Weekend in Keswick

I was going to make the title of this post "Romantic Weekend in Keswick" because Martin and I spent this weekend in the Lakes to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. But I chose the destination and very obviously had an ulterior motive, so "Recce Weekend in Keswick" would probably be more appropriate.

We drove up after work on Wednesday night, parked the van in Ambleside had a quick meal then an early night....I had to be up at 4am.  I'd planned to run the Ambleside to Keswick section of the L100 course on Thursday.

I am now properly obsessed with the L100. I dream about the event, and in my sleep I rehearse the struggle and the discomfort that I experience on training runs and will have to deal with in spades on the day. When I am awake, I am thinking and planning training routes, distances and working through schedules - how far, how fast, where, when and how.  Not the best company - sorry Martin.

When I woke up on Thursday morning at 4.15am with the rain pattering on the roof of the van, I didn't spring out of bed, I braced myself and prepared myself for battle, and left the old man fast asleep - Happy Anniversary!!

It took me 16 and a bit hours to get around the 50 miles, which ended up being a bit more after taking the wrong path out of Boot and being too tired to notice until I was on the open fell side!

It rained steadily for the  first 9 hours, and the ground between Seathwaite and Wasdale was boggy and energy sapping. As I climbed Black Sail Pass, the sun came out and I enjoyed a short stop in the company of the walkers occupying Black Sail Hut who generously looked after me, watered me and sent me on my way - the only people I encountered all day, so the brief conversation saved my sanity!

At Buttermere I wanted to call I taxi, but I pushed through the last 9 miles at the pace I had achieved during the first section between Ambleside and Coniston on fresh legs. I dropped into Braithwaite just before 9pm and was in the shower by 9.30pm.

I felt broken, and as I walked through Keswick I was resolute that I was going to pull out of the 100. Having meticulously recorded my times along the way at each checkpoint, it was patently obvious that I am up against it time wise. I will be relentlessly working to avoid being timed out and it is likely that I will have to face a full 40 hours of struggle and mental battling...((groan)).

Back in Keswick, my legs were fine, my taped feet were great having been wet since 8am, I had no cramping or stomach problems, I had even managed to pick the pace up again in the Buttermere to Braithwaite section, so there was still something left in the tank, but as always, the climbs sapped my energy and although I can recover quickly and make up some time on the descents and the flats, I can't push my uphill speed, so my average time suffers.

This is the record of my progress - it's beyond tight!

Come Friday, I was in good shape and able to reflect and identify some of the positives gained from the training run. Martin and I went for a run up and around Latrigg, so another 10 miles logged and my legs felt great.

 

We had a fab couple of days at the Keswick Mountain Festival, saw Paul Tierney complete his sub 18 hour Bob Graham Round, and topped the weekend off with many pints of cider in the beer tent with the best view in the world.

The outcome... I have found a new approach, a new tactic. Rather than worrying about not making it 'round I'm just going to see how far I can get before the organisers pull me off the course.

I will be on the start line, and I may not finish, but I've trained hard and learned a lot. I need to enjoy the remainder of the training and allow myself to enjoy the event. I might get timed out on the day, but the challenge will be to see how far I can get before that happens.

L100 Training Rolls On

My training has picked up over the last month or so. I feel like I've entered a new phase. Having put in the miles over the winter I've learned a lot and have a much better awareness of what my capabilities and requirements are, so I've started the process of refining my plan.

I've had 2 more trips up to the Lakes and have now covered the full 100 route, and I've started doubling up long runs on the weekend, doing a 30+ miler and a 15+ miler back to back on consecutive days. My body is now well conditioned to keeping going, and I am confident that I have good levels of stamina, but I am not getting any faster. My main concern continues to be that I will get timed out, rather than my inability to go the distance, so this will have to be my focus over the last couple of months.

With this in mind, and in the hope that shedding some extra weight will have the desired effect on my speed, I've recently changed my eating plan. I attended the March L100/50 recce talk on nutrition given by Marc Laithewaite, and this gave me the impetus and motivation to make the change.

Years ago, for completely different reasons, I tried, enjoyed and had success on a low carb diet, so following Marc's talk, I've reverted back to this plan and have seen some very positive effects. My weight has dropped (more needs to go!), my mood is consistent and I am feeling generally more positive about all aspects of my life, including training.  Best of all I don't seem to need to eat as much when I'm out on long runs, I don't experience any energy dips and I never get that empty feeling that usually results in me stuffing my face with any bread, potato, pastry products within arms reach.

I've stopped using gels and fizzy electrolyte products, and found two excellent products that work really well for me and have got rid of the dodgy stomach that used to arrive to distract me at the 25 mile mark. I'm using Elete Electrolyte in my water. This is an excellent product and has no taste or fizz and so far has done a great job for me.  My race nutrition has also changed. I've ditched the cheese and onion pasties (!) and now carry a handful of Nakd bars, with a couple of sausages or a scotch egg just in case I fancy something savoury.

The other revelation I've had relates to foot care. The Wye One Way was a good early test event that brought lots of issues to the surface. Aside from the realisation that the electrolyte supplement I was using was the cause of my stomach upsets, the condition of my feet was also letting me down towards the end of the 50 miles.  My legs were fine, my head was in good shape, but my feet were blistering following an early river crossing and I realised that if this repeated in the L100 I would fail. So I borrowed my Dad's book 'Fixing your Feet', and learned how to tape my feet properly and so far, so good - not a hot spot or blister in sight.

There's now just 12 weeks left before the L100! I've got 2 more trips planned to the Lakes to train on the course, and I aim to continue building endurance and stamina through doubling up on weekend long runs. I also want to drop a bit more weight in the hope that this helps me gain a bit more speed, so it's just about putting in the time now in the hope that I can achieve my goal....to finish the L100.

Training Highlights:

Braithewaite to Wasdale (and back) - April 1st

Coniston to Seathwaite (and back via the Old Man) - April 2nd

Training on the MCN Brecon 40 Mile Ultra Course: 13 April
(Event on May 12th, but I don't think I'm going to do this afterall. I'm in the Lakes on the weekends either side of the event training on the L100 course)

Black Mountains Roundabout: April 14th
(pulled out / wimped out early because of blizzard conditions, and it just wasn't fun)

Pooley Bridge, Fusedale & Whether Hill, Roman Road Loop: May 4th

Braithewaite to Pooley Bridge: May 5th