2012; the year that was...

Stats for the year:

Total miles: 1347.9
Total no. of runs: 174
Average distance: 7.75
Average weekly distance: 25.9
No. of races (including xc and parkrun): 23

So then, the last run of the year is over and the stats are in.  Compared to last year I've done slightly less miles over slightly more runs bringing my average distance down from 8.3 to 7.75- but training wise its really been quite a similar year.  I think the non-racing highlight was over the summer where I took advantage of the light evenings and ran a lot of trail miles after work.

Race wise, there are a few highlights that particularly standout.  The National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill has to be the most unique start to a race I have taken part in- as over 1500 runners surged up Parliament Hill.  As much as I love the longer stuff cross country does have a special place in my running heart and you don't get a better xc race than the nationals.   The Olmpicnic ultramarathon was definitely my best race of the year both in terms of enjoying the race its self and my performance- it was one of those days where you can feel the training paying off as I started another steep ascent of Box Hill. 

Looking ahead to 2013 the year starts with cross country matches in January and February (including the nationals up in Sunderland), amongst this I need to start ratcheting up the miles ahead of some solid training in late Feb/early March and the South Downs Way 50 in April.  After this I have no particular plans; depending on how I feel after SDW50 I think I'll either have a crack at some more ultras or maybe for a change concentrate on running something shorter as fast as I can.

Happy New Year.

"Winning"

This December I've been making a vested effort to haul myself out of bed on a Saturday morning to make it down to a parkrun; and despite the inclement weather I've parkrun'd 3 weeks in a row (Roundshaw, Nonsuch, Roundshaw).  I realise this is what some people do every week of the year, but for me this is somewhat of a record.

Roundshaw Downs is probably my favourite parkrun in the area I've done.  It's got a great atmosphere, a hill and a tendency to be muddy.  I think that's what your after on a Saturday morning.  What is also interesting is that Roundshaw tends to not extract the fastest runners- possible because its far from a PB course.  This means that for runner like me, who like a good muddy hill, it means that finishing in the top 5 is a regular occurance.  First place, however, until recently has always alluded me.

This most recent Saturdays was what you might call a 'perfect storm' for a potential win at Roundshaw.  It was pissing it down and blowing a gale- the perfect weather to keep those lily livered fast runners at home! 

There were only 40 or so at the start and a small group of 5 or so set off from the front.  About half way round the first lap I was in third and as we approached the start of the second lap the guy who was winning pulled out (stomach issues) and I passed the guy in second.  I was now in first place- which came with it a feeling of elation (Yeah! I'm first) and fear (the metaphorical hear to the other runners hounds).  I dug in, ran through the middle of every puddle to keep some kind of racing line, and somehow managed to hold on to this position to win my first ever parkrun.

Now I know that every race has to be taken in context, and winning a parkrun on a wet morning the Saturday before Christmas is very much a context that needs to be taken into account-  but it sod it, it was great!

But do not fear, there's little likelihood of me getting too big for my boots, cross country season starts back up in January where it is always a battle to keep up with the middle of the pack let alone the front! 

Pirie 10

The Pirie 10 is a two lap cross country race in Farthing Downs near Coulsdon.  Farthing Downs is where I head out for many of my long runs and is a stunning piece of undulating downland that I've always thought would be a good place to have a race.  As it happens the South London Harriers, based in Coulsdon think so as well and have been running a number of races on the downs for a long time.

Race day prep didn't exactly go to plan.  A late bus meant that I missed a connection and arrived just after 10 giving me 20 minutes to register, get changed, pin my number to my shirt and complete the 5 minute up hill jog to the start line.  I made it there just as they announced the 5 minute warning.  In some ways this was a blessing as it was not a day to be hanging around in the cold.

The course basically goes gradually up for the first mile or so, followed by a descent, a mile or so on the flat.  After this you climb out of the valley and then it undulates, but manly downhill back to the start for lap 2.  It's mainly footpaths with one pretty muddy section through a field.  There was a heavy frost so in the shade there was a nice glint to the ground in the winter sun.

