WestHighlandWayRace

Activity starting: 28/10/2011 08:23

2011-10-30T11:14:00.001+01:00

Cross training and the cycle to work.

Week consisted of swimming 3 km 2 in sea and 1 in pool. Cycle total was only 80km running 24km so will need to ramp up the running again.

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Approx 20 Weeks to go Race number 4

2011-02-01T19:16:00.004+01:00

After last year's "successful" disaster of 31 hours, and nearly 4 months of recovery I hesitated to put my name forward for race number 4. So I have set some goals to reach through the training plan and providing I can stay on track then I will be on the start line.
Already off to a bad start when I twisted my ankle and inflamed the tendons 2 weeks ago after a 25Km run but feeling rested now and will hopefully be back on track by the end of the week. Ibroprofen really is a fantastic drug.

The Race

2010-06-17T10:32:00.002+02:00

Here we go again, 3rd time and the least amount of training I have done to date. Its been difficult this year balancing family and work with running as I have been traveling so much.
This year I am running to raise awareness of Meningitis due to the tradegy in Febuaey when my Nephew Leo died. Leo Good
We will see how far I get, and will try and keep a live update as I go through the checkpoints.

11 Weeks to go, 2 Weeks to Fling

2010-04-11T14:19:00.005+02:00

Panic setting in now, a chest infection kept me out for 2 weeks started back on Thursday with a 90 min hill run, felt awful. Then traveling and parenting meant no running Fri-Sat so this morning the plan was to get up early and go do a 6 hour trail run with 2000m ascent. After finaly dragging my ass out the bed at 8:30 and getting coffee and breakfast into me the chances of a 6 hour run were dwindling. Instead I opted for a fast 20km hill run straight up the side of one of our local hills 10km up. I was about 7 mins slower than previous pb so all in all I shouldn't be too disapointed. BUT I have not done any runs further than 40km this year or 5 hours where as the past 2 years I have done several 5hour plus runs. In less than 2 weeks I will be starting the Fling an 85km trail race that has a time limit so I cant even take it easy and hope for the best. I have always said that 90% of this race is in the head so I think I will have to prove it this year, though I wish I had done the last 10% training. As there is always a silver lining the trees are pollonating today and the air was a thick yellow soup so I hate to think what my lungs are like a 5 hour run may have resulted in several pine trees taking root in my alveoli.

13 Weeks to Go

2010-03-25T07:59:00.004+01:00

A 40km run on the Sunday with nearly 1800m ascent, climbed in the pool at the end to cool down the legs which was harder than the run itself. As it was my birthday the kids had made a cake which was just what I needed to help wash down the beer.

14 Weeks to Go

2010-03-25T07:56:00.003+01:00

Been neglecting the blog site again, Finaly starting to ramp up to the bigger runs hope I have not left it too late this year as previously I was doing 60km+ by end of Febuary but this always led to injuries so idea this time is to ramp later.

20 Weeks to go

2010-02-03T19:21:00.004+01:00

Skiing all day Sunday meant I had to do the long run on the Saturday and parenting dictated that it was late afternoon so not as far as I wanted but opted for a hill run on steep forest track up to Tourettes from Roquefort kept it slow but was still suffering. Did some fast 1km sections in the weekly runs plus a fast Friday run.

21 Weeks to go

2010-01-25T23:36:00.003+01:00

A better week plus a full day skiing on Saturday. Did a flat long run on the Sunday and went through the half marathon distance at 1hr39mins and felt good not sure I have another 9 mins in me but another 3 weeks of training to go.

22 Weeks to go

2010-01-19T18:56:00.003+01:00

Better week last week we forced ourselves to run in the snow that was beginning to thaw, and has mostly now cleared from the paths. Times are slow mixture of ice/snow and lack of speed. Need to do sprint training. Sunday run the watch died as I had not charged it most of the week so finished the run at 22/23 Km. Also skied both Sat and Sun.

23 Weeks to go

2010-01-11T19:35:00.002+01:00

Too much snow and ice and a large sprinkling of lazy made for 3 runs last week. 2 * 13km then the prom classic 10km race yesterday, embarresed to say it was 44 mins but in my defence I didnt get time to warm up (lazy problem again) and over the past 3 weeks I ate most of the christmas cake myself! Aiming for a fast Semi in mid Febuary.

