July 30, 2010

Last 6 week training plan

I thought I better write down a rough training plan for the last 6 weeks prior to my taper. I am doing 2 weeks of taper, with nothing really big 3 weeks before. I want to do the Peris Horseshoe 2 weeks before and coach Jon assures me that will be fine provided I keep eating.

The gaps I see which need filled are

  • Downhill. This is about making downhill running more fluent and energy efficient, rather than developing as competition to Mike Blake and Ian Holmes. I got most of my downhill head back during the Snowdon race, but a bit more style and efficiency would be very useful, particular when I start to get tired.
  • I want to over over the section from Esk Haus to Wasdale again, in particular the descent from Scarfell Pike to Mickledoor, I would like to solo Broadstand once again and do the descent from Scarfel at least once more.
  • Go over BGR section 2 at night
  • Parachute jump decent from Blencathera once again
  • I need to get my night running head back(I might still have it). I did a lot of night running over the winter and got very confortable with it. I have not run at night for about 3 months and something I my do at least some of before the 24/9/2010. I got to the point of thinking nothing of running the Long Mynd Valleys route starting at 8pm in Feburary and would like to get back to that state of mind.

The plan for the last 6 weeks

  • 3 reps of Cader Idris from the east. I have done 2, but not managed 3 yet
  • I am supporting some folks doing a clockwise rounds on the 14th of August. Will do whatever they want, but try to do 2 sections.
  • I have 3 days walking/climbing somewhere (Lakes or Scotland) with a friend of mine 1st week of August.
  • Run the whole Aberystwyth to Cardigan coast path on one go
  • Day wondering around Scarfell
  • Legs 1 + 2 at night on my own
  • 14 peaks in North Wales
  • Mid-week Long Mynd Valleys race route at pace
  • Peris Horseshoe (under 5 hours ?)

The above combined with hill reps and shorter, slightly faster runs (6-10 miles). 2 rest days a week and over 10k of climb every week, but at least 1 week in August as a lighter week should get me as close to where I need to be fitness wise as I can get in the remaining time.

I feel really positive about my prospects of getting round in 24 hours. It is going to be at the limit of what I can do and I will need everything to go right on the day to get round sub 24 hours.

July 25, 2010

Snowdon race : not what I expected

The third time I had run this race and I was expecting a time around 1 hour 50, a little slower than last year. That was OK given the shape of my Bob Graham training, along with the prime directive of not getting hurt. The reality turned out quite different.

A wet day in Llanberis, the race started by Kenny Stuart who holds the record and with Wilson Chemweno in the field, despite the best efforts of the UK Immigration Service. We avoided the heat of the previous 2 years for sure. About a mile in I found it easier than I expected and pushed on with a combination of run and walk. I got to the 1/2 way tea station in 31 minutes (last year was about 35) and I was struggling far less than previous years. My heart rate was between 161 and 168 all the way up, if it got above about 165 I found I get tired very quick, and less than 165 I felt I could do more. In previous years I have passed the descending runners at the 2nd tunnel under the railway, this year I was about 150 meters up the hill past the 2nd tunnel when Robbie and Wilson passed coming the other way which was a sign that either they were much slower than last years winner or I was a little quicker.

I could have run a little more as the hill gets gentler, but I opted to walk mostly as I was started to get a bit cold (it was very wet and a good stiff breeze into your face). I got to the top in 1.06 (5 minutes faster than last year) which was a bit of a surprise.

I think I lost my downhill head when I fell over during the Long Mynd Valleys Race in February. Whatever happened I got it back yesterday and managed to deactivate that bit of your brain intent on self preservation as I went over the timing mat on the summit of Snowdon. Looking at the results I was number 202 to the top of Snowdon and 164 on the descent, I felt for me at least I was going as fast as I could on the downhill. I took a few wrong lines which slowed me down a little on the hill before the top tunnel under the railway and I felt really tired running along the road past the houses in Llanberis. The rest of the descent I felt I was going as fast as I was capable of without knowing the decent better. I managed a sprint finish within 100m of the finish when I noticed 2 people on my shoulder.

1:40:37 was 10 minutes faster than I expected and 7 minutes faster than last year. This is a good confidence boost for my Bob Graham where one of my big concerns was that I would just be too slow on the early sections. While I intend to travel much slower on the day, it s is good to know the training has had some effect, even at shorter distances and it was really promising that I could just keep the work rate up on the step hills.