Due to the cold, the ground was frozen solid which made for fast conditions compared to the mudfest of recent running.  I was felling pretty good and after the initial miles settled into a good pace with a few runners around me.  I competed lap 1 in about 33:30 which was faster than I imagined and started to worry it would all go wrong on lap 2.  Luckily however there was a Collingwood runner who was hanging on the whole way round lap 2- and with inter-club rivalry in mind I couldn't let him pass me!  Somehow I managed to finish in 1:07:03- getting my self 26th place and a new PB for the distance.

The Pirie is a really good, grass routes, club organised race.  No bells or whistles just honest hard running on great trails with tea and cake afterwards.  I am definitely going to try and enter some of their other races on the downs, which include a midweek 10k series over the summer and a 5 miler in October.

In other news I have a target race for 2013; the Centurion South Downs Way 50.  From now till Christmas I'm just going to enjoy running the odd park run and whatever training I feel like.  In the new year the training proper starts...

Bread from Beers

Carshlaton IPA available in casks and old lemonaid bottles

Post Vanguard Way Ultra recovery has been harder than expected.  I took a week off, but the first run back brought with it pain in both feet and ankles.  So I took another week off and after a gradual increase in distance I seem to be OK.

But it's not like I haven't been productive.  When I set up this blog I planned to cover the full tripartite of topics bread, sweat (well running) and beer. This hasn't really been the case- as with the exception of the odd mention of favourite beers it has been running and not much else.  I thought I would make amends, so whilst I haven't been running I've managed to find some time for some brewing and baking and linking the two.

The brew which is currently undergoing secondary fermentation in the corner of my living room is an IPA made from a kit from Better Brew.  The kit, which comes in a pouch rather than the traditional can, was dead easy to use and hoping to for some tasty beer in a few weeks time.   I plan to call it the creatively titled Carshalton IPA. 

At the end of every homebrew you are always left with an inch or two of slurry at the bottom of your fermenting vessel (in my case a plastic bucket).  Normally I just bin this, but I've heard you can use this as a starter to bake bread.  A quick search online confirmed it was possible but there were many warnings that it could create very bitter bread.

Undeterred I mixed about a cups worth of the yeasty, stale beer, hoppy and malty leftovers of the home brew without about 200g of wholemeal flour and 275ml of water to make a sponge.  Left this to ferment during the day and before bed (after several good pints of Sambrooks Junction) added another 300g. of flour and some salt, oil and extra water, kneaded and left to rise.  Knocked it back down in the morning, shaped it, went for a run (see how I combine all my hobbies!) and then baked for around 20 minutes at full blast followed by another 20 minutes at gas mark 6.

The result- a pretty tasty loaf.  The beer has a slightly beery smell as well as the sourdough taste you might expect.  The after taste is a bit bitter but, too my mind, in a good way.  So all in all a successful little venture. I've combined the left over yeast with some flour to keep it going as a new bread starter for further loaves.

IPA Bread

Vanguard Way Ultra, October 2012

The Vanguard Way Ultra is a two day race/challenge covering over 66 miles from the wonder of Croydon to the beauty of the south coast. Going into this event I wasn't maybe as prepared as I could have been having failed to do any of the back to back runs I had planned- but with lots of trail running over the light summer evenings I was pretty sure I'd get round.
 
The start was from the Sandilands cricket club: I hadn't been there since the Croydon Ultra in 2011 and was hoping I might have a better day than I did then. As I arrived the 10 o'clock starters were about to set off and I had a quick chat with them. Everyone seemed like a good laugh and that was true of everyone across the weekend. 
 
Soon enough it was 11 and time for the weekend "elite" start (I think it was only called elite as naming the earlier runners as "slow pokes" wasn't really in the spirit of things.)  We set off at a conservative pace through Lloyd park and quickly came to a halt as we learnt our first lesson about the Vanguard Way; the waymarks are often hidden so keep your eyes peeled and a close eye on the race card.  At the front there were about 4 of us running together; generally chatting but with that unspoken agreement that it was a race.
 
Unfortunately it became quickly apparent that a map was needed and we added on miles to the route here there and everywhere: spending much time scratching our heads and being saved more than once by one of the guy’s phone which had the route and GPS. By about the quarter way it was clear this was going to be a team effort and three of us stayed together for most of the race.
 
