Another solid weeks training with an extra thrown in for good measure!
Tuesday was speedwork night and the first time ever I have done 400m reps. I managed 9 x 400m with 200m recoverys averaging about 1 minute 50 sec for each with worst of 1.57 and best of 1.39 with the encouging thing being that I got faster as the session went on.
Then on Wednesday did an easy 7 miler in nearly dead on an hour which was very pleased with as that means I was going 7 miles per hour! :-) Then Thursday it was a 4 mile tempo run with some hills with 1 mile warm up, 1 mile warm down.
Friday was a rest day then on to my most strenuous weekend this year by far. On Saturday morning did an easy 4.4 mile. Followed by climbing Beinne Chabhair in the afternoon which was by far the toughest hill climb I have done but felt surprisingly good reaching the summit. It was challenging because of the eroded path on the way up beside Beinglass falls for starter so it was a steep gradient. Then when we reached the top of the first steep bit we followed the burn up a gradual incline which was extremely marshy! On the way up we were jumping over the really marshy bits but by the way down we stopped caring and just ploughed through them. Then the path veered left up a steep hill. At the top of the hill there is a ridge which goes up and down constantly until reaching the summit of Beinne Chabhair. Luckily the path got better and less marshy the further up we went. Just to give an idea of how hard this mountain is though. Although it says its 930 odd metres, there is over 1000m of ascent due to the down hill bits on the way up. Also I climbed Ben Lomond this year in 3 and half hours (2 hours up, 1 and half down). This took 4 hours to go up and 2 hours 40 to go down! and we really were not hanging about on the descent. So with 20 minutes at the top to admire the breathtaking views where you could see as far away as Glasgow, all in all was a 7 hour round trip. With a well earned meal at the Droovers inn down the bottom where we parked.
So Sunday a few people had there doubts I would be able to do my long run with yesterdays long day. But although I had a wee bit of stiffness in the morning it went well and managed to average 10 minute miles for the scheduled 16 miles. So over the weekend I managed almost 30 miles altogether! Actual running during the week was a record high of 38.4 miles, so Overall a very good week and a much needed rest day tomorrow!
Sunday 26 July 2009
Sunday 19 July 2009
Loch Ness Marathon Training week 5
Good weeks training this week. On Tuesday did my first ever Fartlek. Did 1 mile warm up then a 4 mile fartlek where i basically speeded up for all the hills, took it easy on the downs. Then reasonable pace on the flats followed by a one mile warm down.
Wednesday night was an easy 6 miles then Thursday was one of my best training runs ever. A hilly steady 5 miler in 39.54! so was very pleasing! :-)
On Saturday I ran to the park run 5k in Pollock Park and back for an easy 4 miles total. I volnteered again where I was helping registering the results of all the runners. Despite some technical difficulties with one of the laptops, it was good fun and good opportunity to meet runners. Also well impressed with my brother who got a new PB of 26.36 beating his previous best by nearly a minute!
Then on to Sunday's long run! The first 3 miles were not good as I really felt my right leg was going to get injured at the top of my leg, but managed stick it out and it got better after that so managed the 15 miles planned. So another good week in the bag :-)
Saturday 11 July 2009
Hardrock vs Badwater
Hardrock vs Badwater
Unknown to the majority, 2 of the toughest foot races in the world are taking place this weekend. Both in USA; Badwater in Death Valley, California and the other is Hardrock in Silverton, Colorado. Personally I have not even run an ultra marathon before. But a flame has been ignited due to all the books I have read on the subject and also reports from Stan Jenson’s website www.run100s.com. The question is which is toughest? Well here is a comparison:
Hardrock Badwater
Distance 100.5 miles 135 miles
Elevation
Elevation gain 33,000 ft 13,000 ft
Elevation decent 33,000 ft 4,700 ft
Total Elevation gain/decent 66,000 ft 17, 700ft
Elevation gain/decent per mile 660ft per mile 128ft per mile
Highest Altitude 14,048 ft 8, 360 ft
Lowest Altitude 7, 870 ft (-) 280 ft
Temperature
Average max temperature 80 F 130 F
Average min temperature 50 F
Time
Time Limit 48 hours 60 hours Course Record (Men’s) 23.23.30 22. 51 mins.29 secs
(Kyle Skaggs) (Valmir Nunec)
Course Record (Womens) 29.24.30 26.51.33
(Krissy Moehl) (Jamie Donaldson)
Average Finish Time 40 hours 44 - 48 hours
Someone who has done both
- Scott Jurek 26. 08.34 24. 36.08
Percentage of finishers 2008 69.5% out of 141 91% out of 80
Terrain composition 62% trail, some cross country, jeep road All Road
Tag Line from Organisers Post - Graduate' 100 mile run The most demanding and extreme
running race offered anywhere on
the planet.
