Following a question about the Chinese New Year on the BBC Quiz of the week's news, I discovered that Chinese years are not only associated with an animal, but also with an element, which in 2012 is water.
That somehow started me thinking about the Thames Source Quest (TSQ) again. The Dragon is arguably the luckiest animal, and the Water element is a fairly good omen to run (and drink) the Thames. Digging further, I learnt that years alternate between Yin and Yang. Like all Dragon years, 2012 is Yang, which is associated with fast and focused, so that is pretty optimal too! That said, water would typically be Yin (which is slow and passive). The next occurrence of a Yang Water Dragon year is in 2072, following a 60-year cycle (12 animals times 5 elements)...
But it goes even further! There is apparently an "energetic high point" during the year, which is the Dragon moon in the lunar calendar. This year, it starts on the 20th May, and finishes on the 18th June. The dragon full moon will be on the 4th June, that is currently my exact planned TSQ completion date! You just cannot invent these things :)
Now, whether a Yang Water Dragon will let a vulgar Yin Metal Rooster achieve his goal remains an open question...
Ultra water dragon
Monday, January 30 2012
Year of the Water Dragon
By Julien on Monday, January 30 2012, 10:04 - ThamesSourceQuest
Tuesday, January 24 2012
Electronic music
By Julien on Tuesday, January 24 2012, 10:00 - General
For a couple of years I have somehow associated most long ultras with a specific music track, typically a "trendy" electronic music. Often not the music I would listen every day. Trips in Southeastern France might have influenced choices...
Amusingly, I still remember fairly well some of the titles, mainly on the first of each event type:
- 2005: UTMB. Dancefloor FG summer 2005 album, and more particularly "What A Feeling" (Global Deejays), but also "The World Is Mine" (David Guetta Feat. JD Davis) and "I Will Be There" (Muttonheads).
- 2008: Ironman France. Fun Club Vol. 2, Le Son Dancefloor, and more particularly "Hot Summer Night" (David Tavare), but also "Cry For You" (September) and "Sleeping Satellite" (Junior Caldera). Strangely enough, the album was actually released a month after the Ironman, but I must have heard it earlier on the radio.
- 2010: TSQ (attempt). "I Gotta Feeling" (Black Eyes Peas).
- 2011: TSQ (attempt). "I Gotta Feeling" (Black Eyes Peas).
- 2012: TSQ (attempt). Potential candidate: "Louder" (DJ Fresh feat. Sian Evans).
Listening to these titles not only makes me feel good for what they are (after all, listening to music is associated with dopamine release), but also because they remind me of the feelings experienced during a race through some kind of Pavlovian association. This association is subtle, though, since I haven't actually listened to them during the ultras, but rather before, during visualisation-type training. Therefore this music might bring back equally the image I had of the ultra before running it and the ultra itself.
Now the question is: could I use the music during the run to boost myself? I know lots of people do, but mostly to combat boredom. I have tried it only once, towards the end of the second night of the UTMB 2007. The aim was to wake me up as I was struggling, but it was completely ineffective. All I could hear is extremely unpleasant noise, that stressed me out more than anything else. I dropped it after less than 10 minutes.
What's your view on that?
Ultra music
Thursday, January 12 2012
Not registered for the Grand Raid des Pyrénées
By Julien on Thursday, January 12 2012, 12:12 - Plans
I have been thinking for the last couple of months to attempt the Grand Raid des Pyrénées (GRP). The registration opened today, the 12th January 2012 at 12:12.
This race series is not without similarities with the UTMB, being run at the end of August in high mountain ranges and featuring 3 races. The original race: Ultra (160km +10000m), comparable to the UTMB (166km +9500m), a shorter one: Grand Trail (80km +5000m), against the UTMB's CCC (98km +5600m), and a longer team race with little support and tougher entry conditions: Raid (240km +15000m) vs UTMB's PTL (300km +25000m). The GRP isn't run around a major landmark as the UTMB's Mont Blanc, but goes up the Pic du Midi instead! The wild landscape is stunning.
Looking at the GRP elevation profile is scary, as it features only 5 majors ascents, against 9 for the UTMB. The ascents (and worse, the descents) are therefore very long on the GRP, with 1000m looking like a short ascent, and some featuring about 2000m in one push. The descent from the Pic du Midi is 2400m end-to-end, plus a few extra bumps to make it 2600m cumulated...
