Less than 12 hours to go ...

I had a good journey down to Guisborough withTim & Sharon. Thanks Tim for driving and to John Clease for the directions (via Tomtom). We can see Roseberry Topping from our room window.

Once we'd settled into our Premier Inn rooms we headed into Guisborough and found the finish and went for a walk down the disused railway line for a mile or so.

Brian McI rang and joined us and we were also joined by Stuart M who is also running the race. It was good to see the last mile or so and imagine finishing strongly!

We had a quick visit to Sainsburys to buy some provisions for breakfast. I went for a pastry, pancakes and honey.

We then went for a meal and looked over the maps of the route. Andy C joined us as we were finishing. It was really good to catch up with everyone. Sharon had a phone call from Dave W who was stuck on the M25 at 4pm so I think he'll be arriving a bit later.

I'm now watching Sports Relief and then I'll be trying to get some sleep. I just hope Tim doesn't snore!

I'll try and post my time as soon as I can. I'm really looking forward to the race now.

Sorry Thomas and Silke

I missed adding Thomas and Silke's guesses earlier. I was working from two lists on two different computers. Anyway all is now sorted and I have 40 guesses.

Corrected list

I've just watched Eddie I run his 43 marathons for Sports relief. A great achievement. I also watched Helen Skelton's epic kayak of the Amazon so I'll suitably challenged and motivated to run 54miles on Saturday!

'Guess My Time' Competition Entries

Marco sent a text with his guess just 10mins before the 6pm deadline making 38 entries in total.

As I mentioned I've recalculated everyone's guesses as the race has been reduced by 1 mile to 54miles. The guesses range from 8hrs 25mins 38secs (9.22pace) to 11hrs 59mins 40secs (13.20pace).

They break down as follows ....

under 10hrs: 10 guesses

between 10hrs - 10hrs 30mins: 13 guesses

between 10hrs 30mins - 11hrs: 11 guesses

over 11hrs: 4 guesses

Full list of guesses

I know some people don't like guessing as they think it might offend me if they guess too slow but it's all a bit of fun and since I started running ultras in 2007 it has become part of my tradition!!

I called into Morrisons on the way home from work and bought some food for the race. I just need to sort it all out into what I'm starting with and what is going into the two drop bags we are allowed.

I'll be taking my netbook with me and will try and update at the end of the race. If you want to text me during the race please do (07905 218162) but please note I won't be able to reply until the end of the race! I can't afford to waste the time it would take me to type in the words.

William Sichel is running very well after just over 3 days. He is in third place behind two Germans and right on his target. Shaun and his support team are doing a great job keeping his blog updated. You can leave a comment to encourage him if you wish. I'm sure he would appreciate it.

Next update from the Premier Inn in Guisborough tomorrow night.

A Run .... at last

After 11 days of no running I set out at lunch time from Bellahouston Leisure Centre and ran around the park in my innov-8's. What joy ... the sun was shining and I was running again.

The good news to report is that my chest was fine. It's not quite 100% yet but I couldn't feel it while I ran and I could even clear my nose without any real discomfort.

So I'm all ready for Saturday's race. It will be an interesting test to see whether a taper like I've had to do will help or hinder. I'm looking forward to finding out.

As mentioned the other day the route has been reduced to 54miles rather than 55miles. Murdo pointed out that the predictions for my 'guess my time' will be out by 11mins or so. With the aid of an excel spreadsheet I've been able to work out 54/55th of each guess to come up with a new time!

Anyone who is still to have a go I'll assume you know it's only 54miles and will guess accordingly! You have until 6pm on Thursday (yes that includes you Chris McGl!!).

The plan for the weekend is for Sharon to pick me up at 11am on Friday, drive to Tim's in Ayr and then the three of us to travel to Guisborough together in Tim's car. After a night at the Premier Inn it will be an early start as we need to catch the bus at 5am which will take us to the start at Helmsley.

The race starts at 8am and hopefully I'll be back in Guisborough by 7pm ... or even earlier if I'm going well.

I'll try and post my time asap after the race but it will depend on getting a signal. We weren't too successful in the Hardmoors 110 mile last September.

I'll be posting the full list of guesses on Thursday night.

Wed 17th Mar Run details
3.78miles in 32min 00secs (8.29pace)

Slight change to the Hardmoors Route

I had the following email from Jon Steele, Hardmoors 55 race organiser,......

I have decided to change the last few miles of the race, for firstly safety, then secondly navigational reasons!! In thus doing so the race will be 54miles or so rather than 55!!

The new route will bypass Slapewath and the Fox and Hounds!!

