Les Deux and Depression

I am just back from a little trip over to Les Deux Alpes to catch up with Lauren. With the lack of snow across Europe right now we opted for a run the first day. This is Woody’s(Lauren) turf so it was up to her to show me the way. We went a pretty chilled out run for an hour and a half up through the forest behind her house through a fair bit of snow and ice and around onto what I can only describe as a death trail! Brilliant brilliant trail though. It is cut through the side of a cliff and the exposure and drop to one side is huge. Easily over 800m right down to the road in the valley below. There is a handrail but I opted to jog round it without using it just to make it a bit more fun. It was out and back along this super exposed trail and then a slightly different way home running down some deep snow and onto the beginners slopes getting some rather strange looks from the holiday skiers as two idiots in running gear ran past them. It was pretty damn hot though and I was in shorts and not cold. The following day was ski day and we spent the day getting the legs in shape for the winter to come by blasting around some awesome pistes pretty much all day. Good times.

THE Trail

Long way down

Over the summer months I generally train and run on my own. This is not that I don't like to run with other people but I get pretty focused that time of year and like to just do my own thing. I do like the company sometimes but also love my time alone. I cannot wait to run with a load of new people next summer in Colorado. I have ran with many many people over the years and really do love it. I really miss running with Scott back home in Scotland as he could really push me and we worked as a good team on long painful trips. He is way way faster than me but I could always find a way to dig in and keep going until he finally started to feel the pain and slow down to my pace. However I have run with others who for some reason think that just because I run long distances means I go very fast and it seems as though it is a test for them to try and out run me and be faster. Completely not what my running is about. Yeah fine run as fast as you like , in the long run(sorry) I will keep going , you won't. Yeah that does make me sound full of myself but trust me I am far from it. I like to run with people at the same pace , chilled out , loving being on the trails in the mountains and have a good laugh. Woody is absolutely my ideal partner for this , she is a great little runner even if she won't admit it. Yeah I guess on the steep climbs and technical downs I can disappear away from her a little but not too far and it won't be long until she keeps up on that stuff. Once on the flats our pace is usually bang on the same and it is perfect. Her banter ain't too bad either which helps. I just need to try and persuade her to come try out the Colorado trails with me next year. She would make an awesome addition to my pacer team on my next 100 miler.

Day 1 - Run the pistes

Day 2 - Ski the pistes

Once Ultra training properly starts next year I will be doing more flat running to try and work on my speed along long flat sections on ultras which is always one of my major downfalls. I can plod up and up 1000m climbs fine and keep good pace on down hills but then keeping momentum at miles 40 , 50 , 60 on long flats is so so tough and I really want to try and fix this problem and the only way to do so is train on long flat trails. Something Chamonix has very little of. I have ran here for years getting myself comfortable on steep climbs and steep technical down hills so the next step is obviously get my flat pacing bang on. I am not even talking fast here. As I say time and time again these are ultras and not sprints. I am talking more like 1hr to 1hr 30mins 10ks , sometimes even longer depending on the type of terrain and how far into the race I am. Now some might think that is easy to achieve. Hmmm just try running a 1hr 30min 10k at km 140 of a 165km race. It ain't easy , well for the normal runners out there like me who do not train year round.

Les 2 Alpes Looking rather Summery on December 16th

So recently I have been reading a lot of stuff on post race depression. Easy now ,  Don't worry! I ain't going crazy or anything. It's not as bad as it sounds and it ends up it is actually very common amongst runners of all distances. Ever since I crossed that line back in August in Leadville I have been a bit down. To be honest I started feeling it from when I crested 6^th street and seen the finish line. I didn't want to finish! Don't get me wrong here it was a completely amazing feeling to finish that race and my first 100 miler and I cannot describe the emotions of having done it and I will never ever forget it but on one side I was ecstatic and on the other I was sad it was all over. With my work and life I can only afford one big race a year. So all the money , planning , training and studying of the course becomes your life and I love that but once it's all over you are left with this massive void. Whats next? Where do I go from here? I want that feeling all the time , the feeling of just being out on a huge course and being able to let your mind wander and think about all sorts of things , sometimes think about nothing , sometimes chat and laugh with other runners and your crew and pacers , think just how amazing it is that you can make your legs go for so long and what you can do if you just dig deep and so on.... I get a bit of a slagging from some people because I run a lot(all in good humour of course) , I can understand some of it but in reality I just don't think they get it. When non runners think of running they think of it being a chore and hard work and hate it from start to finish. Not me. Of course sometimes it's hard work , bloody hard work. Especially some sections of an Ultra when my legs are like lead and it's dark and a bit cold but I can always find a way to just keep moving and that is the key to it , Just keep your legs going and you will do it. To be totally honest for most of my runs I totally love the escape and freedom I get and it always clears my head and overall just makes me feel great. So when you work so hard towards a goal and it all pays off it is amazing but you just keep chasing it and want it again and again. I think it is just a constant cycle. I still cannot stop thinking towards next years races and all the prep involved and that feeling of running with my friends and having all those amazing people support me on my races as they always do. It has completely taken over my life. I know next year will be different from this past summer and I will never try to recreate what happened as nothing will ever compare to that first experience but if it can come even a fraction close to that experience then it will all be worth it again.

Well that's this weeks thoughts out of the way. So more snow is finally on it's way to Chamonix and skiing may be taking over for the next few weeks. Along with the Christmas period I can see running taking a little back seat until the New Year but I may try get out for a little jaunt somewhere.

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you have an awesome time whatever your doing.

