Montane Lakeland 100 - Learning From and Planning for the Future

Hi

I started writing up this race report nearly two weeks ago, but now having returned from holiday, hopefully I will finish it tonight.  One thing that comes out in all of the Lakeland 100 reports I have read over the last two weeks is that the event has such an impact on all that take part. Every report highlights what the Lakeland 100 means to them, and the enjoyment and feeling of satisfaction in taking on such a tough challenge.  My report that follows will no doubt also convey this message, however, where my report may differ is on the increased emphasis on my performance during the race.  To me, the Lakeland 100 is a race, and hence my number one focus for the event is to perform.  This doesn't meant that I don't enjoy the awesome scenary or appreciate the tremendously supportive ultra running community, but being a race, performance on race day takes precedence.  So lets get this race report completed!

In my pre-race blog post I commented how my main aim from this years race was to simply run well.  Although I had won the race back in 2010 in a time of 24 hours 10 minutes, I felt that I had slowed significantly over the second half of the course, and therefore I wanted to run strongly right through the entire 105 miles this year.  Back in 2010 following my three day recce run I felt that the Lakeland 100 was runable in under 20 hours.  I was over 4 hours away from sub20 in 2010, and leading up to this years race, I felt if all went well on race day then I could possibly manage a time of 20:30.  Why not sub 20 hours?  Well, although not making any excuses, as much as I tried to convince myself that not running for eight weeks wasn't a problem, deep down within my sub-conscious, I knew that it would have at least a minor detrimental effect, so hence the slower ideal time.

Leading up to the race, probably as a result of missing eight weeks training earlier in the year, both my physical and non-physical training was at possibly for me, a record high level.  I spent many hours researching the event, each leg, the distances, my split times from 2010 race and recce runs, and extensively used John Kynaston's videos to aid me in refreshing my memory of the route.  As part of the non-physical training a detailed leg by leg race schedule was constructed that resulted in a finish time of 20:30.  These times are calculated weeks in advance so they can enter the sub-conscious, but come race week, I do not look at them, so on race day I only have a vague recollection of a few of the leg times.

Physical training wise, again probably in order to boost my confidence, my weekly mileage for me was pretty high, with an average of 49.1 miles per week.  This included one race, the Endurancelife Classic Quarter 44 mile race, which was five weeks previous and went pretty well.  Perhaps I over did the physical training a wee bit following this race, as during the last week of tapering, I usually totally freshen up, and feel great.  However, leading into the Lakeland 100 an over-trained feeling existed.  So much that after feeling so tired on my last planned run of five miles on the Wednesday, one extra four mile run was needed on the Thursday as confidence was rather low, which for me was rather foreign!

I arrived at Coniston on the Friday mid-afternoon with the plan to soak up as much positive energy as I could, but I was also very conscience not to get too excited and try to chat to everyone prior to race start.  One key aspect of a 100 mile event is to get ones' pacing right and not waste any energy.  So I spent a mixture of the few hours chatting, but also a lot of time on my own, just clarifying exactly what the aim of the day was to be.  In response to a question whilst chatting about my planned pacing strategy, I responded stating that I would be going out fast as usual with the intention to get to checkpoint one in first place, whatever pace it would take!  Verbalising this plan, which was one of my many visualisations that I had carried out as part of my non-physical training, actually 'woke me up'!  What was I saying, had my 'ego' taken over?  Why the need to be first?  So the last 40 minutes before race start was really important as it appeared that my 'ego' was taking over.  So I went back to the starting point within my planning for all races, what do I want, why do I want it, how much do I want it?  And reinforced the goal, i.e. to run well, hence no need to focus on what others do. 

So how fast do I start?  As you are probably aware, I have this race philosophy of "Run as fast as you can, while you can."  I am totally convinced in the successfulness of this approach.  Of course "as fast as you can" is relative to the race duration, it doesn't literally mean, "as fast as you can", i.e.10km pace or quicker!  The reason for the philosophy is that no matter what pace you run at, after 10+ hours you will be tired, so you will slow.  Better then to have covered more miles at the 10 hour mark, hence run fast at the start.  The real key ingredient to consider in determining your pace is how much Race Focus Energy (RFE) is being consumed.  I have covered the concept of RFE in the post titled Delamere Spartans Weekend – A Bit More on the Race Focus Energy Fatigue Model , but to quickly summarise, RFE has a strong effect on your running pace, and it is when your tank of RFE is near empty that you significantly slow down.  So reflecting back to the race start of 2010, my strong memory was that the RFE demand for the first leg was high, too high.  So having sorted out my 'ego trip' of needing to get to Seathwaite (CP1) first, I was then comfortable in the plan to start off at a lower intensity, and to use the unused RFE from leg 1 for later in the race.  During the first few legs, time gaps between runners are small, and to run just a few minutes quicker requires high levels of RFE, whereas later in the race, the time gaps are huge, and it is quite easy to run 10 - 15 minutes quicker or slower on a single leg, with little difference in RFE usage.

One could possibly conclude then, that the best strategy would be to start even slower during the first few legs, and this is a very common approach within ultra trail races.  To me, I love the 'buzz' of the competition.  The excitement from racing, the positive energy from being near the front of the field.  One important aspect of the RFE model is that you can top up ones RFE tank during the race.  So starting out fast allows me to do this.  One thing that makes a race different to me is that it is a race.  Yes the enjoyment from the awesome scenery and terrain are still present, and the enjoyment from the accomplishment of an internal personal challenge, but in addition, there is the challenge of competing against fellow runners, of racing with them, feeling their responses, testing each other out over the different aspects of the course.  Yes, although running well is my overall aim, this running well also involves an aspect of racing well.  I think the racing aspect significantly improves my overall run performance.

So I stand on the start line near the front of 263 runners ready for a quickish start but not as quick as 2010.  I recognise many familiar faces and there is a strong positive community feeling as 'good luck' and 'best wishes' are exchanged between the runners.  It is a warm sunny evening, and it looks like the weather will stay warm and reasonably dry throughout the night and into Saturday afternoon.  Having pleasant running conditions does increase my enjoyment level for races, adds to my RFE tank, and so I am in a happy positive mood as the race start nears, but with an underlying feeling of wanting to actually get started.  Wanting to settle into the race, to allow any doubts regarding preparation to vanish, and to simply enjoy running 105 miles as quickly as I can.  To really challenge myself, and hopefully respond successfully to the challenges I will encounter before I return to Coniston on Saturday afternoon.

Leg1 Coniston to Seathwaite

Race Start at Coniston

As we leave the school and run through Coniston I am running alongside one or two other runners.  Running quickish, but as decided prior to race start, at a lower intensity than 2010.  One thing you will note as I reflect on my 2012 race is that there are frequent comparisons back to how I performed in 2010.  Probably the main reason for this is that during my preparation for 2012 I frequently thought back to the 2010 race in  order to identify those aspects that went well, but more importantly to recognise aspects that I could improve on, in order to develop strategies to prevent the massive decline in running pace during the later sections of the race, which occurred in 2010.

Working Hard Just Before Miners Bridge

We start the first climb up the gravel road before crossing Miners Bridge and onto some single track.  Immediately as the gradient increases, even before we reach the gravel road I decide that the effort is too high in order to stay alongside the lead runner, whom  I don't recognise.  In making this decision regarding the effort being too high, what I am referring to is that the Race Focus Energy (RFE) demand was too high.  Physiologically I was working reasonably hard, however, nothing too strenuous, probably at a lower intensity than what I would race a trail marathon at.  Looking at my Garmin heart rate data following the race, which can be view on the Garmin Connect website, an average heart rate of 167 bpm for the first two miles confirms that physiologically I am running at a physiological intensity slightly less than for a marathon duration race.  It is important to understand though that the physiological input is only one input that contributes to the RFE demand.  RFE is also influenced by other aspects such as the duration of the race, your expectations of how you will perform, your goals/aims you have set for the race, the level of doubt/uncertainty, the degree of being within the present moment, experiencing the here and now, the positivity you possess, the accepting of the surrounding positive energy and the ignoring of any negativity from mainly within. 

So I guess largely as a result of some underlying doubt over my preparation especially in possibly over doing it a bit during the last few weeks and the feeling of tiredness, combined with my frequent revisiting of my 2010 race experiences that reminded me of the massive slowing down during the last six legs, the RFE demand to maintain the required pace to run alongside the leader was higher than usual, hence the decision to let the lead runner go.  Having also spent time immediately prior to the race start reminding myelf to ignore my ego and focus on what I was doing and not on the other runners, this aided the decision, as not leading the race was no longer associated with any negativity, in essence I was happy not to be leading. Just a brief aside, during all of my races I wear a Garmin GPS watch, and this year used a Forerunner 310 XT which had a longer battery life, nearly 20 hours.  However, I now never look at the data whilst racing, as I try to rely on feel during the race rather than heart rate or mile pace data to confirm whether I am running well.  The Garmin GPS/HR data is collected for later analysis after the race.

So the lead runner, who from the results I discover is Ken Sutor, quickly leaves me behind, and reaches CP1 totally out of sight in a time of 62:17, which compared to my very quick 2010 time of 63:10 clearly illustrates just how fast he was running.  (Note: Ken continues to run very quickly for the second leg, again recording the fastest leg time, before slowing down on leg 3 (only recording the 15th quickest leg 3 time) and eventually finishes in 11th place overall.)  As Ken leaves me behind on the first climb, I am comfortable with not leading and also have no problems as a second runner, Ed Batty quickly passes me.

Near the Top of Walnar Scar Road

Running up the steady climb along Walnar Scar Road, Ken rapidly continues to move away, however, I am able to keep in reasonable contact with Ed.  Just prior to the summit Duncan Harris catches up with me and we descend together down the very rocky track towards CP1.  Duncan has a pretty strong ultra trail running CV including a win in the 2010 Fellsman along with many other wins, and a third place finish in the 2010 Lakeland 100.  As I run near Duncan one thing that I am very conscious of is for my pace not to be determined by the other runners around me.  Often it is too easy to ease of the pace simply due to the surrounding runners slowing down.  I therefore concentrate on maintaining my pace and slowly leave Duncan behind on the technically demanding rocky descent.  Looking at my Garmin GPS data which automatically stores data for each mile split of the race, my one mile rocky descending split time is 6:51.  Although pretty quick, especially if you are aware of the terrain, not quite as quick as my 6:48 mile split from 2010.  Just prior to entering the checkpoint at Seathwaite I pass Ed as he heads out on leg 2, with the results showing that I am 57 seconds behind.  My 2012 leg time is 66:25, 3:15 slower that my 2010.  I am pleased with my approach of starting slower, and overall happy with both my position in the race and how I am feeling.