Follow the route as planned through Guisborough Woods, remembering to climb up over Highcliff nab then (found on the route description) "at bottom of the driveway turn right" instead at the bottom of the driveway continue down farm track for 0.5 Km - checkpoint 8 will be at the junction with disused railway line.

After leaving checkpoint go up onto railway line and run westwards for just over 1 mile. Look out for road going under the railway line 50m after this road turn off the line heading north west up foot path which runs along edge of sports field - continue past cricket field and you are at the finish. The point where this change takes effect is OS 637155

Taking this route will avoid having to cross the A171 twice and navigating through Guisborough on a Sat Afternoon/Night. If you have anything in your legs a sprint finish will be easier (instead of waiting to cross roads)

This part of the route will be signed and in the long run (no pun intended) be a lot less complicated.

We lose a mile... but 54miles is still a decent distance!! So no Checkpoint at Slapewath but one will be placed on the disused railway line.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

It sounds sensible to avoid crossing a busy road twice near the end of the race. I'll need to check out the new route on my OS map.

I'm really looking forward to this race now. I feel my chest is going to be 90% okay which is pretty good considering how it felt a week ago. I'm planning to have a very easy run on Wednesday on Brodie Park.

I now have 27 guesses in my competition. If anyone wants to alter their guess now that the course is 1mile shorter let me know!!

William Sichel has started his 1,000 mile race in Athens. Of the 24 runners who entered only 16 started! No big surprise really I suppose. You're not going to start a 16 day race unless you are 100% fit and ready.

Finally congratulations to my friend John McLaughlin who set a pb for the half marathon yesterday running the Balloch to Clydebank race in 1hr 21mins 53secs. He is looking on target for that illusive sub 3hr marathon at London.

William Sichel's greatest challenge?

Taken from his web site, 'William Sichel started ultra running in 1994. Unusually he won his debuts in the 100km, 24 Hour, 72 hours, 6 day and 7 day events. Furthermore, he has won international events in the UK (five times), Netherlands, USA (twice), Switzerland, Monaco (twice), Greece and Germany.

He is currently unbeaten in all events longer than 48 hours. William currently holds six ultra distance records at World, British and Scottish level. William also held two ratified Guiness World Records for treadmill running (100 miles and 24 hours) set in 2002.'

I first heard of William when I read an article about him in MyRace magazine. He mentioned that he had suffered with DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness) during his first ultra and it sounded very similar to what I experienced in my first whw race. In the article he said he'd been able to overcome it and it hadn't been an issue since.

So I contacted him asking for some help and advice, which he generously gave. We have kept in touch since and we've met up a couple of times.

Anyway on Monday William starts what I think must be his greatest challenge yet. Along with 23 other ultra runners William is taking part in the 1,000mile race in Athens. They have 16 days to complete the distance on a flat 1k course. The last time it was held 7 years ago no-one completed the 1,000miles.

What a challenge! A few years ago I thought a 1,000miles in a year was good going.

If you want to follow his progress you can log onto to William's blog where his team will be posting regular updates.

I would just like to wish him all the best and will be thinking about him as he keeps on running and running and running.

As for me I tried my cough test this morning and I won't be running today! It's getting easier and I'm confident by this time next week (when the race will be 40 mins in) I'll be fine.

Thanks again for those who have taken time to comment and offer advice. It's all appreciated.

Saying goodbye

I was able to get to Stephen Ogilvie's funeral this afternoon after the Glasgow Primary Cross Country event at Netherpollok.

There were over 30 from Kilbarchan AAC which was a great. It was a fitting tribute to Stephen and I learnt a lot about him. I wouldn't say that Stephen was a close friend but we did chat regularly on our Monday and Wednesday night runs but mostly about running - races coming up, races done, injuries we might be struggling with etc.

But I didn't know too much about his work/family life so it was interesting to hear about that. The thing that struck me was when the Minister was talking about Stephen and his wife Eleanor's plans for the future. They have an apartment in Majorca and were planning to spend more time over there in the years to come. It's good and right and to plan for the future but we just never know.

Anyway I'm glad I went and meet Eleanor and other members of the family.

Just a quick update on my dilemma of whether to run again before the Hardmoors. I was all set to run tonight and then I talked to John and Chris amongst others and they encouraged me to stick it out and really let my chest recover.

So I'm still undecided but will not be running for a few more days at least if at all. I would like to get to the start with no or very little pain in my chest and the best way of doing that will be to not run at all though some (ie Tim) who thinks it won't make any difference anyway!

