Enduroman Continuous Triple 3 x iron distance Tri
DNF after swim, bike and 2x marathon in about 61.5 hours

Glasgow to Edinburgh 55M Ultra
11:42:00

Enigma Marathon 26M run
5:?? after cycling 32 M

Endurance Life CTS Dover 35M Ultra
8:50:00[/b]

Watford Half Marathon
1:57:00]]>
Preparation

My post mortem for 2015 identified two training goals: improve my swim technique and increase bike mileage significantly. I also decided to make the Enduroman Triple my sole focus for 2016. I employed the services of Julian Nagi, Swimsmooth and triathlon coach to work on my swimming. He used video coverage to identify flaws and gave me some simple drills to correct two fundamental errors to create a longer stroke and arrest my snake-like body rotation. Oh and I cycled a bit more. As the race drew closer I chose to DNS the Thames Path 100 in lieu of a 3 x 100 cycling weekend. Was this a seminal moment?

During Taper Time I refused to let anything distract me from the mental race focus needed for an endurance triathlete; the gossip around the future of the Enduroman events was pushed to the back of my mind (not wanting any feelings of sadness to corrupt). I was relaxed and felt ready.

Numero Sept

I know my place in the swim start and that is to keep well back out of all the biff and ease into my stroke pattern. With 39 laps there is certainly no rush. The most memorable thing about the swim was that it was not that memorable. It was methodical. I can honestly say that at no time did I feel like it was a struggle. I put in feed breaks, which simply consisted of energy drink and a few moments respite, after laps 18, 24 and 30. These gave me targets. The other motivation was to avoid being perturbed by the faster swimmers constantly lapping me. I fully expected to be swimming the last few laps completely alone in the lake, as in 2015 at the Double (where I missed the cut-off by 5 minutes and suffered a “conversation” with Dan).

I broke up the monotony with some amusing shout outs at the timing funnel (a section where all competitors are required to shout their numbers out to the lap counter volunteers). Every few laps I would shout “numero sept” or some other linguistic connotation of my race number. This seemed to annoy Dan the prior year, but somehow he was less irritated by me now. The reason came when he helped me climb out of the lake a full six places from the back of the field. In fact I was convinced that the lap counters had made a mistake because my own mental recollection was that I had at least one lap left to go. The odd thing about endurance athletes is that, rather than cheat, we absolutely feel wronged if we EVER undercut the required distance in a race; most would rather swim, cycle or run extra laps rather than discover they had not completed the full course. The thought that the lap counters had “cheated” me out of an extra lap truly haunted me for quite a few bike laps. I reality, I was just simply awesome in the swim (by my slow standards).

Swim - 4:47:31

My Basil Fawlty moment

I could not persuade my two boys to crew for me this year, but there is always plenty of help around and Martin Ps wife Dawn fetched me a tea and sorted my wet-suit etc after I washed off the lake’s silt under a hot shower. Pork and egg pie and change of clothes later and I was on the bike getting a few warm-up laps done to acclimatise. Ed had decided to record a time for T1 this year which regrettably gives me something more for the post race analysis.

T1 - 45:04

The course is beautiful and in my opinion it has a good balance of technical sections and straight runs plus the killer Braggers Lane at the end; this stretch definitely gets longer and steeper as the lap counter ticks over. In training I had been using a 12 mile loop which was done at a leisurely one hour pace. I planned to keep this pace for the 29 laps plus some meal breaks and ten minute rests every now and then to get me off the bike at about 10:30pm Saturday. No sleep was intended. I had a feeding plan with all my nutrition in one box, the plan sellotaped to its lid, strategically placed on a table in the Turning Circle.

My pre-race cycle training was pretty woeful and certainly naive. The closest I got to coaching was a casual conversation with some cyclists I met on a training ride. (I bet I’m not the only endurance triathlete who will strike a conversation with strangers on the road: “what you training for” simply to elicit a retort “...and you?” so that you can boast about the upcoming race effort.) Seeing me push a big gear up a gentle hill, they advised me that I should be in the smaller chain ring with a higher cadence to preserve my legs. So the smaller chain ring was employed from the exit out of Burley up to the left hand turn off the main road, then again for Braggers Lane. Towards the end of the bike I would deploy it for anything resembling a hill. I was lucky that the gear set up on my PX with ceramics made for a smooth change from small to big ring (well most of the time).

Cycling through Friday night was a calming experience. I’m a night owl me and quite happy to be plodding away into the dark. The weather helped as it was very mild, although a bit of wind chill came on at dusk and then again at dawn. I slowly kept turning the wheels throughout the night, whilst many competitors seemed to take a sleep break. I treated myself to a cooked breakfast Saturday morning, which gave me a chance to regale tales with others who were, as I expected, many laps ahead in spite of their sleep break. This should have been a warning, even to a completer not competer like me.