Pretty Nippy

After a very snowy end of November it has been blue skies and bitterly cold for a couple of weeks. I have been making most of the snow and getting back out on the skis just for a play around and also managed a couple of little days skinning up. I went to St Gervais with Garry for a nice 2 hour jaunt in glorious sunshine and we were pretty lucky to find a little stash of powder on the way down.

Top of St Gervais

The next day I went for a skin up Les Houches in full on fitness mode and blasted up to the top of the Kandahar slope in just 50 minutes. I was pretty happy with this time as I didn't take the direct route up and preferred to weave my way up different slopes. It was pretty hard work I must admit skinning that fast. I left the car ready for a nice morning stroll but for some reason as I do now and then I switched to fast mode and never let up until the top. Loved it although the descent was freezing as I never stuck on any extra layers at the top and just turned around and skied down into the bitter cold.

Breathing out of my........

Yup that will be snow on the lens

Running has not stopped yet but the yaktracks have been a fair amount. I have been running in the evenings after work. It is pretty hard I must admit to get home after work and then get changed to go and run in -8 but I have been pretty motivated to keep up my running and so far all is good. Nothing long. Never more than 13km but it is awesome fun. The trails are rock hard ice so are quite tricky but the riverside run to Les Houches is in great condition on hard pack snow. I am still loving my running even more than skiing at the moment although that will change when more snow arrives I am sure. I still have doubts about this winter season and all sorts of things are going through my head everyday as to what to do next and if I will last a full winter or head back to Scotland but as soon as I get out on the trail at night as silly as it all sounds my head is just clear and I just love to run especially in these amazing crisp cold nights with everything sparkling from the snow , ice and frost. It's amazing but then once home again and in for the night I repeatedly keep thinking what I should be doing with myself. All I am focused on now is summer in Colorado and it is miles away. Anything could happen between now and then I know. It's just crazy how big an impact that place had on me.

My night time view

Still cracking fun but bloody cold. So cold in fact that night
the buff around my neck froze solid

Onto next years races and unfortunately I did not get into Hardrock 100. I can't say I am gutted about this as I knew my chance was slim so into the hat for 2015 I will go. It is still the only other Ultra(with exception of the LT 100) that I have really really wanted to do. Hardrock 2014 is set to be a cracker as Kilian Jornet made the draw for next year so I cannot wait to see how he does on a course which is ideal for him with lots of climbing and technical ground. It is going to be a hell of a race next July. I am expecting a new course record from the Spaniard.

Now I know that Hardrock 2014 is not to be it has kind of cleared up what I will be doing as I was waiting to see the result of the draw before focusing on others. So here is my list....

April 26^th – Hoka Highland Fling – 80km - Scotland

July 13^th – Leadville 50(80km) - Colorado

August 10^th – Leadville 10km - Colorado

August 17^th – Leadville 100 PACER(return the favour to Kim for pacing me this year)

September 12^th – Run Rabbit Run 100 Steamboat Springs – Colorado

October 4^th – Lake District 3x3000 80km – England

So 3 80kms next year and another 100 miler is on the cards and probably some short stuff when over in Colorado. Entry for all the American races opens on January 1^st but I should get in them as they don't usually sell out for a few weeks but I will be signing up on the 1^st. The UK races I have already signed up for. So next years big one is the Steamboat 100. I have months to let you know all about this one but it is 100 miles and has a little bit more climbing than Leadville involving 6000m of ascent and descent , 68 miles on single track , 8 miles on tarmac and the rest on rough jeep roads throw in a small field of just 250 runners and it should be brilliant. Also I am allowed to use Pacers so hopefully I can have my Colorado team back with me for this one and they all seem super keen so far which is awesome. I am also doing a few of the other Leadville races because I loved the place and want to go and run there again plus Anna and Kim are planning on doing the 50 miler as well so would be cool if we can run that together. Finally I will be returning to the Leadville 100 but this time to pace. Kim is going to enter and straight away I told her I wanted pace for her and return the favour. I am actually more excited about pacing a friend over the course than any other race next year. No idea on what distance she wants me to run with her but I am happy with anything up to 40 miles including the Hope Pass section as I loved that but I will do whatever she asks. I am just so happy to be going back there again.

I am sitting waiting on more snow to arrive so winter can properly kick off and my next two days off are going to be spent visiting Lauren in Les Deux Alpes to go Trail Running! And maybe a little ski...maybe.

Getting Cold

It is still slowly creeping towards winter here in France. The snow is lying in Chamonix and the temperature is dropping( -12 today) but the running has continued.

I love the crisp cold winter air. Brilliant for running but don't stop for too long
or warming back up could take some time.

I have been out for some great little tours on the skis with the usual crew. We are not going for epic skiing but just to get the uphill legs in shape for the season ahead. You would think that coming from my summer of running that my legs for skinning up would be super strong. Think again! I can't say I am struggling with the tours but my legs do feel it more than when I run but it is only a matter of time before I get into the swing of things. It is more my back and hips that are feeling it as I am using muscle I have not really used since last winter.

Very cold afternoon skin up Le Tour

Running has been great. I have been out running in fresh snow in the evenings and also had some fantastic lunchtime jaunts along the side of the river in glorious sunshine albeit bitterly cold. I have not had to use my proper running spikes yet as it is more hard packed snow than ice at moment on the trails and roads so I have been using Yaktraks which are awesome. They are pretty much crampons for your shoes and they work very very well. I have not had a problem yet with them coming loose and they give me loads of confidence on descents and so far have yet to have a little tumble with them on. I would definitely recommend them. I totally love running in the snow and even more so at night. If I pick the time correct then I can run around the forests here after work and not even need a head torch sometimes as the snow glare can be so bright. It is a nice change from charging down trails dodging rocks and tree roots. Running on snow is great and just a nice change for a while.

