Post race analysis

I hope you all like the new picture. I took it with my mobile phone whilst running the race. I shudder to think how much time I wasted taking photos and how easily it might have pushed me beyond 23 hours! Anyhow, I'm quite pleased with the result and I think it captures a little of the beauty that the bog cotton brought to Rannoch Moor.

Getting back to the race, firstly equipment (starting from the top).

Equipment
Head torch
I had to rush out and buy a new head torch the day before the race as I just couldn't lay my hands on my nice Princeton Apex head torch. It had served me very well during my mid-winter WHW run and I was in a panic about losing it. I went out to my local Blacks of Greenock and bought their most expensive Petzl tikka torch, the XP. This only uses 3 AAA batteries as opposed to the Princeton's 4 AA but I wasn't after a huge battery life, I just wanted a decent light. I had no chance to test it pre-race (as I kept hoping that my old one would turn up and I would be able to return the new one) but I needn't have worried, it was brilliant. Light and bright with a good "flood" diffuser. If I had a complaint, it would be that the two buttons are a little hard to work with cold fingers. I'd highly recommend it though. It provided plenty of light for running and navigating through the forest above Glen Nevis.

Contact lenses
I use soft daily disposables *very* occasionally. When I say "daily", that's what it says on the packet. I reuse the same pair many many times. ;-) Despite being only an occasional wearer, I had no trouble wearing my lenses for the full duration of the race and a few hours besides. Again, if you're a spectacle wearer and you've not tried them, I'd recommend giving them a go.

Neckwear
Gotta be a buff, hasn't it? ;-) So versatile and comforting when things get a bit cool. My buff had to become headwear after Rowadennan to stop the midges biting my ears. A real godsend.

Top
I bought a Salomon X-Static technical top that I wore throughout the race. I bought it because I has a high neckline (useful to reduce abrasion from hydration pack straps), short sleeves and a short zip. I found it really comfortable and the only change I made throughout the race was to put a long sleeve top on over the top of it towards the end. The best thing though was that I've usually suffered abrasions around my waist from my bottle belt on long runs but with this shirt material, I had no abrasions whatsoever. Of course the dry weather may have been a factor.

Hydration pack
A cheapie bought from Millets (a "Storm Shield" pack). It's sold with numerous different names but the basic pack is the same. The original bladder died on mine years ago and got replace with a Camelbac one. As a rucksack, it's been really comfortable and I see no need to change it.

Bottle belt
A Hilly Classic bottle belt. Mine came with a 400ml wide necked bottle that was easy to fill and more than adequate in size for a race where you're getting supplies along the way. The two pockets are just big enough for a very lightweight jacket and overtrousers. Again, wouldn't bother to change it next time.

Shorts (half tights)
I've been using Skins in training and the knee length ones have been very comfortable with no tendency to slip down at the crutch (unlike the full length ones). I wore the same pair throughout the race (although I changed my underwear in Kinlochleven) and was pleased to have no abrasions post race. None of the usual screaming in the shower.
;-) Whether it was down to better training (likely) or some help from the Skins (possible), my quads felt fine throughout the race. I had no problems running down the forest road at the end, a time when shot quads are usually screaming out.

Socks
Innov8 Smartwool Deris Socks. Just brilliant. No gravel in my shoes, comfortable throughout and not even a teeny blister. I was worried about the durability of the rubber bands that pass under the shoe but they held up well in several training runs. During the race, the first band broke at about Kings House, the second one after Kinlochleven. Despite this, they still functioned well at keeping the gravel out. Given that they weren't pristine pre-race, I can live with that. Better still, I phoned Innov8 and for the princely sum of £3.50, they posted out 3 new pairs of rubber bands. They're supposed to be available in the shops (for 50p a pair) but few shops seem to stock them. When the socks wear out, I'll just snip them off the gaiter and use ordinary socks so at £15 a pair, I reckon they're great value for what you get.

Shoes
I've been training in Innov8 Roclite 295s, not so much for their light weight but because the shape suits my foot much better that the 315s. I found them just fine in the Fling so was happy to wear them for the WHW. Again, up to Tyndrum and perhaps up to Kings House, I had no problem but my feet became increasingly tender after this and I felt I needed more cushioning. At KLL I changed into some old road shoes (my "old faithful" Asics Gel Landreth shoes) and my feet felt better for it. I'd probably use them again for the first half of the race but change inot road shoes at Tyndrum in future. I had no problems with my feet swelling and my sandals went unworn post-race.

Miscellany

Phone
I tried Vodaphone this year to see if the coverage was any better. As you might expect, I wasn't spending my time watching the signal strength so I don't know anything for sure. It *did* seem to have plenty of signal across Rannoch Moor which is where I've had trouble with Orange and O2. Still seemed poor above Crianlarich. Seems there's no one network that will work everywhere. What I did enjoy was (being an antisocial miserable bugger) the fact that only Dario, my wife and support runner knew my number. In the past I've come to really hate dealing with calls & texts when I'm running. I made sure that my support knew that I *didn't* want any unnecessary calls. Call me a miserable git if you like but I was a lot happier running without having to deal with calls and texts.

Anti-midge tactics.
Skin-so-soft may have an effect but I believe that it's anti-midge reputation was built on the "Woodland Fresh" scented variety, which isn't the one you see in most shops. I stuck with DEET. ;-) The other thing I did that really seemed to help when we visited the Everglades in Florida a few years ago, was to have Selenium tablets (which contain yeast) for a week pre-race. This doesn't stop you getting bitten but does seem to dramatically reduce the pain and itching. I had no visible bites post race.

Training
You know, I don't think I'd change anything very much. My 200 miles a month in 2008 seemed to work pretty well, concentrating on a lot of LSD and not too much speedwork. I think doing the odd hill race pre WHW helped quite a lot too, particularly the Carnethy 5 which really seemed to "kick start" my legs. I'd perhaps make more of an effort to do the full back to back long runs with JK et al as I think more miles on the trail can't hurt too much and would have given me more opportunity to fine tune my hydration and nutrition in as near race conditions as possible. I'd definitely do the Highland Fling race again (already entered for next year). I was worried before it that it might just be "too much" before the WHW race but I really enjoyed the race and my legs recovered well from it.
Still got some work to do on hydration and nutrition. I definitely felt that my pace suffered at times not from under-training but from swinging nutrition levels. I wasted too much time this year experimenting with "self sufficiency", which would be useful should I decide to run the WHW unsupported but not a good strategy when one has got a support crew. It definitely involves compromising you nutrition in favour of portability over quality.

Nutrition & Hydration
These two are, I think, absolutely key to doing well in this race and I know I've got some work to do. I thought I'd crave chocolate milk more than I and only drank one during the race. Small tubs of fruit salad were a hit and I knocked back quite a few of these. Had a couple of Muller Rices as well but I found during the race that I felt a bit intimidated by the size of them. "Little and often" seems to be the order of the day. I enjoyed half a baked potato at Auchtertyre and would have potato again. I might also experiment with John's baked beans. Maybe that's where all the wind came from after KLL? ;-) I think I'll have to work up to them though as I've never been wowed by the thought of cold beans. Still, if running like JK means eating like JK, I'm prepared to give it a go. ;-)

Fluidwise, I keep using a mix of water and probably Lucozade Sport with Caffeine boost. I don't know if it was *just* the Lucozade and caffeine that gave me the boost after KLL and it may just have been enough calories getting absorbed at the right time.

I did use some "Succeed" electrolyte capsules which I've had no trouble with. Unfortunately, the packaging is poor and my ziplock bag burst and then the capsules popped. :-(. Fortunately, I also had some Nuun tablets that you add to water. reasonably palatable but incline to leave a residual flavour in your water bottle which can be annoying. I think I'm going to harass the makers of "Succeed" into improving their packaging. They aim their product at runners and then only supply it on big bottles of capsules that you have to transfer to something else. Far better if they were in a bubble pack strip or in tablet form rather than capsule.

Golly, I think that's enough for now. ;-)....................

