wannabe ultra runner?

WiB wrote (see)

Rocker- sorry mate, settled for a tempo run on the road.

bad word WIB...naughty naughty..words will be had later-detention and double mileage off road to make up for it.

short 5 yesterday as it was all that could squashed in amongst other duties

today hopefully longer....

thanks for the advice,it is the born to run its quite close to me so seemed like a good run to start off with maybe progress onto hillier ,longer runs after will see how this one goes..

ultrarocker: don't forget to massage those calves night and morning after a run - I find that helps, anyway. And your run route sounds lovely.

I decided not to go for Barns Green HM; instead did 90 mins with the club plus running the three miles each was there/back.  Glutes are tired. Oh well, I suppose not surprising when I've done a session of speed intervals, a tempo run and parkrun during the week, and I've started doing some glutes-specific exercises. Hopefully as I continue with those my glutes will get stronger and hurt less!

Meanwhile, I'm really appreciating our new memory foam mattress topper.

Still need to do more hill work.

Hardmoors 60 - Had a fantastic day at HM60, in spite of being served my first DNF.

Hamstring issues I have had all year and not tackled caught up with me, where in other races (and in recent training runs) they have just served to slow me down, the tough, tough climbs and stairs at HM60 simply ruined them and thereby me, reduced to little more than a shuffle after just 4 hours at about 21 miles, I called time on this adventure.

Had a great rest of day as cheerleader in residence for Phil Turton, Tim Bateson, Dave Coxon and Bruce Smith who were all super focused, incredibly strong and tough all day. 

Saw around 31 miles of the course having rejoined for the last 10 miles to provide a bit of company to Phil who as a result of a blown knee was power hiking the last 10, what a course just incredible. Will most certainly be back next year.

Finally big thanks to Roger and Sharn for their taxi services and Greg for his company.

hey, nevermind Alistair, onwards  and upwards and put it behind you glad you salvaged the rest of the day and had a good time with the otheres there. rest up and hope the injury gets better soon.

Cheers All, it is perhaps the 'shock' I needed, I have been grinning and bearing it all year and had pretty much accepted chronic hamstring pain after 13 or 14 miles  as the 'norm', yes I was getting slower but I was still running and covering the distance, must click off the miles .... .... doh!

So it's time to get fixed, get lean and get fast!

Oh Alistair, that's a shame but you are sounding philosphical about it and YES, get those hamstrings sorted!!! Met Dave Coxon briefly in the pouring rain at the start of the Northumberland Ultra last year, and Phil on the 'Frostbite' - funny how paths cross isn't it?

Rocker - sounds like a great run, running sand kills my achilles if they are tired for sure.

LLB - hope you managed a longer run today, it's a nightmare squeezing stuff in sometimes isn't it? I've just learnt to be more 'c'est la vie' about it now as I used to get soooo frustrated in the past.

Haven't read back, sorry, been busy mad here.  Found a great way to get hubby (or wife I guess) to agree to race entries, suggest you are going to enter something really really stupid, let them talk you out of doing it, then drop in that you were also considering entering the ballot for such and such, and smile with joy when they say 'now that I can see you entering'!!! Well it worked for me ... now have tacit agreement for me to at least enter the UTMB ballot, obviously I haven't mentioned the WHW race that I'll be doing before it.  The bait I used was http://www.cxtri.com/ but hubby pointed out that perhaps my 40 lengths of breastroke might take a bit of work to convert into 2.5 miles of open water swimming, for starters. Anyway, thought the race looked awesome and am definitely putting it on my 2014 wannado list!

10 miles round the forest this morning - glorious warm blue-skies-sunshine day, shame about the every present brisk breeze, but pleased to knock it out at a decent pace. I think I might be becoming fit again!!

Wow, this is a busy thread.  No way I can catch up on all the news since I lasted posted.

Had enjoyable weekends at the Lakeland 50 (14 hours) and then two weeks later at the NDW100, which turned out to be tougher than expected - not so much the terrain but just the fact that 100 miles is a long way - in 29 hours, only just meeting the cut-offs.

Two weeks after that my first ever DNF in 13 years of running - I got to about mile 83 of the Ridgeway 85 with the finish literally in sight but got to the stage where, after about 20 miles of pain with it, my left leg would no longer move.  The only I could move it was to clasp both hands under the hamstring and literally lift the leg off the ground and move it forward before bringing up the good leg, and repeating.  I soon realised this was futile and threw in the towel.  After 24 hours in A&E and recuperation at home I am getting back to normal.

cragchick - how are you going to bring it up with Mr cragchick that he is going to be support crew and may be obliged to run with you for the last stages of WHW??

Well completed my firs 100km race at the Hardmoors 60. Fabolous weather, fabolous course and very well run race.

The race itself was going exactly as I had planned it in my head up to the 30 mile point. In that I was within the top 5 and was hoping for somewhere between 10 and 12 hours. The 10 hours was more of a dream time than a real time, but there I was living the dream and bang on target. 

So what could go wrong. Well the wheels came off just after 30 miles (leg cramps) and I have not got time to to give a full account of what through my mind during the second half of that race as I slipped down through the field. I am rushing to type this before work, but will blog about this in more detail in a couple of days. A very quick summary is that it was only my mental determination to push on and remind myself with every step that I run for pleasure and to enjoy what I am doing. Setting of with a pre plan of wanting a top 5 finish and running at a pace that I thought I could run, rather than by feel was not helping me get the full enjoyment from first attempt at running 100km!