The test is going to be whether I can cough without discomfort - if I can I'll do a training run before the race and if not I'll wait.

The guesses are coming in so don't miss out!!

Correction to my race plan

I obviously didn't spent long enough on my race plan the other night.

Thanks to Julien who pointed out an obvious error in my plan - the maths was wrong. I had the wrong cell in my excel sheet so my total time was an hour out. I must admit thinking it was a bit strange when I did it.

At least Julien pointed it out now. I remember the first time I ran the whw race I was working on a faulty schedule and wondered why I was ahead of my time to Beinglas but got there later than I'd told my support team. The answer then, too, was that I'd added up wrong!

So I've redone it and I'd be grateful Julien if you could look over it and see if that makes more sense!

Thanks too for those who have commented on whether I should run again between now and the race. As always there are various opinions from those who say I should rest and it won't any difference and others (well Thomas L) who says I should keep running.

So I'll have to weigh up the options and decide. I'm not running tonight so tomorrow night will be the earliest I would go but I'm thinking Sunday would be more sensible if I do decide to run.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to be able to get to Stephen Ogilvie's funeral. I won't make the cemetery at 12noon but hope to be in time for the service at the Houston and Killellan Kirk at 12.30pm.

Update and race plans for Hardmoors 55

I've not run for 5 days now and while my chest is getting better a sneeze this morning confirmed that there is still some way to go. I'm finding it really strange not running after averaging 50mile or so a week since the turn of the year. Normally when I wake up one of my first thoughts is when am I running today and I plan things around that.

I'm in two minds now what to do between now and the Hardmoors race in 9 days time. One side says I must have at least 2-3 runs to make sure I've not forgotten how to run and get the legs ticking over and the heart pumping.

But the other side of me says this might the perfect opportunity to try a two week 'no run at all' taper and see how it feels. I know of other friends who have done this and they have found it works. I wouldn't normally be brave enough to try it but since I'm trying to allow my chest to fully recover why not go the whole way and not run at all for the next 9 days which would be 13 days in total. Just writing that down makes me shiver.

The last time I didn't run for two whole weeks was when I hurt my foot in Sept 08 and that wasn't by choice.

So I'm still undecided - a few easy runs from Friday to Thursday or nothing at all????

While I've not been running I've still been thinking about it and I spent a very happy hour or two the other night going over my plans for the Hardmoors 55 mile race. I've come up with a 10hr 30min and an 11hr schedule.

This is based on my run over this section in the Hardmoors 110 mile race in September 2009 and what I feel is reasonable/challenging for now. The route is slightly different so I've tried to amend it a bit. I'm basing the distances on the official rouote we've been given so it will be interesting to see how accurate they are.

I always like to have something to base my race on. So when I start the race all I'm focusing on is getting to Sutton Bank after 9miles in 1hr 35mins at 10.33 pace. Then once there I can focus on the next one and hey ho I eventually arrive at the finish hopefully inside my target time. If I am going quicker that's great and if not I can readjust on the way. There is plenty of time to think and replan on the way.

Other runners have very different tactics. The opposite to me would be those who run without a watch and just go as they feel without any splits in mind at all. I keep thinking I ought to try that one day but I'm not sure if I could. Maybe one day??

That's one of the fun things about running though - there is no one right way. We all work out what's best for us. I think a lot depends on your character and personality. I like to be an organised and a goal orientated person and I think my running reflects that. Whereas others would be more 'go with the flow type' and their running reflects that to.

I wonder if any see the way they run as totally different to the way they live their lives in general?

Anyway for those interested in my schedules .....



My 'Guess my Time' competition has now 15 entries ranging from a very, very, very optimistic 8hrs 35mins 00secs (I think the winner will do well to beat that!) to a conservative 12hrs 13mins 00secs. So almost a 4hr window.

If you want to enter you have until 6pm Thursday 18th March to send in your guess.

Another visit to Casualty

With the Hardmoors race less than two weeks away and my chest still sore I decided to listen to advice (thanks for those who commented and rang) and went to casualty to check out what I'd actually done when I fell 11 days ago.

I thought it was a muscular thing but the pain is very similar to when I cracked a couple of ribs at the end of December. Either way there probably wasn't much they could do but I thought it was important to find out and get some advice.

One of the main reasons for not going until today was not wanting to hear that I need to rest for a few days. I've already reduced the miles I'd planned for these last two weeks from 55-60miles to 35miles last week and 27miles this week.