Putting the navigation to one side, there was some great trail running to be had with some long sections of single track and muddy woodland running. The recent weather also lead to some paths and roads turning into knee deep puddles/rivers/lakes.  The course was also pretty lumpy with some stiff climbs thrown in.
 
As we approached the final few miles I could no longer keep pace with the other two but ran in with a guy from the 10 o'clock start (who was running his first ultra on behalf of men's running) that we'd caught earlier, eventually crossing the line in around 7 hours having covered 40 miles. 
 
On arrival we learnt that the navigation issues we faced were not unique and as it got dark there many still out on the course. In the end just under half the starters got to the finish line on day 1. Some of those who were collected from the course weren't best pleased but in general I think most accepted that this kind of thing happens sometimes in trail ultras. The organisers were also really good at a) accepting that a map was needed and b) sorting that out plus extra route marking for the next day. I think once everyone was warm and dry and tucking into lasagne that any hard feelings had past.
 
On waking for day 2 I felt surprisingly rested and not too stiff. With maps in hand we set off following the route markings and a group of 5 of us got to checkpoint one, running through the early morning mist, without incident. As we approached checkpoint one, we met a runner that turned out to be Stuart Mills who lived locally. Stuart, who has won a few ultras over recent years including Lakeland 100 and the classic quarter, then kindly ran with us to checkpoint 2 meaning there were no wrong turns. It also meant the pace was a bit quicker than expected but it was still early days so not too much damage done. By checkpoint point 3 we were 4 and after cruising through the charming village of Alfriston we were back to the 3 from day one. We climbed the steps to descend to the sea; and like day one over the final few miles I dropped back as whilst still running I couldn't keep up the pace. The seafront at Seaford felt like it was never going to end, but eventually it did and with that brought Newhaven football club and the finish.
 
So then; day one 07:06:00 3rd place, day two 06:24:33 3rd place overall 13:30:33 3rd place.  Whilst maybe not the most competitive event in the world it was still nice to be third (my first non-parkrun podium!)- I even got a trophy and a free buff.  

So then in short, the Vanguard Way Ultra- good route, nice people, lots of mud.

Recovery wise my right ankle and foot ache to walk on, which I hope will pass with time and not turn into an injury; either way I think I'll take the week off.

What's next? Vanguard Way Ultra...

It's been a while since I updated this Blog.  In fact the last post was my report of the amazing OlymPicnic UltraMarathon all the way back in June.  The lack of updating has been not for a lack of running however a lack of racing.  Apart from a couple of parkruns (including a new best for Roundshaw downs) I haven't lined up for anything.

But next Saturday and next Sunday that will change as I attempt my first two day ultra; the Vanguard Way city to sea ultra.  With around 33 miles each day the route winds its way from Croydon to Newhaven on the coast.  Whilst maybe not as prepared as I could be (house decorating got in the way of the planned back to back runs) I feel ready to take it on.  Since the picnic I've done a few 20+ mile runs and lots at the 13-16 mile length- off road and hilly.  Hopefully this will be enough to get me through the weekend.

Two weeks of this training period was spent on holiday in the foot hills of the Pyrenees near the town of Quillan.  Amongst some good hiking, beer drinking and relaxing I managed some really good runs, all with several thousand foot of ascent.  There's nothing quite like sweating your way up a hill followed by a 20 minute descent on winding single track.

Olympicnic Marathon. 30 Miles. 7000ft hight gain/loss. 23 June 2012.

At 2:00 on Saturday the 23rd of June around 150 runners lined up at the bottom of Box Hill, sang "God Save the Queen" before running 30 miles trail (plus a small stretch of road) which included; 7,000 foot of height gain and loss; an ascent of the zig zag road which will be part of the Olympic stage cycling course; 4 trips down and then back up the infamous box hill steps; four descents and ascents of Juniper Bottom; and two climbs up the 'Eiger' steps.

It was a truly epic afternoon and whilst it certainly hurt at times I don't think I have ever enjoyed an event as much of this.