Where to Start?! Well I think the statistic of 660ft of ascent/decent per mile in Hardrock compared to 128ft of ascent/decent per mile in Badwater speaks volumes. Also the terrain in Hardrock is a lot more challenging than Badwater as Badwater is all on a road. Hardrock is therefore is a lot more dramatic with many river/stream crossings, steep slopes both up and down and even snow to contend with!
Being all road at Badwater also means that crews can access there runner every couple of miles or less! Meaning they can spray there competitor down/give them food and drink and constantly change pacers. Where as Hardrock goes into the midst of the Colorado Mountains meaning there are a lot less access points for crew.
The low point at Hardrock is almost the highest point of Badwater, so instead of the heat of Badwater, you have to deal with high altitudes for most of the race. So half of it is luck of the draw; if your body is bad at dealing with altitude, Hardrock is tougher. But if you’re bad with high temperatures Badwater is going to be tougher. But on a level playing field most things seem to swing in favour of Hardrock being more difficult.
Another issue is the time limit; The 48 hour limit for Hardrock and 40 hour average time of finishing appears to be a lot tougher than a person doing Badwater which has a time limit of 60 hours with the average runner doing it between 44-48 hours. Even though it is 35 miles longer – does the higher time limit the reason more people finish it. Personally I think so as the times suggest people finish Badwater quicker than Hardrock even though it is longer. Or could it be that Badwater has a stricter entrance policy limiting the field to only 80? Personally I don’t think so as Hardrock still requires you to have run at least 1, 100 miler in the last few years.
Speaking of times there have been quite a few people who have run Badwater in under 24 hours or there about. But Kyle Skaggs is the only person ever to have completed Hardrock in 2008 in less than 24 hours. Just to put it in perspective, he knocked nearly 3 hours off the previous record held by Scott Jurek who is no mug either being a 7 time winner and course record holder of the Western States 100 mile race. Kyle’s performance is considered in Ultra circles as one of the all time best ultra performances.
Overall for an average person who is good with heat and good at altitude, I think Hardrock is technically and physically a much harder course. Even though Badwater is longer it is all on road and it is nowhere near the elevation change of Hardrock. I think if you can run 100 miles in the heat, you can run 135 miles in the heat. If the course was on the sand beside the road I think it would be closer. Please don’t think I am understating the difficulty and achievement of finishing Badwater as it is still a mammoth achievement and is tougher than 99% races out there, this is just comparing it to Hardrock. Mind you the true test really comes from people who have been there done that and got both t-shirts and of course this is just an opinion from a wannabee ultra runner. But to me Hardrock is tougher all round. Personally, the heat puts me off doing Badwater but I tell you what if I really want one of those Hardrock t-shirts…..
Unknown to the majority, 2 of the toughest foot races in the world are taking place this weekend. Both in USA; Badwater in Death Valley, California and the other is Hardrock in Silverton, Colorado. Personally I have not even run an ultra marathon before. But a flame has been ignited due to all the books I have read on the subject and also reports from Stan Jenson’s website www.run100s.com. The question is which is toughest? Well here is a comparison:
Hardrock Badwater
Distance 100.5 miles 135 miles
Elevation
Elevation gain 33,000 ft 13,000 ft
Elevation decent 33,000 ft 4,700 ft
Total Elevation gain/decent 66,000 ft 17, 700ft
Elevation gain/decent per mile 660ft per mile 128ft per mile
Highest Altitude 14,048 ft 8, 360 ft
Lowest Altitude 7, 870 ft (-) 280 ft
Temperature
Average max temperature 80 F 130 F
Average min temperature 50 F
Time
Time Limit 48 hours 60 hours Course Record (Men’s) 23.23.30 22. 51 mins.29 secs
(Kyle Skaggs) (Valmir Nunec)
Course Record (Womens) 29.24.30 26.51.33
(Krissy Moehl) (Jamie Donaldson)
Average Finish Time 40 hours 44 - 48 hours
Someone who has done both
- Scott Jurek 26. 08.34 24. 36.08
Percentage of finishers 2008 69.5% out of 141 91% out of 80
Terrain composition 62% trail, some cross country, jeep road All Road
Tag Line from Organisers Post - Graduate' 100 mile run The most demanding and extreme
running race offered anywhere on
the planet.
