The Wall Run Ultra – All 70 miles of it!

The Wall Run 70 mile Ultramarathon

Powered by Rat Race www.thewallrun.com

22^nd and 23^rd June 2013

Background to the Event

The Wall run passes through inspirational countryside on paths and tracks where many thousands of Romans have gone before. This is Hadrian’s Wall Country.

The Challenger event is a back to back ultra distance event travelling the 70 miles over two days with some 1000 ft of climbing to the highest point.

DAY 1 Started on Saturday at 8am from Carlisle Castle where you make your way on foot to Vindolanda, the halfway point some 32.5 miles away.

Overnight camp

DAY 2 Starts on Sunday between 8am and 10am from Vindolanda and finishes in Newcastle some 37.54  miles away, a total of 70 miles.

My journey

Originally Richard and I who I completed the G2E 56 mile ultra with in April, had signed up to this event as a team pair. (This means we had to complete it together, both covering the entire distance sharing one timing chip. The pro’s to this are that you have company along the way, and it was cheaper…but the cons are that if say one of us got injured during the event, then we wouldn’t be able to complete it solo…)

About 8 weeks before the event, due to unforeseen circumstances Richard had to pull out and I was left with a dilemma, who could I ask to run 70 miles with me, and let’s face it… who would be stupid enough to consider it… I could count on a just few fingers the people I knew who would be capable of having a go at it…

…And  Luck would have it I managed to persuade Alan Darby to take on the challenge with me. This would be his first Ultra distance event, and back to back ultras too… But Alan is a 2:40 marathon runner and had finished The Edinburgh marathon just 6 weeks before the Wall run in 14^th position overall A fantastic achievement and so well capable of going longer at a slower pace!

On the lead up to this event, I suffered with some lower back niggles and a tight right calf which really ate into the training I had planned to do, and meant that the longest run after the G2E 56 mile run I managed to do was a 15 miler… No where near what I had planned, but hey I had the experience of previous events in the bank… and I was really banking on that to get me through!

Race registration for the event opened on Friday 21^st June at Carlisle Castle, So both Darb’s and I headed by train to Carlisle where I had pre booked a twin room hotel stay at the Ibis Hotel in Carlisle.

The Hotel was just a short 15 minute walk to the Race registration point and the race start on Saturday Morning. The Hotel is next to several pubs and nightclubs so I wouldn’t recommend staying here if you want a good night’s sleep before a huge distance event! ( you wont find this information on their website!)

At Race registration we picked up our Race numbers, lucky number 7, timing chip, maps, info sheets and signed our life’s away in a disclaimer that should we die on the event, it’s nothing to do with Rat Race!

We then headed off to find a Tesco’s to grab some ‘just add water’ porridge pots and banana’s for the mornings breakfast!

We then had our pre run dinner at a local Italian restaurant right next to the train station which was cracking value for money and provided us with much needed pasta! It’s certainly worth booking a table here once you’re off the train and many runners got turned away due to being too busy!

Food for thought!

So we didn’t get a great night’s sleep as it was a Friday night and our hotel was smack in the middle of Carlisle’s night lift hot spot… GGGRRRRR very frustrating but at least Id pre packed ear defenders just in case either of us snored, and these proved very valuable to block out the booming music and smokers outside the clubs in the courtyard under our Window! (After complaining a full refund was issued)

Breakfast was had, kit packed, blister plasters applied to hot spots and body glide rubbed in all the right places! And we were off, we walked the 15 minutes to Carlisle Castle with our bags to dropped at the star so they would be taken to the half way point which we would collect at the end of the first days 32 miles!

As we enter Carlisle Castle there is a buzz of both excitement and worry about the grounds from Ultra runners and their family members alike… the 69 miles ahead to cover on foot would be a huge achievement for all… yet we were some 69 miles away from that goal…

Carlisle Castle

30 minutes to the start the queues for the toilets began to get longer as nerves begin to take over for many. Alan and I take some pre race photos and join those queues..

10 minutes until the start of The Wall Run Ultra marathon and the race director and officials ask all runners to make there way to the start line and pen, swiping their timing chips on the scanners marshals had with them as you entered the pit.

Nobody but a few were brave enough to go the front of the start line and were hanging back or to the middle of the pack, so Alan and I thought what the hell… I’m certainly not going to get much opportunity to be right at the front of a race so we headed to the front, right in the middle wearing number 7’s on our front and backs we took our places.

5 minutes until the gun the race director gave the Rat Race briefing on the 69 mile event, read out the weather report which suggested heavy rain was on its way but the wind could assist in moving it away from us, fingers crossed and wished us all luck on the enormous challenge ahead of running the length of Hadrian’s Wall from Carlisle to Newcastle covering 69 miles…

..like we needed reminding!