Leg 2 Seathwaite to Boot
After a quick dib, and some water to wash down a gel, I am on my way.  As I exit the checkpoint, other runners have already arrived, and more runners are rapidly approaching on the brief 80 metre out and back section along the road, before the route heads off-road onto a potentially boggy leg.

As I start the second leg, I recall a feeling of relief, that all is going fine.  I have got over the dilemma of how fast to start.  I have no 'side effects' of the tiredness that had been ever present in my training during the last few weeks, and I am simply enjoying the present moment, of running fast along the fantastic route of the Lakeland 100.  Leg 2 starts with a steepish climb, then some undulating track before a demanding boggy section.  Both Ken and Ed are out of sight, and I am rejoined by Duncan.  Again, although running reasonable near each other we are both running our own pace and he slowly pulls away through the bog.  As I start the steep descent down to a farm, I am 'left for dead' by a runner who goes flying past firstly me, and then Duncan.  Now, although I don't run frequently over rough terrain, come race day I can typically 'hold my own', but not with this runner.  I later discover that the rapid descender is Ian Symington, who has run quite a few fell races! 

As we run around the farm as the track flattens out I gain a small lead on Ian and Duncan.  There is then some confusion over the correct route to take as we reach the bridge.  I am confident that we cross the bridge, with this part of the course being changed from the 2010 route, however, Duncan decides to stick to the old 2010 route and not cross the bridge.  Ian follows Duncan and so I am back to running on my own, as I pass the photographer prior to the checkpoint at Boot.

All Smiles Enjoying the Sunshine Near Boot

During the last week I have not looked at my 2010 race split times or my 20:30 race schedule, so of the fifteen leg times I am probably only able to recall the first two leg times/  As I approach Boot I am therefore aware that I am slightly down on both by 2010 time and 20:30 schedule, although totally comfortable with this, confident in that I will regain back this time and hopefully more later in the race due to the reduced demand on my RFE.

Leg3 Boot to Wasdale Head
After another quick dib and water to wash down my second gel I am quickly on my way.  Duncan arrives at the checkpoint just as I depart, so he hasn't lost that much time by following the old 2010 route.  Probably around 2 miles later he rejoins me as we make our way towards Burnmoor Tarn and it takes the pressure off having to navigate to the wooden bridge next to the lake as I simply follow Duncan as he heads in what feels the correct direction. 

It is as I crest the small climb before dropping down towards Wasdale Head I am joined by Terry Conway, Paul Tiernay and Barry Murray who are running together.  I know all three runners reasonably well, having raced them all before and chatted to them at other events.  I am therefore not surprised that they have finally caught up to me, as I have a feeling that they are still on their steep upward curve in terms of learning about ultra trail running, and therefore expect them to improve on their 2011 Lakeland 100 performances.  I am also still learning about how to perform during ultra trail races, so also on the upwards curve, however, I do recall thinking at the moment in time when the three of them caught me that maybe the steepness of their learning curve was steeper than mine, and maybe then there was the possibility that I wouldn't finish ahead of them today, in contrast to finishing ahead of them when I raced them all during 2011. Seeing the ease at which they were running also didn't aid my confidence, as although I wasn't working that hard, I acknowledge to myself that I was demanding more RFE than they appeared to using.

We have a brief chat as I join the three of them, and we all take note of the absolutely superb surroundings, with the amazingly colours created by the setting sun.  It is enjoyable running within the group and I conclude that running with them for a few hours would be a good strategy.  I could then simply let them set the pace and navigate the route, and hence I could just relax and enjoy the running  One thing that I have noticed this years compared to 2010 is just how much easier with regards to RFE, e.g. mentally in terms of running, when not in the lead.  Back in 2010, I had a clear strategy to lead from the start, gain an 'out of sight' lead, and hold onto it.  So for the first few legs back in 2010 there was always the feeling of needing to go harder, to get further ahead, to ensure that I was not seen, get caught.  In terms of RFE it was definitely more demanding.  The big plus side of leading though was the massive replenishment of RFE whilst running and at each checkpoint, as it was confirmed that I was in the lead in 2010.  As we ran as a group towards checkpoint 3 I recall evaluating the two different scenarios and coming to the conclusion that 2012 was less 'mentally demanding'.  Whether more enjoyable or satisfying I was unable to conclude as the bonus of there being the feeling of reduced pressure was offset with the reduced 'buzz' from not leading.  We entered checkpoint 3 together, fifteen seconds down on Duncan, but with the first two runners Ken and Ed nowhere in sight.

Leg4 Wasdale Head to Buttermere
Terry, Paul and Barry leave the check point a few seconds ahead of me and I notice that I have to work quite hard to pull back the 40 metre deficit.  It isn't long before we commence the long climb up to Black Sail Pass.  As much as the prospect of running within their group was appealing, the intensity required to stay with them just felt that little bit too high.  I therefore had to accept the decision that letting them slowly leave me behind was the best strategy. 

Looking back at this point in the race, it still amazes me the way in which the body and mind work together.  We were at around mile 21 of a 105 mile race, so at exactly one fifth distance.  Yet somehow the body and mind together are able to 'tell me' that the pace I was having to adopt to stay within the group was too fast!  What is this message based on?  Looking at my heart rate data, the average heart rate for the mile prior to deciding to drop back from the group was 161 bpm.  This was quite a bit higher than average heart rates of 154 and 146 during the 2 miles prior to the checkpoint (although these two miles did contain lengthy downhill sections).  How high is 161 bpm for a one mile average heart rate?  Well not as high as mile 4, up Walnar Scar road where the heart rate average was 167, but higher than most of the miles during legs 2 and 3 where it hovered around the mid 150s.  So looking at the heart rate data, it would appear that the feeling of intensity, in terms of whether the pace is too quick or slow is based on ones heart rate in direct relation to the heart rate immediately preceding.  But as I have mentioned earlier, it isn't only physiological data, but also includes all of those other aspects that contribute to the RFE usage rate.  Simply the decision to try to 'hang onto' the group of three results in a negative response, and hence increases the RFE demand.  Even though I had beaten all three runners the last time we had raced back in 2011, whether it was the fact that they were running as a close knit threesome I don't know, but for some reason I definitely felt 'inferior' to them at that moment in time.

Back to the issue of the preceding intensity affecting the RFE demand, just how much preceding is unclear, i.e. whether just the one mile prior or maybe the prior hour?  Also, how do checkpoints add to the situation, where the heart rate / RFE demand drops, if only for one minute?  Is it easier or harder immediately following a checkpoint?  One thing I really noticed this year, was that for me, it was always harder to get going again following a checkpoint.  It was as if during the few minutes of rest at the checkpoint, the body and mind re calibrated what intensity it felt was acceptable for the remainder of the race, resulting in 'wanting' to go easier!

So as I continue the long climb, I have to watch the three of them head off into the distance.  Then to 'knock me' even further, Duncan who we had passed at checkpoint 3, then moves pass me reasonably quickly.  I have typed "knock me even further", but reflecting back to this moment, although it was disappointing not to be able to stay with the other runners, I didn't let it get me down.  One thing that I learnt from my experience at Ultra Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB) in 2011 was the importance of enjoyment, the importance of remaining positive.  I kept these lessons to the forefront of my thoughts, and re-visited my main focus for the Lakeland 100, 2012, i.e. to run well.  I assessed how I was running, and concluded that I was running well.  Okay I wasn't able to stay with the other leading runners, but I reminded myself, the importance of focusing on what I am doing, not what others are doing!  So I continued along leg 4 happy and content with where I was at, enjoying the evening as it was progressively getting darker.  With there firstly being the steep descent from Black Sail Pass to cover and then potentially being a tricky navigation issue following Scarth Gap, my attention switched to racing the fading light and to complete these sections before it became to dark.

Probably around half way down the first descent, down towards the youth hostel, the 'demon descender' Ian Symington again overtook me as if I was descending like a granny.  He was indeed very quick, extremely skillful!  It wasn't long before he was out of sight and before I knew it my head torch and hand torch were out and I was running along the smooth path through the woods alongside the lake immediately prior to the village of Buttemere.  As I approach checkpoint 4 at Buttermere Village Hall I just make out a runner or two leaving.  So although I have lost some time on the other runners, I am reassured that it isn't much and I am not out of this race yet!  Overall I am pleased with how I am running, but there is some disappointment that I am not closer to the front.  At checkpoint 4 I presume that I am in eighth place: behind the two quick runners from leg 1 Ken and Ed: the group of three Terry, Paul, Barry; Duncan, and demon descender Ian.  However, the results indicate that I was actually in seventh place, having got past speedster Ken during leg 4. I didn't physically overtake Ken, so perhaps he went a bit astray somewhere during leg 4.

Leg 5 Buttermere to Braithwaite
I leave the checkpoint before any other runners arrive, which is reassuring as it allows me to focus on those in front, rather than being worried about being caught from behind. As much as I know that I should focus on what I am doing, I do find that I tend to compare myself in relation to the other runners.  I guess this is where my competitive nature comes in.  I can go for an enjoyable run across awesome trails any day of the week, and I frequently do within the South Downs National Park.  But it is only during racing that I really test myself, challenge myself to run as fast and as hard as I can, in a competition against others.  So hence the competitive element is always there.  Maybe I am slightly different here when it comes to ultra trail running, as within the various reports I have read, I haven't seen any signs of this competitive element!  This is most emphasised within Terry's excellent and intriguing report on his Lakeland 100 journey.  Barry's interesting and excellent report also contains a strong non-competitive theme.  I guess one of the key messages with regards to this aspect is just how great ultra trail running is.  That the activity of ultra trail running is so inclusive, that it can accommodate all that wish to partake no matter what their motives, and all of us gain and feel richer from the experience, having taken on such a demanding challenge.

Leg 5 consist of another lengthy steep climb over Sail Pass before some quick running as the route gently descends down to Braithwaite.  Getting up to Sail Pass requires being totally aware of ones surroundings as there are one or two left turns required to stay on route.  This need to be 'within the now' really assists me to stay positive and focused.  I can see the three torches of Terry, Paul and Barry together ahead, as well as a few single torches, they aren't too far up the climb, but being uphill are probably around five minutes ahead. 

The long climb and the initial descent to the last potential missed junction turnoff at Barrow Door goes well and I am well pleased with myself for successfully navigating the most difficult leg of the entire race.  I then get a massive boost of 'energy', I can see three torches probably around only 400 metres of downhill running ahead of me.  Instantly, I feel really positive about my performance and my pace automatically quickens.  The next mile is a gentle downhill to checkpoint 5 and I am flying in the dark.  The Garmin GPS data later shows that I covered the one mile descent in 6 mins 37 secs!  Pretty quick considering I had been running for over 6 hours!

