Wednesday 29 May 2013

LDWA Camel Teign 100

 How would you describe your ideal event? Mine would look something like this...

- Weather: dry with some sun
- Temperature: warm 
- Ground conditions: dry, not boggy
- Route: linear, with hills, grassy, some tarmac here and there to make up time
- Scenery: varied. Sea, mountains, open moorland, rolling farmland, quaint villages
- Night time conditions: full moon, cool not cold
- Support: good food, smiling faces, encouraging words, banter, belief

I don't want to boast, but this weekend was special! The planets aligned, conditions were perfect. The LDWA 100 had it all.

The route took us from Wadebridge in Cornwall, past vineyards, through farmland, over rocky Tors, through pretty settlements, back into lush green valleys and towards the sea. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would complete this event. It was made for me.


From the start line, where the Brass Band sent us on our way to the 'Floral Dance', I was running back towards where my family waited for me at the finish - I love linear routes. My strategy was just to tick down the miles by running checkpoint to checkpoint, setting myself time goals for completing the leg I was on, and not really thinking too far ahead. I knew that I would be slow walking the uphills, but had confidence that I could make up time on the descent and the flat runnable sections. I ate small amounts of food at each checkpoint, but didn't really need any of the emergency rations I carried with me. Mentally I was strong and physically I was strong so I just had to get on and do it.

Of course, there are always minor criticisms that can be levied. I've done shorter LDWA events in the past and I'm a huge fan, but the 100 is the big annual event in the calendar and seemed to attract a small, unrepresentative, hardcore of LDWA pedants. I was quizzed in the loo queue before the start by a lady who refused to accept that the mandatory kit had fitted into my pack. She had never seen soft shell waterproofs before and refused to accept that they met the criteria. Along the route, concern over obeying the rules was clearly occupying the minds of a minority...not that I saw anyone flouting them (apart from a group who conveniently went off course to avoid a boggy field). I reached CP 2 early and the marshalls refused to open it until the official opening time, so our small group of 5 grew steadily in numbers until, 45 minutes later, when almost the entire field had turned up, the race was practically restarted when the official checkpoint opening time had been reached. These are the negatives that provide amusing stories more than anything else, but are certainly not significant enough to mar the event.

Apart from this hardcore, and an unpleasant chap named Jeremy, I met some smashing people who offered great company a big laughs along the way. I ran the night section with a chap named Keith who was excellent fun and great company in the dark hours, but after the breakfast stop at 1:30am, our paces altered and our requirements changed, so I didn't see him again, but I hope he finished well.

As is always the case with any event now, I met up with a fellow Lakeland 100 runner, a man I'd run with coming out of Blencathra last year. Duncan was timed out at Ambleside after running 90 miles at last years UTLD, but he got round the LDWA course this weekend in 28 hours and I'll see him back in Coniston in July.


The ground conditions were exceptionally dry. I managed to keep my feet dry for the first 57 miles! I've never done that before, ever. My feet are usually wet within 5 miles and then stay that way until the end. This freakish dry foot scenario ultimately caused me problems and I rubbed a massive blister on the ball of my right foot which slowed me down in the last 20 miles. I ran the full 100 in my Hokas Rapa Nui and they did the job nicely. I don't think they were the cause of the blister but I think they probably contributed. I managed to control the pain ok and kept a pretty positive outlook throughout. Tiredness on day 2 made it difficult to make decisions, and on a couple of occasions I sat with my head in my hands, tears rolling down cheeks, paralysed by indecision over route choices. On the hills above the River Dart I was revived when Jez Bragg and Paul Chapman ran past me and offered words of encouragement. I was stopped in my tracks and asked those around me if I had imagined it or was that Jez Bragg - blank faces...'who?'..!



On the final descent into Teignmouth, running down a steep tarmac road, meters from the finish line, I planted my foot, and pain brought me to another dead stop. My little toe had exploded and drenched my sock in bloody puss and I limped over the line in 31 hours and 20 or so minutes. There were points during the event where I was confident of a sub 30 hour finish, and at 57 miles I thought that 28 hours may even be within my grasp. But this is how ultra's go - up and down.

A couple of days on and I'm still on a high - I ran 101 miles mun! Legs are great - no DOMS, blisters healing nicely and I'm almost walking like a normal person again.

Next year the LDWA 100 is on my patch in South Wales. If you are looking for a well supported, challenging 100, I don't think you can go wrong and I can't recommend it highly enough. I think I might have said that next year would be quiet - no big events. We'll have to wait and see.




Tuesday 21 May 2013

Walk! Don't Run...



I've never really bothered with the idea of the taper, although in the week or two prior to a big event I do allow myself to run as I fancy, without routine or regime. Just for the love of it.

This weekend, Martin and I took our annual weekend trip to the Lakes to coincide a) with our wedding anniversary and b) the Keswick Mountain Festival. When we did the trip last year I spent a day running the 50 miles between Ambleside and Keswick, but this year with just a week to go until the LDWA 100 I enjoyed a few shorter runs on the L100 course and longer walks over some high tops. We still managed to cover around 40 miles over the weekend.

