2013 season review

This may seem like an odd time to do an end of season review given that I've still got several races to do before the end of the year. However, my season was meant to end with the RAT on 17th August. And so I thought it would be useful to explore why that ended up being my first (rather than last) race of the year.

My number one learning is that I should have never ever ever thought I could keep up ultra training while moving house. Especially when that house move involved selling a flat, buying a house that needs a not insignificant amount of work, moving to an entirely new area, extending my commute by about 25 mins in each direction and meaning I no longer have the option of running from home to work.  I massively underestimated the huge impact this would have in me.

We did decide not to do any racing until after the move and our first race wasn't until 2 months after the move. But that was a 20 miler and with a 50k scheduled for a month after that and my first 100k a month later it definitely added an extra layer of stress that I didn't need.

I've also learned some useful lessons about training for long single day events. Knowing that long training runs are key we scheduled a lot of these. So many that there were points when we were running around 30 miles every Saturday. During the heat wave I just don't think this was sensible - I took myself into some very dark places and don't think I helped myself psychologically as I didn't enjoy many of these sessions. I also had to dig so deep that I struggled to get good consistent sessions for the rest of the week. Next year I'll schedule a long run every 3-4 weeks rather than every weekend. And follow it with a rest week.

Consistency has been the main issue for me this year. I've been ill quite a bit (mainly due to stress) and with time needed for admin related to the move this means I've never really got to the point where I'm in a consistent routine. I believe that this sort of consistency (e.g. 3-6 months of averaging 50-70 miles per week) is key to ultra running success. It also helps me to keep my weight down.

My main objective for next year will be consistency. I definitely feel more settled now in terms of our new home and my commute. And I've had a rethink in terms of how I structure my week. I've recently realised that I can get off the train at Clapham Junction and do a 9 mile run to work through the parks and along the river. It's a nice route and that's important to me. My plan is to do it Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday mornings. Then on Friday I'll work from home and have a rest day before the weekend which will include an hour of yoga.

That's been a good learning from this year - I've bought some yoga DVDs and have been using them whenever I can. Being able to do an instructed yoga session at home and in my own time has made this much easier to fit in than going to a class.

On that note, we're buying some gym equipment for our front room. I did quite a bit of leg work over the winter this year and aim to get to the gym at lunch time for 30 mins 2-3 times per week to do core exercises. This helps me to maintain my form over the longer distances and builds my small stabilising muscles (e.g. knees and ankles). By having some basic weights and a wobble board at home it'll be easy for us to do this together in the evenings.

We're also looking at buying mountain bikes. This is something we always promised ourselves we'd do when we moved out of London. And we're both keen to start cycling again. It should be great cross-training, prevent us from doing massively high running mileage year round and will also be a good way of recce-ing running routes - for example the South Downs Way which we've entered as our "A race" for next year.

One of the main reasons for picking this race is that it's close by and we'll be able to train on terrain that's the same as we'll be racing on. We both loved the transalpine run but will be hard-pressed to "race" any of the big mountain races as we just can't train on similar terrain where we live. While we'll definitely look to spend time abroad training, we realised this year that we both got enjoyment from being able to race the RAT and be competitive.

 We've now got a couple of marathons scheduled before the end of October and then we'll be buying our mountain bikes and doing some shorter faster runs over the winter before we start ramping up for the South Downs Way and hopefully learning some of the lessons from this year...

My lower leg injury - sporting the one-calf-guard-on-one-calf-guard-off look

Looking back over recent blog articles and entries in my training diary, I noticed quite how often I've been mentioning the problems with my right lower leg. So I thought I'd devote a whole article to talking about what's been going on and what I've been doing about it.

It started on day 2 of our Isle of Wight run. Early on in the day, before I was properly warmed up, I suddenly experienced an intense muscular sensation in the top right of my right calf. It was totally different to any injury I'd had before.

Looking back I'm 99% sure that the cause of the injury was a long steepish descent at the end of the first day. The hill also sloped off towards the sea so it was a really awkward camber to be running on. The lack of training in my legs probably meant I was too fatigued after 35 miles of running to stabilise my leg effectively on that downhill.

Something I did on the Isle of Wight (and which I've done on long training sessions ever since) is put a Compressport calf guard onto the offending leg. I've worn these for recovery for years and swear by them. They're a great fit and seamless which means they don't rub / leave unsightly lines in my legs like other brands I've tried. I also find that compression gear massively speeds up my recovery - something pretty key with the amount of running I'm doing. I mentioned it previously in this article on the Transalpine.