Where to Start?! Well I think the statistic of 660ft of ascent/decent per mile in Hardrock compared to 128ft of ascent/decent per mile in Badwater speaks volumes. Also the terrain in Hardrock is a lot more challenging than Badwater as Badwater is all on a road. Hardrock is therefore is a lot more dramatic with many river/stream crossings, steep slopes both up and down and even snow to contend with!
Being all road at Badwater also means that crews can access there runner every couple of miles or less! Meaning they can spray there competitor down/give them food and drink and constantly change pacers. Where as Hardrock goes into the midst of the Colorado Mountains meaning there are a lot less access points for crew.
The low point at Hardrock is almost the highest point of Badwater, so instead of the heat of Badwater, you have to deal with high altitudes for most of the race. So half of it is luck of the draw; if your body is bad at dealing with altitude, Hardrock is tougher. But if you’re bad with high temperatures Badwater is going to be tougher. But on a level playing field most things seem to swing in favour of Hardrock being more difficult.
Another issue is the time limit; The 48 hour limit for Hardrock and 40 hour average time of finishing appears to be a lot tougher than a person doing Badwater which has a time limit of 60 hours with the average runner doing it between 44-48 hours. Even though it is 35 miles longer – does the higher time limit the reason more people finish it. Personally I think so as the times suggest people finish Badwater quicker than Hardrock even though it is longer. Or could it be that Badwater has a stricter entrance policy limiting the field to only 80? Personally I don’t think so as Hardrock still requires you to have run at least 1, 100 miler in the last few years.
Speaking of times there have been quite a few people who have run Badwater in under 24 hours or there about. But Kyle Skaggs is the only person ever to have completed Hardrock in 2008 in less than 24 hours. Just to put it in perspective, he knocked nearly 3 hours off the previous record held by Scott Jurek who is no mug either being a 7 time winner and course record holder of the Western States 100 mile race. Kyle’s performance is considered in Ultra circles as one of the all time best ultra performances.
Overall for an average person who is good with heat and good at altitude, I think Hardrock is technically and physically a much harder course. Even though Badwater is longer it is all on road and it is nowhere near the elevation change of Hardrock. I think if you can run 100 miles in the heat, you can run 135 miles in the heat. If the course was on the sand beside the road I think it would be closer. Please don’t think I am understating the difficulty and achievement of finishing Badwater as it is still a mammoth achievement and is tougher than 99% races out there, this is just comparing it to Hardrock. Mind you the true test really comes from people who have been there done that and got both t-shirts and of course this is just an opinion from a wannabee ultra runner. But to me Hardrock is tougher all round. Personally, the heat puts me off doing Badwater but I tell you what if I really want one of those Hardrock t-shirts…..
Monday 6 July 2009
Loch Ness Marathon Training week 3
How time flies! That is me completed 3 weeks of my 16 week training programme.
The week started a bit shaky. On Tuesday I had scheduled 1 mile warm up then 1 mile times 4 with 1/4 mile recovery. Before this I have been hitting my target pace and mileage fine. But this one I bit off a bit more than I could chew. For a start I picked a hilly 1 1/4 mile loop, so I knew not to expect the 7 minute miles on the plan. Next even though it was 8pm at night it was extremely hot! I was sweating just with the warm up! Then the the first mile of the repeats I did in 7.26 and pounded way too much on the downhills meaning my legs were already sore and knew i could not maintain that pace. By the second mile I was already destroyed and made it round in 7.58 and decided to call it before I did any damage so i ploded home.
Wednesday was a lot better with a nice easy 7 miler. On Thursday I had a steady 4 miler scheduled but I decided I had unfinished business from earlier in the week so went for the session i meant to do on the Tuesday.... and I nailed it!. Took the first couple of loops easy and did it in 8.10, 8.10, then did the 3rd in 8 minutes dead. Then the fourth in 7.44. So I have learnt a lot this week about speedwork!
Friday was my day off, then Saturday I ran to the Park run and back in Pollock Park. So that was a nice 5 mile loop and in between I helped out with the Park run for the first time after running it the week before. I handed out the numbers at the end and thouroughly enjoyed it! It was a good laugh and all the volunteers are sound. I will definetley be volunteering again as its a great event.
Then on to Sunday for the long run. I did a 9.6 mile loop the week before and had a 10 miler on the schedule for this week. I decided this week to have the 9.6 miler as base then any hill off of the route I would go up it. So I ended up with a 13.5 miler and it felt really good!