Race Start Line Day 1

10..9..8..    3..2..1 and the gun sounds, the cheers go up and we are off, I shot off to Alan’s surprise right to the very front – leading the pack of some few hundred runners all behind me, leading them through the tunnel and out of Carlisle Castle down the cobbled streets and on our way to Wall Country.

Today’s run would be a 32 miles from Carlisle Castle to Vinolanda, the half way point.

We joked about me heading off at the front and then set into a jog running between 8 and 10 minute mile pace. The run started off flat through parkland, onto paths and trails and then old country lanes which became undulated but nothing too hilly. Countryside all around us but no sign of Hadrian’s Wall… this was the Wall Run…Hmmm .

The day was warm and humid, and we had both worn t-shirts and shorts but Darb’s choice to wear his Gore jacket as it was looking more and more as if the skies were going to open up anytime…Both of us wearing hydration packs with 1.5L of fluid in, I went for water and electrolytes. I had a random mix of different branded gels and Gu chews stuffed into pockets I could reach on my front, along with the mandatory kit list of basic first aid kit, jacket, survival blanket, whistle, mobile phone and money stuffed in the back of the hydration pack as I didn’t need it to hand.

The Miles ticked away as we chatted and enjoyed banter with other runners, one of the great things about taking part in Ultra marathon’s is the comradery it brings between you and other Ultra runners, something rare in any other distance run.

Miles 7, 8, 9, 10 went by and still no Wall… 11, 12 and still no wall.. it became a running joke, literally with all the runners alike that we had lost the wall on what was The Wall Run!

As Mile 13 arrived we were 200 yards from our first Pit stop and check point and still no sign of Hadrian’s Wall!

As we arrived we scanned in our timing chip with the Rat race marshal and were both looking forward to refilling our hydration packs, using the toilet, getting some proper food in our systems and a break from being on our feet.

On offer was Water, Hi 5 fluid, squash, sandwiches, pretzels, bananas, sweets, nuts, chocolate crisps and tea.

We spent just short of 20 minutes at LANERCOST PITSTOP enjoying some jelly sweets, crisps and fluid… Darb’s had a cup of tea and got a sandwich down but that 20 minutes went so quickly and to be honest we hadn’t planned on spending that much time at the pit stop.

We had covered 13 miles along trails and now had another 19 miles until the Half way overnight camp at Vindolanda to conquer with just two checkpoints in between which would have water and sweets to stock up on.

From here on in the rest of the day became climb after climb, hill after hill with no down hill at the top of any hills to give those quads a well earned rest.

   

We broke up this part of the day with continuing to run 8-10 minute mile pace, now closer to 10 minute pace on the flatter undulating parts of the course but walked the steep hills and climbs which seemed to be most of the ultra runners out on the courses tactics.

It was tough during this section, as you couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm with all the hills and I had clearly not done enough hill work!

We finally saw some of Hadrians wall around 15 miles and it would stay by our side or in close by for the remaining 17 miles of the day.

The scenery was breathtaking, rolling hills, low clouds, surrounded by countryside and running on trails, it really was perfect…. if only my quads were not burning so much. It was clear the lack of training coming into this Ultra due to injury was showing as my body was hurting.

We continued on, Ticking off the miles and continuing to overtake runners who were feeling worse than me. Darb’s was feeling comfortable at the easier pace and was using the distance as training for high hopes of getting on the podium for the Adidas Thunder 24 hour run in a few weeks after this Run!

We continued to chat with other runners as we climbed the hills that were being thrown at us, one of the guys we met was Andrew Mowatt @andy_mowatt who was running well as part of a team pair with another chap, it was their second time of doing the event and they were hoping to beat last years event time…. They had the added pressure of wearing number 1 as their race number attached to their chests! GULP!

We went through both Birdoswald checkpoint and Walltown Quarry Checkpoints, only stopping for a few minutes at each to try and keep some sort of forward movement going in the legs as they became more tired as I reached the end of day 1 taking on water and jelly sweets for carbs.

As we approached mile 31, in the distance down into a valley we could see a huge campsite and the Rat Race yellow and black colours we were just a mile away and the sight of the finish in the distance helped find some speed in the legs and was able to push a little more along the gravel and lose stone trails through trees and bridal paths.

As we got closer we had one last short steep climb up to the finish line and we were Finished. We had completed Day 1.

32 miles in the bank arriving at Vindolanda!

I wasn’t feeling too great and my mind wasn’t even on the great achievement of completing Day 1’s Ultra of 32 miles of very Hilly mixed terrain, but on how the devil will I muster up the energy in my legs to run 37 miles in the morning? Hmmmm….

