(wo)Man vs Mountain – Year 3

Running (wo)Man vs Mountain again is like giving birth to your second child. You know it’s going to be tough, you will do lots of heavy breathing, your body will hurt all over but when you’ve finished, the result will be amazing! Ok ok, so running is nowhere near as painful as giving birth, both my labours with my boys were hard, if I mention forceps I’m sure a few of you will wince in sympathy and understanding. BUT, despite the pain of running up a mountain, the reward of reaching Snowdon’s summit and completing the 20(or so)miles of stunningness is well worth it! Trust me, I’ve done this 3 times now – crazy lady!

I hadn’t planned to race (wo)Man vs Mountain on Saturday, in fact just last Monday I was sunning myself by a Portuguese pool with my family.

 

It wasn’t until Wednesday that I was offered the chance to do the race. Maybe that helped, as I didn’t have time to worry about whether I was fit enough, strong enough, nourished enough – blah blah blah, all those worries that go through your mind for at least a month pre-race. I was thrown in at the deep end and that was exciting.

My pre-race carb loading took place the day before (usually I would spend a couple of days munching extra carbs – any excuse) and this is what I ate (everyone loves a good food diary!):-

Breakfast – porridge, greek yoghurt and fruit – oh and my boy’s left over toast (its not stealing, its carb loading – fact!)

Snack – apple and rice cakes

Lunch – egg and chicken sandwich on yummy seeded bread, banana and greek yoghurt

Snack – nuts and seeds

Dinner – chicken and jacket potato with coleslaw and salad

Midnightish feast – 3 slices of malt (yum) loaf and some jelly babies may have sneaked in while I was sorting my bag.

I stayed in Tadwyrst, don’t ask me how you say that but it was 10miles from the start in Caernarfon and aside from the overfamiliarity of staying in a b&b it was good. I registered in Llanberis at 7:30pm on Friday night along with lots of others, like me who had dragged out a bladder pack, dusty first aid kit and survival blanket from under the bed. I held my breath hoping my kit was ok, ain’t no 24hour Tesco in rural Llanberis to top up your supplies! Luckily the nice man smiled and waved me through after I had shown him the contents of my bag – phew – 1^st Rat Race obstacle conquered. If you’re planning on doing the race, don’t assume they won’t check and actually if you don’t take the mandatory kit, more fool you – you’re climbing a mountain!

I slept really well after my malt loaf in bed treat –carb loading is fun! I woke at 5:30am so that I could fuel properly – aka stuff my face with cereal, toast and enough coffee to rocket me up Snowdon. I parked and got into the castle around 7:10am ready for the 8am start. It wasn’t until then that I felt nervous but it’s both awe inspiring and daunting to stand inside the grounds of a fabulous castle waiting to run up a mountain – not an everyday experience!

The atmosphere at the races is fantastic, it is by far my favourite favourite race. I love the scenery, the mixture of terrain from tarmac to marshland to rocky path, not mention the huge variation in elevation from ‘ooh this is flat like a little 10k race’ to ‘flippin’ eck I can only run 10 steps before walking’ to ‘if I push down on my knees with my hands that will help me scale the mountain like a goat’ and then ‘whoahhhh legs, stop me going too quick down this mountain‘.

I started the race in my usual spirit, at the front where I aimed to stay. Rat Race don’t necessarily promote competitiveness, and I like the fact they don’t, but for me if I’m running with lots of people I want to do well and that means as close to 1^st lady as poss. If you cut me in half you would read ‘competitive and mainly fuelled by jelly babies’. I don’t worry about anything pre- race other than having jelly babies as close to my mouth as possible and having plenty of fluid. Gels don’t do it for me. I only take them in races where I can’t eat solids, otherwise its cereal bars and jelly babies.