I quickly catch up to the group of three, but no 'hanging onto' the group now.  I am on a mission.  I recall thinking that "I will show these youngsters that they haven't got the better of me yet", although the word "yet" was quite key, as much as as I didn't want to accept it, I felt that once the three of them had got over their negativity at going off course, which I concluded must have happened, and which did actually happen, then probably based on how smooth and rhythmical they were running earlier, no doubt I would see them again!  However, I wasn't going to waste the opportunity  and therefore I try to add to their negativity by blasting past them!  I arrive at the checkpoint around 15 seconds ahead of them, and after a quick dib and wash down of another gel I am quickly on my way, with a friendly 'see ya later' ensuring that Terry, Paul and Barry can sense my burst in positivity.

Leg 6 Braithwaite to Blencathra
The first two miles is flat consisting of road running and then along a disused railway before the steady climb along the Cumbria Way.  In an effort to put some distance on the trio before their assumed negativity at going off course subsides, I run these two miles as quite a high intensity, therefore demanding a high level of RFE.  I get to the steady climb and realise that perhaps I have overdone it a bit and therefore ease of the intensity up the hill.  It therefore doesn't take long for Terry, Paul and Barry to catch and then overtake me.  This time I do not even attempt to 'hang onto' their group.  Not only am I needing to reduce the RFE demand, but I notice that for the first time during the race my legs are beginning to tire!  This is rather concerning as I am only at the 35 mile mark, only one third of the journey.  The quads are beginning to feel damaged and the hamstrings are beginning to show signs of tightening.  These symptoms are expected during an ultra, but typically not until around the 70 mile mark of a 100 mile race, definitely never this early on!

I then think back to UTMB, and the importance of not to get into a negative downward spiral.  I acknowledge the initiation of discomfort from my legs, but then pay it no further attention.  I then focus on the positives, the present moment of running in the peacefulness of the quiet warm night, with a million stars above, enjoying what I enjoy doing, simply running.  For the next few miles, I am no longer in a race, I am simply enjoying running on my own.  I skirt my way gently uphill around the side of Whit Beck towards the un-manned dibber point as the route starts the descent down to checkpoint 6 at Blencathra.  At the junction I am surprised to stumble across another runner, it is Ian who flew past me earlier on the descents.  He is unable to find the dibber point.  I hadn't read this specific section of the road book that carefully so I wasn't totally aware of where the dibber point should be.  My plan was to simply look out for a light indicating its location.  I look down the track around 100 metres and see a light, and we here down to the dibber point together.  Having for the previous 20 minutes enjoyed running on my own, after dibbing I briefly stop and walk for a few moments to allow Ian to run ahead.  Reflecting back on this now, it really surprises me that I did this, totally against my competitive instinct.  But at that moment in time, where I had been focusing on the enjoyment of running, I didn't want the peacefulness of running on my own to be disrupted.  I continue running gently downhill to the next checkpoint, aware of Ian around 100 metres ahead, but not trying to gain or stay with him.

Leg 7 Blencathra to Dockray
Ian leaves the checkpoint around 15 - 30 seconds ahead of me, so for the next three miles or so, down to and then along a disused railway line, he remains 100 - 150 metres ahead of me.  I am happy with the situation, happy to be running on my own, just happy to be enjoying the present moment.  We leave the railway line and start the steepish and boggy climb up to the Coach Road.  Due to the steepness of the climb the distance between us is reduced, and this aids me as I can simply follow the route he takes rather than needing to look out for the corner of the wood, the gate in the fence, or the indistinct path alongside the fence line.  Taking advantage of not needing to navigate I am enjoying the night sky and notice not just one shooting star but two shooting stars directly above within a few minutes of each other.  Yes, this ultra trail running is quite an experience!

The climb continues a little further once we reach the Coach Road and I notice that Ian continues to walk even though the hill has nearly flattened out.  As quickly as I left competition mode on the climb on leg 6, I am back into race mode!  I focus on closing the gap and then to go straight past him.  The positivity increases again, this time from knowing that I am running well.  Especially as back in 2010 during the same stretch of the race I experienced my first 'difficult patch' and struggled along the Coach Road then for a few miles.  Tonight, the total opposite.  I am feeling good, running smoothly, as the tiredness from the legs has disappeared as my attention is taken elsewhere, with the focus on positivity and enjoyment.  I run straight past Ian and then notice a single torch ahead so continue to run at a reasonably high RFE level in an effort to bring the torch light closer.  Before I know it, I have reached the checkpoint at Dockray.  Whilst running quickly along the Coach Road I compare tonight's leg 7 to 2010 and am really pleased that I haven't experienced the difficult 'patch' like two years previous.  As I enter the checkpoint Duncan who I last saw on the climb out form checkpoint 4 is there.  He doesn't look happy.  He comments to me that he doubts that he will make it to the finish this year.  Just at that moment Ian arrives at the checkpoint, so instead of offering Duncan some encouragement, selfishly I ignore him and focus on getting out of the checkpoint as quickly as possible.  Apologies Duncan if you are reading this.  Sorry that I wasn't able to offer you the support you needed at that moment in time.  I am still on the upward learning curve in terms of ultra trail running!  Duncan did struggle during the next leg and unfortunately withdrew at the Dalemain checkpoint.

Leg 8 Dockray to Dalemain
I leave the checkpoint on my own and commence running along the one mile downhill road section to the village of Dockray.  Whether it was the brief stop at the checkpoint, or the fact that I was now running on the road, or the increase in the downhill gradient.  Most likely all three, but instantly my legs were rather uncomfortable!  Rather than being able to increase the pace on this smooth downhill section, due to the discomfort from the legs I am having to run slowly!  The Garmin GPS data shows that it takes me 9 mins 25 secs to complete a one mile downhill along roads where the elevation loss was 103 metres.  Quite different to the 6:37 mile I ran less than three and a half hours earlier. 

There is a dramatic switch from the positivity of overtaking Duncan and Ian to the negativity due to my 'trashed' legs, at the 51 mile mark, still not even half way!  Although I am putting in the same amount of 'effort' in terms of RFE (Race Focus Energy).  As mentioned earlier, the RFE demand is influenced by much more than just the physiological demand.  Having to deal with the discomfort from my legs, combined with the massive increase in negativity, significantly increases the demand on RFE.  I have no option but have to reduce the physiological demand in order to reduce the RFE demand.  The Garmin GPS HR data shows that for the two miles prior to check point 7 my average heart rate was 141 bpm, compared to an average HR of 124 bpm for the two miles immediately following the checkpoint.  It doesn't take long for Ian to go flying past me, which further adds to my negative state of mind.

I recognise what is happening, again learning from UTMB 2011, and work hard to get back to a positive state.  I am now running along probably the most scenic part of the entire 105 mile course.  The single track section that contours around Gowbarrow overlooking the lake below.  Not that I can see the lake or the awesome scenery as it is still pitch black, however, I do recall this picturesque section whist on my recce run back in 2010.  I gain a further increase in positivity when I compare the level of darkness at this moment of time with the 2010 race.  Not memorising any checkpoint times from 2010 or my 20:30 schedule I do not have any 'concrete' feedback on how fast I am running.  But I don't need any split times to tell me that up to the end of leg 7 I have been running well, quicker than 2010.  This is confirmed with the fact that back it 2010 it was just beginning to get light at this point of the race.  Tonight, still plenty dark.  I therefore take added pleasure in it being dark, as the longer it is dark, the quicker I have been running.

So as I regain a positive state, my physiological intensity is able to increase, but with there still being discomfort form my legs, even now on the uphills as well, which increases the rate of RFE usage, the average heart rate only increases back up to 135 bpm rather than around 141 for the majority of leg 7.  I exit the woods of Swinburn's Park and cross the road into some rather boggy fields.  As I struggle to locate the direction of the footpath as it is still very dark, combined with the difficulty of running across the boggy fields, I experience my first real 'difficult patch' of the race so far.  I am mentally tired, I am struggling to access the required Race Focus Energy to keep running.  It is pretty similar to what I experienced back in 2010 but that time it was during leg 7.  I get out my 'security blanket' chocolate covered coffee beans and consume some of these, combined with some Cliff Gel Shots!  I have little option but to walk this section, as I need to re-focus and get my mind back into action.  I go slightly off course, but not too bad considering it was still dark.  Just to note for the entire 105 mile route, this section here was the only time that I strayed from the course, and that was with the road book and map staying in my back pack the entire way.  Yes, my non-physical preparation had been very thorough!

Slightly Off Course During Leg 8

Earlier within this report I mentioned how ones race intensity, level of race effort appears to be influenced by the preceding level.  Well following my walking section across the boggy fields midway on leg 8 where my average heart rate for the mile reduced to only 115 bpm, from that moment in the race, I was never able to increase the race effort, i.e. get my Race Focus Energy demand up to the levels prior to that section.  For the next 34 miles until the Garmin GPS watch battery runs out, my average heart rate for a mile never rose above 128 bpm, with the average being only 117bpm.  Considering that prior to leg 8 my average heart rate was 151bpm.  Yes, leg 8 was a key turning point of the race.

Once I get back off the wet fields and onto the lengthy road section, I am back into running, and really focus on enjoyment and remaining positive.  I try to make the most of the gentle downhill sections and do manage to 'bang out' a 9:17 mile, which does feel quite quick in comparison to my previous walking section.  Unfortunately that mile, mile number 59 was pretty well my last decent mile of the race!  I arrive at the Dalemain checkpoint and have my longest stop to date of five minutes, compared to all of my previous checkpoint stops of only around one minute.  Whether the longer stop helped or not,  I am unsure, but probably hindered my progress.  Maybe I should have taken even longer, to have a real break, but with my legs rather delicate I didn't want to risk them seizing up.

Leg 9 Dalemain to Howtown
I leave the checkpoint walking, and it takes me a minute or two to get moving.  Again the focus is on trying to stay within the present moment and enjoy the experience.  I get running again and try to regain some rhythm.  I make reasonable progress though Pooley Bridge and up the gentle climb onto the open fell.  Although trying to focus on the present moment, I can't help but reflect back two years to the same point in the 2010 race.  Back then I had had two difficult and hence slow legs on legs 7 and 8, but then had got my 'act together' and ran really well on leg 9.  As much as I recognised the importance of remaining positive, I was finding it difficult to do so, knowing that I wasn't running as quick on this leg as 2010.

My focus then turns to a comparison between my overall performance to date for today's Lakeland 100 in relation to the 2010 race.  Although I didn't have any precise split data, I knew that I was significantly quicker than 2010, and bearing in mind that I slower massively in 2010 on legs 10 - 15, unless a disaster happened I was guaranteed to finish in a quicker time.  Yes, although my legs were giving me strong messages of discomfort, I was pretty well able to deal with these messages, with the only consequence being that it was increasing the rate of RFE usage dealing with them, hence the resulting rather slow pace, as the physiological demand had to be subsequently reduced.  There was never any question of DNFing, which was a real bonus, and a real positive as I slowly made my way to checkpoint 9, and then slowly start on my way to checkpoint 10 at Mardale Head.