On the plus side, the GRP starts a 05:00 as opposed to 18:30 for the UTMB, which I think is a major advantage. Indeed, this means that you run through only one night if you finish in less than 40 hours, which is reasonable, whereas only the elite (sub 26:30) can enjoy this privilege on the UTMB. And given my dislike for running by night, this is a significant bonus point.
In 2012 the UTMB will be run on the first week-end of September rather than the last of August. As far as I know, this is then the first time the UTMB and GRP are not organised on the same week-end, which will obviously give ideas to some :)
I had been contemplating the idea of running the Ultra, as a "secondary" objective, taking my time. But a Little Bird reminded me that one long ultra per year is probably enough for my slow recovery. I keep it my mind for 2013, if we don't need qualifying points by then :) . UTMB will require 7 points next year!
Ultra reasonable
This race series is not without similarities with the UTMB, being run at the end of August in high mountain ranges and featuring 3 races. The original race: Ultra (160km +10000m), comparable to the UTMB (166km +9500m), a shorter one: Grand Trail (80km +5000m), against the UTMB's CCC (98km +5600m), and a longer team race with little support and tougher entry conditions: Raid (240km +15000m) vs UTMB's PTL (300km +25000m). The GRP isn't run around a major landmark as the UTMB's Mont Blanc, but goes up the Pic du Midi instead! The wild landscape is stunning.
Looking at the GRP elevation profile is scary, as it features only 5 majors ascents, against 9 for the UTMB. The ascents (and worse, the descents) are therefore very long on the GRP, with 1000m looking like a short ascent, and some featuring about 2000m in one push. The descent from the Pic du Midi is 2400m end-to-end, plus a few extra bumps to make it 2600m cumulated...
On the plus side, the GRP starts a 05:00 as opposed to 18:30 for the UTMB, which I think is a major advantage. Indeed, this means that you run through only one night if you finish in less than 40 hours, which is reasonable, whereas only the elite (sub 26:30) can enjoy this privilege on the UTMB. And given my dislike for running by night, this is a significant bonus point.
In 2012 the UTMB will be run on the first week-end of September rather than the last of August. As far as I know, this is then the first time the UTMB and GRP are not organised on the same week-end, which will obviously give ideas to some :)
I had been contemplating the idea of running the Ultra, as a "secondary" objective, taking my time. But a Little Bird reminded me that one long ultra per year is probably enough for my slow recovery. I keep it my mind for 2013, if we don't need qualifying points by then :) . UTMB will require 7 points next year!
Ultra reasonable
Sunday, December 18 2011
2011 review & 2012 plans
By Julien on Sunday, December 18 2011, 15:20 - Plans
So, how was 2011 running-wise?
In a nutshell, I've carried on with the trend of not training much, or at least not as much as I would like to. Indeed, the Hardmoors 60 (85km in 6 training sessions during the previous month) and the Athens Marathon (44km in 5 sessions during the previous month) consolidate the idea that I can run significant distances following a truly minimal training. It's obviously not ideal, but it gets me (slowly and somehow painfully) to the end of the race.
It is relatively clear that I have trained much less in terms of number of sessions, reaching an all-time low of 55 sessions so far. This is barely once a week! However, I have put forward qualitative work, leading to a higher average distance of about 22km per session.
I have the feeling I might have gone a bit too far in this direction, and for next year, I will try to put back more easy runs in between the quality training sessions to increase a bit my mileage.
And now for the big challenge... I guess I have trained relatively well for the TSQ, but in the end both the mental and physical sides let me down at the same time. I knew it would be an extremely tough mental challenge, but did not manage to gather enough psychological energy beforehand. In particular, I didn't react well to the very slow pace I was reduced to after the night, and was afraid to finish too late on Sunday. And I was cold and very sleepy at night.
So, what's on for next year? The TSQ again! Third time lucky hopefully... Aside the minor fixes for the issues mention here above, I am still considering lowering a bit the challenge by dropping a few constraints. Maybe "self-supported" as opposed to "unsupported", ie. I would be allowed to get water and food from nearby sources (but not from a dedicated crew). That would alleviate the heavy bag issue (but was that an issue?), and more importantly allow for better physical and mental recovery if I can get hot food on the go. To be continued...