From my previous trips to the Midsummer Munro I knew that pacing would be key.  In fact pacing could be difference between success and a DNF.  With the exception of around 10 runners who formed an early lead group it was a cautious start by most as we headed up the grassy slope of Box Hill before turning round a cone and descending to the start of the zig zag road.  Here the pace quickened- the novelty of freshly laid tarmac under our feet.  I resisted the urge to take this, one of the easier climbs of the day, too fast and reached the top in around 30th place.  At this point the race rejoined the normal route- down the steps, over the bridge, over the stepping stones and then back up.  Runners were still relatively bunched up at this point as we turned at the trig point and headed down the hill ready to ascend the long climb to the road.  I walked most of this climb, crossed the road and in a group of about 4 took the next couple of flat miles at a relatively brisk pace to the grassy slope to Juniper Bottom.  Normally at this point you run half way down, round a cone and back up.  This, an Olympic year saw runners heading all the way to the bottom of the hill before returning to the top.

From that point on the course returned to normal again; the long stony downhill path to the car park before climbing the steps, a short flat section before descending (a some what slippery path) to the turn around.  I forgot to look at my watch so I have no idea what my split was here but I was feeling good, in fact I was feeling amazing!  I decided that maybe I didn't need to be taking it quite so slow and between White Hill and the road crossing passed about 5 guys and a few more up the next hill with two more insight as I headed back towards the next set of hills which passed without too much event; soon enough I was at the trig point ready to tackle the steps again.

The next 4 miles must be the hardest of the race as you do the steps (up and down) twice as well as the main Box Hill slope with hardly any flats to recover.  I hit the 'half way point' (16 miles) in about 2:50 and caught the two runners I'd been chasing before the steps. 

At the third visit to the trig point a guy caught me and we ran most of the race together- passing each other at various points of the race.   By now the Midsummer Munro runners were in our midst which provided some welcome support- both in terms of the faster runners cheering us on and with the slower runners providing a target to overtake.

I started to feel my self cramping up a bit as I headed into the third descent to Juniper Bottom, but it wasn't too bad.  It got gradually worse but a quick stretch at White Hill seemed to make it go away.  At the three quarter way turn around I was feeling good, hiked back up and made a quick calculation that if I averted any disasters I could get a finish in around five and half hours.  Sure I was slowing down but I reckoned I still had enough energy to keep up a respectable pace.

The guy who I had been running with off and on since the trig point caught and passed me whilst I was stretching away some cramp at the top of Juniper Bottom, but I kept him in sight whilst noticing 2 guys who were catching us up.  By the time we'd crossed the road, descended the chute and made our way back to the trig point we were a group of four.

This was where I made a decision- death or glory!  In too many races I've lost four or five places in the final miles and today was not going to be one of those days.  With the knowledge that the finish was a only 2 miles (and one set of steps the go down and back up) I sprinted away and threw myself down the stairs as fast as I could.  The plan pretty much worked as only one of the group managed to keep up.  Unfortunately he passed me back up the hill, but the other two runners were well behind now.

All that was left now was the final descent of the day.  The finish sight was a beauty to behold and I sprinted as fast as I could down that hill to cross the line, arms aloft, in 5:32:47 and 11th place.

Without a doubt the Olympicnic is one of the best races I've run and also one of the best races I've run.  For once I managed to get my pacing and hydration down.  I don't think, with maybe the exception of a little bit of cramp, that I was unhappy with any aspect of my running and I don't think I could have done it any faster.  If you had asked me what my aims were before the race I don't think I would have expected to have gone as quick or finished as high as I did.  I am, in short, well chuffed.

The course is amazing- and the repetition in the route in some ways even adds to it.  Yes you repeat many sections but these trails are a delight to run- with a really good mix of grass, mud, flint, woodland and steps.  Further more it means you are in constant contact with other runners- those in front, behind and in the second half the Munro runners as well.  Everyone gives each other encouragement and it gives this race a unique atmosphere which I don't think I have encountered anywhere else.

The organisation by Dr. Rob was fantastic, the marshals brilliant and the finishers medal and T-shirt epic as always.

Today I'm feeling a little sore, steps are a challenge; but maybe not quite as bad as I thought I might be.  I think I might take the rest of the week off however; maybe I deserve a little rest.