24 Weeks to go

2010-01-03T14:43:00.002+01:00

Pain in my left foot, turned out to be an ingrown toenail and the beggar is deep. Will have to dig it out. Its from the big toenail I lost last May after the Mercontour assault coarse.
Anyway I did not do much this week, other than eat drink, ski and walk the dogs the runs I did do were all slow. Looking to ramp up over the next 5 weeks to a fast semi in Cannes.

6 months to go

2009-12-22T15:47:00.004+01:00

Just after the marathon I was ill for 3-4 weeks (possible piggy flu but more likely man flu) I have been struggeling to find my legs and get back into it. Got out a few times in the past couple of weeks but there is no speed so a fast time in the January prom classic 10k is out the question aim for as close to 40mins as comfartable.

Here is 2 weeks ago:

Here is todays run its around the forest track hilly and uneven.(Yes I know it looks awfull I have my work cut out)

Here we go again!

2009-12-01T13:45:00.002+01:00

Just had the conformation of being accepted onto the 2010 WHW race. 3rd time in a row so the target again will be sub 24 hours need to put in some more long training runs than last time and work harder on my refuel strategy.
Did the Nice-Cannes marathon 3 weeks ago in 3:32 so I should be in reasonable shape for starting training at 30k long runs at the weekend but Im also keen on a sub 1:30 half marathon in February in Cannes so will need to find a balance of speed and distance untill feb then ramp up distance to the 60km+ runs.

Finaly found some pics

2009-09-22T23:21:00.003+02:00

The Green Team at the start informaly known as "Free the Snugs"

The non running photographer thought taping the nipples was a step too far

You get some pretty weird spectators in this race not that the runners are that normal.

Dario presenting the goblet at the end of race as I couldnt make the presentation this year. He will be sadly missed.

A mysterious finisher looking amazingly like my support runner with what appears to be my Goblet. I was giving blood for the medical trial while this was taken.

Must Try Harder

2009-07-06T22:12:00.003+02:00

27 hours and 2 mins, only 25 mins faster than last year?
I think next year I dont pack a deck chair in the car its too comfy!
I also need to carry deep heat as I got very bad cramp in the right leg before the half way point.
Most importantly I need to get fitter and stronger.

A big thank you to all my support crew who yet again performed flawlessly.
With any luck Martin will mail me some pics / video soon.

13 Weeks to Go

2009-03-22T23:44:00.002+01:00

Again not a great week started out with a slow 36km and finished tail end by missing Fri and Sat.

14 Weeks to Go

2009-03-13T23:18:00.004+01:00

I know I have not been keeping up with the blog site. Between skiing running work and family I appear to have enough to do and with the current 'crisis' i.e. short term management thinking, finding contracting work is getting tough.

I have been doing some training and with the new toy Garmin 405 I have pictures to prove it. A little slow but was good to go again the next day. Not sure the calories are correct as I am sure its approx 1 cal for 1m ascent for approx 80kg male.

39 Weeks to Go

2008-09-21T16:08:00.001+02:00

Run Less Run Faster
Sounds odd but as the title of the book I thought it would turn out like one of those "loose weight in 1 week" types.
Anyway I have cut down my running and supplimented it with swimming and climbing. Now I do 3 hard days a week. 1 hour at just over race pace 1 hour sprints and a long run. This mornings long run was just over 22km with a big hill in the middle and it took me 1hr 41mins. I equate that to a sub 1hr 36min half marathon and I finished feeling great so went for a swim in the sea.

Admittingly the swimming is no easy day as it is 1200m in open water 2 times a week and the climbing is in the evenings of two of the running days. I should be cycling according to the book but I find that I need to do 2+ hours to get any sort of work out and finding that time mid week is not simple, so I confess to adding another running day most weeks 1 hour very easy pace but with hills.

Nice marathon on the 9th November will be the test hoping for sub 3hr 30min though going by todays performance 3hr 20min should be possible.

44 Weeks To Go

2008-08-20T10:54:00.002+02:00

So thanks to all who sponsored me, 2875 GBP.

I have entered in next years race, sub 24hr's is the goal.
My first goal will be the Nice marathon in 12 weeks so holiday over and back to the training.

Brett

Video Clips

2008-06-26T00:42:00.003+02:00

Thanks to Martin for the video clips, I'm sure I ran at some point but not on video it seems.

Sweat Success

2008-06-24T17:21:00.008+02:00

By Friday afternoon my wife had to wrestle the phone of me as I was convinced it was pointless to start the race. Undefined pain in my right foot to the point I was limping and missing 4 weeks of training due to injury of the left foot in the Fling was not giving me the mental attitude prescribed by my Sports Psychologist. I was persuaded that it would be better to start and drop out than not to start. So with 133 other mentaly unsound individuals I registered at midnight and collected my pre-bought merchandise. I had told some of my crew to not bother coming as I was not confident of getting far: this turned out to be a blessing in disguise (although sadly not for Chris who stayed at home!)