Darbs and I enjoyed some hot soup, rolls and drinks put on for all finishers by Rat Race. I also helped myself to a sandwich and many of the other delights they have on tables for runners to help themselves too. Rat Race really do know how to put on a spread!

After a brief sit down to enjoy the above comfort foods we called our taxi driver ( mobile 07712321064) from Halt whistle, a nearby town to come and collect us, as I had pre booked us into a bed and breakfast in Halt whistle to get a proper shower, big dinner and a goodnights comfortable sleep in a bed!

We collected our bags and our taxi driver took us 5 miles up the road to Halt whistle where we stayed in The Manor House t01434 322588. www.themanorhousehaltwhistle.co.uk What a lovely little town, and a great little B&B, I would 100% recommend the B&B to anyone doing this event, rather than staying in a tent on the Vindolanda (NE47 7JP) overnight campsite!

End of Day One Stats

Brad Barber / Alan Darby

Team Run Happy NO.7

32 Miles – Total Time 06:26:42 including checkpoint stops.

Finish Position 69^th out of 297.

 

Full stats on http://connect.garmin.com/activity/332637623

 

That evening I had a good shower, big stretch, popped some anti inflammatory tablets, applied deep freeze to the legs and put the compression socks on.

Then it was time for a few cold beers and a steak dinner. In hindsight we probably didn’t need the chocolate brownie and ice cream.

Over dinner we got chatting to another few of the Ultra Runners attempting the run, one of which was Stephen Thackray who had come in shortly after us.

After an early night, and a great nights sleep I woke up wondering how stiff the legs were going to be… well they felt better than i expected so that was a bonus!

We had breakfast –  eggs on toast, whilst Stephen went for the big full fry up I wondered if that would be a bit of a mistake…. Our taxi arrived around 08.30am and the three of us shared it to the start line of day two. Just 37 or so miles to Gateshead and the finish line.

We off loaded our bags, filled up our hydration packs with 1000ml of fluid, last minute use of the toilets and we were at the start line ready to go!

As we finished Day 1 in the first third of finishers we had the option of starting Day 2 from 0800 till 10am. We opted to get longer in our beds and start later! It turns out we were the only three who had opted to start late, everyone else had set off at 8am and they were just waiting on us before taking the site apart and deflate the Start line banner!

Stephen set off shortly before us, but we wanted to make time for a quick photo.

Start of day 2, the last to leave..

We scanned our timing chip and we were off on the final part of our 70 mile Ultra marathon journey the entire Length of Hadrians Wall from Carlisle to Gateshead, Newcastle with shouts of good luck from Rat Race marshals and loud music playing in the background.

As we set off the route felt good, slight downhill and it remained dry which was a bonus as Rain was forecast. Just a few miles in we looked up and came across a monster of a vertical hillside which the direction arrows put out was pointing towards!

It was blowing a gale as we scrambled up the Hill through bracken and ferns grabbing onto any rock or long grass to pull us up, it was certainly a tough scramble on all fours up the hill side and it ticked the box in getting your legs warmed up!

Once finally at the top we stopped for a brief photo next to a stone memorial, we were so pleased we started late as those all starting at 8am would of been struggling and queued up one behind the other to get up that hillside! We then ran along the dunes which felt great, the joys of ultra’s are that you are alone running in the countryside with hardly anyone else, everything you need on your back – water & food which is just the perfect situation in my eyes compared to running road marathons pounding tarmac surrounded by thousands doing the same thing.

Soon after Bardon Mills we were on and off road, mainly trail paths and single track roads but not a car insight and mostly down hill for sometime to Hexham our next checkpoint at the 45 mile point.

We started picking off and overtaking runners and walkers who were feeling the pains from day 1 and struggling already. We made sure each person was ok as we overtook them giving them encouragement to battle on…

We had arrived at the Pit stop at Hexham, a lovely location along the river for a nice cuppa tea, some crisps and other goodies to get in the system, real food really is a must on these events as relying on gel after gel will just gives  the worst energy crashes and stomach aches.

We filled up our hydration packs once more and continued on our journey from Hexham to our next checkpoint at Pudhoe around another 10 miles away. The route continued along the river some more and then over a few bridges before then going across country, along tiny paths through woodlands, the ferns and brush against you, over flowing streams this was my favourite part of the entire run.. yes 50 odd miles in and still loving the event, don’t get me wrong the legs really were starting to feel tired now but my mind was winning the battle of wills in a good way, as the views were great, the trails were really scenic and we were still overtaking people all the time and they started nearly two hours earlier… we were winning the endurance battle.