I've not tended to actually run in compression gear though. To be honest this is largely cos I overheat and so in the summer I don't want to cover up my legs, I'd rather feel the air on them keeping me cool! But this summer I've been sporting a fetching one-calf-guard-on-one-calf-guard-off look. I've not overheated and the calf guard has kept my offending right calf warm and supported.

Finish line of The RAT - the one-calf-guard-on-one-calf-guard-off look

The other thing that's made a big difference while running is focusing on relaxing. I'm a big fan of the Chi Running technique and I see this as the main reason I've managed to up my training mileage so much and take on ultra marathons. When I completely relax my lower body (except my core obviously!) and remove absolutely any hint of tension from my right lower leg by just picking up my foot rather than pushing off with it then I get no pain at all.

In terms of recovery, I've been using all my tried and trusted methods. I've been seeing Martin for regular sports massage, particularly focusing on my glutes and then the band down my right itb / quad and into my calf. Charles has been using acupuncture to get deeper into the muscles of my right glute and leg to release specific areas of tightness / muscle spasm. And I've been seeing Paddy for osteo treatment. I've got a twist in my pelvis which he straightens out. He's also been doing a lot of work on releasing tightness in my lower right leg - it looks like the location of the pain is where everything feeds into the top of the fibula and that this has become all gummed up. So Paddy's been manipulating my leg to get everything moving smoothly again.

When I headed down to Cornwall for The RAT, the good people at MudCrew were good enough to put me in touch with Tim Saunders in Liskeard who gave me a couple of sessions of shockwave treatment which seemed to work a treat at reducing inflammation and releasing unhappy muscles / soft tissues. I'm going to see if I can find someone nearer home who offers this...

On more of a DIY front, I've been doing all the usual - stretching, loosening exercises for joints, rolling, glute trigger point release with a tennis ball and using hot wheat packs. Paddy's also given me an exercise where I lie on a couple of strategically placed books to realign my hips.

I've got a couple of marathon distance races lined up in the next couple of months but I'm keeping my mileages pretty low at the moment and just letting my body recover. It feels like I'm gradually improving so fingers crossed that the second half of the year will be injury free...

Night running / LED Lenser review

The RAT was the first time I'd raced in the dark. And I've done very little running in the dark full stop. This made me a bit nervous going into the race but there wasn't a huge amount I could do about it given that the race was in August - training in the dark would have meant missing out on sleep and I decided that sleep (and so not risking getting sick) was more important.

As a member of the Trail Running Team I was lucky enough to be given a LED Lenser head torch. And I'd had the chance to practise using it when we were out in the Alps in June. I was really pleased about this as it meant I knew what I could expect from the torch and that definitely gave me confidence. In the Alps, I had felt comfortable running up and down technical Alpine trails. And so I was fairly certain I'd be ok on the Cornish coastal footpath.

I was more nervous about navigating in the dark. Whilst the race was on a well-marked long distance trail, my experience (e.g. Our trip to the Isle of Wight) has taught me that this doesn't always mean you can get away without knowing the route. We bought a map and spent the days before the race recce-ing the tricky bits - mainly when the route passed through villages. This wasn't the best option but it had to do as we couldn't head all the way to Cornwall twice and we couldn't run the whole 50k (it was a there-and-back route so that would be sufficient for recognising the whole 100k route) in the days running up to the race when we needed to be resting.

So when I stood on the start line at midnight I felt pretty  comfortable with what lay ahead.

The LED Lenser head torch was really impressive. It lit up the path brilliantly and I felt I could run in pretty much the same way as during daylight. In reality, I probably wasn't quite as fast but that's not exactly a bad thing at the beginning of a 100k race! About 30 mins in I realised that the torch was a bit tight and was pressing on my head. But I was able to adjust the strap while it was on my head and I kept on moving while I did this. It was easy to change the direction of the beam (helpful on steep downhills or uphills) and its brightness.

My one problem was my batteries running out. But this was my fault - I hadn't put in new batteries for the race and dawn was about 2 hours later than I'd expected. So the torch lasted 6 hours on not-new batteries - I don't reckon that's a bad statistic. And it had a helpful red warning light that flashed when the battery was low. Given it was almost light I didn't change my batteries. Once the batteries were low, the torch would switch itself off to preserve the battery that was left.  I could see enough to run most of the time and I was then able to switch it back on for the bits where I needed a bit of extra light.

And what about getting lost? There were a few parts where I went marginally off course or went round the perimeter of a field when I could have taken a direct route across the middle to the next stile / gate. In fact the only point where I got lost to the point that it bothered me was after dawn!

