Mind Over Matter

Sometimes the negativity is all in your head!  I've been beating myself up a wee bit this week...there's been plenty work stress, some expected, and the rest totally left-field and unnecessary...but hey, deal with it and move on...nothing like a wee crisis to fire the jets up....and I've also been a bit down on myself about training.  

The motivation wasn't really there this week, but on reflection, I've put in some pretty decent training!

Tuesday night was tempo night - a road 6 miler that PT Boy decided to join me on....no hiding place there then!  I grumbled along to myself as I chased him round the streets, but ran almost a minute faster than I did the same session on my own last week...with an average pace of 8.37 min/mile (which is pretty fast for me!)

Thursday I ran 'steady' with my sis-in-law...a tempo run for her, so the shoe was on the other foot!  I coached her round, and ranted all my work stress out in the process.  Same route as Tues but at 10:10 min/mile.

Having been away to London with work on Friday, the Saturday long run was always going to be a challenge.  Food and hydration when travelling weren't great, and being greeted by the dreich conditions in the morning didn't inspire me.  

View of LochArd on a better day! (clarkhamiltonphotography.com)

Clark was joining me with Cori dog, and the plan was for me to do 25 miles, and they would do 17/18....I was making excuses before we started, but knew that miles had to be run.  The first 8 were ok, the rest were pretty stinking....sleet, wind, and the 'protective trees' have mostly been felled on the outer sections of the route, and the path churned up by trucks.  I suspect I also wasn't eating/drinking enough in the early stages, and ultimately we agreed to call it a day at 20 miles as we were both soaked through and frozen to the core (which only an afternoon in front of the fire in my PJ's fixed!).  

HOWEVER.....in hindsight, at an average pace of just over 11 min/miles, this was actually a pretty decent pace for me over that distance, so I'm taking that as a success!

Today I still wasn't feeling hugely inspired....oh, great, another grey, wet day.... But I felt I should get another run in to finish the week as I might not get anything done mid-week next week as I'm going to be in Barcelona with work (well, somebody has to....).

I had the option to run on my own, get the head back on my shoulders.  So, with the favourite kit on, and 2 WHW podcasts to listen to (including finally listening to my interview on episode 51), I did a nice wee out and back 10 miler at Braco wind-turbines.  AND....it felt GOOD!  It's decent terrain...uphill all the way out, and nice runnable descent back...ending the week nicely with 9:51 ave min/mile for the session.

So I've decided it's been a pretty good week, the pace has been pretty good for me, weekly mileage up to just over 42 miles in some less than positive conditions and moods, and a weights session in the gym too.  These races aren't going to run themselves...there's no hiding place....get out there and train!  There are millions out there who don't have the luxury of choice!

It's only January!

There's been a flurry of activity on Facebook this last week or so, as everyone attacks the new year with gusto and resolutions.  It's hard to not make comparisons, wondering if I'm doing enough/the right things, combined with the stresses of going back to work (straight into my team's busiest point of the year), and regaining the focus on the diet.

But I've done ok keeping focus - I have a plan that's going to get me to the start line in the best shape I can be, and I've started as I mean to go on.

Training is going well so far.  I've started back in the gym, and while the weights aren't very heavy, the effect is felt!  This week's reminder, is don't expect a session full of squats and lunges, not to hurt 2 days later when you try to run 20 miles on the WHW!

And I've managed to get all my scheduled runs done too - adhering to the instructions of 'tempo', 'steady' and 'easy' for a change!

Diet wise, I'm mainly back using the Slimming World principles (I love the fact that I need never be hungry!), and I'm tracking my eating on the myfitnesspal app, with a view to thinking about better balancing the carb:protein ratios.  I've stopped drinking (aside from a couple of wine's on one night out)...and the effect is that I've dropped about 4-5 lbs so far this year (based on a mid-festivities weigh in as the starting point!).

I'm also re-acquainting myself with the discipline of rest - if this is going to work, I need to be more forceful, and less guilty about recovery - rest days and afternoon naps are back on the compulsory list!!