I'm also getting interested in the Grand Raid des Pyrénées (GRP). I know about the "one main event per year" rule, but that could be a secondary goal, a kind of super hike, given the generous time limit (50 hours). Something I would not be allowed to think of before the TSQ is completed, if that's possible. Registrations open on the 12th Jan 2012 at 12:12...
Ultra plans
In a nutshell, I've carried on with the trend of not training much, or at least not as much as I would like to. Indeed, the Hardmoors 60 (85km in 6 training sessions during the previous month) and the Athens Marathon (44km in 5 sessions during the previous month) consolidate the idea that I can run significant distances following a truly minimal training. It's obviously not ideal, but it gets me (slowly and somehow painfully) to the end of the race.
It is relatively clear that I have trained much less in terms of number of sessions, reaching an all-time low of 55 sessions so far. This is barely once a week! However, I have put forward qualitative work, leading to a higher average distance of about 22km per session.
I have the feeling I might have gone a bit too far in this direction, and for next year, I will try to put back more easy runs in between the quality training sessions to increase a bit my mileage.
And now for the big challenge... I guess I have trained relatively well for the TSQ, but in the end both the mental and physical sides let me down at the same time. I knew it would be an extremely tough mental challenge, but did not manage to gather enough psychological energy beforehand. In particular, I didn't react well to the very slow pace I was reduced to after the night, and was afraid to finish too late on Sunday. And I was cold and very sleepy at night.
So, what's on for next year? The TSQ again! Third time lucky hopefully... Aside the minor fixes for the issues mention here above, I am still considering lowering a bit the challenge by dropping a few constraints. Maybe "self-supported" as opposed to "unsupported", ie. I would be allowed to get water and food from nearby sources (but not from a dedicated crew). That would alleviate the heavy bag issue (but was that an issue?), and more importantly allow for better physical and mental recovery if I can get hot food on the go. To be continued...
I'm also getting interested in the Grand Raid des Pyrénées (GRP). I know about the "one main event per year" rule, but that could be a secondary goal, a kind of super hike, given the generous time limit (50 hours). Something I would not be allowed to think of before the TSQ is completed, if that's possible. Registrations open on the 12th Jan 2012 at 12:12...
Ultra plans
Tuesday, November 29 2011
When one ultramarathon is not enough...
By Julien on Tuesday, November 29 2011, 09:51 - Misc
... just run 50 of them! And in one year that is, otherwise I wouldn't call that a challenge, really.
That's pretty much what Hardmoors creator Jon Steele has on his plate for 2012. No one asked him to do it, he decided it himself, Mens sana in corpore sano (a sane mind in a sound body). Well, at least the sound body part.
So the idea is to run an ultramarathon pretty much every week-end, either as an actual ultramarathon race, a shorter race topped up after the finish line, or a training run, as long as it's longer than 27 miles (43.5km). And to season the whole idea, that will include three 100 miles races and four 50 miles ones.
You can follow his progress on his new blog: jsteeles50in52.blogspot.com. Good luck Jon!
Ultra running year
Friday, November 25 2011
Ultrarunners Longitudinal TRAcking (ULTRA) Study
By Julien on Friday, November 25 2011, 10:03 - Health
How many times have I been asked "isn't running ultramarathons bad for your health?". We might soon have a scientific answer to this question. Well, by soon, I mean in the next 20 years or so...
Researchers at Stanford University have just launched the Ultrarunners Longitudinal TRAcking (ULTRA) Study (http://bit.ly/ULTRAStudy). I have filled in their questionnaire about current and past lifestyle (activities, nutrition, illness, and obviously running), and am now waiting for the next one, which should be coming in 1 or 2 years.
Ultra study
Tuesday, November 22 2011
Athens Marathon 2011
By Julien on Tuesday, November 22 2011, 09:56 - Events
Have I heard someone saying "in Athens [...] the heat can play a role" when running the marathon? Yes, I am looking towards you, at 161° South South East...
Well it looks like we went on a bad year: 10°C, Beaufort 7 wind (50-60km/h - "Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind."), and a bit of drizzle for good measure. So was the forecast Dan, Marco, and I bleakly looked at on Saturday evening as we prepared our running equipment... Our only hope was that the wind direction looked liked it could be in our backs.
