The Finish Line

At the start with my son, Rory - his very first race.

Well I did what I set out to do, I ran the Goatfell Hill Race.  What has been most amazing is the support I have had, during training, and before, during and after the race.  So many good wishes and comments from people – there was never any doubt I would be able to back out at the last minute!

Ok so the time was slow, and, as expected I came in last – although there was a brief moment at about 2km towards the end when I overtook on the downhill (my forte) before they caught up with me on the final straight and I was at the back again.

Heading up Castle Drive

I am not sure what the official time is yet, but I hoped for 3 hours but knew 3hrs 15 minutes was more realistic, no surprise, I was somewhere in the middle.  And on the day it was probably better than I could have hoped for as I was not having a good day – it happens.

The race started well, me bringing up the rear, with police car escort until we turned into Castle Drive – the gap between me and the runners was big already. I anticipated the up to be hard, but it was worse than usual with me suffering cramps (not something I usually get) and my breathing was ragged.  I think the day was getting to me.  But I persevered and managed to get well above the bridge before the first leaders were on their way down.  I barely managed any running uphill and had to settle for walking and taking a breather when I needed but I still managed to get up in 1hr 59minutes, so I was on target.

The last kilometer (with my personal support team!)

After layering up and managing a snack, it was downhill with a good pace.  Slowed only by the very nasty hail shower that came in for a short while.  And the down was good until I hit the Castle Drive again, and I just seemed to run out of steam.  My hips were aching, and legs felt shaky it was the only time I thought I may not finish.  The last 2km on the road was tough, I wanted to stop and even cry, but bugger it I was going to finish.  Familiar faces and words of encouragement on Castle drive and along the final mile kept me going but I have to say it was hurting.

I had 2 lovely guys who were marshalling the last runner (and their spaniel) for company all the way up and down – I feel very remiss that I didn’t get their names, but thanks guys for all the encouragement along the way.

Finished!

Will I do it again?  I don’t know.  Would I train differently?  Yes, I would definitely do longer distances and lots more uphill work.  But I also know I’ll never be a fast runner, but I am a runner, and I did it!

Two pictures of the guys with the dog (images David Kelso)

How to grade your run (Week 31 - 0 training weeks left)

Well it's the last week and I can't believe at this time next Saturday it will be all over (one way or another).  If I'm not ready now it's tough luck as it’s too late to do any more training.

Julie and Watson over looking Brodick Bay

I have learned so much about my running and training in the last few weeks that I would do it very differently next time (oh.. that sounds like there may be a next time) but that is not to say I did anything wrong, just that I have learned and can adapt my plans better.

One thing I have noticed is the fixation with time and distance, particularly in articles which often quote sub 5 or 7 minute kilometres (even miles in some cases) and I initially struggled with this.  Overall my average time per km has increased but that doesn’t mean I have got slower.  The terrain I am running on is tougher and steeper, so it’s bound to be slower than a flat pavement. There is no comparison between gravel, scree, forest path or even sand, so I came up with my own unique way of grading a run.

A nice fast track

It’s quite simple with a possible score of 110%!            

Getting out of the door to run 50%        

Doing the distance or 'time on feet' planned 10%        

Running at the pace planned (easy, steady, tempo) 10%          

Remembering to smile at least once during the run (and enjoy it)10%           

Doing a sprint or hill at the end 5%           

Warming up 5%     

Cooling down 10% 

Bonus points:-Score 10% for any of the following:-

Particularly bad weather, blowing a gale, freezing, too hot.

Trying a new route

Putting in extra effort or doing a race.

A very hot day

And a reality check for anyone expecting me to come anywhere but last.  I am hoping to do the race in 3 hours (2 hrs up and 1 hr down) but I think 3hrs 15 minutes may be more realistic.  However it will depend on how I feel on the day and the weather conditions.  I hope to get up and down safely and just to finish.