But I feel the priority now is to try and get to the start line on Saturday 20th March healthy with no pain from my chest. So if that means not running at all between now and the start then I'm prepared, reluctantly, to do that. I've been able to run over the last 11days with a sore chest but it's a struggle and I know I'm not running freely. I don't really want to run 55miles that way.

I'd rather go into the race feeling under cooked and healthy than having ran over the past two weeks but still sore.

I arrrived just after 2pm and after a 20min wait saw the triage nurse who said it might be another 90mins or so. Thankfully I took Peter Kay's 'Saturday Night Peter' to read so the time passed quickly.

The doctor had a good feel about and listened to my breathing which was fine. She thinks it is a muscle briuse and will ease in time. The problem is that each time I breathe it works the sore muscle. I asked whether it would help if I didn't run for a few days and she said it would.

So I'm going to have a few days off and see how it responds. Then I could have a few runs at the end of the week and the beginning of next week before the race on Saturday 20th March.

Congratulations to all those who ran in the first race in the new SUMS (Scottish Ultra Marathon Series) yesterday ... The Glasgow to Edinburgh Double marathon. I've not seen the official results but Silke kindly kept me in touch with how Thomas was doing .... and he was doing very well. Thomas finished 4th in 6hrs 55mins which is 27mins faster than he ran last year. Congratulations Thomas and Silke - a great team effort.

Silke has written up her account and Thomas has given a brief account of the race on his blog.

Starting to get a bit concerned

Yesterday I had planned to run home from work but I was involved with a clubgolf training session for teachers which didn't finish until after 5pm. That meant that I couldn't leave my motobike at school as it was locked by then. That meant that I couldn't run home from work.

No bother, I'll just run when I get home but by the time I arrived home at 6pm my chest was really sore. I think moving tables and chairs around and swinging a golf club in demonstration didn't help. I weighed up the potential risk of doing it more damage and decided it would be better to have a day off.

It was the right decision because as the evening wore on it was more and more sore and I eventually took an ibuprofen before doing to bed.

I had time to get a run in at lunchtime today and went on my Pollok Park loop. My chest was uncomfortable for the run but doesn't stop me actually running but I am getting a bit concerned with the Hardmoors 55 mile race two weeks tomorrow.

Over the next two weeks I'll be easing down anyway and I'm hoping that by the time the race starts the pain will have completely gone otherwise I'll popping ibuprofen all the way round to help me finish! Katrina has bought me some ibuprofen gel so I'll try that as well.

The first race in the SUMS (Scottish Ultra Marathon Series) starts tomorrow. It is the Glasgow to Edinburgh double marathon. The City to City double marathon follows the Forth & Clyde and Union canals from Ruchill Park in Glasgow to Edinburgh Quay, near Haymarket Railway Station.

A number of the whw family are running including Thomas, Aileen and George so I hope they have a great run and enjoy it. First points on the SUMS board - exciting!

Fri 5th Mar Run details
6.37miles in 50mins 05secs (7.52pace)

1,000th post

I decided to just run the once today as the priority now is getting my chest right for the Hardmoors. I had an easy run into work. It was quite frosty again so tights, gloves and headband were the order of the day.

This is my 1,000th post since I started this blog on Monday 30th Octber 2006. A few days before I wrote my first post I'd read about the West Highland Way Race in MyRace magazine, contacted Dario and was about to enter the race. I'd been looking for a new running challenge and the whw race immediately caught my attention.

I'd also become aware of the world of blogging around the same time and thought it would be fun to do a blog but wasn't sure what to do it on. So when I decided to enter the whw 2007 race I decided to start a blog to record my training. The only blog I could find at the time was Ian's excellent weekly/monthly thoughts about running in general and the whw in particular.

What I was looking for was a training diary that I could learn from and so having not found one I decided to start my own. Initiallly I thought it would be an eight month project and once I'd done the race that would be it both for this blog and the race.

But like many before me the race does get under your skin and I did the race again in 2008 and 2009 and am looking forward to doing it this year and hopefully many years to come!

So the blog has continued as well and now no run is really complete until I enter the details on my blog with a comment or two. Over the last three and half years it has grown and now provides me with a great record of my training, lessons learnt, race tales, video's and far more.

If it has been helpful to anyone else along the way that's a bonus. I wonder if anyone has read all 1,000?????

My first post? .....
A few days ago I discovered there is a race over the West Higland Way each June. The route is 95 miles long and starts from Milngavie and finishes at Fort William.

Next year (2007) the race starts at 1am 23 June and competitors have 35 hours to walk/jog/run the route.

There are 8 check points along the way. I am 47 and run regularly - aiming for 1,000 miles a year and I also really enjoy hill walking. I have done a couple of long distance runs/walks and so I have decided to enter the WHW race.

