The Cateran Trail Race

We arrived at our B&B on the Friday night, and after a lot of chat from the owners we headed off to the hotel so I could register for the race. Much chat with friends, wine for Caroline, orange for me, then back to our B&B to sleep. The owners of the B&B were great, he is an ex RAF Wing Commander and his uniforms still hang in the hall. They were so quirky that I started to get random images of old TV show ‘Tales of the Unexpected’. I imagined going down for breakfast the next morning to find him in uniform at the head of the table eating one of the other guests’ heads whilst she smiled sweetly and served our breakfast! I needn’t have worried, her “I can’t get up that early” comment, resulted in an impressive spread of a continental breakfast… she clearly thought I’d need a hell of a lot of food before tackling the race!

So after breakfast we headed straight to Glenshee, arriving not long before the race briefing. Then the walk over to the start, and ready for the off! For the first time ever in an ultra, I stood there excited. No nerves, no I don’t want to do this today, just a calm sense of being glad to be back racing. I’d told Mrs pacepusher that for this race I would be more Sharon (the Gibbering Midget) than Thomas (the Crazy German), i.e. happy and positive! I’m normally stroppy and negative ( a lot like Thomas) at check points, but not today!

Karen gives a perfectly toned down start, “you ready? 3,2,1 Go!” and we’re off! It was a strong field, but Tim almost giving me a black eye with his elbow as we jostled for position from the start line seemed a little excessive!!!

I was running with John Malcolm and Lucy Colquhoun early on, but in true pacepusher style, I pushed on and was soon alone. I reached the first check point (5.7 miles) uneventfully, apart from falling over, in just over 49 minutes , about what I was expecting!

I now faced a long stretch on the road before a fairly long climb. If I take one thing from this race, it’s to stick to my game plan. I purposefully ran the race alone (only running with others briefly – unsociable I know, but I get caught up in other peoples runs, and I need to run my own race) and running hard when I planned to (even early on). And so, I legged it up the road, hitting 7 to 7:30 m/m pace throughout. Mrs p was concerned, but this was always my plan. I had a long uphill recovery followed by a glorious downhill sweeping woodland path to recover on. I love this section and I was soon at Kirkton of Glenisla (8.9 miles in 1:17.33) joking with Drama Queen that I hadn’t broken anything yet!! I was feeling good and loving the run. A quick refuel and I was off!

Actually, another thing to take from this race, is the importance of knowing the route as well as you can. I had covered the whole route in training, so I knew what was coming and when, I knew when to push, when to hold back and when to accept a long walk. This also allowed me to eat/drink/carry what I would need before and during each section.

At the top of the climb out of Glenisla, I got cramp in my right calf climbing over the stile. I NEVER get cramp… WTF! Only about 15 miles in too! I stretched it and I ran on… with firmly crossed fingers!!

John caught me up in this section, he was running superbly and we ran together and chatted for a while, but (sticking to the game plan) I let him push on and was alone again. Maybe I’d catch him again later, maybe not, but this was my run, with my goal to achieve.

I met Mrs p twice during this section which was great. She was amazing all day, said all the right things, and kept me moving quickly through the check points. I can’t thank her enough for her support and encouragement… I’m pleased I had a ‘Sharon’ day for her and was happy and positive throughout!

Lucy caught me just before the hill into Alyth but as she expected (“here he comes” she said), I passed her again on the downhill. I arrived in Alyth (now in road shoes after a quick change a few miles earlier) in 1:48.55 (11.2 miles).

After a walk to refuel with Mrs p, I was off and running again. A wave of sickness meant I started to walk just before the long climb, but not to worry, on I plodded. I know this section perhaps better than any other, and knew I didn’t like it much! I knew however that I liked it more than the next. I’d struggled to embrace much of the route during training runs, but today I was loving it. It is a great route, so varied, and in such perfect conditions, I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else!

I made it to Blairgowrie, where Santababy, the lollipop lady for the day, made sure I crossed the road safely, in 56 mins (5.45 miles). I made Mrs p work here, sending her back for my jacket whilst I kept walking! Sadly Lucy pulled out here, but on the plus side, I probably wouldn’t get beaten by a girl now

As I said, this is a tough section but again I didn’t mind it. I knew that once I got to Bridge of Cally I’d broken the back of the route. I ran as much as I could, and made the most of the decent into BoC. 6.8 miles in 1:17.24 and the route’s back was indeed broken!

