The Transalpine in review

The dust has now settled on our Transalpine Race which we completed 5 weeks ago today. During the recovery period, we've had the opportunity to relax and enjoy the achievement, but also to reflect on the race. My thoughts here are to document the things that went well, went badly and what we learnt with a view to how we would approach things differently next time - should there by a next time! [And I think there will.]

This should in no way distract from the immense achievement of finishing the race, placing beyond our expectations in 13th overall and enjoying every (non-pain inducing) step of the journey, but there's always ways to improve and look forward to the next adventure.

What went well

Peaking at the race
Despite starting the year with a few injuries and lack of form, both of us started the race fresh and injury free. The build up wasn't ideal, but combining the endurance base from the Bob Graham training and success, with a short specific tailoring phase and a well executed taper meant that we toed the start line in good shape for what lie ahead.

Recovery
We'd thought about this beforehand and so had a rough plan to follow each day. Still, the first few days were agony, but by day 4 or 5 the soreness was subsiding and the muscles felt a lot better. Our main aims in recovery were to limit the damage caused during the day and then kick off the healing and refuelling process as best we could, ready for the next onslaught. 

This involved hydrating and eating pretty much as soon as we finished to get all the right building blocks in the system and to help carry out all the crap. We then tried our best to find a suitable ice bath to really flush out the toxins and reduce any swelling. We succeeded most days with the, sometimes ornate, town square centre pieces often becoming a make shift ice bath. If not, there was access to a fast flowing and perishingly cold glacial stream. 

Back at the camp we followed the same principles; getting protein and hydration in the form of powdered milkshakes and protein bars; then some stretching/foam roller action before squeezing into our compression gear. Again, an attempt at keeping the swelling down and the good blood flowing. If we could, we'd get gravity on our side too by raising our increasingly chubby feet, ankles, legs up as high as possible. More food and more hydration would then follow at the pasta party. 

The last part of the recovery process was to get some decent shut eye. Towards the end of the week this wasn't too difficult as the hours racked up but early on, the ear plugs and face masks/buffs were just what was needed. [Not that they helped when sleeping in a school corridor with motion detection lights coming on every other minute!!]

Ice bath-ing with Ryan and Ben (AKA The Reservoir Dogs)

Camp recovery

Pacing (after day 1 at least!)

We tried to run at a sustainable pace each day and the effort matched the incline and terrain we were running on. This meant that most days we would run into the finish pretty much spent, but most importantly we hadn't massively blown up earlier in the day. Any small dips in energy were quickly dealt with, with Jelly Babies or gel together with a suitable adjustment in pace. 

Race plan

Right from day 1 we had in mind that this was an 8-day race. Pushing too hard at the start was a sure way to pick up injuries or general fatigue and plummet down the rankings. We therefore ran our own race each day and didn't get enthralled in too much day by day racing (unless the net result was being 'chicked' of course!). As vast numbers of teams started to drop out we settled into a pack of similar runners and our day by day positions remained fairly static until the last couple of days when injuries slowed us down. Not that this mattered as we had built up a decent time buffer over the teams behind us in the first two thirds of the race.

Even better if

Shoe choice

We both suffered with our feet, but for completely different reasons. In the weeks leading up to the race we concluded that our regular fell shoes (inov8 x-talons and Mudclaws) would not be the most appropriate for the mainly hard packed trails we expected. We needed shoes with a bit more cushioning for the punishing descents, robust soles with good grip but also for the shoes to be as light as possible. We would have to lift these up 15000m of climb when all said and done. 

We both settled on Adidas Kanadias and ordered these in the weeks leading up to the event. Whilst Andy fitted into his fairly comfortably, I struggled on the first few outings. This is something I should've pre-empted as I often have issues with new shoes for the first few runs. Ultimately I'd left it too late to break them in properly and as a result had to go with my inov8 roclites. 

These definitely fitted the grip and weight requirements but the '2-arrow' profile meant next to no cushioning. During the race, this lack of protection meant that my knees took more of a battering than they should've done. However the biggest problem turned out to be the low cut of the laces which bruised the top of my toes. Progressively this got more and more painful until I was popping the vitamin I every morning before the off.

Fortunately, I managed to avoid the most common complaints from footwear, blister and battered toenails. Andy wasn't so lucky. The Kanadias didn't stop some gargantuan blisters forming on the soles of his feet and  an undue amount of pressure on the toenails.

