Tag Archives: Training

Training Progress

November 4, 2013 Ultra Plodder Leave a comment

It really does feel like I am getting my running mojo back and in the two weeks since my last post I have probably run more consistently than I have in months.

Last few weeks training

The easiest way to illustrate the change is to use a graph showing the increase since the end of August to now:

Distance weekly from week commencing 26.08.13 to week commencing 28.10.13

Throughout August and September my running was practically non-existent, battling injury and just general lack of motivation following the NDW100 DNF. Then around the beginning of October I was persuaded to enter the Avalanche Events Winter Fan Dance which spurred me on to get up and start running, and it has been going well. The first week was about getting back into the swing of things, after that a solid 31 miles the following week. W/C 21/10/2013 was my Birthday week and I had some time off (DIY and family time) so it dropped again, although I wasn’t unhappy with this as it meant I was allowing recovery. W/C 28th the weighted runs increased with pretty much all of them having me carrying 8kg of weight, culminating with a “run” on Saturday around Box Hill with the objective of getting some good ascent in the bag.

Saturday’s Training Run/Yomp

The route and profile of Saturdays training

Despite weather warnings it wasn’t raining, although the ground was quite damp. The rucksack had around 8kg of weight in it plus another 2 litres (2kg) of water so it was a decent training weight, although to hit race day weight I need another 10kg in there!

Pace wise it wasn’t too bad, obviously with that sort of weight onboard it’s not going to be quick and ascending a hill weighted is something else entirely, on the Mickleham steps my heart was beating at around 160bpm and I was barely moving! It’s clear that adding an extra 10kg is going to make things even harder so it is all important I get used to going up with weight.

To help improve my training I have bought a Kettler 10kg weighted vest which has 8 1.125kg removable bags in it so I can tailor it to suit my needs. Also having these weighted bags means I can load my rucksack up in a balanced fashion, taking up minimal space and hopefully hitting the 20kg target (with kit, food, water etc) for race day.

I will do a review on it once I have had an opportunity to give it a thorough testing, its available on Amazon if your interested: Kettler 10kg Vest

Training Updates

Back to posting, onwards and upwards

October 19, 2013 Ultra Plodder Leave a comment

It’s been a while since my last post, several months in fact and I still haven’t found the willpower to write the post on the NDW100. As I seem to be suffering writers block when it comes to that particular topic, I am going to distil the event into a few short bullet points so I can move on and start posting properly again.

North Downs Way 100

Good Points

I got further than I have ever run before.
I met some great guys (Garry, Paul, Nick)
Event as always was excellently organised

Bad Points

I didn’t finish
In terms of training I was wildly under prepared
I didn’t finish
Nutrition needed work
I didn’t finish
I didn’t finish

Now that’s put to bed I can move on to making sure that in 2015 I smash that race.

The Next Challenge

So on to focusing on the future, my long term plan for next year is the NDW50 but in the immediate future I (along with garethdaviesPT and another chap) have signed up for the Avalanche Events Winter Fan Dance

Taken from the website: http://www.thefandancerace.com

WHAT IS THE FAN DANCE?

The event is a gruelling 24km non-navigational race over two sides of Pen Y Fan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons. This infamous route has long been a part of SAS (Special Air Service) and SBS (Special Boat Service) Selection and is considered the yardstick of a candidate’s potential to perform well on Test Week and ultimately pass the Special Forces Selection programme.

Starting at the Storey Arm’s car park, the race goes straight up to the summit checkpoint of Pen Y Fan and, after descending ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, continues along an undulating stone vehicle track (the ‘Roman Road’) to the second checkpoint which also serves as a tea stop and turnaround point. Then, taking the route in reverse, racers climb back up “The Fan” via Jacob’s ladder and pass through the summit checkpoint a second time before legging their way back down to the finish at the Storey Arm’s car park.

The route is a real lung buster that throws everything at you, including the elements. There are steady slopes that allow a solid jogging pace, shocking inclines that have you almost on your hands and knees, loose stone tracks that require cautious foot placements and a forested vehicle track that allows for some rapid going. Even SAS recruits at the height of their physical abilities regard beating the clock in this event as a serious challenge, and all know its capacity to hurt. Aside from the race aspect of this event, just getting to the end is an accomplishment and something to be proud of. The Fan Dance is open to ANYONE looking for a unique challenge: be it personal, competitive, as a sponsored participant in aid of your favourite charity or as part of a team building exercise. As per real Special Forces Selection, the event will be staged in both summer and winter (both load-bearing and clean fatigue).

Now I don’t for one moment think that by doing this event I am in the same league as those that go through Selection, but I have to be honest and say the allure of completing this event which forms part of that process is very appealing and so we do it properly we have entered the load bearing event.

Training has been going well, and I seem to be getting the drive and motivation to run again. On Saturday 12^th I ran the Pine Ridge Race 10km which I finished in just under 53 minutes. My ankle which is still giving me issues held out ok and although sore it hasn’t prevented me from running since.

Tuesday it was 5 miles in the morning with a 3kg rucksack (clothes for work etc) and 4.5 miles home again, Wednesday 5 miles in the morning again and Thursday it was 5 and 4.5 again. After my morning runs I have been going to the gym for a weights workout, usually I can cram in about 30 minutes before work.

Saturday was the first real foray into a load bearing run and Gareth and I did 6.7 miles around Box Hill. I had around 11.5 kilos on my back (24.4 pounds) and I have to say I certainly felt it! I am quite pleased with the pacing that we achieved and we have learnt some lessons already in terms of packing and kit. More training sessions like that in the lead up to Jan 18th are needed.