I thought I'd set up this blog to record my progress. The race is 8 months away. I will try and find a countdown clock to see how much time I have exactly!!

Wed 3rd Mar Run details
5.77miles in 47mins 10secs (8.11pace)

February Review

I had a steady run home tonight. I was a bit concerned about my chest and while I could feel it the whole way it didn't get any worse. It's a week since I fell and I'm hoping that by this time next week it will be back to normal. I'm going to run each day this week (with Saturday off) but make them all easy steady runs. As Donald said to me last night I really don'y need any speed training at this point.

So on to my review of February. First some figures and then some comments.

In February I ran 25times for a total of 205.60miles. My weekly totals were 62.00, 82.30, 26.30 and 35.00miles. Here is a graph of my runs ...

The other thing I'm doing this year is to keep an eye on the type of runs I'm doing so here is a breakdown for January/February ...

As I think about February I have a high point, a low point and lots in the middle.

The high point was definitely my 42mile run on the whw from Tyndrum to Fort William. I really enjoyed the run and felt strong right through the day. Often on these long runs I go through a tough bit when I run out of energy and struggle but not this time. I ate enough and was able to keep a steady pace going, even finishing with the last 4miles at 7.45pace.

The lots in the middle was plenty of really good solid easy, tempo and long runs throughout the month. I can't think of a single run that I didn't finish feeling strong.

The low point was falling again last week and having to miss a couple of days of my planned training programme. It is very fustrating to fall and it really did knock me back and I'm still trying to recover. Hopefully I'll be fine by the time of the Hardmoors. It just shows how easy it is for all the good work you do to be lost in a moment. At least I didn't break anything.

So overall a good month.

Tues 2nd March Run details

7.33miles in 59mins 11secs (8.05pace)

Really sad news

Today I heard the sad news that Stephen Ogilvie, a member of Kilbarchan AAC, died last Thursday. Steve was a regular member of our group on a Monday and Wednesday nights and I often ran with him and chatted about various races we were planning to do.

Steve was only 47 and died of a massive heart attack while sleeping on holiday in Spain. It has been a real shock to his family and friends and my heart goes out to them.

He was fit and healthy and it's hard to understand how it could happen but maybe there was a weakness there and running prolonged his life.

It was the main topic of conversation tonight and everyone was a bit stunned by the news.

This photo was taken after the Helensborough Half Marathon last August which Steve finished in 1hr 42min 03secs





Due to the ice and snow on the cycle track we decided to run to the industrial estate where the snow had gone. It was a good move though it did mean running up and down the same stretch of road.

I set off planning to run steady but after the first 3min run I felt good and worked hard for the 4 sets of 6mins. I was running with John most of the way and feeling pleased with myself. At the end of the last 6min run my chest was really sore again and so I took it easy on the last 3min run.

I probably worked a little too hard and need to be careful this week. I don't need any more speed work so will plan to do lots of easy runs for the rest of the week.

Mon 1st Mar Run details
8.34miles in 1hr 06min 47sec

An alternative run

After yesterday's easy run I had decided to get up early and do a 3hr run on the Braes but my chest was really sore during my swimming lessons. Every time I spoke I could feel it and again any cough was bad news.

During the rest of the day and early evening it felt worse. So by the time I went to bed I'd decided to reduce it to a 2hr run. I didn't sleep too well and woke about 3am finding it difficult to get back to sleep.

I spent a while thinking about the pros and cons of running on the Braes. There is a lot of snow up on the route and it will be quite slippy by now so the risk of falling is high. Plus what sort of run will I be able to do anyway.

On the other side I really hate not doing a run that I have planned but I am trying to be more flexible and falling and hurting myself this week has caused me to be flexible.

So by the time the alarm went off at 7am I'd decided to ditch the Braes run and go for an easy 5miler instead. Call me a wimp if you like but I think it's the right decision. The Hardmoors is less than 3 weeks away and I've done the majority of the training and am feeling good.

Speaking of the Hardmoors my race pack arrived yesterday from Jon. I'm number 29 and I'm looking forward to going over the race route which is slightly different in a couple of places to the Hardmoors 110. The main difference is that after Osmotherly we stay on the official Cleveland Way rather than run up the road past Lake Cod.

BTW I have four entries in for my 'Guess my Time Competition'. Still plenty of time to get your guess in. Has my recent fall affected my chances? Maybe it will be a blessing in disguise meaning I won't do too much in the 3 weeks before the race?