 

As we passed Throckley at around the 60 mile mark there was a random village with lots of straw people displayed, interesting but just a little weird, still it took the mind off the fatigue and pain that was starting in the legs. Regardless, we were still picking off more and more runners as we pushed closer to the finish line, trying to run and then shuffle to a walk technique by now… just a few miles to our last Pit stop at Newburn mile 63!

The Rat Race marshals were there at Newburn clapping and cheering every single runner as they made there way into the tent, getting their timing chips scanned before stuffing more much needed food into there exhausted hungry bodies.

Just the last 7 miles to go..

I enjoyed some ready salted crisps and a sandwich, Darbs I think had everything he could get he’s hands on, he could eat like a king! Once fuelled we had just 7 miles along the Tyne to the finish line, mentally we knew 7 miles wasn’t far and I was telling myself 7 miles is just a loop of Richmond park and I would be don’t in an hour… so we plodded on out of that last checkpoint and thats when the thunder storm and deep blue skies above opened up and chucked it down. I wasn’t too bothered, i was kinda happy to have the cool rain fall on me, it was somewhat refreshing.

Those last 7 miles seemed to go on forever as we went through stages of running strong and shuffling along. The odd hill or slope we walked to save the legs for the straight stuff but the tarmac although a faster surface to run on, was tough on the feet and knees at this stage in the race!

As we entered Newcastle with just a few miles along the Tyne to go we passed such an array of beautiful bridges crossing above us, but i was just looking for that bridge we run over, and there is was in view along with the Baltic Quay and finish area. The Announcer on the speaker shouting our names as we crossed that last bridge to Finish arms lofted in the air, it was over we had done it.

We collected our medals and discovered we had finished 66^th overall out of 297 runners and 12^th out of 60 team pairs.

We walked through to the finishers area where we slumped ourselves down on what seemed the most comfy chair in the world, tucked into some hot chicken curry and rice, drank full fat coke and chatted with other finishers.

It was a great 2 days, tough, really tough both mentally and physically but all in all I really enjoyed it and it was great to do it as a team along side darb’s who has a whole different level of ability.

We stayed at the Premier Inn Quayside which was only a 10 minute walk from the finish, and that evening as we enjoyed a cold beer and some filling food in the restaurant we watched runners hobbling in, great effort.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/332637663

End of Day two Stats

Brad Barber / Alan Darby

Team Run Happy NO.7

37.54 Miles – Total Time 7:36.18 including checkpoint stops.

 

TOTAL STATS

70.04 MILES TOTAL TIME 14:03.14 INCLUDING CHECKPOINT STOPS.

FINISH POSITION 66^TH OUT OF 297

12^TH OUT OF 60 TEAM PAIRS.

 

Friends we met along the way finished in

74^th overall Stephen Thackley in a time of 14:11.57

112^th overall Andy Mowatt in a time of 15:04.38

FULL RESULTS

http://results.sportident.co.uk/home/event.html?eventid=3684ee47-0914-4972-aab8-dae87518dl8a

In reflexion

What would I change if i did it again? There is a whole host of things I would do differently.

I completely undertrained due to injury and lack of time for this 70 mile event and basically ran it on the back on finishing the 56 mile ultra from Glasgow to Edinburgh a few months before.

I didn’t incorporate anywhere near enough hill work and on day 1 this really took its toll. This would be the one biggest thing I would change. I would build up my long runs and then do hill repeats at the finish once every other week for preparation in a race like this.

Potentially I could be closer to 12 hours with the right training and that’s a top 10finish.

Saying that, If I ran it again I would enter the expert event and do it in one go, I can honestly say running a one day event would of been so much less toll on the body personally than the two day event.

Overall though it’s been a great year on my Ultra Journey and I have learned so much so far.

As I break for a few months now prior to starting Ultra training again in October / November this year for the upcoming 2014 events, I ponder of completing my first 100 mile Ultra Marathon run!

Glasgow to Edinburgh 56 Mile Ultra Marathon G2E 2013

The G2E 56 mile Ultra Marathon took place on Saturday 6th April 2013, but the dream of even attempting running that distance started about a year earlier…

http://www.resoluteevents.co.uk/

  Richard and I both craved new challenges, and after completing our first Ultra of 50 km in 2011 we wanted to push ourselves further, we just didn’t know if it was possible?

We both carried out various searches and came across ‘The Sums’ , which stood for The Scottish Ultra Marathon Series… and there we found the ‘G2E’! An Ultra Marathon which started in Glasgow where my wife grew up, taking in the Forth and Clyde Canal and the complete length of the Union canal, finishing in Edinburgh where Richard lived. 