As with the swim you were expected to shout out your number in the Turning Circle to assist the organisers even though there is a timing chip and mat system. I amused the spectators with my loud SEVERRN exclamation each lap, aka Len on Celebrity Come Dancing. There was a scary moment late Saturday afternoon. I was largely self servicing with my feeds which meant racking the bike to fill my bottles and get some food out of my bike-feed box. At one of these feed stops I asked Claire Smedley, who was supporting her soon to be Triple-winning husband, to check the number of laps I had completed. She replied that I had done 20 laps, but, like in the swim, I was sure it should have been 19. On double-checking with Ed, it turns out that I must have mistakenly set off the timing mat when visiting the house for food or toilet at some earlier point as one lap registered less than a minute! So I had not misjudged and was only 19 in. Ah well.

I was feeling comfortable knocking out the laps at an easy pace late into Saturday afternoon.That’s the problem. The clock was ticking and I was not eating into the laps quickly enough. As darkness drew in again I began to regret going into a second night of cycling. My battery charges were low and I was already through two battery packs. My legs were OK but I was losing interest. Frankly I just wanted to get the bike over. My slow speed was closer to stop.

It got so low that with only two laps left I could not even feel relieved. Then I was down to one light system operational and I had to rig up a single back-light for the final lap. Also I was having trouble changing chainrings and my chain became entangled on a couple of occasions. Then at the top of Braggers Lane on the final lap my front light failed and the chain got trapped again. At this juncture I completely lost my cool. I threw the bike to the ground and yanked the chain up and down, swearing at the top of my voice. It was truly like a scene out of Fawlty Towers; the one where Basil hit his car with a tree branch.

I limped into the Turning Circle for the final time and had a Steve Redgrave moment; you know when he said if you catch me in a boat (aka bike) again you have permission to shoot me!

Bike - 35:34:56

Running out of time

My original plan was to grab just half an hour sleep at the end of the bike, but although I was 2.5 hours after the cut-off I needed more rest, so when I got to my tent I set the alarm for an hour. This meant I started the run at about 4am Sunday morning. The course was quite deserted as I guess others had already clocked up some decent mileage and were getting some sleep in. I ran 10 of the 72 laps before my first break: breakfast.

As with the bike I had all my nutrition written up and located in a box in the Turning Circle. The average lap time was around 20 minutes, but with food and drink stops and no regular crew I wasted a bit of time every other lap. I managed to run about two thirds of the course, walking the uphill sections. I was in my natural habitat; I enjoyed ultra-running, it was my strength.

There was plenty of interest during the day, with the swim occurring in the lake from 9am and other races coming to a conclusion: the Double, 100 ultra, Run to Max etc. The highlight was being in the Turning Circle to witness the epic sprint finish between Graham and Joseph for the victory. I was able to keep up a reasonable pace for about 10-12 laps. I had planned at least two x 20 minute sleep breaks and I took my first at the end of lap 24, i.e. on completion of the first marathon. This re-invigorated me and I picked up the pace again for another 8 laps or so before I began to tire again.

At dinner time I was checking how other competitors were doing and noted that I was lagging behind at the back of the field. This was no surprise, but I knew that I had no chance of meeting the 2am cut-off. Equally I knew that Ed would be lenient on the timing. However I started to calculate that it would be stretching the good nature of any organisers for them to let me run right through the night. I was in denial. I genuinely felt capable of continuing, but would I be permitted to finish at say 7-7:30am. I had a chat with Ed, it was not looking good.

I enlisted some help to get my nutrition organised better from TC, who had stayed around after completing his race FFS and others. This perked me up to increase my pace, but the clock was clearly not in my favour. At 10:30pm on completion of the second marathon I went for my second 20 minute break in the House. At 1:38am Monday I awoke astonished!. I had incorrectly set the alarm and had overslept. It was an obvious sign and I handed my timing chip to Ed, calling it a day. My race was over after 61.5 hours. In truth my race was over after getting off the bike, because I had left nowhere near enough time to complete the run even with the extended cut-off which Ed had eventually set as 4:30am Monday.

Every DNF carries a lesson

I am under no illusions. I simply did not pay enough attention to my cycling in training. As many triathletes say: it’s all about the bike. I need to find the love for the bike once again. I know I have it within me. This will be my single most important focus for the remainder of this season and into next year. Other learning points include the usefulness of having a dedicated crew. This would have gained me 2-3 minutes on each food stop, which could have added up to a staggering two hours. Coupled with the faffing around which has much too easily become my trade mark and this could have meant the difference between DNF and success.

On reflection though I had a great weekends racing and I am convinced there is a Triple in me. Am I ready for another go yet though? Maybe not. Personally 336 miles is just too long a bike stint the way I am feeling in one go.

Now 3 x 1 very definitely. Or 10 x 1 maybe, just maybe …]]>
Later that Summer and wholly unprepared I found myself on the start line for the Lakelands 100 ultra. Surprisingly I made it through about 18 hours hilly running only to sensibly bail out after 60 miles.