When we started at 1am I felt sick, 32 weeks I had been training for this and I was already feeling tired and sore going over the start line. At the fling I had felt so strong and was having delusions of grandeur. Going through Mugdock country park I glanced behind me and saw the mist on the ground with a trail of headtorches behind and a nearly full moon with Mars off to the side. The view was spectacular and I was glad I had started.

The plan had been to go as slow as possible over the first sections of the course but the pain in my right foot was stopping me from clear thinking. 2Km before Drymen I decided I couldn't take the pain any further and was going to drop out. It was just at the first hill on a road and I started to walk. Within seconds the pain vanished from my foot, my first thought was that I must have done serious damage for the pain to go, then I thought that maybe it had been a trapped nerve and it had freed up. The last km into Drymen was pain free and I even dared to think that the fat lady had not sung.

Going through Drymen my crew notified me that I was too fast at 2hr 15mins. Next was Conic Hill and I took it at a leisurely pace with a spectacular view at the top. Balmaha and the first Food intake came next-here was the lesson learnt from the fling (If I'm going to expend 15000 Kcalories I need to eat!). Then onto Rowerdennan and the midges. Very short stop due to the small carniverous beasties. How the marshals do it is beyond me!

Inversnaid was bliss as our little biting friends appeared to not know about it. Martin was going to accompany me on to Bein Glas where the second support team would be starting.

Bein Glas and the second support team arrived. As I was conviced of failure I had told them not to start but this now meant that they were fresh from a night's sleep allowing the 1st team to take a break. Onto DerryDaroch the halfway point and I was starting to feel good about myself and still running. The attractive marshall at Derrydaroch was causing a stir with 2 of my support team but they still managed to get me rehydrated and on the move.

The steep hills after the road crossing which had caused me pain during the Fling were now ok as I was moving slower than the Fling pace. I even managed to run down them. Then over the main road and round to Auchentyre Farm where I noted I had lost 3Kg. Several cups of tea and a bowl of pasta and I was off again. Tyndrum meant new ground as I had never run between here and Kingshouse.

The Team at Tyndrum

Over the hill and under the railway and a beautifully runnable path - sadly I abused this by going too fast and reaching Bridge of Orchy (BoO) much faster than I should have done. Spent probably 20mins in BoO eating and rehydrating before moving on. The hill leaving BoO was at its worst on the down slope and I was unable to run.

Tony now started his mammoth task of cajolling me to the finish from Victoria bridge - still 50km but I knew if it came to it I could walk the rest of the way in the alloted time if only I could keep going. I was now favouring a run walk strategy my legs favoured the walk while my head favoured the run.

The section from Victoria Bridge was hard as you can see just how far you have to cover and it's a lot! Thankfully it past quickly - mainly due to me counting the deer that didn't exist.

Kingshouse and again both support crews were there some more food and tea, while watching the Kingshouse chimney go up in flames. I did spot one deer at Kingshouse but Tony reckons it was a goat. Then on to the Devil's Staircase where thankfully the crews were waiting at the bottom as I had forgotten to vaseline myself after leaving the checkpoint.

The slog up the Devil's Staircase is thankfully shorter than the name suggests and we were soon on the path down but the weather was not helpful. I was running less and walking more by this time.

Kinlochleven (130km) was by far the most comfortable checkpoint but I was surprised to see I had now lost 5Kg so we stayed longer than intended while I gulped down several flasks of Tea. Some of my support team made their only mistake by attempting to eat fish suppers in front of starving debilitated runners - thankfully nobody was strong enough to start a fight and they quickly noticed the drool and zombied looks so they retreated to their cars to eat their hard earned meals.

Leaving Kinlochleven was one of the hardest things I did that night. It would have been very easy to find an excuse to stay but thankfully my support crew were not going to listen and I was booted out and sent on my way. Up onto Lairig mor and the weather turned vicious with howling wind and horizontal sleet. Slowing slightly caused our core temperatures to drop and so we moved as fast as I could (which was sadly not fast enough to keep Tony warm but he stuck by me' if a little quieter than usual). At Lundavra, again the support crews were waiting in the same vicous conditions, standing dangerously close to a large fire trying to stay warm. Here was probably my shortest stop. While Tony pulled on an extra layer, I drank 2 more cups of tea and we moved on. I ran very little of this last section and certainly none of the main road to the Sports centre. At 04:27 on the Sunday morning I finished - 27hours 27mins after leaving Milingavie. All along that road I swore "never again". Amazingly the first thing I was offered after crossing the finish line was a drink of whiskey.