  As we both started training for the London Ultra 50k event in February 2013, we both had in the back of our minds if this could be the warm up event for the G2E ulta and continued to follow training plans for 50 mile events.

In January 2013 we jumped in with both feet and signed up to the Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra, a huge jump from the mere 50 km event we had done just once!

In February I took part in the London ultra event and to be honest it didn’t go to plan at all, I was 49 minutes away from my target time of sub 5 hours and I was left beating myself up over the performance and ongoing issues with blister on my feet… But one thing kept ringing through my head – How was i going to complete a 56 mile ultra when I can’t get a 31 mile ultra right?

  I continued to train over the next 7 weeks, getting in some long good long runs but still on occasion struggling to get my fueling right, and a few times finding myself stopping at shops on the run to buy snacks!

The turning point for me was around 5 weeks prior to the G2E I introduced  Back to Back long runs. B2B runs are basically exactly that, running a long run one day followed by another long run the next. The point of these runs are to get you used to running on tired legs, build mental strength but also prevent you from getting injured as you spreed a lot of miles over two days instead of over doing it in one day.

 I carried out three lots of B2B runs on trails and after completing the last 20 and 15 miles back to back runs in awful weather of rain and very strong winds…  I was now pretty confident I should give the G2E Ultra ago!

On the week prior to the race I visited my massage therapist for a deep tissue massage. Rose ironed out the tight muscles from training hard, all I needed to do now was pack my kit….

I went through with a fine tooth comb looking at map, the five check point locations and working out split times, pace averages and an ideal finishing time, but our main goal remained – Just FINISH THE RACE and anything else was a bonus!

UltraRace – London Ultra 50k 17th February 2013 – 2nd time Around

Return to London Ultra 50k Sunday 17th February 2013 – B RACE

 http://www.ultrarace.co.uk/events/

 My 2nd year of running the London Ultra 31 mile event and this time I hoped to be better prepared than the last, PB at this distance, not suffer the same post race injuries as last time and get some great learning preparation towards my ‘A’ Race in Glasgow on Saturday 6th April 2013 – 56 mile Ultra Marathon! 

 

I started training in November mainly following a 24 week training programme from ‘Relentless Forward Progress’ by Bryon Powell.

The book itself is a great read and full of lots useful information from cover to back for anyone wanting to get into Ultra distance running and experienced Ultra runners alike!

  I followed the programme, changing up a few parts to fit in with working shifts, and this worked well for me.

  I had a few difficult weeks in late December due to the arctic like weather causing much ice on the paths and very heavy snow.

This really took it out of my legs on the long 18-20 mile training runs, but as they say ‘train hard, race easy’ … Well maybe! 

 In late January I suffered with a tight hamstring behind my left knee and a strange feeling in my right foot, that I can only describe as feeling like I was slapping my foot on the ground, I wasn’t right and I wasn’t happy… 

  Just four weeks until UltraRace’s London 50K Ultra!

 I spent the best part of ten days stretching, resting, applying ice and heat but nothing seemed to work, so… 

I looked up a specialist local sports massage therapist nearby, and luckily found this one –

http://www.souleholistics.co.uk

After a consultation I made an appointment for a deep tissue massage.

Gosh was it painful, but  I got ‘ironed out’ and it certainly did the trick! After a days rest I was back out training again as new! 

 So… Injuries and problems so late on in training wasn’t the best preparation prior to an event! I was really nervous and I just hoped that three weeks without any real training wouldn’t cost me too much when it came to event day? GULP!

 

Race Day

I woke up at 6:45am I had some Strawberry jam on toast and a glass of berocca -a multi vitamin drink. This was followed soon after by Tony Trials of Marathon talks golden rule -two poo’s prior to the race! 

 It was a chilly start to the day, so I went with pretty much the same kit I had worn the year before, though this time with Brooks Adrenaline GTS trainers which give much more support that the Asics Kayano’s I had worn the previous year and suffered an injury!

  Richard, Dave and myself set off at 7.30am with alift from my Dad, arriving with plenty of time prior to the 9am start!

  Everyone was in good spirits on a cold morning, queuing for their race numbers and route maps. the usual long queues for the two toilets available was standard but still everyone was chatting and excited about starting the event!  

 

 

  From running last years event I was able to download the course to my new Garmin 910 watch, I hoped this would help in parts!

 UltraRace’s Rory Coleman and Jen Salter gave a pre race briefing and wished us well on the day before the count down.. 3…2…1 and Go.. We were off.

 

Prior to the event we had discussed sticking to a plan of running 9-9:15 minute miles all the way around to be sub 5 hours, allowing for PB’s for all three of us.