The route started round Caernarfon castle where I fell in line behind the first few men and established a good running speed for me – 7min/mile. After around 3miles we started to climb a little but nothing dramatic. I eased myself into the race and relaxed into the experience rather than worrying about the fact I would need to run 20miles. Taking the race in chunks seems to suit me, I think of it as a little 10k at first, easy enough to run (which is my forte), then a bit of running up some hills until mile 10. After that it’s a run/walk until mile 12 when you are mainly walking – unless you are in fact a mountain goat – highly handy if you are. I plan my fuelling as I go, in the case of (wo)MvsM that is fluid at 5miles, jelly babies at 10miles and a cereal bar at 12miles . This is tried and tested for me (I couldn’t recommend it to everyone as we’re all different) I don’t like to eat too much when I run but I am also aware that I need fuel for the last few miles to avoid bonking.

When my Garmin beeped for mile 5 I was actually going uphill and therefore not wanting to drink but as soon as I hit the flat I took a few sips. I then consistently had 2-3 sips at around half mile intervals. Mile 6 was tough, our first steep part up a road, but by the time we got to mile 8 I was feeling good and started to chatting to a Dan – a friendly fellow competitor. I was in 6^th position overall at that point, not that I realised as the first few men had disappeared ahead. By mile 12 I was walking more than running as we climbed the stunning Snowdon, I knew the summit was around 14miles and I clung to the fact that the race would become much easier once I had climbed the tough bit. I looked down several times to see the most beautiful scenery below – the weather was clear and sunny which made my way to the top easier. Once I reached the top a quick look over the summit was enough for me and my competitive spirit and so I made my way down.

 

Descending is my favourite part. In fact its almost the entire reason for going to the top – so that I can run down! Its not quite as easy as letting yourself go, it takes a great deal of focus to stay on your feet and I am not as brave as others at letting myself go. At this point my legs felt much better than in previous years but around half way down I lost my footing for a second and this resulted in a dramatic fall and commando sideward roll down the mountain path. I landed at the feet of a group of 5 male walkers who shouted out in shock. They helped me up and asked me if I was ok – my knees hurt and I was shaking like a leaf but I was fine, so after mentioning the fact that they should have got it on camera so that we could send it to You’ve Been Framed I started running again – hoping my knees would be ok. And they were. The descent didn’t disappoint, walkers cheered me on by telling me I was first lady and I rewarded them with high 5’s – I made it my mission to high 5 as many people as I could during the 4 mile decent.

At the bottom I dropped my bag and knew that my worst bit was coming up – the 1km yeouch vertical bone aching ascent. When you have already climbed Snowdon and are 18 miles into a race, climbing up a mountain for 1km is frankly bonkers. But that’s why I love Rat Race – they’re bonkers and fun and don’t take themselves seriously! I walked up the climb using screaming legs and lungs and as I did I counted to 50 repeatedly to focus my mind on something – and eventually I got to the top. Running back down was a relief and I knew then that the hardest bit was over and I was going to have some fun. Soon enough I got to the abseil where a crowd of angel marshalls sorted me out with a harness and helmet. LOVED the abseil, it was daunting at first to move from running to suddenly manipulating my body down a bridge but a great feeling to be weightless on a rope.

Next came the jump into the quarry. I ran up to the obstacle to the amazing cheers from a group of spectators shouting ‘first lady’. The jump and subsequent landing in chilly water was exhilarating and I ended up running out of the water shouting ‘wow that was amazing’ repeatedly like a crazy wet lady!! 3 more water obstacles followed but none as good as the jump into the quarry. At the last water obstacle I was cheered out of the water and then faced the final challenge to get over 3 high walls. Luckily a kind spectator gave me a leg up as I would never have managed to haul myself up. On the second wall I helped a fellow competitor get over, hoping someone would help me too, which they did – I then landed on my backside – so glam!

Coming over the line as first lady and 20^th overall was fantastic – it felt like an amazing achievement and one I will repeat year after year if my body allows! Oh and the soup….simply delicious!

Once I had warmed up a bit I spoke to my amazing, supportive husband and boys who has stayed at home in case I rang. Love them J

What did I wear?