The next section to Kirkmichael is one of the most beautiful on the route. However, boggy, sheep shitty fields, are not good for running on! I spat the dummy for the first time that day! I was annoyed, I was in shape to still be running well, but underfoot conditions didn’t allow it, I also fell again! I can safely say however that wearing road shoes was not the problem. Trail shoes would have been of no greater benefit as others confirmed post race. As I reached the end of the shitty bog crap, I saw John behind me. I was confused. I hadn’t passed him (turned out he’d missed a marker and had run about 2 extra miles). Back on the road/dry trail, I had strong words with myself! My energy and enthusiasm had been sapped and I needed to get them back! I got myself running again, and ran fairly well all the way to Kirkmichael… back in the game! (8.05 miles – 1:35.56)

I’d made myself a promise about the next section way before race day. There is about a mile (if that) of fabulous trail in this section. Woodland trail is by far my favourite running terrain, and I’d promised myself to enjoy it. I did just that, smashing out about 7-7:30 m/m pace through the forrest and beaming from ear to ear as I did so. Arriving in Enochdhu after covering 2.32 miles in just over 24 mins, I hoped I’d done enough to maintain my 9th place. Placings were not important to me, but a top 10 would be an added bonus!!

So off I head on the final section with the news that Mike Raffan is not far ahead… “I’ll never catch him” says I!

So, just after the farm, I see Mike. Eighth would be nice! I don’t push on too hard (stick to the plan), but I do have a little extra bounce in my step! I pass him eventually and he looks unimpressed by my “alright bud?” comment as I run past. I keep running as much as I can on the ascent, liking eighth place and the time I was heading for. Seeing John and another runner also catching Mike spurs me on again, I’m starting to tire though, and that cramp is seriously thinking about making a return visit! Not long to go, dig deep!

John catches me, I use him to pull me along for a while and we chat about his wrong turn. He ran so strongly all day though and he left me half way up a climb. Back to ninth (not bothered though, John’s a lovely guy and he deserves it after an extra 2 miles! Well done mate – superb run!), I’ll follow John and use him to get myself to the finish well under my dream time of sub 9.5 hours. I look back, another runner has passed Mike. I need to keep pushing. I do! Next thing I know, there’s a runner on my heels. Runners of Mike’s quality don’t give up that easily, and he passes me as we reach the start of the final climb.

The other runner, Phil Humphries catches me. We chat, we are both annoyed that we let Mike pass us. We are both exhausted! Phil just has a bit more on the lower part of the hill, and I’m down to 11th (back to focusing on my time!).

As I struggle very badly up the hill, my GPS tells me I’ve slowed to a pathetic 25 m/m pace. I’m beaten! I stop, hands on knees, look back. No rush, he can’t catch me. I think about my time and in my tiredness add 25 minutes to the time on my watch. 9:30 has gone. Gutted! I battle on to the summit where I check the GPS again. Time, 9 hours… 15. 15!?!? What? I see the hotel about 1.5 miles away. Game on. I can do this.

I ran so hard down that hill, constantly looking ahead at the distance and comparing it to the time remaining on my watch. 10th place is getting closer, over the stile, leg it, you can do this. You will do this! Through the gate and a sprint to the finish line. Another quarter mile and I might have made 10th but who cares, a finish time of 9 hours 27 mins, and mission accomplished! I am delighted! Sweaty hugs for Karen and Mrs p, a change of clothes and a pint of Stella! Happy as a pig in shit! (final section 5.92 miles – 1:13.12)

We watched a few people finish and got all the news from the sharp end of the race, then headed back to the (well I would say sanity, but…) B&B for showers. They are keen to hear all about it, so I tell them… a far shorter version than this!

Back to the hotel for food, more Stella and more finishers. The last of which we all head outside for. The legend that is Ray McCurdy is welcomed home like a hero!

Prize giving is great (although some Scottish Chelsea fan didn’t agree as the sound was turned down on the football!) and we all receive our race Quaichs. I thank Karen and tell her well done!

Chat, banter, booze and a lift home from a member of the hotel staff and I’m fast asleep in bed… very contentedly!

Next morning, Mrs B&B excels with breakfast, whilst Sir tells us some of the stories he already told us yesterday! It really was a great place to stay (Dalhenzean Lodge) and I jest about the owners. Their genuine concern in asking Caroline if she would be carrying her phone whilst she ran and I supported her for the morning was tester-mount to that! Great characters!