The lesson here is clearly to get your footwear sorted well in advance and ensure they are broken in and tested on the type of terrain they will be used on, obvious really! I think I'd also recommend having a variety of shoes (as many of the competitors at the front end of the race had). Then selections can be made on the anticipated terrain and weather. Indeed, in the dry, even regular road shoes would've been fine.

Specificity in training

Finding similar terrain in the UK is always going to be a challenge. We certainly don't have altitude or the long climbs. Even hilly hard packed trails of more than a few miles are hard to come by. The Lakes come close, but I'd say this is limited to the height of summer when all the puddles have dried up. I think the coastal paths of the South West, the trails up, down and around Snowdon and the forest trails of Keilder Forest would be a good mix. Of course, they are so far apart you'd have to pick your terrain and then pick your weekend.

With tackling events such as the Fellsman, LAMM and SLMM earlier in the year, we focused more on the general fitness and endurance rather than the terrain. Not to forget the Bob Graham round. Unfortunately all of these involve running on pretty much the roughest terrain available and the climbs are often not runnable. This is where specific terrain and distance would've come in very useful.

Whilst we had a good two months after the SLMM before the Transalpine; holidays, other events and the Olympics meant that we simply didn't have the time to get out to specific terrain. If we were to run the Transalpine again, I think I'd pencil in a couple of weekends and head for some specific terrain. Even an extended weekend in the Alps would be feasible and of course, offer the most specific training imaginable.

Kit weight 

This is a minor one, but we did stick diligently to the specified race kit list, at least for the first few stages. Our experience of '4-seasons in one day' in the Lakes and Scotland meant that we were prepared for anything. Indeed, had the weather really 'come in' on those first few days we would've been in our element. 

It appeared many of the Europeans were cutting kit pretty close to the bone. Extensive first aid kits were replaced by the odd sticking plaster, 'waterproof' jackets were replaced by featherlite pertex windproofs and as for the 1 litre water container, well, maybe they were carrying a plastic bag?

We gradually ditched parts of our kit as the event progressed and the kit check became more of a question of having some kit, full stop. Although, we always had what we felt we might need, making choices largely on the weather forecast.

This would've been a sensible approach right from the start and may have provided a marginal gain on the first few days results. Of course, by the end of the week, the time gaps were vast and a few grams here and there wouldn't have made the difference.

I'm not quite so sure this principle applies to Mountain Marathons....

3 weeks to go!

Finally, a chance to briefly update the blog having returned from a busy but very relaxing UK holiday with Rosie.

Despite being on 'holiday' last week, I still managed to get some all important training in:

Firstly, visiting an old favourite training ground of mine the Peak District- blasting around Kinder Scout before heading south (VERY south!) and exploring the beautiful countryside of Kent, finally meeting up with Adam for him to prove he is in great shape by pushing me hard over a three hour run in the undulating Downs.

The week was capped off with a lovely evening with Adam's friends Paul and Sam - AKA "Team Hampshire Hobblers". With four of the five people around the dinner table very much looking forward to being on the start line in 3 weeks time, it is fair to say Rosie had to endure a lot of TransAlpine related conversation!

I have been inspired by the London Olympics and having experienced the incredible atmosphere and insane pedigree of athletes first hand at the mens Marathon, I now cannot wait for our own adventure to start!

Final plans are coming together, the last hard training sessions are imminent and the excitement is most certainly building.

With less than three weeks to go the TransAlpine Run now seems very real... Bring it on!

Racing Olympians

Over the past week or so, I've had the pleasure of meeting, running with, and racing against two 2012 Olympians. Ser-Od 'Ziggy' Bat-Ochir and  Otgonbayar Luvsanlkhündegiin will be representing Mongolia at the 2012 London Olympic Games and they've been based in Guildford, at the Surrey Sports Park, during their final preparations.


GGAC have been helping them train, both on the roads and the track and taking them to a few local races, where they've had celebrity status. It's not often a Surrey Road League or local mid-week trail race become international races!!

Gibbet Hill 10K - Haslemere - 11 July 2012
I've now done this race 4 times before and it's fair to say that it's a favourite of mine. It's a mid-week trail 10k based around a significant hill just outside Haslemere with a savage road descent over the last mile and a half. The start is gentle enough and all on a decent road but then the trail begins and it's not too long before the climb starts. The climb is long, rough and often soft underfoot.

This year, a heavy amount of rain preceded the race and it didn't hold up for the race itself. Huddled under a tree at the start, the downpour was torrential and the cold set in. The two Mongolians looked less than impressed. We were all itching to start and eventually, at bang on 1930, we were off. Ziggy took the lead and it wasn't long before he pulled out a solid gap on the rest of the field, disappearing into the distance.