Then followed another race for which I had not given the proper Curry preparation stakes - the iconic Ironman Wales. A brilliant race but the now infamous hilly bike proved too much for me, as I missed the bike cut-off by 3 minutes. Gutted.

The winter has been a usual mix of running but also a much better focus on swimming. Some coaching with Julian Nagi and I have vastly improved my swim technique and times: about 15 mins off my pool time for 4K.

My key focus for 2016 is the Enduroman Continuous Triple.

So to my latest race - the Glasgow to Edinburgh ultra - 55 miles along the canals. This was chosen as a staging race, similar enough to prepare me for the TP100 but as a stepping stone towards the main goal of the Triple ironman.

Last minute preparation was not ideal. I arrived at Luton airport without my wallet and had to speed home and back again through the rush hour traffic to find myself ironically delighted that the flight had been delayed by half an hour.

The race starts in Ruchill Park in Glasgow. A low key affair but efficiently run by Resolute Events. I shared my hotel with Rachel who was racing her first ultra and in turns out that she was from my home town. I spent the warm up giving Rachel much needed encouragement and sharing some wisdom of my "limited" experience. I then foolishly displayed my ignorance by trying in vain to keep up with her pace, covering the first 13 miles in about 2hrs 15mins. I let her go (and was glad she was able to maintain her race through to a 10:47 finish).

I paid for the early pace through the middle third of the race. Even before starting the race I was worried that the overall cut-off time of 12 hrs for 55M was fast by my standards. Yes it is a flat race, but I had not planned for the terrain. About 90% was tarmac!!! This was a 55 mile road race and I had spent four years running almost totally off road.

The joints in my hips and knees were feeling it already by mile 20!

At least I was by now in the company of runners I feel more comfortable with - towards the back of the pack. There were a number of first time ultra runners, but mostly road runners too. And plenty of Scots - so there was good banter.

The Falkirk Wheel at mile 22 was a stunning landmark. This feat of British engineering lowers boats from the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde canal a drop of about 80 feet.

I was surprised to find myself struggling so soon in the race. I switched strategy from 40/5, walk/run to 20/5. The long straight sections of canal were no help. Also the scenery was not as pleasant as the first third as the stunning hills surrounding Glasgow gave way to high banks and forestry.

Also as I slowed the runners in front disappeared out of view from time to time and I only caught up at the third checkpoint. I started to have doubts that I would finish before the cut-off and fought hard against negative thoughts.

This was becoming a mental and physical battle. The rain had also started and would continue its thin veil throughout the remainder of the days racing.

My target was to reach 30 miles within 6 hours which I achieved with a few minutes to spare. This helped me to regain some belief and perseverance.

At checkpoint 3 a runner DNF'd but I pushed on. I dropped to a 15/5 strategy. With about 17/18 miles left I convinced myself I was just a normal training run away from home.

By Checkpoint 4 I had got through the worst. Talking to some cheerful crew perked me up. 13 miles left to go. Switching to 12/3 then 10/5 I began to get some faster pace into my running sections. I was metaphorically flying now.

The last miles towards the centre of Edinburgh was painful and could not come fast enough and as the light faded I could not be bothered to remove my backpack to find my head torch, so I had no visibility of the time. Helpfully the pathway was lit by cats eyes.

I made it though to finish in 11:42 which was just about the time I had anticipated. What was all the fuss about.

Bling, t-shirt and socialising with new friends from my home town. Still wearing my lycra and my bright pink compression socks in Tiger Lilly at about 1am must have been quite a sight for the all those hen and stag parties.

Epilogue: This was a perfect race for me to wrestle away those gremlins and battle through to a finish. My time was respectable and leaves a good marker for the TP100 in less than a month. My only quandary is whether I should DNS the TP100 in lieu of more quality bike training, as my A race is still the Triple. Time for reflection.]]> Motivation
Several years ago I was found lurking on the Enduroman thread of the TriTalk Forum by TC who goaded me to give a double a try. A ridiculous thought at the time: I had only just attempted my first off road ultra – the JCC. But I got that funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew that one day I would be on the start line. It would be a long journey with many lessons to learn (through a number of painful DNFs).

Fast forward to 2015: somewhere out on the Jurassic coast, 21 hours into my revenge attempt at The Oner, I start to lose energy fast. Intermittent spells of shuffle jogging were broken with 5 minute walk breaks. Gradually the walk breaks became longer. Ten hours earlier I was running strongly, feeding regularly: I was in control. But now I was calculating the time left until the next CP, to the finish, from the last CP to here: doubt ate away at my inner belief.

Within minutes I was no longer able to muster a jog. Walking was even difficult: I lent more heavily on the poles which were still in my hands; the very poles which had so greatly helped me overcome the endless rolling coastal hills on this unforgiving course; poles which had now become my Zimmer frame; poles which should have been folded away in my back pack - next to those uneaten snacks I had diligently packed at the mid-way CP; snacks which, along with the many treats at subsequent CPs, had been ignored. I was running on empty with no Plan B and subconsciously I ended my race prematurely.