A huge thanks to Karen and all her team of helpers for a fabulous day! Karen, you all did a great job, you are slowly creating a very special race!

Thoughts On The Cateran Trail Race

Well it’s just under 2 weeks until the Cateran Trail Race. How am I feeling? I’m looking forward to it! My weekly mileage since returning from the Good Ol’ US of A has never exceeded the total mileage of the race, but I’ve hit all my long runs hard, and despite my complaints to Caroline, I’ve enjoyed being back on the trail. So much so that I’m finding road running a chore! I’ve run all the sections of the race, and if I’m honest, I find a lot of it hard work (too muddy) but if the good weather keeps up, that might not be a problem!

Myself and Caroline went out to play on the WHW today, with a lot of the run on Conic Hill, it was a pretty mean hills session, and I ran as much as I could. I felt fresh, relaxed, and after damaging both ankles last year on the trail, felt like I had my confidence back! Caroline will vouch for that after chasing me down the hills and over the technical trail (bare in mind she’s pretty awesome downhill herself!).

So I’m looking forward to returning to racing, especially as I’ve heard nothing but positives about the race! My one dilemma? What shoes? I’ve ruled out high heals, and am now torn between road and trail shoes. As things stand, road shoes are winning, but if the weather turns… Whichever I choose, the other will be in the support vehicle.

So, what time do I aim for? I don’t honestly know! I’d love to get under 9hrs30, but we’ll see. As long as I beat JK’s time and take another Kilbarchan club record off him, I’ll be happy. But I don’t even know if I’m in the shape for that! I just want to enjoy my first ultra race in ages, and then enjoy a few beers and a catch up with friends afterwards. Watch this space I guess!

Well done to all those that completed the Fling last weekend… some stunning performances from good friends, be it very impressive PBs, first time finishes, helping people achieve those finishes, or providing support. Great effort all!

Finally, a big well done to Caroline on her Fling too! For those that don’t know, a very enjoyable wedding meant that we couldn’t participate in the Fling proper, so Caroline ran her own race. She battled hard towards the end (I know, believe me, I was running with her and made her battle hard to finish, with many an uncomfortable look from Caroline’s dad, Pete, who was clearly worried about his favourite daughter!) She PB’d and is well on track to complete the WHW this year. As myself and Sonic discovered a few years ago, it’s a lot harder to complete these races when they’re not actually ‘races’! So well done Mrs P!

And finally (again), well done to my brother and sister-in-law (Mr & Mrs Bookseller), Keir (Boyracer) and the 4th member of their team for smashing out a damn impressive Fling Relay. The Bookseller’s next outing will be the Edinburgh Marathon… their first! Good luck and enjoy it!

Laters…

Running On The Spot

The Fling came and went… and I didn’t exactly have the day I was hoping for. Despite being well ahead of PB schedule and running well,  just before Beinglas farm, my head, body and stomach all decided they’d had enough! I finished in around 9 hrs 37 mins, somewhat off my PB from two years ago, but still respectable. The heat beat me. Full stop. Anyway, looking forward…

As I climbed off an exercise bike in the gym on Tuesday, a very hot and sweaty mess,  I bumped into one of the Navy’s PTIs (Physical Training Instructors) that I’ve spoken to before. He asked how the running was going, and I told him about my exploits in the Fling.  He’s a runner himself and the chat developed into PBs and training (I can take him over any distance above 13.1!), and I voiced my concerns about being a submariner and maintaining running fitness. “Let me show you something”, he said.

We walked back to his office, and then he handed me this book…

He explained to me that he had been in the USA and Canada as part of the crew on HMS Ark Royal last year, and had met a US PTI. He had exchanged his beret (The US Navy don’t wear them, but think they’re great) for this book. I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but this is actually a book about running ON THE SPOT! Apparently ideal for a submariner like me, but despite the author of the book’s forward, I needed some convincing… he lent me the book…

Having skimmed through it, the whole idea of the book would appear to be based on the Sports Psychology principles of Schmidt (for further reading see, ‘Motor Learning & Performance – From Principles To Practice’ by Schmidt, R.A, 1991 - I was a PE student remember!) which suggests that any practice/repetition, is better than none; i.e. practicing putting on the carpet to improve your golf,  is better than not practicing at all. It’s a very interesting read, and I ran a mile on Thursday night in my cabin! There’s an annex to the book which gives suggestive running times per mile (‘On The Spot’) based on your average run/race times, each mile being approximately 1.5 mins slower to equal the energy/calorie expenditure of a normal run.

