D33 kicks off SUMS 2013

The first SUMS race of the season came round quickly, it was time to put all the winter training to test.
Running up to the event I had two choices -
Keep doing the miles asked by my training program and complete the race, taking it easy to reach the weekly total of 58 miles or taper and have a go at improving last years result.
Towards the end of the week I came up with a third option, I decided to taper and take it easy during the race, but as it turned out I didn't take it easy.

A Friday overnight stop in Bucksburn meant everything had to be packed Thursday evening. I didn't know whether to take trail or road shoes but with the course conditions being updated on Facebook, the snow was gone so opted for road.

Saturday morning was clear with frost but it wasn't to last. A large bowl of porridge and it was time to drive to the Duthie Park. I arrived at 0830 and found the car park full so had to find a parking space in a side street. It wasn't raining at this point so I opted to leave my running jacket in the car, a decision I would later regret. I grabbed a banana, my only fuel for the race and made my way to the start. Registration was quick so I found myself all set to go with a bit of time to stand around shivering in the cold till race briefing. At this point I pulled the sleeve over my watch and vowed not to look at it till I got over the finish line, this would be my first ever race not fretting about minutes per mile etc, I just wanted to run how I felt and not be distracted by the timepiece on my wrist.

Nine o'clock and we're off, I'm at the back of the pack and start slow and steady. As we leave the park light rain starts, it's so cold I think it falls as snow but I'm not sure. I'm travelling light with a water belt rather than back pack. Theres a few photographers and I'm conscious of carrying the banana in my hand, theres no room in my waist belt for it. As we leave Aberdeen I feel quite good and speed up, "make hay as the sun shines" I think to myself, although the sun isn't shining today.

The last two D33 races have been hot and sunny where I suffered on the return leg but with the cooler temperature today I'm not drinking the same and don't feel thirsty. This means I can bypass the checkpoints and don't need to refill the water bottle. It's at the first checkpoint where I hatch a wee plan, since I'm running well and don't need to stop I decide to run the whole race without stopping or taking a walking break. Although I'm supposed to be taking it easy I also get it into my head I could possibly get sub five hours and resist taking a look at my watch.

Passing the pond two geese look perplexed at the passing runners. The track runs parallel to the main road and it's at this point last year the leading runner passed me on their return leg. So far there's no sign of the leader, so I guess that I'm running better than last year. I reach near enough the slug road before meeting the leading runner. That's the beauty of an out and back race, you get to see the leaders and can cheer them on. This gives me a lift as the legs are beginning to feel a bit tired.

Last year I reached the half way point in two hours forty minutes. I reach the checkpoint, run round the cone and push on without stopping. I'm sure it's about two hours thirty but still resist the urge to look at my watch. Now it's time for the hard return journey with legs feeling even more tired. I think of the negative split and think if I can keep this pace up then I'll get in under five hours. I'm determined not to get passed on the way back so concentrate on keeping a steady pace. This is the first time I've tried such a strategy and it starts to pay off as I pass runners heading back to Aberdeen, hoping I don't run out of steam.

The muscles are sore and tired, negative thoughts begin to creep into my head but instead of slowing to walk I lengthen my stride to stretch the muscles. This works as I keep on passing runners, I'm not used to this.
I look for the geese on the way back but they've gone. Theres a wee uphill slope after the pond and it's here I'm aware of tightness in my right calf but I'm not going to chuck in the towel yet. My left hamstring is also complaining so I have to shorten the stride for a while. There's an uphill section of road before the last checkpoint, I manage to keep a good pace here, run through the checkpoint before dropping back down onto the track. About six miles to go I think to myself, the calf gets tighter and the hamstring threatens to give up the ghost, I'm going have to monitor it but I'm not going to let up. At Peterculter theres the unmistakable sound of approaching footsteps behind me. The party is over I think to myself as I haven't been passed since before the half way point. The runner steadily closes me down and I jokingly thank him for ruining my wee plan as he passes. I try to speed up but theres still a good bit to go as the runner disappears into the distance.

I've only been passed once, I think to myself, so concentrate on keeping a good pace but negative thoughts remind me of the tight calf and hamstring and I really have to fight off the urge to walk. I'm not the only one feeling it as I pass a few more runners on the way to the last three miles which are downhill.

The track is pretty empty here,the heavy rain keeping all but the hardiest of dog walkers at home. The trail is usually full of people at the weekends. The way ahead is clear, I can't see any runners and I dare not look back. I'm determined not to loose any more places despite the exhaustion, where has this competitive nature come from? This is most unlike me.

I feel a limp in my run with a mile left to go but I know I'm going to run it. I can hear footsteps behind once again, someone is tailing me and running strong to the finish but I'm not going to let them pass me at this stage, I speed up despite the pain.

