Training - Dalemain to Ambleside

Last weekend I originally intended to go up to Scotland and run from Tyndrum to Fort William but things conspired against me with a combination of work commitments and the final throws of building to a house move. So instead of using up a full weekend with travelling, I stayed at home and managed to fit in a long run on the Lakeland 100 route.

John and I did this route last year in lovely weather conditions but this time I woke up to a covering of snow, fog and high winds on the fell tops. Should make for an interesting day out!

I was really pleased with the speed at which I was covering the ground and my ability to maintain this over the full route - a sign that I'm starting to get into shape for the first ultra of the season; the Highland Fling, in only 5 weeks.

This last week has been a wipe out with regard to training, without a single run from Monday to Friday. I always intended this to be an easy week but those same stress factors mentioned earlier meant that I just wasn't able or inclined to get any running done. By pure coincidence, I recently listened to a podcast with a section on overtraining by Marc Laithwaite. In this, he made it clear that overtraining is not just running too much or too fast but is linked to the amount of stress placed on your body. For most of us, this stress usually comes in the form of physical stress from running too much, however, at times, this stress can come in the form of work related issues or other stressful situations (like moving house - tell me about it!!). I am aware that I am running/training well and don't want to jepodise this by pushing myself (over stressing my body in what ever form) and then suffering a major setback.

With all this in mind, I have taken the last five days off from running, not stressed about it, got some major work related issues out of the way, planned a re-wire, planned a new heating system, planned a kitchen (or actually watched Tracey plan a kitchen), planned a bathroom and planned new windows and doors.

What stress?

Enjoy the video trip from Dalemain to Ambleside :-)

Dalemain to Ambleside Training from Recovery Beyond on Vimeo.

A long day at the office

With all the logistics in place, John arrived early evening on Saturday, which gave us plenty of time to eat, begin a recording for the West Highland Way Race podcasts and watch the football. What could make a better evening? Oh yea, I know; don't embarrass yourself doing a podcast. It all sounds so easy, though I found it quite a surreal experience. You are effectively talking to someone, talking to no one and talking to anyone all at the same time. Weird!

Tracey had agreed to take-one-for-the-team and dragged herself out of bed on Sunday morning to take us down to Ambleside for the start of the recce run, continuing on from the point where we finished last time.

Ready for the off.

The weather had finally decided to abandon winter and jumped straight to summer. Those grins on the photo remained there for many hours to come, not all the time but most of it!

One of the things I have really enjoyed about these recces is that I have discovered new trails on my doorstep. The route out of Ambleside is a prime example. There is a nice climb over Loughrigg Fell towards Elter Water and then a wonderful run along the river from Skelwith Bridge to Elterwater village and then on to Chapel Stile. We just couldn't resist taking pictures every couple of minutes, skipping along like a couple of Cheshire cats. We did not have the exact location of the checkpoint so took a few photos of the various options and have since bossed it.

The River Brathay

We then continued into Great Langdale, skirting round the foot of Lingmoor Fell. Here the underfoot conditions became rockier and the ankles started to take the pounding they would take for many more hours. This early in our run it was difficult to comprehend how this same route will feel in the race with 90 miles already in our legs; the only thing I can say for sure is that I will be happy if I can muster any kind of run at all at this point.

Little Langdale is far quieter than it's bigger brother, but no less beautiful, with a more intimate feel. At this point, we were trying to work out where the 100 mile point would be, finally selecting a footpath sign as our marker - who knows how accurate we are but who cares? At this point in the race each step is going to be a significant marker.

John in Little Langdale

We arrived at Tibberthwaite, the final checkpoint before the finish, took one look up the hill and started the plod. When looking at the splits from the race, you wonder why runners take so long - now we know. It's a long slog up on to the beautiful Yewdale Fells followed be a knee popping descent into Coniston and the finish. If you are able to run a single step of this descent at the end of 100 miles, you are having a good day.

The drop to Coniston

We talked a lot about how we might feel at this point and ran into the finish as if it was the real thing; I nearly started high-fiving the tourists. Although it was a fun game, imagining what it will feel like, this turned out to be a mistake as we both seemed to think of this point as the end of our run, whereas, we actually had the best part of five hours left.

Looking rather supple in the start/finish area

The initial climb back out of Coniston went well as we continued our podcast interview, but once we got onto the Walna Scar Road which would take us over into the Duddon Valley, the conversation dried up somewhat. This might not sound too significant, however, we have spent about 23 hours running this route together and this was the first time we stopped chatting. I think it was a combination of the mind and body targeting the finish in Coniston and us falling behind our split time expectations for the first time. Lesson to be learnt -  with these events, you run half with your legs and the other half with your mind!!

The climb out of Seathwaite up to Grassguards and on towards Harter Fell was exactly what you don't want when you are having a tough time. It is rough, boggy and long. On the plus side, once we came out of the plantation below Harter Fell, we were both so pleased to be able to run again that our spirits started to lift and we "got it back together" again, running more smoothly down into the Eskdale valley. I even managed a skip just to prove I could!