I settled into a comfortable rhythm, somewhere around 10th. I'd had top 10 finishes in previous years but having only three days recovery since the Saunders, didn't want to start to fast. Otgonbayar was a good 100yds ahead, but I had a feeling she'd find the later terrain pretty tough.

The roads were covered in run off water and it often felt like we were crossing shallow fords. The trails were no different and as we headed into the woods, it was clear that there was going to be a lot of mud to battle through.

I took the climb at a steady pace and let runners overtake me without response. There was still some weakness from the Saunders and the descent was probably the place where I would make up some time. After a couple of miles I caught Otgonbayar. She was struggling in the deep muddy sections, the racing flats certainly not helping. Ziggy was long gone.

After passing Otgonbayar I got more into the race. Most of the climb was behind us and the race was now on. I was probably still around 10th but found some pace on the undulating top section and started to reign in those ahead of me. A couple of short sharp downhills and tight turns allowed me to break free from those trying to hold my pace.

At the top of the hill, just before the road, I was now on my own, with a reasonable gap to those behind. I didn't know how many were in front but did have a least one runner to chase. The downhill was always going to be fast, but just how fast depended on how much my legs had recovered from the mountain descents from  the weekend.

Not enough recovery was the answer and I couldn't make up any time on the guy in front. It was quite painful but I pushed on and finished in 38.42, over a minute down on my previous best course time. Ziggy had finished over 5 minutes ahead and had stomped to a course record, despite the unfavourable conditions. Otgonbayar came in only 16 seconds behind me to take the women's title, having destroyed the blokes I'd been racing over the top.

Despite the slow time, I finished in 5th, one better than my 6th in 2009 and 2010. With the exception of Ziggy, possibly a weaker field, but the conditions did make it that little bit tougher this year.

Taking the Mongolians to Pizza Express topped off a brilliant evening!!

Elmore 7 - Elmore - 14 July 2012
This classic race, usually part of the Chipstead Flower Show, is organised by South London Harriers and is a regular fixture in the Surrey Road League. Although I've done several Road League events over the past few years, I've never managed to get over to Elmore.

The race, an undulating single loop road course, and the distance, at 7 miles, were both new to me. The Mongolians would again be joining us and with some other top runners, the race would be hard and fast. Fortunately the weather had significantly improved and although there were large puddles on the road, the race would be run in the dry.

On the start line the announcer introduced Ziggy and Otgonbayar. I knew that Ziggy was likely on for another win but more importantly, I knew that I was one up in the head-to-head battle with Otgonbayar. Although, with this being a comparatively flat and road race, I felt that Otgonbayar would probably level the score here. Just how close I could come behind was the main question on my mind.

With Ziggy leading the race, a rapid start ensued. The field strung out and I dropped into about 30th place, some distance behind Otgonbayar. With only a few days between Gibbet Hill and Elmore, I wasn't sure whether the Saunders would be out of my legs and so kept a steady pace again.

As we dropped off the main road onto the quieter and hillier country lanes I found myself in a race together with a lot of South London Harriers (SLH). Some corners and the undulations meant that I had lost sight of Otgonbayar.

The pace felt quick but sustainable and eventually we turned to head back towards the finish. I caught a glimpse of Otgonbayar but the distance seemed unassailable. I wasn't sure how far we'd gone, but avoided looking at my Garmin for fear that there was still a long way to go.

Indeed, there was a LONG way to go. I had to work hard to keep the pace and held off some SLH challengers as the distance to Otgonbayar started to reduce. The SLH gradually dropped off and my goal became catching the slight and nippy Mongolian.

Not knowing quite where the finish was, a well timed sprint was going to be tricky. The yards were still decreasing when all of a sudden the sharp left turn appeared and I knew the finish would be close. As I pushed hard round the corner, the finish line came far too quickly and I missed the opportunity to make it a second win. Otgonbayar had beaten me by 4 seconds. Still, I think that gives me a net Tour-de-France-style victory of 16 seconds!

The Elmore 7 winners

I was surprised to finish 12th and average 5:52 minute miles. Whilst that pace is more half marathon than 7 mile pace, I'm pleased that I've slipped back into shorter races with some pace. Now, all that remains is to focus on building on that pace, whilst keeping my hill strength through to the Transalpine.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed the races with Ziggy and Otgonbayar and wish them all the best for the Olympic marathons in a few weeks time. I'll be there to cheer them on with as much passion as for the Brits. My Mongolian flag is already on order.