Weeks activity 8^th – 15^th May:

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Rest day
Tuesday – Trail run 5.38k / 155m height gain (very hot)
Wednesday – Rest day
Thursday – Rest day
Friday – Trail run 5.12k / 38m height gain
Saturday – Rest day

 (Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

The last hard training run? (Week 30 - 1 to go)

Top of Brodick hill, lovely trail run but very hot.

After such a good week last week, I was much more mentally prepared for a dip this week as I am starting to recognise a pattern in my running and with that in mind I opted for a recovery walk on Monday.  This being a very focused walk with some decent ascent and done at a reasonable speed and I followed this with an easy short run on the Tuesday – a lovely short route at Kings Cross chosen by Julie (a fellow cani crosser).  Unfortunately Watson had to stay at home as he is a bit lame so I’m resting him for a while.  The easy run did have a couple of short ups which I found a challenge but knowing they were short helped.

Julie and Misty on our easy run (Misty has special boots to stop her pads getting sore).

However I was feeling really strong on Wednesday so decided to do an extra run on Thursday – but the best laid plans fell into disarray before I’d even got to work and for one reason or another the run never happened.  However I had to go over to Brodick on Friday to collect my vehicle from the garage and decided to run over instead of getting the bus.  So this added a good hill run into the schedule.  And it felt good but very hot!

The camera is always a good excuse for a rest.

So Saturdays planned run – I’d already arranged to meet Julie to do a 10k – we opted for a flat trail route (not many flat routes on Arran) and both went dogless as both our mutts are lame (we are obviously working them too hard).  As I had been so hot yesterday I opted for shorts – this is a rare occasion, I really don’t have the legs for it but I have to say they were cooler.  The 10k went really well, easy run for Julie and a tempo run for me, and probably the last hard run I will do before the main event.

Sannox trail run (in shorts!)

So the week I expected to dip ended up being another good one – maybe I’ve finally cracked this training thing!

Weeks activity 1^st – 7^th May:

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Recovery walk 5.46k / 174m height gain

Tuesday – Easy run 3.8k / 73m height gain

Wednesday – Rest day

Thursday – Rest day

Friday – Trail run 8.11k / 136m height gain

Saturday – Trail run 10.34 / 102m height gain

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

Arran Coastal Trail Race (Week 29 - 2 to go)

Arran Coastal Trail Race (nr the end)

I feel I should start with the end of the week (yesterday) as I am still buzzing from completing challenge 2, the Arran coastal trail race.  I’m still in my pj’s as I write, and am planning a very quiet day today as I have some aches and pains in various places – not all expected, i.e., my ribs are a bit sore and upper right arm.  Goodness knows why.

New route and scenery at Carradale (looking towards Arran)

But the week in general has been good and really positive (Laura likes me being positive).  I started with a tempo pace run on a new route (in Carradale) so I’d nothing to compare my time to, and added some sandy beach in, and a steep up with the aim of mimicking Saturday’s race route.  But the main thing was I really enjoyed it.

Taking photo's of Watson is just an excuse for a rest!

Then on Tuesday I did an easy trail run with Julie and her dog Misty.  This was very slow, with lots of stops to have a chat, not to mention strapping up Watson’s leg as he went lame part way round.  We timed this run perfectly, cool wind but sunny.  Within 5 minutes of being home the heavens opened with sleet and strong winds (as had been forecast).

Julie and Misty coming up the hill

Before I knew it Saturday morning loomed along with the nervous stomach and bladder.  Before the race the weather kept changing and everyone was revising how many layers to wear.  I know I get hot, so braved down to a t-shirt to set off; a decision which proved right for me.  I also carried my backpack with water, spare layers and everything I have to carry on the Goatfell race – after all this is a training run for that event. Any excess weight was stripped out, so no camera or phone and no dog food.  My aims today were simple, not to be last, to test what I ate in the morning ‘sat well’ and was sufficient for the run, and to test my chosen combination of socks and calf sleeves.