Preparation
How do you prepare for a double ironman distance race? In truth I was not sure so I got myself a coach. In reality I had set myself quite a demanding schedule of A Races for 2015 so preparation was always going to be tough. But my target was to complete not compete.

The Winter had plenty of good running and some decent miles on the bike, albeit nothing over 80 miles but there were quite a few over 50 and some good brick weekends. My swimming is a weak discipline and was the first session to be dropped from a busy schedule when work or domestic demands got in the way, but here too I had a number of quality distance swims and some open water sessions.

Mental preparation was much more difficult. I was sure that I could cope with the distances. In 2014 I had completed the swim and the bike only to fall apart on the run, which I had put down to the total lack of cycle training. But the monkey on my back was the feeding problems that had plagued my previous three endurance races. I simply cannot face food once I reach the later stages of a long race.

An unwanted distraction hit me 2-3 weeks before Race Day. After a routine investigation my GP had referred me for a chest x-Ray then an ultra-scan and then a referral to a cardiologist followed. The problem was an apparent left branch blockage in my heart. I finally got the all clear from the cardio about a week before Race Day. It was a false alarm – phew!

In the days leading up to Race Day I fretted over the Race Plan and feeding strategy. My coach advised me to force myself to eat; apparently late into an ultra the mind tells the body it’s not hungry but the body needs food. Advice was to ignore the mind and keep feeding. Second piece of good advice was that a break of say half hour could fool the mind into thinking the race is over and the body wants to feed again.

Arrival in AT
Both my sons had originally agreed to crew for me. But Uni exams at end of Year 1 clashed for my youngest Harry. My wife Carol volunteered to step in. On the face of it this could have been a challenge in itself – for both of us. Carol had attended a number of my races over the years but to be honest the long distance stuff is not a great spectator sport and after 25 years of marriage …!!

Ben came down with me to set up our tent the night before the race and Carol would join later, probably after the swim. This worked well. I was able to organise everything as I wanted it and share the Race Plan with Ben. Novice Ben took to it like a duck to water and he soon took command. My feeding plan was written down with a variety of drink and food combinations attributed to each lap of the bike and every second run lap. The food was appropriately divided between two boxes with a third box containing extra kit and bags with additional clothing options.



AT had misjudged the catering and we had no meal vouchers for the weekend. So we popped down to the local Fish and Chip shop. Ben also contacted Carol to order additional food supplies for meal times. The team was gelling well.
Familiar faces were present at the Race Brief. Pre-race anticipation was heightened by anecdotes of the week’s Quin racing already well into full steam.

Swim
Our tent was pitched in the top field by the lodges so I missed out on seeing the 3x1 plus 5x1 start their swim as I had my breakfast at 6am. Jjust as well because what happened to Lee (LoR) would have probably freaked me out a bit. (He had a panic attack on the first lap of his swim to DNF the 3x1 and switch to a marathon later in the day.)

Gathering by the lake the Continuous Double contenders all looked quite relaxed as we posed for photos and listened to Dan’s legendary swim brief. In the water I shook a number of competitors by the hand and before you could pee in your wetsuit the race was on. I kid you not, but I was already half a lap of the lake behind the whole field by the time the lead athlete completed her first circuit. I am often one of the last to exit the swim but on this occasion all competitors were much faster than me.

This did not faze me. I settled into a steady (read slow) pace. I was determined to enjoy this. I was buoyed on in the knowledge that Ben would be on the lakeshore. No member of my family had ever witnessed me in a Tri swim. I had planned to stop after laps 15 (just over half way) and 20 of 26 for energy drink. By the time I stopped for lap 20 most had already exited. I was castigated by Dan here for idle chat (even though I was instructing Ben to arrange food with Carol).

I genuinely had to swim the final 3-5 laps on my own. Paranoid I lifted my stroke considerably (by my standards). This was quite invigorating. MartinP informed me from the shore that I had 15 minutes before the cut-off as I approached my last lap; I should have a few minutes to spare then, but I kept up my higher stroke rate. To my horror Dan turned me away from the exit platoon as I approached; I had miscalculated and another lap was required.
This meant I was five minutes beyond the cut-off. A lecture followed from Dan about my idling and worse still a rebuke against TriTalkers lambasted for not taking swimbling seriously. Shame on you TriTalkers for nearly getting me disqualified!

Swim: 3:37:27, 11th out of 11 finishers (2 DNFs)

Bike
Ben greeted me with a cup of tea and bacon sandwich in T1. Lee (Repoman) also came to help and encourage. He was impressed by the Race Plan scribbled on two slips of paper inside my phone cover.

The first couple of bike laps were taken without stop. It was time to get familiar with the course. By the end I would have intimate knowledge. Personal landmarks would become like beads on an abacus, counting down the lap markers. In reality the first 4-5 laps were nothing like the rest – weather-wise. The wind was so fierce you could not safely get down onto the tri-bars when exposed to stretches of the New Forest’s beautiful scenery. I even strained one of my thumbs through grasping my handle bars so tightly. The rain also came down in torrents at times forming streams across Braggers Lane.

Carol had arrived by the 3rd lap and quite a few TTers also gathered in the Turning Circle. A party atmosphere greeted my pit stops for a period. Time slipped into the evening as the sun came out and endless cycles of water bottle changes, food rotation between sweet and savoury and exchanges with my welcoming crew and extended team of supporters.

At dusk I climbed off the bike for twenty minutes rest and pasta. This enabled me to put on my lights and some arm warmers. My rear light was dislodged on the next lap and this needed to be strapped onto the bike. By now I also noticed that the cleat of my right shoe was so worn I kept slipping from the pedal. I adjusted my cadence to ensure there was more pronounced downward pressure. This would plague me later in the cycle but I was not going to let it eat away at me. I was building a positive only attitude in this race!

I enjoy night time rides, like the Midnightman; peaceful and of course without traffic etc. This race was no different. Carol was the first of my crew to get some sleep. I shared a chat with a number of other competitors from time to time, but mostly we were all “in the zone” clocking up the miles. I find about 3-4 am the worst time – just before dawn (aka Florence and the Machine). This was when Ben went to bed and Carol rose to greet me with a bowl of porridge – yum yum!

Towards the end the hills seem to rise up, so I drop to the granny gears and reduce the cadence. The bike is all about grinding out the laps. I have no qualms about my pace. It’s all about finishing and saving the legs for the run.
Unlike last year the last lap was not so emotional but it was a great relief when I set out; by this time the 5x1 were back out so I had a bit of company. So too were Sunday tourists and even some keen cyclists. You find yourself almost wanting to stop everyone and boast about how long you had been cycling. A real sense of pride and achievement overcomes you.

And then the bike leg was over. Free-wheeling down into the Turning Circle one last time I took the applause and a large grin swept across my face.

Bike: 21:37:09, av speed 10:73, 10th out of 11 finishers

Run
I walked the first run lap to get my bearings then tackled the delicate operation of removing my cycling shorts and lubricating up my nether regions in my tent. This was not a good time for Ben to walk in on me!

Over the next laps I found a steady rhythm and a pattern consisting of running all the downward and flat sections and walking the uphill stretches. This is a 48 lap course of two halves: down then up. My psyche would be to stick to the precise run/walk strategy for the whole run. I was pacing at an average lap of 16-17 minutes. This could leave me with about 90 minutes leeway for the end of the race when I was expected to tire.

Continuing my rigid feeding plan I aimed to take on fuel every other lap, alternating energy drink, water and electrolytes plus a small portion of sweet or savoury food, either eaten or taken around with me.

On 12 laps I took a short break. Shortly after this the 50 miler runners set off and this included Pirates Julie and Terry who were determined to chase me down (they are both racing the Lakelands 100 with me later in the summer). I was keeping up my pace well and feeling quitely confident.

My next break, for dinner, was due at lap 24, but I had a couple of tough laps leading into this and was grateful to sit down, wrapped in spare layers I took a full 20 minute rest and was mentally worried about the restart. Digging deep inside of myself I eked out the next few laps, mentally ticking off each self-congratulatory lap with a positive countdown. This started to have a truly positive effect and I was able to sustain my original 17 minute pace.

Lap 27 and Ben met me at the boathouse with my toothbrush. A splash of water on my face and tooth clean and I was surprisingly reinvigorated. Guys: this really works – try it on your next ultra. I perked up significantly and for a while I became unbearable to my fellow competitors and supporters by my uplifted mood. One set of guys even jokingly accused me of taking a short cut because my pace had picked up so much.

I cheekily suggested to my crew that I would delay my next break from L36 to L40 as I was feeling strong. Here’s the thing; no sooner had I mentioned this than I suddenly started to fade and actually struggled to hit the L36. I am convinced this was a direct consequence of my lapse of concentration. The mental side of ultras seriously impacts performance.

Coming off this break I was overheating big time, dry throat and losing energy fast. I was dehydrating and checked in with Richard the King of Medics. He told me what I already knew, but at this stage of a race you need reassurance; take a bottle of electrolytes and walk a lap then a bottle of water walk another lap and check the colour of my pee. This cured me sure enough.

There were seven laps left and three hours. No problem. I could easily walk the remainder. In fact, once you have stopped running at this level restarting a run was too difficult. I walked. Then I lifted it to a power walk. After several laps I was 20-minute lapping which was not much slower than my earlier run/walk strategy. I was actually beginning to float towards the finish. For the first time in my life I approached the end of an ultra in a really positive, no-way-am-I-going-to-fail mood.