Leg 10 Howtown to Mardale Head
I slowly eventually reach Madale Head, although in comparison with my leg 10 split time for 2010 I am over ten minutes quicker this year.  This isn't a reflection of my pace this year, but more an indication of my really difficult patch on leg 10 back in 2010.

Being able to run so slowly over leg 10 but yet know that I was still quicker than my 2010 time didn't really help, and in reality probably hindered my performance this year.  During my preparation I had spent much time formulating my race goals, my aims/focus for the race.  And after much deliberation came to the simple conclusion that my overall race focus was to "run well".  The problem is I didn't go into more detail in terms on what running well meant.  When I formulated this aim, I clearly knew what I meant by run well, things such as actually running, not walking unless it is a steady climb.  Running relaxed, within a rhythm, remaining positive, enjoying the experience, being within the present moment, etc.  Unfortunately, I find as I get tired during an ultra trail race, my body and mind tend to work together in a combined effort to deceive me and to get me to slow down.  So my clear perception of what running well means, is distorted and changed to mean to simply to run a personal best finishing time.  Yes, surely, if you finish with a personal best time for the course then you must have run well.  Logical really!  Well that was the message that I was being 'told' and in my fatigued state I didn't have any come back to respond to the convincing argument!  So as it takes me over two and a half hours to complete leg 10, by the time I reach the checkpoint at Mardale Head, the sole aim of the 2012 Lakeland 100 is to simply run quicker than my 2010 finishing time!

Leg 11 Mardale Head to Kentmere
Arriving at checkpoint 10 at Mardale Head was a real bonus.  The checkpoint was manned by runners from the Delamare Spartans running club.  Last year I was fortunate to be invited by the club to do a presentation on ultra trail running.  It was a great weekend, and I really enjoyed the positive energy of the enthusiastic and friendly members of the recently formed running club.  Well checkpoint 10 was no different.  I could hear the cow bells ringing loudly as I got close, and the support from the runners was superb, as it was at all of the checkpoints, but the bonus with this checkpoint was that many of the crew were familiar faces who all knew me and gave me tremendous personal support.

I leave the checkpoint on a real high and get to the top of the lengthy and steep climb to Gatesgarth Pass with no problems at all from the legs.  Amazing, really, it just confirms that the degree of difficulty I was experiencing due to the discomfort messages from the legs is really dependent upon ones state of mind and how one wishes to focus on , to interpret the messages.  Yes, this aspect is one of the crucial components of performing well in ultra trail running and definitely needs my full attention in order to avoid what happened  to me for pretty well the remaining five legs!

I get over the top and start thinking after such a strong climb that I can really smash by finishing time from 2010.  Then there is the start of the downhill, and the positivity form the Delamare Spartans is now too distant.  I simply pay too much attention to the discomfort messages from my legs, combined with my newly agreed race aim of simply beating my 2010 finish time, I just have no argument, and believe it or not, I still find it hard to accept it now, but I start walking on a downhill!  To put it in simple terms, there was no need for me to run.  I was going to run quicker than my 2010 finish time even if I walked this downhill so why the need to run!  It takes me 17 mins 24 secs to cover a one mile downhill section that had an elevation drop of 163 metres.  This was after I briefly battled with the discomfort of descending, so it wasn't an instant giving up, by taking 14 mins 52 secs to cover the previous one mile steeper section with a 205 metre elevation drop!  Two downhill miles taking over 32 minutes!!!

Yes, performance in ultra trail running is so much more than the physical, hence why I spend significant time on non-physical training.  The formulation of race goals, as my experience here illustrates, is crucial in order to have some 'come back' to the arguments one is likely to face during the later stages of an ultra trail race, which strongly want you to go slower.  My race goals were just too vague!  Yes, they don't need to be massively detailed in terms of specific split times, or heart rates, or race position etc.  However, they do need to be detailed in terms of what they mean in actual application come the race.  What does the term running well translate to during the race?  How can you evaluate this, and determine whether you are doing what is required to achieve this?  One of the key things I have learnt from my journey along the 2012 Lakeland 100 route is this importance of race aims/goals.

Opps, I haven't finished the race.  I still have five legs to complete!  Well not really much to report during these last five legs.  After walking on the downhill during leg 11, as you can imagine I wasn't really in a high positive state, but yet knowing that I would still run quicker than my 2010 time seemed to reassure me that I was still actually somehow running well, so overall I didn't feel negative at any time, which I guess is a bonus?  But having been convinced that I was still running well when in reality I wasn't, relative to what I know I am capable of, resulted in me not really pushing myself, not really trying very hard!  I eventually reach checkpoint 11 at Kentmere which is being run by the crew from Montane, one of my sponsors.  Again, it is great to see some familiar faces, and the positive energy received was a real boost.  Thanks.

Receiving Positive Energy at Checkpoint 11 Kentmere

Leg 12 Kentmere to Ambleside
This leg is pretty well a repeat of leg 11.  The positive energy I receive from the checkpoint gets me up and over the steep climb of Garburn Pass, with minimal issues with the legs.  But come the descent I again pay too much attention to the legs, although I discipline myself and refuse to walk the downhills, but the two miles of decent, with 124 and 137 metres of elevation drop still takes me nearly 24 minutes to complete!  I slowly make my way to the checkpoint at Ambleside.

Leg 13 Ambleside to Langdale
With three legs to go, I am pretty well on auto-pilot.  I am progressing quite slowly, managing to run most of the time, albeit slowly whenever it is flat or downhill.  But come any slight incline, then it provides an excuse to walk.  Why was I running so slowly I ask myself now, trying to reflect on two weeks ago.  Yes, the legs were uncomfortable, but no more than usual, probably the only difference was that the discomfort started earlier.  I guess the main reason for running so slowly was that there was no motive to run faster.  I was going to beat my 2010 finish time, hence a PB, so a good result!  But the problem now that I face, is that I know I am capable of much more.  Perhaps it could be interpreted that, "I was soft!"  I wimped out, I took the easy option, when the 'going got tough'!  Reflecting back now, part of me has this feeling.  For the last five legs, well actually the last seven legs, I was pretty well lacking in Race Focus. 

An argument perhaps could be made that it is due to my focus on racing, my focus on the competitive side of ultra trail running, that this is the underlying cause of my less than satisfying performance.  Maybe there is something in this, as very few ultra trail runners focus on the competition element, but I am not sure about this.  To me the Lakeland 100 is a race, and therefore involves competing against other runners in order to get to the finish line ahead of them.  Yes, it is also a personal challenge, but the time component of what constitutes a good performance is partly determined by how my finish time compares to the other runners.  But one plan for the future is to give some serious thought at looking into establishing clearer race goals which aren't competition determined.

Leg 14 Langdale to Tilbertwaite
Just before starting leg 14 in an effort to try to get myself running faster I ask the checkpoint crew the time gap to the runner in front of me.  He informs me that I am in 5th place (which is a surprise as since checkpoint 8 at Dalemain I had been in 6th position), and that I nearly 40 minutes behind.  He also informs me that back at CP12 ar Ambleside I was just over 30 minutes ahead of the following runner.  Both of these bits of information 'allow' me to continue running slowly.  There is no way I can gain the 40 minutes to gain a place, and even though I am running pretty slowly, it is highly unlikely that I will lose 30 minutes, and I conclude that even if the following runner does get close, I will be able to see him on the last climb getting closer and simply increase the pace.  So even during the race, I knew that I was capable of running quicker if I had to, but was taking the soft option!  So I continue my slow journey towards Coniston and reach checkpoint 14, the final checkpoint with no signs of the runner from behind.

Leg 15 Tilberthwaite to Coniston
I start the tough last climb, which begins with the infamous steps.  Two years ago my brother videoed me climbing these steps and I was really suffering.  Today, although tired, I am not anywhere near as exhausted as I was back then.  I guess further illustrating just how much I have progressed as an ultra trail runner over the last two years, in that I can be quite a bit quicker but with nowhere the same demands on my body and mind.

I make my way up the climb and as I slowly progress across the flatter part of the climb I glance behind me and see the following runner start his climb.  Yes he is getting closer to me, but all is fine.  Just in case though, for the first time since probably the start of leg 11 I increase my Race Focus Energy and work reasonably hard for the remainder of the gentle climb, up to the summit and start the final descent down to the gravel road we ran up nearly 24 hours earlier.  The descent is rather uncomfortable, but the excitement of the chase from behind gives me incentive to maintain a good pace and ignore the discomfort as I head down to the road.  I then make good progress along the final mile, running quite hard, and cross the finish line back at the school in a total time of 23 hours 45 minutes and 48 seconds.

Although this write-up and my perception of my running pace gives the indication that I was running very slowly over the second half of the race, and that this was mainly die to me being 'soft'.  Reflecting back on the last leg, where I had to increase the effort in order to stay ahead of the quickly finishing runner actually suggests that perhaps I didn't actually have that much left, and I wasn't going that easy, as after the last 30 minutes of increased effort I crossed the finish line pretty shattered!  However, the increased effort was necessary as a little under three minutes behind me, Gancho Slavov finishes in 6th place.

Well that was an ultra effort!  I doubt many readers will have got this far, if you have you definitely have ultra endurance qualities!  I sub-titled this post"Learning From and Planning for the Future".  Well hopefully my above report has illustrated that I have learnt quite a bit from this years Lakeland 100.  So planning for the future.  Firstly, having originally planned to return back to UTMB in 2013, the plan has changed, and I will be coming back to the Lakeland 100 in 2013.  In order to run to what I consider my true ability, I however, need to prepare differently to prevent the same massive slowing down during the last 5 - 7 legs.

I see two aspects to focus on here.  One is to do with my race goals, to ensure that these are clearly formulated, with sufficient detail to enable me to evaluate my progress towards achieving my race goals during the actual event.  I will also give some consideration to my emphasis to the competition element.  Secondly, I need to acknowledge that the issues I had with the lack of Race Focus Energy was possibly largely attributable to my physical preparation, in that my legs were pretty well trashed very early on in the race.  Although over my four years of ultra trail running, I have been a strong believer in there not being a real need to run large miles, having averaged only around 40 miles per week.  I am now having to reconsider this approach.  Yes, I have performed well during ultra trail races on this reasonably low mileage, but the majority of these races have been less than 50 miles.  In all three 100 mile races that I have finished, I have slowed significantly during the second half of the race.  So maybe 40 miles per week is fine for ultra races up to around 50 miles, but perhaps to really perform in 100 mile races, bigger mileage is required in order to 'protect' the legs and to give them that increased conditioning so there isn't the massive increase demand on the Race Focus Energy, simply to cope with the discomfort messages from the legs.