Watson, sporting a new left boot

I have to say the race was tough.  The start on soft sand was a killer before heading off across the golf course and down a steep section (my time to overtake), a lovely narrow path for a couple of km before turning steeply up onto the Kings caves circular path.  The steep up was a walk for me (and everyone else going up at the same time) before setting off running again on the nice forest path. Through the carpark and water station – I didn’t have to stop as I was carrying my own, and round the far side of the forest path. This is where I felt my training kicking in.  Runners were stopping and walking and I was able to start overtaking as my stamina had obviously improved. The steep down was lovely (my favourite bits) before hitting the pebble beach – oh this felt twice as long as it really was and then through the caves before re-joining the nice coast path again.  Resuming a steady pace before a walk through a very boggy bit (just a short recovery time for me) and then under the cliffs.  This was quite difficult on tired legs and I went slower than I probably needed to make sure I didn’t trip, as an injury at this stage of my training would be quite devastating.  Then a messy bit of grass, sand, pebbles, up, down and through the gate, more scrambly rock and onto a grass path before hitting the crippling last kilometre of sand.   And it was all over.

Coastal Race - before we started

Well I certainly wasn’t last, and completed it faster than I expected even though the terrain (especially under the cliff) was harder than anticipated.  My breakfast and mid morning snack worked well but I still need a food top up when out running but most important I will definitely not be running in the socks I wore!  Very pretty but bloody expensive and kept slipping, so by the end the balls of my feet were tender something I’ve not suffered with before.  Maybe it was the harder terrain and increased foot movement that made them slip – they had seemed ok on shorter easier runs.  But useful to know and I have time to really test another combination.

So three weeks to go before race day – feeling good.

Thanks to Chris Hogge for letting me have the pictures for the blog.

Weeks activity 24^th – 30^th  April:

Sunday – Trail run tempo pace 5.14k / 81m height gain

Monday – Rest day

Tuesday – Trail easy run 5.55k / 118m height gain

Wednesday – Rest day

Thursday – Rest day

Friday – Rest day

Saturday – Coastal trail race 12k / 178m height gain

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

Just do it! (Week 28 - 3 to go)

Summit of Goatfell (again), very windy!

After reviewing my training plan this week looks really light and I found I had a slightly different mind-set about getting it done.  I would just ‘do it’.  Ok, maybe I was still a little apprehensive about the big run on Monday – aiming for the summit of Goatfell again, but I just relaxed and told myself I could revise the route at any time, and mentally broke it up into sections.  Get to the bridge, then the shoulder where the Corrie path joins up and then the summit – easy. The weather forecast was mixed but I set off in sunshine, with a fairly stiff breeze to ensure I needed a jacket.

No it wasn’t easy, but I did get up, albeit I still walked quite a lot of the up.  The downs reminded me of how unforgiving they can be with a brief stumble that I fortunately recovered from before crashing into other rocks. And the mountain reminded me how quickly it can change with wintry showers, stinging hail and strong gusting winds all the way down.

Change of scenery on a beach and forest run in Carradale

My next run should have been on Thursday, and this was to be an easy recovery run.  However I left it to Friday as I was going over to Carradale for the weekend and know a really nice route along the beach and through the forest which was a perfect change of scenery.

Saturday was a bit of general exercise with a short bike ride (to the pub) and a longer unplanned walk that turned into quite a major scramble – good for exercising all those forgotten muscles and practising my balance.

Rocky scramble more suited to the goats we found!

Next week is the 2^nd challenge in the run up to the main race, so tapering down a bit to conserve some energy.

Weeks activity 17^th – 23^rd April:

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Hill run 12.3k / 816m height gain

Tuesday – Rest day

Wednesday – Rest day

Thursday – Rest day

Friday – Trail run 5.27 / 73m height gain

Saturday – Bike ride 5k / Rock scramble walk 7.5k

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

Less is more (Week 27 - 4 to go)

Enjoying the views - an excuse to stop

After the saunter up Goatfell last Saturday it was time for a quiet week – just as well as my legs needed a rest, my joints have been painful with a flare up of arthritis and I’ve had a couple of allergic reactions (goodness knows what too);  So a few short runs with more gentle ups and plenty of stops to view the scenery.