I do prefer skiing powder than running in it
but it was fun this night.

The neoprene socks are on every run now and needed. Along with another pair of socks they keep my feet dry and very warm. I have a decent collection of trail running shoes but I am drawn more and more to one pair and I hate to admit it but it is my Salomon S-lab Sense Ultras. A shoe I always swore was not for me and was way too expensive. I still think it is very overpriced but I managed to find them online for half the £180 price tag so I snapped some up and I love them. I am going to be reviewing some kit next summer so thought I would share on here what shoes I run in and what I like and don't like about them.

Excellent for Winter running

From Top L to Bottom R. Adidas Adizero , SLab Sense Ultras , SLab Sense
New Balance Leadville , Brooks Cascadia 7's x 2 pairs

My Adidas Adizero XT is the one shoe I run the least in purely because I think this is a shoe for the UK. It has amazing grip from the Continental outsole(same rubber as used on the classic and brilliant Sportiva Raptors) and huge thick tread like Inov8 shoes but better. It is perfectly suited to fell running and very muddy wet conditions something I don't see much in Chamonix but I use them in Scotland on the Munroe’s and they perform amazingly well. They are slightly on the small side for me but I chose this for more precision on technical ground but I could never run an ultra in them. They just don't have the right support or comfort for me for long distances but defo a great shoe for short UK fell/hill running races. They can be picked up super cheap these days online. Mine were £40!

I briefly spoke of this shoe and could talk for hours on how much I love them. The Salomon S-lab Sense Ultras. Yes a ridiculous price but also ridiculously light(210grams UK 8.5) and comfortable with the best fit of any running shoe I have ever worn. These shoes are a beefed up version(in a very small way) to the original Kilian Jornet shoe the S-lab Sense which I also have a pair of and yes they are also stupid money(£200) but again I hunted down some half that price at the end of the summer. The original Sense is a little lighter at 185grams (UK 8). It is a very minimalist shoe meaning it has very little cushioning in the heel and forefoot to help you run in a more forefoot striking pattern. I am not going to go into the right and wrong ways to run and all this barefoot running is the way forward malarkey. There are pros and cons to everything and if you want to find more about it to make up your own mind then just type it into Google and you could be there for days reading through it. Anyway the Sense has the most amazing sock like snug fit of any shoe I have ever worn. It has very little grip on the sole so is best suited to smooth trails or dry rock. I use them for short races up to 20km and they work great but think I would struggle trying to do 100k with them as my running technique is not quite good enough to be able to use them properly forefoot striking for that distance but short distances I find them great. They are not for Scottish hill running. They do not grip on wet grass or rock , trust me on this! The Sense Ultra was brought out to aim at a broader market than the very specific Sense (apologies if the names confuse you) it has a little bit more grip on the sole , not much at all though and the toe box is a slightly different dogleg kind of shape making it a tiny bit more roomy. The biggest difference is the stiffness of the shoe. The Sense is very soft and flexes very very easy. Salomon added longer support struts to the Ultras to make it a bit more stiff and it really does make a difference to us normal runners. I have built my running up from small distances on the Ultras and I reckon now I could run 40km if not more quite comfortably on these. They are great great shoes but do cost a lot of money and will not last as long as most other shoes but if you can find any of these cheap then snap them up. The best way for me to describe running in either of these is like running in a very comfortable cushioned sock and the precision on trails is phenomenal. Sorry if this was all a bit vague comparing these but I could go on for hours about them. Bryon Powell of irunfar.com wrote a great review about these shoes a while ago so go check it out.

Now to the New Balance Leadville 1210. These are quite hard to come by in the UK but you guessed it I bought mine in Leadville(special edition colour!) the day before the big race. Yeah you could say the name is all marketing to get people like me to buy these shoes but I must admit this is not the reason I bought these. Well not purely the reason. My three main reasons for buying them came up in two seconds when I asked the shop staff in America about them as I had never seen them before. He said they fit like a Brooks Cascadia , are lighter (292grams Leadville , 389grams Cascadia 7's) and have a vibram sole. Done. Sold. I will get to Cascadias in a minute but I love them so another shoe that fits like them will work for me. Lighter is always good and a proper grippy sole is the one thing missing from the Brooks so the New Balance Leadville was born. The shoe fits snug and very comfortable all around and the toe box is deliberately made roomier to accommodate your foot swelling when doing an Ultra and it works. The shoe holds your foot and there is plenty of room in the toe box in both height and width but doesn't ever feel too big even when at the start of a race when your foot hasn't swollen up. Good job New Balance. Love them.

Now my go to shoe for long distances. The Brooks Cascadia 7's. I admit I wore the 8's for the first 50 miles of Leadville and for all of the Mont Blanc 80km with no problems but each time I go back to the 7's they just work better for me and they can be found for £50 online. I have 3 pairs of 7's and a pair of 8's. I love how comfortable they are and the cushioning for long distance is perfect. They are super robust and dry out pretty quick after river crossings. The only downside is what I briefly mentioned before and that is the grip. It is not the best but by no means terrible. I used my 8's for the first 50 miles of Leadville and then changed to a pair of 7's for the final 50 when my feet were sore and they worked a dream.

All of these trainers will be updated for next summer so keep an eye out for them. I will continue to use my Cascadias for long runs but the Leadvilles are creeping up to be my go to shoes for an Ultra. I am eager to see what the new Cascadias will be like next year and also the new grippier Salomon S-Labs! To find out more in depth/proper reviews head over to irunfar.com.

Hope I didn't bore anyone too much on this , this is just all my opinion after a summer of using all of these. Everyone’s feet are different so none of these might work for you but if you get a chance just trying slipping your feet into a pair of S-labs. Be it the Sense or Ultras and you will not be disappointed.