It’s good to be back, and as they say “Qui audet adipiscitur”

Training Updates

I’m still alive

September 9, 2013 Ultra Plodder Leave a comment

The next post I wrote was meant to be my write up of the North Downs Way 100 and I have started but the last few weeks have been somewhat hectic. I will leave my commentary on the NDW100 to the post when I get it done but what have I been doing since then?

Well, I am keeping up with the cycling to and from work although having moved home (this is why I have had no time!) my commute is just under half what it was to and from work. Getting to work is now easy as its all down hill, but this means that getting home is all up hill and pretty taxing on the legs at times.

Running wise I have focused on rehab of my various injuries and the mileage has come right down. At the moment I am actually running very little but have joined my local Parkrun and have been working on running faster resulting in a new PB for a 5km run, 21:25. With a Duathlon on the weekend and a 10km in OCtober the distance running is put on the back burner, my plan is to complete these events and start introducing the distance again to build up to the NDW50 next year, my plan is to smash my previous time!

Training Updates

North Downs Way 100: Just over 2 weeks to go

July 25, 2013 Ultra Plodder 4 Comments

Arghhhhhhh!!

Suffice to say I am nervous, this is quite simply going to be the toughest run of my life and is completely unknown territory. That said with the 7 P’s in mind (Proper Planning & Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance) I have been preparing my race plan, more on that a but further down.

Training:

Ankle still isn’t right and I have accepted that it won’t be 100% before the Ultra, so strapping it up with tape and being careful will be the order of the day. I have managed to get a long run in (well longish) a couple of weeks ago, running 30 miles on and around the North Downs. With the heat we are getting at the moment I set off nice and early leaving the house around 5am, already by 9 it had become uncomfortably warm. Given I would need to carry a lot of water I had a hydration bladder in my UD Scott Jurek pack as well as the 2 600ml bottles, even with that I set my house as a checkpoint and ran a 16 mile out and back east bound on the downs, re-filled my fluids and headed out again for a 9 mile out and back west bound on the downs, then back again, re-filled and a further 5 miles.

From Runkeeper, shows my total time and elevation

Good run guide stats — Taken from GRG and shows the pace excluding stops, quite pleased with this overall. Also shows the shoes run in, New Balance Minimus Amp (My first run in them)

Another positive of this run was the fact that this was the first run in my new New Balance Minimus Amp (MT1010) trainers and they performed admirably, no sore points at all. To run this distance in a new shoe and come out unscathed is a big plus and these are the trainers I will be tackling the 100 in.

The day after was a rest day and then it was back on the bike to and from work with a run at lunch on the Monday. Despite not doing a huge amount of running my recovery times seem to be coming right down and I can only assume its the cycling which is helping with this. Normal cycle commute for the rest of the week with another lunchtime run on the Friday and a 6.6 mile run on Sunday 21st.

The Pacing Plan

This is my planned paces for the different sections of the race

I am approaching this one differently than the 50 last year, where as that I was looking for an average pace across the whole distance, with the 100 I have broken each aid station down into a stage and pace each as needed.

You can see that from the start to Aid 1 I am aiming for 13:14/mi average then Aid 1 to Aid 2 a 14:06/mi and so on. With my Garmin at each checkpoint I will stop, save and reset for the next stage breaking it all down while keeping overall track of time on my normal watch. This way it keeps the event more mentally bearable, thinking of the next checkpoint and when there just thinking “only 10 miles to the next one” and so on.

Also I have a minimum pace, what is needed to keep within the 30 hour cut off. This is to help if things don’t go to plan and ensure I won’t be left wondering what to do if plan A goes out the window.

Nutrition

I haven’t finalised this aspect yet although I have most of my gels, electrolytes. I will be using the checkpoints for food as well as replenishing fluids and having bottles instead of a bladder (as in the 50) will make things easier.

Equipement

Got my shoes, got the clothing sorted, backpack and bottles all done. I have all the items for the minimum mandatory kit barring the Harveys East Map of the NDW (getting in a few days) and battery’s for my Headtorches.

In terms of planning, kit and nutrition I am pretty confident I have (and will) get it right, the unknown is if my body holds up and if I am mentally tough enough to push through the hurt and keep plodding forth.

Training Updates

Training this week: 24/06/2013 – 30/06/2013

June 30, 2013 Ultra Plodder 7 Comments

Update 01/07/2013: It’s actually 40 days away not 20, I was reading the wrong countdown! 40 days still isn’t long though but a lot better than 20. Post now corrected.

40 days

40 days!!

That’s how long until the North Downs Way 100!!!

This week has actually resembled something akin to actual training, my first proper week since being injured. Obviously with the TMW on the previous Saturday it wasn’t going to be a massive week for mileage, I am having to build myself back up.

Monday was a rest day as I had taken the extra day off work so spent it with the family. Tuesday it was back at work so a 11.5 mile cycle in the morning and a 12 mile cycle in the evening. My legs were still pretty sore from the marathon but the cycling actually helped to loosen everything up.

Wednesday the usual cycle but I have now started to run on my lunch break. I don’t have the time to do anything too long but can just about squeeze in 3-4 miles. This was the first run without any strapping on and although still sore my ankle held ok, it was road running so the risk is lowered. This was a fairly pacey run for me with 3.43 miles in 26:02.

Thursday again cycling and a lunchtime run, same route but I managed to get the time down to 25:32 which potentially is a new PB for a 5km run, which given the lack of any real speedwork (or training for that matter!) I was very pleased with.

Saturday was a long run across the North Downs, I was aiming for anything between 15 – 20 miles and ended up with 16.78 miles. I stopped to take pictures and enjoy the views so it wasn’t a quick one, also I still can’t dash down the technical trails so I am having to just plod along.

Good news is that I felt ok throughout the run and had plenty of energy at the end, so I am getting there but the question is can I get there in 20 days.

We shall see….

Below are some photos from Saturday: