Looking Backward and Forward

This is a very occasional blog these days, but I thought it would be useful (for me at least) to look back over what happened in 2019, see what can be learned from it and so try to plan an interesting and motivating 2020.

2019 Diary

My main focus for 2019 was the Hardmoors Grand Slam, which didn't work out for me for a number of reasons. I kicked off well enough with the Hardmoors 30 on New Year's Day, 31 miles and 3300ft of ascent which I completed in 6:36:10.  Next in the series was the Hardmoors 55 towards the end of March. This was 52 miles and 7200ft for this year only, billed as the "Hardmoors 50" to celebrate 50 years since the inauguration of the Cleveland Way, with a (very slightly) shorter course but a double ascent of Roseberry topping to increase the fun. The race has gained a reputation for a bit of tasty weather over the past few years, 2019 being no exception with continuous high winds and heavy rain for the first 10 hours or so. I waddled my way steadily to the finish in 15:42:12.

The Hardmoors 110 was my first problem in the series. This is a race I had never tried before because the date clashes with a timeshare we enjoy. I probably underestimated it because it would have presented no problems to me a few years ago, and this led me to make what I think was a crucial mistake in not bothering to enlist a support crew. There are only two inside checkpoints where you can get warm, have some hot food and "regroup" a bit. These are at around 30 miles and 70 miles. I think not being able to have a bit of a warm and a cup of tea occasionally, combined with having to carry a much heavier bag as an unsupported runner, contributed significantly to my running out of steam as bad weather hit the race in the later stages and I stopped at around 80 miles.

The Hardmoors 60 (62 miles and 7200ft) presented no problems and on a fine day in September I completed it in 15:54:07 which was 45 minutes longer than my last finish in this event in 2015, quite encouraging as I was four years older. But I didn't start the final race of the Grand Slam, the Hardmoors 80 in November; a cold had been threatening all the previous week and on the morning of the race as I drove to Filey to get the bus to the start it came out in a big way, so I cried off and snivelled my way home. So out of the five races, only 3 complete, a rather poor effort.

The other events I entered during the year followed a similar up and down sort of pattern. The week after the Hardmoors 30, during which I felt absolutely fine, I tackled the 108 mile Spine Challenger. It started OK but arriving at the first checkpoint at 45 miles my heart rate was way over what I expected. A couple of hours sleep and some food seemed to make no difference. I could (and maybe should) have just ignored it and carried on, but I was unnerved enough to call it a day. My pulse returned to normal gradually over the next 24 hours or so; I never found out what was wrong.

In early April I ran the Manchester Marathon. I wasn't sure that I still had sub four hours in the locker so was pleased to finish in 3:54:41. My son John was also running and we agreed that if we got well inside our "good for age" targets we would both apply for London in 2020. Mine wasn't too hard to beat, being 5 hours (!!), but John only squeezed inside his 3 hour limit by about three minutes. I didn't think that would be quick enough to get him into London so I didn't bother to apply. He was more confident and got a place! He's going for sub 3:50 and as he will be 40 by then and his good for age for age gets slower, I think he's safe to run London for a few years yet. I must go and do my third at some time; it's a great event but all the faff to get to the start does put me off somewhat.

I carried this relatively good form into the Highland Fling (53 miles 6300ft) at the end of April. I hadn't done the race for a year or two and had forgotten what a great event it still is, in spite of the huge numbers these days. We had unusually wet weather and my time of 11:29:48 was the second worst of my 9 completions, but I still felt it was at least a step in the right direction among all the rather pedestrian performances that characterised most of the year. John came along too after getting into ultras via the White Rose 30 and Chester 50, and managed a pretty respectable 9:27:03 (since then he's felt that ultra training takes him away from his young family too much so has given it a rest for a short while).

In June I ran the GB Ultras Pennine Barrier (50 miles and 8500ft), which involved the Yorkshire 3 peaks but starting and finishing at Malham. On a warm day I didn't really hurry and finished comfortably in 13:55:52.

July saw another failure. Not quite sure what I did wrong but was unable to get round the Lakeland 100 this time, stopping at Kentmere about 82 miles in, Then at the end of August I entered the new Peak 33 (35 miles and 5000ft) starting and finishing in Castleton, getting home in 7:50:45. After the Hardmoors 60 the Lakes in A Day (50 miles and 13100ft) enticed me back for the fourth time; in relatively benign conditions for October I finished in 18:31:20, which was a result but still nearly two hours slower than my previous worst time for the event. Finally in early November I entered the Cornish Marathon, which although entirely on asphalt still had a fair bit of uphill (2600ft); I was pleased enough to finish in 4:12:51.

So for the year 2 marathons and 11 ultras entered, 2 marathons and 7ultras completed, 3 DNF's and one DNS. A pretty mixed bag and overall a bit disappointing.

Two other little projects I had on for 2019 didn't work out either. At the start of the year I decided to walk all the Wainwrights during the year. First some essential maintenance work back in Chester then other distractions put me behind schedule and I eventually lost heart, completing only 175 of the 214 tops. Finally for the second year running I failed to "run the year", that is to cover 2019 miles in 2019. Again I was nicely 40 miles or so ahead of the game until I was unable to start the Hardmoors 80, which simultaneously used the buffer and put me behind, and I never recovered from that.

On a more positive note, thanks to finding a knee expert who was able to help me run at a faster pace without needing several days recovery each time, I got interested in Park Runs and completed 20 or so during the year. I got PB's at both my local course and overall (at a rather flatter venue) in the early Autumn.  I managed to get up to 79.1% on the "age graded" results, giving a clear target for next year!

My totals for the year were 1934 miles run and 274,600 ft ascended.

Learning from the Year

My comfortable running pace has slowed noticeably over the past two or three years. Some of this may be due to age, but I suspect a lot has resulted from ineffective training. I have done a lot more hills and a lot fewer "running" miles, basically because as a day out I find it more fun. But I think that I have been kidding myself that I am considering a day out in the Lakeland fells, walking the ups steadily and jogging the downs to have a training benefit equivalent to two or three hours trail running at a respectable pace; and this clearly isn't the case. I have tended to go with the idea that jogging the downhills and easy flat sections and walking the rest is good enough to complete the events that I'm targetting, and again this is proving false. Making better decisions may have seen me finish the events I failed, but I'm sure that a bit more base pace "in the bank" would have made the projects a lot more secure from the outset.

So my main theme for the first half of 2020 will to be to get out much more on the roads, towpaths and runnable trails both near Chester and in the Lakes, to get a much more solid base of moving in the 9-12 minute mile range rather than covering most of the ground at little more than walking pace.

I will still target a fair number of events, running a proportion of them as enjoyable supported training as normal, but will select them more to support a "running" year, particularly for the first six months or so. I'll walk some hills for fun but not count them as part of the training effort.

I'll be a bit less concerned about overall "miles per week" and just let them come as a result of a build up of quality outings rather than any particular target.

And finally, so that I make sure of good quality sessions rather than just going out for slow speed ambles when feeling tired, for the first couple of months I will restrict running to every other day, apart from the odd very short outing (eg Park Runs). To make this easier I will base the more detailed programme on a 14 day cycle rather than a weekly one (this is much easier if you are retired!) I'll have a rough plan for about a month ahead and finesse the details as I go depending on progress, how I feel and external influences.

Recent Developments

I haven't had a brilliant start to 2020. The cold that prevented me from starting the Hardmoors 80 back in November continued all through the Christmas and New Year period. Every time I thought I was through it and started some gentle exercise, it seemed to restart again. I felt I was finally through it by the end of the first week of the New Year, though I still had a bit of a cough. I was due to attempt the Spine Challenger race on the 11th, so I went along to the doctor as a precaution just to check that my chest was finally clear. He said it wasn't and sent me along for a chest X-ray, which effectively put paid to the event for me. I get the results next week; I don't believe there is a real problem and have started running gently again, but I think it means I have to take a bit of time to work up to decent effort and mileage again. And all the inactivity has resulted in my putting on just over a stone, another issue to be addressed.

Race Plans for 2020

The first race I have planned is the Brecon to Cardiff on 9 February. It's an event I've done before, a pretty straightforward 44 miles with about 2000ft of easy ascent on good runnable tracks all the way. Whether I will have recovered sufficient health by then I don't know, but if I have I'll go regardless of how unfit I will be. I had intended it to be a long slow jog (in 2018 it took me eight and a half hours), but if necessary I'll jog and walk it to get a longish day on the feet.

On 1 March I've entered the Millenium Way Ultra (organised by Beyond Marathon), 41 miles across the Midlands from Burton on Trent to Newport (Shropshire). It's mainly along waterways and disused rail lines so has almost no ascent. I'm really hoping I've been able to put in enough work by then to run this one.

Two old favourites next, the Hardmoors 55 (my eighth) in March and the Highland Fling (tenth) at the end of April. I'll hope to do more this year than just beat the cutoff on the former, and if I can improve on last year's effort in the Fling even slightly I'll be well pleased.

Apart from those in our local mountain regions (Snowdonia, Lakes) where "rounds" have an obvious appeal in visiting a lot of fine territory in a small area, I really prefer my events to be "journeys" from one place to another rather than just artificial circuits, or even worse out-and-back courses, so it's a bit of a departure for me to take on a circular, relatively flat 100 miler. But that is exactly what I'm doing at the end of May with the Chester 100 (Gb Ultras, 100 miles and 5800 ft ascent); two reasons, first it is my local big race, the course passing less than a mile from my house, and second it is a long time since I completed a long race at a reasonable pace, and I want to see how well I can do at this as preparation for my big race of the year in August.

After this I'll take a bit of a break, take stock, and see how I've shaped up over the first five months of the year.

I've always been involved in the Lakeland races at the end of July but the 100 has given me a tough time for the past two years so this year I decided to enter the Lakeland 50.  I originally intended to make it a focus race and see how fast I could complete it; I didn't expect to come close to the sub ten hours (just) I got in 2012, but I thought I might have a tilt at breaking 12. But things happen and plans have to change, so this year I hope it will see me having a comfortable and enjoyable (but probably fairly lengthy) day out,.

This is because I hadn't decided what my main race for the year would be, but I eventually settled on the GB Ultras "Race Across Scotland" which follows the Southern Uplands Way (215 miles and 25,500 ft elevation). In August it's likely to be wet and midgy, but it travels a lot of fairly remote country and looks like a good adventure. I've also enjoyed races of similar length and height gain (Offa's Dyke, Northern Traverse) and they seem to suit my approach so I'm really looking forward to it. The race is just two weeks after the Lakeland 50.

I hadn't planned anything else for the rest of the year except for another favourite, Lakes in a Day in October, which I hope will be my fifth finish on this particular course. John's also entered this one so it will be interesting to see what he thinks of his first real mountain ultra. I will wait and see how I feel after the summer before deciding on a full plan for the remainder of the year.

Finally, a new race has appeared which is just too good to miss. Mike Jones (Apex Running) has been working away for three years now building up his race series in Snowdonia. The 50 and 100 are gaining a reputation for being every bit as good (though significantly tougher) than their Lakeland 50 and 100 equivalents (I ran the 50 in 2018 and was really impressed). Last year he added a Skyrunning event later in the year and this year the 100 and 50 will also have a 30 mile version to introduce runners to the area who might find the 50 a bit sharp. But the one that really fires my imagination in the new "Race Across Snowdonia". This is a journey from Abergwyngregyn (Aber Falls) on the north coast to Aberdyfi (Aberdovey) in the south. Two 40 mile days, each with around 11,500 ft of ascent,  and an overnight camp in the middle, showcasing much of the best that the region has to offer. A sort of super "Lakes in a Day" for Snowdonia (only being Snowdonia you can't do it on a day!). I think this has the potential to become a really popular event, two days offering everything you get from say two days on the Dragon's Back but over a weekend and at a fraction of the cost. The only problem for me is that it comes in July, just a week before the Lakeland 50 and in an already crowded bit of my year, but a shot at the inaugural running just had to be fitted in.