The run itself was fine. I could feel my chest but I took an ibrpofen before the run and I think it kicked in. I also solved the snot issue .... I carried a hanky! So this week I ran 35miles instead of the planned 55miles but I did get over 200miles for the month of February. I'll be doing a review of February in the next day or two.

I have another 55-60miles planned for this week but I'll be taking it a day at a time and see how my chest responds. I said the other day that this doesn't feel like a running injury but I feel my whole body has been battered by this fall and I can't just ignore it.

Sun 28th Feb Run details
5.83miles in 45mins 25secs (7.48pace)

Another easy run

I don't normally run on Saturdays but as I missed Wednesday and Thursday I decided to add in a run this morning.

I was up and out by 7.45am and ran my familiar 6.5mile Paisley loop. The snow is still on the pavements so I ran on the road which was no problem for most of the way. I had to dodge out of the way of a bus at one point and a car coming out of a side road didn't see me until late but both missed me!

My chest is still sore to touch but was only a mild discomfort while running. Hopefully by next weekend it will be back to normal.

I'm off to my swimming lessons now and plan to get up early and run for 3hrs on the Braes tomorrow morning. There is loads of snow but hopefully no ice.

Sat 27th Feb Run details
6.59miles in 51mins 54secs (7.53pace)

Running again

I've only missed two days but it felt a lot longer! My chest is still a bit sore but I don't really count injuries above the waist as being legitimate. Any soreness on my legs or feet feel like a proper running injury but a sore chest stopping me running just doesn't feel right.

I was doing a fair amount of teaching today, clubgolf in the morning and megaball games in the afternoon. Everytime I shouted my chest was sore and don't get me started when I have to cough or sneeze.

So when I got home I decided to get out before it was dark. I knew I'd have to run on the road as the snow is still slushy around Paisley. Glasgow seems free of the snow now but looking at the news anything north of Glasgow looks pretty bad.

So I set off and decided to do a 5mile loop and see how I felt. I was conscious of my chest the whole time but it never got too bad and so I kept going. The worse thing was it was really sore everytime I tried to clear my nose.

My normal method of blocking one nostral and blowing out the other was way too sore so I had to work out another way. I won't go into details but suffice to say my gloves and shorts need a good wash!!

I was quite surprised when I got home to see that I'd averaged 7.32 pace for the 5plus miles. I was running well within myself and expected the pace to be nearer 8mins so I've not lost anything in having two days off .... I know in my head that two days off will not make any real difference but we don't always allow our heads to rule do we?

If I feel okay in the morning I'm going to go out early for another run before my swimming lessons and then do my long run (15-17miles) on Sunday morning as planned. The snow is still lying on the Braes but hopefully it won't be icy. I DO NOT WANT TO FALL OVER AGAIN.

Fri 26th Feb Run details
5.37miles in 40mins 24secs (7.32pace)

Sensible decision

Our Active Schools Cross Country went ahead this morning in the snow! The Primary 6 & 7 children experienced a real cross country event in the mud and difficult conditions. So well done to them.

Thanks to those who left messages about my fall. It seems I'm not the only one to trip in such a way. My chest is still quite sore, expecially when I cough, so I made the sensible decision to stay home tonight and not risk running with the club. There is a lot of slushy snow on the ground and the last thing I need is another fall!

I'll see how I feel tomorrow but if I do run it will be an easy run home from work.

Another fall ....

I set off from work just after 4.45pm for my easy run home. I was feeling good and looking forward to a steady run home.

After less than half a mile I went to cross over a road .... and ended up flat on my face on the road. Fortunately there were no cars coming but it really winded me and I cut my knee, hands and elbow.

At least this time I know what happened. I stepped on one of those circular wires that are part of wheel covers. I must have stepped on it, it lifted up and tripped me. As I lay on the ground both feet were inside the ring.

So my third fall in less than 2 months. I took a couple of minutes to assess how I was and get my breath back. I felt okay for the rest of the run but my chest is feeling sore and my palm is tender as I write an hour or so later.

I hope I'm feeling okay by the morning. I wasn't planning to run into work anyway tomorrow morning as we have a big cross country event at work and I need to take the car to carry gear in. So hopefully I'll be alright for the tempo run in the evening but if not I might have an easy run instead.

Tues 23rd Feb Run details
7.45miles in 58mins 02secs (7.48pace)

A good hard Fartlek session

I was looking forward to getting back to the club tonight after my easy week last week.

The session was a ladder type, ie 1,2,3,4,5,5,4,3,2,1 (all mins) with roughly half recoveries. Once again I set out with the goal of going for at least 5miles for the 30min of hard running. It was a very cold night and initially I regretted not wearing my gloves but once we really got going I was fine.