...............back again, now where was I?

Ah yes, SUPPORT! Where would we be without them?

I use a "one crew" support system. One car, one driver, one runner for the whole shebang.

I make a point of NOT stopping before Balmaha to give my crew a chance to rest and I'm really not sure why anyone would want to see their support crew sooner. I mean, if you can't run the 19 odd miles to Balmaha unsupported you shouldn't be starting! It really doesn't mean carrying much more. Being at night means that insensible losses tend to be low so you really don't need to carry much fluid for that distance (and there are always camelbac etc. if you want to carry a lot.

I try to phone ahead to give my crew some idea of what I want. I think it's a bit unfair to surprise them or expect them to be hopping from foot to foot in anticipation of your arrival. You're going to need them for a long time. No point in wearing them out with nervous exhaustion any more than necessary.

I was happy to have my support runner with me from Kingshouse onwards. I don't expect or want them to run in and out of checkpoints with me. I appreciate that it depends on a lot of factors but I feel having a support runner too early is not quite cricket. They're certainly not there to carry any of your kit! They're there for your safety, not to pace you to a faster time whether you're in the top 10 or the bottom 10. If you're injured or really struggling for other reasons, fair enough. I rather suspect that pacing and muling (carrying kit) happened on occasions is this year's race. Probably through ignorance rather than any intention to bend the rules.

Sorry, I digress. Getting on a hobby horse. ;-) Back to support.

I think something that my wife would do differently next year is keep more hot water in thermos flasks. We have a good stove but it still takes a little time and if I change my mind about wanting coffee and want a cupasoup instead, having hot water rather than coffee made up makes things simpler.

Another thing we found handy from the support point of view was for my wife to have two phones on different networks. At one point I couldn't contact her on O2 but could on Orange. If you have a spare handset it's easy enough to pick up a PAYG sim and you never know when it might come in useful. Of course it would have been handy if I'd had two phones but there are limits to how much clutter I'm prepared to carry. ;-)

Other than that, I don't think I'll change anything about my support for next year.

My 2008 West Highland Way race

After 2 failures to make this start line in the last two years, I was just desperate to make the start line this year, and if possible, put in the sub 24 hour time that I was sure I was capable of. I know that to some folk who knew how I was running in training, this might have seemed a fairly modest target, but I had suffered too many disappointments to risk setting my sights too high. My first goal was to get to the start line, my second goal was to finish and my third goal was to go sub 24. In 95 miles there is just so much that can go wrong, it's foolish to take anything for granted.


In the last few days before the race I had a panic attack when I realised that I couldn't find my trusty head torch that had seen me through my Way Highland West run in 2006. Despite turning the house upside down several times I just couldn't find it before the race and had to buy a new one on Thursday. As it turned out, the replacement one (a Petzl Tika XP) turned out to be an excellent little piece of kit, the only downside being rather small buttons that are a bit hard to feel with cold fingers!


Before leaving home, I had this picture taken which provides and interesting contrast to the one taken at the end. A bit scary huh? ;-)

Before

After

As you can probably tell from the after photograph, I was more than a bit pleased. ;-) I hadn't just gone sub 24 but had manage to go sub-23 with a full minute and 8 seconds in hand!

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the beginning. It was the first time I'd heard the pre-race briefing in the church hall which made a huge difference, I could actually hear it! The one downside of using the hall is that there isn't really room for all the support crews and I think some of them need a bit of pre-race instruction.

I personally feel that some runners are jeopardising the future of the race by having far too large a support team. Parking is at a premium up the WHW and no runner should need more than one vehicle or one runner supporting them at any time during the race. Whilst I accept that bigger vehicles are nice to have, on many parts of the WHW, there just isn't space for big motorhomes! That doesn't mean that runners can't have two teams of support crew to spread the load but having more than one support vehicle occupying precious parking space at a support point is just selfish in my opinion. Some runners had so much support that it could be construed as pacing and muling (carrying a runner's load for them), practices that I consider "unsporting" at the very least. I certainly saw runners being accompanied from Tyndrum carrying nothing at all (not even a water bottle) and I think this breaks the spirit of the race rules if not the letter.


Enough of that, time for my report

Milngavie to Balmaha

"Start slow and speed up later". How many times have I told folk that? Is that what I did? Nope. ;-) I'm an absolute sucker for getting dragged along by a group and as this first stretch never feels like the *real* WHW to me, I'm always keen to get it over with as soon as possible. The pace felt easy but I reached Drymen in 1:55 which was faster than I'd intended and it was only as I climbed Conic Hill and Murdo passed me, that I began to appreciate just how much too fast I might have set off. Still, it had been a glorious night for running with a near full moon, mist over the lochs at Carbeth and beautifully cool and windless. When I say "cool" I actually mean "near freezing". The car thermometer dropped to 3c on the way over to Balmaha and I swear I saw some ice near the top of the hill. I had a lightweight windproof top on though and didn't really suffer apart from slightly chilly fingers. What I did suffer from was an inconvenient call of nature and a surfeit of hill walkers at 4 in the morning! I *think* I was just about decent when they came around the bend up the hill. I think I reached Drymen in 3:14 and stopped briefly for some chocolate milk before heading off at 3:19. I was feeling pretty good but my tummy was bothering me.

Balmaha to Rowardennan

Things weren't right in the Downie guts department and I had to stop twice before Rowardennan to desecrate the countryside. One one occasion, I was forced to stop running and walk, or should I say "mince" with tightly clenched buttocks until I reached a suitable site. Not fun at all! My legs seemed to get heavier and achier as I neared Rowardennan and by the time I reached there, I was seriously beginning to doubt whether I wanted to carry on. Every step was hurting and the though of doing another 60 miles at that point was almost overwhelming. Rowardennan seems to be a real "make or break" point for lots of runners and I think the knowledge of what lies ahead weighs most heavily on you at that point.

Rowardennan to Inversnaid


The midges weren't bothering me when I stopped at Rowardennan and I made the mistake of *not* topping up my repellent. Good old DEET I'm afraid, none of your "Skin so Soft" rubbish. ;-). My motto is, "If it doesn't melt plastic, it can't possibly be any good". Anyway, I'd only put some rather weak DEET solution on the the beginning and the moment I left Rowardennan, I deeply regretted not slathering on more. Like everyone else, I chewed and blinked my way through clouds of the damned beasties, all the time hating every step of the way. My progress had slowed right down and runners were coming past me with distressing frequency. I was feeling really low at this point and wishing I'd picked up more snacks to sustain me to Beinglas. I couldn't run up any sort of hill and even gentle downslopes were causing me pain.


Just before the end of the forest road where the track narrows though, something came right in my body. I suspect it was just delayed absorption of what I'd eaten at Rowardennan but over a very short space of time, I found I could actually run down hills again, and then up hills too! What's more, the awful ache in my legs and feet disappeared. This association between energy levels and pain occurred several times during my run, something I've not read about before. For me, low energy = more pain. High energy = less pain. Quite why this should be so, I'm not sure but the relief of the pain and the pleasure of being able to run again lifted my spirits enormously and I proceeded to retake all the runners who's passed me before Inversnaid.

Inversnaid to Beinglas

At Invernaid, I filled my water bottle with water and midges before setting off on a section that I have mixed feelings about. I actually love the first part of it which is full of swoopy little hills that rise and fall for a few miles. After that though, you get into the snarly roots and rocks and there is so little of it that you can run, even if you want to. It just gets tedious and you just want it to be over as soon as possible. Before Beinglas I managed to overhaul another two runners which was good for morale although I was worrying about my pace.