The book also discusses barefoot running, and how we can use ‘Running On The Spot’ techniques, as a means to improving our running performance.  i.e. as with barefoot running, we can improve our running form through running barefoot, ‘On The Spot’! Given the need for silence onboard a submarine, I was particularly interested in this chapter! 

There are also chapters on running ‘uphill’ on the spot, and running ‘speed sessions’ on the spot… I’m yet to be convinced by these, but if you apply Schmidt’s principles (of which I’m a great believer, and wrote my dissertation on), then there must be something in it! It’s a fascinating book, and I don’t want to give it back… as I (surprisingly, let me know if you can – I scanned the above) can’t find it online, it’s photocopying time at work!

Keep on running friends… but apparently ‘On The Spot’ will do!

Springs and S**t!

The Montane Highland Fling Race is tomorrow. JK says on his blog that he feels like a coiled spring. I feel like a child’s ‘Slinky’ toy (Oh Google it if you’re not as old as me!) that’s been over used and has become tangled up in knots! 

Good luck one and all!

The Great Outdoors

Our secret running plan for this weekend (being Caroline’s Birthday weekend) fell through as her Niece decided to have her 1st birthday party this weekend. We’re still planning on doing it at a later date though, so I’m still not going to tell you what it is! 

I wrote this on Wednesday after my run… old skool!

“I’m sitting in my Cabin at Faslane, using pen and paper to put down my thoughts as I have no internet access. I feel inspired to waffle on after the run from which I have just returned.
For some time now I have complained about running out and back from Faslane, and of not enjoying my runs. Well suddenly, the evenings get longer and the sun shines brighter, and I have time and  daylight to fill (not to mention some very cool new trainers!).
I’ve discovered a cracking run which loops away from Faslane, up the Glen Fruin Road (allowing for some serious hill reps, e.g. 2 mins up, 1 min down x 8), followed by about 2 miles of glorious downhill running to destroy whichever leg muscles I haven’t already trashed going up the hill!
I’m even starting to enjoy those out and backs which tormented me just a few weeks ago. This afternoon, I ran my 6 mile out and back (well out and back apart from the loop at the halfway point!) and was reminded why I’m a runner. After 7 snowy miles on Saturday, 14 long miles on Sunday, 6 miles tempo on Monday, and the above mentioned hill session yesterday, today was never going to be anything more than a recovery run/steady plod… the kind of run I generally hate! Armed with just my ipod - no GPS, no watch – I decided to run my six miler, knowing I could turn back and cut it short if necessary. But the sunlight brings with it new treasures… the snow glowing on the tops of the hills, the sun sparkling off the water as a couple of tugs dance on the waves like Anne Widdecombe and her partner on Strictly Come Dancing, the sea breeze blowing the scent of salt water through the air, my ipod shuffling up some classic tunes,  and even the residents of the Faslane Peace Camp are pottering about enjoying the day… peacefully of course! If it hadn’t been for the traffic and the concrete underfoot, I might have thought I was on the trail, miles from civilisation. 
So, why am I a runner? Because even on days when it’s hard work just to maintain a slow pace, when you feel like a pantomime horse taking part in the Grand National, and when the biggest challenge of your run is to get out of the front door in the first place, you are reminded that the outdoors is a fabulous, and beautiful place to be!”

My good form has continued… I’ve run every day this week (twice today!) and covered 53.5 miles. I ran 15 miles yesterday @ 7:22 m/m pace and felt fantastic. My training’s really starting to come together now and I’m thoroughly enjoying being a runner again… now if I can just find a few races to do…

The Drovers Return

It’s Sunday morning, somewhere between 09:00 and 09:30, and I’ve just pulled into the Drovers Inn car park, ahead lies 31 miles on the West Highland Way, finishing the day in Kingshouse… I have a strange sense of de ja vu!

(You can blame Caroline for the title. Apparently it’s some clever reference to a pub in something called Coronation Street? Not sure what she’s talking about, but she thought it was clever!?!?)