The highlight of the training runs so far was yesterday's Glee run - a 20 miler out and back from Tyndrum (to just before the Falls of Falloch).  The best weather of the year (and for about the last 2 months!) and some great inclines and descents in the snow.  Some good chat, and new friends.  It's the section of WHW I've been on  least, so it was a good reminder of the forest section behind Crianlarich!  I did need to remind myself several times on the out and back that it's still only January, and there's plenty of time to build the fitness and endurance!  Don't peak too soon!!

So, feeling pretty good so far, 55 miles run year to date and 3 gym sessions.  Longest run 20 miles, with a 6.4 back to back today to test the tired legs.

And on that note, it's time for some zzzzzzzz....

Planning & Support ...the review of 2013

2013 was pretty epic, and I'm not going to go over it all in detail...some of the most important bits are in my previous blog posts!

The stats were pretty good too - I hit 1,600 run miles on 31st December - up 36% vs. last year, with longer average run distance, slightly lower heart rate (with slightly slower average pace), but also over 50% more elevation....and my longest run (at almost 95 miles) was a tad further than I'd ever run, or believed I could!

There are 2 factors that stood out most for me though, and this is why I believe it was a pretty good year:

(1) having a plan
(2) having support
 
The Plan

So, the idea was to put myself in a position that would maximize my chances of getting into the ballot for the 2014 WHW race.

Key to this was meeting the entry criteria by choosing wisely which ultras to run. Having completed my first Devil in August 2012 I was keen to do it again, as I'd felt I could improve....and having enjoyed that, the next obvious step was to do the Fling, taking the mileage up, and experiencing the first half of the WHW route.  What a great event  - and with pretty perfect running conditions I had a great run!

Glenmore 24 was the next 'obvious', but sh!t-your-pants scary decision.  I gave it much contemplation in the run up to the entries opening, and with my heart in my mouth put the entry in quickly when it opened (and then went out for a run!).  For me, this was about running through the night, in a relatively 'safe' environment and to still be running when the finish horn sounded.  A decision I'll never regret - what a race!

With these the key races for the year, with Strathearn Marathon thrown in for good measure (it's local and great), that mapped out my year.  I'd hoped to run D33 in training for the Fling, but (unfortunately) a work trip to Madrid made that too tricky to fit in.

I'm lucky in that I'm married to a personal trainer - kinda helps when you need to work out how far, how hard, and when you ought to be training.  So, the plan was built, and I tried my best to stick too it (albeit, it had to flex for work, weather etc)

The Support

So that flows nicely into my second point - the support.

Clark, pretty much without question is the most awesome support I could ask for.  Aside from clearly writing a training plan I could achieve and would help me succeed, he has stood about for hours in some pretty hideous conditions, and been 'fine' when abandoned on several weekends when I buggered off for hours on end (often many more hours than forecast) to go training.  And always there, with the hot cuppa, the bath run, and the motivation and encouragement I needed to achieve my goals.  He knows when to push me, getting me out the door on more than one occasion that I needed to MTFU, and just as important knows when to ease off, and encourage me to rest.  All that, and fitting in his own training, and rehab from a variety of injuries and set-backs, that I can't help but feel guilty sometimes (brought on by me, not him!).

In addition to this, what a support network has grown...or I have become part of.  There's too many people to mention by name (for fear of missing someone, or upsetting others).  People, friends, family, who have provided support in a variety of forms this year...and I don't just mean directly to me.  Folk have driven the length of the country to just 'be there' at races; stood around in storms cheering, ringing cow bells or taking photos; pulled cars or people from ditches and through rivers; dished out hugs, tears, cakes, sweeties or Red Bull as needed; picked us up and patched us up when bleeding, being sick, or generally feeling sorry for ourselves; motivated us to MTFU (when often they are injured, ill or struggling); and organized training runs, where no-one is left for dead, so that we can gain experience of different race routes or navigating through tricky conditions.  Much of this has spawned through Facebook (proving to the disbelievers that there is a benefit in social networking) - people, who at the start of the year I knew only as 'virtual' friends, are now a huge part of my life...and are now a reality...to share the joy, the sweat, the tears with on a weekly basis.