Ben joined me for a lap. A couple of laps later Carol walked a lap with me too. She even slowed me down! I was passed by the Pirates (fault of my dehydration issue) and was also within a lap of two other double finishers. But finally it was my turn … I hit the Turning Circle for the 47th time and was sent back for my reverse victory lap.

Run: 16:56:34 av speed 19:15 8th out of 10 finishers

Overall time: 42:11:11 8th out of 13 starters

Continuous Double Enduroman Finisher


Epilogue
Sitting in the AT bar on Sunday evening I was chatting to a few Continuous Quin and 5x1 guys. A lady from beside the bar joined our conversation and at one point asked me “So did you do the Quin then?”, “No,” I replied “I only did the double”. Only at Enduroman could you hear such banter.

There are so many people I need to thank for this momentous achievement; TC for enticing me to enter all those years ago, MartinP with Dawn and the girls (for looking after me in 2014 and supporting again this year), Lee, Julie and Terry, all the other competitors, my coach Dan Carter, of course Eddie, Dan, Chris, medic Rich and all the Enduroman crew, but most of all my fantastic crew, Ben and Carol, who actually enjoyed the experience.



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This winter's training had gone well. I hit the coast several times including the Dorset Coastal Trail series 45M in December that took me over Durdle Door three times.

At Registration I was boasting how ready I was to crack this race. I set off with VeggieBoy but he sets too fast a pace for my liking so he vanished over the first hill.

The first mixed terrain marathon passed in about 6 hours well ahead of last year's split. I was feeding every half hour or climb on largely Gels (this had worked in training). At Ferry Bridge I was surprised to see VeggieBoy wrapped in a blanket. Sadly he had overlooked it and his race was ended prematurely.

Heading out onto Portland I was intermittently running with a group of young runners who had a very loud support party with horns etc. they won't please the locals I thought. To my surprise one of these runners had enough energy to do cartwheels down by the lighthouse.

My racing style is long and slow with breaks only every 40 minutes or uphill sections. Most other racers run slightly faster but take walk breaks more frequently. I always play leapfrog but it also means that I spend much of the time running solo. Whilst this is inevitable towards the end of an ultra In truth I should adapt more so that I have a bit of company. This became apparent as I hit my first low point running off Portland alone as the sun went down and the low following my Gel-induced sugar rush.

Some lessons learned here!

Half way now and I did not waste too much time; change of top some pasta and re-stock my food supply in my backpack. Heading back out I ran with Kate Hayden for a while - she had entered last minute but could only be granted half course but she loves night time running.

I was feeling strong and mentally prepared for the big hills ahead. I passed last year's voodoo; prior to Osmington Mill I had followed the wrong track in the dark ending up 3 miles in land at a village. No problem this time.

At the next CP I stared at the array of food but my brain said "No" I could not even force down one of Claire's mum's delicious cheese scones. This is a common problem, not being able to feed, in the later stages of racing. Pressing on though I still felt physically strong and with my poles out I strides up those hills.

Lulworth came and went.

More hills, more poles, less feeding. Still confident.

But the pace started to drop off rapidly now. My watch told me there was lots of time in the bank . No chasing cut offs yet. Way ahead of last year's splits.

I played leapfrog with two or three runners now. A Spanish runner had got lost a number of times and he consulted me a few times on directions keep the sea to your right seemed a bit churlish at this age of the race when the mind begins to struggle with simple thought processing.

I had a turrets moment with one of the gates. I can't work out why there are so many locking mechanisms . Bugger it I climbed over the thing.

I reached St Albans Head about 40 mins inside the cut off. Smile and press on. I was getting very tired now and noted the few runners near me disappeared into the distance.

I felt alone. With my poles. Becoming more like walking sticks aiding an old man. The walk breaks became much longer. Time moved faster. The poles turned into a zimmer frame. Brain said "run no more".

Tried a little jog. Stopped after a few yards. Tried power walking. No good this had to be parred back to my resting slow laboured walk. My brain went into overtime. Negative thoughts crept in forcing me to calculate time to the finish. I estimated the latest time to make the last CP to give me a fighting chance to finish.

These thoughts seemed to slow me down even more. I forced a Gel down. Still could not run. Could I walk to the end ?

I can't remember when it had started, these negative thoughts, but I was in a spiral now. I convinced myself of two things: I had done really well to get this far as so many will have DNF'd by now and I simply could not expect to walk for another 3-4 hours over these hills to then miss the final cut off.

My phone had run out of battery charge. I could not even call in the DNF. I hobbled to the castle steps but nothing was yet open. I sat down. I tried to eat something. I pondered. It would take me an hour or so to get to the CP.

My race was mentally over. Then it was physically over.

Once the mind has given in the body goes into shut down. By the time I had crawled into the last CP and waited for the last DNF to do the same and we drove to the finish line I was just in time to see one of the runners finish with minutes to spare. I was so pleased for her.

My brain had gotten over my own disappointment and rationalised my failure. This comes too easy for me. I should learn to hurt more. Perhaps I need to feel disappointment to help me grow as an endurance athlete. Or maybe rationalise my failure to learn the lessons.