First and foremost I would like to thank my Support Crew, Karen, Al, Martin and Tony who selflessly gave up their time to help me. Without any of them I would not have made it. I would also like to thank the missing man Chris who I told not to come as I didn't want him driving from London to watch me drop out after 10km. I would also like to thank both my parents for looking after the kids and Karen's parents for looking after me before and after the race.

And finally to all my sponsors - thank you very much. Admittedly I did not raise the 10,000 GBP target but I will continue raising until the 21st August. Which is about the time when the registration opens for next year ..... 52 Weeks

Live Update

2008-06-15T19:06:00.012+02:00

Registered :12:00,goodie bag collected
Start 1am :On my way!
Drymen 20.3Km :Left @ 3.15am
Balmaha 32Km :Left at 5.02am after some rice pudding
Rowardennan 43Km :Left at 6.45am
Inversnaid 55Km :Left at 8.35 with Martin
Bein Glas 65Km :Left at 10.35
Derrydarroch 71Km :Left at 11.55
A82 Crossing 79Km :Left at 13.05
Auchentyre Farm 81Km :Left at 13.55
Tyndrum 86Km :Left at 14.35
Bridge of Orchy 96Km :left at 4.35
Victoria Bridge 100.4Km :left at 5.15
Blackrock Cottage 113.3Km :left at 7.20
Kingshouse 116Km :Left at 8.07
Altnafeadh 120Km :Bottom of Devil's Staircase left 8.50
Kinlochleven 130Km :Left 11.30, raining & windy
Lundavra 141Km :Left at 2.08am - weather appalling but very very close!
Fort William The Finish 153Km :Finished at 4.27am!

1 Week to Go

2008-06-15T18:26:00.003+02:00

As I have been writing my blog post week training then the next blog will be the race. I will only run once or twice this week and both will be easy runs. Max 1 hour. The race starts on Saturday 1am so I fly back Thursday and will try to put my feet up on the Friday and not get myself into a total panic. Karen will remove my passport to stop me fleeing the country.
5 weeks ago I thought it was game over after my foot was diagnosed with bone issues but now I think my foot will make it my only concern is the lost training 4 weeks just when I should have been putting down the hardest training. Speaking to people who have a lot more experience has helped and the thought is all is not lost
Race strategy will be:
1) Get to start Line
2) Go as slowly as possible at the start without letting the back sweeper pass me
3) Eat at least 2 meals before Bridge of Orchy rough calculation says I will burn at least 15000 KCalories. Thats a lot of mars bars!
4) Keep Going
5) Stop at the finish line
I would love to do this in 24 hours which I'm sure is possible but the main goal is to finish.

My support team will try and do a live update publishing my times as I get into each checkpoint for which I will create a template.
Hard to believe that I have been training for this for the past 32 weeks its gone very quickly.

2 Weeks to Go

2008-06-15T18:23:00.002+02:00

Monday 45 mins
Tuesday 1hour
Wednesday 40 mins Hard
Thursday Rest
Friday 40 mins
Saturday Rest
Sunday 50 mins Slow

Feels wrong tapering after what feels like 2 weeks running.

3 Weeks to Go

2008-06-09T18:18:00.002+02:00

Monday 50 mins
Tuesday Rest
Wednesday 50 mins
Thursday 1 hour
Friday 1hr 20mins
Saturday 3hrs 15mins 30km very Hilly
Sunday Rest

The idea was to find out where my fitness level was without stressing my foot or overdoing it. So 30km in hills at an easy pace but with 26 deg C it felt tough but Im sure I could have done another lap. I think 8 weeks ago I would have found this much easier. So its now a 2 week taper to the race.
3 years living in the sun and I have still not learnt to apply sun cream, stupidly took of my shirt for the last 2 hours and my back looks like an embarassed lobster.

4 Weeks To Go

2008-06-05T11:00:00.003+02:00

Monday 45 Mins
Tuesday 1 hour
Wednesday Missed
Thursday Missed
Friday 1 hour
Saturday 45 Mins
Sunday 1 hour 20mins Hills

Still not shifted the cold so started to run anyway and on the Tuesday night I felt terrible and was hacking up crud out my lungs so I missed the Wednesday and Thursday sessions. Foot is starting to feel like it will hold together. Spoke to a friend who is a serious runner and got some good advice on getting back into the swing without doing too much.