• Merrell All Out Rush trainers – they are fairly lightweight, very comfy and sturdy enough across all terrains. During the race I never felt unsteady in them.
• Rat Race t-shirt and thin long sleeve top – although by the second mile I was v hot. I had a jacket in my bag, that remained in my bag.
• Full length running leggings, although ¾ lengths would have been better on that day.

My tips for a successful race are:-

• Take the race seriously in terms of kit but have fun and help others. Even a quick chat can help other competitors during the tough bits. Having a laugh while doing these crazy races makes it all worthwhile – after all we do this for fun don’t we!
• Don’t worry about the whole thing. What I mean is, relax and don’t think about running for 20miles, take it in chunks ie another 2 miles to a checkpoint where you can eat and drink, or 1 mile to the summit before you can start running down. Belittling distances is how speedy athletes keep mentally strong throughout a race.
• Be positive, even if its artificial. Sometimes I feel rubbish but I tell myself I’m feeling good and doing well, mental positivity makes you physically stronger, after all your body will only do what your mind allows.
• Enjoy the crowd. If people are cheering for you, say thank-you/put your thumbs up/smile – not only are you thanking them but you’re helping the competitors behind as the spectators will be more likely to cheer for them too.
• Don’t be daunted and do it again!

Cycling to a Beat!

A rare day off from training clients today, so I set myself a challenge! To cycle 32miles with my heart rate remaining above 130bpm (that’s 70% of my maximum heart rate). For anyone who has read my article on Heart Rate Zone Training in Trail Running magazine you will know that this is the ‘Aerobic Training Zone’ – ‘running at this level is perfect for improving cardio-vascular fitness and increasing the size and strength of the heart and increasing lung capacity’

Basically if you keep your heart rate at this level you will get fitter and stronger and, over time, faster!

I wanted to see if I could maintain this level over a fair distance while still feeling comfortable. The aim of this is to test how my body feels when working quite hard for a couple of hours. If I can do this in training it will help me in racing.

Keeping my heart rate high was easy at first. The shock of starting to cycle was enough to cause my heart rate to rise- especially as I started uphill! In fact keeping my heart rate under 90% of my MHR became my biggest challenge for a while.

Going downhill was a bit trickier, as soon as I started to descend the number quickly reduced from 130bpm to 85bpm. I had to spin my little legs as fast as they would go to keep the rate high enough.

What I found was:-

1) The time went really quickly as I concentrated on nothing but keeping my heart rate high enough.

2) I felt comfortable cycling at speed – I maintained a decent average of 20mph which is pretty fast for me. I normally train at around 17mph.

3) I saved time.

4) I enjoyed the focus this challenge gave me. Instead of thinking about speed or distance I had a different aim – which was a welcome change.

I wouldn’t do this more than once a week. I’m a competitive being but cycling is also about enjoyment for me. Getting to places in half the time it takes to run and enjoying the views is what gets me out the door. But for pure speed and experimental purposes I loved this training session and would recommend it if you want to challenge yourself.

 

Fancy having a go? You’ll need some kind of heart rate monitor, either a watch and heart strap or by using an app on your phone. Next find your Maximum Heart Rate (220 minus your age), work out your percentages and off you can go.

 

Alternatively why not do some speed work, for example 1 minute at 90% of your MHR followed by 1 minute at 60% – repeat this 20 times and you’ll be ready for your protein recovery shake!!!

 

European Triathlon Championships – My Race

 

 I have just come back from competing for GB in my Age Group at the European Triathlon Championships in the breath-taking Kitzbuhel, Austria. What an experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having qualified in second position at the Newbiggin’ Sprint Triathlon last September I spent 9 months looking forward to, and preparing for this event. Although my training for Triathlon took a slight pause through the winter due to my London Marathon training, I still kept up my cycling. As soon as the London Marathon was done I was back in the pool and out on my bike, relieved to drop the 70mile running weeks down to just 25miles.

I ran 3hrs5mins at the marathon, not bad for my first one, and not bad for such a hot day! I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I thought I would, nerves seemed to take over as well as sheer knackeredness from the distance!

