane. Now it was as tight as a drum.

So apart from the generally amazing experience of trekking in the Himalayas, this little taster of what running at altitude is like has given me an appetite to do more of it. Can't wait for next year's CCC or UTMB!

A grand day out

2010-05-24T12:37:00.007+01:00

Yesterday I ran my last really long run before this year's West Highland Way race and although it started off rather inauspiciously, it really couldn't have gone better.

I had hoped to meet up with Ian Beattie, Ellen McVey and a few other WHWers at Bridge of Orchy but as I planned to run further than BOO to Fort William I decided to start at Tyndrum and run the 43 miles from there. I've done very little training on the WHW this year and I've really missed the group runs so I was looking forward to running with old friends and acquaintances. I arrived at about 06:20 having driven through torrential rain (a rather big change in the weather from the day before which was scorching), the skies were still grey and it was drizzling steadily when I set off at 6:25.

I set off very gently, walking all the hills and took advantage of the portaloos that are by the side of the WHW about half a mile out of Tyndrum. I only mention them as I had a bit of a fright as I turned to lock on the door the whole portaloo wobbled alarmingly over towards the door! I had visions of being trapped inside the loo with the door at the bottom and getting covered in the unspeakable contents of the loo. I quickly shifted my weight to the back of the loo and fortunately it righted itself and I was able to complete my "business" without any further frights. Before I left I wedged a couple of rocks under the front so hopefully no one else will suffer the same fate. ;-)

As I carried on towards BOO the rain stopped but the skies stayed grey. To be honest, although I had been anticipating sun I was much happier with the prevailing conditions. As I approached BOO (about 7:40) I tried to contact Ian and Ellen on their mobiles with no luck. I checked in the hotel and then called out Ellen's name near a couple of the tents but again drew a blank. As I had originally expected to be leaving Tyndrum at 7:00 and arriving about 8:15 I wasn't sure what to do but in the end I decided to carry on alone in the hope that either I'd catch up with Ellen (who had aimed for an early start) of they'd catch up with me.

It turned out that Ian had sensibly decided to call it a day after one day's running when he got pretty dehydrated and the heavy rain and somewhat dampened Ellen's enthusiasm for an early start and her phone was off. I did manage to contact Ellen later on but I was well along the way by that point and decided that I'd just carry on alone rather than wait. As I said, a rather inauspicious start to my hoped for "group run".

As I carried on towards Victoria Bridge I was caught by Bob Steel and Lynn (I think) but they were clearly intent on going faster than I felt comfortable with so I bade them farewell and plodded on.

The run across the moor was pretty uneventful but I was enjoying running at my own pace with no pressures to run faster or slower than I wanted. As I approached Kingshouse I remembered something I'd long wanted to do but never quite got around to, namely wave to my wife via their web cam!

So there's me grinning like an idiot with my phone to my ear saying "Can you see me yet?" I think the chap at the picnic table behind me thought I was a right eejit. ;-)
I had been looking forward to a cup of coffee in the bar but had arrived too early and I felt too smelly to venture into the hotel so I carried on, but not before pausing to photograph a little slice of heaven.

A little slice of heaven

No, I'm not talking about the view or the Kingshouse hotel (which both have much to be said for them) but that half pork pie sitting on the wall there. I know there is much talk about nutrition for ultra racing just now but I think I have found the answer, namely pork pies.

I've tried lots of things over the years but yesterday the fourth bit of pork pie I had tasted every bit as delicious as the first (which was wonderful indeed) and as the day wore on my legs seemed to be filling up with energy rather than draining down.

The climb up the Devil's Staircase is always bit of a slog but once I got there I found myself running surefootedly down all the rocky hills, up many of the lesser hills and really stretching my legs out on the forest track all the way down into Kinlochleven. My quads were absolutely fine and apart for a niggle in one groin I had no real aches or pains.

Having run out of pork pies (I started with two snack sized ones each cut into two pieces) I decided to stop & buy some more but I was tempted by the coffee in the Ice Factory so I popped in there, dripping sweat all over the counter (at long last the sun had arrived during my descent) and ordered a pint of milk, a filter coffee and a plate of chips.

The milk and coffee went down really well and I nibbled at the chips until I couldn't eat any more. By now my craving for more pork pies had disappeared and I decided to carry on without. I'd got chatting to a group of mountain bikers who had ridden over from Fort William along the WHW and were setting off back shortly. As I left the Ice Factory they were sorting out their bike gear and I half expected them to pass me on the road before I started the climb out. As it happened I got there first and knowing how tough that climb was going to be for them, I decided to make it even harder for them to catch me by pushing on a bit harder.

I was now entering that wonderful "steady state" of distance running whereby one becomes a machine burning fuel and unconscious of fatigue. My legs felt better than they had done all day and I was really starting to motor across the moor. My niggles had all disappeared much to my surprise as I had been half expecting the wheels to fall off after my descent into Kinlochleven.

I've always found that surface on the Larig Mor tricky to run on but not yesterday. Again, like my descent into KLL, my feet were going exactly where I wanted them as I galloped down loose stony slopes, feeling like they had only run 3 miles, not 30.

Ultimately the bikers did catch me but it took them about an hour and a quarter and they commented on how hard they had had to work to catch me. It gave me a real buzz to have held them off for so long.

Even once they'd passed however I didn't lose impetus and I was even running uphill into the wind at times without being conscious of any fatigue. I really was on cloud 9!

The last section from Ludavra seemed to pass in no time at all. Before I knew it I was on the forest track and far from jogging down, I was stretching my legs out and flying past walkers with only the odd brief walking break. Even the road section into Fort William didn't feel too long or too bad!

I arrived in Fort William at 16:10, 9 hours & forty five minutes after starting. Not an earth shattering time by any means but if I can run half as well in 4 weeks time I'll be well pleased.

I love to say that I knew just why I ran so well yesterday and that I had found the "secret" to effortless distance running but I honestly believe that my strategy of eating a little something every hour to 90 minutes or so (especially pork pies) helped me enormously. I think because I was unsupported and not relying on drop bags etc., there wasn't the temptation to wait too long and then eat too much. It's probably no coincidence that my best Fling race (when I fluked my way into lifting the first male supervet prize) I was also unsupported and working without drop bags. To my mind this is pretty convincing evidence for the efficacy of the "little and often" approach.

I think starting slowly was also a big help and I'm convinced that the 25 minutes or so that I spent in Kinlochleven more than paid for itself in the energy that I had when running across the moor. I had also picked out a selection of my gear that was comfortable and was wearing my road shoes rather than my trail shoes and I can honestly say that at no point did I feel I was lacking any grip and my feet still felt good at the end.

After a night in my Skins tights my legs feel good today, certainly capable of another run and my feet are blister free. The only problem that I had all day was a failure of my hitch-hiking thumb to do its stuff and I ended up walking back through FW to catch the train back. Apart from the £15 I couldn't complain about that as I met up with Jamie Aarons in the station who was good company. I had to laugh at her nerves about doing the full WHW when she finished the Fling as 4th lady in 9:53. Of course I can understand her trepidation about the step into the unknown (this is her first attempt at this distance) with the full WHW race but somehow I think she'll do okay. ;-)

Between now and the race I'll do my usual panicking about taper strategies and probably do the Cairn table hill race next month for a bit of fun.

Finished the West Highland Way!

2010-04-22T16:16:00.002+01:00

...by Concept 2 rowing machine that is. ;-)

I started out with the plan back in February of rowing 5km a day until I'd clocked up 153km (which is the approximate metric distance of the WHW) and then see how I felt.

I quickly realised that 5km 7 days a week was actually a pretty tough schedule and decided to cut back to 5 days a week. This worked well for the first 5 weeks and my 5km times came down from 25:24 to 20:26 and I even managed to beat a certain "crazy German"'s 2km time trial time of 8 minutes with a 7:46.

So far, so good. Then we went on holiday.

I think that steering a canal boat for a cold week at the end of March with no running (most tow paths boggy wet & slippery) and lots of drinking wasn't the ideal way to keep my training going and although I managed to jump back on the machine the day after we got back, the impetus was gone and it no longer felt like an enjoyable challenge, just a drudge. Consequently, I concentrated a bit more on my running (and enjoyed a couple of good back-to-back runs on the River Ayr Way) and left the rowing another week.

It seemed daft not to finish the 153km before the Fling though so I've cracked on this week and clocked up 155.2 km, comfortably past the "official" end to the WHW and on to the leisure centre that is used for the end of the race.

Whatever else all this rowing has done I'm sure it hasn't *harmed* my overall fitness, I'm just not sure if it's going to have any effect on my running fitness. Maybe I shall find out on Saturday at the Highland Fling Race. At least I can say that I've reached the start-line injury free this year which isn't to be sneezed at

Speaking of which, I'm just back from the supermarket after one of my "pre-ultrarace shopping sprees" where I end up buying way more than I'll ever need in the hope that I'll have something that I do want when and where I want it.

I know from experience that I won't eat a fraction of it but this is what I have.

8 raisin & lemon pancakes
4 tubs peaches in juice
1 loaf white bread (for jam butties)
3x1.25 litres of Coca-cola (opened & being de-fizzed at present)
4-pack mini Toblerones
2 snack sized pork pies
2 large bunches grapes
1 bag apricots
2x475ml bottles Yazoo chocolate milk
1 bag Jelly Babies
1 bag salted almonds
4 cans ersatz "Red Bull"
Bunch of Bananas.
1 large bag salted Doritos

The next job is to work out how to divvy some of that lot up into what I eat on the morning pre-race, what I carry, what goes in my drop bags and what I want waiting for me at the end. One thing's for sure, a lot of it won't get eaten.

As some may have noticed, I've rather gone off gels & sports drinks. Cola seems to keep me going well on my long runs and I'll have a bottle for water (from streams) for when I get tired of the taste of coke. I'll probably use my "Succeed" capsules for electrolyte replacement. I've tried Nuun tablets (which are reasonably palatable) but I find I prefer my salts and my drinks separate.

I'll just finish by wishing all other Fling participants the best of luck on Saturday!

Improvement, of a sort...

2010-03-26T16:07:00.002Z

Well, my running may not be going as well as I'd like but my rowing is improving. ;-)

I've now rowed 120 km which takes me to Altnafeadh at the base of the Devil's Staircase. That only leaves me another 33 km to do before I'm finished the WHW. I did my first 2 km time trial today and was pleased to slip under the bar set for me by a certain crazy German of 8 minutes with a time of 7:46.0. I took 10 minutes for my arms to stop shaking afterwards though!

My legs do seem to be recovering well after the Hardmoors though. I returned to a favourite hill on Wednesday that for various reasons I haven't run up for a year. At 270m it isn't that high but the road swoops up and down on its way to the top and it's an excellent hill for giving your quads a good thrashing on the way down. I'm convinced that one has to train your quads to run downhill as well as up to survive the WHW race.

Away on holiday for a week next week (canal boating) so there won't be any rowing but hopefully I should be able to get in some easy miles along the towpath.

Hardmoors 42

2010-03-22T21:04:00.004Z

42?? Well yes, it should have been 55 (or rather 54 due to a late course change) but as things turned out, I called it a day at 42 miles.

This race was one I had some trepidation about, knowing that I didn't have nearly as many long runs under my belt as I would have liked before tackling a race of this length this early in the year but I was keen to at least be at the start line of the first running of the Hardmoors 55. I'd missed the first Devil O' the Highlands, I'd missed the first Loch Ness Marathon and I'd missed the first Highland Fling race. I was darned it I was going to miss the first Hardmoors 55, a race that looked to have great "classic" potential.

I travelled down with John Kynaston & Sharon Law, both very accomplished ultra runners and we met up with Andy Cole and Brian MacIntosh at our hotel. A lot of talent in one room, with one exception. ;-) That said, I was still excited by the prospect of getting started. I expected it to hurt, I just didn't expect things to be quite as bad as they turned out.

As other bloggers have already recounted, the conditions on the day were little short of horrendous for an ultra race. The combination of low cloud, wind and exposure for such a long duration meant that something like a third of the field failed to finish the race, mostly down to hypothermia.

Hill and ultra runners often sail a bit "close to the wind" with regard to protective clothing, relying instead on fitness & the consequent generation of body heat to hold the elements at bay. Unfortunately for those of us who lacked fitness or experience of the prevailing conditions on the day, the prolonged exposure to the elements was very hard to deal with. I can honestly say that I've never experienced prolonged cold like that during a race, not even during the 2005 WHW race or during my winter WHW run.

I'd started off a bit overdressed, opting to wear my "walking" gortex jacket with hood and all the way to the first checkpoint I was planning to take it off and stow it my bag. Immediately after leaving the checkpoint though, we turned to face a north wind and I was only too happy to keep it on. In fact, without that jacket & hood I'm sure I would have withdrawn at 22 miles at the Osmotherly checkpoint. As it was, after a cup of tea I felt a lot better and headed out determined to make it to the next dropbag point at Kildale as 42 miles. I think if I had realised just how exposed that next section was I might have given up then. As it was I plodded on, grimly trudging my way up the hills and slipping and sliding through the mud.

Some of the time I "ran" with other runners but most of the time I was travelling alone. Because of the low cloud the views that should have been stunning were minimal to non-existent. All in all it was a very lonely and difficult run, not helped by mistaken decision to not study the route in detail before the race. I had no real navigation problems (apart from one brief moment when the low cloud was so thick it was hard to work out where the path continued across a car park) but not knowing how far it was to Kildale made the second section really drag on and on. I think if I had known just how long it was from the Bloworth Crossing to Kildale I might have coped better mentally. Instead, I was forever expecting to see a sign directing me off the moor at every corner and having my hopes dashed repeatedly.

By the time I reached Kildale I was destroyed mentally and physically completely unable to continue, my hands numbed to near uselessness and my energy almost totally spent in just trying to keep warm.

I think I arrived between 5:45 & 6:00 pm which, in the grand scheme of things and considering the conditions, I'm not unhappy with. Yes, I'm disappointed not to have finished but I have no regrets at stopping there. It's the only time I've been scared of dying during a race and I know that on the day it would have been madness for me to have continued.

Like many runners, my amnesia for the sheer unpleasantness of it all is already kicking in and having sworn "never ever again" many times on Saturday, I'm now thinking about next year's race and what I'll do differently.

I've learned more from this DNF than I think I have learned from numerous race finishes and whilst the experience probably won't make me a faster runner, I hope that I'll be a safer and better prepared runner.

I'm now much more appreciative of the benefits of hot drinks and the advantages of support crews & runners. Sure, when conditions are benign you can get away without these but when things turn nasty, they can make an enormous difference.

I'd just like to finish by extending my thanks to Jon Steele and all the marshals and everyone else who helped to make the race a reality and kept us all safe out there.

p.s. Just in case anyone is wondering, did all that rowing help (100 km in 4 weeks), the answer is "B*ggered if I know". ;-)

9 days, 50 km and...

2010-03-05T12:32:00.002Z

...still not reached Inversnaid!

I realise that this is of almost certainly of no interest to anyone but myself, but hey, it's keeping me motivated to keep getting back on the rower. Another PB today although I must confess to having dropped the resistance to 4. As I've explained before, this doesn't make it easier to clock up my 5km, it just means I need to do more strokes/km. I've dropped the resistance as I'm finding that it's fatigue in my lower arm muscles that limiting me more than my aerobic fitness.

I ought to be enjoying rowing alongside Loch Lomond but there just aren't enough prominent landmarks to make me feel that I'm making any progress. Anyhow, that's the first 50km done and just another 103 to go. I'm getting there! ;-)

Another 7.5km

2010-03-04T17:57:00.003Z

In an effort to do a bit of "catching up" I did an extra 2.5km last night before bed but it wasn't a good idea. Despite plans to "take it easy" I still ended up working harder than I would have liked and then didn't sleep well. I'm beginning to doubt that I'll be able to maintain an average of 5km/day, particularly as I have so many weekends when I won't be able to row. I suspect 25km/week will be more realistic.

Anyhow, another 5km today. I found it harder than yesterday but then I had been for my run first today rather than rowing first. Can't expect a PB every day I suppose.

That's 45km total now which places me somewhere due west of Ben Lomond's summit at a wee place called Toll a' Bhruic on my OS map. Guess it'll have to do for tonight.

Row, row, row your...Concept2

2010-03-03T12:37:00.007Z

...gently up the WHW.

Back on board after a weekend off. I say "off" but in reality a busy weekend driving between Melrose, Oldham, Chester, Oldham again and then back home. We didn't get back until late Monday night and red wine seemed considerably more important than clocking up a few more km on the rower. That said, I'm going to see if I can catch up so that I can at least average 5km per day over the whole WHW.

After my first week of rowing I started to develop an unpleasant ache in my right wrist & hand and I suspect that I've got a touch of carpal tunnel syndrome. Consequently I've reduced the resistance from 10 to 5 which so far isn't troubling my wrist. Although it took me a while to get my head around the idea I can confirm that rowing 5km at "5" is just as hard as rowing 5km at "10". The resistance setting is equivalent to changing the size of oars that you might use in a real boat. Smaller oars mean an easier pull but you have to do more of them to cover the distance so I've pretty happy that I'm not "cheating" by dropping the resistance, I'm just using a better sized oar for someone of my physique.

Whether all this rowing is going to do me any good I don't know but I'm working on the basis that anything that leaves you collapsed on the floor in a puddle of sweat can't be all bad. ;-)

Elephants and sudden death in runners

2010-03-02T13:30:00.003Z

I was very saddened to read of the death of another young man (i.e. younger than me) in John Kynaston's blog.