In terms of running in the dark, I now feel much less scared about this aspect of longer races. In an ideal world I'd still want to recce the night time bit of the course in advance. But a section of night time running is definitely not something to put me off a race anymore.

Race report - RAT / The Plague (Hannah)

Yesterday I ran my first ever 100km race – The Plague, which is part of the Roseland August Trail (RAT) set of races put on by Mud Crew Events in Cornwall.  I’d never run more than 35 miles and hadn’t run at night so there was going to be a lot of uncharted territory, especially given that my training hasn’t gone to plan this year thanks to issues with my right lower leg.  But, kinesio-taped to the max, I was stood on the start line at 12:05am on Saturday 17^th August, feeling relaxed and ready to go.

Ready to run

We started by running across some fields down to the coastal footpath.  The grass was soaking wet which meant that I had wet feet within minutes of starting – not ideal, but at least the torrential rain which had been plaguing us for the last few days had disappeared and we were running with a clear sky and a reasonably big moon.  It was very calm and some of the views as we ran around the coast were really special – a flat sea lapping onto secluded beaches, gently lit by the moon and only experienced by those “lucky” enough to be awake at 3am to enjoy it.

The first 5 hours or so of the race went pretty quickly. Focusing on where I was going, avoiding falling into badger holes, off the edge of the cliffs or down the endless steps meant that my mind had no time to wander.  The problem with that was that I’d forget to eat and drink as often as I usually would.  I don’t think it caused any major issues as I realised this fairly early on and so consciously kept reminding myself.  I don’t run with a watch though so I couldn’t do anything like set an alarm.  Maybe something to bear in mind for future...

I enjoyed the wildlife on the night section.  Owls were hooting all around us.  At one point a bat flew in front of my head torch, a lot of the rest of the time there were white moths dancing entranced by its beam.  Then as the sun rose lots of rabbits came out to play.

I ran with people for most of the night.  Early on this was my brother Barney which was really nice – this was also his first race of this distance so it was good to share a piece of it.  I then ran for a long time with a chap who had an impressive running CV and who entertained me with stories from last year’s Spine race – it was an honour to speak to someone who’d completed such a challenge and to understand how he’d approached it.  Running with people helped with navigation.  We still got a bit lost from time to time but were usually able to work together to make sure that the damage wasn’t too big.

Our worst detour actually came just after dawn.  I’m still not quite sure how we went wrong but we found ourselves at the edge of a field with a thick gorse hedge blocking our progress and no obvious way through it.  Luckily the light meant that we could see exactly where we needed to be going and so we did a bit of off piste...  This involved crawling through tunnels in the gorse which had been carved by cows.   

My arms and legs were ripped to pieces!  The subsequent run across an uneven, sloping field meant that my right lower leg started to ache quite badly which was very frustrating as it had been fine until this point.

The next stage of the race was a real low point for me and one where I got very close to pulling out. I stopped to put on a Compressport calf guard (I’ve found this has helped in training) and to take an Ibuprofen (which I’ve never tried in training as I don’t really approve of running on painkillers).  And after this I ran on my own for quite a while.  My leg was still sore and I didn’t see anyone for ages.  At the same time, conversations at previous checkpoints meant that I knew that I was making really slow progress – it had taken 5 hours to cover 20 miles so indications were that this was going to be a very long race.  I convinced myself that I was coming near to last and that, if my leg continued to give me grief, then I’d have about 10 more hours of dragging my sorry state up and down hills and steps as the backmarker on the course.  It didn’t seem like a fun proposition.  In the midst of this I came to a field full of horses where 2 were blocking the stile in the corner of the field and were very stubborn about moving.  I could have called it a day there and then!

I knew my family would be waiting for me in Portscatho (4.5 miles from the turnaround point) and so I’d be seeing them soon.  But I didn’t reckon I’d feel proud of myself if I stopped when I saw them.  I decided I’d keep going to the turnaround at 50km and then get them to pick me up.  And that’s what I said to them when I passed them, feeling pretty miserable with the world.

Shortly afterwards I got to the Portscatho checkpoint.   I mentioned how slowly I was going and the fact that I thought I was coming last.  The people on the checkpoint were brilliant at lifting my spirits – they assured me that I was far from last and was doing really well.  This buoyed my sprits a bit.  They were lifted further as I ran towards the turnaround and realised that everyone who was in front of me didn’t have the 2 hour lead I’d been imagining. True, some of them were 1 hour ahead but anything can happen in the second half of an ultra.  The Ibuprofen was also kicking in at this point – coupled with a flatter section of the route this meant I was able to run quite a bit and get into a rhythm.  When I passed Brett and Barney I asked them to pass on a message to my family – that I wouldn’t be pulling out at the turnaround but would see them back in Portscatho.

