2011 was a year of two halves for me, starting with some great achievements following some casual and predominantly hill focused training, but suffering from the end of August onwards after tearing my ankle ligaments badly.
2011’s recipe for success: Train regularly but not religiously and when I do train – train for, or in, the hills.
With this approach in mind I deliberately didn’t complete a running log for 2011, so stats are few and far between, however even as soon as mid January it was evident my 2011 approach seemed to be working:
At a fast paced and very enjoyable race at the Kielder off road duathlon my feet were the first to break tread into the 2” of fresh snow in the finishing field below Kielder Castle, however I narrowly missed out on my first ever career victory to come 2nd by 2 seconds.
When dropping down to the C class at the Highlander MM due to Adam’s knee injury we were jokingly warned not to win by the organizers and were, in some part, relieved to come 2nd having taken it easy both days. The speed boat back to the mainland capped off an awesome weekend.
Taking out a few Munro’s after the HMM, including Uncle Dave’s last, put some strength in my legs and a PB at the Yorkshire 3 Peaks of 3h33m showed that my approach to training was working. I continued to focus on longer off road runs and getting into the hills at weekends to recce the Bob Graham.
Despite being nothing short of boring, my 9 mile pavement pounding commutes to and from work proved the ideal distance to keep the legs ticking over in between longer weekend runs in the hills.
2011 running highlight:
My previous long term goal of a top 10 Elite MM finish would suggest that coming 7th in the LAMM Elite ought to be the winner; but the 61 mile Fellsman was definitely my running highlight of the year. It was a brilliant race covering new and unfamiliar territory for me – The route took in many first time hills, typically full of Yorkshire Dales's rugged beauty. I also found a new level of determination and strength; not just to continue moving for long days in the hills as I always have, but to continue pushing 100% and running strongly and quickly. I surpassed all my expectations finishing 7th in 12hrs 18minutes.
The summer after the BG attempt was my most enjoyable ever, and I didn’t run once! After an awesome stag do I married Rosie on the happiest and most perfect day of my life. We spent an equally enjoyable 10days in the Italian lakes on honeymoon, both deciding that we could happily live there…
2011 running lows:
I was confident that all the great preparation and new found ability to ‘MTFU’ would lead to a successful BG attempt in July, despite the ‘unhelpful’ weather conditions. It wasn’t to be – I am still gutted to this day but will be back in 2012, lessons learnt.
On my second run back after the honeymoon I badly tore the ligaments in my ankle, giving me no choice but to rest completely until the end of September. I hobbled off the hill back to Rosie, fueled by pain and the anticipation of the inevitable injury induced frustration, which I knew would plague me for the rest of the year.
With the strength and fitness drained from my legs a couple of tentative fell races in September suggested my ankle would hold out on the OMM Elite at the end of October. It didn’t. My fitness and ankle survived the first 3 hours before both failing me seemingly in the same stride. The rest of the weekend was tough for me, but my determination and Adam’s support, patience and accurate navigation got us through in 16th, my 100% mountain marathon success rate intact.
Despite this, attempting the OMM was a mistake; as of January my ankle is only just fully recovered, but my 2012 training can now begin.
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