It's been said on many an occasion that 'you can't do it without support' and I whole-heartedly agree....so with that set to continue to go from strength-to-strength, and another good plan, I'm on to 2014!

Bigger, more sh!t-your-pants scary than last year, but achievable! 

The head is in the right place and the body will get there (just give it a chance to get over the Christmas over-indulgence first). 

2014 plan looks a bit like this.......

March







April










June

September

 

 
 







 

Ray's 60th Birthday Glee Run

Most of the gang during post run tea and cake

It was the legend's birthday....the infamous Ray McCurdy was turning 60 on 21st December, and Stan had quite rightly started the ball rolling on a Glee Club run with Ray in attendance to celebrate (and then there was a pub visit, but I wasn't able to make that).

So, a cold, wet, windy morning saw 21+ intrepid runners rock up to the Braeval carpark just outside Aberfoyle, in anticipation of a run which was billed to be anything between 15 and 20 miles, depending on who you were talking to.  After the usual amount of faffing about, introducing ourselves to people we previously only knew on Facebook (or people who knew me because of my lovely black/turquoise running tights), being aghast that Noanie and Lorna were still in shorts, and debating that 'most' people really only wanted to do 15 miles,  and that 'of course' Donald and Alan knew the route, we were off!

The speedy ones shot off up the hill at their usual chipper pace, while I quickly fell into a more sedate pace, somewhere near the back! After the first big climb, we regrouped and bumped into Stan and Ray, who had taken the sneaky wee 'short cut'...this gave me the opportunity to fall into pace with Ray and the start of what turned into a good long chat!  Whilst I knew he was 'the legend', I have to say until this run, I really wasn't quite aware of his achievements - 119 ultras completed, 17 marathons short of 200 and many other things I'm sure I should remember.  And he has a wee story about all of them, with dates, places, people.....jeez, I'm lucky if I can remember where I ran last week, never mind the last 30+ years of my life!!

Somewhere not many miles into the run, the split happened....the speedy ones (remember, they knew where they were going) disappeared, and there were about 6 of us at the tail end, until Jason headed off up the wrong track, didn't hear us shout....Lorna, Johnny Fling and Stan went to find him, and Ray and I kept a wee shuffle going...until the next junction where I couldn't remember where to go.  Then the heavens opened, Ray and I stood about for 5 mins, and then Stan appeared.....Jason was lost, Lorna and Johnny were hunting him down...and we 3 would carry on, unlikely to catch the big group...but at least Stan knew where we were going!

And so it would continue like that for most of the run.  The pattern emerged (because Stan knew..), that we should mostly run 10 meters behind Ray (not because he's a legend, but because that was the best way to keep him moving), so we had a good blether, climbed over several massive fallen trees, had a wee sing song (well, Ray and Stan did) on the way up Dukes Pass ("Oooo-weee Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" and "When I was younger so much younger than today" etc...you get the picture...Ray has quite an extensive back catalogue) and never saw the others again.  Naturally, we assumed they were way ahead of us, and would be there when we got back to the car park....even if they'd taken the 20 mile route....

Well, you know what they say about assuming.....

As we shuffled back down the final slope, dreaming of tea and cake which we thought would be there waiting for us....not a soul to be seen..... Hmmmm, are they hiding in the bushes/in the cars as a surprise (at this point Ray still wasn't aware of cakes or pub visits)....but no....

On checking phones, it became apparent that the remaining 19(ish) people had been lost...not just once....and ended up being a good 20 minutes or so behind us, and doing 21+ miles..... Oooops! (and a sigh of relief I wasn't with them...that might've killed me!)

Much hilarity and cake munching, and another great Glee run.  Cementing in my mind that running is a great leveler, and great fun.  It was also pretty humbling, when you think about how materialistic many of us are (me, I definitely hold my hands up at this), with our fancy kit, new shoes every few months, GPS watches, etc etc...and there's Ray, running along quite the thing with odd trainers on each foot, not a care for fancy kit, just gets on and does the job - and what a job he's done, with a race history like his, no wonder he's "the legend"

Ray, I salute you!

Another step closer to the goblet

The coveted finishers goblet

Good things have happened this week!  After an anxious month, and then several over-excitable days, the entry list for the lucky 265 individuals was drawn, and I was lucky enough to be offered a place in the 2014 West Highland Way Race!!  