Change of plan: Olympicnic

 Due to some other commitments I won't be able to travel to Wales next week to run as planned, Trail Marathon Wales.  So I was thinking, what races are there that I can do that are nearer to home (especially as it will be my 30th Birthday).  And then, in a moment of foolish inspiration I remembered- THE PICNIC.  Held on Box Hill this is billed as Britain's hardest marathon, and to make it extra special this year it's going to be a special ultra-marathon edition at 30 miles; the "Olym-picnic".  Due to the last minute change of plans it's been too late to change my training plans so I'm just going to have to hope I've got enough climbing in my legs to make it round.  I predict it's going to be both amazing and awful at the same time...

Over the past few weeks I've managed to get out on some really good runs plus a couple of little races.  Over the Jubilee weekend I was down in Devon and went for some really good runs along the South West Coastal Path- the highlight being a particularly exposed headland near Salcombe.  I ran last weekend Roundshaw Downs park run in slow conditions (massive headwind on the first half of the course), but managed to come in 6th place.  On Tuesday I ran stage 2 of the weeklong Tour of Epsom down in Nonsuch Park where I came in 12th in 23:17 over the 3.7 mile course which was nice- although as I wasn't running the whole week I had an advantage that I didn't need to worry about running the next day.

Ran 10 miles this morning, will probabaly jog round 5 or 6 miles on Wednesday and that'll be it before Saturday and 30 miles, 7,500 ft of height gain and loss...after that I imagine I might have a little rest!

Finally in beer news tried a tasty half of Camden Town Brewerys' Black Ink today.  A tasty stout indeed (even if it's not real ale).

35th Surrey Hills Challenge

The Surrey Hills Challenge is a 30k (16k and 10k versions also available) self navigating race taking in 12 checkpoints through the surrey hills- high points (both literal and metaphorical) include Leith Hill, Holmbury Hill and Pitch Hill.

Its a cross between orienteering and a normal trail race.  There's a mass start but after that it's your choice what route you take between each of the check points.  When you get to each check point there's a little device you 'dib' your 'dibber' in to which records that you made it there and it what time.  Even better once you've finished and hand your dibber back you get instant results and splits.

The past few weeks have involved training in all kinds of cold and wet weather yet this weekend saw 26 degrees.  At 10:30 as we lined up at the start it was already really hot.  The start was frantic as everyone surged up the first hill and down different paths on the other side.  After checkpoint 2 I settled into a good rhythm up to checkpoint 3, 4 and then 5 to the top of Leith Hill in 43:21 .  Having reccied the route I wasn't too bothered about keeping people in my sights but being a touch competitive when I got caught by two runners at the bottom of Leith Hill I tried to stick with them and managed this as far as the steep ascent to Holmbury Hill where I was told I was in 13th place.  They dropped me but I managed to pass another runner in the process of keeping pace with them.

From there to Pitch Hill and the turn around to start the homeward section of loop I managed to keep up a reasonable effort with a few stops to check the map.  It was however getting really hot and over the next few checkpoints I could feel myself slowing down bit by bit. 

For the rest of the course, me and two other runners over took each other and were passed by each other continuously as we individually found some strength or a good route.  Just as I thought I'd never see them again I'd turn a corner and over take one of them and then just as when I thought I'd dropped one of them I'd drop to a walk on a steep hill and get passed again!

The final two checkpoints follow a similar route to the end of both the Leith Hill half and Greensands Marathon in that there's the final bastard of a climb up to the Nower.  It gets no easier over time- those bloody steps at the end of a race are never easy. That out of the way, the final few hundred metres to the finish involved, on the advice of someone I was chatting to before the race, cutting your way down a really steep section of woods.  It was a bit like a scree slope but with foliage rather than rocks.  I managed to just about stay upright; got to the final dibber and recorded my final time of 2:50:49 and a very pleasing 13th place.

Whilst the weather made it really hard work I had a really good time out on the course.  The trails around Leith Hill, as I have said on the Blog at length before, are excellent and the route choice aspect of the race made things even more interesting.  I felt like a put a solid effort all things told even if I was cursing the temperature.  Let's just hope for some cooler weather come June 23rd and Trail Marathon Wales...

Sutton 10k

It was a rare sunny day as several hundred runners gathered in Beddington park for the Sutton Runners 10k.  It's 3 laps on a road and tarmaced path and it's flat as a pancake so PB territory for sure. 