The track doubles back on itself at the entrance to Duthie Park which is deserted due to the weather.
Through the finish arch, get a medal from George and goody bag, into the gazebo and open a beer. I finally check the time on my watch, two minutes past two, I missed my target by a couple of minutes but I'm not too bothered. I couldn't run quicker if I tried, I gave it everything I had.
Unfortunately I was soaked through and getting cold so couldn't hang around.

So thanks to George and the volunteers for organising another great D33 race, it's much appreciated.
"The D33 gives the coolest medals", that was Skyes words and something I tend to agree with.

Tues 4 miles Wed 4 miles Thurs 3 miles Sat 33 miles  Weekly total 44 miles.





  

Made Of Sterner Stuff

Bleary eyed I switched off the alarm, three fifteen, a crazy time to get up for work considering I didn't start till nine. I needed to give myself plenty of time to run the marathon distance to work so left the house at four o'clock. Sounds familiar? Not being happy with my run into work the week before, I did it again on Friday morning. This time there was a cold brisk easterly wind to contend with. My legs were tired and I took a long time to warm up and settle into the run.

Fuel for the trip this time was one banana and dried mango. Pod casts from the WHW website and Marathon Talk kept me occupied for a few hours. Five miles from Ellon the road was illuminated by a car which drew up alongside and stopped. The driver gestured for me to open the door, which warily I did as it was 0530 and the middle of nowhere. The conversation went -

Driver - Do you want a lift?
Me - No, but thanks for the offer.
Driver - You sure? I'm going to Ellon.
Me - I'm sure, I'm training and running to work.
Driver - To Ellon? (look of surprise in his face)
Me - Nah, Aberdeen. But thanks anyway.

There was a look of confusion on the poor drivers face as I closed the door and continued along the road.

I reached the river Ythan at the same time as the previous Friday which was not bad considering the stiff breeze encountered. Two bites of banana, bin the rest and a bit of dried mango, I don't like fruit.

Now they say lightning doesn't strike twice but on this next stretch towards Udny Station I began to get stomach cramps, I was devastated and not prepared to go through the same discomfort as last week. I'll spare readers the details.

After Newmachar tiredness moved in, the pod casts ended and I put on music which kept me running and prevented walking. In fact, once the music came on I was stripped back, exposed and quite emotional as I approached Dyce. Crikey, what is this ultra running about? Fifteen minutes, that's all I improved on my previous run to work. I'll have to do it again and bring the time down.

It's nearly time for the D33, the first SUMS race of the season and in my opinion Aberdeens premier race. Tactics? I'm really not sure. Last year I decided on 10 minute miles and succeeded, dare I try faster or do I treat it as a training run and get the miles in? I just don't know at this stage.

That's enough rambling for now which brings me to the title I've given to to this blog. It's for two people who are having a pretty tough time at the moment, if they read this blog they'll know I'm thinking about them.

Tues 4 miles Wed 8 miles Thurs 4 miles Fri 26 miles Sat 11 miles Sun 5 miles  Weekly total 58 miles.

Lunar Activity

Bleary eyed I switched off the alarm, three fifteen, a crazy time to get up for work considering I didn't start till nine. I needed to give myself plenty of time to run the marathon distance to work so left the house at four o'clock. Five hours did seem like overkill, but it was just as well I gave myself the extra time, I needed it later on.

After a couple of slices of toast for breakfast, two bananas and a chocolate milk shake were fuel for the commute to Dyce. Perfect weather, a clear cool night. I walked the first half mile to warm up stiff muscles and joints then broke into the run. I decided on eleven minute miles, an easy pace giving an ETA of 0845.

I travelled on the back roads to Ellon, I didn't expect to encounter traffic at this time of morning and had to get off the road as delivery vehicles passed by. A jogger on the road would be the last thing these drivers would expect at this time of morning. I passed through Knaven as quiet as possible, aware noise might alert dogs which would waken sleeping households. I then ran on quiet country roads where it was just me and the moon, bright enough for me to switch off the head torch. I put an episode of Marathon Talk on and settled into the run, a bit quicker than my eleven minute mile target.

The roads travel through some farms on the way south and was on the approach to one such farm I heard barking dogs through my ear phones. They picked up the noise of my footsteps in the still of the night and let everyone within earshot know there was an intruder on the go. I ran through the farm, wary of the dogs and hoping they were not loose, free to chase me down. I quickened my pace as the dogs howled, quite fittingly under the full moon.

After ten miles I joined the disused railway track which leads all the way to Dyce. The surface wasn't that great, I switched on the head torch which was too dull, it needed new batteries. For the next couple of miles I tripped and stumbled along the track, it looked like tractors had been using and tearing up the path.