As John says, maybe running prolonged his life, but we'll never know. The question that really needs answering is did he ignore any warning signs that might have saved or prolonged his life?

There's been a very big "elephant in the room" about the death of Dario Melaragni, the previous organiser of the West Highland Way race who died suddenly whilst out running in the hills with friends. Why Dairo died is a question that must surely trouble any distance runner as we all hope to prolong our lives by participating in such a healthy sport.

Sometimes heart attacks (if that's what it was) do just strike out of the blue but one almost certainly anecdotal but believable figure I came across on the net was that over 80% of runners who had had a heart attack had had symptoms beforehand but had either ignored them or played them down.

There are many causes of sudden death in athletes and if anyone is feeling so inclined, have a look at this. http://www.sportsci.org/encyc/suddendeath/suddendeath.html

Whilst running probably doesn't make conditions predisposing to heart attacks worse, runners are inclined to ignore or play down symptoms because we're used to tolerating discomfort and expect running to hurt sometimes.

I want to go on enjoying my running without worrying about whether I'm going to leave my wife widowed and it would certainly put my mind at ease to know if Stephen or Dario had any symptoms beforehand that they might have mentioned in passing. Not just chest pain but things like episodes of racing pulse, irregular heart beat and aches in neck, shoulder or arms when running.

If you knew Stephen or Dario and know of any symptoms that they might have had but ignored, sharing that knowledge might help to prevent others from ignoring potentially serious warning signs.

You know you're obsessive when...

2010-02-26T17:44:00.005Z

...you row an extra 2.5km just to finish at a "nice spot" on the West Highland Way. ;-)

After my normal 5km I knew that I would finish within sight of the top of Conic hill but wasn't sure whether I'd have the energy to do two and a half km more. Well after a bit of a rest, I jumped back on board my rower and I can now go away for the weekend happy in the knowledge that my "virtual me" will be enjoying the views.

That's 27,500 metres down, quite a few to go...

Other than the rowing, I'm pleased to have passed the 200 mile mark for running in February.

2010-02-25T13:41:00.002Z

Well, I've reached High Wood just north of Drymen now and I'm wondering if I should push for the top of Conic Hill tomorrow (7.5km) or stick with my 5km sections. Be nice to stop where the view is good. ;-)

I must admit I find the 5km sections pretty draining as it is and I don't fancy doing more yet. Maybe when I'm a bit fitter. I am getting faster though so it must be doing something for me.

Rowing the West Highland Way

2010-02-24T14:53:00.002Z

Well, I'm getting seriously worried about being fit for the Hardmoors 55 in under four weeks now. Past injuries have made me very wary of pushing my mileage in training and I've also started late with training this year. Consequently I've really not been able to get in as many long runs as I'd like and the ones I have done have been a struggle.

Interestingly enough, my January & February mileages are almost identical to my 2008 figures when I ran my best WHW race but I know that I was a lot stronger on the long runs back then.

Anyhow, I've decided to break the habit of a lifetime and try cross-training. To this end, I've hired a Concept 2 rowing machine for 12 weeks to try and boost my fitness without risking a running injury. If after 12 weeks I'm sold on it as a method of cross-training I might consider buying a similar (but cheaper!) machine. Perhaps foolishly, being a typical macho fool, I've cranked the difficulty up to maximum and am trying to get at least 5km in per day. If any experts want to call me a fool and offer sage advice, I'm all ears!

To keep me motivated and clocking up the distance every day I've decided to "row" up the West Highland Way and the picture above represents my progress on day 3. (I'm the little red spot).

Hopefully by doing this I'll keep at it although I've just realised that I'm going to be away from home on Sunday so I guess I'm just going to have to take a rest day. ;-)

Foot in mouth

2010-02-11T11:20:00.002Z

I seem to be rather good at this lately. I'm referring to comments I made regarding the direction that the West Highland Way race is going, in particular about how the race has been "held back" by the organisers' past insistence on support crews.

Personally I've always been in favour of runners being given the opportunity to run unsupported and have always felt that whilst having support crews may save organisers some work on the one hand, it can create more problems on the other. Not a problem if you're happy keeping a race entry low but as has become vary apparent in the Highland Fling race and the WHW race latterly, support crews can become a very real headache for organises when the numbers grow.

The last thing in the world that I wanted to do is sully the memory of Dario, the previous race organiser who died so tragically young last year by suggesting that he had somehow "got it wrong" but I think the race has to move on and the new race committee is facing up to the problems and limitations imposed by the past insistence on runners having support crews.

That Dario isn't here to see these changes (and lead them himself) is very sad but I think he would understand and approve. He made many changes to the race in his time as organiser and I think it would have only been a matter of time before he would have introduced these changes himself if he was still with us.

My other "foot in mouth" moment was referring to the "Scottish ultra running community" that the WHW race has built. This is of course silly, the WHW race has drawn folk from all over the world and I've got to know many of them. The links between us all transcends nationality, it's ultra running and the WHW race that binds us all.

Anyway, time to stop digging before I upset any more folk. ;-)

SUMS update

2010-02-04T17:52:00.004Z

As I mentioned yesterday, we've managed to secure the Ayr town hall for our post race ball. Here are a few pics I took today apart from the first which I *ahem* borrowed.

Blowing the dust off.

2010-02-03T16:40:00.004Z

Well, it's been a absolute age since I last updated my blog, not because nothing much has been happening in my life but I'm aware that I spend too much time on my PC to be entirely healthy. Also, this is sort of supposed to be a running blog and there wasn't much of that happening at the end of last year.

Since my last post we've acquired a new dog. Our old collie cross mongrel Roger died at the end of last year after a very short illness. It took a while to get over his loss but at the end of December we took the plunge and took on a rescue dog from the SSPCA.
Here he is, he's called "Ringo" and as far as we can tell he's a full blooded border collie, about 9 months old now.

Like all border collies he's quite demanding of attention but he's also very rewarding to own. He loves running and is already pretty good on the lead and has run with me everywhere this year. Did his first 21 miler yesterday and celebrated by trying to scoff 3/4 of a dead rabbit on the way home.

Runningwise, after a pretty cr*p year last year I didn't do myself any favours by falling on the ice and cracking a couple of ribs about 3 weeks ago. I actually heard the "crunch" when I fell and it wasn't the ice. In some ways though, it's been a blessing in disguise as although painful, it actually hasn't stopped me running slowly and given my injury history, running slowly is working just fine for me. It's also meant that I've had more time to run with my wife Muriel who is training for her first half marathon (woohoo!) and my daughter (woohoo again!) who is just getting started. Off her own bat I should add, no pressure from me at all. The weekend before last Muriel, the dogs and I ran from Troon station to home and at 11.5 miles this was the furthest Muriel had ever run. She managed just fine and I'm really looking forward to running the Bath half marathon with her on the 7th of March.

I should be worrying about getting fit for the Highland Fling in April but I can't worry about that as I'm wetting myself worrying about the Hardmoors 55 on the 20 of March! I've got some serious endurance building to do between now and then.

Enough of my running, the other big news is of course the wonderful new Scottish Ultra Marathon Series as masterminded by Murdo MacDonald, the Highland Fling Race organiser. Once he got the idea he's been a human whirlwind creating two brand new scottish ultra races (or rather, asking folk in a way they couldn't refuse, to organise them) and resurrected one old one (The Speyside Way). It's just astonishing what he's achieved in so little time. What's more, today's big news is that he's secured Ayr Town Hall as the venue for the post race ball. This is going to be one brilliant do.

If you're an ultra runner but hadn't considered the series, have a look at the SUMS site. Don't forget to buy your ball tickets (only £5 a head!) as it's sure to be a sell out.

I lied!

2009-11-11T15:31:00.002Z

Having said that I was going to hang up my Vibrams last week, I found that the persistent tenderness in the balls of my feet that I was suffering from had disappeared and I was itching to get back into them.
Last night at the club was our "hills" session, a series of short sprints where lightweight shoes (or even no shoes) makes a huge difference. So it was on with the Vibrams and out to the club for a quick thrash up and down some hills.

Running in the VFFs was fun but I was actually itching to run fully barefoot and after a while on a flat section I whipped them off and enjoyed the full BF experience. Just a shame the road was so darned cold! That really is one of the major reasons for not barefoot running at this time of year.

I'm going to try and keep a level head over the winter and keep my running BF/VFF to once a week because I don't want a repeat of the tenderness that I had before.

Found this interesting interview on youtube concerning barefoot running & ultras.

Hangin' up my Vibrams

2009-11-03T11:02:00.002Z

Not for good but definitely for the winter.

I've not lost faith in the barefoot running ethos, it's just that I've come to realise that whilst running in Vibrams may be close to barefoot running, it just isn't the same.

Of course I've only really got myself to blame for running 17 miles on trails in them a couple of weeks ago and that has perhaps unsurprisingly left my feet tender. The fact is though, that it was the Vibrams that made it possible in the first place, had I been truly barefoot, I wouldn't have been able to run that far.

One of the claimed advantages for proper barefoot running is that the sensitivity of your bare feet naturally limits your advancement so that you don't ever "overdo" things and end up injured. Wearing anything on your feet, even something as minimal as the Vibram Five Fingers shoe, allows you to "short cut" your progress and push yourself further and faster than perhaps your feet are really ready for. This is what I strongly suspect I have done. Not really the shoes fault, just my fecklessness.

I don't regret having tried the VFFs but I think I'm going to wait until spring and then have another go with full barefoot running again.

For anyone who hasn't tried barefoot running and wonders why anyone would want to try I would ask you to image running with ear plugs, a blindfold and shoes. You start off stumbling along in a blacked out bubble of your own conciousness. Imagine then taking out the earplugs and hearing the wind, the birdsong, passing traffic, the sound of your footfalls and breathing. Already your world has expanded greatly. Take off the blindfold and suddenly your senses and flooded with all the sights around you. Now take off your shoes and suddenly you're aware of the intimate feel of the pavement, the polished stone kerbs perhaps, the feel of warm tarmac, the delicious coolness of a puddle, the warm squechiness of a dog t... ;-).

Okay, maybe not the last (or at least you try your best to avoid that!) but it really does add a whole new dimension to your running and that's why I'll certainly keep running barefoot once the weather warms up.

For anyone who missed it...

2009-10-24T14:47:00.001+01:00

A great read.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/longdistance-walking-iron-in-the-soles-1805596.html

Okay, it's not running but a great account of what it's like to walk 100 miles in one go.

Great balls of fire!

2009-10-20T22:17:00.002+01:00

After the excesses of the weekend I've been suffering from burning balls. No more than I deserve no doubt after attempting 20 miles in my Vibram FFs. Ever since the balls of my feet have been decidedly tender and burning gently.
I really should have changed my shoes after 10 miles or so as 6 miles was my previous longest run in the shoes but I've never been good at knowing when enough is enough. Still, it was great to be out enjoying a 20 mile run on the River Ayr Way with friends in benign running weather. Better still, I've had no back pain for 3 days now!

First pain-free run

2009-10-10T13:20:00.002+01:00

...and I felt like cr*p!

I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that I'm not the runner I once was but after all these enjoyable (if painful) runs recently, I really didn't expect my LSD today to be so tough.

There was just no "zip" in my legs and I plodded along on an out & back run to the harbour. In fact, it was so dispiriting that I altered my return route to cut out nearly 2 miles making it about 9 miles overall. I suppose trying a 11 mile run after such a long lay-off was perhaps a little overambitious but I really thought that I'd be able to trot along fairly easily.

Anyhow, I've got a run planned for tomorrow with Muriel and I'll be running in my VFFs again so hopefully that'll be a bit more fun

Getting better all the time...

2009-10-08T14:45:00.003+01:00

Since my last post I've had a couple of runs in my Vibram Five Fingers. The first was a trail run (about 5.5 miles) around the route of the Culzean fun run at Culzean Castle. It was great to be out running on trails in them. Whilst you certainly know about the more painful rocks (& beech mast at this time of year), it's a whole lot easier than going fully barefoot. I did (and still do) miss the full barefoot experience but I think I have to acknowledge that there are going to be many surfaces that I will probably never get used to running on barefoot. Anyhow, my wife and I trotted round in about an hour just enjoying the experience and look forward to doing it many times again in the future.

After that run I tried a bit of road running in the VFFs, this time a hillyish 7.2 mile route. This time though I didn't feel that my calf muscles had quite recovered from my trail run as they were a bit tight during and after the run. On one part of the route with particularly good tarmac I took off my shoes and ran barefoot until I reached a stony section. During this time thought I was reminded just how cold wet tarmac can be! It fair sucks the heat out of your feet and I suspect I won't be doing much more full barefoot running on tarmac this year.

Today's run was back in my old cat pee shoes around Auchincruive and I was pleased to take another 3 minutes off my time. Of course I know I shouldn't be clock watching, particularly when I should be taking it easy but it's gratifying to see how quickly I'm getting back into form.

I've been reading other folks accounts of the Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc, an epic 103 mile race around Chamonix and it's a race I'd love to do. I think however I'm going to be sensible and not try and do it as well next year.

I think Susan Donelly has written up a particularly good report of the race that's well worth reading.

Running smells of...

2009-10-03T12:03:00.003+01:00

...cat pee. At least it does in my porch at the moment.

Whilst not the nicest smell in the world it's a welcome indication of my return to running. The cat pee smell comes from my ancient Asics Gel Trabuccos that I've somehow never got around to throwing out and still enjoy using. For some reason, every time they get at all damp they smell of cat pee.

I was running in them yesterday around Auchincruive up to Annbank and back along the River Ayr Way. Last week it took me a lamentable 74 minutes to hobble around the 6.2 miles but yesterday, despite being almost as slow for the first three miles (that's how long it takes for my back to ease off) I finished much more strongly and completed it in 66 minutes. Still way slower than I used to but this time I actually found myself daydreaming whilst running and NOT thinking about my back which was a huge relief.

In fact, so huge was my relief I decided to have a crack at the Triple Crown next year. (For those not in the know that's completing the three races on the West Highland Way in one year). I've 7th on the reserve list for the Devil O' the Highlands race so that's reasonably promising and my Fling entry is already in. That just leaves the WHW entry to get in so fingers crossed I'll get a place in that one too.

Regarding my back, it's looking like the big mistake I made was thinking that my back would recover in its own good time if I just rested it by not running. Backs just don't mend like that and with hindsight, it should have been obvious as when my back was bad around January last year, I did manage to train enough to do the Fling. It was only when I stopped running (as I had pulled out of the WHW race) that it got worse again. For anyone with back trouble I'd heartily recommend "Treat your own back" by world renowned physiotherapist Robin McKenzie.

How not to catch a 7:30 flight...

2009-09-29T17:12:00.004+01:00

Stage 1. Instead of making good use of your afternoon to get to Stansted nice and early, potter around the Tate Modern gallery until about 4 o'clock.

Stage 2. Now start working out how to get back to Kensington High Street.

Stage 3. Arrive in Kensington but instead of rushing back to hotel dither around looking for that ice cream that suddenly seems so important.

Stage 4. Give up on ice cream quest and settle for some sort of milkshake thingy from Cafe Nero.

Stage 5. NOW wander down to hotel & wait for ages for luggage to be retrieved from some subterranean vault.

Stage 6. Return to Tube station and find that mysteriously, the trains are packed with commuters.

Stage 7. Seriously begin to panic as train crawls around the circle line stopping mid-tunnel frequently.

Stage 8. Reach Liverpool street in a flap and run to Stansted Express. Get on train and realise that it's one of the "slow" ones that stops several times on the way.

Stage 9. Check timetable and realise that you're going to miss the cutoff time to check in baggage.

Stage 10. Repack four bags into two bags discarding cloths, sandals, computer bag, books and other sundry items. Wear raincoat and fill pockets with books, cameras and other junk. All this done on a crowded train with standing room only for extra pleasure. ;-)

Stage 11. Reach Stansted and race across concourse to security, packing make-up etc. into plastic bag on the way. Stuff rucksac and computer bag into bin on way to security and hope that my dirty underwear and other sundry items don't precipitate a terrorist alert. Hold breath whilst going through security and pray that luggage doesn't get weighed. (At this point we got lucky)

Stage 12. Remember that you didn't remove nail scissors & file as luggage goes through x-ray scanner.

Stage 13. Breathe huge sigh of relief as scanning technician ignores said items.

Stage 14. Grab bags and run hell for leather through the departure lounge where the screens are reading "Final call" for your flight at some god-forsaken gate that you swear must be the furthest one they could find from the lounge.

Stage 15. Reach gate 45 in a puddle of sweat (remember that I'm wearing my rain coat) with just a few minutes to spare.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PHEW! <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

To cap it all, on arrival at Prestwick, couldn't get out of car park as no one was answering the intercom to take our booking code.

I'm sure that there's got to be a less stressful way to travel!

Square peg, round hole?

2009-09-28T22:52:00.002+01:00

Now that I'm back to running again, I'm wondering if perhaps I haven't been trying to be something I'm not. Namely, am I trying to be an ultra runner when what I really enjoy is sprinting.

Maybe I was genetically endowed with more fast-twitch than slow-twitch fibers but for whatever reason, I have always enjoyed those moments when you get up on your toes, work your arms and feel the surge of muscle, bone & heart that is as near to the imagined joy of flying that I can attain.

