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....

Transalpine Run 2012

A month ago to this day (is it really that long!) Adam and I stood on the start line of the biggest challenge of our lives.

I guess we have put off writing this blog because for the last three weeks we haven’t wanted to accept that this incredible adventure is over. For over a year, for both Adam and I the Transalpine-Run had been our target, our ambition and our drive. It didn't let us down. Much like the sensation in the weeks after our successful BGRs, it feels a shame that the race is over.

Although the pain has now finally passed (along with my big toe nail) the incredible memories of eight epic days in the Alps remain clear as ever.

Here are a just a few of them...

Tops Brits, 13th Overall and 8th in the Men's Category

We did it!! 321KM and 15000m +/- climb over 8 days in the Alps. We also exceeded our expectations in terms of results, finishing as the top placed Brits and 13th overall out of over 300 international teams that started. At the end it was more about surviving the stage than racing but as teams dropped out, we gradually climbed the leader board and consolidated our position over the last few stages. Our average pace over the whole race was 7:07 per KM or 4:59 per marathon.

Reports, photos and videos (!) to follow...

Taper...counting down the miles and the days

I've never quite seen the benefit of tapering after my disastrous first marathon back in 2009 - a planned three week taper felt counter productive at the time and ultimately it didn't help in the slightest. Since then, I've only ever experimented with small tapers, the odd day here and there before half marathons, marathons, mountain marathons etc.

However, for my Transalpine training plan, I was conscious that heading into the race tired wouldn't be a good start. I therefore introduced a two week taper, of which I'm about two thirds through. After my last long-ish run this morning, things seem to have gone well. Rather than reduce the number of runs each week, I've just reduced the intensity and length of each run and have generally been feeling quite easy.

I'm suffering a bit with tightness in the calves and ankles and my new Kanadia's need a bit more breaking-in, but other than that, I'm pleased with the way the training has gone. I've stuck to my original aims and completed four hard and two recovery/medium weeks; clocking up mileage way in excess of what i've achieved before. I've also done some consistent, week-in, week-out hill sessions and definitely noticed the difference here.

The key indicators here have been my past couple of races. A second place at the Richmond Park trail challenge and then a win at the Guildford Parkrun on Saturday. At 17:25, it's some way off what I've run before, but with very little speedwork completed recently, I see this more as an indicator of fitness. A steady 9 mile warm down, together with feeling pretty fresh at the end, means I'm feeling pretty positive.

With only three days to go until we fly out, I've got a couple more easy runs and a final sports massage to go. Hopefully some light stretching in between and a serious amount of carbo-loading will set me up for what will be an awesome week in the Alps!

It's come round so quickly....

We'll try and get some reports up on the blog whilst we're out there, but if not, hopefully Twitter (@tyneandweary) will be a little bit more accessible and results should be up on the main Transalpine web site - http://www.transalpine-run.com/alps_cross_results.htm

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!

6 weeks to go!!

Today (21st July) marks 6 weeks until the start of the Gore-Tex Transalpine-Run. The main preparation races and events (HighlanderMM, Fellsman, Bob Graham, LAMM and SLMM) are long behind us and the next 6 weeks will be spent tailoring our training to the event and preparing for the start.

Neither myself or Andy have had an ideal lead up to this point with various injuries getting in the way between January and July. However, it appears the winds have changed and both of us are entering this period of refinement in good form (touch wood). Perfect timing?

Having built up a strong base and recovered from the above events, I have three stated goals for the next phase, in priority order:

1. To reach the start line uninjured and fresh to race
2. To have an uninterrupted training period (ie. not get injured during the final lead up)
3. To be on the start line in top condition to race

I've developed a training plan that focuses on number 3. However, I feel it would be careless to not bear in mind numbers 1 and 2 as I progress through. The slightest inkling that fatigue, illness or injuries are creeping in and I'll amend the plan suitably.

The plan builds on the last few weeks and takes me through a cycle of hard and medium training weeks before a two week taper to the race itself. I've planned around a few notable events; including a couple of days that I have off work to see the Olympic athletics and gymnastics events; Marc and Kim's wedding and Andy's planned visit 'dawrn sarrfff' in August.

In preparing the plan I've focused around 5 key points:

1. To improve my climbing ability (weekly hill sessions)
2. To maintain leg strength and conditioning for the long down hill sections
3. To ensure sufficient rest and recovery (a few sports massages and eating/drinking the right stuff)
4. To teach my body to cope with the demands of running hard day after day after day (robustness)
5. To teach my body to recover quickly between sessions and learn what works in terms of recovery ready for the race itself

I'm looking forward to following the plan and building up confidence for the race. It's fair to say that I've never tried to follow such a structured plan so am heading somewhat into the unknown. Fingers crossed!

What is the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run?

So the evenings are getting lighter, the temperatures are back in double figures and the first signs of spring are appearing on my regular stomping ground - the North Downs. We're now well into 2012 and the Gore-Tex Transalpine Run is now only six months away! How time has flown since signing up to this race way back in 2011. Preparations have started to take place - the important bit is done - we're entered! Flights are also booked and a training plan is coming together (slowly). More on this in another post, but for now I thought it might be worthwhile giving a bit of info about the race itself.