I arrived at the turnaround in 8 hours and was greeted with a hug.  Again, the people on the checkpoint did wonders for me psychologically and I was hugely grateful to them.  I had a small portion of pasta and tomato sauce and a cup of tea.  I also got out my MP3 player and plugged myself in – this was probably one of the best decisions I made all race.

After about 10 mins I headed off, feeling significantly better and with my favourite tunes pumping in my ear.  The stretch to Portscatho was brilliant.  I ran pretty much the whole way and loved it.  I was feeling really positive.  This was also helped by knowing that the 50km runners were all due to start 10 mins after I’d left the turnaround so I knew they were chasing me down!  In fact the top two guys passed me at the Portscatho checkpoint and they were flying – it was impressive to see.

Applying some vaseline on the way back through Portscatho

I overtook a couple of Plague runners in Portscatho and was feeling in a good place when I saw my family for the second time.  I stopped briefly to say hello, apologise for my previous mood, apply some Vaseline and take another Ibuprofen.  Then I cracked on.  The next stage was quite fun as the 50km runners gradually caught up with me – they were hugely encouraging, congratulating me as they went past or patting me on the back.  It’s this sort of camaraderie that makes me enjoy ultra-running above a lot of the other sports I’ve done.

The 50km runners also acted as useful pacers.  Once the front guys had gone past, I found I was able to keep up with the runners on the flats and downhills.  On the uphills they would drop me, but then I turned to my music which gave me a beat that made it a lot easier to trudge up the endless climbs at a consistent pace.

At some point along this section it started to rain very heavily.  We’d been warned that it would and I was grateful that the rain had held off for so long.  I decided not to stop and put on my waterproof as it was still reasonably warm so I got soaked to the skin.  There were a few dry patches as the day progressed but for the remainder of the race we were mostly running in drizzle.  With this plus adding the 11 and 20 mile runners to the route as well, the paths started to get really churned up especially towards the end.  It was lethal and I wished I had by MudClaws on me – they’d have been in their element on that sort of terrain!

The rest of the second half of the race is a bit of a blur.  I felt stronger and stronger as time went on and began to enjoy the race more and more.  Around Mevagissey I found myself overtaking lots of Plague runners and that motivated me even more.  With only 8 miles to go I also knew I’d finish the race and I felt really proud of myself especially after my tough patch at dawn.

The last section was particularly hard cos of the mud and a lot of people were slithering and sliding around.  But I knew I was almost there and so I had a big smile on my face by this point.  The smile got even bigger as I crossed the finish line – it had been an incredibly tough race but I’d pulled through and had done myself proud.  100km, 3300m of ascent and descent in 15 hrs and 58 mins.  I came 16^th overall (out of 56 starters).  I was also very chuffed to be 3^rd lady and so came home with a trophy which will take pride of place in our house.

Me at the finish

 A huge thank you to MudCrew for organising such a great event.  And especially to all of those who helped motivate me out on the cours. 

Also thank you to Mammut, Compressport, LED Lenser for giving me some great kit to race in.  And TORQ for fuelling me brilliantly as always.  Unfortunately the weather meant I didn't get the chance to wear my Tifosi sunglasses though they've been great in training.

Nutrition - single- versus multi-day events (Hannah)

I'm really interested in nutrition and so, off the back of my recent article on multi-day versus single-day events, I thought I'd compare how I fuel myself for each of these...

Until last year my running events had mostly been on road and had maxed out at marathon distance. After my two first half marathons taught me it wasn't sensible to race on water alone, I became a committed user of energy gels. I'd use them in my long training runs and that plus water got me through a lot of races. I never particularly liked the idea of putting such concentrated sweet stuff into my body but it did the trick. I also discovered TORQ gels fairly early on - at least I knew they were pretty natural so I didn't feel I was putting something from the chemistry lab inside me!

When I started training for the Transalpine last year I did a quick calculation and realised I'd need about 60 gels over the course of the week. That just didn't seem like a particularly good idea. I also figured I would lose the taste for them pretty quickly - even towards the end of the Ironman day I find that all I can stomach is coke and that I don't fancy anything sweet for several days.