I don't actually stop at Beinglas, but carry on to the point where the WHW diverts off to the right, At this point the WHW and the road are very briefly on the same side of the river so it's a handy support point that doesn't involve abusing anyone's hospitality. I'd arranged by phone for my wife to bring up some food and drink but before I arrived, I was overwhelmed by a craving for a Solero ice lolly. I don't know why, but it *had* to be a Solero. Dutifully, and amazingly, she got up to Crianlarich and back to the A82 crossing in time to hand over my hearts desire. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind myself how lucky I am. ;-)

A82 crossing to Auchtertyre

After my lolly, I was feeling pretty good all the way up to the checkpoint, certainly better than I had done during the Fling which encouraged me. Of course, this is exactly how it *should* have been but it was nice to feel that I didn't want to stop at Tyndrum. Auchtertyre though was the second point where things started to go wrong, for the stupidest of reasons.

Runners were getting weighed at this point (for very good reasons) and I'd put *on* a little weight (just 0.3 of a kilo). Now I was feeling fine but *knowing* that I'd put on weight (potentially very dangerous if you drink too much) made me way too cautious about drinking thereafter. There pre-race instructions were pretty clear that weights would only be treated seriously if there were other significant symptoms but that didn't stop me worrying. Consequently, I got dryer and dryer thereafter. I was here that I heard about Ian's withdrawal, a huge shock for us all I think. Ian is just so synonymous with the WHW that to hear of his withdrawal was almost like being told that the sun was going to rise in the west in the morning. I think Ian has given so much to the race over the years and shared his experience with so many runners that we've come to assume that he's not like ordinary mortals and forget that even he can have an off day. It was a blow for all of us I think but I was glad to hear that he'd decided to stay on. A WHW race without Ian is somehow almost unthinkable.

Auchtertyre to Kingshouse

I left Auchtertyre in pretty good shape but I found the stretch from Tyndrum to Bridge of orchy realy tough. It's just too flat! My feet and legs were beginning to ache again and I found myself increasingly having to grab myself figuratively by the scruff of my neck and give myself a talking to. I could see hopes of a sub 24 slipping away. I had reached Tyndrum in 11:30 and was basing my estimated finishing time on twice that but it was beginning to feel more and more unrealistic. I tried to put on a brave face for the camera at Tyndrum but I think the photograph shows my true feelings.

After Tyndrum I felt like I was crawling. The level bits hurt, the uphills hurt, the downhills hurt. I don't know how long I took but I ran with Rosie Bell for a bit which kept me going when I was feeling so low. Somehow I managed a slightly more convincing smile at BOO.
I had some to eat at Bridge of Orchy and crawled out up over the hill. Once at Inveroran though, I seemed to recover some strength again and the pain lessened once more and I began to start pushing more. I actually made quite good speed down towards Blackrock cottage and you can see I was actually enjoying being able to run again.



I was was again shocked to find another friend in trouble at Blackrock cottage though. This time it was Thomas who was in trouble and it hurt to find out that he too was withdrawing. I stopped for some coffee and food and Thomas donated his supply of grapes that he'd seen me lusting after.

After a slow jog to Kingshouse I was joined by my support runner, the wonderful Anne. She's not been in our club terribly long but has already proved her mettle at marathon and ultra-distance events. She never uttered a single negative word through the last stretches of the race, something that you really appreciate when you're having more than enough negative thoughts to sink a battleship.


Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

Anne and I made as much use of the level (ish) stretch to Altnafeadh as possible to claw back some time but by the time I reached the bottom of the Devil's Staircase, I felt utterly spent. The climb just seemed to go on forever and I'd slowed so much that I was getting cold for the first time in the race. Reaching the top didn't bring any relief either though and I felt as weak as a kitten. My descending legs had utterly deserted me. It wasn't until about half an hour into the descent that I regained the ability to run and from that point things improved (slightly).

At Kinlochleven, I got weighed again and found that I was now 4.7kg *underweight* and it was clear that I had swung too far in the wrong direction. I now had a craving for a sausage roll (the greasy flaky kind) but the best the chippy could manage was a sliced up sausage in a bun. Not exactly what I wanted buy full marks for trying! I can't remember what I drank at this point (other than quite a lot) but I set off with a bottle of Lucozade Sport with caffeine boost (following Thomas's recommendation in his blog) to drink on the climb. I was sufficiently pessimistic at this point to tell my wife that I could easily be two hours before I'd see her at Lundavra.


Kinlochleven to Fort William


The climb was horrible. In 2005 my right knee locked thirty miles into the race. I'd had no trouble with it before or since but now I was getting a stabbing pain in my right knee whenever it bent beyond a certain amount. I had to do virtually the whole climb leading with my left leg and each time being careful not to plant my right foot *higher* than my left, taking lopsided steps all the way up the hill. By now, all hope of a sub 24 seemed lost, a goal that I'd had in mind from my very first race back in 2005. A sub 27.19 PB would have been nice but it was the sub 24 that I wanted. Still, one small step at a time, I made my way up the hill, getting passed by runners yet again. Once at the top however and on to leveller ground, I found that I could jog on my knee without pain. The lucozade seemed also to be doing something as the pain and tiredness seemed to be leaving my body. Combined with the freakishly strong wind against our *backs* (when have you ever known the wind do you any favours in a race?), we were able to pick up the pace. Before long, we could see the runners who had passed us in the far distance. We could see that they were walking up the hills so I determinedly forced myself to run up every runnable hill or at least run further up each hill than they did. Little by little we reeled them in, our pace picking up all the time. By the time we reached Lundavra we were on a high, excited by the realisation that now, not only was sub 24 back on the cards, a sub 23 might be doable!

My wife wasn't expecting us so soon so we had to jog down the road to the car to fetch another bottle of "rocket fuel" as I was now calling the Lucozade. Of course I can't be sure that it was what made the difference, I ate and drank too many different things to be sure but by golly, I didn't think another bottle could hurt at that stage! Before leaving Linlochleven I had asked for some soup in Lundavra but we realised that there wasn't time for this now and we set straight off. The wind wasn't quite on our backs anymore, mostly from the side and sometimes head on but we were still making good time and keeping our head torches in reserve for as long as possible (I just wanted to see how far we could get without them). Eventually though, as we got deeper into the trees, we had to don them and our pace slowed considerably as the path narrowed and wound it's way through the woods. Still, we pressed on as best we could but we caught by a runner (Paul Tranter) and his support as we navigated our way through. I was glad that I had run the route relatively recently in daylight as it was *much* less clear where the path went in the dark and I reckon I probably helped Paul out there. ;-)

The moment we hit the forest road though, it was no holds barred and Paul and his support took off into the distance. Anne and I watched this for a while before realising the we *could* go faster, indeed, probably *had* to go faster if we were to get into Fort William in time for a sub 23. Somehow, we both found untapped reserves and slowly, oh so slowly, we clawed our way back. First we passed another runner (Neil MacRitchie I think) who Paul had already passed and gradually we caught up with, and passed, Paul and his support. After 92 miles we were racing!



We though we had him beat but not long after joining the road after the Braveheart carpark, Paul came steaming past at a speed I knew I couldn't match. A glance at my watch showed however that I was darned well going to have to try to match it though! From the 30 mph sign onwards, I swear I was nearing 6 minute mile pace. I ungraciously left Anne to fly past the roundabout and on towards the leisure centre. There was no time to look at my watch now and I sprinted across the car park at a billion miles an hour (slight exaggeration) and hit the doors so hard I thought I'd broken them for a moment.

This was me pretending to be tired.

And this was me about a minute later when the realisation that I'd managed 22:58:52 hit me.


I'm not given to blubbing but I think you can see just how pleased I was. It was wonderful to have my wife Muriel (on the left) there this time. Back in 2005, I was struggling and came in much later. She'd (quite justifiably) fallen asleep in the car and unfortunately found a mobile phone "dead spot" I couldn't warn her of my approach!

This time she was there though and much happier that I'd arrived over 4 hours earlier than last time. Both she and Anne (on the right) got a huge hug. After shaking hands with Paul (who probably inadvertently gave us the impetus to scape in under the 23 hours), we didn't hang around. We went straight to our B&B, into the shower and off to bed. Amazingly this year I actually slept, something I never normally manage to do after an ultra.