My coach Dave sent me my Triathlon training plan the week after the marathon, yeah thanks for that Dave, no rest for the wicked! I threw myself wholeheartedly into training, glad of the change of direction from purely running. That was until week 3 of my training when brick sessions being triple brick sessions, ie 20mins cycling, 10mins running, 20mins cycling, 10mins running, 20mins running, 10mins running – lie down and die!

Single leg drills on the bike, lots of speed running and long swim sessions helped to get me back on the Triathlon track. My first event this year was Nottingham Sprint Triathlon, run by OneStepBeyond. This is my favourite Triathlon event, due to the course being so fast and so competitive. I did my fastest ever Sprint Triathlon in 1hr8mins, having averaged 21.5mph on the bike section and 6mins/mile on the run. Like I say it’s a fast course, and that makes it so exhilarating!

In the build-up to the Europeans I felt quite relaxed, apart from a few post marathon chest infections I had completed all the training Dave had given me. As well as setting up my own Personal Training business it was a very busy time but I loved it. For me training for events is the most enjoyable part.

My family, aka Team Pom Pom (Ian, hubby, Joel 7yrs and Ollie 5yrs) and I flew by Ryan Air from Stansted to Salzsburg where my Dad picked us up from the airport. Mum and Dad drove through France and Austria with my bike and triathlon gear (I know I’m a very lucky girl). We all stayed together in a typical Austrian chalet – just idyllic and such a giggle!

   

The 2 days prior to the Triathlon were spent attending briefings, parading through Kitzbuhel centre as part of the GB team and getting my bike into the Transition area. Pre -race days are not the most relaxing or enjoyable. You spend your time worrying about the race and trying hard to relax (and eat/drink the right things!). Having my family there however was invaluable, Mum and Dad babysat for us while Ian and I reccied the bike course and Ian helped me relax by reminding me that I just had to do my best.

On the morning of the Triathlon I was itching to get going. My lovely Dad got up at 6am to drive me to Transition so that I could set up my equipment before then driving home so we could have breakfast. I then returned to the race start at 9am where I performed my warm up and squeezed myself into my wetsuit.

For me the swim through lake Schwarzee felt very hard as I struggled to relax and find a rhythm. I was hugely relieved when the swim was over and I was able to get on my lovely Canyon bike. The bike course was superb, up and down the beautiful mountains surrounding Kitzbuhel I felt strong and was able to do most of my overtaking going uphill. I never realised I was a good uphill cyclist! Coming down the mountains was a bit hairy due to the rain and tight turns but I felt exhilarated throughout.

  

 

Running is where I do well in Triathlons, it’s the last discipline therefore the one where doing well is a major advantage. Despite a stitch crossing my diaphragm for the whole run section I was able to overtake several girls. One german girl shouted ‘super’ to me as I ran by her which I thought was lovely.

 

 I finished in a very respectable 12th place. For my first European race for GB I feel very proud of my achievements and so grateful that I got to share this experience with my lovely family. I am one happy Triathlete, and already planning and of course training for next year’s GB racing!!

 

Man vs Mountain 7th Sept ’13

Dory’s ‘Just keep swimming’ became my Mantra on a cold and rainy Saturday to help me win the epic Man vs Mountain race up and down Snowdon. http://www.ratracemanvsmountain.com/

photo by Bob Atkins, courtesy of Outdoor Fitness Magazine

Starting in Caernarvon Castle, Man vs Mountain, organised by Outdoor Fitness magazine and Rat Race was a monumental  23mile race. Spurred on by my qualification for the GB Age Group Team for the European Champs in Kitzbuhel next June I set myself the loose/hopeful/mad task of being 1st lady.

The race started well, I positioned myself close to the start line, with my good (fast-runner) friend’s words in my head ‘get to the front and don’t let anyone get an advantage on you’. As the race started I made my way swiftly round the beautiful castle and ran with a pack of army-looking lads through the first, relatively flat, 8 mile stretch.

