The SNOD ultra runnig thread

Yes, DE has become lean and mean.

Well done BN, pretty well inside by looks of it and on your hectic schedule of runs you must be managing your energy and recovery well.

TR -  lean, maybe, not sure about mean, but I did get quite "competitive" out there and it buoyed me a bit - in what was a very well spread field beyond halfway - if I was trading places with people and could eventually pull away from them.

Must be the training, but the revelation on Saturday for me was that my mindstate and aches in first half had me doubting I'd finish, especially coming off back of TDS DNF. But then, from 35m or so I just felt better and better - even though was slowing marginally - until Scarborough. By which time I knew I'd cracked it.

Passed a good few in second half and only one seemed to come back at me in a few places (4m from end - thought I'd lost him, but caught up again a good fifteen minutes later when I briefly stopped to take a picture, then 2.5m from end when I slowed to make sure I wasn't going the wrong way into Filey). In fact in final road/hartd surface miles through and around Filey I was convinced when I looked back I could see their light several times, at about 2m, 1.5m, even as late at .5m from the end. But now I see the results, can't have been as nearest competition was 9 minutes back at the end. Kept me pushing though

May have to try betroot by sounds of it, its the look of the pickled stuff that puts me off. Not sure if Chia benefitted me on Saturday as pretty much ran the pace I thought I could based on Lakeland 50. Maybe did though as not necessarily sure I'm in quite as good condition as was pre-lakes, three tough events, ran hard, since then and was on the verge of a cold at start of week. Legs felt a bit achey inside ten miles so I was just managing my effort and nutrition regularly from there, sure if I'd dipped too far into the energy bank I would have crashed at some point.

Well done EUPH cracking effort.

I reckon plenty of reps up the steps at Tilberthwaite will benifit me for The Hardmoors 100 then, are you doing HM 100 EUPH?

FWIW this is the beetroot juice of my choice http://www.beet-it.com/

It is mixed with Apple juice thus tempering the earthiness of the Beetroot, I load with Beetroot juice in the run up to an event in place of Carbo Loading, and then use a shot of Beetroot juice instead of gels during an event.

Someone call?

Glad you are doing the Lakeland 50 CD I will watch out for you as I come through Dalemain 

DE - so, you too see mysterious lights during your night running?  Not just me then?

I've been having some thoughts about offroad running.

What is regarded as "runnable" is relative.  Not only for different people but also for the same person at different stages of his or her running development.  For example I come from a road running background and when I started running along the canal I used to think all the rutted sections and mud a real handicap for good progress but now I'm just as fast on that sort of surface as on the road.  Similarly I used to think running on my local (grassy for the most part, but some sections rocky) hills and forest trails was a severe workout and sections often "unrunnable" but now I can keep up a good running speed on all those surfaces, including some serious gradients, and do most of my running on this sort of terrain.

Currently I'm struggling with rocky stuff e.g. like you get in parts of Devil o' the Highlands 43, or Lakeland 50.  But if I persist perhaps I'll look back in the future and wonder what the problem was?

Just thinking.

spot on there t rex..keep doing more of something and you adapt

the first time you do it it may hurt then later at some point you wonder what all the fuss was about. i think it helps to manage expectations ie dont expect the same results/pace on one terrain etc as you get on another and never compare the two..apples and pears

me? i just keep on adapting to being a shit runner whatever the surface/ gradient lol!

hello VK

I agree, continuously training on a specific terrain helps you to adapt, as long as you build up sensibly. A bit like you'd vary the amount of a certain type of training run you do depending on the promixity to target events I do the same with terrain and surface - as we probably all do whether we realise or not. I've tended to vary my run surfaces a bit this year depending on the next big event. Just concentrated on distance and doing some trail running till April, then Lots of hills and potentially rougher surfaces for L50, TDS, HM60 for a few months. Now I'm going to stop worrying about the hills and just run long trail runs and even some road distance at maybe greater speeds the next few weeks as I've entered the RR50

I am doing the 4 Lakeland Passes LDWA challenge, which I guess is pretty hilly in the meantime and doesn't fit that design above, but couldn't resist

How was Glencoe mara CD?