As  I have mentioned within my report, I am still on the upward learning curve when it comes to ultra trail running.  I guess this is the one aspect that makes ultra trail running so appealing.  In that one is continually learning and therefore continually improving.  I am really excited about experimenting with some new approaches to my ultra trail running within the coming year.

Time to sign off and finally get this blog post published.

I will sign off with a quote from Barry Murray's Lakeland 100 report.  I don't know whether it is his quote, or someone elses, but I can relate to it, and particularly like the emphasis on the expanding and learning.  I have just been informed that the quote is by Dean Karnazes.

"Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not demanding more from yourself – expanding and learning as you go – you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.” Dean Karnazes, 2006, from his book "Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner"

All the best with your continued learning,

Stuart

Montane Lakeland 100 - Quick Update

Hi

Just a very quick update on the Montane Lakeland 100 as I am still pretty shattered!  Once again it was a fantastic event.  The overall atmosphere all weekend was great.  Firstly thanks to the organisers, the marshals, the supporters and the fellow competitors.

If you haven't heard already the race was won for the second year in a row by Terry Conway in a new course record of 19 hours and 50 minutes, shattering his own course record from 2011 by over two hours.  First women was Rachel Hill in a time of 28 hours 47 minutes.  I finished in 5th place overall in a time of 23 hours 45 minutes, improving on my winning time from 2010 by 25 minutes, in similar underfoot conditions.  It was pleasing to improve my time, but I really struggled from after checkpoint 12 at Ambleside, and had to really battle hard on the last leg to keep ahead of the fast finishing Gancho Slavov.  Click the link HERE to access the full results.

Thanks to everyone who wished me best wishes for the race. And to everyone I met over the weekend, it was really good to chat. Full report in hopefully a few days. 

Photo taken at checkpoint 10, Mardale Head, by the Delamare Spartans support crew. Thanks.

Stuart

Montane Lakeland 100 - Knowing and Preparing for the Challenge

Hi,

With there being only a few days left until the Montane Lakeland 100 I am in the final stages of my preparation.  In tonight's post I will consider how my preparation has gone and what I have done.  Well I am not planning to do a long post tonight, as I am in taper mode, but I will attempt to reflect on my preparation concisely! 

In order to prepare for the Lakeland 100, the first and probably the most important task is to decide on what the challenge is.  What do you want?  Yes, we would less likely do these events if they weren't challenging, however, depending upon your goals, the race can have different challenges for different people.

Obviously the first aim is to finish the event, to complete the 105 mile circuit.   However, although there is a cut-off time limit of 40 hours, for most runners they will have an additional goal of completing the course in as quick a time as possible.  I have observed from my many years of running that this aim "to do ones best" is a common trait amongst runners.  Even if the runner publicly states that all they want to do is finish, deep within, they actually do want to run to their full potential, and therefore a speed/pace component is also involved.

Although I tend to finish near the front end of the field, clearly identifying what "running to my full potential is" is as equally important for me, as it is for the mid-pack runner or the runner towards the tail of the field.  As part of the Lakeland 100/50 recce weekend June last year I gave a presentation on my Lakeland 100 experiences.  One of my slides was titled "2010 Lakeland 100 - What Went Wrong?", and it created a bit of interest considering I won the 2010 event by nearly one and a half hours!  Yes, although I did win the race, when reflecting on the race, I didn't consider it as one of my better performances, which I attribute to my poor preparation in terms of knowing what did I actually want from the event!

In trying to be specific in terms of my goals for the event, it doesn't have to be quantifiable, in terms of say a certain finishing place or a certain finishing time.  This was where I have gained in experience and wisdom since July 2010.  Back then I assumed that in order to have specific goals, the goal had to be quantifiable.  I therefore spent significant time trying to determine how long each leg would take me.  The problem with this is that the time to run each leg is so heavily dependent upon the weather conditions, especially the underfoot conditions, i.e. whether the track is hard and dry, or as most likely this weekend, wet and boggy!  So back in 2010 at the end of leg two, which is prone to being rather boggy, the time goals I had set I realised were not possible.  I therefore had a dilemma as my time goals were no longer applicable.  I also had a sub goal of winning the race, however, as your finish place isn't totally within your control I try not to adopt finish place goals, although the desire to win was obviously attractive. 

So due to having not clearly identified what I wanted from the race, I simply ran at a pace that was sufficient to win, and I convinced myself during the race that as I was leading, I therefore had to be running well!  This is not always the case.  So what am I trying to say within this blog post.  I guess the key message is that it is important to clearly establish your goals for the event, however, what is most important is that you are able to gain some feedback during the race, to assess whether you are attaining your goals, and if not, implement a strategy to enable you to get back on track and to achieve your goal.

I therefore now simply adopt a rather vague goal for the race of "To Run Well"!  Yes, as simple as that.  However, what I have spent significant time developing is the process of assessing during the race, if I am running well.  This is not based on leg split times, or current race position, (although they can provide some feedback), but based on FEEL.  How am I feeling, my overall feeling, but probably the most important, is being my sense of enjoyment and the level of positivity at that moment in time.  If I am running well, my sub-conscious, my deep down feelings will reliably tell me this, but only if I allow these feeling to be displayed, without them being inhibited due to other less reliable feedback. Aspects I will pay attention to are some physiological feedback, such as level of breathing, heart rate, and physical senses from the legs.  But what is more important is my perception of effort, how much Race Focus Energy (RFE) is required in order to maintain my current running pace, and combining this RFE perception with the actual feeling of how I am running.  Does my running feel fast, feel flowing, feel rhythmical, relaxed.

One aspect is assessing my feelings/perceptions, but being able to respond to this assessment is the key to a successful performance.  During a 100 mile trail race, ones feeling will fluctuate, possibly to quite extremes.  There will be some absolutely amazingly awesome moments, but then also some very challenging moments. So within my preparation I have spent time visualising different scenarios that could arise during my journey of the Lake District.  And for each possible scenario I have tried to develop a strategy to maintain the positivity, or if during a difficult moment, an approach to regain the positive experience.  It is hard to explain the process I have gone through, but it involved reflecting on my experiences during my previous races.

Since July 2010 I have started twelve marathon or ultra races, with the experiences ranging from severe disappointment with two DNFs (Ultra Trail Mont Blanc in August 2011, and London Ultra in February 2012), to strong feelings of satisfaction, with probably the IAU World Trail Championships in Connemara, Ireland in July 2011 being my overall best performance.  Reflecting on what the overall experiences of the races were allows me to continue to improve and develop as an ultra trail runner.  An interesting observation is that my two extremes during the last two years were separated by only seven weeks.  Physiologically not much would have changed during this short time period, hence why my preparation focus is on the non-physical aspects of training.  This doesn't mean I ignore the physical training.  No, the physical training is obviously important, however, it is the translation of the physical training and it's impact on the other variables that strongly influence performance such as confidence, self-expectations, positivity, etc. which is the key.  The importance of the physical training isn't solely to develop ones physiology!

I appreciate that a number of you prioritise your training differently to mind, with the physical training being the prime focus.  Some of you may be interested in the level of my physical training during my previous 14 weeks since returning to running following my stress fracture.  During my time off running, I formulated my training plan for the Lakeland 100, and the 15 week preparation phase seems to have worked out as being ideal.  The perfect duration of time in order to be on the start line in Coniston feeling TOTALLY prepared.  In total I have run 688 miles, averaging 49.1 miles per week.  This average has probably been the highest weekly average I have ever carried out leading into a focus race.  So you can see the importance I do pay to the physical training.  In addition to this high level of physical training, the extent of my non-physical training has probably equally be more extensive than usual.  Hence why I am able to conclude that my TOTAL preparation leading up to the Montane Lakeland 100 has felt ideal.

I mentioned at the start of tonight's post that I would try to keep it concise.  I'm not sure that I have really achieved this, as my thoughts at times have been rather random.  Hopefully to those of you racing this weekend in the Lake District, my 'mutterings' above provide either a boost in confidence with regards to the preparation you have carried out.  However, if it has the opposite affect, and has led to some insecurities in terms of perhaps the lack of non-physical training conducted, with a few days left before race day, some last minute non-physical training may still be beneficial.  Whatever situation you are in, remember, the importance of clearly knowing what challenge you have set yourself this weekend.

May I wish you all the best this weekend as you strife to achieve the challenge you have set.

I will sign off with a quote I wrote leading up to the 2010 Lakeland 100.  Re-reading it now, it feels even more relevant in terms of influencing ones overall performance:

"Staying confident in that your preparation has been sufficient for the realistic goal you have set yourself, and feel assured that the fast, but comfortable pace you have started at, is correct. Listen to your own 'deep and inner beliefs', and ignore the comments, views and actions of others if they are in conflict with your well thought out and planned strategies." Stuart Mills, 2010

Hopefully see some of you in Coniston.  Please say hi.

Stuart

PS  Those of you that have been following the Real Relay, will be as pleased as I was seeing that the Real Relay managed to reach the Olympic Stadium at London at the end of the non-stop 55 day journey.  Endurancelife provided a challenge to the UK running community and the response was overwhelming.  I was fortunate to be involved in the Real Relay twice.  Firstly last Wednesday early in the morning as a group of five of us ran from Seaford to Eastbourne, and secondly, yesterday, as me and my son Robert joined in with around 200 other runners on the final leg, nearly reaching the stadium before we were stopped by security!  Overall a great experience, a truly unique event, achieving its aim of successfully accomplishing the demanding challenge set, whilst at the same time uniting the running community.  Thanks to Kate and others at Endurancelife, and to all the runners that were involved.  Ckick HERE to see the BBC coverage of the final leg.

The Real Relay at Eastbourne Pier.  From the left of the photo: Andrew Tolley, Stuart Mills, Steve Morgan holding the Real Relay baton that contains the GPS Tracker, and Jonathan Davidson.

The Real Relay on the final leg not far from the Olympic Stadium.  My son Robert and I are in the front row, 3rd and 4th in from the left of the photo.

The Real Relay - An Amazing Running Feat

Hi

Just a quick post about the Real Relay.  If you are like me, then you are more than likely to be one hundred percent in support of the London Olympics and really looking forward to it, although I will be missing the opening ceremony due to a more important event!.  However, there was a wee bit of disappointment when I discovered that the Olympic Torch Relay was a bit of a farce!  Looking at the publicity surrounding the Olympic Torch Relay you are strongly encouraged to believe that the Olympic Torch Relay covers 8000 miles, with the torch being carried by 8000 runners, so simple each torchbearer runs one mile.  The BBC website illustrates what I assumed was happening with the Olympic Torch Relay.