I spent the evening chasing Donald, Scott and David and ended up at the front for some of them. On the second 4min run I ran right behind Donald the whole way. Now I know he is struggling a bit at the moment with a virus and sore calf (he sadly had to pull out of the National Cross Country on Saturday) but it always does me good to be able to stay with with him. While he said he hated every step of tonight's session I loved it!!

So the total distance was over 5miles. Another encouraging effort.

Mon 22nd Feb Run details
9.76miles in 1hr 15mins 57secs

Finishing off my easy week

As I was determined to stay under 30miles this week I went to Brodie Park to do an easy session round and and round the park. I have a figure of eight route which is just over a mile and takes in two uphills and two downhills each loop.

To make it a bit more varied I have four different options on the same route. If you imgaine the number 8 with two circles then I have four options, clockwise for both, anticlockwise for both and alternate. Make sense??

Anyway it was very frosty and lovely to get out and go for an easy run. The ground was perfect for running being firm but not too icy and slippy. So mission accommplished this week.

My plan for the next two weeks is to run 55-60miles of good hard running, then a medium week of 35-40 miles, then the week of the race an easy couple of runs.

Congratulations to all thse who ran the National Cross Country at Falkirk yesterday. Kilbarchan did well. I've put some photos on our club web site.

Ian ran for the 17th time out of the last 19 years and used his blog to encourage/challenge/bully other whw family to join him next year. I've done it once a couple of years and would do it again but with my swimming teaching on a Saturday it's difficult to take another Saturday off (as well as the Saturdays for ultras). I feel like I should send Ian a note from my mum to get permission to miss it?!?

Sun 21st Feb Run details
5.54miles in 45mins 21secs (8.12pace)

Glasgow 5k Park Run Race Report

This was my first race for 2010. I'm well into my ultra training and not really doing enough speed work to have high expectations but it's a fun event and fitted in coming at the end of my easy week.

I have done this race 4 times before but each time it has been following an ultra race when I've not been in the best shape for a 5k. My best time on this hilly course is 19mins 17secs so I was interested to see if I could get anywhere near it today.

Katrina was also running and looking to see how her recent running would help her.

We dropped Emma off at work in Braehead and then headed to Pollok Park arriving with enough time to have a decent warm up. Well I went for a run while Katrina kept warm in the car.

I felt good on my warm up and decided to push hard and see what happened. Today is the national cross country championships in Falkirk so I knew most of the good club runners wouldn't be here today but there was still a big crowd at the start.

I was too far back at the start and the first kilometre was a bit of a pain as I made my way through people to find room to run. Maybe it was a good thing though as I started steady and by the first hill I could see I was in the top 10 which surprised me.

I was working away well and held my position going through the first lap. On the second lap I could hear a guy right on my tail so decided to try and stay ahead of him. I held him off on the up hill but he went past me on the downhill.

Over the last kilometre I went past him again on the uphill but the course finishes with a longish downhill bit and he went past me again. I purposely hadn't looked at my watch the whole way round but glanced at it with less than 300m to go and it showed 18.44 .... maybe I could get under 19mins which had been an outside idea.

I pushed it in and stopped the watch on 19mins 04secs ... just outside 19mins but a pb on that course. I finished 7th which was fun to be so far up the field but as I've said most good club runners will be in Falkirk today.

I ran back up the course to see how Katrina was getting on. I saw her coming up the final short sharp hill and she was struggling with her breathing and hadn't had the best of runs. I reckon 5k is far too short for her now. I'm working on the idea of a half marathon later in the year!!

We queued up to give in our finishing chips only to realise that I'd completely missed all the emails about having to register to get a bar code! Richard who organises the race said if I emailed him he'd amend the result sheet.

I'm now off to my swimming lessons which finish at 2pm. Hopefully when I come out I'll hear that Everton have beaten Man Utd in the early kick-off!!

Sat 20th Feb parkrun 5k race details
5km in 19mins 04secs (6.09pace)

No shortcuts in ultra running

A very easy run into work today. Run, train and run making just over 2miles. Hardly worth getting changed for but my bike was in work as I ran home last night and I didn't want to do the full 6miles as I'm running the 5k Park run tomorrow.

As I ran I was thinking more about the importance of ultra training and particularly how do you build up to running 95miles or more. As anyone who has read this blog will know I love my spreadsheets and so I've put together a sheet with my long monthly runs over the last four years to see if there is a pattern and what can I learn.