So I thought back to how I'd fuelled myself for multi-day treks and cycle rides. These had all been done on "proper food" and so I started applying this concept to my running. The intensity I'm at when I'm doing ultras is so much lower than straight road races that digestion hasn't been a problem and I've transitioned pretty well. Most of my Transalpine running was fueled by plain cake or Kelloggs Elevenses bars. During the Transalpine itself I also enjoyed orange segments, cucumber and watermelon at the feed stations. But recently I'm a convert to TORQ bars - I love the fact that the flavours aren't too sweet and that they taste natural cos of the dried fruit inside them. And thanks to the clever science of the guys at TORQ, they're obviously made in a way that gives me exactly what I need from a  performance point of view.

The other thing I've learned with multi-day events is the importance of "fueling for tomorrow". When I'm out running, I need to make sure that I don't deplete my energy reserves to a point that will be hard to recover from in time for tomorrow's run. I might sometimes take on more nutrition than is totally necessary to make sure I am always comfortably fueled. I'll also still have a couple of "emergency gels" in my pack just in case - though on the 8 days of the Transalpine I didn't touch these once.

Linked into this is what I eat after I finish each day. Through practice and  experimentation I've learned that the difference between eating within 30 mins off finishing versus not is massive when it comes to running the next day. And when I don't then the next day isn't pretty! When I'm doing training runs I'll leave some TORQ recovery powder in the car and some water. I can mix it up and have it inside me within 10 mins off finishing. It goes down really easily, contains everything I need and it's really convenient as it doesn't need to be kept cool. It's less practical if I'm light-packing though (e.g. when we were in the Isle of Wight) as I want to keep my weight down as much as possible. In that case I'll find  somewhere that can sell me a chocolate milkshake. I'll usually have a sandwich as well. And on the Transalpine they had a massive vat of quinoa at the finish every day - perfect!

Single day versus multi-day (Hannah)

Last year was all about training for the Transalpine. So our focus was on getting to a place where we could get up day after day and run the marathon distance. This year I'm training for a 100k race (the RAT) and so my training focus during this peak period is a bit different. At the moment it's all about massive days on Saturday - the sort of days that almost make ironman training sessions look short!

And this, combined with my recent trips to Chamonix with the Trail Running Team and the Isle of Wight with Brett and my bros, has caused me to compare single and multi-day racing / training and think about what I prefer.

What I've realised is that I prefer multi-day. And that it doesn't have to be about doing a race. I enjoy the journey, the adventure and the camaraderie. I enjoy the fact that the adventure is spread over several days and that at the end of each we can reflect on the day that's gone as well as plan for and look forward to the next.   Recently, I've found my Saturday runs getting longer and longer to the point where they're not much fun anymore, especially given all the hot weather we've had recently (not that I'm complaining!).

At the extreme end of the multi-day concept is Jez Bragg's journey that took him the length of New Zealand. What he did earlier this year really inspires me. The places he saw, the people he met, the wealth of experiences he built up. But there are more accessible adventures closer to home and I've found myself building a list of these - the GR20, Offa's Dyke, the Southwest Coastal Footpath, Hadrian's Wall, the Welsh Castles relay route,..... Suffice to say that there's enough I want to do to keep me going for some time. And I want to spread it over a few days and savour the experience rather than rushing to do it in one go and pushing myself into a very dark hole.

So I guess this is all a useful learning and will help me know how to plan future seasons to make sure I'm enjoying myself as much as possible. One thing's for sure - it certainly doesn't mean I'll be slacking off,  especially given the list I've now committed to "paper" above! Here's to it...

The importance of sleeping

A big learning (or re-learning!) in the last week has been the importance of sleep. Saturday morning, feeling super-motivated and confident after my trip to the Alps with the Trail Running Team, I headed off on a tough 40 mile-ish run. About 10 miles in the wheels well and truly fell off! My nutrition was ok and  my legs didn't feel too fatigued (surprisingly) but all I wanted to do was curl up on a ball and go to sleep.

If I get less than 8 hours sleep a night then I start to struggle and it won't be long before I pick up a bug. When I'm training hard then I ideally need more than this, at the very least at weekends when I can also sneak in an afternoon nap or two.

In the Alps I was getting well short of 8 hours a night and it's really hit me since getting home. I was straight back to work (5.30 starts and long commute) and various things made for late nights.

So I hit the weekend and I was absolutely shattered. Friday night I got 10 hours of unbroken sleep but this  obviously wasn't enough recovery. Sunday's run went better but was still very hard going. A hint that I need to take this week easy...

Trip to the Alps with the Trail Running Team (Hannah)

I've just got back from a really inspiring weekend in the alps with the Trail Running Team. It was just brilliant being back in the mountains spending long hours out on the trails. And I loved being able to spend time being to know the other team members. A huge thank you to Julie and Simon from Freestak for making this possible.

