Last weekend saw team Tyne and Weary heading north to compete in the A Class at the Highlander Mountain Marathon (HMM).
The HMM is a very friendly and compact two day mountain marathon, offering a Score course and linear courses from D to A Class. The novelty of the warmth and the exciting atmosphere generated within the marquee at the overnight camp, which hosts a live Ceilidh, hot food, quality ales and burgers, make this MM unique and even more appealing.
At the beginning of the year Adam and I had high hopes of a strong performance in this event, however my ankle injury set back in March meant that pushing the pace was not an option. Rather than withdrawing from the event the weekend was taken at a steadier pace to test my ankles recovery and maintain some strength in my legs. Tripple Echo Productions were filming the event for the adventure show so there is a chance that we may make another TV appearance...
On Saturday the weather was very kind if not cold – the patchy cloud sat above the summits for the majority of the day, only dropping with the occasional heavy hail shower, resulting in relatively easy navigation and some impressive views.
Starting from the car park at Incheril where most Munro baggers would start and finish a day’s walk up Slioch, the course planner (Alec Keith?) had put together a fantastic course for us with some interesting route choice over very mixed terrain and some incredible mountain scenery. With my ankle heavily strapped and a steady dose of Vitamin I, I was able to run much more of the course than anticipated, although contouring and steep down hills were very painful if taken at anything more than a tentative jog.
The traverse and descent from the Beinn Tharsuinn Chaol ridge was a highlight of Day 1 and catching the rib back across Loch Maree to the mid camp was a fun end to the day’s work.
Mid camp was the usual buzz of excitement as the SPORTident results kept updating and teams shared their tales of route choice the day’s adventures. Despite being conservative due to my ankle we were surprised to have finished Day 1 in 5th place only 30min behind the leaders.
The disqualification of the favourites Sam Hesling and Andy Fallas, who had destroyed the course but visited an incorrect control, had thrown the A class wide open: Three teams now had a fighting chance of winning the Sword, Mark and Jacqui Higginbottom’s consistent navigation and pace had earned them first place on Day 1, but would it be sufficient to hold off the chasing teams? Duncan Steen and Robin Sanderson, good friends of ours, were 14mins behind in third with Andy Burton and Tim Martin just 5 minutes behind in second.
With our tent pitched and the first few courses of warm food cooked up we joined the fun in the marquee. The Ceilidh, a venison burger and a pint of yellow hammer meant evening soon turned to darkness and we headed in for the night. My wife Rosie had joined the Hands on Events team to help with the marshalling for the weekend and it had been great to see her and our dog Riley at mid camp.
Day 2 dawned cold and wet. Following freezing overnight temperatures we were keen to get running and after our Breakfast of Power (© Duncan Steen) and packing away a wet tent following a heavy sleaty shower we were soon marking up the map. We rushed out of mid camp to attack Day 2, hoping to maintain our position in the top 5 and push a little harder than on Day 1.
Our performance on Day 2 consisted of strong running, hampered by poor route choice and an early navigational mistake, which saw a determined Duncan and Robin catch us by the first checkpoint. A very strong leg 2 brought us back into 3rd place but a poor choice of route meant that having reached the end of the snow lined and very rocky Beinn Eighe ridge, our checkpoint was some 250m below us. Negotiating our way around some serious crags down steep snow covered slabs was not a fun place to be - understandably we forgot about the race and carefully dropped and cut down on the safest line we could find to the checkpoint, where we effectively rejoined the race now some 40minutes down.
Adam and I ran hard over the last four checkpoints to the finish and were pleased that our strong running had balanced out the mistakes to maintain our 5th place overall.
Despite a very determined run by Duncan and Robin bringing them first home on Day 2, by over 11 minutes, consistently good pace and route choice by Mark and Jacqui Higginbottom saw them hang onto the lead and take home the coveted sword as their trophy.
In summary: a great weekend in some awesome hills, which has given me confidence that my ankle is healing well. Thanks to all the team at Hands on Events for putting together another fantastic event, we will be back next year for sure and recommend the event to all.
Showing posts with label Highlander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Highlander. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Andy's 2011 Review
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.
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.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Reflecting on 2011
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.
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.
(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.
Friday, 30 December 2011
Introduction to Team Tyne and Weary
In September 2012, Team Tyne and Weary will toe the line at one of the world's most famous stage races - covering somewhere in the region of 320km and 15000m of vertical ascent over rough alpine terrain in 8 days visiting 3 countries - the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run. We've set up this blog to allow you, the reader, to follow our progress in the lead up to the race, through our training sessions, races and challenges. There's many a mountain to climb, many a fellside to descend, many a river to wade, many a trod to find, many a bog to trudge through and many many miles to run on the way but 2012 promises to be one awesome journey. Join us!!
Team Tyne and Weary, aka, Andy and Adam are two 20-something mountain running aficionados from North East England. They are both graduates of Durham University where they both represented the university in national orienteering and cross-country running competitions. Never quite the quickest members of the team but certainly two of the hardiest, their real calling came in the form of mountain marathons and other long distance off road events. They first partnered up for the Highlander Mountain Marathon in 2010 and came tantalisingly close to a podium finish in 4th place on the A class, only 2 and half minutes down on 3rd. They've since joined forces again during 2011 and despite numerous injuries come away with a 2nd place at the Highlander on one of the shorter courses and a 7th and 16th place at the LAMM and OMM Elite respectively.
Coupling strong individual performances through 2011 and a strong teamwork ethic, Team Tyne and Weary are hoping to surpass the achievements of the past year with a race schedule something along the lines of:
Team Tyne and Weary, aka, Andy and Adam are two 20-something mountain running aficionados from North East England. They are both graduates of Durham University where they both represented the university in national orienteering and cross-country running competitions. Never quite the quickest members of the team but certainly two of the hardiest, their real calling came in the form of mountain marathons and other long distance off road events. They first partnered up for the Highlander Mountain Marathon in 2010 and came tantalisingly close to a podium finish in 4th place on the A class, only 2 and half minutes down on 3rd. They've since joined forces again during 2011 and despite numerous injuries come away with a 2nd place at the Highlander on one of the shorter courses and a 7th and 16th place at the LAMM and OMM Elite respectively.
Coupling strong individual performances through 2011 and a strong teamwork ethic, Team Tyne and Weary are hoping to surpass the achievements of the past year with a race schedule something along the lines of:
- April 14th/15th - Highlander Mountain Marathon
- April 28th - Fellsman
- May - Bob Graham Round
- June 9th/10th - Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon (LAMM)
- August 11th - North Downs 50
- September 1st-8th - Gore-Tex Transalpine Race
- October 27th/28th - Original Mountain Marathon (OMM)
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