Today I was taking my new Vibram Five Finger (VFF) shoes for their first spin and as we were in London in Kensington, that meant running around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. Well, after a slow warm up (my back still hurts like b*ggery for the first couple of miles but it does gradually ease off) Muriel and I were running alongside a cycle path and I just couldn't resist giving chase. If I was a dog I would have been woofing and barking excitedly and indeed I think I did rather upset a couple of of cyclists but, Oh, the joy of it! I feel the need for speed! ;-)

Now I've always assumed that all runners feel the same as me about sprinting so I'd be interested in any feedback on this point but I'm beginning to suspect that not everyone feels the same as me.

Anyhow, I'm not going to give up on my ultra-running aspirations but perhaps I should think more about track work? Who knows?

Speaking of VFFs, having experimented with barefoot running in my pre-sciatica days, I was delighted to note how quickly I returned to my barefoot running style. I'm now very aware of how much what you wear affects the way that you run but having had some barefoot experience I was aware that the VFFs seemed to encourage a barefoot style without the disadvantages of being actually barefoot. Maybe they'll just be a transition stage for me to a return to full barefoot running but I do now feel that I can recommend them to folk looking to adopt a more "natural" running style.

Lots of other stuff happened down in London (stuff for another blog posting) but highlights were meeting up with The Pirate and Lee and seeing the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Everybody ought to hear "Teenage Dirtbag" on Ukulele before they die. ;-)

6.2 mile trail run. 52 minutes

2009-09-24T20:48:00.003+01:00

In my dreams!

That's the kind of time I used to run this local hilly loop in but not any more. It took me 74 minutes of plodding to get around this loop today but at least I did get around without walking. The thing is, before I started, my back was pain free, I was feeling good, and I was so delusional I really did think I could have a "good" run around this loop.

The moment I started running the familiar ache was back but with possibly misplaced confidence that it would settle down, I plugged on taking teeny weeny steps and generally taking it very easy. Sure enough, within a mile or so it started easing off to "blunt screwdriver" level and by 3 miles it was down to a distracting discomfort. None of it nice but miles better than the pain that I've been having in the past that always brought me to grinding halt, on the verge of weepiing tears of frustration.

The last 2 miles were relatively "easy" and I even managed a bit of a sprint to finish off with. I'm really beginning to believe that I *will* go to the ball next year. ;-)

Today my legs ache - and it feels wonderful

2009-09-23T11:33:00.004+01:00

I've not blogged in ages as this was meant to be a running blog and there's been damn little of that for months & months. It's been very depressing and I saw little reason to repeatedly tell the world that my back still aches and I still couldn't run.

I have been trying the occasional run but the pain has always turned any attempt to run in to a stop/start affair that's been about as much fun as toothache.

Last night however Muriel and I set out on one of our short loops (about 3 miles) and I found that the pain seemed to be plateauing at a tolerable level and I was able to run continuously. After one particular steepish downhill bit, I found that I had no pain whatsoever. I suppose a sensible person would have just savoured the moment but after months of pain that was all I needed as an excuse to open the throttle and let rip for a couple of hundred meters. A pathetically short stretch of pain free running in the big scheme of things but oh, it felt so good!

So today, my legs are aching. Not due to any problem with my back but through unaccustomed exercise and it feels great.

Fingers crossed this marks the turnaround point for my return to running. Woo hoo!!

Thoughts on the meaning of life & mortality

2009-07-14T16:32:00.003+01:00

I've not posted in ages as I'm not running thanks to a recurring back problem. It's been really getting me down. I feel like a bird with clipped wings, denied my evolutionary birthright to run & run. I so firmly believe that we were meant to run, that to find that I can barely run half a mile after years of enjoying distance running is intensely frustrating and depressing.

Suddenly, my problems have been put firmly in their place by the tragic death of a man younger than myself, a fellow ultra runner who has been responsible for organising the last 10 West Highland races. Dario Melaragni was one of those special people who touched on the lives of so many people but especially the lives of ultra runners. He truly was a "father" to many many ultra runners, not just runners from Scotland but from all over the world. He offered a vast amount of encouragement and support to countless runners and his enthusiasm brought out the best in the many many volunteers needed to make the WHW race happen, year after year after year.

That he should have died so young and so suddenly makes me realise how lucky I am to be as fit as I am and how lucky I've been to have run the WHW race under his stewardship.

So what do I think about my running future now? Well, for a start, although I'm still no more certain that I'll be fit for next year than I was before his death, I'm much more comfortable with the thought of biding my time and just accepting that eventually my back *will* be better and that whether my back is better or not, I'll be involved in next year's and future WHW races one way or another.

My thoughts at this time are with not just his immediate family but with his extended ultra-running family, particularly those members who were with him on that fateful day on Lochnagar, Dario's last Munro (and by an odd reverse coincidence, my first).

Another year, another barbecue

2009-06-28T13:59:00.006+01:00

I think this is the third year that Ian & Alison have hosted the post-WHW race barbecue and, as ever, it was a splendid occasion. Despite not having run the race this year I still feel part of the "family" and it was great to meet up with so many of the WHW runners again.

First order of the day after arriving though was to pitch our tent. Some folk seemed to enjoy this exercise so much they did it twice!

Their excuse was that they'd put it up inside out to start with. ;-)

A few more photos from the evening.

I think Ian was discussing our favourite fireman judging from his hand movements. ;-)

Of course you need dogs at a barbecue and in addition to Ian's own dogs, there was Harvey (Neal's gorgeous collie cross) and a spooky encounter with a ghost dog.

Once again it was a great occasion an one that really makes the WHW race & family stand out from other events. Top marks to Ian & Alison!

Lastly, gotta mention Jez Bragg's outstanding achievement in the Western States 100 mile trail race where he came in third. Last year he was all psyched up for it (and over in the US) when the race was called off due to forest fires. No such disappointment this year!

You can read his blog here and watch him finishing here.

Bum...

2009-06-25T14:39:00.003+01:00

I'm a bit fed up as my buttock has been hurting these past few days and at the moment, I don't feel like things have improved significantly since my original injury last year.

I'm still getting stabbing pain in the left buttock and at the moment, I'm not sure I could run even if I wanted to. Fortunately I don't have significant pain at rest but it's beginning to get me down. Chronic pain just slows you down, makes everything harder and makes you feel tired and grumpy.

Walking the WHW is probably responsible for this flare up but it's never really gone away and I had lots of moments of stabbing twinges during our walk.

I can't grumble too much as if the chance came up to walk the WHW again next week, I'd do it, pain or no pain and I'm pretty confident that I could do it. The trouble is, the way things are going, I'm finding it hard to feel optimistic about NEXT year's WHW race. I really would like to get back to some decent running. Do a Richie and run up and down the WHW a couple of times just for practice. ;-)

For anyone wondering, no, I didn't do any of the WHW barefoot. It did cross my mind to try some sections barefoot but the peeing rain meant the taking shoes on and off wasn't going to happen and perhaps more significantly, I think the path surface is way beyond what I'd ever be able to tolerate barefoot. Perhaps in Vibram FFs but with memories of the trail surface still fresh, I think I'll stick with shoes for serious off-road stuff.

WHW walk 09

2009-06-22T20:12:00.012+01:00

It seems odd to be posting about walking the West Highland Way when all my friends have been running it but it's been quite an experience to walk it with my wife over four days instead of the hoped for sub 22 hours. And you know what? I think walking it is harder!

Running it is so uncomplicated. There's just you, 95 miles of path and a destination and you just keep putting one foot in front of the other until it's over. Walking it involves innumerable decisions and compromises, particularly if you're travelling with someone with a different level of fitness. The slower pace makes the bits that just drag when you're running seem like an absolute lifetime. Compared to when you're walking, Rannoch Moor or the Larig Mor pass in the blink of an eye when you're running!

Okay, a slight exaggeration but you get my drift. How many runners would like to "enjoy" the scenery between Milngave and Drymen for 4 hours?

Anyway, enough of that. What was it like walking it?

Well firstly, it was WET!!

Following all that good weather that we'd had, even though it was forecast, I couldn't quite believe the rain that met us on the Wednesday morning in Milngavie when we got up.

I foolishly thought that the forecast was pessimistic and only put on my showerproof trousers. 5 miles later, soaked to the skin and with my gortex shoes full of water that had run down my legs, I was bitterly regretting my decision. Meanwhile, Muriel who was wearing proper waterproof trousers was much more comfortable.

It wasn't until we were well along the forest path from Drymen that the rain eased off and we were actually able to see Conic hill. By the time we reached the top we were at least rewarded with fine views over Loch Lomond.

After a very welcome stop at the Oak Tree in in Balmaha, we soldiered on to Sallochy, about 3 miles short of Rowardennan to our B&B. That was 24 miles & 9 hours (inc stops).

Day two was a toughie. This time we had to reach Tyndrum, 28 miles over & through some of the toughest bits of the WHW. Inversnaid seemed to take an age to arrive where we stopped for coffee & cakes before heading on to Beinglas farm for "lunch" at 4 pm.

All of the other walkers who had started at Rowardennan stopped here but our luggage was waiting for us in Tyndrum so despite the hour, we had to carry on for the next 12 miles, the rain coming and going, sometimes torrential, sometimes just showers but never far away.

Eventually, after having started at 8:20 am we arrived having battled the elements (and latterly strong headwinds, more rain & flooding) at Tyndrum at 9:20 pm with just enough time to put on some dryer clothes and order some food at the bar. No sooner scoffed that it was off to bed to collapse!

Day 3 was (for me at least) an "easy" day as we were just doing about 19 miles to Kingshouse. I found the walking easy (if dull) but Muriel found this stretch hard. It wasn't helped by the continuing rain that meant that most of the hills were obscured most of the time so there was little to look at.

We arrived relatively early at Kingshouse (around 5 pm). After a quick soak in the bath I was dispatched to the bar so that Muriel could have a *proper* soak and was forced to drink 3 pints of some rather good real ale whilst I waited for her. I rather lost count after that. ;-) The Kingshouse hotel is an odd sort of place, massively undercapitalising on its potential in so many ways but good in others. We rather enjoyed it (but maybe that's the beer talking).

For our 4th and last day, a friend joined us to walk to Fort William. Again, we started out in steady rain (our waterproofs hadn't been removed once in the whole journey up to this point). It was great to climb the Devil's Staircase on "fresh" legs (i.e. as opposed to ones that have run 73 miles already) and joy of joy, the rain stopped on the way up and after a waiting a suitable period in order not to tempt the fates, we were able to remove out jackets & waterproof trousers! Hallelujah!

That area is also good for insectivorous plants. Here are a couple I photographed. Haven't had time to look them up yet.

At Kinlochleven I had a chat with one of the race organisers to get an update on the race and we met some of the Adventure Show cameramen (who didn't seem to want to film me). The climb out of Kinlochleven, normally such a chore during the race was easy but the walk across the Larig Mor was even more tedious that normal. It just goes on forever!

About 2 miles before Lundavra, we were caught by the leading runners, a Dutch supervet who was leading the race at this point!

That said, he had blood streaming down from both knees and was clearly in a bit of distress. All we could do was offer him a hanky to bind his worst knee but I think we would have been better off telling him not to be such a wuss and booting him up the backside! ;D

As it was, he lost a lot of time getting patched up at Lundavra and lost his position.

The next two runners, Scott Bradley and Richie Cunningham (both Carnegie) passed us about 11 minutes after Jan (the Dutchman).

They were simply amazing. They were running together up and down all the hills and I do mean running. They looked like they'd just popped out for a short run together and looked unbelievably fresh. I wasn't suprised to hear that Scott managed to overhaul Jan. Richie, who came in third was only a couple of minutes behind but over the moon at having taken over 2 hours off his PB! That's was 2 hours off a very good time already.

A couple more runners went by before we reached Fort William down that endless forest road.

Eventually however, we did reach the end and like the runners, we we so glad to reach it.

Highlights? Hard to say but seeing a couple of Jays, one of which caught a smooth snake right in front of us and left its wriggling tail behind was rather special.

I swore then that I'd never walk it again but a day later, who knows.

Lessons learnt.
Good waterproof trousers can save your life. Our Berhaus ones that can be zipped down from the top as well as up from the bottom were great. The top half of them is lined which makes a big difference to comfort as well.

Even if your jacket is Goretex, unless it's lined, you need something long sleeved otherwise you will get cold and damp.

Walking poles are great. Once you get into the swing of them they really do help on long climbs and level walking. Not so good when the ground is really rocky and uneven but they helped a lot.

Don't carry all your kit. There are perfectly good companies who will do that for you and will deliver you bag to as many places you intend stopping along the way. We used Travel Lite and had no problem with the service. Normally about £35 for one bag (although you can make that a large one) but they only charged us £30 as we had so few stops.

Lastly, if you want to enjoy walking the west highland way, DON'T DO IT IN 4 DAYS! It's certainly doable and better planning might have reduced the length of the mega 2nd day but it's still a lot of walking every day.

A day on and I'm thinking I might possibly do it again but over 5, 6 or even 7 days. Certainly no more than 8 hours walking a day.

I did miss running the race this year but it was great for once to see the leading runners and we went to the prizegiving after the race as well. I'm more tempted than ever to have a go at running it unsupported though. It may just stay a dream but who knows? ;D

Clunk click...

2009-06-15T17:27:00.003+01:00

Have I mentioned my dodgy ankle? For a long time now (months) it's been a bit of a pain, literally.

When I get up in the morning I can't weightbear properly as I get pain deep in the joint towards the outside of my ankle. It usually settles after a bit of stumping around and when it goes, it goes completely. It's an "all or nothing" affair with no in between stage.

My physio had a good look at my ankle the other day but it was in a painless phase and there was nothing to be found on examination. He suggested some mobilisation techniques that might be worth trying in the morning but they didn't seem to do anything.

This morning however, I gave it a jolly good wrench around, particularly forced inversion and there was a satisfying "clunk" from my ankle and lo and behold, I could weightbear on it! Fingers crossed I've found the magic manipulation that will allow me to walk painlessly again.

With a 95 mile walk planned starting on Wednesday this discovery (if that's what it is) couldn't have come at a better time. What's wrong with it I just don't know. Probably a damaged tendon sheath or some small ligament that supposed to be holding one of the bones of my ankle in the right place. Perhaps if I avoid ever walking on it in pain it can start to heal properly.

Barefootwise, not doing anything at the moment. Still rather aware of my metatarsal but I think that's just increased awareness rather than any significant change in my foot. Hopefully get back to some more barefoot experimentation after my WHW walk.

Can't wait to get started now. Just working on the psyching up now as I've done b*gger all physical preparation for walking 24 miles a day. I mean, how hard can it be? ;-)

I think the hardest part will be having to choose between waiting for the WHW racers to come in on Saturday night or heading for my bed. My wife and I aren't entirely in accord on this issue. ;-)

Metatarsal osteophytes...

2009-06-12T14:07:00.002+01:00

...is probably what I've got over the head of my second metatarsal on my left foot. This isn't something brought on by barefoot running but rather something that become more obvious (i.e. painful) since I started barefoot running.

I was finding that I was getting some tenderness in the ball of my foot right over this bone and when I had a good prod around, I realised that this bone was much more prominent in my left foot than my right. This would fit with the longstanding problems that I've had with this second toe virtually since I started running. I've always been prone to shooting pains and numbness in this toe when doing long road races (which is one of the reasons I switched to trails) and I've always had a feeling like there's a ridge or lump under my foot in this area.

I went to see my physio expecting to be castigated for attempting barefoot running but to my surprise, he thought that it could actually benefit this condition. (It's quite common apparently). Quite how it will benefit it I don't really understand (a lot of barefoot running stuff is counter-intuative) but it's to do with improving the mobility of the bones of the feet and building muscle strength.

Anyhow, it's a relief that I don't have to give it up but I suspect I do need to cut it back and not do any barefoot racing for a while. (Running a 5K time trial just 2 weeks after starting barefoot running was probably just asking for trouble).

Meanwhile, I'm preparing (or worrying about preparing) for my WHW walk. So far the weather forecast has been wrong just about every day so I'm hopeful that we might see some sun next week. ;-)

Barefoot running info

2009-06-04T11:19:00.007+01:00

(Image from the Mail article)

I've found a few articles on barefoot running that might be of interest to others.

Running barefoot is associated with a substantially lower prevalence of acute injuries of the ankle and chronic injuries of the lower leg in developing countries, but well-designed studies of the effects of barefoot and shod running on injury are lacking. Laboratory studies show that the energy cost of running is reduced by about 4% when the feet are not shod. In spite of these apparent benefits, barefoot running is rare in competition, and there are no published controlled trials of the effects of running barefoot on simulated or real competitive performance.

The above quote is from http://www.sportsci.org/jour/0103/mw.htm

There's an article from the Mail that's mostly an extract from Chris McDougall's book.

In the absence of the "perfect" shoe, barefoot running deserves serious consideration. The likelihood that all shoe-wearing runners will immediately abandon their footwear and take up full-time barefoot running is remote. Yet increasing the amount of time we run or walk barefoot should be beneficial. In their paper on running-related injury prevention, Robbins and Hanna concluded, "The solution to the problem of running-related injuries could be as simple as promoting barefoot activity."