We arrived on the Thursday and the weather was a bit dodgy in Chamonix. So that meant we had a very chilled afternoon sitting around and getting to know each other before Julia from Tracks & Trails came to brief us on the next few days. Julia lives and works in Chamonix and was our guide. It definitely made a difference (and felt like a real treat) having someone to show us good routes rather than losing time fiddling around with maps. Julia was also full of all sorts of facts about the area (flora, fauna, history etc) and that added something to the whole experience.

The start on day 1 - pretty special!

Day 1 (Friday) was a loop out from Chamonix - we pretty much followed the Mont Blanc marathon course. It definitely threw us right in at the deep end especially given we hadn't acclimatised at this stage. But the fact that everyone finished with a smile on their face showed that Julie and Simon had picked a team of tough and determined individuals! The uphills were the perfect opportunity to get to know each other. Alpine climbs are totally different to the short sharp hills of Surrey and you can often time your ascent in hours rather than minutes. So we power walked them at a determined pace but one which was slow enough to enable us to talk - i.e. we were still aerobic. We talked about all sorts of things and I have definitely left the weekend with some new friends who will inspire me to do some exciting things.

Getting ready for the descent...

The downhills were less about talking and more about focusing. Apparently you slow by about 20% if you natter! On the first day Julia gave us a lesson in descending which I found really helpful - I wish I'd been lucky enough to have had that experience before last year's Transalpine. The tips that really worked for me were:

•  Keeping a wide stance and using the edge of the path (a bit like a bobsled)

•  Dropping your shoulder and head into the corner to bring you round (like on a bike)

• Staying light on your feet and accepting that your footing might not be perfect and you'll move on quickly

• Constantly flicking between looking ahead and looking in front (long vs short sight) - and making sure you really do look ahead and think about what's coming up

What was great about being in the mountains was that we were able to practise this technique by doing downhill reps. We had a long descent of around 1000m and split this into chunks. We'd go one at a time and leave good space between us. Then after about 5 mins we'd stop and regroup before going again. It meant I was able to refine my technique and let my brain and legs recover a little between reps. But my legs didn't get the full recovery they would at home where I'd have to climb all the way back up before being able to descend again. I felt my technique change and my confidence increase - for me this was a real benefit of the weekend and something I will take away and practise.

At the end of day 1 we returned to  Chamonix where we enjoyed the local cuisine (i.e. variations of cheese, bread, ham and more cheese). And we also had the chance to tweak our kit and nutrition before the two day adventure that was to make up the rest of the weekend. Day 2 (Saturday) was long and tough but saw us finish up high at a mountain refuge. Day 3 (Sunday) was the return to Chamonix.

Stunning view back to Chamonix after our first climb on day 2

Day 2 involved a huge amount of climbing - over 3000m of ascent and that made it bigger than any day of the Transalpine in that respect. But we were incredibly lucky with the weather and throughout the day we were treated with the most breath-taking views. At the beginning of the day Mont Blanc towered above us looking so amazing it almost looked superimposed. As the day progressed we could turn around and look back at our whole route and give ourselves a pat on the back!

Climbing...

Top of the first climb - spot the mountains peeking through the clouds...

Our big climb for the day was the Col de Tricot. The last little bit was on snow and ice and the top felt quite exposed. The descent was the type I struggled with on the Transalpine - steep and long with lots of loose rocks. But I was really pleased with how it went - partly as a result of the previous day's lesson but also cos of the leg weights and plyometrics I've been doing since January. My legs felt strong and that also helped on the uphills.

Almost at the top of the Col de Tricot

Looking back at the descent off the Col de Tricot - you can see the path zig-zagging down

After the descent off the col we were rewarded with a really delicious blueberry tart. One of the joys of running in the Alps is the alpine cafes you come across - a chance to rest for a while and refuel. That said I found that regular stops made it trickier to get my fuelling strategy right and also meant my muscles seized a bit. I've been carrying a slight muscle spasm in my right calf since the Isle of Wight and this was really sore after some of the breaks. However wearing a Compressport calf guard (hyperlink) on that leg did seem to help. I would also try and do friction work whenever we stopped to keep the muscle warm and mobile.

Blueberry tart - yum!

One of my favourite parts of the weekend was our stay at the mountain refuge. I love staying somewhere which is only accessible to those who've made a physical effort to get there. The refuge was a 2 hour hike up a very steep rocky path. The views were 360º and were amazing. The whole experience felt really special.

