So I've not had a great start to 2012. My training through December yo-yo-ed between low and high mileage weeks and between short and long runs. I raced 3 out of a planned 5 but should've probably not raced at all. A chesty cold in late November/early December was ultimately my downfall and it seems to have cost me the start to the year I very much desired.
The final straw was the annual Guisborough Woods race on December 27th. I knew that I should be on good form with recent rep times and race results pointing towards a strong run. The lack of snow also meant that the course would probably be the quickest in recent years. I therefore set off hard and maintained a strong pace through the race to finish in 8th place in a course PB of 41.02, over a minute up on my 2007 performance (the last time I raced the course in more favourable conditions). All good on the surface but all bad below. I'd pushed too hard for my fragile post-cold body and had a tight chest. Breathing deeply was painful and I knew I'd have to take it easy for a few days. I ran and cycled a couple of times before the new year but even relatively gentle exercise wasn't helping.
I've not run since except a short semi-risky venture out yesterday to test the state of my recovery, only to discover a new dodgy ankle pain. Even more rest required. Still, it forces me to take a few more days and really build up the strength to get back into training properly, albeit a good few weeks behind 'the plan'.
On a positive note, I've had time to look back over 2011 in more detail than I usually would. I've logged all my races, tot'ed up my weekly mileage and come out with some interesting stats and thoughts on the year just passed.
First to the stats - 1878 miles run, 846 miles cycled, 33 races including 3 wins, 5 podiums and 18 top tens. Of course that doesn't really mean much without the detail of which races that was, how many ran, who ran, how far etc. etc. but it is quite a nice overview. For me, the most amazing stat of all though is that those 33 races took 4 days, 10 hours, 3 minutes and 33 seconds to complete. That's A LOT. Maybe I should've been quicker? If I'd won
every race (in the sense of matching the winner, which might not be so accurate a reflection of performance - in the score based RAB MM for instance) then I'd have still been racing for 3 days 15 hours, 40 minutes and 55 seconds!! So overall, I dropped just over 18 hours on the winner across the year (or 17%). That list of winners does include some well know names such as Haile Gebreselassie
(Birmingham Half), Jez Bragg (Fellsman), Steve Vernon (National XC) as well as lesser known but equally impressive athletes such as Mark Palmer (Brecon 40 - who went on to run a sub 15hr Bob Graham), Tom Brunt (LDMT - beating a quality field) and Duncan Archer (LAMM and OMM). I think I'm pretty happy with those stats and doubt there's many people out there who've spent more time against the clock.
Second to the thoughts....
Rather than go through the year on a month by month basis, I thought it best to focus on a couple of positives and negatives for the year in summary. Purely from a running point of view of course!
Positives - Winning and being competitive
Winning is an amazing feeling and I was fortunate that nobody quicker than me turned up to 3 of my races last year! The races that I managed to win were quite broad ranging in terms of quality, distance and the number of entrants but the one thing that ties them together is that they were all off-road, over rough but ultimately quick terrain. The number of bogs to skip across also seemed to be quite high.
The major one on this list has to be the Grizzly - branded as "
Twentyish muddy, hilly, boggy, beachy miles of the multiest-terrain running experience you will find this side of the end of time", it's a very popular race with in the region of 2000+ entries. Hitting the shingle beach in the lead, just ahead of team-mate Graham Robinson meant that I ran scared up the cliffs and along the tops but running into Seaton with nobody in sight was just unbelievable. To be subsequently named in the
World's Ultimate Running Races
was a nice surprise and I'll forever have that book on my coffee table [Note to self - buy house, buy coffee table].
Coupled with these top results I've found myself in a much more competitive position in many of my races, at least those where I've been fit and healthy. I've found it helps to not be hanging from the night before too. This is more difficult in Mountain Marathons, where both parties need to be on form. As Andy said in his biog, the ambition is to 'compete' and not just 'complete' and this has become much more of a reality in 2011. A chasing start and final 7th place on the LAMM Elite whilst Andy and I were both just off top form is testament to this.
Positives - Man-ing Up (or MTFU)
Very much a mantra of our 2011 Bob Graham round attempt (thanks to Rob for the initialism), this, to me, is stepping up to take on the biggest challenges, running when the body screams 'walk' and generally not mincing around when things get a little difficult. I've noticed a big step up here, at least on paper if not in practice!!