When you go to the Official Olympic Torch Relay website the same illusion is being portrayed .  Today it states "The Flame will travel 107.66 miles through 12 communities before arriving at Popes Meadow Park in Luton for the evening celebration. A total of 131 Torchbearers will carry the Flame through the day."  So when I discovered that in fact the torch travels more than 6000 of the 8000 miles in a car, I was rather disappointed!

Fortunately, Endurancelife, the people that organise some awesome endurance events, also felt the same disappointment and decided to take up the challenge and set in place the Real Relay!  The Real Relay website describes what the Real Relay involves:

The Endurancelife Real Relay is an exciting attempt to follow the entire route of the official Olympic Torch around the British Isles in one continuous non-stop journey, running every step of the way.  Starting out from Land’s End at midnight on Monday 28 May, ten days behind the official Olympic Torch, the Real Relay will involve hundreds of runners from across the British Isles running through the day and night on an 8000 mile mission to reach London in time for the Olympic Games opening ceremony. We’re calling on runners from all over the British Isles to join the relay by signing up to run one or more of the stages (below) and help achieve one of the greatest Olympic endeavours of all time.

So as you would imagine, the task Endurancelife set to the running community of the UK was a very demanding challenge.  Well with the Real Relay now into day 40, the runners of the UK have carried the Real Relay baton non stop, 24 hours a day, covering close to 5000 miles.  Tonight the 500th leg, each leg is on average 10 miles, will be completed.  At times the Real Relay has got behind schedule, for example due to floods, or simply due to some rather demanding legs, such as reaching the summits of Ben Nevis, Snowdon, and Scaffel Pike, but at the moment it is bang on schedule.  The progress of the Real Relay can be tracked online on the Real Relay website.

Although the Real Relay started at Lands End ten days after the Olympic Torch Relay, the Real Relay is scheduled to overtake the Olympic Torch Relay at Dover on Wednesday 18th July.  Immediately prior to reaching Dover, that morning the Real Relay passes through East Sussex, and I am very fortunate to be running one of the relay legs.  At 4:15am on the morning of Wednesday 18th July I am scheduled to run the 12 miles from Seaford to Eastbourne.  The Real Relay follows the route of the Olympic Torch Relay, running through all of the towns that the Olympic Torch actually travelled through by foot.  However, since over three quarters of the Olympic Torch Relay is travelled by car, Endurancelife allows each leg runner  to decide the route they wish to take during the sections in which the Olympic Torch Relay travelled by car.  I have therefore decided that I will cover the 12 miles from Seaford to Eastbourne along the footpaths of the South Coast which include the awesome landscape of Seaford Head, Cuckmere Haven, the Seven Sisters, Birling Gap and Beachy Head, before dropping down into Eastbourne.

To date the schedule of the Real Relay has been set at typically ten minutes per mile.  However, in order to overtake the Olympic Torch Relay at Dover, the schedule has been slightly quickened.  I have therefore been allocated 1 hour 40 minutes to cover the 12 miles, which works out at exactly 8 minutes 30 seconds per mile.  A bit quicker, although hopefully should be a reasonably comfortable pace, although I have seen some reports that the baton is reasonably heavy due to the inclusion of the gps tracking device.

I would like to share this great occasion. so send an open invite to any runners out there who would like to run the Real Relay leg 613 with me, and help with the carrying of the baton.  If you would like to run the leg, simply send me an e-mail franstu@talktalk.net or leave a message on Facebook . Along with being a great opportunity to strengthen the unity of the UK running community, it is also a good opportunity to raise money for the charity CHICKS.  All Real Relay runners are encouraged to donate a minimum of £10 to this worthy charity. To date over £7000 has been raised from the Real Relay.

I look forward to receiving contact from many runners out there.  The more runners the better.

Thanks

Stuart

Endurancelife Classic Quarter 44 Mile Ultra - Mind Games

Hi Again

IF YOU HAVE ARRIVED HERE FROM THE RUNFURTHER WEBSITE TO READ MY CLASSIC QUARTER RACE REPORT, YOU MAY WISH TO SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE TO WHERE IT STATES RUNFURTHER RACE REPORT STARTS HERE.  

THE FIRST SECTION OF THIS BLOG POST IS ABOUT MY RATHER 'ALTERNATIVE' APPROACH TO TOTAL TRAINING, AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MIND GAMES.  THE ENTIRE POST IS WELL WORTHY OF A READ, HOWEVER, I APPRECIATED NOT EVERYONE HAS LOADS OF TIME TO READ ULTRA LENGTH BLOG POSTS, HENCE THE POSSIBLE SKIPPING OVER OF THE FIRST SECTION OF THIS POST!

A little delayed but it is taking me a while to get back into blogging mode after my lengthy time off.  As the Classic Quarter 44 mile ultra approached, my first ultra trail race in over six months, the self doubts regarding my ability to perform back to my usual level prior to my lengthy time off from running was a real issue, which required serious attention during my preparation.  Yes, this race really demonstrated the truthfulness of Chris McCormack's (Australian Triathlete, Double Hawaii Ironman winner and heaps more) words of wisdom from his 2011 book titled I'm Here to Win: "The mind games that take place before the starting gun ever fires is really the critical point of a race."

Back in January I planned by seven races for the year.  Each year I try to support the Runfurther UK Ultra-running championship series, so when I saw that the Classic Quarter 44 mile ultra was part of the series, I immediately sorted out my entry.  Being an Endurancelife race, one is guaranteed that the course would contain awesome scenery, be well organised, and be a real challenge.  Then came February, my fractured foot, and no running at all for exactly eight weeks.  During this time I was in New Zealand with other priorities, so it was pretty well a complete rest for two months.

Now one can read the running magazines and the dated text books on 'Principles of Training' and the principle of reversibility, i.e. how quickly one loses fitness when not training.  Over the last few years I have realised the many limitations of the sports science literature prior to 2000, so I knew this reversibility issue shouldn't really be a concern, as performance is determined by much more than simply physiology.  However, even knowing this doesn't stop the self doubt from occurring.

So ten weeks out from the Classic Quarter race, and therefore 15 weeks prior to the Montane Lakeland 100 (my key race for the year) I slowly jogged a few miles to test out my foot.  Verdict, okayish, but as you would expect, with none or minimal weight bearing for 8 weeks, the foot isn't going to feel right!  But for whatever reason, I had decided that 10 and 15 weeks were the minimum time duration I required to be able to perform to my absolute best in the 44 and 105 mile races respectively, so I had no choice, I had to continue my run training, having another week off, was not an option.  I had been doing that for the previous three weeks!

Fortunately my brother-in-law, the 'famous' Ken Maclaren, from the Triathlon publishing company KinEli Publishing just by chance was slowly getting back into running after a year off due to a dodgy knee.  So my first week back into run training was a maximum of 4 miles at around 11 minutes per mile pace.  Exactly what I needed to ensure I didn't over do it!

As you can imagine jogging very slowly at 11 minutes per mile pace for 40 minutes max doesn't really instil confidence regarding the possibility of blasting off the front at the start of my upcoming two races, my usual strategy that I adopt to illustrate the appropriateness of my "Run as fast as you can, while you can" philosophy!  At around the same time I discover that Pete Roper, three times winner and record holder of the Classic Quarter race has entered, and the self doubt begins to escalate.  Those of you that haven't heard of Pete Roper, wouldn't know that pretty well every trail race he enters he wins, many in some pretty impressive times for off-road marathons.  I had never raced the guy, so although lacking in self confidence, I was sort of excited about the prospect of finally racing him.

So as I gradually build up both the pace and duration of my runs, having convinced myself that ten weeks physical preparation was fine, the real battle was to master the self doubt due to my lengthy time off.  What was my strategy?  Well fortunately being in New Zealand, not working and not training I had the luxury of some spare time.  I joined the local library and read quite a few sporting biographies, including two books about Jack Lovelock, one being a recently published transcript of his training diaries.  Now I guess probably 99% of non-kiwis would have never heard of Jack Lovelock, but if you are from New Zealand then you would be well aware of his running feats, World Record holder for the mile in 1933 in a time of 4:07, pretty well unbeaten for the mile/1500m for the entire race season of 1935, and then winning the 1500m Gold at the 1936 Olympic Games in a World Record time!  Now what was so significant regarding Jack Lovelock was that at the end of the 1935 race season, by choice, he took four months off totally!  From October 1935 through to February 1936 he did not run, not even once!  He did some long hikes/walks and the occasional boxing match, but no running.  So here was the World's best miler in the 1930s, able to regain is form, to set another World record after having 4 months of non-running.  So me having two complete months of, not a problem.  If he could set a World record, then surely I shouldn't have any problem in regaining my previous race fitness.

The one thing unique about my preparation for the Classic Quarter, different to other race preparations was that this time my preparation included focussing on one athlete.  For all other races, I simply focus on myself, and totally ignore the likely opposition.  I always find it is better to focus on what you can control.  But for this race, the prospect of racing Pete Roper who had won the Classic Quarter three times, each in record times of 7:17, 7:14 and then the amazingly quick 6:33  further confirmed that extensive preparation were needed in order to prevail!  But here I am, two weeks into training still not having run further than 6 miles in 45 minutes!  Extensive physical preparation wasn't the answer, so instead of my usual 40-50 miles physical and 40 - 50 miles non physical training per week, the volume of non physical training was increased. Yes, as far as I was concerned I was now a 100 mile a week athlete!

What do I mean by non physical training?  Well this consists of training to win the battle over the self doubts, that I was finding difficult to keep at bay!  Jack Lovelock's story was a good starting point, and then I read more books about other New Zealand athletes such as Anne Audain, John Walker, Peter Snell and Dick Taylor.  All of them had the same message, the essential need to have self-belief, to overcome the doubts that always nag within one's mind.  So as my physical training was slowly progressing, my non physical training was accelerating.  I was storing away within my mind every little bit of positive evidence I could to build up my self-belief that come the start line of firstly the Classic Quarter and then a bit later in the year the Lakeland 100, that the confidence would be present to run my usual race, without any fear of suffering later due to any perceived lack of preparation.  This is the key to performance, all great endurance athletes tell the same story, conquer the self doubt, and you conquer the event, which subsequently conquers the opposition!

In addition to reading sporting biographies I researched the race, everything I could about the course, the village names, the location on the Cornwall coast.  Prior to my preparation I had no idea Lands End is actually the most western point of Britain, not the most southern.  I sourced photos of the course, previous race reports, race finish times etc.  All the hours doing this research, I recognised as training, and allowed me to create more realistic visualisations of the race.  Leading up to the race, pretty well every run on my own, I ran the race in my head.  And as mentioned above, it involved running away from not just all of the anonymous runners, but for this race, running away from Pete Roper at the start of the race.  I researched his race splits in comparison to other runners in his races and found that he typically runs with the lead group to around two-thirds / three-quarters of the race before moving away.  Great I thought, this suits my strategy perfectly.  So the visualisations of leaving him for dead at the start of the race, was a 'done deal'!  Not a problem, without any doubt easily accomplished.  And from that success in self-confidence, the rest of the race visualisations follow a similar successful pattern.