So that's about it for now. I'm really enthusiastic about the prospects for 2020, and once I can shake off whatever this current bug is, I'll get stuck in.

The Low Down on Deadwater

I offered to publish some tips for runners at the "gentlemens" end of the field (as opposed to the "players", if you're old enough to get the reference), in other words those for whom getting to the finish is the prime objective rather than trying to take away John Parkin's title.

I should start by saying that this is a really great event. I completed it in 2018 and would do it again but at my stage of the game (I'll be 72 in August) there are too many other things to do before Father Time closes in; I've signed up for this year's Race Across Scotland which is only a week or two earlier and attempting the two doesn't really seem sensible. I'm hoping to make Deadwater in some sort of support capacity all being well.

So how does a runner of more modest abilities make it to the end of this 235 mile monster?

Well, I think a bit of planning and a determination to make good decisions on the day(s) will pay off more than that extra ten or twenty miles a week you may (or may not) be contemplating. Let's start off with the obvious one, kit.

KIT

Deadwater is (I think) unique in UK ultras in that you have to carry absolutely everything you are going to need, except water, right from the start (there's actually a food concession but we'll come to that later). That means that unless you're going to have a torrid time going at Spine-like speeds (which won't get you through the long day anyway) you really need to work at keeping everything light.

Richard's recommendation was to aim for a pack weight of 5kg. I found that I couldn't manage this and still take everything I felt was necessary for a reasonably comfortable trip (and over 6 days and nights you really want this to be fun, or why bother going?) I went out a couple of times before the event, once for just over 30 miles, with 6kg, and found that I could manage that OK for my style of running (run the downs and occasional flats, walk everything else.) Anything lighter would be a bonus. 

I took an OMM 1.0 sleeping bag with a silk liner, together these were less than 500g and would have been quite warm enough if the weather had been normal for August. We had some nights when the temperatures were around freezing so I needed all my clothes as well to stay warm.

I used a 4ft x 18in piece of 5mm close cell mat, which weighed almost nothing and was absolutely fine for insulation. All the fancy inflatable mats weigh more than this. I also took an inflatable pillow, which Richard said was not worthwhile but I found helped me get much better sleep.

I carried or wore at various times

- OMM Kamleika smock

- Montane Minimus rain pants

- long sleeved Helly Hansen lifa vest

- Icebreaker Merino vest

- extra light Ron Hill Fleece

- Rab Neutrino puffy smock

- Ron Hill tights

- Underarmour pants (2x)

- lightweight fleece beanie

- foldable baseball cap

- thin merino gloves

- Salomon waterproof shell mitts

Of these the only thing I would change if going again would be to take a Bryne long sleeve vest instead of the Icebreaker  -  warmer, lighter and much easier to keep dry. The best bit of clothing kit I took was the puffy smock for its absolute versatility; can be used to keep warm around camp, to beef up the warmth of a thin sleeping bag and as a great backup layer for a bleak day on the hills. The key with all your clothing is that it needs to be good for everything, running, relaxing around camp and sleeping, because you can't afford to carry separate stuff for different activities.

I also had a bit of hardware, mug, spoon, etc. My headtorch was an old Black Diamond model about equivalent in weight and power to a Petzl Tikka. If you run fast enough to need a brighter torch than this then you will finish each stage in daylight and will not use one at all; so anything other than a lightweight torch is overkill. My back up which (just) had enough brightness to get me down to the next CP when my main torch failed (see later) was a Petzl eLite.