The calm after the storm
After a short night and after Marco had sorted his priorities right (ie. hair style before timing chip), we left to take the stream of coaches going to Marathon. And indeed when it left us nearby the Marathon's stadium, it was cold, drizzling, and very windy. I guess that's the logical consequence for a race to choose one of its main sponsors called "WIND"... So we had to wait for the start for over an hour, sheltering as we could, before getting changed at the last minute and used the plastic bags distributed by the organisation as a last protection.
Just before the start we were told that "it is never cold in Greece, because even if the weather is cold, the Greeks are warm at heart". And it was to be true. People were very supportive in the streets, despite the poor conditions. I picked up a branch of olive tree (which Athena gave the people of Athens) handed by a supporter and carried it till the finish line.
Against all common sense for whoever runs or cycles, the wind was indeed behind us during the first half of the marathon, making it easier (the only time not being short has been an advantage for me), and not too cold. After 10km of flat surface, we started 20km of gentle ascent. I was fine until half way (in 1:40:30), but things started to get a bit complicated after that. My quads got tighter and tighter, and my pace dropped. I just couldn't produce the power. Even during the final 10km of descent, I didn't manage to pick up much speed, by then focusing primarily on not getting cramps.
Click to enlarge
The final kilometre is pretty magical, though. First the Acropolis pointing out above the city, and then it's the entry in the Panathinaiko stadium (used for the first modern Olympic Games). Much bigger and whiter than I had imagined. I didn't bother to push for sub 3:30, and just enjoyed the moment with my olive branch in the middle of this entirely stone-built stadium. I had just run on the footsteps of the literally legendary Pheidippides... 2501 years late.
It's probably the best organised marathon I've run so far, with a lot of attention to details. In particular enough portable toilets at the start and at the end, wind/rain protection at the start and at the end, good goodie bag, audio tape with final instructions in the bus, ...
And as if the "marathon full package" was not enough, we were hosted, fed, and drove around by local friend George, catering for every need. And turning the experience into a "marathon full package delux". That is to say we ate a lot! So big thank you George!
Ultra marathon roots
Well it looks like we went on a bad year: 10°C, Beaufort 7 wind (50-60km/h - "Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind."), and a bit of drizzle for good measure. So was the forecast Dan, Marco, and I bleakly looked at on Saturday evening as we prepared our running equipment... Our only hope was that the wind direction looked liked it could be in our backs.
The calm after the storm
After a short night and after Marco had sorted his priorities right (ie. hair style before timing chip), we left to take the stream of coaches going to Marathon. And indeed when it left us nearby the Marathon's stadium, it was cold, drizzling, and very windy. I guess that's the logical consequence for a race to choose one of its main sponsors called "WIND"... So we had to wait for the start for over an hour, sheltering as we could, before getting changed at the last minute and used the plastic bags distributed by the organisation as a last protection.
Just before the start we were told that "it is never cold in Greece, because even if the weather is cold, the Greeks are warm at heart". And it was to be true. People were very supportive in the streets, despite the poor conditions. I picked up a branch of olive tree (which Athena gave the people of Athens) handed by a supporter and carried it till the finish line.
Against all common sense for whoever runs or cycles, the wind was indeed behind us during the first half of the marathon, making it easier (the only time not being short has been an advantage for me), and not too cold. After 10km of flat surface, we started 20km of gentle ascent. I was fine until half way (in 1:40:30), but things started to get a bit complicated after that. My quads got tighter and tighter, and my pace dropped. I just couldn't produce the power. Even during the final 10km of descent, I didn't manage to pick up much speed, by then focusing primarily on not getting cramps.
Click to enlarge
The final kilometre is pretty magical, though. First the Acropolis pointing out above the city, and then it's the entry in the Panathinaiko stadium (used for the first modern Olympic Games). Much bigger and whiter than I had imagined. I didn't bother to push for sub 3:30, and just enjoyed the moment with my olive branch in the middle of this entirely stone-built stadium. I had just run on the footsteps of the literally legendary Pheidippides... 2501 years late.
It's probably the best organised marathon I've run so far, with a lot of attention to details. In particular enough portable toilets at the start and at the end, wind/rain protection at the start and at the end, good goodie bag, audio tape with final instructions in the bus, ...
And as if the "marathon full package" was not enough, we were hosted, fed, and drove around by local friend George, catering for every need. And turning the experience into a "marathon full package delux". That is to say we ate a lot! So big thank you George!
Ultra marathon roots
Monday, November 7 2011
Hardmoors for the lazy ...