5 Weeks to go

2008-05-25T22:34:00.003+02:00

Bloody hell foot starting to feel better and I get a cold.
Spent the week cursing and swearing on the frailty of the human body.
Finaly went out for a run this morning 4 weeks since my last run, then when I got back used the Aqua jacket in the pool it was raining and I was soaked anyway. Only lasted another 15 mins before I got cold. So a 45 min run and 15 mins in the pool which was harder than I thought it would be and I was knackered. This afternoon I had to go for a sleep!

6 Weeks to Go

2008-05-19T08:57:00.004+02:00

Still not done any running other than a 5 min jog to the end of the road.
Waiting on the orthosis to arrive and an aqua jog jacket.
Driving everybody up the wall as I am like a caged animal looking to get out. Starting to let doubt creep in as 3 weeks missed is not funny. As soon as the insoles arrive I will try a short easy run, as soon as the aqua jacket arrives I will be in the pool for a couple of hours.

7 Weeks to Go

2008-05-16T20:55:00.003+02:00

So I have inflammed the extendor tendon for my left foot and to cap it the Arch has dropped. Seen the Podologue who is creating orthosis for my feet. Thats 3 weeks with no running so starting to get concerned that all the good work will be undone. I invested in an Agua Jog jacket so that I can try and keep some fitness in the pool hopefully it will turn up in a day or so.

Will probably not be running for another week at least as it is still sore to walk on it.

Naked Pic

2008-05-09T20:21:00.003+02:00

Not even wearing the flesh. So does anybody see an issue? Obviously if you do see an issue I would love to hear it. Love the health service here they don't need waiting rooms.

Here is the ultra sound scan.

8 Weeks to Go

2008-05-06T20:55:00.002+02:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 30 mins easy
Wednesday 40 mins
Thursday Rest
Friday Rest
Saturday Rest
Sunday Col de Vence Hill Race Took it easy and paced Philip to the top then we jogged back down again. Hill runs here are done on the road even though there is a perfectly good track, they also only race to the top. Total 24 Km with 600m ascent

Foot had been okay so on the Monday I went out for a harder run only to be stopped dead after 30 mins with sharp pain in my foot. We will see.......

9 Weeks to Go

2008-04-29T21:46:00.005+02:00

Travelled back to Scotland for The Fling. Rested all week apart from Wednesday when I ran for 40 mins in the rain.
The Fling
First let me thank the Team - Al, Sprocket and Tony as without them I would never have crossed the finish line(or the start line!)
Was awake at 2am and could not get back to sleep. After 3 hours sleep, this did not give me a lot of confidence. At 4am when the alarm went off I had 2 poached eggs, some toast and a double espresso and I was feeling more up to the job. Met the team in Milngavie car park. The weather appeared to be holding but the forecast was for rain. At 6am the whistle went and we were off. Within a few mins the rain was pouring down. The team met me at each of the road crossings all the way up to Balmaha. Tony was standing at the top of Conic hill and followed me down into the car park. The steep grassy and worn stones were treacherous with the asic road shoes - next time it's something more grippy. A refill of juice at the carpark and off to Rowardennan. Was starting to get the beginnings of cramp just before Rowardennan and even 'though Chef Sprocket had created some rice dish I only managed a few fork fulls.
Then it was on to Inversnaid. The weather was giving the false impression it might clear up. Cramp really started to take hold of my legs on this section but I still didn't realise that I had not eaten enough. After Sprocket and Al had extricated themselves from the warm hotel tea and scones, I ate a banana and headed off to Inverarnan. After 10 mins I met Tony coming down the path - he had run down from Inverarnan. We managed to get to Inverarnan before Al and Sprocket had driven from Inversnaid - they claim that they drove straight there. Thankfully Tony had spare juice and I headed on to Derrydaroch. This is the halfway point for the full race and where I had to get to in 12 hours (to get into the WHW race). It was now 9 hours 30mins. I was really starting to feel the pinch and was not moving well. The path had been abused by a herd of cattle and was more like a swamp for long sections then the hill over the back of Crianlarich nearly finished me - not so much the up but the down was playing havoc with my cramping legs. Thankfully I met the team again crossing the road and got another banana. After 10mins this appeared to do the trick and I started running again. The finish line at Tyndrum was a welcome sight and I crossed the line in 11 hours 39mins.