The Final Cham Winter?????

Well it has been a bit strange since I have been back in France. Back to work , arranging the shop opening deliveries of skis and boots etc.. but I just cannot get into winter mode yet. The skis have been back on and the running has continued.

I have been out for a few great little runs and just taking it easy now with two or three runs a week. Depending how I feel they are either during lunches or in the evening. I had an excellent run in the snow last week. 12km mostly flat with a little climb involved to get to the snowline then I had an awesome run down through ankle deep fresh powder back to Chamonix. Totally loved it although the feet got slightly cold so neoprene socks are on the shopping list. Other than that I have just been out for anything between 7-10km. As I said nothing at all like the summer but just keeping the legs ticking over. It will become more difficult to get out when the snow properly hits and the temperatures in town plummet but I am pretty determined this year to make sure I do get out twice a week. I actually went out this evening for 10km after work and felt I could have gone for 50! Just one of those nights , hood up , head torch on , head down and mellow tunes full blast and I was zoned out and totally at ease on the trails not really wanting to stop but I was hungry and needed my dinner. I love it when I get that feeling. The feeling of being able to go on and on and on. Breathing was spot on , heart was at a steady rhythm , I was not too hot nor too cold and my legs just felt so fresh going along at a chilled 50 min 10km pace. Typing this up I actually kinda wish I had stayed out.

Getting deeper

Tights are back on and S-labs are crap in snow

I never ever talk myself up about my running because at the end of the day there are always millions of people way better than I am so what's the point in going on and on about yourself. I know I am not the fasted out there and to be honest most of my friends who do not run as much as me are probably the same pace or even faster than I am but I do take great pride in my ability to keep going and stay relatively fresh. I know many people out there don't really see the point in doing races unless you give it 100% all out maximum effort for the entire race. Fair play to these people I think that is great but I touched on this before I think and I have been to races and done that and now I just go out to enjoy and love the fact I have trained myself to complete some of these distances and not wish the finish was just round the corner because I am in so much pain. It's meant to be fun isn't it? I run trails because I love to run trails. I don't do it to then get halfway and moan how sore I am and I wish it was all over. Yeah there are plenty of stages on a big race I am in tremendous pain but I love the challenge of fighting through that then an hour or maybe two down the trail you feel great again. I don't go out looking for the pain , it will come , it will go. That's Ultras. I ain't really into doing races or finishing races to tell people how hard it was or how sore I got. I want to let them know how amazing it was. This is not me sounding like I am above all of that or don't feel pain it is just that I know that is going to happen so what's the point in going on and on about how tough it was when it is pretty obvious running 50k , 100k , 100 miles is going to be bloody hard.

Fun Times

So Skiing has begun again and I have been out with the usual crew for a few days in Verbier skiing some great early season powder and also out for a couple of little tours to get the skinning fitness back. I do apologise to any non skiers out there as there is going to be a fair few skiing pictures coming up on this blog for the next few months but I promise I will try keep this minimal and it will not turn into a ski blog. I will let you know how the running is going and what is going through my head looking to summer! Yes summer! It is only just beginning to snow and all I can think about is those sweet sweet Colorado trails. 

Yes I know - Too good to leave behind

The two Grahams out for a wee tour in Flaine

Verbier powder hunting

It might all sound a bit far fetched but my trip in August feels like it totally changed my outlook on my life and where I want it to go. To be honest I have never really had a life plan and never had a clue what I really wanted to do but my trip to Colorado was so amazing it really had a massive effect on me. I totally believe this was not just a holiday buzz. I genuinely felt when I was out there that that was the place I am meant to be. Chamonix has never really felt like home. I love it here , it's totally amazing and I can forever see myself returning but it was always a stop gap for me to escape what had gone on back in Scotland and try to look ahead. It has been amazing here and I have met amazing people who will forever be great friends but my time here really is ticking away. I am sure I will have a tremendous season out here but all I am thinking of is Colorado. At the end of the day it looks near impossible for me to get a long term visa but I will make do with 3 months next year just to get a taste for life there a bit better and maybe even try pursue the long road of obtaining a visa. After my spell there it is looking more and more like Scotland. Now no way on earth could I do a summer back there but a winter I could handle as there are many winter climbs I still really want to get done but after one more Scottish winter I have no idea where the road will lead to next......... absolutely no idea.

Ready for the ice

Time up in Scotland

So it is the end of my trip back to Scotland and overall it was alright. The 17k Race in Culloden actually went rather well. I was not expecting much from this race at all. It was all on tarmac and to be honest I have actually ran loads in the past month and ran pretty much every day(10k minimum) I have been back in Scotland so I was not particularly fresh. It was a bigger race than I first thought with 275 people starting. From the off it went fine , I started way at the back and just moved on up the pack keeping an eye on my watch and my pace. I hit the 10k mark at 42 mins and was feeling great , I actually wished I had gone out faster as I easily could have. I was way too cautious. It was a really nice road race and had some cracking views out over Inverness. I was surprised the whole way how good I felt. Around the 14km mark I managed to gain on a guy in front of me and as usual decided I wanted to pass him. Now I thought in all honesty that I was around 20-30^th in the race. So no chance of a great finish but for some reason when you see someone in front near the end you just want to pass them. I got past him at km 15 , he stayed with me for the next km and a half and I quite liked the fact that he too did not want to loose his place so it was a bit of a sprint finish for the last half km and thankfully I came out on top and finished 30 seconds ahead of my fellow sprinter in 1hr 13mins and was pretty shocked I had finished 13^th.