 Not even sure of my final time and place that became secondary (just under/over 12 hours and somewhere between 10th and 15th I think.). It was a BIG lesson humility for me, I look forward to running this excellent race again next and working my way through the field at an easy pace, not setting of with a pre plan of a fixed pace or position to finish! I am of course delighted to have finished my first 100KM race, for me that has almost become the secondary achievement to having 32 painful miles to analyse why I run and coming up with some more sustainable answers for my future running goals

Also really delighted that my good friend Phill finished his first Ultra this weekend Alistair I know you will come back next year and complete this race. I look forward to being there with you.

I can highly recommend the HM60 race. The secenery and views were great and we got very lucky with the weather as well  

Tim - Sounds like an experience as much as a race! Great stuff and a solid result, well done. I think a lot of people underestimate what is required upstairs when it comes to the long races, especially at those darker times!

Look forward to readign your full account, chuck a link on here when it is ready to view.

Morning all..Got my first 50 miler out off the way yesterday ,with the first running of the Ladybower 50.which due to late alterations of the route turned out to be nearly 52 miles,what difference does a couple of extra mile mile make ? [extra sore legs].Having woken up Friday full of cold,getting to the start line way a chore in its self,Got there bright and early a parked at the side of the registration /feed-station tent.This meant i could use the car as a service vehicle.The race was 1 short loop of over 5 miles and 3 large loops of over 15 miles,myself and a few others decided to do the short loop with just a hand held bottle and pick up bum bags/hydration packs  on start of 1st big loop,The 20 mile race started 5 Min's before he 50 and by the time i had done 4 miles i was passing the rear markers and in 7 or 8 place .Having a quick pick up of bum bag i found my self in 3nd going into the first big loop.this was short lived by the racing snakes who passed me by mile 7.This wasn't a concern as my plan was to try and run at 9.30 pace,hand see how my cold affected me,I managed to keep most of the front runners in sight and by mile 12 had managed to catch up and there was now 4 of us working together.Going through the second feed station we had passed several of the 20 mile runners,and i was a couple of minutes up on my time.The route was very undulating,with a mix of trail,grass,rocky bridleway and a bit to much road,it was also a bit on the windy side.with the forecast of rain to come,[this was going to be a bit harder than i thought].Going in to the check point for the second big loop i was still on course for a good time.The 4 of us now split up but never more than a few hundred metres apart,I took the second loop steady stopping to take a few photos.and managed to do the first 25 in 4 hours.The wind and undulating ground and my cold started to its pay back at mile 28,and the pace dropped to about 10.30,Going into the final loop i was feeling a bit rough put had moved up a place,Picking up some coke,[Never try anything new in a race],as i wanted something diffrent to drink was a big mistake,Drank coke over the next couple of miles,At mile 38 it started to rain,at mile 42 got stomach ache,and couldn't take in any food or fluids,pace dropped to 12 min miles running and walking,mile 44 got caught up by one of the group of 4 who had a bad patch on loop 2,ran and walked together for a few mile,let him go at 48 miles as feeling really bad,walked the next mile,and managed to take in a bit of fluid,but couldn't hold down any food.Managed to run and walk the last few miles,to finish in 9 hrs 3 min and in 6 or 7 place,All in all a very eventful day,The route was good,the organisation good,there was plenty of food and water at the feed station,plus beer and fish and chips afterwards,This could be a excellent race in the future,will definitely do again next year.

Awewsome DAYTREKKER, good job, great time and result. Hopefully catch you for a run when you and I are recovered.

Well done Daytrekker and Tim then, sounds like some tough runs over the weekend but superb efforts and great placings! So much to learn isn't there, sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don't!! 9 hours for a 5(2)-miler and 12 for a 100km sound pretty pacy to me

TRex - hubby will be expected to do childcare duties for WHW so that gets him off the hook - I have several girl-friends who are happy to do the supporting I need plus someone I did an ultra with last year ... now UTMB, that (if it happens) will be a 'romantic' weekend away for hubby and I, if I can get the childcare sorted,where he DOES get to do support (he doesn't know that yet though).

Well done DT... Sounds like you ran well and learned a fair bit as well.

CC - I have often got it wrong, and still do actually! but its only by getting it wrong I have started to get it right.

We need to hear from Rosemary now on her Loch Ness marathon run. I am impressed she was running another marathon so soon after BATB. I could still feel the tiredness in my legs just running a 4k XC race so my hat off to Rosemary!

Oh goodness, hadn't realised Rosemary was doing Loch Ness, must have missed that somehow, I'd have gone and cheered her on otherwise seeing as it's just down the road! Was a lovely day up here, a tad warm perhaps and the ever present breeze.

i heard from Rosemary..i think it was another toughie by all accounts, her time was faster than BATB but not what she wanted i think. will await her report!

Wow! what amazing running people have been doing! Congratulations to Tim and Daytrekker. Sympathies to Alistair and (belatedly, for Ridgeback) T-Rex.

Still somewhat wishing I was doing Vanguard Way this weekend, but that's impossible due to RDing my parkrun on the Saturday morning. Might train along the first part of the course for my long run on Saturday...