One key feature of these visualisations is that the more material you have to create the visualisations, the more real they are, and therefore the more successful at entering your sub-conscious.  This is the level which you have to work on.  Yes, it is simple to say to yourself, I will run hard, I will grit my teeth, try my best, push myself to the limit.  But all of this is at the conscious level.  It works to a tiny degree, but only minimally.  It is the removal of self-doubt, the creation of self-expectations of what you are capable of, at the sub-conscious level, that massively determines performance.  This takes extensive preparation, and with less than ten weeks of race preparation, hence the need to increase my weekly 'mileage'.  Including Pete Roper within my visualisations stressed the importance to me that thorough training was going to be required to out perform such a quality athlete.  My at times casual approach to training was not going to be sufficient.

In addition to making the visualisation real, the race time/duration component of the race is paramount.  Having a realistic clear race duration is essential in order for your sub-conscious to have a meaningful conversation between your body and mind (although the two components do act as one - conversations still take place).  You must know whether you are going to race for 6 hours or 8 hours.  The race duration severely affects one's race focus energy in relation to one's running pace.  If you are only racing a half marathon, then running at half marathon pace isn't that mentally difficult, it demands standard levels of race focus energy.  However, try running at half marathon pace when racing the first half of a marathon.  Physiologically nothing has changed, however, it is so so much more mentally demanding, it feels heaps harder, the race focus energy to maintain the same pace is massively more, because of the expectations that have been established at the sub-conscious level.  So my visualised race duration for the Classic Quarter, simple, 6:32, i.e. one minute quicker that Pete Roper's course record.

Well finally let's get to race day.  Well it didn't take me long to get back into my rather lengthy blog posts!  I arrive in Cornwall on the Friday evening and discover that Pete Roper is not racing, apparently injured,  One part of me is relieved, phew!  But the other part is angry!  I had spent 10 weeks,  preparing to 'leave him for dead' on the start line.  Luckily I had overnight to try to reset my strategy.  re-alter my visualisations, at this late stage to try to adjust my sub-conscious.  Hopefully this example illustrates that including other athletes within your visualisations / your preparations is not wise.  You can't control them!  Always better to simply focus on yourself, what you can control.

As I head to the Penzance Youth Hostel for last minute preparations, just by chance I happen to bump into two amazing guys. Yes, it just so happens that staying at the youth hostel on the Friday night were Mal Law from NZ and Tom Bland from the UK.  Just by chance whilst in NZ I stumbled across their website about the amazing charity run that these two guys were planning to undertake in June, i.e. running the complete South West Coastal Path of 630 miles in 14 days.  And here I was chatting to them as they were trying to refuel after completing their sixth day of the journey.  They looked pretty exhausted, and it appeared to me that they somehow had lost the most important ingredient required in order to perform, that being retaining the joy of running, i.e. enjoying the present moment whilst running.  Now I have never attempted something as ambitious as these two guys were doing.  It was truly a demanding challenge, so I didn't convey my thoughts regarding the need for enjoyment, as I felt my lack of really knowing what was involved didn't qualify me to comment.  Anyway it was great to chat to them about their experience, albeit after their sixth long hard day, positivity wasn't really flowing.  I'm not sure how they got on,  Details regarding their awesome challenge are on their website http://www.coastpathrun.co.uk/ unfortunately the daily blogs aren't up to date.  But Mal and Tom if you are reading this a huge well done to both of you.

RUNFURTHER RACE REPORT STARTS HERE

I get to sleep in the Penzance Youth Hostel dorm with three alarms set for 3:04, 3:06 and 3:08 am. just to prevent any possibility of over sleeping.  I wake up at 2:59am before my alarms so fortunately don't wake anyone else up.  I immediately conclude, yes, today everything will go to plan.  Remember the importance of filing away every bit of positive evidence you can, to confirm that your high self expectations are valid.  A quick drive to Lands End, the finish line, and onto the bus to transport us runners to the start.  I meet the 'ever present' Nick Ham, who I think is half way through completing his third, or maybe his fourth Runfurther Grand Slam, that involves running all 12 races in the series each year. 

We arrive at a wind blown Lizard Point, register in the village hall, before strolling down to the very southern tip of the UK.  I guess there are around 150 other runners all set to race 44 miles into an extremely strong head/cross wind, back to Lands End.  I chat to various runners, totally calm, which really surprises me,  Considering where I was at less than ten weeks ago, with the self-doubt rapidly developing, to be in such a calm state, totally confident that my preparations had gone well was quite an achievement,  Yes as Chris McCormack stated above "The mind games that take place before the starting gun ever fires is really the critical point of a race."  Why was I so confident?  Well mainly due to the fact that I had carried out 100 equivalent miles per week for the last 6 weeks or so.  In terms of my physical training, the 9 weeks of complete running miles were; 30, 25, 65, 22, 44, 67, 38, 79 and 55 miles.  During that time I had run five times longer than 15 miles, with 2 runs over 20 miles, being 22 and 25 miles.  Many ultra runners may consider this level of physical training as a bit on the light side, but to me I was totally happy with my preparation for an undulating 44 mile trail race.

Having sorted out my 'not recommended' preparation overnight of having focussed on one athlete within my visualisation, I had readjusted my strategy to start of quick, but not at a ridiculous pace and if need be to run with the lead group.  The race starts and without starting too fast, before I know it I am out on my own in the lead.  So much for potentially running within a lead group!  Well I don't need a second 'offering' to lead the race, so for the next 10 - 15 minutes I run at a pretty high intensity, never looking behind to see how close the following runners are.  The focus here was to run my own race, focus on what I can do, challenge myself, test out my race fitness, assess just how good my TOTAL training had been.

Probably around one hour into the race, I get a glimpse of second place.  To my surprise he was not much more that 40 - 50 seconds behind.  I think right, this could be a battle, he's just watching me, keeping an eye on me.  I continue along the absolutely awesome coastal path, with a real mixture of terrain including shingle beach, steep climbs, grass cliff tops etc.  At two hours into the race we run around the very picturesque village harbour of Porthleven.  As I complete the loop around the harbour, I am again able to judge my lead, which would have been around 4 minutes.  A bit more substantial but still felt quite close.  I am however quite pleased that the second place getter is still reasonably near as it keeps me focused to run hard, not to ease off.

Around the 22 mile mark - Battling tthe headwind towards Penzance

The miles just seems to fly by due to a combination of the amazing views, as well as the need to really keep 'your wits about you' in order to remain on the coastal path, as it times it wasn't really obvious.  There is a really tough stretch along the flat cycle path directly into the strong headwind as the coastal path heads towards Penzance.  And then a few more miles of road following Penzance before re-joining the undulating off-road coastal path through to checkpoint three at Lamona Cove and then the last water station at Minack Theatre, with just a little over 4 miles to go.  Throughout the race I had been keeping a casual eye on my race time, and occasionally checking my GPS watch displaying the miles covered.  Each time my rough calculations confirm that a sub 6:30 was likely hence beating my visualisation record breaking finish time.  However, upon reaching the last drink station, it becomes clear that although I had noticed that I had eased of the pace, due to the messages in my head arguing, "take it easy, you are literally miles ahead, don't overdo it, remember your key race is only 5 weeks away!"  It was now clear that breaking the record may now not be a certainty. 

My GPS trace near the finish

Whether due to the slight panic of the need to get a move on, I'm not totally sure, but after having successfully navigated myself along the South West Coastal Path for the previous six hours, I now discover that I have somehow run off course and have ended up being inland.  Rather than back tracking I decide to continue along the footpath (without the acorn symbols) which seems to be taking a long about way of returning to the coast.  I make my way up a steady climb along a muddy farm track before reaching the top of the small rise.  I can see the coastline clearly ahead, and Lands Ends is in the distant to my right.  I have a dilemma, do I turn left and return back to the coast line at my first opportunity which will definitely result in losing many minutes, or do I continue straight ahead and re-join the coast after it has curved towards to north, which would probably balance out my going off course, but more likely result in a slight short cut!  The desire of setting the record is tempting.  No one would know the route I travelled, that is except me! 

The purple dashes showing the coastal path.  The blue dashes showing the tempting short cut!

After a few seconds of indecision, pleasingly now, I make the correct decision, and head straight back to the coast, and re-join the coastal path with a sign showing Minack Theatre 1.5 miles.  My GPS watch shows that I have run closer to two miles since leaving the drink station at Minack Theatre.  The error gets me angry and my pace rapidly increases as I try to regain the lost time over the last 2.5 miles.  The large buildings are clearly visible in the distance, and it becomes obvious that breaking the record is no longer possible.  I continue to run hard and finish in a time of 6:35:53, 2 minutes 43 seconds slower than the record.  Although there is some disappointment at missing the record, overall I am really pleased with my performance.  Second place runner is Neil Kirk in 7:31, using the race as good preparation for the 200 mile Dragons Back race at the start of September, only finishing ahead of third place Oli Bloomfield by 31 seconds.  First place women, Isobel Wykes, was closely behind in 7:34, with Lucy Clayton second (8:14) and Nichola Taylor third (8:32). Race results.

I chat to the Endurancelife guys that have put on such a superb event, and then shortly afterwards compare my checkpoint split times with the first relay team of four, who start 30 minutes behind me.  One excellent feature of  Endurancelife races is that immediately upon crossing the finish line you received a small printout of your race splits.  The relay team of four have beaten me, by six minutes.  After gaining a good lead over them during the first two legs up to 22 miles, I lose 1 minute to their third relay runner on leg three, and then lose 19 minutes over the last 11 miles!  Yes, those messages within my head encouraging me to ease off were successful.  Looking at my heart rate trace, between 32 and 40 miles my average heart rate was between 5 - 10 beats per minute lower.  (Click here to go to Garmin Connect to view my GPS and Heart rate data).  Yes a substantial easing off!  I wasn't fatigued, I just was 'weak' within my mind, as Chris McCormack expresses it (see signing off quote in my pre race blog post), I listened to the "bad angel on my shoulder" wanting to slow me down.

Well, already within three blog posts, I'm back to my usual ultra length duration.  With now only four weeks exactly to the Montane Lakeland 100, being back up to my usual performance is required.  Now time to move it on up to the next level of performance.  Yes, 15 weeks preparation now feels ideal.  The perfect duration of build-up for a perfect performance.  Reminder, every bit of positive evidence you can seize, store it away within your mind.

I subtitled this race report "Mind Games", hopefully I have illustrated just how important these mind games are.

Time to sign off with a relevant quote from another great endurance athlete, Chrissie Wellington, from her book titled "A Life Without Limits".