 Over the first 10 miles we were going much quicker than had planned and I brought this up several times, but the pace continued. 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up the current pace throughout the event and so slowed up to the pace I had planned to run, it was already too late! 

  Around mile 12-14 I was pounding the concrete on my own, and now suffering with a hot spot on my left foot and some stomach ‘issues’ I was in desperate need for the toilet!

 I had been using GU gels which work fine for me during training but during this event I had used a few GU Roctane gels which have 2 x caffeine in them, and they really weren’t agreeing with me! #badtimes

 I managed to use the toilet at Wandsworth Common Train station, there was no toilet roll… I couldn’t believe it! In its place was that rough blue hand towel paper.. Did I have a choice? No!

  I continued on to Check point 3, mile 18 with alittle de’jevu from last year… I was again suffering with blisters on my feet, and I was ready to quite! I dug deep, drank some water, fixed my feet and continued on…. 

The Sun was now shining big and bright in the sky and It was hot, I was moving slower than planned due to the blisters on my foot and the accumulation of setting off way to quickly had now taken its toll for my desired finishing time!

 

I remember having to walk for sometime whilst in Wimbledon common around the 19-21 mile point due to the deep heavy muddy horse bridal ways and paths making it virtually impossible to run through, after a shott wait at the A3 crossing from Wimbledon Common to Richmond Park, my stomach had again required me to stop and use the facilities! I couldn’t believe it, two ‘proper’ toilet stops in one event! 

Evil Caffeine Evil caffeine..

 

22 miles in, I was no longer taking on enough fluids or gels in the worry of provoking my ongoing upset stomach and therefore not fueling my body with enough energy. I was fighting a losing battle! That old catch 22…

 

I kept up the walk / run / jog strategy for the last 9 or so miles, but still no other runners insight and none overtaking me which lifted my spirits somewhat!

 I just kept saying to myself ‘keep moving , keep moving’ …

 

After putting one foot in front of the other along the Grand Union canal from Brentford, then along a very muddy and boggy parkland, only just staying on my feet… I finally found myself on Perivale race track with just the last few hundred metre’s to get through! 

 

I was over the line for a finish time of 5:49.27 for 31.6 miles!

I placed 170th of 248 finishers, out of some 300 people who signed up!

 

A 12 minute PB on last years time, next year I will break 5 hours for a 50Km Ultra!

 

Full details can be found at http://connect.garmin.com/activity/275366237

 

 

 

In reflection

Not my ‘perfect’ race again at this event for many reasons!

I didn’t get the sub 5 hours I wanted and I know I’m well capable of it! GRRRRRR…

Its Frustrating when an event doesn’t go as planned but many many lessons have been learnt during this ‘B’ race event! 

-Stick to the plan- Its the 2nd year I’ve done this event and both times I haven’t gone with the plan and this has been my biggest downfall.

-Next time- ill wear Blister plasters on parts of my feet where I’m prone to getting them.

-hydrate well- and take a GU gel every 40 minutes, avoiding any caffeine until late in the race for mental focus and avoiding the upset stomach I had this time around because of it!

-adjustments to training.

 

 I’ll be back next year in 2014 for my final attempt to break 5 hours during this event, only then will I be happy! 

 

Event Review

UltraRaces London Ultra is a fantastic little over 50km race. Its certainly a great event to attempt the step up from Marathon distance to Ultra distance. 

Checkpoints are every 10km and they supply a variety of Coke, Water, crisps, cake, sausage rolls and various other nibbles. 

The marshals are very friendly and helpful!

The route is mixed Road, path, grass and mud terrain with a few stair up and over crossing of railway tracks!

The route has quite abit of undulatiom during the first 19 miles, but the last 8 or so miles are pretty flat!

This year was much better marked and signposted than last year making it very easy to navigate.

Rory and Jen have done a great job with this event, resulting in a great turn out year after year!

The Jump to Ultra Marathons – TribeSport London Ultra 50k FEBRUARY 2012

My First Ultra… A slightly bigger step than picking up and reading ‘Ultra Marathon Man’ by Dean Karnazes. 

Richard, David and I jumped in with both feet and agreed to enter and run The TribeSport London 50 km Ultra on Sunday 19th February 2012. ( http://www.ultrarace.co.uk ULTRArace was created by Ultra Runners for Ultra Runners of all abilities.)

The Event was a point to point trot on various surfaces underfoot across London from The City of London Sports field in the east to Perivale athletics track in the west taking in the parks, commons and Thames including Crystal Palace, Penge, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Richmond and Isleworth.

With a couple of months to get some longer training runs in I slowly built my endurance up so that 15-18 mile runs were second nature and I threw in a couple of 20+ mile runs, Training largely went well, though at the time I was a bit of a fair weather runner so my longer runs of 20-22 miles were actually ran in the cosy gym on the treadmill rather than in the cold wet weather winter brought!