By Julien on Monday, November 7 2011, 18:17 - Hardmoors
... or the runners building up stamina.
Jon seems to become softer and softer, and has now opened the Hardmoors 55, 110, and 60 to relay teams. Between 2 and 4 runners who can split the course however they like, as long as they cover the entire race between them obviously. Interesting strategies in perspective.
Ultra relays
Tuesday, October 11 2011
Life starts after a marathon...
By Julien on Tuesday, October 11 2011, 22:06 - Health
To those who advise against exercise during pregnancy, this woman ran the Chicago marathon... just before giving birth!
Ultra life start
Ultra life start
Tuesday, October 4 2011
World's Ultimate Running Races
By Julien on Tuesday, October 4 2011, 19:42 - Books
I've just received the recently published World's Ultimate Running Races - 500 Races, 101 Countries, Choose your adventure. I guess it would be best defined as an illustrated guide book of the most iconic races in the world.
It certainly contains a variety of races, from 5km to 3100 miles (4989km), grouped in 10 categories (cross country, mountain, multi-terrain, road, snow, stage, stairs, track, trail, and ultra).
That said, I am not entirely sure how Angela Mudge has selected the "most exhilarating and remarkable races". Why including the Belfast Marathon but not Dublin's for example? Furthermore, the selection is heavily Anglocentric. About 70 of these races take place in the UK, but less than 30 in France. This seems rather disproportionate, since the ahotu calendar lists 424 races in the UK, against 1199 in France. Are the French ones statistically 6 times less "interesting", or has the author's origin biased the selection?
Pictures certainly make you want to travel the world for these races. How long until someone takes on the challenge to run them all? Not that I could take part in the challenge, since I wouldn't be able to enter the "Adidas Women's only 5km" in Hyde Park and the "Women's mini Marathon" in Dublin...
Little game: how many of these races have I completed? And let's get even more playful: a bottle of Champagne for the first to give me the exact race list without prior knowledge of the book. Leave answer in comments.
Ultra challenges
It certainly contains a variety of races, from 5km to 3100 miles (4989km), grouped in 10 categories (cross country, mountain, multi-terrain, road, snow, stage, stairs, track, trail, and ultra).
That said, I am not entirely sure how Angela Mudge has selected the "most exhilarating and remarkable races". Why including the Belfast Marathon but not Dublin's for example? Furthermore, the selection is heavily Anglocentric. About 70 of these races take place in the UK, but less than 30 in France. This seems rather disproportionate, since the ahotu calendar lists 424 races in the UK, against 1199 in France. Are the French ones statistically 6 times less "interesting", or has the author's origin biased the selection?
Pictures certainly make you want to travel the world for these races. How long until someone takes on the challenge to run them all? Not that I could take part in the challenge, since I wouldn't be able to enter the "Adidas Women's only 5km" in Hyde Park and the "Women's mini Marathon" in Dublin...
Little game: how many of these races have I completed? And let's get even more playful: a bottle of Champagne for the first to give me the exact race list without prior knowledge of the book. Leave answer in comments.
Ultra challenges
Thursday, September 29 2011
A rant against the new Decathlon hydration pack
By Julien on Thursday, September 29 2011, 21:37 - Equipment
I'm rather unhappy about the new Decathlon hydration pack I have bought a few months ago. Up to that point, you're thinking "nothing extraordinary" :) . Less obvious: I bought it to replace a previous Decathlon hydration pack that I actually liked, which was coming to the end of its life. Yes, you read it correctly, I was satisfied with a Decathlon product. Funnily, that's exactly what the website product description reads: "to replace your old hydration pack!". Odd description, first-time buyers: this one is apparently not for you :)
But I digress. This replacement was a big mistake!
First of all, the bite valve is of appalling quality. It was chewed off after two runs only (OK, the cumulative distance of these two runs was about 280km, but still). On top of that, the older one had a better flow.
And one of the reason I had to bite it hard(er) is that they added their "new" push-pull valve between the bite valve and the pipe. They claim it's to avoid leakage. But if the bite valve was well designed in the first place you wouldn't need this extra valve! Guys, it's simple, the clue is in the name: "bite valve". You bite, the water flows. You release, the water stops. Hence it's a valve... Otherwise it would just be called a "bite"! So essentially the only reason for adding this extra valve is to allow them in fine to reduce the quality of the original bite valve. And indeed, the new bite valve leaks whereas the previous one didn't. So Decathlon product designers, you might as well remove the bite valve now, since it's pretty much useless. Luckily I kept the older one and used it as a replacement.