The first thing I notice is that I've been very consistent over the 3-4 years and from Dec - Jun I've not missed my long monthly run.

The first year I was working out my pattern and the last two years have been pretty simialr with similar results on the whw.

So once again it will be interesting to compare this year with my changes to training and races.

Fri 19th Feb Run details
2.43miles in 18mins 48secs (7.45pace)

'Guess my Time' Competition for the Hardmoors 55

I had a later meeting at work today so didn't leave Bellahouston until just after 5.30pm. My legs felt really good and I ran the first 3miles comfortably. I pushed the 4th and 5th miles a bit and then eased off for the final two.

I've heard that my first two swimming lessons on Saturday have cancelled which means I can do the 5k Park run on Saturday. Should be good fun. A short sharp race at the end of an easy week.

Katrina is also going to do it. BTW Katrina is running three times a week - Tuesday and Thursday with a running group ay Pro-Life and once at the weekend. I'm encouraging her to have a go at a half marathon but she's not too sure. Watch this space!!

When I first started running ultra races in 2007 I did a competition asking friends and family to guess what time they think I would finish the whw race. It has become a bit of a tradition and I've decided to keep it going. It's a bit of fun and is interesting to see what others think I can do (or can't do!).

So if you want to enter all you have to do is send me what time in hours, minutes and seconds you think I will complete the Hardmoors 55 mile race on Saturday 20th March.

To give you some help ....

1. When I did this section as part of the Hardmoors 110 mile race last September it took me just over 12hrs but I hope to be faster than that!

2. I am going to use it as a hard training run. Last Sunday I ran 42miles in 7hrs 48mins at an average pace of 11.05mins. I'd be very happy to be somewhere near that average pace.

Entries must be in by 6pm Thursday 18th March. There will be a small prize but it's the honour that counts!!

Send your entry by ....

1. Leaving a post on my blog
2. Text to 07905 218162 (remember to leave you name)
3. Email to jkynaston@bigfoot.com
4. Ring 0141 884 8282
5. Speak to me in person!

Thurs 18th Feb Run details
7.32miles in 57mins 01secs (7.49pace)

Hardmoors race information

My first ultra for 2010 (and 10th overall) is now just over 30 days away according to my countdown clock.

I was looking at the race website last night (as I watched the Everton vs Sporting Lisbon on the internet - shame we conceeded the penalty) and Jon has posted the details for the race ....

Timetable (provisional)
0500: Coach leaving from Guisborough Cricket Club to Helmsley
0600: Registrations open at Helmsley Football Club
0800: Race start
2300: Last finishers arrive at Guisborough Cricket Club (15 hours)

Registration will open at 0600 at Helmsley Football Club, changing rooms are provided at the start, any runners who are unsupported will be able to leave a small bag with any clothes they may have worn to arrive at the start of the race in, this bag will be taken to the race finish (no valuables will be accepted).

Checkpoints
The Hardmoors 55 is designed to be run unsupported. No food will be provided at checkpoints. However, if participants wish to have a support team there is no prohibition from doing so. Water will be provided at most checkpoints and hot drinks will be available at a minimum of 2 checkpoints along the way.

Drop bags
Drop bag 1: OSMOTHERLEY VILLAGE HALL (22 MILES)
Drop bag 2: KILDALE VILLAGE HALL (42 MILES)

Suggested items:
Spare socks
Base layer
100 weight fleece
Spare gloves
Spare hat
Gels, etc
Blister kit/support bandages, etc
plus much more....

The organisers will distribute 2 drop-bags prepared by the runner and labelled with the appropriate race number along the route at 2 checkpoints.

Labelled kitbags will be taken to the finish at Guisborough. Mark each bag (a maximum of 2) with your name, race number, and no 1 for first drop-bag destination and no 2 for second drop-bag destination.

Drop bags will be taken to Guisborough Cricket Club after the checkpoint closes. So please be patient if you are a fast runner or alternatively if you are not leaving clothing in the drop bags and are not bothered about having the bag returned to you, please mark the bag by pen or attach a note to it to let the marshall know to dispose of it after use.

Race Categories
1st MALE
1st FEMALE
2nd PLACE
3rd PLACE
1st VET (OVER 50) - that's my category!!
1st SENIOR VET (OVER 60)
1st SHIRE ( - 14 stone plus)

So that looks good. We are staying at the Premier Inn in Guisborough so we haven't got too far to go but it will be a very early start!

I'm really looking forward to this race even though I'm using it as a hard training run rather than a flat out race. I will be doing a 'Guess my Time' competition so watch out for that!