FROM: TRACK COACH 168

And lastly a link to a blog (Dr. Ben Pearl). http://docforjocks.blogspot.com/2009/03/barefoot-running.html

First barefoot 5K

2009-06-03T07:42:00.002+01:00

Last night was the night of my running club's monthly 5K time trial. I've run a
grand total of 25 miles barefoot since I started on this lark so probably
*way* too soon to be thinking about racing but what the heck. ;-)

Right from the outset I knew that I was probably running too fast but the
sensation of running shoeless is new to me and I had trouble trying to keep
up with my feet! The absence of shoes means that you can easily maintain a
very high leg speed but my heart & lungs just ain't up to it yet. ;-)

The first km came up in 3:53. Okay back in the days when I was lighter &
fitter but it's a long time since I've seen that speed. The second Km was
4:00 dead. By the third Km I was struggling and dropped to 4:14 and the
fourth was even slower (4:21). All pretty much what you'd expect for
setting out too fast. The roads had been pretty mixed in terms of texture
and at times I'd had to take small detours onto grass verges as the tarmac
was just too rough.

In the last Km was into the wind but I managed to speed up a little (4:16)
and finished in 20:47. I was well pleased as my last 5K time trial in March
of this year was 23:36 so considering that this was my first barefoot race,
I'm very happy.

Undoubtedly though, my feet aren't quite ready for barefoot racing and I've
suffered my first blisters since starting BF running. My form still has a
long way to go to avoid unnecessary scuffing & rotation on the balls of my
feet but I feel it's a positive start.

My goal this year is to build up my racing mileage tolerance to the level of
being able to complete a 15K race this autumn in France. A lot will depend
on road conditions though but I'm hopeful that I'll at least be able to
complete it, if not compete it.

Pied nus in Pollok

2009-05-31T18:51:00.004+01:00

I've been feeling a bit guilty because I've not been running enough barefoot over the last week. I ran BF with the club on Tuesday and then went for a romp over the Carrick Hills on Saturday but that was in shoes. I would love to be able to run trails BF but there's just no way I could have done that on Saturday and enjoyed it. Maybe when my Vibram 5 Fingers arrive...

Anyway, we were in Glasgow yesterday to drop my baby girl off at the airport. I say "baby" but she's 18 and taller than me. She's off to Oz for 2 months with her boyfriend. I'd suspected that it might be a bit traumatic for me (I'm such a crybaby) so we'd planned to visit my mum and go for a run around Pollok park which is near my mother's flat by Maxwell Park in Glasgow (as a sort of displacement activity).

As I'm sure it was just about everywhere yesterday, it was another hot day and I was a bit concerned about the streets & pavements in Glasgow. None of Bristol's nice stone or concrete flags, just lots of rather gritty tarmac which isn't nice to run on.

Despite this, we found a quiet route from Maxwell to Pollok and once into the park, the paths were mostly smooth & gravel free tarmac. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be out jogging round the park and the dabbled shadows underneath the trees through the woodland paths were entrancing.

I had no real problems with the paths although Muriel was finding the heat a bit harder to cope with. Whilst it would be rude to say that she was sweating somewhat, I think you could say that she was "glowing like a horse". (I'll probably get into big trouble for that description). ;-)
I'm trying hard to keep repeating the BF runner's mantra "relax" in my head but it's not always easy when some b*stard bit of stone catches you unaware but mercifully, this doesn't happen anywhere near as often as you fear.

One of the reasons for trying to get more BF "time on my feet" is that I'm hoping to run our club 5K time trial tomorrow night shoeless. I really don't know whether I'm ready for this but I reckon it'll be interesting to try. For comparison I suppose I ought to re-run it next Tuesday with shoes but I'm not sure I'm really that desperate to compare times.

My replacement Vibram's still haven't arrived but I'm not too worried as I'm still enjoying road running without shoes.

Meanwhile, at the back of my mind (and getting closer all the time) is the thought that Muriel and I have committed ourselves to walking the WHW in 4 days starting in just over two weeks time. Whether either of us can realistically do that much walking in just four day I don't know. Whatever happens, I'm not going to be too purist about it. If we fall behind we'll just hitchhike. The important thing is to be at Kingshouse on the 19th so that we can start the last leg on race day.
I've really missed all the group runs and the camaraderie this year and I almost don't want to read about other folks great training runs. I still think withdrawing was the right thing to do. I probably could have completed it but I don't think it's fair to put a support crew to all that trouble for a poor run. Next year hopefully I'm be back fitter & faster. Probably not barefoot (even the Tamahumara don't race over long distances BF) but maybe in my Vibram's.

Vibram 5 Fingers

2009-05-28T16:54:00.002+01:00

This was going to be a post about my first impressions of running in VFFs but sadly, what I feared came to pass, namely that the size I ordered was just too small.

It's one of the reasons I hardly ever buy shoes on-line but with the VFFs, that's pretty much your only option in the west of Scotland.

Of course, it could be argued that if running barefoot is so great, you shouldn't need things like the VFFs but I think you need to be a bit pragmatic and accept that there will be many routes that one either has to avoid altogether, don't avoid and run incredibly slowly or wear some sort of shoe and run pretty much as normal.

Well I'm not dabbling with barefoot running to end up running slower so I'm taking the pragmatic route. Run barefoot when I can and wear appropriate footwear when I can't.

Why run barefoot?

2009-05-25T19:56:00.003+01:00

...is the question that I'm asking myself and I'm sure some readers are wondering too.

Firstly, is running barefoot "better"?

From my lofty expereince of three (well, two and a half) runs, I can only say that I think this is the wrong question. It's a case of apples and oranges. They're different with their own pros and cons.

Is barefoot running faster?

Too soon to answer this one but there's no lack of evidence that reducing shoe weight increases speed. Reducing it to zero potentially gives you the maximum benefit but you can't run in the same way barefoot as you do shod so I'll have to wait and see on this one.

Doesn't it hurt?

I have to say, I was pretty amazed that on only my second fully barefoot run I could run for over an hour around Bristol with no blisters or other foot problems. Yes, this was on mostly pretty smooth man made surfaces but I hope that with more experience and miles on my feet, I should be able to tolerate rougher surfaces.

Surely there must be some downsides?

Yep. I've strained my right calf a bit and really it's no surprise. Over 50 years of running and walking in shoes haven't really prepared my feet & legs for running with no heel raise. Also, if you think of all the places you can run, and then the places that you can run barefoot, the latter is inevitably a subset of the former. So that means the places that you can run is more limited. Probably not as limited as you imagine though and I hope experience and conditioning of the skin of my feet will narrow the gap.

Another problem is that although barefoot might be "back to nature" ironically, manmade environments are better to run on than trails or off road (in my exceedingly limited experience).

So why should I try it?

Well, you'll save on shoes for a start. ;-) Also, when I finished my run around Bristol, I was grinning like a loon. It was just such fun and somehow "feeling" every foot of the run added a new dimension to the run. Running uphill was a pleasure and the lightness of foot is something that every runner should experience. In the book "born to run" the author talks about how the Tamahumara run with joy and I feel I'm beginning to understand the source of that joy. Maybe it's just the endorphines but barefoot running transforms running into something much more than just moving your legs quickly.

Go on, try it. What have you got to lose (other than your preconceptions)?

Barefoot in Bristol

2009-05-24T10:16:00.003+01:00

Enjoying a weekend down in Bristol at the moment and the weather is lovely. As you can see from the photo from our bedroom window, we're within spitting distance of the Clifton suspension bridge.

We'd planned to go running this morning and I'd brought my running shoes but in the end I decided to go barefoot again. I was a liitle worried about it but we'd covered quite a lot of the ground we planned to run yesterday so I had a prretty good idea what the surfaces were like. We started however by crossing the suspension bridge and running down a road that was somewhat akin to running down a cheese grater. NoT an auspicious start!

Once down the hill we worked our way across to the floating harbour and ran past the "Great Britain" (the Brunnel ship rescued from the Faulklands back in the 70s) and on to the swing bridge. From there it was back along the other side of the floating harbout and the uphill from Hotwells back to Clifton. Bristol really is such a great city for running. Superb hills everywhere!

From the feet point of view, apart from that first hill, I really loved it. We ran for 68 minutes and I could have gone on much longer. Running in barefeet adds a whole new dimention to your runs as you negotiate different surfaces, dropping back on the pricklier bits and surging forwards on the smoother stuff. The surging forwards feels particuarly effortless as you're not dragging extra weight on your feet. I really can't wait to try racing in bare feet to see whether this sense of speed is real or imaginary.

First full "stealth run"

2009-05-21T23:52:00.003+01:00

I say "stealth run" as one of the first things you notice about running shoeless is how quietly you can run.

Anyhow, I thought I'd go to the club tonight as my wife's in Jersey and I fancied a go at trying a run completely shoeless and sockless. We set out down the cycle track (all tarmac now) and that was easy enough for the first mile or so but the skin of my feet started to feel hot, a bit as if blisters were developing. Consequently, when we reached the edge of the golf course I moved off of the cycle path an on to the grass.

That brought some comfort but also some anxieties as I'm sure that's where Troonies walk their dogs! I was careful to avoid any particularly luxuriant growths of longer than average grass in case they held any hidden "surprises". ;-)

After that it was across the railway line via the footbridge and then across another golf course. This was particularly enjoyable after the hard tarmac. We then headed across the dunes and down to the beach where I then hoofed it northwards to catch the main body of runners who had got away from me whilst I was tiptoeing down one particularly horrid section of path.

Again, I delighted in the fleetness of foot that you can achieve running unshod (on the right surface).

We finished off by heading up St Meddan's road back to the Marr which was mostly okay apart from a section of pavement that consisted of textured concrete rather than tarmac. Very prickly!

By the end I'd done 4.5 miles of mixed surface running barefoot. Some of it had been unpleasant but some had been really enjoyable. My feet/ankles/shins/knees all feel absolutely fine so I think I'm going to stick with this a bit longer. I love the lightness of foot of barefoot running, I'm just not sure I'll ever get used to the prickling & stones etc!

Hopefully my Vibram 5 Finger shoes will be the answer.

The power of conformity

2009-05-21T14:51:00.002+01:00

Experimenting with barefoot running has forced me to think about issues I hadn't considered before. I like to think that I'm "my own man" so to speak and not easily influenced by what others think but I think the urge to conform is built into our very fabric as social animals.

I was out dog walking on the beach & sea front path this morning with a good friend (who long ago realised that I wasn't quite normal) trying to acclimatise the skin of my feet. I had no problems being barefoot on the beach or pavement with him but when we met other folk, it felt a bit like one of those dreams where you go to school/work and find out that you're naked. Suddenly I felt a bit self conscious. Perhaps if I had been in running gear it wouldn't have felt so uncomfortable but it's an issue I'm going to have to think about.

I don't mind being thought of as "the running nutter who goes barefoot" but somehow being thought of as the "dog walking nutter who goes barefoot" seems worse. I have to accept that what people think about me can affect my family so sometimes compromise is necessary.

I suspect that I probably won't go dog walking too often barefoot and keep my barefoot excursions to running ones. I think the answer might be some thin moccasin type shoes that will at least let my feet work naturally without looking too weird.

Does this make me a coward? I dunno.

Off topic: The joys of parenthood

2009-05-20T15:38:00.003+01:00

A comment by Brian on Debbie's blog about the trials of being a parent reminded me of one of my favourite cartoons (by Claire Bretecher)

Enjoy. ;-)

On the road to barefoot running

2009-05-19T21:28:00.004+01:00

After my experiment on Sunday with a barefoot beach run I decided I just had to continue the experiment and try the Vibram 5 Finger shoes to enable me to run on roads in as near to barefoot condition as I dared. Well,the shoes haven't arrived yet and at tonights "hills" session (short hill reps over the railway line in Troon), I toyed with the idea of trying it without shoes. The first couple of reps felt like hard work (no doubt Goatfell was still affecting my legs). When we were about to start the 3rd rep I noticed that the road surface was really pretty decent, certainly good enough to try running in socks so that's what I did.

In fact, I ran the next 8 reps in my socks which wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it might be. Best of all was the increase in my leg speed. Having struggled up the first two reps, my legs were flying for the rest of them. The only problem I had was on the last two reps (which were a bit steeper) as my feet were slipping on the tarmac and I just couldn't get enough traction to accelerate. I was really pleased with the way it went and there's no doubt that running barefoot alters the way that one runs. Whether this is all for the good remains to be seen but I was running faster & smoother for the same effort.

Of course, my socks din't fare too well but I have a drawer overflowing with running socks so I reckon I can afford to try this again. ;-)

Maybe my Vibram shoes will be redundant before I get them!

Goatfell hill race

2009-05-18T16:01:00.002+01:00

On Saturday I ran the Goatfell hill race. It's one that I think is quite tough because of the length of the road section.

It never feels good to run on the road after you've come off a hill but the local rugby club makes such an excellent start/finish area with showers etc. that one can easily understand why the organisers use it, despite it being the best part of a mile and a half before you hit trails.

Whilst my uphill running is undoubtedly improving I think I'm putting too much effort into the the climb and not saving enough for the descents. You just can't run downhill fast on spent legs and on both Ben Lomond and no Goatfell, I've been passed by runner after runner on the way down.

The trouble is, I rather like pushing hard on the ascent. It's such a simple challenge. You, the hill and the clock. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other and trying to either keep running for longer or start running sooner than the man (or woman) ahead of you as you grind your way uphill.

I was the first of our club to the summit but it really counted for naught as I lost so much time on the descent. Alex, my clubmate, was just behind me on the summit at 1:11 but he finished the best part of 8 minutes ahead of me by the finish. (1:54 vs 2:02)

I keep thinking "next time, I'll hold back", but I never do. ;-)

Still, that's water under the bridge as they say and to put things in perspective, the winner was finished 6 minutes after I left the top which rather highlights just how rubbish I am at hills so I don't know why I worry. ;-)

If I've done this right, you should be able to "play" this kmz file with google earth to fly up Goatfell. goatfell.kmz

Meanwhile, I've been enjoying reading "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. It's fascinating stuff, mostly about the Tamahumara indians in Mexico who are amazing ultra distance runners.

A lot of the book also focuses on the injuries afflicting modern runners, problems that aren't being helped by advanced shoe technology, indeed, it may be the shoe technology that's to blame.

It's not a new message but it's one forcefully delivered by this book. So forcefully indeed I was out for my first barefoot run (on the beach) on Sunday and plan to do more to see if I can do something to strengthen the intrinsic muscles in my feet. I've also ordered a pair of Vibram's 5 Finger KSO shoes. They're the nearest you can get to running barefoot without actually doing it and getting your feet cut to ribbons.
Ridiculously expensive but I feel I've got to try them. Can wait for them to arrive!

Troon 10K TT. Pacing with a difference

2009-05-13T08:57:00.005+01:00

I suspect many runners will at some point or other have helped out by pacing a slower runner (or at least keeping them company) during a race. It's a chance to to put your own personal goals aside and give something back to newer runners who need just that little bit of extra support or encouragement.

Last night though was a new experience for me. It was our club 10K time trial and one of our club runners is severely visually impaired. She didn't have her usual guide with her so I offered to try and pace her round for a sub 50 minute time.

It might not sound like a hugely ambitious goal but you have to bear in mind that getting any training done when you're significantly VI isn't at all easy. Imagine trying to run at your 10k pace with your eyes closed! Added to which she'd run in our club 10K last week (50:52 pb) and the Women's 10K at the weekend so a sub 50 was a reasonably ambitious target. Lastly, I'd never guided her before so you can imagine just how much trust she had to put in me!

Running tethered to another runner turned out to be an interesting and fun challenge. Every change of direction has to be anticipated, road surface irregularities avoided, kerbs negotiated, pedestrians & parked cars dodged.

It was the unevenness of the road that caused me the most worry. I didn't want to be the guide that was responsible for her first fall since joining the club! South Ayrshire Council has a poor reputation for road repair and there are areas of Troon that are getting quite potholed now.

We dodged most of them by running in the center of the lanes most of the time. Getting in the way of a bit of traffic seemed preferable to tripping over kerbs or stumbling in potholes and motorists in Troon have become used to seeing Hazel with a guide so we didn't get any aggro from anyone.

My stupidest moment came when we caught up another club runner and I asked Hazel about the runners' hair colour. It was reminiscent of that famous comment by a snooker commentator in the early days of colour television who said something along the lines of "For the benefit of those watching in black and white, the pink ball is lying just behind the green". ;-)

I'd being logging the occasional split as we went round and the first few kms had been into the wind and "uphill". 5km came in 25:09 and at 6km we were 30:06. By 7km we'd managed to claw back a bit 35:01 but the next km was along Fullerton Drive into the wind and we dropped back to 40:09.

We only clawed a little back over the next km (45:07) so we knew that we'd have to work over the last KM if we wanted to get in under 50. I really didn't want to disappoint Hazel and she seemed to be coping well so with the wind now at our backs I paced her along as fast as I dared and she finished in 49:42, a 1:10 PB for her.

I was a great experience and one I'd recommend to anyone.

Ben Lomond organisers report

2009-05-11T11:08:00.002+01:00

Just in case anyone doesn't read the Scottish Hill Runners site, here's the report from the organisers of the Ben Lomond Hill race. It seems that there was a really thrilling finish.