I'm going to stop now as it's coming up to 2 am and I'm making a bit of a bosh of this but I think John K's absolutely right that you need to get this stuff down as soon as possible. I'll do some polishing and additions tomorrow. Sleep well everyone.

Mr Blobby's ready!

Let's just hope that I burn off some this blubber on the way!

Today's the day!

Well, tomorrow actually as it starts at 1:00 am but it's my last full day before the race.
It's been interesting reading some of the other blogs of first timers who, not surprisingly perhaps, are a wee bit nervous.

I think I've in the Dave Waterman camp in that I "don't do nerves". Not as in I don't ever do nerves, just that I'm not nervous about the race. I am excited though. I suppose if I'm honest I do has the usual anxieties about injury and failing to finish but denial is a wonderful thing and I know that's not going to happen this year. ;-)

When I first ran the WHW race, I tried following another runner's plan to adjust my sleep pattern by staying up late for the two nights pre-race and then sleeping in. With hindsight, I'm really not quite sure what the point of the exercise was but the end outcome was a complete disaster as far as sleep was concerned. I reckon I got 4 hours sleep total in the two nights pre-race. Despite this, sleepiness was never an issue during the race so this time I've not tried to mess about with my body's normal sleep pattern. I've slept well the past two nights (last night aided by a pint of Guinness) and feel suitably refreshed ready for the race tonight.

Anyway, in just under 13 hours time, I'll be setting off from Milngavie train station and I'll find out how well my training has worked this year to prepare me for a sub-24 hour time. Fingers crossed I've done enough of the right stuff.

Best of luck to all the runners in this year's WHW race but in particular to Ian B, John K, Thomas, Marco, Debbie, Dave & Neal.

Muriel's blog

You can read Muriel's account of the Moonwalk over on her blog http://merryhell.livejournal.com/

Moonwalk

Even the hardiest couch-potato can hardly be unaware of the phenomenal rise of the Moonwalk. A mass participation event that really seems to have captured the public imagination and helped to inspire folk who wouldn't consider running a mile to walk a marathon.

I don't know whether it's the walking at night or doing it in bras but for whatever reason, over 10,000 women were walking the streets of Edinburgh last night, and not just in the "red light" districts. ;-)

When it comes to running I'm not a great fan of "big" mass participation events but you have to acknowledge the fact that they really do inspire folk to get involved and hopefully, some folk will continue to enjoy exercise and be inspired to stretch themselves further. Nothing's certain in life but it seems to me that they can be a great first step up.

So why am I talking about a walking event? Well, my wife Muriel took part in last night's Moonwalk and walked her first ever marathon. It took nearly 8 hours but she was significantly slowed by the fact that she was walking with a group of friends and that made overtaking very difficult. Running is expressly forbidden at these events which might seem a bit strange from a runner's point of view but probably helps to keep competition out of the event, something that I think would deter many potential entrants. The other factor that slowed her down was waiting 50 minutes, yes, 5, 0, minutes in a queue for a toilet at Silverknowes. It seems that the organisers have some lessons to learn about the provision of toilets for a female entrant marathon walking event.

Anyway, I'm really proud of her. My wife works full time and has had to fit in all the long training walks in at weekends and the odd evening as of course, being walks, they take *hours*.

Here she is (on the left) with two friends at 26.19 miles. Still smiling and braving the elements in her bra.

Cairn Table (again)

A picture for my blog at long last. ;-)

Just one week to go!

Well, a certain amount of sense prevailed this week and I didn't push for the 40 miles I said I was going to do in my last posting. In fact, I've only done 25 miles as I find that the moment I stop running 6 days a week, I find it incredibly hard to push myself out of the door.

As others have recommended maintaining some intensity in one's training during the taper, it seemed a reasonable idea to have a go at the Cairn Table hill race today. As hill races go, it's an "easy" low-risk one. It's only about 4.5 miles, never too steep (I managed to run about 95% of the uphill) and with good footing (on dry but bouncy peat) on the way down so little risk of injury.

There were just 20 of us at the start line and I found myself in 3rd, then 6th and finally 5th position when I reached the top. By that point I was relatively well clear of the 6th place man and held my position to the finish (in 40:31).

Even though it was an "easy" race, this close to the WHW it was still a little nerve wracking. I was very conscious of not wanting to injure myself or over-do it and not be fully recovered in time for the WHW race. Probably worrying too much but that's the nature of tapering. You worry about every little ache, pain or sniffle.

Definitely taking it easy for the rest of this week. ;-)

1000 miles at last!

It's taken rather longer than I'd planned (200 miles per month was the original plan) but it finally came today at the end of a 21 mile run to my favourite pub. Unfortunately I had no money with me so I couldn't celebrate with a pint but that was probably just as well after a large excess of red wine last night. Way behind other WHW runners I'm sure but I've had the spectre of two "Failed to make the start line" hanging over me and it's always been my priority this year to play it safe.

The run itself went well and I even managed to run up the "impossible hill", a long steep flight of steps that I meet 20 miles into my run. Of course it's not really impossible but I've never managed to run up it before so that was very encouraging.

Despite the long run, I am tapering, although not doing a very good job of it. The less I run the worse I feel and it has such an undermining effect on my confidence. One of the runners on the WHW forum commented yesterday that he races better if he *doesn't* taper so maybe the whole tapering business needs some serious research.

Today's run will definitely be my longest run before the race but I'll probably aim for about 40 miles next week before cutting back more for the last week.

Setting goals

With the WHW race nearly upon me, I suppose it's time to look back on my training, read my tea leaves and kill a chicken to study its entrails, all in order to work out a realistic time goal for the race.


Now I'll be the first to admit that the last two are slightly flippant but I think in a race of 95 miles, you have to accept that there are so many potential pitfalls that can befall one during the race, that guddling through entrails might give you just and accurate a forecast as any number of race time predictor sites.

I must admit to feeling a bit guilty at giving Thomas a bit of a hard time over his first goal. I feel a bit like the tortoise offering advice to the hare and that I've trampled over his dream. I know I'll be nowhere near Thomas in terms of speed but I *do* have two runnings of the WHW under my belt which is a lot less than many participants in this race but two more than Thomas. ;-) I'll be absolutely delighted for him if he proves me wrong but I think that it's easy to underestimate how much one can slow down in the latter stages of the race if you have injury or nutritional problems along the way. Even without any specific problems other than fatigue, I think that many runners find that Tyndrum is about halfway in terms of time if not in distance.

As to my own goals (it's only fair to give Thomas a chance to have a go at them) ;-), they are considerably more modest.

Bronze goal has to be just finishing. 95 miles is a long way in anybody's book and although I'll be disappointed if I don't improve on my 2005 time (27:19:25), I'll be happy to finish in the time limits.

Silver is sub 24 hrs. I think I've got it in me and there's something about a round 24hrs as a target. It's entirely arbirtary (like my 20 minute 5K goal) but it's a period that we can all identify with. If I can get to Tyndrum in 11:30 without taking too much out of myself then I think I'm in with a chance but I'm not going to plan on being able to go any faster in the second "half".

Gold will be sub 23. An odd number but it means that I'd finish the WHW on the day. (i.e. Saturday) rather than in a day. This will very much be "icing on the cake". I don't think I'm in with a realistic chance but if I get a good run, good weather and everything goes right, perhaps not impossible.

Platinum would be arriving in Fort William in time for a pint but I don't think that's going to happen, well, not this year at least. ;-)

Next year? Who knows. Time to slaughter another chicken I think. ;-)

Club 5k

A trip down south at the weekend to visit my wife's 95 year old aunt put paid to too much running over the last week. I know I'm supposed to be tapering but I hate this period. Somehow, you always feel worse when you drp your mileage significantly and I never really believe the stuff about tapering applies to *me*. ;-)

I was hoping to run the Merrick hill race this weekend which is now a longer, gentler(ish) race that the old one that was very tough. Unfortunately, family commitments once again are going to scupper this so I think I'll have to find another hill to run up.