The excitement was immense...I didn't know whether to laugh, or cry...or both (I think I did)...and then had several drinks to calm my nerves whilst catching up with the Facebook frenzy, hearing the news spread around the country, of those lucky (and some unlucky) in this next stage of their quest!

So, that's that then.....every run from now truly takes me another step closer to my 2014 goblet....a challenge I'm ready to face head on, one step after another!  (I'm stealing that 'another step closer' from Sarah Self who I think said it to me in the early hours/last laps of Glenmore this year....another step takes you closer to your goblet... (Sarah thankfully will be part of the Hamilton WHW Pit Crew in 2014!))

There's no hiding place in training for this, stepping out into what could ultimately be a life or death situation (cheery huh?!) and not wanting to let myself, my support crew, or the race organisers down!

Following my successful entry, I was asked by John Kynaston if I'd take part in the WHW podcasts - a wee 15 minutes or so chat every couple of months to follow my progress as a newbie in the race!  OMG!  Exciting, and scary...but John very quickly made me feel at ease on the Skype call (and I'll almost forgive him for taking my picture (I was just back from a run, fresh out the bath, wearing PJ's and a hoody!!)).  I've not summoned up the courage to listen to it yet! 

So, the training gains real focus now...I'm still in the Marcothon after 13 days (beating last year's performance), although some days have been a challenge!  Clark is going to draw me up a training plan for WHW, taking in the delight that is the Highland Fling in April, and dealing with the complications of life and work in between....and I'll do my best to follow it!  I'll be getting back into the gym to build up some strength as well as properly putting my mind to shifting a few pounds!  Main thing is getting some good long runs on WHW scheduled in (some of these come from the WHW training weekend, and 2 fling training weekends), some back-to-backs, and some more night running!

Can't wait!  Feckin' excited!!

Designed by Clark Hamilton

Cimmerian Conic Canine Caper (or crazy things you'll do for a pint!)

Anyone who knows me well, knows that mostly on a Friday night I'll be horizontal on the sofa, by the fire, glass of wine in hand....well, not last night!  

David Ross (he of the best big hugs in Scotland...the world??) had organised an Ultra Dafties night run from Drymen to Balmaha and back (via Conic Hill of course!), with a wee pit stop half-way in the Oak Tree Inn (log fire, hot soup, friends and beer!)...what could be nicer?!

There should've been a cast of around 20, plus many many dogs...as the date drew closer, and the weather more minging, people dropped out one by one (including David himself due to injury), and by 7pm there was a short-list of 7 hardy souls and 2 dogs jiggling around the car park in Drymen trying to keep warm (whilst waiting on Ally, who appeared to have taken the scenic route!).  Cori dog had been relegated due to the conditions (sheep, steep hills, ice underfoot and being harnessed to me doesn't make for a happy combo!)

David had come to see us off, and count heads for soup (he was staying in the Oak Tree with Lorraine, along with the Munro's and would be there to see us at our half-way point!), and with hugs all round, we set off up the WHW path, where we quickly bumped into John Munro, who had run over from Balmaha to meet us.  John warned us of ice, and fallen trees...oh, there are fallen trees he chuckled, as he bid us fairwell, opting for the road route back to the Oak Tree!

We very quickly came across the first trees, which, with headtorches made for entertaining path finding.  Brian was chief trail blazer, quickly finding the best routes and guiding us through.  The early pace was pretty brisk...and having eaten before I came out, had a busy and over-indulgent week, and carrying enough emergency kit to save me from starvation, hypothermia and ice slicks, I felt I was going to have to work hard to keep up for the duration!

It's always strange in the dark trying to work out where you are, but a great feeling to be exploring and adventuring, with the scary sheep eyes peeking out of the darkness at you!  

The path got increasingly icy the closer to Conic we got, and David, Noanie, Gannet and I got into a wee convoy calling out warnings of 'Step' and 'Ice' with almost every breath.  As we got near the summit, the sleet and snow started, and we were slipping back every few metres...but the ice never deep enough to justify getting the kahtoolas out!  Pretty much everyone slipped, stumbled on fell on the steep descent, and we split into 2 groups, heads down, and off piste, with the grassy tussocks a safer option than the slick path!