The lessons learnt here were many. The overriding one was apparent when I emptied my backpack of the many food items left uneaten. Fuel which could have got me to the finish starving my brain of negative thoughts. I need to learn how to eat. :idea:]]>
My training diary had this recorded as a 26M section undulating but the least hilly part of the 100M course. Unfortunately when I arrived at the pre-talk the night before I found out that the distance was in fact 33M, ah well.

The pre-talk session related to diet and training prep for the race. I learnt some interesting stuff about how much fat is converted to energy I n an endurance race, which means I can stop worrying about my race fuelling strategy as there's plenty of conversion in me

In general much of what was discussed I either already knew or put into practice. I'm starting to think I have become experienced at this sort of stuff.

The recce started at Buttermere and straight away we began to ascend and follow what I can only describe more as sheep trails meandering up the edge of the hillside and to the top of Sail Pass. This was the biggest climb of the day but I had decided that my plan would be to pull back on my pace and take the day easy. Having got comfortable with this I was fine when others of my pace shot ahead; including Seren Nos part time of this parish and her partner.

As the day wore on the weather varied from mild and even sunny at times to full on rain and even sleet on the hills with fierce wind chilling through to the bone. It reminded me of how things can change in the Lakes. I was well prepared though with a base layer, extra top and Saloman wind proof.

There were some low points when I was cold and feeling tired. One section took you up the valley by Lonscale Fell and you can look across to see runners coming back down the other side; little pinpricks on the hillside. OMG this can plague you if you're feeling low.

At other points I felt elated with a spring in my step. I enjoyed the company of a few other runners as we learnt the route together. The course held much variety with railway paths, boggy fields, an old coach way and some country road sections - how much do I detest road running now that I've become a fully fledged fell runner.

The day's run ended at the Dalemain Estate which is half way in the actual race; also the start point for the 50M runners. I did feel a bit guilty for the two marshals who had waited patiently for the BOP runners like me to come in. Well done Chris :)

I reflected on a good weekends work on the long drive back south. I was ready for my taper towards The Oner.]]> Ironman Wales iron distance Tri
DNF missed bike cut-off by 3 mins

Lakelands 100 100m Ultra
DNF after 60M and about 24 hours

Enduroman Continuous Double 2x iron distance Tri
42:11:11

The Oner 84m Ultra
DNF at CP 11 out of 12 after about 22 hours

Gin Pit Double Marathon
4:52/5:12

JCC Day 1 26M
5:41

CTS South Devon 33M ultra
8:00?]]>
A Curry training block would be Day 1 of the JCC followed by a five hour drive then the Gin Pit double marathons.

I spent the night before Day 1 of the JCC In my sons University digs. My sacrifice was to turn down his offer of a house party with 40 dance students and a few of his mates; things that we do for our sport!

Conditions were dry and mild. The day started with stunning views of the 96% eclipse masked by light clouds on the way into Weymouth. I know the course quite well and made comfortable progress over the first hilly sections. I expected my pace to drop off but kept up a steady rhythm avoiding any long stops at check points and making sure I took plenty of gels and fluids.

The shingle beach section had been partly cleared but the last section still had plenty of mud. I came into the the finish with a confidence boosting 5:41:08 which is half an hour quicker than last year.

Position 72 out of 192 is seriously not back of the pack either.

The drive up to Glossop after a meal and a massage was a tiring five hours plus. Five hours sleep and I met up with the TT posse for breakfast at Repomans.

My first sortie out on the Gin Pit marathon course started at an easy pace on tired legs. With a flat course I strived out with a 45/5 run/walk strategy. After about 6 miles I caught up with MartinP and we set a fair pace up to CP 1 at the start of the long canal section. Here I slowed up a bit and let MartinP go ahead. Friday's marathon was having an effect and I began to suffer. Dropping to a 30/5 strategy I pressed on to finish up with a respectable 4:52:29

An evening of beer and carb loading with a healthy dose of banter followed. LOR competing with Mrs Repo for sandbagging rights. Carol was gutted to pull out and miss her perfect Gin Pit record. Repo took us to a quaint off licence come cafe but decided to call a taxi after a few sips of wife beating bottled beer.

Sunday morning I awoke to a text from MartinP. Ground hog day marathon number three over the same course as Day 2. My quads were angry in spite of the prior evening massage (no happy ending there ). So I had decided to set an easy pace using a 30/5 run/ walk strategy from the outset today.

I doggedly stuck to this right through the day. For most of the second half of the race I enjoyed the company of both MatinP and Paolo eventually crossing the line together. I can honestly say that I was feeling much stronger on Day 3 than Day 2. My time was 5:12:01

On reflection I am well chuffed with the weekend's training block. My pace has definitely improved over prior years. I am feeling strong and encouraged about my chances for The Oner in three weeks. Of course I am under no illusions because these last two days were over a flat course and there was rest between marathons.