At last night's club 5K I wasn't too hopeful after a weekend of eating and drinking too much. It was also a bit windy for the last 2 Km but I wasn't unhappy with my time of 19:43. A good bit off of my PB for the year but on the right side of 20 minutes again thankfully. ;-)

Cobblers & 10Ks

By way of a change from running, my wife and I took advantage of yesterday's fine weather and walked up the Cobbler, a hill that neither of us has ever climbed before . As you can see, it was a glorious day but the heat wasn't suiting our collie cross mongrel very well.

The old adage "better late than never" springs to mind with this hill, it really is a jewel and it's easy to see it's popularity. Here's a view taken from the "back side" (oo er..) looking towards Beinn Ime. The Yorkie is our other dog. Very unfairly, she gets all the sympathy from other walkers because she's so small and "cute". She has no problem with hills or distance (she did 17 miles on the River Ayr Way once with us without turning a hair). Roger, our big dog is getting on now (11 yrs old) and wasn't really enjoying the heat or the climb. We had to make frequent stops by the stream for him to drink and cool down.

Still, he made it in the end as you can see here. Fantastic views all round. Next time I come up here I think I'll try to take in Beinn Ime and Beinn Narnain as well as they're both accessible from the same plateau at about 2000ft.

This was just me playing with the camera trying to photograph a flower. Very pretty but I'm no botanist. Maybe someone can identify it for me.
Regarding 10ks, tonight was our annual 10k time trial which we hold once a year following the Troon 10k. After my miserable 10k in Kilmarnock on the 14th of this month (44:02) I didn't have high hopes for a run tonight, particularly as it was quite blustery and I'd been shivery most of the afternoon. I was beginning to think that I was coming down with something but in the end, I think I was just under dressed! As the old saying goes, "Ne'er cast a clout 'til May is oot". ;-)

Anyway, I didn't push myself in the first 5k and picked it up a little after that and was pleased in the end to finish with 41:33. I'm sure I ought to be able to run a 10k faster with a solid sub-20 5K under my belt back in March (19:21) but somehow things never quite work out and as it happens, it's a lifetime PB so I'm not complaining. It's a timely confidence booster to have before the WHW race even though I know a 10K time is of little relevance to how I'll do on the big day.

If only...

I don't think there's a runner alive who hasn't thought "If only I'd trained a bit harder...". I know that I rather wish I had done more long runs, more weekly miles, more back to back long runs but that desire is tempered by my desire to get to the start line intact.

Barring illness or freak injury, it's looking like I'm going to make it this year and that's been my main goal this year. Yes, I want to run a good time (sub 24 hopefully), but first and foremost, I want to get to the start line! As someone with a 66% "no show" record over the last three years the last thing I want to do is up it to 75%. ;-)

Running wise, it's been a good week. I felt I recovered quickly from last weekend's "back to back" long runs and I've put in another 56 miles in the last week (including a very pleasant 4:30 run along the River Ayr Way). I've also been very pleased with some late gear choices I've made lately.

Firstly, shoes. I bought some Inov8 Roclite 295 shoes whilst at the Ben Lomond Hill race 2 weeks ago. The toebox of the Inov8 315s was completely the wrong shape for my foot so it was rather a surprise to find that the 295's were just right. I didn't run Ben Lomond in them but I did my weekend of back to back long runs in them and another long run on Saturday with no problems at all. They've been really comfortable straight out of the box.

The second bit of kit was some Skins compression half tights. After my problems with the full length ones I was a bit hesitant about going with Skins again for compression shorts but I needn't have worried. I've had no problems with slippage or chafing and I'll definitely be wearing them for the WHW race.

My last purchase was a pair of socks. I've been using a very old batch of socks I bought years ago that I've become very attached to but they really are wearing out and I thought it was time to treat myself. I'd admired Morgan's gaiters on my last run from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William and I saw something similar in Tiso's. What Tiso's were selling though was a sock and gaiter combined into one made by Inov8 and called the Debrisock. I was a bit hesitant about buying a combined product like this as I'd prefer to be able to choose and change my socks independently of my gaiters but I realised that when the sock wears out, there's nothing stopping you cutting the old one off and just using the remains as a gaiter. The socks themselves are made of smartwool so they're a decent product in their own right, even without the gaiters

Anyway, I wore them on Saturday for my long run and enjoyed a wonderful grit-free experience. I don't think you realise just how much and how often grit gets in your shoes until you do a long run with no grit whatsoever. The bits of elastic that pass under the sole look a bit vulnerable but they're easily replaced. Considering that it's easy to spend £10 on just a pair of technical socks these days I think £15 is cheap at the price.

Less than 4 weeks to go and no doubt I'll be going crazy with worry about either not doing enough or doing too much.

Ouch!

So what's with the picture I hear you ask. Well, it's how I'm walking at the moment thanks to rather too much abrasion around the family jewels. It's bl**dy painful!

Once again, it's my skins causing the problem and I think I'm either going to chop them off at the knees (they're the full length tights) or buy another pair of thigh length ones and keep the full length ones for post-race recovery.

The run itself was good although I did have a rather low point up on the Larig Mor (?sp) when my energy levels took a bit of a dive and I was reduced to a slow shuffle. Fortunately they picked up again a bit and I jogged in with Morgan over the last 4 miles or so and I felt pretty good by the time I reached Fort William.

Overall happy with my time (7:15) for this stretch but I must admit there were times when my energy levels were low that rather negative thoughts about the whole WHW race crept into my head and it started to seem like sheer madness. Such is the madness of ultra racing it's hard to know sometimes what is a negative thought and what is just a moment of rationality. ;-)

I'm still going to have to fiddle with my nutrition. The mars bars work, after a fashion but they were really an experiment in self sufficiency and I've no plans to run on the 21st in a self sufficient manner and there's no way I could eat them for a full 95 miles. Today I took a leaf out of JKs book and had some grapes on the way round. After three claggy mars bars, the sweetness & freshness of a nice bunch of grapes was just so wonderful! There's definitely going to be in the support vehicle on the day.

Back to back runs. Day 1

Today was the first of two runs planned for today and tomorrow. I ran on my local stomping ground of the River Ayr Way from Failford to home, about as pleasant a way as you could hope to find of running a good distance without involving roads. It was "just" 21 miles but I feel pretty knackered so it'll be interesting to see how I get on tomorrow for the 36 miles or so from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William.

The heat today certainly impacted on my fluid requirements so I'll certainly be taking a camelbak and my bottle tomorrow. Despite what I said earlier, I suspect I *will* be taking the Mars Bars again. I survived one mini bite-sized one today without throwing up so I guess I can cope with them again tomorow.

Mixed feelings about wearing my skins though. The "baggy crutch" problem can cause a lot of discomfort but I'm going to try another WHWer's suggestion of removing the elastic from the bottom of the legs as this seems to be responsible for maintaining a certain amount of traction downwards.

It's official, I'm getting slower...

After a rubbish 5K time (20:29) on the 6th of this month (compared to 19:21 back in March), a rubbish run up and down Ben Lomond (1:54:40) last Saturday and now, a rubbish 10K time in Kilmarnock last night (44:02), I think I can say hand on heart, my speed is rubbish. ;-)

Of course I can think of all sorts of excuses what with possibly still recovering from the Fling, still recovering from Ben Lomond, still recovering from a tough (but great) training run on Tuesday night where we galloped all over Dundonald Hill and a bout of food poisoning thrown in for good measure last week as well. So, all in all, I'm not too downhearted. I know that my 5k/10k speed isn't what's going to get me to the end of the WHW in just over 5 weeks' time.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to joining the WHW family on Bridge of Orchy on Saturday morning for the second half of my "back to back" long runs. Unlike the hardcore crew, I'll just be doing an "easy" 21 miles on the Friday before joining them for the 36 miles to Fort William. Part of me would like to do more but more than anything, I want to be sure of making it to the start line. Touch wood, my legs are completely free of any niggles and I'd like to keep them that way this side of the WHW race.