Of all the Mountain Marathons entered last year, only one ended up being one of the children's courses [Highlander C course] and that was mid-injury. All the others were run at Elite or equivalent. Running the Fellsman, post-injury and off a max 9 mile training run, was tough but I got through it. Completing the Brecon 40 the following weekend meant 100+ miles of racing and amassing the points to qualify for the UTMB in a little over a week.
I've noticed this amongst my peers too. Notably an injured Rob on our BG and Andy on the OMM - jumping straight into Elite level competition having had a couple of months off with a wrecked ankle. Oh, and how can I forget my friend Lucy completing the last half of the Everest Marathon with a broken arm!!
Negatives - Injuries
I had one major injury last year and a scattering of other 'weeks off' with illness, tight quads and tight hamstrings to name a few. I lost about 8 weeks training and missed a couple of races with the main injury, some sort of inflammation around the top of the patella. Funnily enough, the injury occupies the period between two of the most positive events of last year - winning the Grizzly and man-ing up to get round the Fellsman. I actually had the injury on the start line at the Grizzly and it's likely this race was the tipping point into the world of non-running misery. Not getting it seen to straight away is certainly a lesson learned and I won't be making the same mistake again. I've also been stretching a lot more since and need to keep on top of it to ward off any future injuries.
Negatives - Failure at the BG
The biggest disappointment for the year was our failed attempt at the Bob Graham round - a 60-odd mile traverse around the lake district featuring 42 peaks and somewhere in the region of 27000ft of climb, all to be tackled in less than 24 hours. I ran this with Andy and two others, Rob and Duncan. After a dreamy first leg, the weather came in, we got split up, we were cold and had dropped off schedule by the time we were hacking through the bracken into Dunmail and I decided to call it a day. Andy and Duncan started the third leg but eventually retired mid way through on the way to Wasdale.
On a positive note, I think we all learnt a lot during the attempt and on the recces earlier in the year. I've visited each peak at least once and the hill experience has been invaluable for a future attempt, not to mention all the other races run last year and those coming up in 2012. I'm sure we'll all be back for another attempt in the not too distant future.
Summary
On reflection 2011 was a good year. No, scrap that, it was a
great year, my best yet. It was frustrating at times but I'm pleased with my results and progress. Most importantly, it was a thoroughly enjoyable year and thanks must go to all those I run with and have supported us over the year.
All the indicators point towards an equally fruitful and exciting 2012. Now I just need it to start proper.
The intention had been to run Leg 2 of the BG, but wanting to spend some time with Rosie and Riley (and having left my pre packed running bag full of food and kit in Newcastle!) I decided to walk up to Grisedale Tarn with Rosie and the Riley from Dunmail. The views were INCREDIBLE with a fresh dumping of snow from 500m upwards which Riley thoroughly enjoyed playing in.
The views from around Grisedale Tarn were stunning and the hills were busy with walkers fully equiped with axes and crampons. At the path junction above the tarn Rosie walked back down to the car and I popped for a swift run up Fairfield (a tough 18min climb running through a mix of well trod and 1ft deep drifts of snow) then down and up Seat Sandal (12mins - a fast but tentative downhill on the sections of well compacted snow, but attacking the climb well) before a recce of the route down to Dunmail (21mins - fast and long open strides through the virgin snow, avoiding the boulder fields as I dropped to picking up the correct trod down the WNW shoulder back the car.) Rosie just beat me back to the car. It had been a worthwhile run to get the descent into Dunmail nailed but without doubt the panoramic views of the BG routh over the Dodds to Helvellyn, across Dunmail, over Raise, the Langdale Pikes and a distant Bow Fell made it for me.
It also made me reflect that the definition of a winter BG, one attempted during the period starting on 1 December and finishing on 1 March, by no means defines the increase in the challenge that one would face. Typically a winter BG demands significantly more respect that a summer BG: the combined effects of more adverse weather, wet/snowy/icy terrain and significantly reduced daylight hours only add to the challenge. Despite the need to be good friends with the dark, I would have taken this weekends weather hands down compared to the weather we had on our attempt on the 15th July last year..!