Getting used to running with a back pack containing sloshing water in the bladder pack and wearing 3 layers and a Montane jacket was my first challenge. My usual 10k road races require vest and shorts only and at that time my inexperienced self thought I had overdressed and could have managed the whole race in shorts and t-shirt. That was before I started climbing the mountain in pouring rain and freezing temperatures. It was then that my windproof/waterproof (lush) Montane jacket, zipped right up to my eye lashes became my very best friend!!

Running at around 7.30mins/mile pace was a lot slower than my usual 6:30mins/mile but I was acutely aware that the mountain ahead of me would soon be robbing me of energy and oxygen. Throughout the 8miles I kept calm and relaxed and simply found a rhythm I was comfortable with. I knew I could use my road running legs to my advantage in that first stretch before the mountain climb would begin.

I said hello to everyone I could, fellow runners, photographers, walkers and watchers to keep myself positive and enjoy the experience.

I skipped the feed station at 8miles knowing I had enough food and water to feed all the sheep on the mountain and feeling too fresh to want to stop. After all, I was 1st lady at that point and didn’t want to risk losing that position.

From around 9miles onwards the ascent became steeper and I started to use mile markers on my Garmin as treat opportunities. I told myself that at 10miles I could have 3 jelly babies, little did I know that stuffing 3 jelly babies in my mouth wasn’t the best idea whist also trying to breathe! A gel might have been better but, for me, gels are a last resort and definitely not a mood enhancing treat.

Gradually the gradient increased too much to be able to run and I joined the army pack in walking up the mountain. It was at this point that the temperature dropped dramatically and I realised the gloves, hat and Montane jacket were my best friends. Crazy fit men in shorts and t-shirts went by me at break neck speed while I pushed up every step and tried to ignore the horizontal wind and rain.

For me, the climb was the hardest part of the race physically and psychologically. My training involves practically no strength work and my legs and back were screaming at me to stop. I also got very cold and couldn’t feel my hands.

Words like ‘you’re doing this, it doesn’t matter’, ‘you’ll be running down soon’, ‘you’re nearly at the summit’ dominated my mind with the emphasis of thinking positively. Knowing I was 1st lady and continuing to encourage others around me also helped.

Just before the summit I clocked in with the marshalls and began the final ascent to the top, I was buoyed on by all the speedy runners coming back down and telling me it wasn’t far.

At the top I kept my goal in mind and decided to make my way straight down, passing on the message to fellow runners still ascending that they were nearly at the top (knowing how much that had helped me).

Descending the mountain allowed me to speed up and therefore warm up enough to feel my fingers. It was at this point that I received the most encouragement, walkers moved out of the way for me and told me I was first woman. The cheering reinforced my goal to get across the line first as I tried to ignore my aching legs.

At around mile 18 a fellow runner asked me how far we had left, I told him around 2 miles. I was a bit wrong there, we actually had a 1km killer, near vertical ascent then and abseil and a couple more miles running.

The ascent was crippling, I mean crippling, on tired achey legs that have safely got me up and down Snowdon I now had to climb, climb, climb. The top eventually came, followed by a descent leading to the abseil. I couldn’t enjoy the abseil as much as I wanted to as I was starting to feel cold again.

The run that followed was the most painful, I had strained my groin and stopping for the abseil was enough to fool my body into thinking the hard work was over. It was at this point that I allowed myself off the swim and ran round the lake instead of swimming through it. I was overtaken my a fellow lady just before the lake, I soon realised that she hadn’t done the abseil and I was therefore still in front but my competitive spirit kicked in enough to force me to speed up again and overtake her.

The end couldn’t come soon enough but as I overtook the second lady I realised we had 2 final obstacles, climbing up onto platform and jumping down….twice – on tired strained legs….this was when I realised why it was called Man vs Mountain.

Crossing the finish line in first position, I was elated and most definitely done.

I loved the race – fabulous organisation, great atmosphere, lovely marshalls and the most amazing soup I have ever tasted at the end!!!!!