Ellon and the bridge over the river Ythan, thirteen miles, two hours fifteen minutes, time for sustenance. Two bites of banana and the chocolate milkshake, still working on the nutrition! It was getting light as I left Ellon with the sound of chirping Blackbirds in the background.

It's a slight incline towards Udny Station and it felt good running in daylight. This didn't last, as my watch bleeped seventeen miles a dreaded cramp feeling began in my stomach. Slight at first but it worsened until mile twenty where I had to stop running and start walking. This was a blow and with six miles to go I had to keep to a speed walk, that's the peril of ultra running.

Once I reached Dyce a couple of colleagues were walking to work. There's no way I was going to speed walk past them and got back into a run for the last quarter of a mile, arriving four hours fifty minutes after leaving New Deer.

With my long run completed on Friday, thirteen miles was on the cards for Saturday. Coach wanted to do five miles on the Garioch 10k route so I cut my Saturday run to eight miles so I could accompany Lynne on Sunday. With three weeks to go until the race, Lynne ran the whole route in one hour sixteen minutes, a great time for a 10k novice.

Tues 04 miles Wed 10 miles Thurs 04 miles Fri 26 miles Sat 08 miles Sun 06 miles  Weekly total 58 miles.

A glutton for monotony

Apologies for the negative post but I need to log the bad as well as the good. I just can't get into training at the moment. I am doing the miles but it feels like a chore. I have no spark and seem to be dreading the higher distances the program will soon demand. It was recovery week last week, the lower miles should have allowed me to recharge the batteries, ready to up the distance but it doesn't feel like it. I'm struggling to fit the runs into a busy schedule and it's such a relief to complete even the shortest of runs. I'm getting a pep talk from coach as I write this who advises me to take a week off. With a 25 mile long run to do this weekend and a night out on Saturday it looks like I will run into work on Friday morning because I'm a stubborn old git who refuses to listen to coach.

Tues 2 miles Wed 4 miles Thurs 6 miles Sat 10 miles Sun 8 miles  Weekly total 30 miles.  

Mundane

Not much to report from the Deer camp this week. Wednesday night I did a very slippery 8 miles around Haddo Estate, falling on my backside four times in the first mile before giving up on the grassy trails and sticking to footpaths and roads. Snow on top of slush on top of wet grass did me no favours at all.

Saturday was 22 miles round the local roads taking in the Braes before heading back to New Deer. Another run with not enough to eat (a muller rice) and dehydration, I ran out of juice at 17 miles. On the way back a truck passed and left me with it's fumes, not the usual diesel fumes this time but the smell of chips, it was obviously fuelled by vegetable oil which added to my hunger.

Sunday was round the local roads but this time accompanied by Coach and Daughter who were doing their respective training mileage. Skye did 1.5 miles non stop which was a good result after pulling out of Marcothon with a chest infection. Hopefully Skye can get up to 3 miles in time for the WHW race where she will accompany me between Auchtertyre and Tyndrum. Lynne is now up to 4 miles in her training for the Garioch 10k. Coach did have some negative thoughts after her run, she needed reminding on how well she is doing and how far she has come in the quest to run her first 10k.

So all going well but I think I need a change of scenery for the long runs.

Tues 4 miles Wed 8 miles Thurs 4 miles Sat 22 miles Sun 12 miles  Weekly total 50 miles.

City Run

Another busy weekend schedule meant an adjustment to the training program. The long run had to be done on Friday so it was time for the early morning city run before work. Getting up at 0330 was difficult but I had to be in Dyce for 0500. This hobby takes a lot of commitment, the WHW race in particular. I must get the miles in to be confident on the start line, regardless of the time of day or weather.
It was cold and dark when I set off on the run which was roughly the same route as the one blogged last April.

A bottle of juice and a banana was all I took on this jaunt. There's been a posting on Facebook regarding running on empty and whether it helps during training. I realise that most of my long runs have been done with little or no food, I really am struggling to eat enough as I never have an appetite. Sometimes I can't even face my favorite foods preferring quick (and short) sugar snacks. I've mentioned this in my blog before  
so I must get this sorted for future races.

I parked at work and ran through deserted streets toward the coast. It was dry at this point but I could tell this wasn't going to last. I reached Aberdeen harbour and the 24 hour gym where a few pristine people were on treadmills staring out the window as I passed wearing winter apparel. I was glad to be on the outside.

At the city centre I took two bites of the banana and binned the rest, I really don't like fruit. On my return leg to Dyce the wind got up and carried sleet with it. It was a dull morning where it took ages for the light to break through. At Bucksburn the traffic was nose to tail where I took great delight making faster progress than commuters trying to get to work. I had to tag a couple of miles on to take the run to 20 before reaching my workplace.

Not too bad a run if a little dull but I'm looking forward to doing long runs at the weekends again and should start hitting the hills soon.