Dead heat in the cold at Ben Lomond, 9 May
May 10, 2009

From organiser Don Reid:

This year’s race was memorable for several reasons, especially the weather which threw everything at the runners, including sun (briefly), rain (lots of it), sleet and a good smattering of snow on the top, all served with high winds. The other amazing thing was the dead heat finish but more of that later.The first hassle of the day was whether to allow the runners to go all the way to the summit or turn them back at the bottom of the zig zags. The Lomond MRT (who were absolutely fantastic) were uneasy about letting the runners summit (bearing in mind the conditions) because they were having problems with communications to the summit marshals. Fortunately, Muffy Calder, who had just come back from a run to the top, thought it would be ok as long as nobody tried to run without full body cover (as one person, who shall remain anonymous, tried to do!).

A big cheer came from the runners as I announced we were going to the top, and off we went. The main point of interest for me this year was a runner from America by the name of Judson Cake. He had contacted me several months ago for an entry, stating that he had won several road races in the USA but was a competent trail runner too. He would be on holiday over here and could he get a run. I met him a couple of days before the race to show him the route, and we discussed tactics. He said he was going to take it on from the start.

As we set off, he was true to his word, and as we headed into the forest, I could see him already stretching a lead with Brian Marshall and Euan Jardine in hot pursuit. As we emerged out of the remnants of the trees, I could see that he had extended his lead but the pecking order behind was the same. That was the last I was to see of the leaders until I reached the finish. Conditions at the top were pretty horrendous with most runners pulling on jackets as they climbed the final steep slopes through slushy snow. Visibility was about 50m and I began to worry that maybe I had made the wrong decision for the race. Incredibly, the first runner I passed as soon as I turned at the top was only wearing a vest (though was carrying a bum bag!).

So how did the race end? Judson was leading to the top gate when Brian swept passed doing one of his demonic descents. Normally when Brian passes someone, there’s no coming back, but nobody told Judson that. Somehow, he managed to hang on, so that when they emerged on to the road, Brian only had a meagre lead of less than 50m. Judson used his road speed to close Brian down and as they entered the tight funnel, he was right behind. Just as Brian was about to cross the line, Judson dived forward and Brian did likewise, the pair ending in a pile on the deck scattering time keepers into the shrubbery! After lying on the ground for about 30s, during which time the time keepers thought the pair must have injured themselves, Judson got up, pulled Brian to his feet, they shook hands and declared it a draw! Just wish I had been there to see it for myself! The winning time was 1:12:38, not near the record but hardly surprising given the conditions. Euan Jardine was third and Steve Fallon was first v40. I managed to sneak the v50 prize after battling all the way to the top with Tom Scott, and first v60 was Eddie Dealtry. I must make apologies to Carnethy for announcing Ochils as first team. Sorry guys, I will sort you out later.

How did the ladies do? As usual they confused me by letting a v40 win the first prize, namely Val Houston of Westies in a time of 1.33.52, and first sen lady was Alayne Finlay of Ochils. First v50 was Jocelyn Scott 1.50.45, and the ladies team prize went to Fife. An innovation this year was split times from the summit (though how the guys managed to do it in the conditions amazes me!) and if you study the extra columns in the result sheet, I have ranked runners by descent times too. It make interesting reading.

Finally, I would like to say a big thanks to Martin Hyman for marking the junior courses on awful weather on Thursday, the mountain rescue and the other runners who came to the aid of Andrea Pogson who took unwell on the hill (she is fine now!) and gave her extra clothing. I would also like to thank all the marshals, especially those on or near the summit and anybody else who helped on the day and allowed me to get a run (again!)

Ben Lomond Hill race

2009-05-10T08:02:00.002+01:00

Yesterday's weather forecast wasn't at all encouraging; rain, wind & snow all expected on Ben Lomond. This was only my second go at this race (first time last year) and I'd found it very tough going last time.

True to forecast, it was drizzling when we started, turned to sleet on the way up and by the time we were nearing the top it wasn't so much snowing as blasting us with ice particles which stung the eyes.

Despite this, I actually enjoyed the race a lot more this year. I felt stronger on the ascent, recovered faster on the less steep bits and generally felt like I was making good progress up the hill with considerably less effort than last year. Indeed, I was several minutes ahead of my club mates on the ascent until I blew my advantage by stopping for a somewhat distressed girl who I suspect just had a panic attack induced by the conditions. I waited until the mountain rescue guys arrived and then set off for the last stretch to the top.

I was really regretting not having taken my contact lenses by now as my glasses were opaque with the rain & sleet forcing me to finish the ascent without them. Not too much of a problem but goggles with wipers would have been the best wear for the top ridge where it felt like your eyeballs were being sandblasted.

I'd expected to see a marshal at the top but not one handing out cups of water! It really was atrocious up there and the poor guys must have really suffered.

Going down without my glasses was really tricky to start with. The rocks were covered in wet snow & slush and you never really knew when you might slip. Some 20:20 vision would really have helped on this bit!

The route takes a couple of "off-piste" diversions away from the tourist path, the second of which passed right through the centre of a bog. Great to see that the course designers have a sense of humour! My shoes managed to stay on my feet and I finished the race in about the same time as last year.

As I'd stopped for 3-4 minutes though on the way up I'm counting it as a good PB. The running felt easier and I enjoyed the racing a lot more this time.

All runners get some great hot soup and hot bread in the Rowardennan Hotel at the end. A great finish to a great day!

The Fling is flung, the grass is riz...

2009-05-08T11:38:00.007+01:00

... I wonder what dem birdies is?

Cuckoos of course. What else would you call 300+ folk prepared to run 53 miles just for fun. ;-)

I'm feeling really guilty about the time it's taken me to get around to doing this as I've encouraged others to write their reports as soon as possible post-race. In my defence, I'd just say that a) I've been a bit busy worrying about the Troon 10K (now past) and b) having been so closely involved with the event as webmaster & runner, part of me is reluctant to draw the curtain on this year's race by writing my report. (Only 350 days to the next Highland Fling!)

This was the second time I've run the race although I marshalled the first two years so one way or another, I've been involved with every Fling so far.

My back problems over Christmas & the New Year meant that I entered this years race with far lower expectations than last year and my main target was to just finish. An under 12 hour time would have been nice but without the WHW to look forward to, I didn't want to bail out of my main ultra for the year.

I woke at 2:55 in the morning on the Saturday of the race, five minutes before my alarm was due. Having a whole 5 minutes extra to play with I decided to shower and shave pre-race. Probably a bit stupid in retrospect but I'm such a creature of habit I couldn't stop myself. ;-)

I'd prepared all my kit and drop bags (having decided not to go for self supporting this year) and drove up to Prestwick to pick up a clubmate and then on to Kilmarnock to meet another and transfer to another car. We arrived in plenty time to register and it was great to see so many familiar faces. I really feel like I've been missing out on so much this year by missing the group training runs on the WHW.

At 5 to six we shuffled up to the start line and were sent on our way at six. As ever, I had mixed feeling about the first stretch of the WHW from Milngavie to Drymen. I've run it so many times in training in previous years I'm really bored with it but in the early hours on the morning in the company of your fellow runners, it's actually a great place to be. My legs were feeling good and the temperature was just perfect. I knew I was going a bit too fast but I've never been a great one for planning ahead. I get lost in the moment and at that moment I was just enjoying running at that speed and in that company. I knew I'd probably pay later but I was running for fun, not for a specific finishing time.

I reached Drymen in 1:59, rather faster than I'd intended and the forest roads up to the base of Conic hill dragged on somewhat. Somehow, once my feet hit Conic hill though, the change in pace or footing seems to rejuvenate me and I had a reasonably good pull up the hill. As I often do on that stretch, I could hear a real cuckoo off in the woods to the north of Conic Hill. Murdo McEwan was on the hill to cheer us on and his quiet enthusiasm and encouragement helped me on my way.

I'd decided to run in my road shoes and I really didn't have any problem coming off of Conic hill in them. Sometimes I feel that trail shoes actually make you stumble more in long races as the studs are apt to catch on roots etc. if you aren't lifting your feet much.

The contents of my first drop bag were soon scoffed down (the efficiency of the marshals at producing the appropriate bag for each runner was amazing) and I headed off to Rowardennan.

By now, my lack of long runs was beginning to tell and as so many runners found on the day, this stretch was a bit of a low point. I suspect it's at this point that most of us are switching over from glycogen burning to fat metabolism. Fitter, better trained runners probably make this switch sooner and more gradually. I think for more ordinary mortals, it takes a bit of a hypoglycaemic "scare" to persuade our bodies to start burning fat.

Whatever the explanation, by the time I was approaching Rowardennan, my energy levels were picking back up. I have to admit to having had rather a lot of negative thoughts during that stretch, questioning my sanity several times.

Another drop bag was raided and it was on to Inversnaid. I'm not a great fan of the forest track on the first part of that run and once it got on to the roller coaster trail section, I was much happier. Its short swoops and climbs seem to suit tired legs much better than level slogs and I really enjoyed this section.

My enjoyment lasted until well beyond Inversnaid but eventually, as always for me, the novelty of the scrambling wears off and I just wanted to get to Beinglas Farm.

Despite the problems the marshals had had at Beinglas, my drop bag was quickly found and I picked through the contents trying to work out just what I wanted. It's never easy trying to get the nutrition right and I probably ate too much. I know that I ate a lot more than last year (when I was a lot faster) but I was a lot fitter last year so it's not a fair comparison.

After Beinglas it's the "home stretch". I've run this stretch so many times in training but I just couldn't remember how far it was on race day. The brain just wasn't functioning. By now my legs were pretty much shot and my run/walk ratio was slipping from 50/50 to 60/40 to 70/30. I just so badly wanted to get to Tyndrum and for it all to be over. The balls of my feet were really burning now and I was convinced that I was developing some impressive blisters and this made progress increasingly painful. (An illusion it turned out. They were tender for several days post race but no blisters)

Despite this, as Tyndrum neared, the anticipation and adrenaline helped to "raise the dead" and I managed a bit more running than walking in the closing miles. At long last the last gate before the river crossing hove into view and Silke relayed my number to the finish. It was lovely to see such a familiar & friendly face after so many hours of pain! (Not that all the marshals weren't friendly. This really is the "friendly race")

A final sprint and I was across the finish line. A medal, a goody bag and a bottle of Coors were thrust into my hands but what I really wanted was a chair! Fortunately there was one near at hand and I gratefully luxuriated in the joys of sitting after twelve hours and forty minutes of running/walking. Not a brilliant time but the best I could have achieved on the day I suspect.

If I'm honest, I didn't really enjoy my Coors (not my kind of beer) but somehow, it seemed the thing to do so I necked it down.

Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the after race festivities but if I honest, I was only fit for two functions post race, collapsing and drinking so I wouldn't have been one of those on the dance floor. ;-) Next year however I'll do my damnedest to be there.

It's now over a week since the race and I've enjoyed every minute of being involved with the organisation and working with Murdo & Ellen. It's been exciting (and a little nerve racking to see how quickly the event has grown) but Murdo & Ellen seem to rise to all the challenges and just keep making this event better and better. Their enthusiasm seems to bring out the best in everybody and it shows.

The marshals were brilliant and the race finish deserves special mention. The flags, the arch, the crowds all combined to make a fitting end to the race.

Three cheers to Murdo, Ellen, the marshals, all the backroom folk and all the great runners who make this such a brilliant event.

Cheers!

A good week

2009-04-20T15:34:00.001+01:00

It seems like a long time since I've enjoyed my running so much. I enjoyed my two runs up the Carrick hills so much I did it again on Thursday (this time avoiding the bog) and felt much stronger. I think there's something about the distance, the elevation and the rest intervals that has suited me well. In the past I've tended to work on a 6 runs a week schedule but perhaps it's time to admit that my body just doesn't recover fast enough for that kind of training now.

On Saturday it was the Screel Hill race.

This is a great little hill that has fantastic view over the Solway Firth, a bit like Criffel, but without the never ending bog.

I drove down with a clubmate (Alex) and my wife (unofficial race photographer). The weather couldn't have been nicer for a short race (would have been a bit hot for a long event) and the course was generally dry.

The race starts off on a forest track for about 1/2 a km before you head off into the woods. Consequently, there was a bit of a mad charge for position whilst the route was wide and then we all settled into the usual "puff, pant & swear" mode of ascent. ;-) There's me hiding behind the tree ahead of Alex & Rod (from Kilmarnock).

This guy was clearly in a hurry. ;-)

Anyway, unlike Criffel where I felt like I was really struggling, this time I felt much stronger on the ascent. For a change I actually beat Alex to the top but I suspect if he hadn't spent so much time chatting to Roddy on the way up he could have easily beat me to the top. Within seconds of leaving the top Alex was past me and winging his way to the finish a minute ahead of me.

Still, I wasn't disappointed. I didn't fall, twist and ankle or otherwise injure myself significantly so I think I'll be fine for the Fling as long as I don't do anything stupid this week.

To finish off the week my wife and I went for a run around Culzean castle in Sunday (she's training for the Culzean fun run next Sunday) and as we passed behind the walled garden I spotted this deer sunning itself in the grass just yards from the path. It even sat there as I stopped and got my phone out to snap this picture.

I'm really looking forward to the Fling now. I've done nothing like enough long runs but there's d*mn all I can do about that now so there's no point worrying about it.

Found a bog today...

2009-04-14T18:30:00.002+01:00

...and it was quite deep. ;-)

Old dog, new trick

2009-04-14T11:01:00.003+01:00

Well, not so much a new trick as a new route and a renewed enthusiasm for running.

This year has been a bit of a washout runningwise so far. I sorely miss my normal fitness at this time of year and knowing how far "behind" I am with my fitness demotivated me and made it even harder to regain what I consider my "normal" fitness for the time of year.

Yesterday's run did a lot to remind me that running isn't always about winning, beating the clock or personal bests but is about learning to enjoy what you do, at whatever level you can do it.

I've lived in this part of Ayr for 20 years now and never seriously considered running up this hill from home. There's very little in the way of established tracks, quite a lot of fences, gates and ditches, and some very boggy bits.

It was a lovely sunny day and as we climbed the hill we were treated to the sound of skylarks as we ran/walked, surely one of the most evocative sounds of our countryside.

Although it looks fairly straightforward on the GPS track, like a lot of hills, whilst you on it you can't see where you're headed, particularly coming down but this only added to the fun and we finished tired, muddy but happy and the end of our run.

If your running is in a bit of a rut I can highly recommend pulling on your trail shoes and getting off the beaten track. You might be surprised at the fun that you've been missing out on.

If you live in the area and would like to join me for a run up the Carrick hill drop me a line.

Time to taper (and bitten in the bum again)

2009-04-09T17:01:00.003+01:00

With less than three week to go before the Fling it's about time I started tapering. Last year I was all conflicted over what to do as I was doing the WHW race but this year I don't have that worry.

I've not been able to do anywhere near as much training as I would have liked but there's not a lot I can do about that now, the best I can do is to not try and get injured now.

My "bitten in the bum" remark is down to another episode of hopeless optimism yesterday when I thought that I could easily re-do the run I did last Friday (22.5 miles down the RAW). Well, after about 10 miles my legs made it well and truly clear that 5 days (in my present state of unfitness) is nowhere near long enough to recover and attempt the same sort of distance. I ended up walking and running the rest. It wasn't anything like as ghastly as the day I had to be rescued but it was a bit discouraging.

Still, if what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, who knows, it might have done me some good. ;-) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the taping works it's magic and that my tired body repairs itself into a faster fitter me in time for the race.

I think there's a fine line between optimism, hopeless self delusion and utter madness. ;-) I guess I'll find out which one I am on the day of the race.

That's better...

2009-04-05T18:18:00.004+01:00

At long last, my legs seem to be recovering a bit.

On Friday I had a lovely long run (22.5 miles) down the River Ayr Way. I left my car in Catrine and ran back to Ayr as I much prefer doing one way runs to out-and-backs. Of course you do have the slight disadvantage of ending up 22.5 miles from your car at the end but fortunately I have two daughter's with driving licences who I reckon owe me the odd lift or two. ;-)

Anyway, I decided that I was going to walk all the hills and pretty much stuck to my plan. This enabled me to reach Ayr without feeling utterly miserable and exhausted and in my current state, my goal is just to finish the Fling, not worry about my time.

En-route, I did discover a new (well, new to me) part of the RIver Ayr Way where it passed through the Barskimming Estate.

I found a new path leading down to the riverside and for a while I thought it might be a dead end but I was delighted to find this instead.

It's a tunnel carved through the sandstone that enables you to pass a steep section of cliff face and carry on along the River Ayr Way. I must admit I'm getting increasingly annoyed about just how much of the river Ayr's best bits are hidden away in this private estate! It makes me feel a lot less guilty about entering the estate. Beauty spots like this really ought to be accessible to the public. I'd happily pay a reasonable fee if necessary.

A lovely day for a run...

2009-04-02T11:07:00.002+01:00

...and my legs just don't want to know. :-(

As I sit here typing looking out the window at blue skies & sunshine, I'm fighting a desperate urge to go out and do an easy long run. It seems crazy not to but my legs complained about being taken for a gentle dog walk this morning so I think they'd complain a heck of a lot more about a 20 mile run. .

I don't think I've ever had my legs feeling like this before and it makes me wonder if there's something else going on, some sort of viral infection perhaps? Whatever it is, virus, stupidity, loss of confidence etc., I'm fed up with it. I want my running legs back!

Listening to the voices in my head...

2009-04-01T11:48:00.004+01:00

I really ought to listen sometimes to those voices in my head, particularly the one last Tuesday that was telling me that I really ought to have a gentle run with the club and not over-do it as my legs were sore after my hill race.

Alas, as ever, I couldn't resist a bit of fartlek and whilst my legs felt absolutely fine at the end of the evening, my running has absolutely sucked big time since then.