With more specific training I am sure I could get an other 5 minutes off my time next year. I found on the way up I was having to walk sections others were running (part tactics, but part because my heart rate when up to 168), but thats OK, I have done little training for running up hills. All the last 9 months has been about preparation to walk up lots of hills fast, trot down them, repeat 42 times.

Anyway, I am very pleased with my run. I am also pleased not to have injured myself. Nice to have the kids meet you at the end, even though the weather did dampen the usual festival atmosphere. I do love running past the Victoria Hotel 200m from the finish in an Eryri vest and being cheered on by the crowd. I am not normally into that sort of thing, but in this case it is a very uplifting experience and as with last year it is one of those things that makes the race special.

9000ft in total this week, no very long runs, but some great fun

Monday : In London. 3 miles and 1000ft on hills near Welshpool in the rain

Tuesday : rest

Wednesday : Clarach to Borth 2000ft and 7 miles

Thursday : 6 x 330ft on hill at far end of Tanybwlch beach

Friday : rest

Saturday : Snowdon race (4000ft and 11 miles if you include warm up)

July 23, 2010

Anti training for the Snowdon race

I am quite looking forward to the Snowdon race tomorrow. 9 months of BGR training which in the most part is walking fast up hills, running down them and walking up it again, repeat, mixed with long days out is not the ideal training for an A.M. My training schedule has had very little pace training.

Last year I had an overall time of 1:47.07, to the summit in 1:10.37 and decent in 36:31. This year I am sure I am slower over this distance (though if we had to run it 3 times I suspect my placings would improve quite a bit), so my only goal this year is to get under 1:50 and not get injured (my toe nail is still regrowing from last year).

The real reason for doing this race is the event itself, the kids enjoy the festival atmosphere and running past the Victoria Hotel is a very uplifting experience.

July 18, 2010

OK till Sunday

  • Monday : rest
  • Tuesday : 3 * 350ft reps of hill at far end of Tanybwlch beach (south of Aberystwyth)
  • Wednesday : 6 * 250ft behind house
  • Thursday : working overnight at an investment bank, training to stay awake
  • Friday : cream crackered
  • Saturday : 9 miles and 2500ft plus a game of football
  • Sunday : some knee pain, I guess a side effect of the football. Plans for a big long run put on ice, went swimming with kids instead.
So the lesson of this week is don't play football, even a non physical game, as your body is just not used to quick and sharp turns.

4000ft and about 15 miles really does not cut it. Might need a day or 2 rest, but I don't think the knee pain is serious.

Next saturday is the Snowdon race where I am just going to enjoy the day and not worry about my time beyond doing better than 1 hour 50 mins. Need to get 6500ft in the early part of the week balanced against resting the knee on monday at least.

July 9, 2010

Ceredigion Coast Path : role your own Ultra



Misty and I started at 6am from Tanybwlch Beach at the south end of Aberystwyth in slightly breeze conditions, but still warm enough for t-shirt only. Our aim was to get to Cardigan and then return to Aberystwyth on the Bus. The route would be about 46-50 miles and we left about 12 hours so it was always going to be tight. I made the decision to take the time to eat and to take photo's and if that meant a reduced distance, so be it.

I have spent 6 months living near Southampton, 3 years in Stoke on Trent, 1 year in Birmingham, 6 months in California (total work time spent over the last 13 years) which leaves near 37 years living in Aberystwyth. It is therefore shameful that I had not taken the time to explore the 50 miles of coast line to the south. Given how well I know Snowdonia and Pembroke, or even parts of the Scottish coast, Saturday was the day to start to redress the balance.



I knew some of the 1st section, but I was quite surprised at the scale of the cliffs past Morfra Buchan. Thought less than 400ft in total hight, they still had some grandure and a lot of bird life. There were also the only place where I went off route into a section of Dwarf Oak, which was interesting none the less.