2012 will be the eighth running of the Gore-Tex Transalpine run, an eight day stage race through arguably Europe's best known mountain range. The Alps spill into no less than seven countries and during the race we'll have the pleasure to visit three of these. Starting in the German border town of Ruhpolding, the race quickly enters true alpine country as it crosses the border into Austria on the first day. The next three days are spent traversing Austria's finest mountain terrain before crossing into northern Italy. The final four days loop through the northern Dolomites before finishing in the town of Sexten.

Traversing a whole country over a four day period is no mean feat and the stats add up to back this up. The whole route is in the region of 320KM and therefore averages 40KM per day, or, to put it in simple terms for your average Joes, about a marathon a day. Of course, the race doesn't divide up so nicely; day one is a whopping great 49.6KM and is fortunately the longest day. The shortest day, day five, is a meager 32.8KM.

Each day, or stage, is expected to take the leading teams around 4 hours, give or take an hour depending on the distance, height gain and terrain. Times are accumulated over the eight stages to decide the overall finishing positions and the winning time is historically somewhere between 24 and 30 hours. There's no rest day or 'easy' day as there may have been in previous years. Hopefully it does not seem too much like a walk in the park, and I haven't even mentioned the climb yet!

It's no surprise that the Transalpine Run is mountainous to say the least. Ruhpolding, the start line and lowest point on the course sits at 656m above sea level. The high point, a pass at Birnlucke in Austria, reached mid way through stage four, sits a couple of kilometres higher at an impressive 2665m. All but two of the stages exceed the 2000m mark at one time or another and the total climb is expected to be at least 15000m. Or, back in average Joe's terms, nearly twice the height of Everest (or 50 Eiffel Towers or 40 Empire State Buildings for the urbanites amongst our readership).

Of course, the Transalpine Run is not just a challenge but a race as well. There are five categories to be contested, all for teams of two. Myself and Andy are a little shy of the veteran mark of a combined eighty years (a sprightly fifty two at the last count!!) and therefore will be competing amongst the elite in the Men's category. There are 275 teams from all over the world all in all, of which about 90 are senior men's teams. A top 100 category finish should be possible then!

We'll take a more in depth look at the individual stages in the coming months but for now, sit back, relax and take in the scenery (and if you're entered, start to dream):

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.

Adam's Biog

I thought I best add a bit of a biography to answer that critical question  - why would anyone sign up to run effectively 8 consecutive marathons over rough rocky terrain at altitude? What got me to this point and what drives me on?

I've always been active, enjoying a broad range of sports both in and outside school. Not running so much, but being outdoors, out in the forest or on the fells has been part of my life since a very young age. I started orienteering at school, about the age of 14 or 15 and instantly loved the challenge - running off road, up and down, jumping streams and hacking through undergrowth with the added challenge of navigating your own way. I suppose I had mixed results; not being the quickest runner nor the best navigator having only taken it up at a relatively late stage, but got stronger, quicker and better at the nav over the years at school and college. I took up mid-week runs to improve my fitness and gradually worked my 5km time trial down to under 20 minutes. At the time, this was a real achievement. Little did I know that 10 years on this would be my target marathon pace!

With the intention of improving my orienteering at university, I joined the cross-country club to boost my fitness and found a fantastic group of like-minded individuals, many of whom I am still in touch with today and consider to be among my best friends. I didn't race much for the club during that first year, focusing more on the orienteering but priorities gradually swung in favour of the cross-country club and I raced frequently from then on. Mostly focusing on cross-country but scattered with the odd road race too.

University provided the opportunity to race my first mountain marathon, a 2-day navigation race over wild terrain, run in pairs, carrying everything you need for 36 hrs out in the hills. I took on the 2003 Karrimor International Mountain Marathon (KIMM - now the OMM) C class over in the Langholm hills of southern Scotland with Jon, Durham housemate and long-time friend from York. We failed. It was a bloody cold one and we weren't too well prepared. Surely a summer time mountain marathon would have kinder weather and be easier on young legs? Nope, I entered the 2004 LAMM and failed again. Same reason. Well, pretty much, it's not often snow blizzards envelop even the most northerly Scottish hills in June. Still, this didn't put me off trying again and I was back at the 2004 KIMM in the Brecon Beacons. Recording a first mountain marathon finish and 20th place on the Short Score.

I've since rocked up another 29 mountain marathon starts (including 4 DNFs), gradually working through the classes and doing pretty much every event going, at least in the UK. Long may it continue - I've got some adventurous targets!

On top of this, since moving to Guildford in 2007, I've seen a gradual increase in weekly mileage, a decrease in my PBs coupled with a much more competitive position in most of my races and possibly most importantly, a tendency to run longer and longer distances. I've only one (disastrous) road marathon on my resume but do have another 3 off road marathons (including the Everest marathon) and 5 ultras, ranging from the Manx Mountain Marathon (31.5 miles) to the Fellsman (61 miles), plus numerous other fell and trail races.

So, the Transalpine is really just a natural continuation of finding ever more challenging events and pushing to achieve more and more. I've long surpassed what I thought I could way back in 2003 so there's literally no limits now....

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:

• 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)

Bring it on!!