The week started a bit shaky. On Tuesday I had scheduled 1 mile warm up then 1 mile times 4 with 1/4 mile recovery. Before this I have been hitting my target pace and mileage fine. But this one I bit off a bit more than I could chew. For a start I picked a hilly 1 1/4 mile loop, so I knew not to expect the 7 minute miles on the plan. Next even though it was 8pm at night it was extremely hot! I was sweating just with the warm up! Then the the first mile of the repeats I did in 7.26 and pounded way too much on the downhills meaning my legs were already sore and knew i could not maintain that pace. By the second mile I was already destroyed and made it round in 7.58 and decided to call it before I did any damage so i ploded home.
Wednesday was a lot better with a nice easy 7 miler. On Thursday I had a steady 4 miler scheduled but I decided I had unfinished business from earlier in the week so went for the session i meant to do on the Tuesday.... and I nailed it!. Took the first couple of loops easy and did it in 8.10, 8.10, then did the 3rd in 8 minutes dead. Then the fourth in 7.44. So I have learnt a lot this week about speedwork!
Friday was my day off, then Saturday I ran to the Park run and back in Pollock Park. So that was a nice 5 mile loop and in between I helped out with the Park run for the first time after running it the week before. I handed out the numbers at the end and thouroughly enjoyed it! It was a good laugh and all the volunteers are sound. I will definetley be volunteering again as its a great event.
Then on to Sunday for the long run. I did a 9.6 mile loop the week before and had a 10 miler on the schedule for this week. I decided this week to have the 9.6 miler as base then any hill off of the route I would go up it. So I ended up with a 13.5 miler and it felt really good!
East Kilbride Half Marathon 2009
Having run this race twice before in 2004 (1.42) and 2005 (1.58), I was looking forward to getting back to running it after 4 years off. The good news was that the organisation was as good as ever and the only blip was the false start in which the councillor couldn’t get the gun to work and just told everyone to go! Before marshals had to stop runners as the gun sets off the timing mat (or something like that!). So once the councillor got a cap in the gun we were underway...
As well as having the half marathon; a 10k is on at the same time and all the runners are mixed together distinguished by red race numbers for 10K runners and black race numbers for half marathon runners. Also a nice touch to the race numbers this year was that your name and where you’re from are under the number! So I was Stuart from Glasgow for the day.
The half marathon is a two lap course with the second lap having a two mile out and back section to make up the miles, as the 10k goes off into the track after the first lap. For the first lap I just had the intention of taking it easy and see how I felt on the second lap. I went through 7 miles about 1.03 and felt really good so decided to up it a bit for the second lap. The second lap I really enjoyed as it was a lot quieter as all the 10k runners which took up well over half the field were gone and a was regularly overtaking people. The course has what I would call long inclines and declines. I wouldn’t say they were enough to call hills or affect pace really. So PB potential is quite high here.
I ended up finishing in a time of 1.51.57 which I was really pleased with as I have not done as many long runs in the last month. The last 6 miles felt really comfortable at the faster pace and I reckon I could have sustained it for many more miles.
Overall this is a great race – excellent marshalling, 2 laps meant the water stations every 2 miles and it’s always good finishing on a track for that sprint finish! (ok so maybe not a sprint ;-), slightly faster than before!)
Balfron 10k 2009
So I headed over early to get my race number and chip. The organisation was second to none as there was not even a queue even though there were over 600 runners plus a junior race. Then I headed back to the car to chill out with some tunes until 10.30 where I did a light jog back to Balfron high school to warm up. As I was entering Balfron High school there was a guy telling me ‘Go in that lane’, thinking that I was in the 4k junior race and I was last! So we had a good laugh about it when he realised I was just warming up.
The race itself was really enjoyable. The start went really smoothly as everyone seemed to be at the right point in the pack so I got up to my pace straight away. The course is an out and back course which is pretty much continuously undulating. It is one of those races where it was really a necessity to train on hills as you could tell in the second half of the race many were caught out by going off too quickly.
There were small pockets of support throughout the race that were extremely encouraging. On top of that the marshalling was second to none and the finish had a good crowd. The free orange and grapes stall was a nice touch at the finish. The goody bag included a bar of chocolate, a bottle of water and a very nice medal.
Although not a PB course, this is an incredibly scenic and well organised race now in its 3rd year. Being only half an hour out of Glasgow it is handy too.
Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon
Woke up on Sunday morning of race day to find a thin layer of snow but luckily by the time I got over to Balloch the weather had turned to rain and the snow washed away quickly. However in true Scottish style the weather changed from one extreme to the other; one minute it was really windy and cold then wet and then sunny then back to windy! So race day outfits were needless to say very varied!