Tough break DQ

Just heard about a friend's (DQ) withdrawal from the WHW race. As someone who's "been there, done that, got the T-shirt" - twice, I know just how horrible it feels when you have to face up to the fact that you're not going to make the start line.

Although it will bring DQ no comfort whatsoever, my experience the second time round was far less traumatic that the first time I had to withdraw. I was able to be far more philosophical about the it second time and enjoyed my months of rest whilst I waited for my foot to heal.

I don't just feel for DQ though, I more than a bit narked that I've been cheated of the oppotunity to humiliate the loud mouthed git by soundly trouncing him in this year's race. ;-)

I hope the DQ will find someway to be invloved with the race even if he's not running it. Marshalling and supporting other runners certainly saved my sanity the two times I was forced to withdraw.

I'm hoping that as I type, he's plotting to set up the best real ale bar at Lundavra for thirsty runners on the day!

Ben Lomond hill race

Well, as John has already kindly pointed out, I did finish in the top 100. However with only 121 runners, 98th isn't that impressive. ;-) I finished in 1:54:40 (%158.5 of the winner's time).ild u

I was a bit disappointed in my time but a week spent fighting a gut bug (whilst continuing my training) probably didn't help. I could have rested more pre-race but I try not to let pre-whw events interfere too much with my training as I think it's easy to end up missing out on a lot of useful "miles on legs" in the build up to the WHW race if one's not careful.

Weather conditions were perfect for the race. The early sunshine turned to overcast skies with a little light rain and gentle winds, just enough to cool on a warm day but not enough to impede.

The race pretty much follows the tourist route up and down Ben Lomond with a few diversions just to add to the suffering. In character it's quite like the Goat Fell race (but with less road) but the unrelenting climb was more reminiscent of Ben Nevis. Fairly quickly on I decided that I wasn't cut out to be a hill runner. The urge to chuck it all in, have a lie down and just enjoy the fantastic scenery was almost overwhelming, but, in the end, pigheadedness and pride won out and I continued my slow slog to the summit where water was on offer.

Once round the summit cairn it was time to do the thing that I find even harder than running up hills, namely running down them again! As runner after runner came flying down the hillside past me it was brought home to me forcefully how important appropriate trianing is for hill racing.

Of course, for me this race was primarily about building leg strength and surviving the descent intact and I was pleased to get down with all the skin I started with, which was more than could be said for many of the runners.

One of the best aspect of the Ben Lomond race has got to be the proximity of a large body of water waiting to greet hot & exhausted runners. Wading into the loch was sheer bliss. Once we'd cooled down it was off to the hotel for soup & bread (included in the race fee) and a pint of beer which went down very nicely indeed. ;-)

An excellent event and Westerlands CCC are to be congratulated for their organisation.

Relieved, sort of...

I was more than a bit disappointed in my time on Tuesday's 5K but now, with hindsight, it's easy to see that all was not well within the Downie body.

I'd had a slightly gippy tummy on Monday and Tuesday morning but by the afternoon, things seemed to have "blown over". After my run on Tuesday evening, my guts turned to water and my temperature was all over the shop. The last two days have involved many visits to the loo and a couple of exceedingly dicey runs ("runs" being the appropriate word) where I've had to dash off into the bushes at intervals.

Today at last, I can break wind with impunity, something that you take for granted until you lose the ability to do so without imperiling your underwear. ;-)

Fingers crossed now that it really is settling as I've got the Ben Lomond Hill race tomorrow and whilst I don't expect to excel at it, I'd like to be able to enjoy it at least.

This week has also been the week of our club 10K race, one that's proved very popular with west of Scotland runners. It's the highpoint (and maximum stress point) of our club's year and we always breathe a huge sigh of relief when it's over. Since we've introduced chip timing, our stress levels have reduced enormously, or at least mine have. Having spent a few years being responsible for results production using manual timing methods, I, perhaps more than anyone in the club, appreciate the value and accuracy of a chip timing service.

It was good to see Ian, John and Neal on the night. There may have been other WHWers out there but as I spend much of my race night hunched over a laptop, I don't get to see much of what's going on.

Good luck in the Troon 10k!

I just wanted to wish any readers taking part in tonight's 10K race in Troon the best of luck. I think the weather forecast is for it to be another warm night and if it' anything like last night, it's going to make it tough.

I had a miserable 5K time trail last night, partly down to the weather, and partly, with the benefit of hindsight, due to some sort of bug I was brewing. My throat & tongue felt like they were being shrivelled up right from the start and although I ran the first kilometer in 3:50, it had felt like hard work. There was no spring in my step and none of the "get-up-and-go" feeling that I'd had back in March when I ran 19:21.

After the first km, I struggled and crossed the line in 20:29. I dare say some of the Highland Fling aftermath accounted for some of my slowdown but I had been feeling better towards the end of last week that I did at the beginning of this one. Spending the best part of 12 hours in the car at the weekend didn't help my back either.

About an hour after the race, I was siezed with a violent attack of shivering and went to bed with an extra blanket. Some time during the night I awoke completely drenched in sweat so it seems that there was clearly something not right with me. Lets just hope I can shake it off before the Ben Lomond hill race on Saturday.

Musings on massage

There have been a couple of comments on the WHW board recently about massage and it seems an opportune moment for me to share my possibly eccentric views on the subject.

Firstly, no tittering at the back, I'm talking about "sport" massages, not the kind with a happy ending. Now I must admit to having little experience of either but that doesn't stop me having an opinion, the wackiness of which I leave for you to judge.

It is probably true that appropriate massage can help with the treatment of some injures and I'm not about to go tilting at that particular windmill. My concerns lie with it's use (or perhaps that should be "abuse") for the enhancement of recovery by the release of "toxins" or other unexplained mechanisms. This article makes quite interesting reading about "toxins" and massage.

Like everything in life, moderation is the key but it's tempting to believe sometimes that if a bit of something is good, more is better. Following the experience of a runner in last year's race, I'm not so sure that you can't have too much of this particular "good thing".

This particular runner suffered from renal failure post-race due to a condition called rhabdomyolysis. This is breakdown of the muscle cells which then release their cell contents & myoglobin (the muscle cell equivalent of haemoglobin in the blood) into the blood stream. This mixture causes clogging of the kidneys and renal failure (of a type known as "acute tubular necrosis" - ATN for short). Now fortunately, if treated appropriately, this is something from which you can recover but in the short term, you may need to be placed on renal dialysis (a kidney machine) until such time as your kidneys recover. If undetected & untreated, it can be fatal. This particular runners condition never quite got to the point of needing dialysis but it was touch and go.

So, what's all this got to do with massage? Well, the cause of rhabdomyolisis isn't always known. Sometimes it's due to heatstroke, sometimes a "crush" injury where a large muscly body part has been crushed in an accident. Sometimes it's caused by extreme exercise and there seems to be a genetic predisposition involved (which is really just another way for doctors to say "we don't know").

When I read the runner's account of his race, I started looking for anything that might have caused his rhabdomyolysis and one feature of his race struck me. Namely, he underwent massage four times during the race.

Now this is far from being conclusive proof but I'm sure every ultra runner is familiar with the feeling of owning a couple of sacks of mince where we used to have quads during the latter stages of an ultra. It seems reasonable to me to ask the question, "If my quads feel this bad, is pummelling them more or less likely to make them leak their cell contents?".

Common sense is a dangerous tool but it seems to me that the balance of probabilities is that it certainly won't make them less likely to leak. Indeed, I think it's much more likely that pummelling an abused muscle is likely to increase leakage of cell contents.

So, is there any evidence? Well, there are the odd case reports of renal failure following massage (see this article here). Now that case refers to an 88 yr old man, but I dare say there might be a few similarities between 88 yr old men and WHW runners at the end of the race! There is lots of information on rhabdomyolysis and extreme levels of exercise.

Now I'd be the first to admit that I'm trying to link the two in the absence of published evidence, but the question is, to paraphrase the words of Dirty Harry, "'Do you feel lucky?".