Last Thursday I thought I'd try a nice an easy run up the River Ayr Way from Auchincruive to Failford and back but my legs felt like lead right from the outset. I plodded my way up but felt drained by the time I got to Failford and when I turned to go back, I was running head on into an icy wind. Not long after it started raining & then hailing and my legs had just given up completely on anything resembling a hill.

I just didn't feel I had it in me to get back to Auchincruive so I phoned for the cavalry and got rescued back at Failford. It's the first time I've ever had to bail out of a run like this and it was a demoralising experience.

After a weekend when I couldn't run as we were travelling, I went out for a gentle jog on Monday evening and again my legs felt sluggish but sometimes they do when I'm running at other peoples pace (as I was that evening) so I didn't think too much about it. Yesterday I woke determined to do my run up and down the Carrick HIll from Minishant. No sooner had I started running up the hill though, again my legs felt like lead and from then on the run was a real struggle not to just turn back.

Perhaps I should have as it was one of the hardest runs I've done in a very long time but I was just too pigheaded to turn back without running all the way to the top. I was almost weeping with frustration at every hill.

On the plus side though, it was a beautiful day, the skylarks were singing, crows calling and lambs bleating so I'm glad I was up there. Just wish my legs had enjoyed it more!

Tempting fate

2009-03-24T17:48:00.002Z

I should know better than to joke about injury but today I was acutely reminded that DOMS typically takes 48hrs to reach its peak.

Yesterday I was thinking that my legs were feeling pretty darned good for having run a hill race but today they're protesting! I've decided to defer my planned training run on the WHW during the week as I really don't think it will be sensible. I might well substitute it with a long run on the River Ayr Way and just accept that this year I might not do any training on the WHW. It's not as if I don't know the way

Anyhow, I've signed up for the Ben Lomond race (9th May) and will probably have a go at a few more just for fun.

Crippled by Criffel...

2009-03-23T23:29:00.002Z

...is the headline I'd like to write but in fact I had a great time running the Criffel Hill race on Sunday.

It's a nice height & distance (569m & about 10K total distance) so it's not too extreme for someone attempting a bit of a comeback. After about a 1km run in on road & hard track it turns into a steady peat bog climb. Just a question of putting one foot in front of the other over & over again until you near the first peak when you have a brief period of running before ascending the second peak.

It was very windy at the top but the views over the Solway firth were amazing. Well worth climbing up to see even if you're not racing.

On the way down, as expected, I was passed by several runners (I just don't have the quads and kamikaze mindset for serious downhill running) but I hung on to the back of one lady who passed me determined not to lose any more positions. I think it probably helped me following her line and no one passed me after that. Of course that might have had something to do with the paucity of runners behind me. ;-)

I had a few good falls. The first one between the two peaks when a strong gust blew me over into the heather, a second one where I ended up on my hands and knees in a *really* sludgy peat bog and the last where I managed the classic hill runner's "fall - somersault- get up running again", all without losing any forward momentum.

No harm done and great fun.

I finished 46th out of 60 starters (59 finishers) but I really didn't care about my position. It was a great day out in a beautiful little village (New Abbey) and I'd highly recommend it.

I thought it was the boggiest hill run I'd ever done but I was assured by regulars that the course was drier than it's been for a very long time!

Full results here for anyone that's interested.

Running, not blogging...

2009-03-19T14:15:00.005Z

Yep, I've been doing a bit of running since my last post. Nowhere near as much as I would really like but it's a huge relief to be able to get back to it.

It's very clear from my sessions at the club that my leg speed and my endurance have suffered a *lot* with my long layoff (& copious consumption of wine), but still, things are improving.

I got dragged around the Carrick Hills last weekend. Only 7.7 miles but very tough miles! No paths, tussocky bog and lots of barbed wire and gorse. Not your conventional "fun" run but fun nonetheless. Considering how close this is to Ayr it is it feels amazingly remote up there. We hurtled round there in 2 hours. That did include a break for photos but it gives and indication of just how hard going it was.

Yesterday I thought I'd try my short route from Oswalds Bridge to Mossblown & back along the River Ayr Way. (A bit over 6 miles). It was such a nice day I decided to carry on up river to Stair and back turning it into an 11 mile run. I certainly wasn't fast but I felt I could have gone on much longer which was encouraging. I couldn't have gone on yesterday though as 10 miles into my run my Coastguard pager went off & I had to hurry back to the car and down to the station, still in my running kit & covered in mud.

I got there just in time to put the kettle on and make the tea for the returning officers. The callout was what is known as a FAGI - a "false alarm with good intent". Still, as I'd phoned in and turned up apparently I get to claim 3 hours pay.

I was hoping to join in a group run on the WHW at the end of the month (I haven't set foot on the WHW this year yet!) but it looks like I'll have to go it alone sometime through the week. It'll feel strange running the WHW solo but I'm desperate to get at least one long run on the WHW before the Fling.

Mind the gap!

2009-03-06T10:59:00.002Z

You know, that yawning one between what you *think* you can do and what you can actually do. ;-)

I had visions of doing an "easy" 13 miler yesterday but decided that that was a bit ambitious so soon after returning to regularish running and settled for an easy 6ish mile lap of part of the River Ayr Way.

Somewhat ambitiously I started my stopwatch at the start of the run (BIG mistake) but I knew within seconds of starting that my time was going to be entirely academic. My legs felt like I'd raced a marathon on Tuesday, not a 5k! I pushed on through the mud though and finished in 70 minutes. (I used to be able to run it in under 52 minutes).

Ugh!

Still, the back continues to improve and I should count my blessings. I didn't wimp out on any of the hills and ran them all so it could have been worse. I just hope I can get fit enough to enjoy the Fling.

Things I don't want to know

2009-03-04T13:55:00.003Z

[1] My weight.
Ever since I've had to lay off the running I've been avoiding the bathroom scales. I know I've put on weight (my trousers have definitely got tighter) and until I'm feeling brave enough, I'm giving the scales a wide berth. ;-)

[2] My 5K time.
In March last year my 5k time was 19:21. I didn't do any more 5ks after the WHW race and last night was my first 5k in a very long time. I knew it would be bad but not how bad. After a several good runs on my own I ventured back to the club last night for the monthly 5K time trial. Icy rain as falling as we drove to Troon and by the time we started, this had turned to freezing sleet. Still, it wasn't windy so I cant blame that and apart from cold hands, I can't say that the weather made any real difference.

It was a real shock to the system to be running "competitively" again. Of course it wasn't a race but I can't help chasing runners and it usually helps to keep me motivated. It didn't work too well last night as I gradually slipped down the field from second, to third, to fourth, to fifth and then I think finally sixth.

Worse than my position though was my time, 23:30. Ah well, just as well I'm not planning on setting any PBs this year. ;-)

I'm still hopeful of doing the Highland Fling race if I can get in some decent easy long runs over the next few weeks. Not today however as my legs are suffering from the unaccustomed exercise!

Idiopathic plantar hidradenitis...

2009-02-25T08:22:00.002Z

... is a bit of a mouthful but I think is the name for the itchy bumps I get on the soles of my feet when I run a lot.

I've had them on and off for years but never known what the condition was. Somehow it's more comforting to know it has a name. I hope this knowledge brings comfort to other suffers out there. ;-)

Getting back to running, my buttock hasn't fallen off but remains firmly attached. The pain is still present though most of the time so I'm still not out of the woods. Had a lumbar pine x-ray yesterday which I doubt will show anything but as I said, it's part of the work up to a hospital referral.

I went out again on Monday night with Muriel & some friends - there's nothing like 4 runs in 5 days to ease oneself gently back into running after an injury ;-) - and enjoyed an easy six miles. This time there was a bit more of an ache so I think I need a day or two off. The best bit however was blasting up a hill.

I can't remember at what point in my running career hills became a pleasurable challenge rather than something to be avoided. I just love sprinting up sprintable hills. There's just nothing to beat that surge of power, the foot plant, the thrust, the flight, that period of anaerobic burn when you're going all out with no thought for the future, just enjoying the ride.

For some reason my ankles are sore now. Can't think why that should be. ;-)

More weirdness

2009-02-23T08:20:00.002Z

I was walking in town on Saturday wondering if perhaps I hadn't overdone things on Friday. My buttock was aching with every step as per usual. I was talking to my wife when mid-sentence I stopped & said "It's gone".

Literally in the space of one step, the ache disappeared. Not permanently though but certainly for the rest of the shopping trip. I must admit I'm puzzled as to what kind of pathology can come and go like this. It did come back later but definitely seems to be on the wane.

On Sunday Muriel was keen to go down to Culzean to run the fun run course. (For those not familiar with the area it's a great little hilly 5 & a bit mile trail race that takes place in the grounds of Culzean Castle). I think she must be getting infected with the trail running bug. ;-)

Anyhow, we jogged around together and whilst not completely pain free, it was fantastic to be out on the trails again enjoying the mud & the hills. Of course a couple of good runs isn't going to be enough to get me round the WHW but I've not ruled out having a slow jog along the Fling yet and things are looking more hopeful for a WHW walk.

My month total for February has already surpassed January's mileage (20 vs 16)! Just a little short of the 200 miles per month that I'd normally like to be doing now. ;-)

Some progress perhaps....

2009-02-21T13:45:00.002Z

I've not been updating my blog with dreary "still hurts" messages as I'm sure no one wants to hear that so I've been waiting for some improvement.

The improvement may be transitory but it's cheered me up. ;-)

Last week I ceremoniously washed all those bits of running gear that were "half worn", you know, those things that don't quite make your eyes water when you put them on. Working on the principle that I wouldn't be needing them again for some time.

I hit a new low last Thursday when my wife & I went out for a brisk 4 mile walk in the evening and the ball of my foot went numb. Suddenly my "life line" fall back plan to walk the WHW was looking in jeopardy and I was not a happy bunny. After a weekend brooding about it, I went back to the doctor to see about x-rays, hospital referral etc. I've had a heap off blood tests & I'm getting an x-ray next week.

In all probability, these will show nothing useful but they have to be done before a hospital referral.

On Wednesday I decided that if walking was going to make my foot go numb I might as well jigger myself with running as it didn't seem to be making things worse so it was on with the clean running gear and out for a slow 2.5 mile jog. It wasn't a great success. Indeed, it was just the same as any run I've tried this year with pain at every step and I ended up walking parts.

Despite this the foot seemed to be improving slowly although my 2nd toe is still feeling a bit "fuzzy".

On Friday Muriel was very keen to get out for a run so I thought I'd give it another bash. Right from the outset things felt different and I could jog comfortably with minimal or no pain. We did about 4 miles and I enjoyed the whole run. Woo hoo! I even pushed hard up a couple of hills just for the thrill of getting out of breath and feeling my muscles working. Perhaps not sensible but it's been so long since I felt that thrill I just couldn't resist.

Fortunately those pushes don't seem to have aggravated anything and I do think that the pain has lessened. Fingers crossed big time that this is the start of a real recovery.

I'm still happy that I'm not doing the WHW race this year but who knows, I might make the Fling at a leisurely pace.

Thanks for all your support but...

2009-02-13T15:18:00.002Z

...as you've probably guessed, I've decided to pull out of this year's race.

I'm getting quite used to this now, this being my third pre-race withdrawal. ;-) Consequently, this isn't a heartbreaking decision, it's just a recognition that I have to do what I think is best for me. I'm very comfortable with the decision and I'm already looking forward to a year of non-running challenges.

In many ways, I feel like I've already missed the race. For me, the race really begins once my entry is accepted and from then on, I'm focused for the year ahead on my WHW goal. I take pleasure in the build-up in training and participating in the group runs so even if I were to get to the start line in "good enough" shape to complete the race, I'd still feel short changed.

So once again, my thanks to all for your words of encouragement and support. They were all appreciated.

Pain in the butt 1 - Chiropractor 0

2009-02-11T17:21:00.002Z

Today I had my third (and I strongly suspect my last ever) treatment session. As before, a lot of pushing and shoving around, assurances that I was breathing much better (despite the fact I could feel no difference) and some decidedly uncomfortable neck cracking.

I'm afraid I'm probably not a good patient for chiropractic treatment as I just can't buy into the "life long" treatment business that they try so hard to sell. Nor do their theories about what they're doing really convince me. Despite my doubts I am/was prepared to give the treatment the benefit of the doubt based on results.

The results so far have been no improvement in my bum and a sore stiff neck after today's treatment. Consequently, unless things magically improve over the next week, I won't be going back.

Running wise, I'm still keeping my options open but I strongly suspect I'll be having a year off the WHW race this year.

Quack part deux

2009-02-09T18:11:00.002Z

Today I had my second treatment session with my chiropractor. In all respects pretty much a re-run of my first treatment. A bit of uncomfortable pushing and shoving and a few cracks from places you never knew could crack.

So far I'm trying hard to keep an open mind but my chiropractor is very keen to stress the importance of a long term maintenance plan of regular treatments. More than a hint of time-share sales technique going on which I find very off putting.

I'm going to give it one, maybe two more goes and if I don't see any tangible improvement I'll take my money elsewhere. At £30 a session (with discounts if I buy a dozen sessions at a time!) it's not that much more than my private sessions with my physio but he doesn't expect me to keep visiting him for the rest of my life.

Runningwise, I did manage about 4 miles on Sunday. The first two were a bit of a struggle but once things warmed up the pain seemed to ease off so there may be hope. It's pushing through those first 2 miles that's the hard bit though.

Going quackers

2009-02-08T21:14:00.002Z

Firstly, I must thank those folk who've offered advice & support recently, in particular Brian and Richie. I'm not very good at this social networking stuff at the best of times and even worse when I'm not running. Anyway, thanks to you all, much appreciated.

As to "going quackers", I've been to see a quack. More specifically a chiropractor. Coming from a medical background I have a high degree of suspicion when it comes to any form of "alternative" therapy, unsupported by peer reviewed research & publications but when you're in a corner, you'll try anything.

It was an interesting experience, filled with various pops & crunches from my spine. Whilst I'm unconvinced by much of the speil that goes with the treatment, it was interesting to see how he picked up real discrepancies in my posture.

I would love to report that I'm now cured but that would be unrealistic. Of course you can't help hoping but I was a bit disappointed to find my pain *worse* the day after. Having said that, I managed a reasonable slow run today (about 4 miles). It started off with quite a lot of pain but as I warmed up things seemed to improve so maybe there is some hope.

I'll give my chiropractor the benefit of the doubt for a couple more sessions at least and decide what to do after that.

As to the long term, I'm obviously questioning whether to do the WHW race but I've decided to leave it to the end of the month before I make a decision. It's not all gloom and doom though, I've had plenty of time to think about running, life, goals, work etc. whilst I've not been running and in many ways, I feel I've "made my peace" so to speak and will be happy with whatever I end up doing this year. If I don't run the WHW race I will probably look for a different non-running challenge that I wouldn't normally consider because I'm used to thinking of myself as "a runner". Don't be too surprised if you see me and Muriel *walking* the WHW this summer during the race. ;-)

Light at the end of the tunnel?

2009-01-29T10:35:00.003Z

I went to see my GP yesterday, not expecting a great deal which is pretty much what I got. ;-)

That said, he did make a few useful comments about muscle problems causing nerve compression and that it was less likely to be a disc prolapse. Unfortunately there's about a 17 week waiting list to see an NHS physio and whilst I could continue to see my own one privately, it's an expensive business.

My thanks to Andy & Brian for there helpful (if not entirely encouraging) comments. ;-) I've not given up hope of running the WHW yet but if I do withdraw I will definitely either support someone else or marshal. It's great to be able to give something back to the race and I've always enjoyed being involved with it as I was in 06 when I was supporting Mad Jim (& running with some hobbling git called "Mark") and in 07 when I was marshalling at Lundavra. Fantastic experiences both times.

My latest plan is to try a little running (again). I went out last night for a couple of miles. Still painful but bearable for that kind of distance. I'll rest today and try it again tomorrow. If I can do this for a few days without aggravating things, then I think I might be in with a chance. If however running makes things worse, I'll probably take myself off to our local Spinal Centre and see what they have to say.

Things do seem a little easier today so fingers crossed that a gentle return to running may be the best cure!

No news is bad news :-(

2009-01-26T15:37:00.003Z

Well, things aren't really any better in my neck of the woods. Still got my sciatic pain that's preventing me running. I probably could find some cross training that would maintain my fitness but I want to run, not cross train!

My physio did some massage and manipulation and whilst it's improved certain aspects of my mobility, it's done very little to improve the pain. I've decided (somewhat late in the day perhaps) to go doctor bothering later this week and see what he has to offer.

I don't hold out much hope of a miracle cure but I feel I ought to check out all my options. There's an off chance that my GP might know a reputable chiropractor and I wouldn't be averse on this occasion to giving a "quack" a go at my back.

The thought of not doing the WHW race this year has crossed my mind. It would be a relief not to worry about playing "catch-up" and possibly doing myself a further mischief. Also, having put in at least once decent run on the WHW, I not sure I want to do it "just to finish". If I'm going to invest the time and effort I want to do it well.

Meanwhile I'm looking forward to meeting the newest Consani who arrived on the 21st.

Still alive!

2009-01-17T13:52:00.003Z

Golly it's been a long time since I've posted! A lot of reasons but mostly down to a severe lack of running. :-(

Back in November I hurt my back and that cramped my style for a while. I was just getting back into it when I caught the lurgy going round and just didn't have the energy to run. Then, at the end of December, I aggravated my back injury by carrying a double mattress upstairs and that stopped me running altogether.