A rare serious picture during Culloden

Maybe I should start going all out at smaller distance just to see how I get on because on this race I felt great the whole time and when I was passing people who were clearly beasting themselves I was still cruising along fine and having a little look and enjoying the views as everyone else was staring into the tarmac. Now I would never win this kind of distance as the winner was 1hr 2mins but looking at the results if I had knocked off 5 or 6 mins off my time I would have been close to a top 3 finish. I do admit I totally underestimate myself sometimes. I do believe there are some races out there I have finished well but could have been a top 3 if I knew my limits on shorter stuff. I am never ever going to get a top finish in an Ultra. As much as I would love to it just wont happen , I enjoy Ultras too much to destroy myself for 20 odd hours and feel like hell for most if it. I have done that before on my first couple of 70kms and yeah I did enjoy the races but enjoyed it at the end. Nowadays in my Ultras I can genuinely say I enjoy them from start to finish as I seem to have a good idea of my pacing but don't get me wrong here I do feel the pain but it is manageable. Now I am no Ultra Running guru and to be honest have not ran a great amount of long long stuff but that will all be changing in the next few years I guess. I just love to run races and take part. All three I have done whilst back have been great. Well except that 12km road section in Ennerdale but on the whole I have enjoyed the varying distances but it is damn hard to get pacing right when changing distances every week.

Looking back to the start of the Greenock Cut loop

Since Culloden the weather has been pretty terrible and I have been spending most of my time running around areas near my home town. I don't know if I could ever face living near here again. Yes it is lovely when the weathers good but the weather on a whole is terrible a lot of the time. I think in Chamonix this summer we had maybe a handful of days of bad weather. I never once had a day off work that was raining or I didn't want to go a run , it was blue skies every day I was off. The past week and a half in Scotland I have been thinking to myself thank god this was not my days off work. I have had my fair share of bad weather in the past , ran in near monsoons , climbed in horrendous white outs with gale force winds(which I do miss) but having spent all the years in France with great weather then I cannot see me leaving to live back in Scotland. Little trips back are fine and I will continue to enjoy them. I must admit my time in France feels like it is nearing an end. I am super excited about this winter and a little rest from running but next summer is looking more and more like it is going to be a long long trip to Colorado and I so hope this all goes to plan.

Lovely Trail on the Cut

I have been a few cracking local runs the past few days but nothing more than 12kms. I ran around the Greenock Cut not far from my house. A great trail loop of 11.5km then I drove home and done my usual 10km run along the shore as I was feeling fresh. Other than that it has just been little cruisy runs along beside the sea and it has been really nice. I love these local runs when I am home. There are so many little hills and trails all around Largs that I guess nobody every bothers about as I never see anyone else on them. Not that I am complaining I am happy to have them to myself.

See ya in a while Scotland

Back to France on Sunday and getting ready for what is hopefully going to be an epic winter. I will still be out running for the next month around the Chamonix trails then when snow hits town I will be trying to force myself out the door two nights a week to run in the snow and the freezing temperatures. Excited!

Scotland

Apologies for the delay in putting up a new post here but major laptop issues and a ton of running , climbing and driving about Scotland has left me with no time at all.

I arrived back in Scotland 2 weeks ago and was greeted to some cracking weather straight away so just had to head out. I went up to Arrochar and went a little hill run up Ben Donich. I have never been up this Corbett before and I am so glad I finally went. It has a brilliant runnable trail all the way to the top with only a couple of small steep sections that are fine. I was greeted with stunning views of the west coast although it was a tad chilly with a very brisk wind. The ascent took well under an hour and the very very slippy descent took me under 30 minutes. Cracking little day.

Great Trail to Summit

One of best view I have ever seen in Scotland

I then managed some of my local hill runs around Largs the next couple of days , some in the mornings and one fantastic night run. So after 4 10k runs in 4 days next up was my first 10k race in many years. I don't really like short fast races because to be honest I ain't really that fast but I just love to enter races and thought this would be a good way to improve my flat running speed. The race was in a place called Benmore Gardens not far from Largs, There was around 80 runners at the start line for two laps of a 5km circuit through the Botanical Gardens. 3 , 2 , 1 and off. I was a bit taken back by the speed of the start , totally not used to it. I was never going to properly compete in a race like this(or any for that matter) but once I started and realised this was all out or nothing then I just went for it. The course had a couple of little brutal climbs in it which definitely added a couple of minutes over a flat 10k but overall the course was really really nice and I loved it but my legs and lungs did struggle with the fast pace. I finished in 5th place with a time of 40 minutes.

Largs Night Run

After the 10k

The next few days were spent with Lauren and Fleur who travelled up to Scotland so I could show them around the highlands and do some running. I managed my usual little Glencoe scramble up North Buttress a few hours before meeting up with them and then the next day returned to do it again. The weather was not that great to us( it poured every day) but we got out for some cracking runs.