…22 miles on a dreadmill in hindsight wasn’t the best training for a Ultra, but did prove I had the mental strength to plod on regardless. Have you ever tried to run 30 minutes on the treadmill, boring right? try nearly 4 hours looking at a brick wall! Since this event I’ve never used a treadmill and would never go back to one either…

Race day began for me at 7am with two bagels and a cup of tea, just enough time to make sure it was well digested before the start time of 9am.

Nutrition for the day was 1.5 ltrs of Orange flavour Gu Brew, and  5 GU Roctane gels. This was all stored in my Salomon x-lab hydration pack along with an iPhone, a ten pound note, my back card and some blister plasters.

I would use the checkpoint feed stations which were roughly every 10 km to top up on any goodies should i need them!

For clothing I wore my long compression X Socks, Salomon twin skin shorts, Gore arm sleeves, a Gore vest and Salomon short sleeve top over that. On my feet i wore Asics Kayano 16’s.

Richard had flown into London the night before and stayed at ours ready for race day the following morning.

Dave arrived at our flat in West London at 7:15am on the morning of the event, and we promptly all left for our Drive across London to the Start. Ruth accompanied us to see us off, take a few photo’s and she would be our one man band of crew  then meeting us enroute with a bag of goodies and then again at the finish! I think the guys were really happy with this, -so much easier than Shank’s Pony.

Whilst the race was due to start at 9am and we had arrived in plenty of time at 8:30am, the queue for registration was very long and it was also very cold as it snaked outside the changing rooms – so as a consequence the start time was put back to 9:15am. Eventually we got our race numbers -Lucky number 10, and were handed a map of the route before we then set about last minute preparation.

David, myself and Richard five minutes before the Start.

At something approaching 9:17am I hit the start button on my Nike+ app i was using on my iphone to record my progress and we were away! A new journey… We had agreed that the 3 of us would run together even though whilst David and I run at a similar pace by comparison, RicC is something of a whippet with a regular marathon finish of 2 hours 48  minutes!

The race started well, and the plan to “Start slow, then ease off” was going great, keeping the pace in the early nine minute miles.

Whilst we had no absolute time goals and just finishing was the goal, breaking 5 hours was what we thought was achievable with all our hard work in training.

  The race pack soon spread out and this is no London Marathon, there are no crowds, there are not thousands of entrants and the route is not cordoned off to traffic nor signposted with big arrows and policeman and marshals pointing out the route. No, the route was marked with red spray painted arrows on the pavement at some junctions and mainly green discs about 2 inches across that say “Green Capital Ring” at some but not all road junctions!!! – It was pretty evident with the first 30 minutes that getting lost was almost a certainty and sure enough upon entering the first park beneath Crystal Palace we were met by about a dozen racers studying maps trying to figure out which one of five paths was the one to take.

Actually on this occasion Dave and his Garmin 910XT was spot on and one of the screens had a crumb trail showing our position and the direction of travel so we headed off and soon found the next red arrow. Well done Dave!

Another couple of parks bamboozled us to the right route and then we crossed up stairs and over our third railway station at Penge East! Dave and Richard thought i showed far too much enthusiasm for looking at trains. haha I still get banter from them now about my apparent secret love of trains!

Approaching the 9 mile mark Richard disappeared to lose some Lucozade Sport, or as the guys at Marathon talk podcast would describe it – ‘a visit from the gingerbread man’ … So Dave and I continued at a slightly reduced pace so that he had a chance of catching us back up.

At that point I felt a blister developing under the ball of my right foot, I informed the others but also said I was happy to carry on and didn’t need any treatment just yet.

This proved to be a HUGE mistake. If you ever get a blister develop on a run, stop straight away and treat it. This could save your race!

This was also the hilliest part of the run, nothing too steep or too long but annoying enough to upset your rhythm, and give you a little burn in the quads going up and then going down too.

The miles though were passing by quite easily and we were religiously taking our fluids and gels, usually after a reminder from me, and then at mile 14 disaster struck…..

I was experiencing a really tight heavy left calf and i couldn’t understand why? I had ran further and faster in training runs, so why now have this issue…. I stopped and started to stretch my left calf which was locked up solidly and at the same time Dave was trying to sort out his GPS watch which had just lost satellite reception and decided to switch itself off!!!