So we made it to the Oak Tree, its welcoming glow shining across the Balmaha car park.  We were later than planned, but the staff welcomed us in, let us strip our wet gear and hang it by the fire, and quickly brought us drinks and their delicious homemade tomato soup.  Islay and Sam were not so lucky....the no dog policy meaning they had to stay outside...Islay was less than impressed! 

Before too long, it was time  to head back out into the darkness, having agreed the sensible option was to take to the road back to Drymen.  The front group set off at a blistering pace (sub 7 min miles I later found out), and there was no danger I was keeping up with that!  RG, Islay and I took our position as back markers and trotted along, chatting away.  Big thanks to RG for waiting on me when I needed a wee walk when the soup and cider were sloshing too much in my belly!  My knee was also starting to ache at this point - it's been a bit tetchy since Glen Ogle...bit of tight calf issue, ITB, and the impact of having had heels on all day I think!

We survived our great Friday night adventure, making it about a 12 mile round trip!

The drive home was foggy, sleety and icy...so sufficient amounts of driving like a granny required!  Surprisingly found it REALLY hard to get to sleep - my knee was throbbing, so a rub of biofreeze and some paracetamol required to finally knock me out.  Today I've felt burst!  Managed a wee 3 mile run to keep ticking off the Marcothon requirements...and then had a wee disco nap.....ahhh it's a hard life being old......

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/413181602

Reflections

Loch Ard

I thought November had been a fairly 'light' month of training, but I've just checked the trusty Garmin page (you have to allow me some leeway, I am a statistician/analyst to trade!) to find I actually ran over 21 miles more than I did in October (same actual number of runs, just a bit longer on average (I guess that's the Glen Ogle influence), and at a faster average pace!)

And over 10,000 calories burned from the running alone...although somewhat disappointingly, I just googled to find out something relevant about that, and it's only equivalent to 27 glasses of champagne.....how sad!?!?

It's been a strange month - been trying to get a bit of 'routine' back (as I'd lost a wee bit of oomph in the run up to Glen Ogle), which usually means early starts for me to avoid getting bogged down by work later in the day. Training has ranged from 6am frostbite on 'killer hill' with Bob to 5:30am running through Braco Castle estate just me and the dog (worrying about monsters hiding in the woods) and a lot of days thinking it would be cold, when really it hasn't as the skies were blue and the sun shining, but still a chance to rummage through the kit drawer and look out some winter favourites...including the fluro jacket, and also some forgotten gems (like just how many buffs I own!)!  No chance to use the kahtoolas yet unfortunately - bring on the proper winter!! 

I've also been trying to get back in a better eating plan, and thus, back to Slimming World....the lure of a glass of wine by the fire in the winter does my waistline no favours!  And there's been some lovely runs at Aberfoyle with Glee Club and separately with Clark, who, even when injured remains a great supporter of my training, even when I feel guilty for going!

Image from www.marcothon.com

And now it's time for Marcothon again (or Marcothin as I keep typing...which would be no bad thing....I'm still fighting to shift some of the extra pounds I added over the summer!)

It's great to have the motivation to get out on some of the more challenging days in December...and hopefully I'll succeed this year (I missed about 3 days last year!).  

It's amazing how challenging it can seem some days to get out for 25 minutes or 3 miles!




Entries for WHW have closed, and our fate is now in the hands of the selection panel, and most likely a ballot, given there are over 300 entrants for 265 places!  
It's great to be part of the build up this year as a potential participant, rather than my previous position in organising/doing the sports massage! And either way, I'll be there again in 2014, whatever the outcome of the ballot is!  I'm already looking forward to some great days out training in the spring - wishing the days away already - and have signed up to the WHW training weekend in January, and the Fling Weekends in Feb and March....thank heaven Clark is soooo understanding (crawl, crawl....)

Anyway, enough mindless ramble....I'm just waffling, trying to fill time until Glenmore 24 entry opens in 94 minutes......EEEK!!