Glencoe - Beautiful

Glencoe next day - Wet and Cold

Showing Lauren the sights of Largs during a Trail/Field Run

Lauren , Fleur and Me

I knew where I was going all along

Next up was a trip to the Lake District in England to catch up with loads of friends , some of whom I hadn't seen for years. The first night and the cottage was a rather sober one for Lauren and myself as the next day was the Ennerdale Trail Race. I was doing the 50k and Lauren the 25k , her longest race yet and first trail race. It was a proper miserable morning , pouring down with rain. I set off feeling pretty good just plodding my way up the forestry road for about 12km to the Black Sail Youth Hostel then it was across the river and back down the other side of Lake Ennerdale on some brilliant trails. One lap was the 25k and 2 laps was the 50k. Coming into 25k at 2hrs 16mins I was feeling okay but not great. I didn't seem to have the usual spring in my step and my hip was hurting a little. I grabbed some more gels from Fleur and James and set off again. I did not enjoy the road section at all this time. I totally hate long roads , it bores the life out of me. Plus I was feeling pretty sore all down my left side , left foot , left knee , left hip. It was not going too great and my pace really really dropped. It started to totally pour down when I got to the hut this time but the weather didn't really bother me , I actually quite enjoy running in foul weather. Once I got past the hut and across the bridge it was now 12km to the finish. I was still not great but managed to keep up a decent jog. About 4 people passed me here and I was just waiting on hordes of others to do the same. Then somehow I started to feel really really good. I looked at my watch and I was at 42km! A marathon and now I was finally in my stride. Sounds crazy I know but I guess this is just what my legs are used to now. From 42km to the finish I really had a great pace going and once I hit the final 4km very technical and wet part on the lakes edge I was actually flying along it. I could see everyone who had passed me what seemed like ages ago and I was gaining on them fast. Now I was still well back in the pack but I just wanted to pass these people and I did. I managed to overtake all of the 4 in the last 4km and still finish over 3 mins ahead of them all. I finished in 5hrs 10mins , 26th/96. I am happy with my 2hr 16min first lap but pretty disappointed with the second loop of 2hrs 54mins. This was totally down to the second road section which was 12km long. It totally drained me. If I was better on the flat road and was feeling a bit better then I am sure this could be cut down to 2hrs 30mins or less if I ever do it again. I do think as well though that the past few weeks of being very ill was not the best prep for this race. Small things just didn't work for me. My eating was not right over the whole course and stupid little things like forgetting my water bottle and not having my usual electrolyte drink and more importantly forgetting my vaseline all played with my head a little. I just didn't seem well organised going into this but I still can't complain. I enjoyed most of the race and still finished. Big shout out to James and Fleur for coming along to support for the day in the miserable weather as usual it does mean a lot to have people come help out. I am super happy with my pace on the final section as I was loving it and really had great speed on a part most people were down to a walk to try and negotiate the techy parts. These people were well faster than me on the roads but to be honest they didn't stand a chance once I got to the bits I love and train on all the time. So over to Lauren. First 25k , First trail race and how did she do?? well she only went and got 1st place female didn't she. Totally amazing stuff from her and I was so happy for her as I knew she was a bag of nerves before the race. She came through at 2hrs 18mins. Pretty much spot on my first lap time. All this training together must do some good as we were running the race at the same pace. Her race started 15 mins after the 50k so we never managed to run any of it together. I had a feeling she could totally get a top 3 place as I usually come in around the same time as first female on my races and Lauren on distances up to Half Marathons is well on pace with me. I must admit I didn't quite expect her to get first! Amazing stuff from her and really inspiring. Watch out all other female trail runners , Woody has arrived.

Km 35 , Horrible Road but still happy. Just!

So I have rested for the past 5 days and have my final race of the year on Sunday. The Culloden 17k. Oddly enough a 10 mile road race. There are no other trail runs around at moment and this is organised by CHSS who I raised money for in the summer so it will be nice to finally meet some of these people and try and enjoy running on a road best I can. This is also going down as speed work. Will stick up a report for that next week.

What a little legend. Award given by fell running god Joss Naylor

Scary Times

So my horrible run may not have been due to a lack of salt or proper fuel but it looks like it was the beginning of my body shutting down and telling me to stop.

The day after the Crochue experience I was fine but when I woke the second day after things were not too pretty. I felt a bit funny when getting ready for work but thought nothing really of it then but as the day went by at work I slowly started to get worse and worse. I was super tired and always putting my head down to dose off for a few minutes but more worryingly I was starting to get really dizzy. When 7pm arrived and we were closing up shop I was in a proper state as my work colleague looked at me rather worried as she had seen me get worse as the day went on. It was straight on home to bed. I crashed out in no time but waking up the following day I was very worried. I couldn't walk to my bathroom without holding onto the walls either side of me and I was horrendously dizzy to the stage where I could feel myself ready to just collapse. This went on for the next 3 days then I decided to go to the hospital. The doctor properly examined me and my balance but told me I had no viral infection and that I was actually fine and would get better and if I didn't in a few days go back for a blood test. I was happy he said I was not in real trouble but worried as I was still really dizzy and could hardly walk properly without looking like and feeling like I was completely drunk. I did slowly begin to get better and 10 days after it all started I was pretty much back to normal but still taking it really easy and resting. Apart from a very bad case of food poisoning a few years back this was definitely the scariest thing I have ever felt. At least with food poisoning you know what it is and it will pass just like when you catch a bad does of the flu or some sickness bug you know what it is and it will go away but with this dizziness I had no clue what it was and how long it would last.

There are a load of suggestions as to what it was that caused the problem but the most obvious one could be that I have just done too much this summer. This does kind of make sense but since Leadville I really have not pushed my body at all and have rested a fair bit so that is the reason I have my doubts. People seem to think I absolutely beast myself all the time but that is so not the case. I trained smart this summer just going easy , even on long runs I wasn't going all out and never do. I rested when I knew I should and I ate properly or so I think. I am more inclined to believe that yes this was the summer catching up with me and my body just wanted a proper long rest for a few weeks and this is the only way it found it could stop me from doing anything and it worked. I must admit in summer I do take my fitness pretty serious but let my guard down in winter quite a bit and I think this could be one of the other main reasons for my shut down. Yes I ski loads over winter and tour a fair bit but yes I do have way more nights out. It is pretty obvious that 6 months of skiing and partying then going straight into 6 months of fitness and no alcohol does not work or does not work for me any more. Not that I am old but I ain't 21 any more. So this really has given me a kick up the arse to take it easy or should I say easier this winter with regards to the nights out and I am really focused to do this now. I am at a great fitness level right now and want to just slowly keep this for as long as possible. I am not going to train hard over winter but I plan on definitely running twice a week through the snow and ice plus I will be touring and if I cut back on the nights out I believe this will have me in a decent shape for starting to properly run again come late April/May and I will be ready for races again come June. Just like a lot of the serious ultra runners they take the entire winter off from running and just ski mountaineer race to give their body time to recover and recuperate until the next running season. Now obviously I ain't near that level of fitness but it does seem like a very wise strategy to adopt.