To my mind, it just seems a risk not worth taking. If you're a fan of post race massage then you'll no doubt claim that you recover faster but to my mind, recovering a day or two faster doesn't justify the potential risk. It would probably be far more beneficial (in the long term), to delay the massage for a few days until the muscle stiffness has settled.

This article isn't intended as a criticism of that runner's actions. I have a medical background and what I've said is just my tentative hypothesis of why perhaps he developed renal failure. I think it's reasonable to voice my misgivings about a practice which I think may carry an unusual level of risk for ultra runners.

So there you go. Hit or myth, you decide. ;-)

After the Fling

Still on a bit of a high after winning a medal. My male pride has taken a bit of a dent at the realisation that the first SV was a woman though. ;-) I'm pretty sure this means that I'll hold the record for the *slowest* men's winning time for the supervet category as there are so many faster 49 yr old guys just waiting to turn 50.

I really enjoyed the event and although I felt a bit ambivilent about doing it in previous years, having done it once, I can't conceive of NOT doing it next year. I might have to pursuade Murdo that there should be medals for first, second AND third supervets so that I'm in with a chance of a medal again. ;-)

I tried a little run on Monday evening. The legs were a little stiff but I had a bit of pain on the top of my left foot that wouldn't settle so I cut my run shot. Having had one stress fracture I'm not going to risk aggravating anything that feels even remotely like my last one. Fingers crossed it's just a bit of tendinitis as it's not bothered me at all today.

I'm undecided as to what to do in the way of long runs between now and the WHW race. I've got the Ben Lomond hill race on the 10th of June which should be good (I really felt that the Carnethy 5 hill race early in the year gave me a boost) but it's not a long run. I'm not sure about doing really long back to back runs either. Not that I don't think that they're a good idea in general, I'm just not sure whether I want to take the attendant injury risk with my history. I might do a couple of shorter "back-to-backs" instead, perhaps on the River Ayr Way.

The general plan (such as it is) is to build back up to my 50 miles/week once I'm sure that my foot is okay and then hold it at that level for this year. If I complete the training without any mishaps this year I'll maybe think about pushing the mileage a bit more but my first priority has to be to get to the start line.

Highland Fling Race report

...or Four Mars a day help you work, rest & run the West Highland Way. ;-)

Oh, where to start? The night before is probably as good a place as any. Perhaps I should have been more nervous but as I was determined (at that stage) that it was "just a training run", it seemed like a good idea to pop out for a couple of nice pints of Spitfire at our local hostelry.

I thought about trying to go to bed early, but not for long as it never really works for me. My racing never seems to affected by lack of sleep and there's nothing more pointless than lying in bed trying to sleep when you're not tired. I set my alarm for 3:00 but woke before it at about 2:30. After wasting some time trying to go back to sleep, I gave up and snuck out of the bedroom to get dressed and let the daughter in. Rather weird to be getting up and dressed just as another member of the household was getting ready for bed.

I don't suppose anyone's that interested in what I had for breakfast, but I'm going to tell you anyway. ;-) Beef bourguignon with new potatoes. Not my normal breakfast but I don't think you can eat too much before an ultra run and the leftovers were begging to be eaten.

I gathered my kit and Dave McLelland arrived at 4:00 to pick me up and take me to Milngavie. We arrived in good time to join the relatively small queue (at that stage) for the loo and then registered. The forecast rain hadn't arrived yet and the temperature felt just perfect for running. I had a can of ersatz Red Bull (ERB) before the start and was itching to set off.

I can't say I felt any trepidation at that stage. I was confident that I could do it without too much trouble and the only bit I wasn't looking forward to was the first stretch to Drymen, my least favourite part of the WHW. I was also really looking forward to doing it self-supported. To be honest, it didn't make it that much harder but it was a new challenge and something to look forward to. I think when you've trained and run on so many parts of the WHW it's good to find new ways of making a familiar run more interesting.

As ever, it was nice to be in the company of so many like minded folk and friends at Milngavie but the time flew and after a very brief briefing, we were off through the underpass and up the road.

Milngavie to Drymen.
I think we were all impatient to get up the road past Drymen. For me, I never really feel that the WHW "proper" starts until I've left Drymen and that no doubt contributed to my early pace. I was conscious that I was probably running faster than I should have been but it still came as a huge shock to reach Drymen in 1:50. (always 2hr+ in training). I had my first Mars Bar (MB) on the long road hill up by Easter Drumquhassle (yes, there really is a place called that!). MBs and running don't really go together so I stuck to eating on the walking sections.
I think another factor affecting my pace was feeling that in a race like this where you know there are going to be lots of unrunnable (unless you're Jez) stretches, it makes a certain amount of sense to put a little "money in the bank" when the going is easy. Even so, I wasn't sure that 1:50 pace to Drymen wasn't going to turn out to be fools gold.

Drymen to Balmaha
The forest roads out of Drymen dragged on rather (a bit worrying to be feeling like this so early) but from the moment I passed though the new gate that replaces the old huge stile and the end of what used to be the Garadhban forest, my legs suddenly felt alive again. Dunno whether it was the mars bar kicking in or just getting away from the forest road surface but I skipped along and made good time up and down Conic Hill. The promised rain had arrived on the way up to Dymen and on Conic hill itself, the wind contributed to the chill but it was never bad enough to require stopping to don a jacket. I had two with me, a lightweight windstopper and a heavier weight gortex jacket but I didn't need either. If fact, the only change I made to my clothing for the run was to move my buff from my neck to my wrist when the sun came out.
I'll never like those big steps on the way down but they didn't feel too bad going down. I think some of my downhill training has paid off. I reached Balmaha in 3:11 and enjoyed shouting out my number and "No bag!" to the marshals as I passed through. This was to be repeated at every checkpoint and I never actually stopped except to pass an empty can to a marshal at Beinglas Farm (and one pee stop).

Balmaha to Rowardenna
It's odd that no matter how often one has run a route, when you're on your own, odd doubts creep in and on the little hill just south of Balmaha I had a moments uncertainty of which path was the right one. Somewhere along this section I had my second MB, on one of the longer road climbs about 4 hours into my run. Just before Rowardennan I had my second can of ERB meaning to dipose of the can at the checkpoint. Unfortunately, the latest litter policy is to remove all the bins (one I agree with actually) but I ended up carrying the empty can all the way to Inversnaid! I was in and out of Rowardennan at 4:45.

Rowardennan to Inversnaid
I was still feeling pretty good but as usual, I walked all the long hills. One runner came up from behind me and seemed determined to run up all the forest track hills which struck me as possibly foolish, particularly for runners going at my pace. He slowly pulled ahead and after many hills, eventually gained all of 200 meters on me. I wasn't too surprised when he paused and looked like he was going to throw up. Not too long afterwards I passed him when he was at a complete stop. I hope he made it to the end. At Inversnaid I was able to get rid of my can at last and again passed straight through (6:12).