Lots of forest tracks - steady incline.

I am concerned I’m not getting the mileage in that I planned but at least I am getting out and working on the terrain that I will be facing on the day. But I’ll not pretend this week has been easy. Doubts have crept in when I’ve had to walk bits and during the night when I suddenly suffered a bout of cramp in my inner thigh, but I remind myself it’s a challenge I set for myself – the only pressure is self-inflicted and I can quit any time I want. (I like to use that emotive word ‘quit’ – makes me just want to grit my teeth and [wo]man up!!).

I also took the opportunity to revise my plan for the last four weeks of training.  Less is more has been the advice from Coach Laura with very specific running aims for each run including easy, steady and tempo sessions not to mention the Coastal trail race on the 30^th before the big day looms! But the plan looks eminently doable, only one run I’m anxious about so that’s not too bad.

Watson with his trophy!

Oh and Watson found some more dead meat to carry with him - this time a particularly putrid squirrel!

Weeks activity 10^th – 16^th April:

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Trail run 5.66k /  102m height gain

Tuesday – Rest day

Wednesday – Trail run 6.73km / 212m height gain

Thursday – Rest day

Friday – Easy run approx. 4k (no watch)

Saturday – Rest day

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)

No such thing as a bad run (Week 26 - 5 to go)

Summit of Goatfell - stunning views

I am starting to recognise a pattern in my running.  After I’ve had a really good week (last week) I tend to follow it with a week where my expectations aren’t met.  And Monday I had a pretty dire start to my run.  But when I say dire I just mean that I didn’t do what I set out to do (those dam expectations) and it’s easy to say it was a ‘bad’ run.  But I kept telling myself, as I virtually crawled the ups on my hands and knees, I was still out there, in the pouring rain, trying.

Wet and miserable 

The thing is it should have been a great run.  I was well prepared, I was running after work and had taken everything with me, including a snack for an hour before (which I ate), some jelly babies to stop the calorie crash at the end of my run, waterproofs, and no watch to pressurise my speed (or lack of).

But it was miserable, and the hill I had planned was shrouded in misty cloud and the up was turning painful.  So I changed my plan enroute and decided I’d take a more scenic trail run through the forest and passed the waterfalls that were in full spate.  Amazing this ‘bad’ run turned into 8.6k of relaxed sogginess and actually a respectable height gain.  So really there is no such thing as a bad run, if you’re out there it’s a run, and any run is better than no run, and that’s good.

More scenic waterfalls

I did decide after this run that maybe I needed a bit of a rest and I have been trying to work out my optimum break to take before a big run.  Two days doesn’t seem to be enough, three is more promising but I opted to rest for 4 days and then do a long run.  As it happened I did have a plan to go up Goatfell on the following Monday which got cancelled, so my long run on Saturday turned into a Goatfell day – the weather was glorious and it would have been a shame to miss it.

Another from Goatfell Summit

I am still walking large chunks of the up and finding it far from easy, but I did get to the top (loads of people up there), the veiws were stunning.  There were plenty of other runners out, all of which I saw descending as I was still going up, apart from Jon who caught me up on the descent and ran and chatted with me for a while before zooming off ahead (he is an awesome runner).  I was amused again when someone called me a fell runner (still feel like a fraud), obviously I was going down at the time and actually running.  And it wouldn’t be a fell run if Watson didn’t raid some poor walkers rucksack – I think he did quite well at the summit today!

So despite only doing 2 runs this week, I’m fairly content and still very determined to race.

Weeks activity 3^rd – 9^th April:

Sunday – Rest day

Monday – Trail run 8.6k / 353m height gain

Tuesday – Rest day

Wednesday – Rest day 

Thursday – Rest Day

Friday – Rest Day

Saturday – Trail run Goatfell 11.14k / 841m height gain

(Goatfell Race 15.5km / 870m)