End of Year - Part 3

And so to the final part of my review of the last twelve months - my year in running.

I started the new year excited at what lay ahead. I'd been working with Stuart Mills as my coach for three months by then, and had already started to see some results. We'd devised a suitable race schedule to take me through the year, and to prepare me for my 'A' races. The following is a brief synopsis of how everything went.

Total Miles Run : 1603.7

Quite happy with that, bearing in mind I missed most of July and August (57mi & 46mi respectively) due to moving house.

Training - I certainly trained differently, and harder, under the tutelage of Stuart than I have before. I'd always been of the opinion that to run ultras all you need to do is run lots of miles. In fact, my longest runs rarely exceeded around 21mi, and my weeks usually incorporated at least one speed session, either 5min efforts with 3min intervals, or a tempo run of between 4 and 6 miles...or both! The difference it has made is vast, as I now run at a higher pace than I used to, for less effort. Mentally the work we've done together has probably made the biggest difference. I now go into races confident in my training, confident in my ability, and confident that I'm there to race, not just to make up numbers, or stroll in towards the back of the pack. This mental work has included visualisation, course research, looking over my training records (I now keep a daily diary of sleep quantity, how I feel, my training etc), and also reading books/articles by other runners, whether they be race reports from previous years (more research), or inspirational material from the likes of Charlie Spedding etc.

Race Calendar
January - Naunton Nearly 19 (18mi, 2:48:12)
A fun race, held on a very cold, and wet, day in Gloucestershire. Set off at a pace I thought I could sustain (another new idea for me, rather than starting slowly and hoping to speed up at the end). I had no real idea where I was in the field, other than that I'd made sure I was pretty near the front at the start. Some interesting conditions, including knee deep flooded fords, thick mud, and frosty roads. Crossed the finish line in 33rd, from 123. A great way to start the year, and gave me confidence that I didn't have to be in the last third at the finish.

February - Peddars Way Ultra (47mi, 8:17:43)
An area I know well, being the first trails I trained on when I decided to leave road running behind. A very low key, but great fun, event. Felt good all the way through, didn't panic when I Miss G. and I failed to rendezvous at an aid station, and spent a long while running with one guy, that helped the miles tick by. Tired towards the end, but still felt strong enough to push for the final couple of miles when I saw what time was possible. Again, very happy with the result (23rd from 56), in fact I believe this to be one of my strongest performances of the year, as it showed how much mental strength I'd gained.

March - Grindleford Gallop (21mi, 3:28:18)
One of my favourite races in the calendar, and my third year in a row of taking part. Another cold, wet, foggy, muddy day, but still a huge amount of fun. Set off very quickly (probably slightly too quickly!) and then kept going. Pushed hard for the whole race, making sure I was carrying water, and food, so I didn't stop at the two aid stations for more than a few seconds each time. Finished strongly, with no real tail off in effort, for 121st, from 350. My time was 26mins quicker than 2013, a huge improvement, and a sign that my training plan was working.

April - South Downs Way 50 (49mi, 9:22:40)
My first time racing the SDW50, and definitely one I want to return to. It's a beautiful course, albeit tough, as you cross the downs, dropping down into the villages for aid stations, and hence having to climb back up again straight after. Weather was cool and damp, with some mist on top. My race started well but unfortunately went downhill from about 26mi as nausea was stopping me eating or drinking. I ended up slowing down quite a lot, and dropping off my target time of sub 9hrs. Eventually I started to feel better, started to take on board some fuel again, and managed to keep going, finally crossing the finish line after having pushed hard on the last downhill, and along the (neverending!) road to finish sub 9:30 for 125th, from 301. Whilst the time wasn't as good as I'd aimed for, discovering the ability to keep going through a bad patch was a big plus, and it was a personal best for a 50mi race by 1hr45mins.

May - North Downs Way 50 (DNF)
Entering the race was a bad idea, but at least I learnt a few things from it. In 2013 the heat and course had "beaten" me, suffering from cramp from just after halfway I ended up walking most of the second 25mi, finally finishing in just over 11 hours. I therefore entered again in 2014 out of spite, I wasn't going to be beaten. That was an error, I discovered that without an emotional attachment to the race, a "want" to be there, that I had no mental strength to deal with any difficulties that came along. The day itself was very hot (something I don't respond well to), despite hydrating well, and making sure to empty cold water over my head at every aid station to keep myself cool I still ended up bent double just before the 31mi aid station, feeling nauseous, sweating and shivering. Until then I'd still been roughly on my time goal, and was certainly reasonably high up the field. I walked/jogged into the aid station and quit. If I'd wanted to be there, liked the course (I don't, running alongside the M25 is never going to qualify as scenic to me), or wanted to finish for the medal/shirt I could have pushed on and walked it in. Instead, I had no attachment to the race whatsoever, and was completely happy to walk away. Definitely a learning process!

June - Dig Deep Peak District Intro Ultra (30mi, 5:59:04)
I ran (mostly walked) the full length (60mi) version a couple of years ago, so I knew the terrain mostly, how the event would be run etc. Had a great time on the course, despite it actually being harder than I remembered. The first 5mi were a lot steeper than I had thought, necessitating a quick re-think of schedule. Managed to push hard for most of the race, although I began to struggle towards the end, with twinges of cramp. Kept going as hard as possible though as I was determined to finish under 6hrs. Was very satisfied with my time, and with the fact that I couldn't have put any more into my race on that day. Finished 19th from 108

November - King's Forest 50k (30.5mi, 4:38)
Another low key event from the organiser of Peddars Way. 4 laps around the forest, my first attempt at a loop course. Set off very quickly, running in top 5 position for most of lap 1, until course markings had been vandalised, meaning an unwanted detour for about half a mile. After that I kept pushing, stopping very briefly to change bottle and grab food at the end of each lap. Lap 3 was where I really began to struggle, due to my high pace at the start, but could keep pushing, and keep running, very proud that it's the first race I didn't walk a single step. Another run where I was happy that I'd done the absolute best I could on the day, having nothing more to give. Finished 11th from 103.

So, that was my racing year. I already have plans for 2015, races entered, training schedule written. Most importantly I want to thank all the event organisers, and the volunteers who turn up in their masses to enable us to run long distances for the sheer fun of it. Having been one of those volunteers at a number of races this year I know how hard it is.
Also, a huge thanks to Stuart Mills for his enthusiasm, knowledge, and ability to make me do things I didn't think were possible.
Finally I want to thank Miss G, for being the most amazing crew, always being where she's supposed to be, way in advance of when she's supposed to be there, to make sure she doesn't miss me. Whilst I could have finished the races above without her help, it would have been a lot harder, and definitely wouldn't have been as much fun!