Tues 4 miles Wed 4 miles Thurs 4 miles Fri 20 miles Sat 16 miles  Weekly total 48 miles.

   

Parasite

an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment. (Dictionary.com)

Best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. A heavy workload meant the planned midweek miles went out the window. A lowly 4 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday meant I had a lot of catching up to do if I was to stick to the mileage required last week. I couldn't make the planned run into work happen on Friday morning so I had to come up with a strategy to get the miles done before the weekend. There was only one thing for it, run home from work on Thursday evening. On Tuesday the weather forecast wasn't too bad, dry with light winds. They got it wrong once again, it rained all day Thursday which would dampen my enthusiasm for this wee trip. After work I put on the full winter running gear, this was not what I expected but if I have an idea to do something it must be carried out, the stubborn streak shone through.

Iv'e run and posted about the Buchan and Formartine Way a couple of times lately and it takes up a large part of this training run. Like many rail routes it fell victim to the Beeching cuts in 1965 which is incredible considering the development and expansion of north sea oil. There's talk lately of reinstating this line but having run most of it over the years I just can't see it happening.

At 1800 I left and ran through the industrial estate in Dyce, it's only half a mile before reaching the solitude of the railway line, away from the rush hour traffic trying to leave the area. I crossed a couple of bridges over the queuing traffic, that's where I would normally be if I drove home tonight and there's something quite satisfying leaving the motorists behind, even though there's a long way to go. I clicked on the head torch, put on a marathon talk podcast and made steady progress towards Newmachar.

Door to door by road my commute to work is 26 miles. Looking at Google maps, I figured the B & F Way was a more direct route north. I very roughly estimated a run of around 20 miles, maybe a bit more. For this reason I had no food with me and only one bottle of juice, a foolhardy decision.

Just beyond Newmachar I was surprised to come across a few deep snow drifts, stubbornly clinging on and not giving in to the thawing rain. Luckily they were few and far between, I didn't want to run through any more snow. I averaged around 10.30 minute miles at this stage which suited me fine as I was hoping to be home around 2200. I made my way for Udny Station, the place I ran to last week, only this time the snow and ice had disappeared. From there it was steady downhill run to cross the River Ythan at Ellon, my watch informed me 13 miles had been covered in 2 hours 15 minutes. 

Its an uphill gradient from here and I felt it in my legs, it also showed on the watch where my miles per minute crept up. The   temperature dropped as I left Ellon behind causing rain to turn to snow. I passed through a plantation of birch trees, their skeletal trunks reflecting the beam from my head torch. I reached Drumwhindle where I had to leave the trail and run mostly   uphill on the back roads to New Deer. It was 16.5 miles when I left the track which meant my estimate of 20 miles total for the run was way off. My juice bottle was finished which made me feel thirsty, I needed a drink. I contemplated knocking on the door of a remote house but I didn't think they would appreciate a stranger turning up and asking for a water bottle top up. Hunger was moving in as I hadn't eaten since lunch time, I was running out of energy and beginning to feel fatigued.

It was during one of the uphill walks that I asked myself what I was doing, wandering along dark country roads dodging the odd car with snow falling. I've run  much further distances in worse weather conditions but on this run my mind went a bit negative. And then it dawned on me, a parasite, I've got an ultra running parasite that's invaded and grown inside. It pops in little ideas and suggestions letting them grow until I decide to do them. An example - not too long ago I was listening to an article in the news, the Moray Coastline is among the top 20 most beautiful coast areas in the world. 
Hmmm - Fraserburgh to Inverness would be a great run to do in the future I thought, or rather ultra parasite suggested! Now the seed has been planted, the idea is going to grow, get nurtured and I'll probably end up doing this in the next couple of years. Top ultra runners are not immune, take Jezz Bragg for instance, at some stage he must have looked at a map of New Zealand and thought - Hmmm.
So what is the ultra parasite, what is is doing and why? Well it's something that's inside me so I'm certainly the host, but is it causing harm? Well if I count  exhaustion, dehydration, hunger, muscle pain and leaving me an emotional wreck then in the short term yes. In the long term it's making me very fit and healthy as I get older which is not normal parasite behavior.   And why? To show me the natural world, to humble, to strip back the layers and leave raw emotion and to be thankful for good health.

At twenty miles I could have phoned coach for a lift but there was no way I was going to give up on my target of running home. The temperature dropped even more as I reached Knaven. I couldn't see ahead for the head torch illuminating my exhaled breath. My body cooled down as I began to walk more frequently but determination got me home. It's hard to believe, but the distance door to door? - 26.2 miles exactly. The time taken was 4 hours 48 minutes for one of the strangest runs I have done, both emotionally and physically. 
   
Tues 4 miles Wed 4 miles Thurs 26 miles Sat 12 miles  Weekly total 46 miles.