My last 2 days off have been spent
recovering up at the Midi café staring at all
the new fresh snow dreaming of winter.

In all honesty I do not run that many races a year. I would race loads more if I lived in Scotland or somewhere that doesn't get an epic winter of skiing powder. In the Alps there really is not many races over the winter season , well running races. It is all ski mountaineering races and I am not sure if I have the cash yet to invest in the kind of gear for this but you never know. I would like to run more Ultras over summer but due to work and the cost of entries and travel to and from the event it is just not possible. I am happy with it this way at the moment though. I like having one big race a year to aim for and do some others along the way. I am really looking forward to these 3 races in the UK in the next few weeks but have no idea how they will go or how I will feel after this little problem. The 10k next weekend for example will be somewhat strange. I have not run a race of this intensity for years , many many years so have no clue what to expect. Over the years I have trained to run slow and steady and go on forever but 10ks are all out sprints and I reckon this could be a shock for the legs and the lungs next week. I was never a fast 10k runner anyway, my best ever in a race was 42mins on a trail which did have a fair few climbs. Other than that my local 10k in Largs I have done in 39 mins. Yeah I guess these times are not slow but I have friends who run 33-35mins 10ks. Not a chance for me. So who knows next weekend 40-50 mins??? I have no clue. Graham did say to me the other night maybe I should do a lap of the 10k before the race to get warmed up! This is actually a good idea , without sounding totally big headed this does make sense as when I am out on big races or long runs it does take a good hour for me to kick in. Sometimes even longer. Getting my legs to go maximum speed from the start is going to be hard. The week after is the Ennerdale 50k and I cannot wait for this. Again no aspirations for a time but I was looking at photos from last years race and it looks amazing. There is some dirt road sections but one long section by the side of the lake on what looks like awesome single track heaven so really looking forward to this one. Lauren is running the 25k event so I will hopefully be able run with her for a bit as the 25k is one lap of the lake and the 50k is 2 laps , we set off 15 mins apart but sure she will catch me up. Then to finish it all off I have a road race! A 17km run near Inverness. I am doing this to try and get some momentum on roads again , I noticed in America just how good the Americans were on the flats and it is because they have the space to train on flats unlike me in Chamonix which is up and down America has great long flat sections and in big Ultras loads of time is won and lost on these flat sections and I to be honest am rubbish on them. I can keep good pace on trails , little ups and downs , steep technical descents but then I hit a flat road section for say 4 miles and boom my legs go heavy and it is hard to keep the momentum going. The Americans were great at this. Also the race is organised by CHSS Scotland who I raised over £1000 for doing Leadville so it will be good to meet the people who I have only spoken to through email all summer.

11 days without these on was hellish

So today I managed a little run. 11 days of being unwell and sitting around resting was a bit of a nightmare but had to be done. I am still not 100% but went out for a 7km very very easy pace flat run today along some road and some trails. It went quite well actually. I was not really that dizzy when running. It is quite hard to turn my head quickly to the side when going forward but if I just focus on the road in front then I am fine. As I said it was a super easy going 7kms in 40 mins. It felt great to be back out doing something again. I will rest tomorrow and on Tuesday I fly back to Scotland for 3 weeks so my next run may be the 10k race or if I feel good I will do my local 10k on Wednesday or Thursday. Slowly easing myself back into it.

Pain , Dizziness and the Flying Phone

I know it has not been long since my last post but I had a rather horrible experience the other day that I thought it would be best to share it now then I will try and forget about it.

I hate rest days

So I had been resting for a good few days. My calf is not as bad as first thought but needed rest and my knee really is not too great so I have been icing it every morning , day and night. I hate sitting on my backside so on Tuesday I decided I would go out. I planned on hiking just hiking from my house up and over to Lac Blanc via the Crochue Ridge traverse. The lifts are now all closed on the Aiguille Rouge side so knew it would be very quiet up there. It is about a 21km loop from my house to Lac Blanc via this traverse and home again , yeah not really that far but does involve about 1600m of ascent and 1600 descent.

Looking back towards Index and the Cham Aiguilles

I left the house at 11am with some gels , Clif bars and a litre of water. It was actually pretty hot for being the end of September but I plodded on up the 900m of zigzag trail behind my house in just over and hour. I felt fine here and all the way on up to Col Cornu. Then I started a light jog along to the Index , my calf was a little tight and my knee was not bothering me much either but I still took it easy and mixed up very light jogging with walking. Once I hit the Index things started to go a little wrong. I did not really notice it too much at the time but looking back there were signs I should have turned around. I was getting out of breath just walking , then I just kept stopping not just stopping to look around at the view but to actually find a rock to sit on. I just thought at the time I had not eaten enough so got some Clif bar down me and some cola bottles and kept going. I climbed the first pitch of the Traverse no problems(it is very easy) and continued along the traverse to the summit feeling okay. It is not a hard traverse but you need to pay attention to your feet as it is exposed in areas so I didn't really have time to notice my body was not doing great.