Anyway, this week, after a bad day in the office last Sunday for me, it’s Caroline’s turn to complete the run. I thankfully, am only here as the designated driver! Last week, Caroline was ill, so stayed at home, whilst I joined JK et. al. for the 31 miles training run on the Way. I completed the distance, and in a reasonable time, but I was not happy with my run. To put it bluntly, I was hangin’ out my arse from Bridge Of Orchy onwards. I’d had a bad stomach all week , I had perhaps completed too many long runs in the previous weeks, I was wearing new shoes, it was windy, the day had a ‘y’ in it… whatever excuse you want! Truth is, I probably got a bit carried away and pushed the pace a bit (surprised?).

At the top of the forest above Crianlarich, I set off down one of the hills in my usual manner… and that was the last I saw of the other guys! I ran all the way to Tyndrum without walking (except when I Superman dived onto the floor having apparently not seen the big lump of tree sticking out the ground), and was feeling pretty good. Having read JK’s blog of the run, I had made 4 minutes on them from the top of the forest to Auchtertyre Farm, and that’s not that far… clearly I got a bit carried away, and hence leaving Tyndrum, I started to suffer. Anyway I lived to tell the tale, but had the usual, ‘never doing this again’ chat with myself over the final miles!

So this week was Caroline’s turn… and yep… she did exactly the same as me… I was so proud! As a result, she ran 24 faster miles, and then came to a grinding halt. Personally I think it will do her confidence more good to have run like that, rather than just plodding on through 31 miles… I’m pretty sure it mean’t she enjoyed it more too (well the first 13 miles anyway!)

In my role as support crew, I ran 20.5 miles! I did 9 miles out and back from the Drovers, 7 miles out and back from Bridge Of Orchy, and then 4.5 miles back and out, and then out and back, from Victory Bridge. When I ran on my own, I ran hard, I maintained a sub 8 m/m pace and ran all the hills… I had a great time! As things turned out, it was a really good days training for both of us!

We have a little something special (running orientated) planned for Caroline’s Birthday the weekend after next, but if I told you what it was, I’d have to kill you!!!

I (Cate)Ran Again Yasterday!

Well, whilst my boat is due to sail this week, as things stand, I’m not due to be on it. So, I have a little longer to find my sea legs, and a little longer to keep up the running!

I haven’t done much this week, my legs were a little tender to say the least after last weeks efforts, so after doing nothing on Monday, it was cross training in the gym that was called for on Tuesday. I pushed myself far too hard on the bike for 40 minutes, and my legs were certainly not more recovered after the session.

On Wednesday we had a training exercise on the boat in the evening, which pretty much gave me no time to go running, but after an early finish on Thursday (2pm), and a beautiful day to match, I climbed into my running gear (under protest from my legs, may I add) and headed out for a run. I decided just to go out and explore, with the main intention to find the Glen Fruin road. After a few uphill false starts, I found it, and it’s definitely a hill! On my ‘still tired from the weekend’ legs, it was only pure bloody minded stubborness, that saw me run all the way to the top without stopping. Then, when I reached the top of the road, I was anal, and had to take the trail to the very top. Something my road shoes were not very happy about! After enjoying the view for a few minutes, I ran back down the way I came, then out to Garelochhead and back. I was out for over an hour and a half, and although I enjoyed it, my legs really did struggle with the run after the climb.

When I returned, I got into the shower, taking my trainers with me for a rinse (they were disgusting!). Just after I’d got in, and was starting to enjoy the hot water, the bloody fire alarm went off! I took my time to dry myself and get dressed (I figured I’d rather have to smash the window with my desk chair to get out, than go out there in a towel), and was glad I did. After about 10 very cold, wet haired minutes, they finally acknowledged that it was a false alarm, and I headed back in to rejoin my trainers in the shower!

On Saturday I joined Caroline for a 25.5 mile run on the Cateran Trail. It was very wet and soggy under foot, and with quite a lot of ice in the early stages, I continued to make my latest running experiences eventful, by performing a Torvil & Dean style manouevre. Unfortunately I failed to include the grace or the finesse of their Bolero performance and ended up in a painful heap on the floor! I’ve had better starts to a run! Anyway, Mrs pacepusher ran really well and we had, in the words of Wallace & Gromit, ‘A Grand Day Out’.

I’m back to Faslane in about 3 hours… I feel a bit happier about it this week!