hey fr..pleased i did it..first run of anything close to 26+ miles since january

top class organisation (marshalls and checkpoints and finish), flagged etc. though i think theyd need a lot more entries to make it viable next year. 220 on list and i think 150 or so started. the 'facilities' were way disproportionate to the number. so thats all the positives

but folk on here might find it a bit of an oxymoron of an event in as much as bar the first six miles of steady climb up the glen the rest is on the whw from devils staircase onwards so you could quite easily just do it as a solo effort as many on here probably have already like you and rexy. but that said its part of bonny scotlan that i know not so a good introduction and glad i did it

26.43miles, 4819 ft 6.08..not first but not last and i did mile 25 at 8.14 pace and finished feeling i could have easily kept on going 

ps sad i wont be at 4 passes (again)  hope you have fun

Nice one CD 25 miles including some good climbs  at 8-14 pace suggests to me that you have succeded in banishing the various demons that have been casting bad vibes on your running and good luck with maintaining the momentum.

The efforts that you recognised the organisers of the Glen Nevis mara went to to ensure it`s success seems to be synomonous of Scottish races, it is a fact I have never been disapointed by any race north of the border (and I have done a few).

However I do feel that the stipulation that entrants must raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship, although very laudable was a negative factor when trying to attract entrants to a new event, It certainly put me off for one

The route you followed on the Glen Coe Marathon is a cracker as you will now know, when Mrs FR and I are on Glen Nevis Campsite it is a simple matter to nip out of the site straight onto the WHW and make our way to Kinlochleven or Glen Coe  and then get the bus back,(or vice versa) it is also an option to go from Tyndrum to Glen Coe or Fort Bill and then use train or bus for the return.

By the way the Fish and chips from the chippy in Linlochleven are pretty good.

I know I have said it before but you really should consider this :-

http://www.capewrathchallenge.co.uk/Home.html

Book early especially the accomadation and take the family up, (the same applies to anybody) it really is a cracking week.

Yep a shame you are not doing 4LPasses, and thank you I will enjoy it although I have a feeling the entry numbers are up this year, probably all the Hardmoors / Lakeland 100 entrants checking out the fitness level

Anyhow great to see you coming back to form and hopefully i will catch up with you at an event somewhere.

cheers fr

one point to correct about your lovely post above though..my 8.14 pace was mile 25..the other 25.43 miles quite slower..some considerably. positives to take from it and some questions still to answer

cape wrath? has always appealed. my kids wouls hate it..would need to be a solo excursion for me. are you going? anyone else fancy it? do you?

ps saw the sign for the chippy but reckoned at 12.30pm on a sunday it might just be shut

pps i cant fault scottish events..but then ive only sampled the two

I don`t think I will be doing Cape Wrath next year as it is to close to Hardmoors, but never say never as it will all depend on my winter training and VKs activites 

If you were to go up to Cape wrath it might be worth looking at flying to inverness and picking up a hire care or even camper, for my part though I like the drive up the west coast of Scotland is awe inspiring IMO

Maybe bump into you at 4LPasses EUPH

Always sounds great up at Cape Wrath (and sure drive up too). Always got stuff going on that time of year the last few years. Maybe, when DE junior is born and a few years old I can sell it to missus as an active hol for us

FR, will see you there if your doing (or if randomly running in area). Confirmed am popping over with mate and staying in Honister YHA Fri night (prob a beer and food at Scafell inn). Though I'll probably be undistinguishable from many other runners in my roclites, OMM last drop pack (yellow and black), and OMM kameleika smock (looking at the forecast). I'd say I'll be the one with the Lakeland 50/100 buff on head - but could be several of them as well I guess 

Just popped in for a catch up... some great running all round. Good to hear you are back on track (or trail) CD. Good news.

Glad to hear about the Scottish events, I am planning to be at the Fling next year to sample some of the WHW.

Had a good couple of weeks myself, including putting in 90 miles over 7 days which is about as high as I get training wise. Now winding down the miles a little towards Caesars Camp next weekend... and starting on the beet root juice loading FR

wib..try also devil o the highlands race..slightly shorter but more ascent and definitely more pleasing to the eye..thats not to say the fling isnt pleasing mind..just relatively speaking

I will take a look at that CD. I have heard of the race but don't know anything about it other than what is suggested by the name

WiB you could look at the WHW race :- http://www.westhighlandwayrace.org/

that way you can do both halves in one go, it was a good race the couple of times I did it, but it just got to expensive for me.

Missed you agin EUPH cracking day though really enjoyed it

FR - The WHW does look good and is on my list to do at some point. I already have 2 100s in for next year at Rocky Raccoon and the South Downs Way in June so want to try and keep my other races around 30 - 50 really.