All packed in a OMM 20L Adventure sack. I used a 30L drybag inside it as a liner to keep everything dry.

I took 2 identical pairs of  shoes, Skechers GoRun Ultra2. These are not available these days; if I went again I would probably take Hokas - Challengers for the hilly days and Stinsons for the flatter ones (1, 5 and 6). There is very little technical rocky ground on the course so unless you're travelling fast the main concern will be to go for comfort to keep your feet in good shape. There is a certainty of some (and a potential for a lot more) wet ground on days 2, 3 and 4. I took 3 pairs of Drymax socks (one on, one in the pack and one in the shoe drop bag).

I used a very old pair of Gipron collapsible poles. 350g and very sturdy, invaluable when you have knees like mine. These days I have updated to Mountain King Trailblazer carbons, which do roughly the same job.

I used an old Suunto Ambit 2 watch set to "Trek" mode which meant it was only charged once during the week. I used it for gauging distances to the next CP and for an occasional location ping to check the GR of where I was, and of course for telling the time of day.

I took a non-smart phone with a Manx Telecom simcard which works on all available networks. It did not need charging during the week.

I took my eTrex 30 GPS  with a rough plot of the course installed. I find its real value is in the map background enabling you to navigate when it's too difficult to open (or see) a map. I used it a few times, but not much overall.

FOOD

This occupied all the competitors thoughts quite a bit both before and during the event. You have to carry everything except water, but you are allowed a resupply drop bag at the end of Day 3. This means that when your pack is at its heaviest you are carrying 2 Breakfasts, 2 Evening Meals and enough hill food for 3 days running.

The mandatory minimum food requirement in the rules is 2000 calories a day, but the word was that this would be pretty painful so most of us aimed for 3000, which is what I took. I ended Day 6 with nothing left at all.

For main meals I took the freeze dried stuff as did almost everyone else. My typical evening was Soup (100cals) Main course (800) and pudding (500) plus tea and coffee with sugar (100).

For breakfast I used 2 x cereal bars (400) plus tea/coffee (100). Others took another main course for breakfast but I don't eat much in the morning normally so it wouldn't have worked for me.

This totalled 2000 cals per day. While running I ate at least another 1000 calories. I don't get on with technical stuff (gels, etc) over long periods, except Shotbloks. So as well as these I just took normal confectionery - Mars and Snickers bars, Dairy Milk chocolate, Haribos, nuts and raisins, ginger biscuits, etc. I drank just water because the stuff I use for shorter events (Mountain Fuel) is not really weight efficient enough for a long race, Water was carried in two 500ml bottles of the type found in the kids section at Sainsburys. I had a spare 1 litre capacity in a rolled up platypus at the bottom of my sack which I never used.

Because you have your resupply at the end of Day 3 everyone took a "treat meal" for that evening because you don't have to carry it. As it turned out I didn't finish that day until around midnight, so although the meal itself and the extra chocolate were worth it, I fell asleep before enjoying the two cans of G&T I had brought. The support crew enjoyed them the next day though.

It really is worth at least tasting every item you are going to take with you, because there are no other options for 6 days and 235 miles! (although a certain amount of trading does go on between competitors).

I can't stress enough how important it is to take food that (a) you can eat, and (b) has the best calorie to weight ratio you can find. This will be a big topic of discussion on the Facebook forum in the run-up to the event!