It's not been all gloom and doom though. Early in the year we went Skiing for a week in Courchevel, part of the "3 valleys" area in the French Alps. A fabulous resort with so many runs I swear that with a Three Valleys ski pass you could ski all day every day for a week without repeating yourself.

I'd only really got just beyond doing snowplough turns on a previous 3 day skiing break but this time the combination of good snow and growing confidence meant that I came on a lot and had a great time. So much so I can hardly wait until I go skiing again! Not quite up to black runs yet but getting happier on the reds and hopefully *next* time, I'll have the confidence to tackle those too. S*d this running lark, I think I'll be a skier instead. ;-)

I know it seems odd that I could ski when I couldn't run but it was indeed the case. When walking (or trying to run) I was hobbling but with a pair of skis on my back didn't bother me at all.

I've been to see my physio who reckons it's a touch of sciatica and gave me a few stretches to do. He also told me not to run (which I agreed with at the time) but by Thursday, without any skiing to take my mind of not running, I couldn't stand it any more and struggled round a 3 mile jog. Had pain all the way round but then, not running doesn't seem to have helped either so who knows which is best. All I know is that I don't mind the pain as much as the inability to run and if I have to run with pain, so be it.

I'm kind of resigned to this year not being a PB year for the WHW race now as I feel I have such a mountain to climb to regain fitness. Part of me would almost rather defer my entry as I really don't want to run the whole of the WHW for a so-so time. If I'm going to put in all the training effort, I want a good time, preferably a PB!

Still, there are still months to go and it's way too early to throw in the towel so if things start improving soon I'll give it my best shot.

Meanwhile, on tenterhooks waiting for news of the youngest WHW finisher!

If you thought I was mad...

2008-12-05T17:50:00.003Z

.. for doing my shortest day WHW run in 2006, it was a walk in the park compared to this winter Ramsay round by Shane Ohly.

http://www.runfurther.com/index.php?cPath=658_736

It's a great read and I think any WHW racer with empathise with a phrase that he uses once or twice towards the end - "I just want to f*cking finish!".

Even more amazingly, he's planning on having a crack at a sub-24hr round again this winter in aid of Cancer Research. http://www.justgiving.com/shaneohly

Think I might bung him a pound or two..

A couple of photos

2008-12-01T18:17:00.002Z

Nothing great though, just done with my aging mobile.

Alasdair & Duncan arriving at Inversnaid

Very slippy point that caused quite a few tumbles.

Some of the many icicles that were hanging off of the rock faces.

The view heading south into the sun.

A fish back in water...

2008-12-01T15:44:00.003Z

It's hard to express just how good it felt to be back running on the WHW this weekend when I ran with a group from the Drover's Inn at Inverarnan to Inversnaid and back.

It was a gorgeous cold day with snow on the hills, no wind, good company and lots of sunshine. And yet, even without any of those things I think it would have felt good to be back on the WHW running. Suddenly I felt back in my element again and I thoroughly enjoyed the day's running. A fish back in water if you will.

I'm afraid as ever I wasn't as sociable as I could have been but I did enjoy the chatting on the way down with Duncan and others. On the way back I wanted to push on and run at my own pace which meant that I ran most of it on my own. I started several minutes after the lead group and after a long time I eventually caught Caroline (Mrs Pacepusher) who was having a really great run herself. It was great to be running this section on relatively fresh legs and I really enjoy the hopping and skipping around that you need to do to maintain any pace on this section. I don't kid myself that I'll run like that in the race though. ;-)

I wimped out of the longer run and retired after 14 miles, not due to injury or anything but it's my longest run for a while and I didn't want to finish off the run dragging my feet and not enjoying it. One of the other runners (Mandy I think) commented on how important she felt it was to finish a run with positive feelings and I know how those memories help to lift your spirits when you're running the same section but on tired legs in the race. I'm convinced that the good runs I had over the last sections between Kinghouse and Fort William in training this year were a big help in the race. Of course a super-strong tailwind helped too. ;-)

Ankle seems completely recovered although the back still niggles with toothache like pain in my buttocks persisting. As long as it doesn't interfere with my running I can live with it though.

I've decided to have a go at the "100pushups" training plan to do something about my feeble upper body strength. Finished the first week (having started at a lowly "level 2") but flunked the final set of push-ups so I think it might take me longer than the 6 week plan to get fit enough to do my 100 pushups.

Mile reps

2008-11-19T10:32:00.002Z

I say "mile" as I don't think anyone has accurately measured our mile course. Still, it's a good opportunity to measure performance and see how much I've slowed down. ;-) I wasn't expecting great things after my somewhat irregular training of late and my dickey back but things weren't as bad as I feared.

I was happy enough with a 6:14, a 6:09 and a 6:12. Certainly not as fast as I was earlier this year but perhaps more encouragingly, only a couple of seconds slower than I was this time last November when I was running more mileage.

My final interview for the Coast Guard job is this Friday but meanwhile, I've got a training session to go along to tonight on the Ballast Bank in Troon. If you see a bunch of nutters wearing helmets and head-torches tonight playing about with ropes, that'll be us. ;-)

Still improving & new job

2008-11-12T13:17:00.006Z

At the weekend I ran in the Kilmarnock XC race, dragging my butt around in 40 something minutes. The time is pretty immaterial when it comes to XC, it's all about showing solidarity and freezing your arse off with everyone else from your club. ;-)

It's a good sticky & hilly course (one of the best local ones) and most importantly of all, didn't seem to bother my ankle & back. The ankle seems absolutely fine now and the back doesn't seem to affect my running too much.

Last night was our club's "hills" session. As I've probably mentioned before, the "hills" are actually just the bridges that cross the railway line in Troon - mostly no more than about 30 seconds sprinting each. Still, I love them to bits and I find it hard to understand anyone who *doesn't* love hill sprints.

What's not to like about that feeling of acceleration and speed, rising up on the toes, working your legs and arms faster and harder with every step until you reach the top of the hill? Of course it probably helps that I'm usually the first one to the top of the hill. ;-) I'm way too competitive for my own good sometime.

The new job is, I think, 90% definite. There was a feature in our local paper recently about the Coastguards looking for new volunteers. Well, I've always fancied guarding our coast and considering that no one has tried to attack it in all the time we've lived in Ayr, I reckon it must be a pretty cushy job. ;-)

I went along for an interviewette last week with about 25 other people and got a call at the weekend to say that I was one of the three people they were wanting. It seems there's another interview to go but given that they've shortlisted 3 people for three jobs it seems the last one must be a formality. Anyway, I'm going along tonight to get measured up for uniform & survival suit so I reckon it must be pretty certain.

The job is paid actually but as the Queen is only gracious enough to pay coastguards for 2 hours a month (for official training) + call outs, they don't make a big fuss over the pay. Just as well I'm not doing it for the money.

It seems that the major part of the job is conducting searches (missing persons, washed up ordinance etc.) with the very occasional cliff rescue thrown in for good measure. Apparently we don't get to keep the ordinance though. :-( A less attractive side of the job is recovering bodies from beaches & rivers.

Still, it'll get me out of the house more and combines my love of the seashore with a useful social service.

Really looking forward to my first run back on the WHW on the 30th. It seems like forever since I last ran on it and I'm just itching to get going. Lets just hope I can contain my enthusiasm/competitiveness enough to avoid another injury.

Making progress

2008-11-06T22:38:00.003Z

Today, I managed to put my knickers on without dropping them to the floor. Woo hoo! You see, ever since I spent an afternoon crawling around my loft fitting insulation and emptying the loft of loose breeze blocks, my back has been giving me a lot of grief. For the last two weeks I've either had to sit down to get dressed or step into one leg hole, drop my knickers to the floor, step *into* the other leg hole and then somehow stoop to pull them up. So doing it without going through this palaver is definite progress.

My foot, or rather my left ankle, seems fine now. I've not risked road running on it (apart from a few miles to do the timing for our club 5K the other night) but it seems just fine. My memories of my last stress fracture mean that I'm not about to assume that everything really *is* fine until it's been pain free for a week or two more. I've withdrawn from the "Run with the Wind" race in Strathaven which is a disappointment as it's a great 10K but it is predominantly downhill and all on tarmac and I really do think I'd be foolish to race it.

Still, I'm enjoying the running I am doing at the moment and am looking forward to the first training run on the WHW at the end of this month. Today's run was especially rewarding as I was running along part of the river Ayr way and as anyone who has ever run with me along there will confirm, I'm *always* looking for Kingfishers. Well today that vigilance paid off as an electric blue blur of wings skimmed down the river next to me, thumbing it's nose to the convention of drabness that seems to define so many British birds.

In a way I'm almost glad the all the other British birds are so drab as it heightens the pleasure of spotting such an outrageously colourful bird.

Testing, testing...

2008-10-31T17:28:00.003Z

Well it's been 11 days since my last run when things went pearshaped with my ankle. Today was glorious weather and I couldn't resist trying out my ankle (and my back) with a gentle 6 miler on some local trails. I'm happy to report that the running seemed to help my back and apart from a couple of niggles in my foot rather than my ankle, everything seemed to be behaving.

For those of you who heard about the weather during the OMM last weekend, here's a little video clip that gives some idea of the conditions.

Fergie Memorial run

2008-10-29T11:41:00.003Z

Our club organised a memorial run for one of our members who died last year whilst on a trip to France. It was a huge shock to us all and his many friends and we felt it would be appropriate to organise at least one run in his memory. This was held last Sunday which fortunately, wasn't anywhere near as horrid as the Saturday had been.

It was set up as a charity fun run with all proceeds going to York Hill hospital. We set the entry fee at a nominal £2 but with just over 100 entrants, we still ended up collecting neary £1,000 as many folk made much larger voluntary donations. A testament more to the respect and esteem that folk had for Fergie rather than the worthiness or otherwise of the particular charity chosen.

Anyway, as I'm still "hors de combat", I was on registration and photography duty. It seemed a good opportunity to try out our camera's "burst" mode as I normally find it incredibly difficult to get decent pictures of runners. I think I managed to capture the atmosphere of the event pretty well on the day although I have to admit that the first photograph *wasn't* taken by me but by Kenneth Phillips (a keen local retired runner and photograher of running events). I took a similar shot but mine was rather spoiled by sunlight.

Here are a few of the better ones (click to view full sized) and all of them my be viewed here. (Incidentally, the dress code was to "dress colourfully").

Regarding my running, not a lot of that happening at the moment. I'm trying to stick to my resolution to give my ankle a couple of weeks' rest but as the pain has 90% resolved, I suspect I might try it out tomorrow. I'm still unsure what the problem is but the pain feels bony which I know sounds rather vague but based on that feeling I'm still inclined to think it's probably a stress fracture. I might go doctor bothering if it flares up again and see if it would be worth getting my bone density checked.

I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to join in a group training run on the 30th of November though. There's a world of difference between pounding out a road marathon & jogging along the WHW so fingers crossed it won't set me back.

Food for thought

2008-10-24T22:16:00.003+01:00

I came across this fundraising site on the net today. Set up on the 21st of this month with a £5,500 target and reached over £100,000 pounds today.

http://www.justgiving.com/atheistbus

Seems like it struck a chord.

Ankle update

2008-10-24T14:49:00.000+01:00

Well, I think I'm crocked again. My ankle is still sore and gets worse with any weight bearing exercise (including walking) and from a reply on the Fell Runners forum, I'm inclined to believe that I might well have a stress fracture.

My lack of consistent training but desire to do long races has almost certainly been the cause and if I had to pick one event, I think it would have to be Loch Ness that finally did for it. My long run last Sunday was just the icing on the cake. ;-)

One good thing though is that I'm pretty philosophical about it and if I've got to take time off at any time of year, I'd far rather it was now when the weather's foul, the day's short, wet and windy and the cross country season beckoning. ;-)

If I had anything important in the offing I suppose I could do the old cross training bit but I'm not sure I could even cycle at the moment and swimming bores me silly.

The plan is to rest for a week or two and then try some very gentle off road runs. If that goes okay then build up slowly from there. If the pain comes back, leave it a couple more weeks and reapeat.

When self belief isn't enough

2008-10-19T18:23:00.004+01:00

I've just finished reading Tom McNab's book Flanagan's Run, a novel based on a race that took part in 1928 across America. The book is a bit corny put it's a real page turner and clearly the author knows his stuff about running, well he ought to given his background.

Anyway, after reading the book I felt all fired up and ready to run across a continent so within an hour of finishing it, I was lacing up my shoes and out the door, ready to run until I dropped at which point I'd phone the calvary (my wife) to pick me up from wherever I ended up. The plan had been to run up the River Ayr Way from my home to Failford (at least - maybe further), a distance of 21 miles. Things started well but the moment I left the seafront where I'd had a following wind, I seemed to be going head-on into it. It was spitting rain and all in all, conditions were not codusive to effortless running.

Of course the other thing not condusive to easy running was a more or less complete lack of any sort of training since the Loch Ness Marathon. Still, I thought, never let a lack of training dent your self belief. ;-)

Anyway, to cut a boring story short, after about six miles I decided that a long open-ended run wasn't really on the cards and changed my route to take me back home in a 14.6 mile loop. Not a bad run but somewhat short of my dreams. Worse though was the way my ankle repeated its post Loch Ness marathon trick of being agonisingly painful for a period post run. Last time it settled spontaneously after a day and hadn't bothered me since the LNM. This time it seems to be fading again but by heck it was painful for a while. I've no idea quite what's going on and I presume it's probably soft tissue but weirdly, the pain is much worse when I lift my weight OFF my foot. It's not great on weight bearing either but ten times worse when I lift my foot off the ground. There's nothing to see and now, 6 hours post run, barely any tenderness. Any suggestions as to what this might be gratefully received.

I think I need to get back to some proper training and stop thinking I can run without doing my homework.

Ouch!

2008-10-06T15:08:00.003+01:00

I didn't mention the way that my legs completely siezed up once I crossed the finish line yesterday. One moment working like a well oiled machine, the next feeling like someone had thrown a bucket of sand in my gearbox. It seemed to take me an age to hobble to the goody bag pick-up (about 10 yards) and then all the way to the de-chipping area (another 10 yrds!). I then had to lift my foot on to a cruelly high bench for de-chipping (must have been getting on for 10" high). After that is was a very slow hobble to collect my bag and off to the showers.

Fortunately, by the time I had finished my shower things had eased off a bit but I was still much much stiffer than I had been after my hill race last week and it was a strong reminder of just how much harder road marathons are on your body than trail races.

Anyway, I was feeling not too bad this morning and was seriously thinking of going on a gentle jog to loosen off after the dog walk. I only made it about 300 yards along the beach when I became aware of a niggle behind one ankle. In the space of 100 yards it went from niggle to agony and I could barely walk and had to cut short my walk. After resting and waiting for my companions to bring the car back to me, I got fed up and started hobbling again slowly. Weirdly, just before I got back to the car it started to ease off and is now just uncomfortable.

Goodness knows what's going on but I guess my body is trying to tell me something about my hopes of running next weekend. Perhaps it's time to admit to myself that I'm not indestructable. ;-)

A friend in need...

2008-10-05T20:23:00.004+01:00

... is a person who's prepared to reach down and help remove the sweaty sock from a marathon runner who has siezed up post race and hasn't got anywhere to sit down to undress. ;-)

Today that friend was Neal Gibson who made the mistake of sticking his head in the shower changing rooms in Inverness just as I was utterly failing to get my second sock off. Thanks Neal, your help was much appreciated!

Of course, Neal wasn't the only friend I met today. Most notably there was the lovely Ellen Thomson who I first spotted being interviewed for the TV before the race and who I so nearly planted a big soppy kiss on her cheek during the interview. To my undying regret, I hesitated and missed the moment. Darn, could have been famous for a moment. ;-)

As I said in my last blog, I planned to take it easy and deliberately made my way to the back of the field before the start and had a nice easy run for the first couple of miles before I caught up with Ellen. We then ran together until the half way point, just enjoying the scenery, putting the world to rights and not worrying about our times. By the halfway point though, I could feel that I still had plenty of gas in the tank so to speak and took off to see how much I could make up in the second half. As we'd already taken 2 hours for the first half my sole aim was a sub 4 (and to try and enjoy it) and I'm glad to report that for the first time ever, I actually enjoyed the second half of a marathon!

Passed squillions of folk and caught up with a black South African who was as wide as he was tall. Not fat but lots of muscle. Sort of guy who looked like he could run through a brick wall as if it was wet tissue paper. Anyway, we got chatting and he was telling me about running the Comrades marathon, Coast to Coast etc. and I spent my time boring him with the WHW & Highland Fling etc. so I think it was quits. ;-) Anyway, a really nice guy and we helped each other through the second half. He finished a bit ahead of me with a PB so he was well pleased.

I finished in 3:53:18 (a PW I think) but in so many ways it was a positive experience so I'm happy. The weather was great, the company was great and it great to actually enjoy the second half of a road marathon. That said, I don't think I plan to do it again for a while as it really does get in the way of some great hill races but I might well go up for the 10K as my wife enjoyed the trip up and it was great to meet up with so many of the WHW "family" again.

Fail to prepare and prepare to fail....

2008-10-04T10:46:00.002+01:00

It trips off the tongue easily but I've come to realise recently that "failure" isn't as straightforward as one might think.