Mel & me at the refuge - behind us we could see our route all the way from Chamonix

Sweaty smelly clothes hanging up to dry

The view in the other direction

 As we were going to sleep (all bunked up mountain-style - side-by-side in a massive dorm with serious mountain climbers and about 30 children) there was a rush of excitement as the children all ran out of the room shaking the floorboards as they went. There was a red glow so we all wrapped ourselves in our duvets and huddled by the window to see what was going on. A beacon had been lit outside the refuge and dots on the distant mountains suggested the same had been done all around the valley. It was St John's day and this is how they celebrate.

Flares for St John's day

It was a short night as we crept out of bed at 4am so we could do some night running and test out our LED Lenser head torches. It's the first time I've run in the mountains in the dark and I really enjoyed it. I was also super-impressed at the head torch which lit up the path so well that I was confident ascending and descending on the thin rocky mountain paths.

After our early morning high altitude hill rep session we were all ready for breakfast before heading off down the mountain at 6am. I love being up at that time before the rest of the world has woken up. On this occasion we were lucky enough to see a group of make ibex grazing on the mountain - a rare treat.

Ibex

Day 3 was still long but easier in terms of ascent and descent which was welcome as we were all getting tired. That said, Julia was good at making sure we ran when we could. When you're walking the long steep climbs it's easy to get lazy and keep walking when the terrain flattens out. Julia wouldn't let us do that and I appreciated that.

As I've already said, it was brilliant being back in the mountains and I'm now feeling motivated to go back for more. I'm also now feeling confident that I am well again after my chest infection and my running is getting back on track. So it's time to start planning my race schedule for the rest of the year and committing to some events...

Zero to hero (Hannah)

As I’ve mentioned in my recent posts, the last few months (in fact pretty much all the months since the Transalpine!) have been pretty frustrating in terms of training.  For the last 3 months I’ve battled a chest infection on and off.  So consistency of training is nil – I’ve hardly been running at all and that’s getting very frustrating.  After I wrote my last post about a great weekend running again, the chest infection returned.

My first race of the season was the Compton 20 miler – I DNF’ed as it quickly became apparent that my chest was not happy.  My second race of the season was the Marlborough Downs Challenge 50k – I didn’t even start that one. My third race of the season has now been cancelled by the organisers – so all of a sudden my A race of the year which everything’s building towards looks like it might be my only race of the year.  Hmmm…  I’m having a bit of a rethink but I’ll write about that another time.  The point of me writing today is to record something a bit different.

Races aside, Brett, my brothers and I had planned an ultra challenge of our own.  The challenge – to run around the Isle of Wight over 2 days – 70 miles in total.  And this bank holiday weekend was the one we’d picked to do it – we’d booked a basic hotel halfway round and we were all primed for the adventure.

So what should I do?  Well – ten days of working from home, coupled with a dose of antibiotics meant I was actually feeling more human than I had in a very long time.  So I decided to head over with the boys and see what happened.  It’s not like the Isle of Wight is particularly remote – I’d never be far from a  bus stop if I realised I still wasn’t 100%. I decided to ignore the fact that 70 miles of running off a training base of very little was going to be tough!  The decision to head over was helped by the weather forecast – 2 days of glorious sunshine and 16 degrees.  Pretty much perfect running weather especially when this would be coupled with a light sea breeze.  How could I resist the opportunity?!

Saturday was an early start to get the ferry over from Lymington to Yarmouth – the sea was flat as a pancake and boded well for a beautiful day.  Though it was a little chillier than we’d anticipated when we stepped off the ferry and we wondered whether we’d been a little overconfident in our choice of kit!

We spent a few minutes in the ferry terminal using their facilities and getting ready to go.  The man working in the terminal asked what we were up to and the look of shock on his face when we explained was one we’d have to get used to as it was repeated by others all around the island over the course of the next couple of days.

We had decided to run clockwise round the island – the main reason was that the first part of the route was going to be quite fiddly and going through more towns than on the second day.  Also, we know the route around the Needles quite well and it would be good to finish off with that as it would be a psychological boost and remove the need for navigating. The first part of the route from Yarmouth to Cowes definitely backed up this rationale – it was really fiddly and we definitely covered considerably more distance than the direct route on the road. This wasn’t helped by the Coastal Path signage being somewhat patchy – something that got increasingly frustrating as our journey progressed. And it highlighted that the pink OS map (as opposed to the orange) is just not helpful in these sorts of situations.

Our journey to Cowes took a fair bit longer than expected but we knew that there would be a chance of a little rest break when we got there as we’d need to catch the ferry across from West to East Cowes.  We took this opportunity for a trip into Sainsbury’s for a refuel and the first bottle of Coke of the trip.  Brett and I also had a craving for fresh pineapple which went down remarkably well.  