Lessons Learnt

Team photo Start and Finish!
Change out of wet clothes at the pit stops and get warm kit on
Eat more a lot more - I have to learn to force down food on at least 3 pit stops.
Having kit made up in prepacked bags for each stop will save time and patience
Need a grippier trainer for the wet grassy sections.
Tony meeting me and running short sections with me was fantastic.

Injury
I have a suspected digital extensor tendon sheath inflammation that is painful so will have to be careful this week. I already irritated it further today by running on it.

10 Weeks to go

2008-04-21T18:02:00.002+02:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 1 hour 10mins easy
Wednesday Missed
Thursday

Morning 1 hour hard
Afternoon 1 hour easy

Friday 35mins Flat out
Saturday 1 hour 30mins Hills
Sunday Rest

This weekend is the Highland Fling so I will be taking it easy and hoping that I have done enough. Then its only 9 weeks to the full buna. Where did all the time go? Still concerned about the weather in Scotland it looks cold and wet.

11 Weeks to Go

2008-04-16T23:09:00.002+02:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 1 hour hard
Wednesday 4 * 800m
Thursday 1 hour hard
Friday 1 hour Easy
Saturday 50 mins easy hills
Sunday 3 hours 15 mins Hills

2 Weeks until the highland fling and the nerves are starting to jingle. The fact that it was 8 weeks since my last really big run might have something to do with it. That and reading that everybody else doing the race seems to be doing 7 hours +. The next few days will be an exercise of staying calm and not trying to do all the training I think I should have done before the race.

Will opt for conservitism and ramp down to the race then pick it back up for the main event providing I get past the fling in one piece.

12 Weeks to Go

2008-04-06T21:37:00.002+02:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday

Morning 40 mins
Afternoon 1 hour

Wednesday

Morning 45 mins
Afternoon 4 * 1km plus hill session

Thursday MAN FLU again!
Friday Still suffering
Saturday Feeling better but not risking it
Sunday 2 hours 30 mins Hills (Felt great)

Got a bit stressed when I came down with another cold On Wednesday night, I'm not drinking alcohol, Im eating lots of fruit and drinking copious amounts of water so why am I getting colds?
Yes I know between work and running, my body is under more than usual stress but still.
3 Weeks until the half race in Scotland and the weather there is still Snow? The organisers have asked if I will run for the French team (A bit of a laugh) Though I am worried my support team will take this to heart and go on Strike or worse feed me nothing but cheese and baguettes, the water stops will be nothing but espressos.

13 Weeks To Go

2008-04-06T21:34:00.002+02:00

Monday 30 light jog
Tuesday 1hr 10 mins hard
Wednesday 12 * 200m (Was almost puking at the 8th and 9th)
Thursday 1 hour hard
Friday 1hour easy
Saturday 40 mins easy
Sunday 1hr 30 mins hills

Late writing this week up as I must have forgotten to do it last week

14 Weeks to Go

2008-03-25T08:56:00.002+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday

Morning 1 hour
Afternoon 1 hour

Wednseday

Morning 1 hour
Afternoon 8 * 400m sprints

Thursday Missed
Friday Missed
Saturday

Night 1 hour hill session

Sunday

Morning 4 hours 15 mins 44km

Other commitments meant that I missed Thursday and Friday but Im sure I could have got out if I really wanted to but there was no way I was getting up at 5 to do a run.
The weather here is getting hot 20+ degrees by the afternoon so its a concern that it is snowing in Scotland it will be a shock to the system to run in the cold and wet.

15 Weeks to Go

2008-03-16T15:43:00.002+01:00

Monday Another days rest to be sure
Tuesday

Morning 50 mins
Afternoon 1 hour

Wednesday

Morning 50 mins
Afternoon 4 * 800m sprints

Thursday Morning 1 hour hills
Friday

Morning 1 hour hard
Afternoon 1 hour hard

Saturday 40 mins hills
Sunday 3 hours 31km

After last week not feeling well I was very keen to get started again. Its proving difficult to get the time to do all my running so splitting the milage into two runs is easier especially as I am busy at work. Only problem is the quantity of laundry. Approx 100km in total this week. Its now only 5 weeks until the half race the highland fling. Will do a couple more high milage runs before then.