STRATEGY

It's a long way, but it has easy and hard days. To maximise your chance of a finish the key is to make sure the easy days are easy and you don't use energy unnecessarily. Once you have finished for the day on the shorter days (1, 2 and 5) all you are going to do is hang around until bed-time, so it makes sense to chill out, slow down and use a bit less energy. Day 1 is short and almost all on good tracks, with no steep climbs. Take it easy. Day 2 is a bit longer but the first two thirds are again gentle and on good tracks, with just one climb (over Cross Fell) right at the end. Day 3 again is pretty gentle until nearly half way, but from there to the end (once you start up Wild Boar Fell) it's pretty testing both physically and navigationally if the weather is not great  -  and it's 46 miles. This will probably leave you pretty knackered starting Day 4 "the Long One" at 60 miles, but if you tough this one out steadily you'll make the finish. As Richard said in the morning briefing at the start of Day 5 "Well you've got it cracked now, just a couple of 30 mile fun runs to finish!" There are no cut-offs, the only rule is you have to be present on the start line at 8am for each day's stage. This was modified to 7am at the start of Day 4 and 9am at the start of Day 5 to give runners a chance of some sleep after the long stage  -  or in my case allowed me to take just under 25 hours on Day 4 and still stay in the race. Day 5 "Canal Hell" is aptly named, many of us found it the hardest day of all, 30 miles on hard-packed or asphalt towpaths when you're already tired, but there is plenty of time so just take it steady and soak it up. Once it's done, so long as you've looked after yourself, Day 6 is the easiest of the lot and great fun because you know it's all going to stop at teatime!

You have to look after your feet. The race medics were wonderful but they can't work miracles. What works for me in "summer" races is a liberal coating of Sudocrem and Drymax socks (the sock makers say don't do this but it works for me), and that lasts me the day. I got wet feet every day (even on the "dry underfoot" days we seemed to hit fields with wet or dewy grass first thing in the morning) so if they hadn't dried out naturally by the end of the days play I dried my socks off in my sleeping bag overnight (sounds unpleasant but not too bad and it works). I finished the event with no significant blisters. You definitely need to work out what works for you, as this can make or break your fun (or even your race).

You need to manage the state of your clothes, because you don't have any spares. Drying is possible at some of the overnight camps but certainly not easy, and if you're drying stuff you're not wearing it. If you get a bit of bad weather you will get wet inside your waterproofs if only from sweat; it's then really important that if it stops raining to get the waterproofs off as soon as possible (even if it feels a bit chilly) to start the drying process. I found in general that the best way to dry your wet clothes (apart from waterproofs) is to keep wearing them.

I found it very helpful not to bother about times at all. I just concentrated on making sure I was feeling OK and let the forward progress take care of itself. It's a great varied course and easy to enjoy. Even on the long day, when I was delayed for a couple of hours by incompetence, I didn't fret about the overall timing taking the view that all you can do is all you can do, and it's either good enough or not.

MISTAKES

I made two serious mistakes, either of which could have stopped my participation in the event, but the organisation were generous enough to let me get away with them.

(1) Coming down off Wild Boar Fell I needed to take a bearing in the mist, only to find that my compass had gone. It was in an open pocket on my pack, tethered by a lanyard and a small carabiner, which had obviously worked open. Having both a watch and a GPS each with a compass I was OK on the ground, but a compass is part of the mandatory kit. I confessed to Richard who happened to be manning the next CP. His view was "well if you survived over there without one you'll probably be OK" and allowed me to carry on. Ever since I have made sure that the compass is secured by a knot at both ends.

(2) As day turned to night towards the end of the long day I put on my torch to find the batteries fading. I was a bit surprised as I had only used them until about midnight the night before and that particular torch usually lasted the whole of a summer night. But I had a spare set that would last the night so I changed them and carried on. Less than three hours later these too started to fade rapidly. I inched my way painfully slowly to the next CP using my back up which dimly illuminated about 3 feet ahead at most. I said to Andy who was running the CP that I would have to drop out as I had no batteries left. No worries, he said, I have batteries; so I was on my way. What happened was that I had in general moved from alkaline to lithium batteries sometime earlier, but had not checked that they were compatible with the torch I took on Deadwater, which was one of my smaller, older ones to save weight. They weren't.

These are just two examples that if you don't prepare everything thoroughly then there is no-where to hide on an event like this.

Stay (more or less) in control and you'll have a great, rewarding time. Richard's team will look after you and you'll finish, even if only a little, a bit different from when you started.