Despite recent improvements in my pacing I set off way too fast.  I hit the 5k mark in 19:00.  If the fact this is around my best time for 5k didn't tell me I'd set off to fast the stitch and general feeling of sickness really made the point!  However I realised if I could run 4 min kilometres for the rest of the race I'd get an acceptable time and knock 30 seconds off my best time for the distance.  So that's what I did, just settled in and took each kilometre marker as it came, and I just about did it. I crossed the line in 39:04.  I wouldn't say I enjoyed my self, but I kept going at got the time I was after- so in retrospect at least, I'm a happy runner.

Great organisation by Sutton runners, maybe not the worlds most exciting course but if you want fast and flat you can't go too wrong at the Sutton Runners 10k.

Nonsuch 5k and Surrey Hills reccie part 2

 
On Thursday I headed down to Nonsuch Park in Cheam for the 15th Dave Clarke 5k.  The course is two small laps and one longer out and back section.  Maybe not the most exciting course in the world but it's flat and certainly fast.  The only thing to slow you down were a couple of tight corners that were a bit grimy after the somewhat inclement weather we've been having.

The pace at the start was quite brisk with a good number of runners bunched up together through the first lap.  However come the second lap many were feeling the affects of the initial pace and dropped back.  For once I was not one of those who set off too fast and lived to regret it.  As I passed halfway and started the final out and back section I was tenth and that is how it remained until I crossed the line in a new personal best of 19 minutes flat.  I think the recent increased in training and long hill runs must be paying dividends across all my running as I knocked about 30 seconds off my 5k time.  This said some people with Garmins were muttering that the course was a bit short so maybe my increase in pace is not so real.  Either way it was a nice race for a Thursday evening and I was pleased to cross the line ahead of a few faces I recognised from the cross country season who were quicker than me at the beginning of the year.

Saturday saw a slightly longer, muddier and less flat outing.  I got the train down to Dorking again to reccie the Surrey Hills Trail Challenge course.  This time I set out to cover the full course plus an extra 3.5 miles to take from the station to the start and back.  Navigation this time went a lot better aided by last months trip to the course.  The route was certainly damp; there were bogs, paths that had turned into streams, flooded fields; the lot.  Made it round the course in around 3 hours 10 which I was happy with as there were a few navigational pauses and wrong turns which hopefully won't happen on race day.  I'm really looking forward to the race now, the running around Leith Hill is as excellent as the hills are relentless.

MudSweatandBeers

The thing about rain and mud is that it's all relative.  When it's dry you avoid the puddles, skirt round the mud.  Once you've been through one puddle up to your ankles it no longer matters, it's all part of the fun.

Getting back into long runs

In many respects this years been a funny one in terms of running. After little or no training in November and December, January and February saw 5 races on not very much training- and whilst they were all enjoyable (with special mention for the box hill fell race) I didn't feel on top of my game in any of them.

March saw no races and neither will April (OK, maybe the odd Parkrun).  I've been doing more training and starting to feel the benefit of it in my running. Importantly I've been getting back into the long runs in preparation for the Surrey Hills Trail Challenge and Trail Marathon Wales in May and June respectively.  I'd forgotten how great it is to head out for a few hours with a map and explore some new trails.

Today I headed over to Dorking to recce the Surrey Hill's (it's a non-marked self navigating race), I've run over there a couple times for Trionium races and today proved how much great trail running there is around Leith Hill and the Greensand ridge.  My running navigation is coming along slowly; however my 10 min miles for the 20 mile run today show that I haven't quite mastered running and map reading at the same time. There was certainly a few extra miles and a lot of standing around at junctions, but as the run went on I got more into it and made less mistakes and was more 'fluid' with my route choice.  All being well I'll head over again in the next few weeks and if that doesn't improve my map reading I should at least know where I'm going on race day having run the whole course in advance!

Despite upping my long runs over the past month I've left some room for the short stuff. On Saturday I headed down to the Nonsuch Parkrun and despite some windy conditions I knocked a few seconds off my PB (19:32)- which was nice but if I'm honest I was a bit meh about it all- I think two flat laps round a park is just not for me.

Finally- Trail Marathon Wales have released the route info for June- it looks set to be a corker: 26.2 miles, 4,500 ft of height gain and loss, some big climbs, single track sections, downhill finish.  The marathon's sold out already, can't wait.