16 Weeks to Go

2008-03-16T14:37:00.003+01:00

Monday 45 mins easy
Tuesday

Morning 45 mins easy
Afternoon 1 hour hard

Wednesday Ill
Thursday Ill
Friday Ill
Saturday Ill
Sunday Feeling better but took the day off

Came down with one of the kids colds (Man Flu). Felt awfull and had a temprature on the Wednesday so a few days off is preferrable to long term damage.
Also a bad week as Basil (My dog) one of my few running companons died on the Sunday after collapsing on one of our morning runs a week ago. He was diagnosed with some sort of sarcoma in his chest (Cancer) It was shocking just how quickly he went down hill. He passed away peacefully at home on the Sunday afternoon. We will all miss him especially his sister BT who will continue to keep me company on the morning runs.

17 Weeks to Go

2008-03-04T00:34:00.003+01:00

Monday 1 hour easy
Tuesday

Morning 50 mins hard
Evening 1 hour

Wednesday

Morning 50 mins Hard
Afternoon 12 * 200 meters

Thursday 1 hour
Friday Trek round Gorges Verdon
Saturday 50 mins
Sunday 50 mins

A combination of friends staying and work piling up kept the milage low.

18 Weeks to Go

2008-02-24T20:13:00.002+01:00

Monday Rest (Come on I did 60km yesterday!)
Tuesday 1 hour hard
Wednesday Missed (Car Blew up! No seriously the car blew up. Wife driving!!)
Thursday 1 hour easy
Friday

40 Mins hard
30 mins hill sessions

Saturday Rest
Sunday Cannes Semi Marathon was looking to beat my PB but after last Sunday was not expecting to. At the 10Km mark I was just under 45 mins and feeling good. Managed to hold it together for a 1hr 34 mins 38s. Very happy - that's 8 mins off my previous best and I'm sure I could find another four mins.

19 Weeks to go

2008-02-17T20:06:00.005+01:00

Monday 1 hour hard run
Tuesday

Morning Easy 40 mins
Afternoon 1 hour hard

Wednesday 4 * 800m each sub 3 mins (It's fast for me!)
Thursday

Morning 40 mins with hill climb
Afternoon 1 hour hard

Friday 1 hour hard
Saturday Rest
Sunday 6 hours 0 mins 24s 62Km

Total km this week will be about 122km which means there would be another 31km to go in one day. !
I had been dreading the Sunday run all week as I intended to run for 6 hours. Didn't get started until just after 10am so it meant a wasted day and my headphones on the ipod failed so was starting to think about excuses. Thankfully my stubborn streak won out and I did the run. I went through the 42km mark in sub 4 hours but felt fine; after 5 hours the felt fine feeling was long forgotton and I was glad it was only another hour to go, physcologically, how do you tell yourself to keep going when there is another 19 + hours to go? Will need to find an answer for this one.

20 Weeks to go

2008-02-11T23:07:00.001+01:00

Monday 1 hour hard run
Tuesday

Morning 45 mins hill trails
Afternoon 30 hard run

Wednesday 4 * 1km each one 3mins 45s 1km warm up 1km warm down
Thursday 45 mins
Friday

Morning 45 mins
Afternoon 45 mins

Saturday 31km easy
Sunday Full day skiing (legs like jelly) then night run 1 hour

My right Achilles is sore after something aggravated on Friday hopefully it will recover through the week.

21 Weeks to Go

2008-02-04T22:07:00.000+01:00

Monday 40 min light run
Tuesday

Afternoon 1 hour hard
Night 40 mins Easy

Wednesday

Morning 30 mins
Afternoon Sprints 12 * 200m

Thursday1 hour 15mins
Friday 1hr 10mins Easy
Saturday Hills (Pulling Calvin to the top on his sledge) Too Many

Not enough according to Calvin

Sunday Long trail run with 3 'technical sections' Put through the gps it comes out like the picture below.

22 Weeks to go

2008-01-30T20:24:00.001+01:00

Monday 40min light run
Tuesday

Morning 30 Min light run
Afternoon 12.5km 58 min

Wednesday 30 min light run
Thursday

Afternoon 18km
Night 40 min light run

Friday 12.5km 1 hour
Saturday Skiing all morning
Sunday Missed

Missed the long run on Sunday as I finaly succumbed to the cold that had start last Wednesday.
Opted for the day off rather than make things worse.

23 Weeks to go

2008-01-21T19:50:00.000+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 15km
Wednesday 4 * 800m each sub 3 mins
Thursday Missed
Friday 15Km
Saturday 8km
Sunday 50Km in 4hrs 59min 7s

Reading 'Feet in the clouds' by Richard Askwith again, very inspirational stuff.
Felt fine after the 50km run was very flat and the slight incline there was in it I walked up.
Will look this week for better training run that has more hills for better training without reverting to the Alps.