 Whilst I massaged out the knot, we moved on together again and eased the pace back a tad to get me going again. If you ever stop moving whilst doing an event, its really tough to get your body going again…

  Unfortunately for me things didn’t improve and by mile 17 I was suffering from the blister I didn’t sort out earlier and still hadn’t done, beginners mistake! My locked out calf was causing me to go slower than planned too, and so after a brief chat with Richard and David, in no uncertain terms I told them to go on without me. I really didn’t want to hold anyone else back, and I knew this was a battle i had to undertake on my own now!

I hobbled to Checkpoint 3 at mile 18 where I dealt with my blister by applying a blister plaster which eased the pain a little from every step on that foot. The marshals at the checkpoint were so supportive and helpful, I was really pleased to take on an ice cold can of coke and some cut up snickers bar, I can’t express the lift the sugar and caffine hit gave me.

  It was at this point I text messaged Ruth and informed her we had split as a group, but I was not going to DNF my first Ultra, and so would employ a walk- run strategy for the last 13 miles!

Miles 19 to 26 will be remembered for having the longest road crossing wait at the A3 coming out of Wimbledon Common to cross to Richmond Park, such a busy road and more time for the legs to stiffen up.. boo hiss.

Also for the coldest wind and longest climbs up and down through Richmond Park on already tired legs and blistered feet.

Then the final nail in the coffin for my first Ultra race, I rolled my ankle as I climbed up past Pen Ponds on the loose gravel trails. It was agony, it was ‘limptastic’, Not only was I already struggling with ongoing issues I now had 10 miles to go and an ankle I couldn’t put much weight on!

I struggled on, but happy that I knew the route from now on as I exited Richmond Park, leaving the green and glossy scenery and views of deer grazing in the park to now hobbled along the Thames towards the Last Checkpoint.

It was at this point in the event I caught up with another chap who was also struggling with injury and fatigue on what was now a roasting hot day. We chatted as we ran, walked, hobbled and repeated this for most of the last section of the race!

Ultras really do attract such a small field of participants, but those who do brave them really do stick together and help each other through the event.

At just past the 25 mile point, there was Ruth, greeting me with a smile and hug, fuel and some assistance in getting my sock and trainer off.

I could now look at my swollen and very painful foot. It was as expected, not good! I applied Ibuprofen gel to the seriously unhappy ankle and foot of mine, also putting blister plasters on the area’s of my feet which were now rubbing as I was running out of sync of my normal style to lesser the pain on my ankle!

( … using Ibuprofen whilst exercising shouldn’t be taken without serious thought. There is much research that this can, in extreme cases bring on sudden death!) – http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/medicationanddrugs/a/NSAID_endurance.htm

Words of support from Ruth gave me a huge lift, I had Just 5 miles to go. I was not going to give up now, I have never quite anything in my life and I wasn’t going to start here!

This was it, this was going to be the day I would complete my First Ultra Distance Run.

I went past that 26.2 miles, into  “new distance” territory for me and I was now an Ultra Marathon runner, this brought a smile to my face and i felt uplifted that i was achieving what I craved and loved to do!

I plodded along past the beautiful Syon House in Syon Park, and onto the Grand Union Canal, just a couple of miles to go, i wasn’t bothered about finishing time now, that went out the window at mile 18 when my problems started, it was just about finishing the event.

  Then When Perivale sports track finally came into view my spirit lifted,  just 400 metres to the finish… I could see Ruth clapping and cheering me to the finishing line, there was Richard and Dave both clapping and looked over the moon to to see me cross the line, we had all completed our first Ultra.

I had completed my first Ultra Marathon, Ultra race’s Tribesprort 50km event in 06:00.34 finishing 119th out of 245 starters.

I was an hour behind Dave and Richard who had done brilliant to complete their first Ultra too in such a great time and finishing positions.

Dave later said of me  ” A stonking performance given the physical issues he had at just before halfway… most people would have given up for another day… very ballsy finisher.” 

The Day after the Race-

As I attempted to get out of bed i fell to the floor, I couldn’t stand unaided and knew I had done something seriously wrong to my foot yesterday..

 Ruth took me to A&E at the Hospital in Isleworth, West London where I saw a doctor and then a Physiotherapist who basically gave me a huge telling off for continuing to run after causing an injury to my foot during the Ultra. They said I should have stopped, and wasn’t quite sure how I managed to continue on with my foot in such a bad way.

The diagnosis was that I had badly damaged my Peroneal tendon, and I would be putting my feet up for two weeks and using crutches to get around!

Many lessons learnt during this, my first Ultra of many to come…..

Fueling for an Ultra

The idea of how much Fueling for a distance you have never ran before can be tough to even think about, let alone the actual consuming during the Ultra event.

I packed the above along with some ham sandwiches, hula hoops and some Scottish Tablet!

I would like to add that I shared the mini cokes and jelly beans with Richard!