I left Aberystwyth with 20 quid, a some energy gel, a visa card and phone for emergencies, a thin waterproof, water, a camera and a spare pair of socks, so we travelled quite light. My plan was to eat and drink at least 4 times on route and the 1st stop was the Shell station in Llanrhysted for a coffee and some welsh cakes. In hind sight rather than following the signs back into the village, I should just have gone along the beach avoiding the Caravan park. Llanrhysted to Aberaeron where a lot flatter. I saw a side of Llanon which you don't see from the road, very pretty. A little further on by a maize fields were scores of white butterflys.

I aimed for a target pace of 4 miles an hour including stops, so I got to Aberaeron at at 10.30 and stopped for about 15 minutes to have a cup of tea, a bacon sandwich and change my socks. Aberaeron went about its saturday morning business as passed over the bridge in the habour.
Some quite nice houses on the south side of Aberaeron.




More hills, though nothing too bad on the way to New Quay where there is a good mile of sand which you run along when the tide is not high, very nice.


If you wish to join my internet campaign to have New Quay floated out into the Irish Sea and then sunk, please vote here. The classy end of New Quay is the fish factory to the south. Apart from a cheery girl in the Spar, everyone else I encounters were miserable as sin and just wanted your money. Full marks for the RNLI life guards spotting that Misty is a dog, but explaining the probability of her choosing to dump on their 50m beach after 22 miles left more than adequate time for me to clear off while they processed the concept with a confused look that people might run along a coast path with a dog and be just passing through, rather than using their 50m of beach to exercise their dog. Sweating bloke, panting dog, bum bag, lack of bucket and spade would suggest to most I was not intending to stay beyond the 30 seconds it took to cover their area of beach.



The coast south of the the wart on the backside of Ceredigion is wonderful, though a lot more up and down. What was were is now a jumble in my head, but 3 great accessible beaches and 2 that had no road near them, but were super and had a very quick swim in one. No shortage of tea and cake opportunities. This section of coast is just stunning and also excellent training with a lot of hill. I would love to read the risk assessment for digging this section of path which is just wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side, but being a 360 degree excavator owner myself this is a scary place to use a rock breaker. If it did start to slide, you would roll down to the sea before you knew it. Very impressive indeed.


We got to Aberport and the bus times just did not work to go any further. I had hoped to get to Cardigan, but with 2 1/2 hours left and well over 10 miles, it was too much of a risk that I would have to call up Myra to get me having missed the last bus at 6.30. So we got the bus back from Aberport.

I was chatting to a retired couple in Tresaith who wonder if they should call the N.S.P.C.C. because the dog was being made to run too far. I suggested they were welcome to do so, but that madam was always ahead, had plenty to drink and if she could talk the only words you would hear her utter was about how slow I was. There was also the small point that the N.S.P.C.C has a target market of beneficiaries which are children. They did reflect that she looked very happy.

36 miles and I guess about 6-8k of up and down in 9 hours of moving and an hour of tea drinking time (once we had decided at Treseith we were not going to make the bus in Cardigan, we chilled out a bit). Getting better at eating and drinking on the move and only eat real foot and some chocolate, giving the gel and sports drink a miss. Writing this on Monday evening, my legs are nearly ready to run again and my head certainty is.

It was really nice to do something which is not mountain based once in a while, but still is good BGR training, but what a coastline!

  • Monday 3 x 500ft hills reps hill fort to bus stop and back up with a lung bursting best of 12.02 1500ft.
  • Tuesday rest
  • Wednesday 5 miles of running round a field which included some hills sprints as well. Probably 1000ft in total.
  • Thursday : In London all day and having a excavator delivery at short notice put pay to my plans to do the Long Mynd Valleys course.
  • Friday rest
  • Saturday : Aberystwyth to Aberport along the Ceredigion Coast path. 36 miles and between 6k and 8k at a guess climb.
  • Sunday : Ice-cream and Football : playing football of course with kids, not watching it.

July 4, 2010

A light week

in fact a very light week. It was thursday before I stopped feeling really tired and friday before I could face running again. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were short runs (less than 3 miles each with or without some hills). Sunday being the most energetic with 6 x 300m uphill reps. I doubt we did more than 1500m of climb and 10 miles, but I needed some recovery time after a few hard weeks.

I am doing the Snowdon fell race in 3 weeks time, but I think I am going to do it just for the event and treat anything between than 1:50 as a success. I won't do well (even relative to previous years), but thats not the point, it is the event and the kids enjoy it.

A much harder week's running is planned for the coming week.