24 Weeks to Go

2008-01-13T22:41:00.000+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 1 hr run
Wednesday Hill Sprints (Over did it legs were like lead after it)
Thursday 1 hr night run
Friday 1hr 30mins in torrential rain (like a drowned rat after it)
Saturday (Missed my run)
Sunday 42km 4hrs 7 mins (7 laps round the park tracks with small hills)

Should have run further but ran out of juice (not metaphorically)

Walked into the pool after the Sunday run the temp gauge read 7 deg C but it felt more like -7.
Legs feel fine after the run possibly helped by the immersion in cold water but I dont think I will do it again as it was bloody cold!

25 Weeks to Go

2008-01-06T21:18:00.001+01:00

Monday Rest (Well roller blading [Attempting] on the Prom)
Tuesday 1 hour track through the woods
Wednesday Hill Runs
Thursday 2 hours 24.8km
Friday 1 Hour track through the Woods
Saturday 30 mins of sprints
Sunday 10km Race (Nice Prom Classic) Current official time 43:59 though I think it still has to take in the start time as I have 43:03 on my watch.

Also did further 1 hour through the woods at night (Just back)

Quite pleased with the 10k time as I know I could have lost another min if it had not been for the congestion and bottle necks Why they thought it necessary to put all women out 5 mins ahead and to bring 2 roads into one is beyond me.

26 Weeks to go

2007-12-31T19:20:00.000+01:00

Monday 40 min run
Tuesday (Christmas day! Ate half a goose and heaven only knows how many of those little sausages)
Wednesday Ran/Walked for 1 hour with 16kg (Son) on my back. Plus hill sprints in evening.
Thursday Ran 18km 1hr 28min
Friday 50 min run
Saturday 1 hour easy trail run
Sunday 37.2 Km in 3 hour 30 mins

Have the Nice prom Classic 10k race this Sunday, hopefully get sub 45min but we will see.

27 Weeks to go

2007-12-31T19:14:00.000+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 1.5 hours Jog
Wednesday 8 * 400m
Thursday Full day Skiing (Cross training)
Friday Half day Skiing
Saturday 1.5 hours
Sunday Full day Skiing

First week of my holidays combined with the slopes at Isola opening, clear blue skys and Martin turning up did not create a high milage week.
Blog is late due to our internet connection being closed.

28 Weeks to go

2007-12-16T16:51:00.000+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 1hr 13.5km
Wednesday 4 * 1km each 3min 50s
Thursday 18Km
Friday 13.5km
Saturday 6km
Sunday 31km 2hr 58m

Felt very bad on the Saturday but made good recovery on the Sunday ran for the first time with a sports drink and forced myself to have a mouthful every 15 mins. First time I have finished a long run and could pee! Just had the race pack sent through. A little concerned with some of the wording it looks like we will be 'weighted' at the checkpoints.

29 Weeks to go

2007-12-09T14:55:00.000+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 1 hour 13km
Wednesday 8 * 400m
Thursday Missed
Friday 40 mins hills
Saturday Rest
Sunday 11Km hill race was 55mins and came 43rd out 167

http://crossamnesty.free.fr/11km.pdf

A busy week our puppy went missing on Thursday (Bob Jack Russel 7 months old) and has still not turned up Kids keep asking for her and the other dogs are pining. Amy got the Chicken pox on Friday night so Calvin is bound to get it in 10 days should make a great Christmas picture.

30 Weeks to go

2007-12-02T20:29:00.000+01:00

Monday Rest
Tuesday 40 mins
Wednesday 10 * 200m
Thursday 1 hour
Friday 30 mins
Saturday Rest
Sunday 3 hrs 20 mins (21km) Cross Country then 6km fast on road

Cross Country race next week 12km

31 Weeks to go

2007-11-25T23:05:00.001+01:00

Hard to define where week 1 should really start, but I suspect where the blog starts is as good a place as any.
So Week 1

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6.5km sub 30 mins
Wednesday: 4 * 800m with 200m recovery plus warm up / down
Thursday: 'Missed'
Friday: 18km 1h 30m
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 4hrs 20m 2000m ascent 26km

So It Begins

2007-11-24T07:46:00.000+01:00

With some apprehension I start my training for the West Highland Way Race . After watching a friend (Tony Westbury) complete this in 2005 I knew I would have to try it. It has taken two years to pluck up the courage.