Inversnaid to Beinglas Farm
I started off well but I wearying of the whole thing at this point. I perversely rather like this section normally but my sense of humour had left me and I was dearly wishing that the race would finish at Beinglas Farm. I really wasn't in the mood for another 12 miles on top of that. Another MB went down and I did what you just have to do, keep putting one foot in front of another. This was probably my lowest point on the whole run. I just wanted it to end. As I approached Beinglas, I chugged down my second can of ERB and managed this time, to dispose of he can at the checkpoint. (8:03)

Beinglas Farm to Tyndrum
I was getting worried now as my goal time was anything with a 10 in front of it but I know how fatigue can make a mokery of your "normal" times for running sections of the WHW. I'd run this last stretch in 2 hrs in the past but now I was worried I might not make it in three. Whether it was the ERB, the MB or the magic of passing a checkpoint, I just don't know but somehow I picked up the pace a bit. I wanted my 10:XX time! After crossing under the A82 I realised that I'd made a bit of a tactical blunder on the hydration strategy. I'd been filling my bottle at streams (I counted using the checkpoint water as "cheating" on the self supporting front) which was fine in the forests above Loch Lomond but here there were cows and sheep sprinkled liberally around, and what they leave sprinkled liberally around. When I went to have a drink I realised that my bottle was almost empty. I debated carrying on to the woods west of Bogle Glen but I was thirsty now so in the end I just looked for a an area of hillside with no visible sheep or cows and filled my bottle from a stream there. It didn't taste of sheep or cow poo, or perhaps, more acurately, it didn't taste any different to what I'd been drinking all along so I decided to risk it.
It was just after filling my bottle that I realised that there was a runner bearing down on me. It had been so long since I had seen anyone I'd alomost forgotten that there were other runners. It was Andy Cole and he was probably within 50 yds of me when I saw him. I know that my goal time was the main thing but somehow I didn't want to lose any more positions this late in the day and the little adrenaline surge carried me off into the distance and him out of sight as I worked my way through the forests beyond Bogle Glen stuffing down my last MB.
The last section through Kirkton farm must count as my second least favourite bit. The farm roads and traks are too flat and sore on the feet. Once back across the A82, things improve a bit and the knowledge that you really are on the home straight lifts your spirits.
What lifted my spirits even more was seeing that I was catching another runner! (Alex Simpson) I did feel bad about "stealing" a position so late in the race but he was reduced to walking due to stomach problems. Had I known that Alex was the leading supervet at that point perhaps I wouldn't have felt so bad but after checking that he was okay to finish, I passed with his blessing. Just before the community woodland I phoned my wife to make sure that she had the required milk for me to quaff post race and I crossed the line after 10 hours, 47 minutes and 50 seconds.

I must admit I was pleased to pick up a trophy. It's only the second time it's happened to me and the first time, I was the only person in my age group so it didn't really count. This time there were oodles of supervets! Well, 16 or 17 anyway. Alas, suspect I'll hold the record for the *slowest* winning time for a supervet for some years to come as there seem to be a lot of fast 49 year olds in this year's race!

Lessons learnt

The "self sufficiency" business worked out well. I enjoyed not stopping at the checkpoints. I don't think using drop bags would have made much difference. Four Mars Bars don't weigh very much and there's no shortage of water. I think the ERB helped and I'd use it again. What would have made a difference though would have been a support crew as I could then have travelled a lot lighter. I was carrying about 9lbs in total at the start although this lessened a bit as I went along.

Fluid & calorie wise, I consumed 1366 kcals (4 mars bars and the two energy drinks) and drank about 1,800 ml of water plus the 500 ml contained in the ERB making a total of 2,300 ml. I didn't use any salt capsules, not out of any determination to avoid them but the weather had been such that my insensible losses had been relatively low. If it had been a sunnier day I'm sure I would have drunk more and taken the capsules.

Equipment wise, my combination of rucksak and bottle belt worked up to a point. In particular, the bottle belt started chaffing the skin around my waist and I think I'm really going to have to find a comfier one for the WHW. If it has big enough pockets I will probably dispense with the rucksak.

I wore my Skinz tights which feel great but suffer (on me at least) from a tendancy to slid down resulting in a baggy crutch. This lead to some nasty chaffing between my thighs. I'd liberally applied Bodyglide before the start but this wasn't enough to stop the chaffing and I have to think again about what to wear before the WHW race.

I started off by approaching this as "a training run". From the way my body feels like it's been "trained all over with a baseball bat", I think it would be fairer to admit that I did race this. ;-)

Thanks to all for the kind comments. I think I've covered most of the questions now. Let me know if there's anything else you want to know.

Highland Fling. Preliminary report

Finishing time 10:47, which was good enough for first super vet on the day in the absense of real competition. ;-) Thomas offering his congratulations and

me downing my favourite post race drink

Me with Lucy Colquhoun (First lady)

Getting better every day

My back is now almost completely better, at least as far as running is concerned. It's still a bit sore after sitting down for any length of time, but as long as I can run, I don't care.

Missing last weekend's long run has been irking me as I didn't really want to do too much too close the the Fling but somehow I ended up doing a 16 miler today in sunny, but windy weather. Still, my mileage for the week has been "average" and I've not caught up my three missed days last week so it looks like I've managed to mostly resist the temptation to play at catch up.

As the Fling and WHW draw ever nearer I feel like I'm walking on eggs trying not to get injured between now and the races, a fate that has already befallen quite a few runners. Having failed to make the start line twice in the last two years I'm perhaps more conscious of the perils of overtraining than most.

Anyway, only a week to the Fling now. Just hope I feel a bit more spritely next Saturday that I felt today. Stocked up on Mars Bars & raring to go!

Running again, slowly...

After a few days of pretty bad back pain, things have settled down to the "discomfort" level and I'm running again thankfully. Not fast but distance doesn't seem to be a problem so as long as I don't mind plodding, it looks like I'll be able to keep my mileage up.

What I'm NOT going to do this time (famous last words) is try and play "catch up" with my mileage. I've a bad habit of doing this (I'm sure I'm not alone in this) but this time I think I can resist the temptation. In the big scheme of things, a few days training lost in a 8 month build-up to the WHW race is neither here nor there.

Really looking forward to the Highland Fling race now. Just to make it a bit more interesting I've decided that I'm going to do it without drop bags and carry my own provisions. Two reasons really. The first is to deliberately perhaps make me slightly less competitive (with the intention of lessening the risk of injury prior to the WHW race) and secondly, as a feasibility test for running the full WHW unsupported. I'll top up with water en-route but that's all.

Postscript

59 minutes. That's how long my resolve to "not try and catch up" lasted. I went out for a run not long after my post above and found that my back wasn't hurting at all. That being the case, I just couldn't resist adding a bit on to my planned run in an effort to make up the lost miles. It was only 2 extra miles and I suppose it could have been worse. I could have gone out for a 30 miler to make up last week's deficit. ;-)

Still crocked...

...and I haven't run since Tuesday!

Actually during the night, it seemed to be improving, at least until I got up to make the coffee this morning. Took me 5 minutes to get my socks & knoickers on. :-( It probably wasn't helped by spending hours with the computer re-doing the Highland Fling race website last night.

Dunno if I've improved it but it's a bit different.

Bah humbug!

I bent over to pick up a laptop yesterday and something went "twang" in my back. Since then, I've been struggling to walk let alone run. :-(

All down to doing our builder a favour and helping him carry some awkward heavy boxes the day before. (It's rarely the same say that my back goes, it's nearly always the day after). Anyhow, it's probably no bad thing to have a few days rest from the running and when this happens, I'm usually right in a day or so. Hopefully I'll be recovered in time for the Screel hill race this Saturday.

Till then, it's plenty of ibuprofen & red wine. Not just because I'm an alky, but I find alcohol really helps relieve the muscle spasm. So there's a silver lining after all. ;-)

84...

..is the number of miles I've run in the last week (from Saturday to Friday). That's not how I normally calculate my weekly mileage but given that it's the highest number of miles I've ever run in 7 days (barring running the WHW), I think it deserves a bit of statistical jiggery pokery. ;-)

It only came about because this weelend is busy and I wanted to get my long run done on Friday. The weather was fine (which was a bonus) and my legs (and in particular, my gluteals) seemed well recovered from last Saturday's run.

I set off up my River Ayr Way route to Failford (21 miles) in pleasant sunny weather and experimented along the way with reduced but more frequent calorie intake. Instead of one Mars Bar 10 every 10 miles, I changed to 1/3 of a bar every hour.

Energy-wise, this seemed to work okay but my experiment was somewhat spoiled by the discovery that although I seem to be able to get by with much less fluid than I used to take, I'm no camel. The warmer weather made a big difference to my insensible losses and I'd drained my 500ml of water by 15 miles. Unlike the WHW, there are no crystal clear streams pouring down beside the path and I'd have to be pretty desperate to try the river water or the run-off from the fields.

Still, it didn't seem to affect my time too badly (3:16) and given the terrain and recent long WHW run, I'm happy with that.