Born to dance

We met a lady in Eskdale who helps with the checkpoint there during the race and she kindly refilled our water bottles for the final push over into Wasdale. This was generally a more inviting climb, more runnable and less rocky than many of the previous plods. By this point, we were both quite pleased with how we had turned round from the tough section and really started to run more strongly. As soon as we crested the final col, I could see where the car was parked and before too long we were shaking hands and congratulating each other on a grand day out.

At the finish in Wasdale

We covered just over 35 miles in 9 hours but, more importantly, this reminded us just how tough this race is going to be. The previous two recce runs have been fairly straight forward and had perhaps lulled us into thinking we were going to boss this race. This weekend's outing showed just how much respect we need to have for the course and this will be at the forefront of my mind when I start to plan my race strategy.

The Lake District was stunning, the weather was superb, the Hoka's were bouncy and the smiles were BIG! Thanks for the company, John.

Lakeland 100 Recce

Just a quick update as I have a campervan to pack.

Yesterday, John and I had a fantastic day out on the Lakeland 100 course. John and Katrina came down on Saturday afternoon and the four of us had an evening of eating and putting the world to rights. Then, next morning, an early start from Dalemain, running through to Ambleside, where the ladies met us.

After the exploits in the snow last time, it came as no surprise to find the car covered in frost and a starting temperature of -1. I gave in to peer pressure and kept my jacket in the rucksack, though I did put my gloves on, much to the disgust of John.

This route is not one I know, so it was great to spend time working out the actual course, trying to build a mental picture of the trails and I'll be spending some time looking at the video clips we both took.

To cut a 7:30 hour story short, the weather just got better and better, the Lake District was looking her Sunday best, we chatted the whole way round but really concentrated on the route and I don't think there was any point during the day that we didn't have a big grin on our faces.

We skipped into Ambleside after 7:23 hours and 30.5 miles, met up with Tracey and Katrina and made a quick move to the nearest ice-cream shop. What a way to spend a day!

Another solid week

I now feel that I am into a training programme. Like most runners, I am a creature of habit; training, for me, is all about routine. Having not trained for 8 months, it has not only been a battle back from the operation, but also to reform the training habit.

I stuck to the plan, aiming for another "easy" week consisting of 4 sessions. The first two outings, on Tuesday and Wednesday, went really well, so much so, that I put Wednesday's run down as a tempo session as I felt I put in that kind of effort. Did not suffer any major complications in the evenings after those sessions, I just have a general stiffness around the ankle joint which is gone by the next morning.

Friday's session was another story! I planned to run around Derwentwater Lake straight from school and I also wore a pair of compression socks for the full day as I have been feeling sluggish in my lower legs by the end of the working day. Whether it was a problem with wearing the socks (something I have done before), just being the end of the working week or a combination of the two, I had some problems during the run. All started well and I felt fine for the initial 3 or 4 miles, but then struggled to run naturally and felt very awkward in my gait for the remainder of the run, almost hobbling by the end. I had the usual soreness in the evening, but was fine again on Saturday so, hopefully, nothing to panic about!? I suppose you have to have the occasional sorbet to clear the palate!

Today, I went down to Ambleside to have a look at a few of the Lakeland 100 trails around there; the small footpaths of the route are not trails I know well. I first ran back round the route, skirting below Wansfell towards Troutbeck, turning at the Post Office to return to Ambleside. The race route seems easy enough to follow and, like last week, I kept imagining I was in the race, thinking about how I might be feeling at this point (knackered!) The route follows some lovely paths with great views down to Ambleside and Windermere.

As I returned to Ambleside, I made sure I followed the exact route through the streets to The Lakes Runner shop, which is the official checkpoint and then continued out on the next section of the race over Loughrigg Fell, down to Skelwith Bridge. I finally turned again, climbing back over the fell to Ambleside. Felt fine all the way which was a big relief after Friday's disaster, still skipping along at the end. Again, I was able to just run without thinking about foot placement; it almost seems that I am running more smoothly/naturally in the rougher terrain, whereas on the smoother trails on Friday, I struggled. Go figure! Just over 11 miles in 2 hours.

Had a little wander round Ambleside after, calling in at The Climber Shop which stock the Hoka shoes (see earlier post) just so I could have a look. I tried a pair on but I'm not sure I could run in them. I think they would take some getting used to and I would love to have a trial run in a pair just to get a feel for them properly; jogging around the shop laughing at yourself is not really a suitable test run! I cannot justify spending that kind of money on a radical pair of shoes that might be exactly what you need in a 100 mile race, but equally might not suit my running style. Might keep my eye out for some cast-offs or secondhand shoes that don't agree with someone else - they may give the comfort my heels, ankles, knees, hips and back desire!!