We had glorious weather and I was reminded how much I love the summits. When the L100 is over with this year I resolve to focus on the high ground for a while. Without time pressures and having given myself permission to amble along gently I had an opportunity to properly try out my poles which were a great success and will be with me on all major events over the summer.

So, I am now very excited to get going on the 100 this weekend. I know not one inch of the course which runs from Wadebridge on the Cornish coast to Teignmouth on the Devon coast:




Navigation is therefore going to be the biggest challenge for me. I'm not great with a compass and rely far too heavily on my gps, but I am prepared. I have the route description ready, my map is marked and my gps unit(s) charged. The cut off is very generous at 48 hours to finish as this is primarily a walking event, so i just need the mental strength to keep pushing forward. My plan is to take it easy, to run the sections that allow, and to walk those that don't. My goal is to finish.

I've been absorbed in all the organisation and prep this week. I've rigged up a light on my poles to use in conjunction with my headtorch for the night sections and I'm pretty darn chuffed with it - I've used my bike light and attached it using the helmet mount...


I've started organising stuff into 'day 1' and 'drop bag piles', got some emergency rations ready, compulsory kit ticked off, playlists prepared, radio shows recorded, but I just can't decide on what to wear! I don't want to go in full ultra girl kit because I understand that runners are not held in terribly high regard by some militant LDWA members - I'm sure this is a minority of folk. I've never met any, but I've read the forums where some berate the runners who chase their PBs and cover the course as quickly as possible instead of enjoying the navigational aspects and just the joy of participating in the annual highlight of the associations calendar. So I wondered whether to avoid the full compression gear!

I've been watching the YouTube vids of previous LDWA 100 events and these have raised my hopes that I really can finish!

Some photo's of our weekend in the beautiful Lakes this weekend:






...and one thrown in from Saturday night in the sunshine at the Talybont-on-Usk campsite




Sunday 12 May 2013

Might Contain Nuts Summer 40

Okay. Before I start, summer running in the Beacons probably conjures up images like this...

Photograph by Muen Photography

WRONG!

Now think horizontal ball bearing sized hail stones, gale force winds, lightening strikes. 

Something more  like this..

Picture from training run to give a flavour. Now multiply by ten.

Good. This is the reality of summer running on the Beacons.

I was thinking just a few days ago, when the forecast was warning of bad weather, that nearly all the events I have ever taken part in have been done in horrible conditions. Recent exceptions being the Black Mountains Roundabout (2010) and the Lakeland 50 (2011). Yesterday's conditions come top the 'bad' list. 

Given the history, it is clear that I never learn. When it comes to the weather I am a blind optimist. Early yesterday morning, at the Might Contain Nuts event HQ I chatted with friends, old and new, about how unexpectedly mild it was as the sun shone down, and believing that spring had truly bedded in I shed a few layers and stashed them back in the van. 

Fast forward 40 minutes and atop Tor y Foel, having tackled the first climb, my error was realised when the weather turned nasty. Forward another 3 hours and I was considering pulling out as I donned my waterproofs for warmth and huddled round a cup of tea at Storey Arms wondering if my swollen hands were a sign of mild hypothermia.

The course is particularly tough. It's the sort of course I would never plan for a training run because there are detours off ridges for no reason other than to punish you with climb back to the top, the worst of which comes at mile 30. The North face of Cribyn. This is a climb I have never considered doing before because it has never seemed a reasonable or attractive thing to do. But it had to be done yesterday. It had to be done whilst clinging on to tufts of grass to avoid being blown off the ridge, with hat, buff & hood exposing only enough eyeball to allow me to see where I was placing my foot.


But after 8 hours of crazy weather you become conditioned to it. The sting of the hail becomes invigorating, the contrast of rainbows and dark skies enhance the beauty, and the flash of lightening provides a much needed shot of adrenalin to enable you to fly down the sharp descents. It occurred to me that I had grinned like a maniac through all of this for the final 6 miles. It was just great fun.

As with the other ultra marathons in their portfolio, this MCN event requires the participant to take care of their own nutrition whilst they provide water and gels at selected checkpoints. Support at the checkpoints from the team is abundant and this being the third MCN event I've done, I have nothing but praise for the organisation and support they provide. 

I clocked just short of 41 miles and 7850 foot of ascent covered in, I think, 11 Hrs 5ish minutes. Not bad for me and given the conditions I am very happy. My aim was to do the round comfortably; not to wear myself out; to finish feeling like I could do more, and to be able to run my 15 mile road run on Sunday. I achieved all of these.

Some photos from the day....

 Race HQ: The Start

 Tor Y Foel
Slowly, slowly catchy monkey

 Fellow L100 folk

 Enjoying the downhills

 Rainbows and dark skies

 Cribyn

 Sunshine on the Black Mountains

Thank gawd for that!