The race limit is 500, so after a mile the pack is fairly spread out and by mile 3 you find it is spread out enough that you have your own space. Most of the course is run on pavements or the cycle track between Balloch and Glasgow, as the roads are not closed. However this wasn’t an issue due to the excellent marshalling throughout the course who stopped the traffic. I think I only stopped once to let a bus turn in to a street I was crossing and that was it.
The atmosphere at the event was just right; the marshalls provided the majority of support to the runners while the field was mainly made up of club runners. So the times were quick; with the first runner coming in at 1.12 and the last about 2.20 with the majority of people finishing in under 2 hours. Although the race was fully subscribed only 388/500 runners finished, with many probably put off by the weather.
The course itself I would describe as mildley undulating. There were quite a few long gentle climbs but none I would really describe as hills. Although I was maintaining quite a steady pace up them, I seemed to be overtaking quite a few people. So maybe other people saw them as hills!
Personally I didn’t PB this race as, this was my first half in 4 years, but I reckon it’s a course which you could PB on as it is reasonably flat and a spread out field which means you are not really jostling for space at any point.
I didn’t actually realise I was finished till I was given the goody bag as there was people standing in front of the finish sign to the left of the road. There were a fair number of people who hung around to cheer on the later runners which was nice. The finish momento is the best I have been given as it is a glass ornament with a kind of hologram of a runner inside with ‘Balloch to Clydebank half marathon’ engraved on the front. My only critisim of the ornament would be that it doesn’t have the year on it. However normally I would just shove my medals in a box but this one will be on the mantle piece for a few months at least!
Overall an excellent, well organised event showing quality is better than quantity. One I will do again in the future for sure.
Lessons Learned
- Have everything done by Saturday night – eg race number attached to clothing.
- Have bag packed with clothing for all weather
- Porrigde went down ok on race day had about 2 ½ hours before start. Try toast though.
- Make a checklist of everything you need for race day so don’t miss anything.
- Starting warm up at least half an hour before. Also drank a pint of water with breakfast then sips in the run up. Also took half a 500 ml water for first 5 miles. Worked well.
- Keep yourself moving for the rest of the day so legs don’t stiffen up.
- Pace was well judged – almost even split – started hurting about mile 9 but played good mind games to keep going.
The race limit is 500, so after a mile the pack is fairly spread out and by mile 3 you find it is spread out enough that you have your own space. Most of the course is run on pavements or the cycle track between Balloch and Glasgow, as the roads are not closed. However this wasn’t an issue due to the excellent marshalling throughout the course who stopped the traffic. I think I only stopped once to let a bus turn in to a street I was crossing and that was it.
The atmosphere at the event was just right; the marshalls provided the majority of support to the runners while the field was mainly made up of club runners. So the times were quick; with the first runner coming in at 1.12 and the last about 2.20 with the majority of people finishing in under 2 hours. Although the race was fully subscribed only 388/500 runners finished, with many probably put off by the weather.
The course itself I would describe as mildley undulating. There were quite a few long gentle climbs but none I would really describe as hills. Although I was maintaining quite a steady pace up them, I seemed to be overtaking quite a few people. So maybe other people saw them as hills!
Personally I didn’t PB this race as, this was my first half in 4 years, but I reckon it’s a course which you could PB on as it is reasonably flat and a spread out field which means you are not really jostling for space at any point.
I didn’t actually realise I was finished till I was given the goody bag as there was people standing in front of the finish sign to the left of the road. There were a fair number of people who hung around to cheer on the later runners which was nice. The finish momento is the best I have been given as it is a glass ornament with a kind of hologram of a runner inside with ‘Balloch to Clydebank half marathon’ engraved on the front. My only critisim of the ornament would be that it doesn’t have the year on it. However normally I would just shove my medals in a box but this one will be on the mantle piece for a few months at least!
Overall an excellent, well organised event showing quality is better than quantity. One I will do again in the future for sure.
Lessons Learned
- Have everything done by Saturday night – eg race number attached to clothing.
- Have bag packed with clothing for all weather
- Porrigde went down ok on race day had about 2 ½ hours before start. Try toast though.
- Make a checklist of everything you need for race day so don’t miss anything.
- Starting warm up at least half an hour before. Also drank a pint of water with breakfast then sips in the run up. Also took half a 500 ml water for first 5 miles. Worked well.
- Keep yourself moving for the rest of the day so legs don’t stiffen up.
- Pace was well judged – almost even split – started hurting about mile 9 but played good mind games to keep going.
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