Cowes was also an opportunity to slap on the suncream – the day was hotting up and by the time we’d made it to Ryde the beaches were full of your classic British holidaymakers going more than slightly pink whilst building sandcastles.  From Ryde onwards we were running right along the coast for quite a while and it really felt like we were on holiday – beautiful beaches, people enjoying the sunshine, endless rows of beachuts and huge numbers of sailing boats.  The holiday vibe continued when we got to St Helen’s where we hopped on a little catamaran across the bay to Bembridge.  At the end of the short ride the catamaran just pulled up onto the sandy beach – memories of places somewhat more tropical than Hampshire!

The houses along the next bit of the run were impressive.  In fact, we saw some amazing houses all the way round the island.  Huge houses, grand-designs-type houses, houses with fantastic coastal views, … 

We stopped at the Eastern-most point of the island for a final refuel.  I also realised that my rucksack had been rubbing my back quite badly and I had a big raw lump on my lower back.  So I used this as an opportunity for a repack.  Following that, more Coke and a couple of packs of crisps we headed off for the final push to Sandown – 10km to go…

 

I always get a second wind when it comes to the home straight – it was also the point in the day when I thought to myself “I am definitely going to do this”.  I’ve been finding it really hard being sick and having to have that battle between my psychological will (which will never let me give up) and the sensible side of me which tells me I need to stop cos of my health.  It’s a really tricky balance. But I’d felt ok throughout the day – I’d not pushed it too hard and had walked when I needed to.  My legs were definitely fatigued but that was hardly surprising given this was the longest run I’d done since the Transalpine.  It had been a long day on the feet – we were out for about 9 hours including ferries, food stops, photo stops and “detours” where we lost the footpath signs.

The hotel was very old school with velvet wallpaper on the walls and a stern owner who told us off for being late and said we had to be down at dinner within 30 mins! It was a bed though and we all slept well despite the live music in the lounge below our room which was keeping the elderly coach party entertained with the liked of “itsy bitsy teenie weeny…..” as we drifted off to sleep.

Day 2 – we woke up to another perfect day and were on our way by 8am.  We had high hopes for an easier day on the navigation front but had soon lost sight of Coastal Path signs and off on a random detour.  One of these detours was quite cool though – down a steep flight of steps through a little gorge.  The sides of the gorge were so close together that Jacob had to take his rucksack off to get through.  No problem for the rest of us skinny little runners :-)

The southeast of the island was really stunning and peaceful. There were also some lovely little cafes and bars down on the beachfront – they were just opening up as we ran past and the smell of cooked breakfast drifting out along the shoreline was very tempting!

 

As we rounded the southern tip of the island, the Needles came into view far out to the west.  We could see the route we’d be running for the next 15 miles or so!  Luckily this made it much easier to navigate as the route did hug the cliff pretty much all the way to Freshwater Bay, other than the bits where it had collapsed.  It was scary how much erosion there had been and I’d be interested to know what that stretch of coastline will look like in a few years time as there was evidence in many places that it wouldn’t be much longer before other large chunks of the path fell away.

This was a long slog to Freshwater although the paths were much more runnable than before and we were able to make ground more quickly.  But my feet were feeling bruised by this time, I was tired (evidenced by me going over on my ankles a couple of times) and it was still a long way to go to the finish – 13 miles or so.

In Freshwater Bay we were greeted by my parents.  It was good to see them but I didn’t want to hang around too long – we’d timed one of our earlier stops at 24 mins and that helped explain why we were taking so much longer than in a race situation.  There were about 10 miles to go at this point and I just wanted to get on and get them done.  This last little bit was the route we knew and that really helped psychologically.

Having stocked up with Pepsi (no Coke available!) we had a long walk up to Tennyson’s monument.  The Pepsi and the thought of finishing gave me a second wind and, once we’d got to the top of the climb, we ran pretty much all the way to the Needles.  From there we really were on the home straight. As we hit the last km into Yarmouth I felt my legs become light and we were able to pick up the pace a bit for the final stretch.  I stuck on Barney’s shoulder as he made a determined path through the crowds of tourists.  I wasn’t sure where he was going until we got near the ferry terminal – we ran up to the door of the terminal, he came to a stop and tapped  the door.  We were done!

70 miles later, I had no hint of a chest infection, a couple of very tired legs, chaffage on my back and a big smile on my face.  It feels really good to be running again and hopefully this is the beginning of a good year...

And a huge thank you to TORQ for the bars and recovery drink - I lived off the bars 80% of the time on the run and they were great.  Not too sweet and really easy to digest - perfect.