October 2015 – rungigettorun

I felt quite good after the High Weald 50k, but I decided to rest for a couple of days.

Wednesday I did a relatively easy 10k run at 4:35. It’s starting to get cold in the morning! On Thursday I did a bit longer run, 13k at 4:42 and then on Friday a super easy 11k at 5:03. Saturday I fully rested.

On Sunday I went to run the Royal Borough of Kingston 10 mile race with the intention of doing my 10 mile PB. I don’t remember what it was before but I decided to aim for 1:01 which meant running the race at an average of 3:50 min/km.

The day was beautiful and sunny. The route was the one I usually do in the morning when I run 15k, plus a little loop at the beginning, so I was playing in my ‘hood. The race started at the Kingston market square, which is really nice. It’s the first edition of the race but there were quite a lot of people.

At 8:30 we started. I accelerated straight away to overtake as many people as I could and place myself in the top 20 group. From other local races and from the way I saw people warming up I had a good idea who was going to be in front so once I had only those people ahead of me I started running at my 3:50 target pace. I did not always manage to keep it but I was not too far.

From the 5th km I found myself running with another guy and we basically ran the whole race together pulling and helping each other. We managed not to lose any place and in the last mile he accelerated and I stayed with him only enough to overtake one guy, but then he went on his way.

I did not manage to cross the finish line in the time I had hoped and finished in 1:02 which is still very good and I am very pleased I also broke my 10k, 15k and 10 mile PBs. Plus I finished 14th overall which I am very happy with. Check out my Strava of the race here.

My wife was waiting at the finish line, which does not happen very often so it was a nice surprise. She took this video of my final sprint:

[wpvideo PedwALtA]

Overall a good week, recovered well from the 50k and achieved quite a nice result on Sunday. In the next couple of weeks I will increase the mileage again to get ready for the Druids Challenge.

See you on the road/trails!

Sunday morning the alarm clock went off at 4:20am. My second ultra was waiting for me, exciting. After the usual breakfast I drove to pick up @craigjmcelroy and together we went down in Kent for the High Weald Challenge 50k Ultra Trail.

I have been preparing for this race quite well with a lot of climbs while on holiday and quite a bit of long runs the month before. So I felt pretty confident and was aiming for 4:30 (ah ah ah!). Once we arrived at the beautiful Groombridge Place we picked up our bibs and in the freezing morning prepared for the challenge (with a visit to the portaloos).

At 8am the race director walked us to the start line and we were off.

We ran most of it together. Took it relatively easy at the beginning. Walked most of the uphills, speeded up a bit in the middle part, but in general we were trying to save some energy for the end.

I did not eat anything strange this time at the aid stations. Only drank water and ate my own gels. The day got warmer and we got into a nice rhythm. We even managed to chat a bit.

The course was really nice. Not too hilly, something like 700mt of elevation in the whole 50k, so not too bad. The trail was muddy here and there, but nothing compared to the last time I was there (see my first marathon), but it was still quite a tiring terrain with very few fast runnable bits. Most of it was on uneven tiny trails on fields or in woods with plenty of roots and branches. A lot of fun.

Even if it was not marked particularly well (still better than expected) we managed not to get lost too much, either following someone else or looking at the navigation tool on the watch. Which is great by the way, the Fenix 3 is proving to be the best piece of kit I could buy. Luckily we did not need to look at the 20 page long road book given to us at the start.

Check out this video to see how wonderful the course and the day was. You can see me and Craig at 4:55 in one of the best downhill bits.

In the last 12k I struggled quite a bit but did not crawl, I just ran slower. Craig went ahead as he wanted to do it in 5 hours (and managed to do it). I went as fast as I could. The stomach was fine, the legs too, but they felt like they were coming off the hips. Every time I got into a rhythm I had to stop and climb over a stile. There were probably 25 stiles in the whole race and after a while they were really a pain!

I finally got to the end in 5 hours and 9 minutes, 24th place. My target of 4:30 (as always) was a bit too optimistic. Check out the Strava stats here.

Overall I loved the race. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice 50k, especially on a sunny day like last Sunday. The scenery from the hills is beautiful, the forests are fun to run and you get to cross Winnie The Pooh bridge too.

I felt good for most of it and even the bits I suffered were nothing compared to previous races. I just regret not pushing a bit more at the end, but I think it was a good test for the Druids Challenge.

The only negatives, as far as I am concerned, are that the course could be marked a bit better and that there were no refreshment at the end. No bananas! Nothing, just some water. Strange as the aid stations were very well stocked, plenty of water melons, my favourite ultra distance fruit! The ceramic mug received with the medal was quite nice actually.

We went to the pub for a quick beer and pie and then drove back home. It was a good day and going to a race with someone you know is definitely more fun than going alone.

The days after I felt fine, no pain anywhere, which is also a good indication that I should be able to run the second Druids day. Not sure about the third!

I decided not to go to the Cardiff Half Marathon next Sunday as I have not heard from Brooks about the bib I was supposed to get for free. Plus it is a bit too far and I would need to dedicate the whole weekend to it. I will instead do the Kingston 10 mile race that is just outside my door. I can do it and get back home as if I just went for a training run. I am aiming for a 10 miles PB. We’ll see.

Have fun!