I have, without doubt, failed to prepare properly for the Loch Ness Marathon. Curiously though, I find I'm looking forward to it with much less trepidation than normal and fully expect to enjoy it more than normal tomorrow. I guess I've already given myself "permission to fail" tomorrow so I'm not worried about my time. Also, my wife is running the 10K so it's not as if my trip to Inverness is wasted if I don't try my utmost tomorrow. Lastly, I'm also toying with the idea of doing the Pentland Skyline next weekend so I don't particuarly want to trash my legs tomorrow in an all out attempt. (Check out the course here)

So yes, I probably will "fail" tomorrow in the sense of no PB, possibly a PW, but I have enjoyed a great race last weekend, hope to have a good time this weekend and with luck, be fit for next weekend to do something that I love so all in all, perhaps not such a failure.

When you hear about friends who can't run because of injury it brings it home to you that no run that you enjoy is a failure.

Good luck to all those racing this weekend. Just remember, it's not all just about the times.

I'm back!

2008-10-02T16:03:00.002+01:00

Apologies to anyone who's been wondering what's happen with the running fool of late but suitably spurred on by JK, I'm going to try and get back to this blogging lark.

A lot's happened since my last post. First there was the River Ayr Way Challenge which was great. As some runners found, the signposting could have been better and local knowledge clearly helped. I finished 6th overall (out of about 20) but missed out on a sub-7 time which I would have liked. I hope it's going to be on again next year but whether I do it or not will depend on timing and the organisers aren't sure when it will be next year. I've offered to put together an unofficial website for the council just to raise the profile of the event a bit more as I'm sure there would have been more interest if it had been better publicised.

I've also been up to Orkney (my first visit) since my last post. Not the most dramatic of islands but an intriguing place nonetheless. Did the touristy things like visiting the Italian Chapel, Skara Brae, Maes Howe etc., and did one gentle run around Stromness. Stomach problems resulted in me "claiming" another island. You probably didn't want to know that. ;-)

As I've mentioned before, I had been agonising over whether to do the Loch Ness Marathon or not as it clashed with other races I wanted to do. The problem was, I had already entered the LNM before I remembered about them and as my wife is running the 10K in Inverness, I was pretty committed to going up.

In the end, I decided to run the Two Breweries race (report on the Troon forum here). It was

really tough, tougher than the Pentland Skyline I think (which is the week after the LNM) and that's saying something. A lot of heather bashing and bog hopping and not as much running as I would have liked but a great race nonetheless. Any race with free beer at the end can't be bad!

Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the beer! :-( I had to rush back to Glasgow for a family meal so I reckon I'll just have to do the race again, preferably with a non-drinking companion. ;-)

I finished pretty well down the field (4:29 137/176) but it was just great to be out running (and staggering) through the hills again. I have probably rubbished my legs for a road marathon but I don't care. If I'm honest, I really don't enjoy road marathons and I think I'm going to spend more time on the hills and less on the roads in future.

Although it's probably madness, I hope to do the Pentland Skyline the week after.

Hearing about JK's foot problem has helped to remind me that I'm lucky to be running at any speed and that perhaps I should be worrying less about times and more about enjoyment. I did the Two Breweries because I didn't want to let yet another year go by without having a bash at this race. I'm really glad I did.

Gorillas in the mist...

2008-08-31T14:25:00.007+01:00

... or 12 down, 272 to go.

Debbie et al walking along the Aonach Eagach ridge on Stob Ghabhar

There's absolutely nothing like being on top of a Scottish mountain enjoying sunlit views across the countryside, and this was nothing like that. ;-)

What had started out as a wistful remark to Thomas on Thursday about being jealous of his hillwalking trip with Debbie turned into an invitation on Friday from Marco & Debbie to join them on an outing up Stob a Choire Odhair and Stob Ghabhar.

Coming from Ayr meant an early but rather disorganised start. We were over 6 miles up the road when I spotted that my wife was wearing her trainers and I couldn't remember her putting her boots in the car. Oops! Frustratingly, we had to carry on another 2 miles before we could turn around so that was 16 miles going nowhere before we event started! Boots retrieved, we headed up north as fast as we dared and after a brief but essential pit stop at the Green Welly, we arrived at the Victoria Bridge car park at 9:30.

Marco & Debbie and Neal from the WHW family were there along with a collection of friends & dogs and we set off up towards the forest lodge and Allt Toaig burn that marks the way up.

Marco promised us glorious weather, well, perhaps not "promised" but the forecast was fair. To be fair, it was "fair" but low cloud meant that it wasn't a day for stunning views and I was very glad that I wasn't reliant on my own navigational skills up there.

Our route

It was really strange for me to be going up a hill without my muscles on fire with lactate, blood pounding in my ears and throat raw from gasping but as my wife is a relative novice at hill walking (who incidentally doubled the number of Munros that she's bagged in this one trip) I did my best to rein myself in. Not an easy task when every fibre in my body was just crying out to go galloping ahead. Still, it was good discipline and we're still talking so whilst I didn't entirely succeed, it wasn't a complete failure either. ;-)

What we hadn't realised when we set out was that this was going to be Debbie's 100th Munro and Marco had brought along a box of French chocolates to celebrate on the top of Stob Ghabhar.

Debbie the centemonronain

As we descended, the views opened up a bit and we had a stop for sandwiches and to enjoy the view. The descent by Sron a'Ghearrain & Mam nan Sac was easy if a bit squelchy. Certainly, it seemed preferable to the recommended descent by Coire na Muic which looked a bit scary from below.

On the last leg Marco made us pay for relying on him to navigate by leading us astray down to the Abhairn Shira river on to the Glen Etive footpath rather than the forest road. For "footpath" read, "2km of bog hopping". Muriel, bringing up the rear with her GPS sensibly took the forest track and arrived back at the car well before the rest of us but with no car keys and the air thick with midgies.

Still, despite the midgies and the low cloud, it was great to be out on the hills and we were very grateful for the invitation & opportunity to walk the hills. After a bit of rumaging around on this handy page on Munromagic I've discovered that I've now done a grand total of 12 Munros. Looks like I've got a few more to bag to catch up with Debbie!

The curse of Loch Ness

2008-08-26T17:33:00.003+01:00

I know Loch Ness is supposed to have a monster rather than a curse but every year I seem to end up entering it and only later remembering good reasons for *not* doing it.

Once again I've just remembered why I shouldn't have entered. Namely, the Two Breweries Hill race on the 27th of September and the Pentland Skyline on the 12th of October. I've only ever done the Skyline but always wanted to do both of them but with the Loch Ness Marathon on the 6th of October, the timing couldn't be much worse.

I'm sure there are some intrepid souls who would tackle them all but I'm not one of those.

*NEXT* year hopefully I'll remember not to enter. :-(

Craigengower & long run

2008-08-25T14:59:00.002+01:00

On Saturday I had to choose between the epic Ochil 2000s or our local hill race in Straiton. The Ochils race was something like 25km and Straiton was 3km. Honestly, I would have loved to have done the Ochils race but it would have meant a full day out and I don't think that would have been too popular at home. Instead, I opted to support the small local race.

It may be only 2 & a bit miles but it's a great wee race that's part of the village fete celebrations. There's always a great atmosphere and some years, there are even some serious runners! On Saturday, Prasad Prasad was there to take the course record down to 16:11. As you can see from his Scottish Hill Racing profile, he's quite a handy runner (very nice chap too). I finished in 22:02 which was a PB for me and put me 14th out of 49. If only I wasn't such a girly coming down the steep hills!

On Sunday I couldn't resist doing another long run up to Failford (21 miles from home) and although Saturday's race was just a short affair, I could feel that my legs were lacking a bit of bounce. Not unexpected of course and hopefully nothing that a bit of tapering between now and the RAW won't fix. I've decided that I'm definitely doing the Loch Ness Marathon and our accommodation is now booked. Don't suppose I'll be giving JK a run for his money but hopefully I won't disgrace myself either. ;-)

Woohoo!

2008-08-20T08:19:00.003+01:00

Last night was the first time since the WHW race that I've felt that running the race might actually have done me some good rather than just tear up my body.

After my long 28 miler on Friday and an easy 7 miler on Sunday, I just felt different. The bounce was back in my legs and I just knew that I was back on form. It was like finding top gear in your car after months of being stuck in fourth. It was a club night last night and I just *had* to run the Smugglers Trail, a mix of road and trail that has some great hills for blasting up and down which is precisely what I did.

I don't think I can recall when I've last felt so strong on hills. It was one of those magical runs where the energy just seems to keep coming and you feel like you could run forever.

The only downside is a niggling worry that this is the sort of form I want in just over two weeks time, not *now* and I'll doubtless screw up between now and the RAW but I don't really care, last night's run was just so much fun. I find it hard to believe that one could get a greater buzz from illicit drugs. Last night my drug was SPEED.

Will I, won't I...

2008-08-18T22:28:00.002+01:00

I've been blowing hot and cold over the Loch Ness Marathon for weeks now but since my long run on Friday, apart from a bit of post-run stiffness, I've been feeling like I've getting my "pre WHW" legs back.

Consequently, I'm feeling much more inclined *not* to throw in the towel just yet and wait until after the RAW. I'm still not keen on road marathons, which begs the question, "why did I enter?" which I think was down to a desire to have an autumn goal after the RAW. My biggest problem with road marathons is my feet! I've yet to run a marathon where I haven't been in severe pain for the last 8 miles or so which I put down to my high arched rather rigid feet.

I've tried running in both well cushioned shoes and racing flats and it seem to make little difference. This time, I'm going back to the "well cushioned" option perhaps with a new pair of Asics gel Nimbuses (?sp)and see how that works (assuming now that I do run it).

With no speed work or tempo runs for goodness knows how long I still don't expect to excel but hopefully I won't disgrace myself either.

Rationing places in oversubscibed events

2008-08-16T16:24:00.002+01:00

This might sound like I'm trying to shoot myself in the foot but I'm coming round to the view that rationing places in popular oversubscibed events like the West Highland Way, Ben Nevis etc. might actually be good for the sport, good for the "old hands" race addicts, good for newcomers and good for race organisers.

I think that races like these have a very strong lure that brings folk back year after year. In recent years entering these races has become a real case of being "quick off the draw" and entering ASAP when the entry opens. This system tends to favour the race regulars who know the ropes and makes it hard for first timers to get a foot in the door. I think also that many race regulars would quite like to do something different some years but the lure of the race is too strong to resist and they end up doing the same race year after year without spreading their wings to attempt many of the other great races around.

I think I'd like to see repeat entries restricted to 2 entries every 3 or 4 years, with a withdrawal (that can be filled by someone else) not counting.

This would give race addicts a chance to have a year out and DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! It would also free up a lot of race regulars for marshalling duties and give them a chance to give something back to a race that they may have run many times but not helped in the running of.
It would free up space for more first timers, which has got to be a good thing.

I can't think of a major downside at the moment but I'm sure others will come up with things I haven't thought of. ;-)

Knackered!

2008-08-15T22:31:00.003+01:00

As part of my "panic training scheme" I went out with a club mate for what turned out to be a 28 mile run along the River Ayr Way. Having done my first long run since the WHW last Thursday (21 miles), a couple of 8 milers, a 5 mile trail race on Wednesday, I'm now ready to start tapering for the River Ayr Way race on the 6th of September. ;-)

I'd be the first to admit that this is no way to train for an event but that's never stopped me in the past and I don't suppose I change my ways now. When I say "taper" I really mean tapering my longest runs. I hope to try and put in a few more miles through the week than I've done till now but I think I've done enough long runs to get me through the race.

The run itself went well although the last 5 miles along Ayr seafront and home dragged a bit as I was on my own for that stretch but on the whole, I'm happy with the way I ran the hills and kept going without any major problems.

I am though seriously considering pulling out of the Loch Ness marathon. My heart just isn't in it at the moment. I remember how much road marathons hurt and I've not much enthusiasm for putting myself through that pain when a decent time let alone a PB seem out of the question at the moment. I guess I'll wait until after the RAW and see how I feel then but if I don't do the marathon I'll see if there are any 10k places left instead. Not that I'll run a 10K PB either but my wife will be running and I feel I ought to be up there to support her.

It's official, I'm in the 2009 race

2008-08-14T11:02:00.003+01:00

A list has appeared of those whose entries have been accepted for the 2009 WHW race and I'm very relieved to see that my name has appeared there. Not that I had big doubts that it would, but I had some payment problems on-line and Dario (the race organiser) has had his mail system die on him right at busiest moment of the year. To lose your email access right at the start of entries for an event like this might be a race organiser's worst nightmare. Hopefully it'll get sorted soon but I dare say it's going to cause him some further anguish even when it is sorted if he has more entries than places (as seems very likely). Trying to allocate places on a "first come, first served" basis when all the entries arrive in one big lump may prove a real headache. It'll no doubt seem funny in hindsight (maybe not for a few years though) but right now I really feel for the poor guy.

Meanwhile, I'm delighted to see so many familiar faces amongst the race entries, particularly those who had unhappy experiences this year. I hope that they can put this year's experiences behind them and have a great race in 2009. I've just been having a peek at Vicky Little's blog who amazingly only started running in 2006 and is now looking for a place in the WHW race next year! She had a good run in the Devil O' the Highlands and has entered next year's Fling. I really hope she gets a place.

I suppose I did my first "WHW09" training run on Tuesday, an easy 8 miler. Last night I was running the Kilmarnock 5m trail race through Dean park. This was my first race since the WHW race and given my lack of any sort of training I wasn't too unhappy with my time (33:58/59). It's a hilly little course (although truth be told, probably nearer 4.7 than 5 miles) and suited my present preference for hills over flat running. I wore my "Skins" short tights which I think helped with my niggly hamstring. Certainly, it's not giving me any grief today and the race doesn't seem to have done me any harm. All being well, I'll be doing a 25ish mile run on the River Ayr Way tomorrow which will probably be my longest run before the River Ayr Way race in September.

We've all got them,...

2008-08-12T14:23:00.002+01:00

...those friends who love to tell you that you'll end up crippled and in a wheelchair before you're 60 because you run.

Of course this used to be the prevelant "common sense" view of arthritis that it it was all "wear & tear" and that strenuous exercise would necessarily (indeed, could only) make it worse. Well, I think that theory has been well debunked by this study. (Full text below incase the link stops working - http://med.stanford.edu/news_releases/2008/august/running.html).

I don't suppose it'll change many people's minds as clearly a lot of folk *want* to believe that running is unhealthy to justify their inactivity. Still, I've a few friends who'll be receiving a copy in their inbox before the day is out. ;-)

STANFORD, Calif. — Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.“The study has a very pro-exercise message,” said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study’s senior author. “If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.” The new findings appear in the Aug. 11 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.When Fries and his team began this research in 1984, many scientists thought vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good. Some feared the long-term effect of the then-new jogging craze would be floods of orthopedic injuries, with older runners permanently hobbled by their exercise habit. Fries had a different hypothesis: he thought regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability-free life. Keeping the body moving, he speculated, wouldn’t necessarily extend longevity, but it would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn’t carry out daily tasks on their own. That idea came to be known as “the compression of morbidity theory.”Fries’ team began tracking 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of nonrunners. The subjects, now in their 70s and 80s, have answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects. The researchers have used national death records to learn which participants died, and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners. At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week. After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week, but they were still seeing health benefits from running.On average both groups in the study became more disabled after 21 years of aging, but for runners the onset of disability started later. “Runners’ initial disability was 16 years later than nonrunners,’” Fries said. “By and large, the runners have stayed healthy.”Not only did running delay disability, but the gap between runners’ and nonrunners’ abilities got bigger with time. “We did not expect this,” Fries said, noting that the increasing gap between the groups has been apparent for several years now. “The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought.”Fries was surprised the gap between runners and nonrunners continues to widen even as his subjects entered their ninth decade of life. The effect was probably due to runners’ greater lean body mass and healthier habits in general, he said. “We don’t think this effect can go on forever,” Fries added. “We know that deaths come one to a customer. Eventually we will have a 100 percent mortality rate in both groups.”But so far, the effect of running on delaying death has also been more dramatic than the scientists expected. Not surprisingly, running has slowed cardiovascular deaths. However, it has also been associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.And the dire injury predictions other scientists made for runners have fallen completely flat. Fries and his colleagues published a companion paper in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis in their elderly runners. Runners also do not require more total knee replacements than nonrunners, Fries said. “Running straight ahead without pain is not harmful,” he said, adding that running seems safer for the joints than high-impact sports such as football, or unnatural motions like standing en pointe in ballet.“When we first began, there was skepticism about our ideas,” Fries said. “Now, many other findings go in the same direction.”Fries, 69, takes his own advice on aging: he’s an accomplished runner, mountaineer and outdoor adventurer.

Like a moth to a flame...

2008-08-12T08:01:00.003+01:00

...I can not resist entering the 2009 WHW race. My e-mail arrived last night and my money is winging its electronic way to Dario as I type.

One year, I'll resist the lure and do one of the many other mid year races that I'd like to do but somehow I can't summon up the willpower *not* to enter the WHW race. ;-)

Dare I even think about setting a goal so soon? There were so many inspiring performances this year that it's tempting to think that I could do better. I know I have plenty of room to improve with regards to my nutrition which I think can make a *big* difference to how one performs on the day. I'd love to shoot for sub-22 so unless injury or some other problem intervenes between now and next year's race, that's going to be my "gold" goal.