“Remaining positive really is one of the most precious faculties for any athlete.  That, and an ability to stay focused and disciplined.  Develop a mind bank of positive images and thoughts – family, friends, previous successes, favourite places, a big plate of chips.  You need to build it up as you would any collection, but soon you will have a range of thoughts to flick through when next your body and soul are screaming out for relief”.

All the best with your mind games,

Stuart

Endurancelife Classic Quarter 44 mile Ultra - Quick Update

Hi,

Just a quick update on yesterday's race down in Cornwall, which was part of the Runfurther UK Championship Ultra Trail Series.  The race went really well, and it was nice to gain 1000 points for the Runfurther series with first place in 6 hours 35 minutes. 

I guess there were around 150 - 175 runners at the start point at Lizard Point, the most southern tip of Britain.  During the race it was dry with the sun making an appearance at times, however, the very strong head wind pretty well the whole way had one benefit at keeping the temperature down. The course followed the Cornwall Coastal path the entire way to Lands End, the most western tip of Britain, hence the name of the race the Classic QUARTER, as we ran one quarter of Britain's coast! 

With three times winner and current record holder (6:33) for the Classic Quarter Pete Roper not able to run due to injury I found myself running on my own immediately from the start, and ended up finishing 56 minutes ahead of the second placed runner (7:31), who unfortunately I have forgotten his name, likewise for the women's winner who finished 4th overall in 7:34.

So another great event put on by Endurancelife.  It felt really good to be racing again.  The excitement builds as it is now less than five weeks to go to the Olympic Opening Ceremony, I mean the start of the Montane Lakeland 100!

Hope all of you that raced this weekend had pleasing performances.
Stuart

Hi, Yes, after a short break I am back!

Hi, welcome back to my UltraStu blog.  Yes, it has been a while since my last post, way back in February!  In my last post I spoke of injury and illness and finished the post highlighting "the need to focus on the positives, to process effectively any negatives, to fully live within the present moment".  Have I been achieving this over the last 17 weeks?  I guess time for an update!

Those of you who have followed by blog over the last two years will have noticed that in addition to not commenting on injuries I also have never commented on religion.  Are the two related?  Well maybe they are!

Back in February I mentioned that I was heading out to New Zealand with my family for a lengthy period of time to spend some quality time with my father-in-law John, as his health was declining.  In order to make the most of the upcoming less than ideal situation in New Zealand, I contacted the race organiser of New Zealand's premier ultra trail race the Tarawera Ultra Marathon and sorted out an entry to take on Anton Krupicka from America and the top Kiwis and Aussies.  Now, although I am ultra competitive when it comes to trail racing, I feel that I try to keep a good balance between training, racing and family.  However, at this particular moment in time, when family needed to take total priority, the attractiveness of the Tarawera Ultra was consuming some of my focus!  So what happens?  Yes, immediately before flying out to New Zealand I suffer a stress fracture in my foot.  Sufficiently broken to put me out of running for eight weeks. 

Now I would like to think that upon arriving in New Zealand and seeing the poor health of my father-in-law, focusing on supporting my family would have taken top priority, however, maybe the Universe, the greater power above, God, whatever you want to call it, knew me better, and hence, the stress fracture!  So, I found myself instead of suffering from disappointment due to having an injury, I was actually quite pleased that I was injured, so I didn't have any selfish distractions.  Sadly, John's health declined at a rapid rate, so we weren't able to spend as much time with him as we had hoped.   However, he had lived an active and fit life, pretty well right until the last few months, and he was able to peacefully pass away being surrounded by his loving family.

So during my time in New Zealand (I am now back in the UK) I tried to focus on the positives, and gave plenty of thought to the 'bigger picture'.  The importance of family, the importance of fulfilment, the importance of enjoyment.  The need to set goals, to challenge oneself, to aim for ones best, to not accept mediocrity.  And what I was discovering was that the messages I had learnt during my last four years of ultra trail running, seemed to be totally applicable to life in general.  So being in New Zealand was a sad time, whilst also being an enlightening time.  Now I just have to implement my ideas, ambitions and beliefs!  Not just think about it, but to actually do it!

As I mentioned above, my stress fracture injury prevented me from running for exactly eight weeks.  Below is a photo of me trying out some cross-training!

Thanks to all of you that sent me e-mails / left comments, expressing confidence that my positivity would prevail and that I would come back stronger.  It's nice to feel part of a friendly, supportive community.  Also thanks to those of you that e-mailed me commenting that you were missing my blog posts.  Again, it's nice to know that people find worthiness within my 'words of wisdom'.  And lastly I received an intriguing e-mail/message from one blog follower.  After a bit of "rambling" (her words), she outlined her goals: "Be the best I can be at long distance. Compete instead of just running races. Take my training more seriously. Seize this opportunity now to do what I absolutely love before its too late and life gets in the way." and then she asked if I was able to assist her in achieving her goals.

So after I recovered from my ego boost, I had to give some serious thought to whether I had sufficient time to establish a successful coaching relationship, which would significantly assist her in achieving her goals.  I set up this blog over two years ago, in order to share what I had learnt through my ultra trail running.  So, after deciding that I did have the available time, I thought that it was a great opportunity to further share my knowledge, so I said yes, and I am now officially an ultra trail running coach!  Looks good typed out, and I am finding that it is proving to be very satisfying.  She sends me short e-mails with some questions /comments regarding her training, racing, goals etc., and I simply send her an e-mail back with my thoughts.  I not sure that she entirely knew what she was getting herself into, as strangely my e-mail responses tend to go on a wee bit.  I start with one of my ideas/philosophies, then tend to go onto the next , and next etc.  Anyway as I said above, it has been very satisfying for both of us.  Since coaching began, she has raced once, probably achieving her best ultra trail result to date and is all set for her first 100 mile trail ultra shortly.  For me, the timing was ideal, as it provided a running challenge whilst I was injured. 

So am I now a retired/semi-retired competitive ultra trail runner?  Well those that know me, you will know that the answer is definitely NO.  Yes, I am finding reward in seeing my coaching client improve, but I still have the strong hunger to run faster for further. So I am looking to successfully combine the two.  And as I am a strong believer in TOTAL training, I am able to log the time involved in coaching as training.  So following my foot injury, I have been back up to some big training weeks, including physical training, visualisations, thoughts on race preparation/positivity and coaching.

The overall timing has worked out really well, as the TOTAL training has come together ready for this weekend's Endurancelife 44 mile Classic Quarter Ultra Trail Race in Cornwall.  I have raced a few of the Endurancelife races now, and one thing that is guaranteed is that the course will be extremely scenic but also very challenging.  So I am really excited about racing again, after quite a break.

Whilst in New Zealand not being able to run, I also did quite a bit of reading.  I first read the autobiographies by some of New Zealand's great runners including, Jack Lovelock (1500m Gold in 1936 Olympics and World Record holder for mile and 1500m), Peter Snell (800m Gold in 1960 and 1964 Olympics, 1500m Gold in 1964 Olympics and World Record Holder for 800m and mile), John Walker (1500m Gold in 1976 Olympics and World Record holder for mile) and some other New Zealand runners less well known; Dick Taylor (10,000m Gold in 1974 Commonwealth Games beating David Bedford in a World Class time) and Anne Audain (3,000m Gold in 1982 Commonwealth Games, but more well known for being unbeaten on the roads in the United States for two years in the early eighties).  So I was discovering as much as I could from these great athletes.  They weren't ultra trail runners, but they understood about performing to the best of their ability, that just so happened to be the best, or near the best in the World.  What was really interesting was that similar themes/characteristics were common to them all.  I haven't got time to share them now, another post, but the key one that stood out was their inner belief in their ability, and that their preparation had been effective for their key goal race.

I also read a few other books by a few triathletes, and a few former All Blacks.  Again enlightening.  Different sport, especially the rugby, but some key messages the same.  Then to bring it right up to date and specific to ultra trail running, I was privileged to be sent a final draft copy of Andy Mouncey's book titled "Magic, Madness, and Ultra Marathon Running".  I found the book a really interesting read, especially identifying the similarities and differences in what I had experienced in ultra trail races in comparisons to Andy.  Those of you not aware of Andy, I first met him during the 2010 Lakeland 100, well actually after the race at the finish line as he got second to me.  Since then we have worked together on the Alpine-Oasis Running Camp out near Chamonix prior to the 2011 Ultra Trail Mont Blanc, and will be working together again at the upcoming Alpine-Oasis Running Camp in Yorkshire Dales (Ingleton) during the weekend of 13 - 15th July.  I am a guest for the weekend running camp, so will be contributing and sharing my ideas on trail running, whilst on the trails, around the dinner table, and I guess also occasionally at the bar! 

Anyway back to Andy's book.  It's not too thick, a good light read, with some key messages, albeit slightly 'hidden away'.  Having read the final draft, my feedback comments were then able to be incorporated within the published copy, and I even get a mention on the Amazon UK website, (“As with the journey of life, the messages are not always obvious, not always easy to see. But if you read this book with an open and receptive mind, and are able to feel beyond the race descriptions, then what is really important within ultra trail running (and possibly life) will hopefully become that little bit clearer.” Stuart Mills, Seven time Beachy Head Marathon Champion, and Lakeland 100 Winner 2010), where you can purchase a Kindle copy for only £7.57.  Sorry if it sounds like I'm a salesman for Andy's book.  Unfortunately I'm not receiving any commission, although I'm sure Andy will shout me a beer or two up in Yorkshire (hope you are reading this Andy!) 

I think now is an appropriate time to finish tonight's post, before it becomes another ultra post.  It feels great to be adding to my UltraStu blog again.  It great to be running again, and really exciting to be racing again this weekend.  I hope all of you out there have been enjoying your running and working towards and achieving your personal challenges.  I have been keeping a bit of an eye on the UK race results and there definitely have been some great performances.  Long may it continue throughout the year of 2012.

All the best,

Stuart

PS Exactly 5 weeks today (as it is now Friday) until the opening ceremony of the Olympics, and for hundreds of you out there that simply means one thing: Yes, the start of the Lakeland 100!

PPS Nearly signed off without a quote. Having read loads of books I have plenty to choose from, however, the quote from Chris McCormack - Awesome Australian Triathlete/Ironman - from his 2011 book titled "I'm Here to Win" has been quite relevant recently as I carry out my TOTAL training for the upcoming races:

"The mind game that takes place before the starting gun ever fires is really the critical point of a race.  It's when you have that good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other.  One is saying "You can do it, mate!"  The other is whispering, "Why are you here? You can't win!"  The angel you decide to listen to will determine whether you are competitive or an also-ran.  There's always a voice in everyone's head saying "You haven't done the work, mate.  You know that track session you missed? It's coming back to get you on this hill."  That's what holds you back.  Each race is a new war against the evil angel! Mastering your own self doubts is the battle!"