The chimney climb

Cannot beat this

Once on the summit I sat down , took in the amazing view and total silence. After about 20 minutes on the summit I stood up and felt a little dizzy and it took me a second or two to get with it. I then put my bag back on and as I swung it around my arm my phone came flying out of the front pocket and took a sky dive down the face of the mountain never to be seen again. I then continued along what was left of the ridge but I was having too really concentrate so hard on parts I would normally run over , I was feeling really unsure about myself on my feet. Anyway I got to the end of the ridge and began the descent to Lac Blanc , this was rather pleasant as there is still some snow so managed to slide down a lot of it and then got a little jog on again to the Lake , by this point I had run out of water and I wouldn't drink out of Lac Blanc but I didn't think it was that bad as it really wasn't too far from home or so I thought. The sun was starting to disappear behind the Chamonix valley so I knew that would keep the temperature down and help me from getting dehydrated. I had drank a litre of water from when I set off but never really felt thirsty all day and still managed to drink it all.

So I started to the descent to my house from Lac Blanc. It is pretty much all downhill but a long winding trail for 10kms. Just after leaving the Lake my thighs began to hurt and I was a bit concerned. My thighs should not be hurting after 11kms on the go! I can go 100km+ and not feel this bad. Just out of nowhere my thighs were burning and really badly hurting , so much so that again I just had to keep stopping to sit down. It took me a while(40 mins) to just get to the Flegere gondola station which normally would take 20 mins. I was not feeling good , my mouth was very dry and a was getting bad dizzy spells. I got to Flegere and knew normally I would be home in 35/40 mins if I was in good shape. I was hoping I would have seen a hiker by now to ask for some water as I was dying for some water but I didn't pass a soul.

The descent to Lac Blanc

Body 5 minutes from shutting down

So I began the Flegere descent , 1000m down to my home. This was horrible. I was walking and then my legs got too sore to walk so I tried to run but couldn't keep up any kind of pace before I had to sit down. I was a bit of a dizzy wreck hunched over my poles most of the way. I remembered at this stage that just after the turn off to Floria there was a little stream I always crossed when out training so began a little jog to get there as soon as possible. I never normally drink out of streams but I just had to once I got to it and I spent a good 10 minutes here downing a ton of water until it made me feel a little sick as I had taken so much so fast. So I plodded on and passed another two streams I also drank out of. From here on it was not far from home but I stumbled my way down the trail in a total mess. I felt pathetic , I just kept thinking that I had never felt this bad on any race, ever. I had only done 20kms and I was done. I was tired , dizzy and shaking and now my right knee was sore but that was my fault for turning a hike into a run on the down hills. I finally hit the road and was only a km from home but before I got to the little hill that leads to my house I passed a bench and had to go and sit on it. I was less than a km from my house and I couldn't face walking any more. I sat down for a good 10 minutes trying to force myself to get up and go home. Finally after being out for five and half hours I got into my house , got a bottle of water , a big glass of milk and made a litre of instant noodle soup and added a stupid amount of salt to it and it perked me up a little but now I was getting splitting headache so I lay on my sofa for pretty much the rest of the night and thankfully managed a great nights sleep and woke the next day feeling fine.

Every Ultra runners lifeline

I really do not want to sound over the top here but I really did feel that bad from the summit of the Crochue. Looking back on it I reckon it was just a mixture of lack of fluids , food and the heat. I am still a bit confused as I have gone much longer on less food and water and not felt nearly that bad. I am usually pretty good at going on empty for a good while. Also this was an easy hike/jog day and I was not going at anything near my usual pace. I really really hope this never crops up on me during a proper long race or it is game over. On the last section about 5kms from home I would have been really worried if I had been out somewhere with say 20kms to the nearest water or food. I was really really bad. The fact I drank so much once home and the salty noodle soup really sorted me out pretty quickly shows it was most definitely dehydration. Now I know this was no life or death situation I was in , nowhere near it but it was surprising how much I have done in the past few years and not once came close to this. Yeah I have had very sore thighs many a times and had a couple of little bonk runs but the dizzy feeling and feeling like I was not actually in my body(if that makes sense) was all very surreal. Some would say a day like that is a good training day and in a strange kind of way I can understand that as over the course of an Ultra you do get little pains and feel a little empty but nothing ever like this so if I can deal with that experience then I can deal with a lot I guess. I just hope it never ever gets that bad on a race.

 

It is always quite funny when people ask what kind of races I run and when I say Ultras always always always the first thing they say is "oh you must run really fast , what's your marathon time?" errrr no I don't , that's why I run Ultras, I don't have to run fast and get a time , I am out to enjoy and to test myself by seeing just how far I can go. There are millions of people out there way faster than me but maybe as the miles go by I start to show my endurance but I am not fast. The other thing they think is that you are immune to pain and I think this little experience proves I am not.

 

I know I said this was ONLY 20km but I am just putting it into perspective compared to the mileage I have been doing all summer. 20km is still far. That is the one other thing people always get confused by with regards to Ultra runners. People think if I am going out a short run then I am going out for 4 or 5 hours errr nope. My short runs can be 30 mins , just like any other runner out there. I think the difference between a twice a week runner aiming for a half marathon time and myself is not that huge. The only thing you need to change when hiking up the distance you are going to run is train train train. Some people just don't have time to train for long distances and I believe anybody no matter what fitness level can train and complete Half's and Marathons(if you want a time then that is different) but it takes just a little more dedication and work to push the mileage up to an Ultra but remember most Ultras take place on Trails which are a million times more fun and interesting than running for 26.2 miles around London.

Anyway , I am all good now and going to properly rest for a good few days maybe even a week as I now need to focus on my UK races.