On the social side it was bril to catch up with Repo, Mrs Repo, MartinP, Paolo, LOR, PSF, happy Biscuit and Tunster. I can see why this race is so popular with TTers. I hope to return.]]>
About a month out from The Oner, these anxieties beset me. But such traumas are usual for endurance athletes; at least this one.

The illness came immediately following a 35M ultra. With my immune system at a low point, a stomach and flu- like bug that I picked up simply wiped me out. Housebound for a few days and drained of energy I had to sit out training. Rehabilitation was taken seriously but meant training was set back by a further week.

Right on the back of this I started to doubt my overall training schedule. Comparisons against last year and prior years. Analysis of splits, distances covered and intensity followed. I have recruited the services of a coach this year so I added anxiety over his program; does he know what makes me tick, why is my plan stacked with pacey sessions when I hate speed and am I doing long enough runs.

Again this is normal. Self doubt creeps in around this time of year. It's a bit like Christ facing the Temptation in the wilderness. Trust yourself. Trust your coach. Trust and believe. You will deliver.

To top this period off this very forum - TriTalk goes down. Disaaarster! This is my absolute rock. TriTalk feeds my ambition, strokes my ego, keeps me striving forward.

I will need to find a back up energy cell. Maybe Twitter or God Forbid even Facebook to get my self gratification.

I conclude that these anxieties are part of the make-up of an endurance athlete.]]>

Recce Day 2 was a night run from Ambleside to Coniston.

Arriving in Cumbria the beauty of the Snow crested Lakes set against a sun filled blue winter sky lay before me. The day started with talks by the organisers. Disguised as a session on navigation they became a pitch for upgrading head torches. Funny how the race organisers run a shop. Actually the advice was very useful as clearly technology has moved on in a short space of time. Perhaps this is why so many triathletes are attracted to ultras.

The recce was a 16M stretch which would be the last section of the race. I could not help think that if I make it that far I will not be running at night, but it will be early morning at best; but more likely pushing right up to the final 10am cut-off. There were no serious navigation worries but some climbs to trouble back-Enders. About 4M from the end there was a steady albeit not steep climb which did seem to go on forever. This is implanted into my memory for the reserve bank.

I was pleased with 3:44 for this run out. Especially when a fellow completer who I had ran part of the previous recce with remarked how my fitness had clearly improved. :)

Coach had plotted a rest day for me the next day, as I would be racing in two weeks. However how could I resist another trip out having driven all that way! So I drove up to Edale Head and trekked over the Pass from there; through 4 inches of snow and compact ice on the saddle. Only saw two other walkers in 3 hours of walk/running it was wild and barren. Reminded me why this sport is such breathtaking fun.

Fast forward two weeks and I'm back in the car again; CTS South Devon ultra of 35M. Trip down on Friday evening was horrendously long, missing most of England's great rugby victory over the Taffies and arriving too late for a hot meal at my B&B.

The Endurance Life race conditions were almost perfect. A bit chilly due to some wind off the sea to start with but within an hour of the start I removed the waterproof and my newly acquired Lakelands 100 buff as the sun came out.



This race was undulating but not as steep as either CTS Dorset or The Oner, but the coastal path sections were a lot more technical. For someone who suffers badly from vertigo I am surprised that running so close to sheer cliff edges does not phase me; I guess my mind is concentrating more on foot placement. There are stretches where I swear I could not walk along.

I was setting a reasonable pace (for me) and not right at the back of the field until I then tripped and knocked my right knee - aggravating a wound from a training fall before Christmas :cry: A few minutes rest and thankfully I was alright.

On the way back the route was a mixture of trail, tarmac and fields but still quite undulating. So not much opportunity for a rest. As with all Endurance Life races you eventually meet up with those on the shorter routes, who pull you along for a while. Also a chance to stroke my ego as 10kers aghast at my response of "... no, I've still got 15M to go yet..." to their "...not far to go".

The field was quite spread out by the time we reached a flat coastal spit section with only a few miles left of the marathon distance. Here a female ultra runner who had been company for a while decided she had more in her legs and I chose not to go with her. This started to play on my mind as I was using this race as a test of whether my pace had improved sufficiently to avoid cut- off danger in my A race. In truth I did not want to mentally lift my pace but perhaps I could have done physically. My dilemma was that my own pace was good for a longer distance and I did not want to trash myself with hard training weeks ahead.

Instead I kept up a fair pace and she was in sight over most of the next 8M. A sort of marker. Also I knew there were a couple of runners about 10 mins behind me and I aimed to keep them at bay too. Past history has shown that other tai lenders do overtake me towards race end.

I kept the runner in front and two behind in check. Was pleased with that.

End game was 35.7M in 7:49 and position 81 out of 91. That's an improvement on time and placing.

Feeling in a good place right now; poised to push my training up a notch with two months to go for my revenge attempt on the Jurassic Coast 8)]]>