And last but not least, the new pipe might be slightly lighter, but it also pinches rather easily when forced to take a "sharp" bend. And the only way to solve that is to remove the bladder, put it back, shake the bag, change the pipe side for good measure, and hope for the best. How long until they come up with a kind of extra sleeve to support the pipe along the bending areas, yet another "innovation" designed to fix a problem that didn't exist in the first place?
To come back to their "replace your old hydration pack!", well just don't. Really. The old one was far better.
Ultra leak
But I digress. This replacement was a big mistake!
First of all, the bite valve is of appalling quality. It was chewed off after two runs only (OK, the cumulative distance of these two runs was about 280km, but still). On top of that, the older one had a better flow.
And one of the reason I had to bite it hard(er) is that they added their "new" push-pull valve between the bite valve and the pipe. They claim it's to avoid leakage. But if the bite valve was well designed in the first place you wouldn't need this extra valve! Guys, it's simple, the clue is in the name: "bite valve". You bite, the water flows. You release, the water stops. Hence it's a valve... Otherwise it would just be called a "bite"! So essentially the only reason for adding this extra valve is to allow them in fine to reduce the quality of the original bite valve. And indeed, the new bite valve leaks whereas the previous one didn't. So Decathlon product designers, you might as well remove the bite valve now, since it's pretty much useless. Luckily I kept the older one and used it as a replacement.
And last but not least, the new pipe might be slightly lighter, but it also pinches rather easily when forced to take a "sharp" bend. And the only way to solve that is to remove the bladder, put it back, shake the bag, change the pipe side for good measure, and hope for the best. How long until they come up with a kind of extra sleeve to support the pipe along the bending areas, yet another "innovation" designed to fix a problem that didn't exist in the first place?
To come back to their "replace your old hydration pack!", well just don't. Really. The old one was far better.
Ultra leak
Wednesday, September 28 2011
Hardmoors 60: sea, run, and sun
By Julien on Wednesday, September 28 2011, 23:52 - Hardmoors
On Saturday I was once more back in the North Yorkshire Moors, this time to run the first edition of the Hardmoors 60.
As you know, the Hardmoors 110 route is composed of two distinct sections: the first half in the moors (Helmsley to Saltburn) and second one following the coast (Saltburn to Filey). Last year Jon created the Hardmoors 55 on the first half of the course. This year he naturally added the Hardmoors 60 on the coastal section. Slight issue, the total distance was a bit under 60 miles, so a loop had been added at the end, forcing us to run an extra 10 miles after passing 100m from the finish line...
I pitched my tent in Filey on Friday night, and took the coach for Saltburn on Saturday morning, in which I met the usual suspects: Steve, Flip, ... and slept a bit. By the time we were greeted by Jon at Saltburn, the sun was up, and a gorgeous weather was waiting the 50 of us!
The conditions in the morning were perfect, and I kept running with my head looking left towards the sea :) The section on the beach at Runswick Bay was particularly nice. Much easier to enjoy than on the 110 after a night out in the moors...
Unfortunately, things started to change after Sandsend. I started to feel diarrhea looming. The whole section between Whitby and Ravenscar turned into a difficult moment. Aside from the pain and the technical challenges of the condition in the middle of a race, it left me relatively weak and probably dehydrated, since the weather was relatively warm.
Luckily, after a great deal of help from the marshal at the Ravenscar checkpoint (32 miles), who fed me with soup and rice pudding, I was back on track and enjoyed the rolling section to Scarborough, and even ran the whole promenade despite the hardness of the concrete and the density of pedestrians.
As I left Scarborough (43 miles), I thought I had only 7 miles to Filey Brigg, then 7 miles to Stocking Dale, and logically 3 miles to the finish line. As I asked for confirmation at Filey Brigg (50 miles), about the 10 miles left, I was told that it was actually 12... I know I was a bit confused after 11 hours on the trail, but was still fairly confident that 60-50=10. Then I started to think again about the map I had roughly memorised, and thought it would be strange for this loop to be about 6 miles on the way in, and only 3 on the way back. And indeed, the total distance happened to be 63.5 miles (102km)... Jon's such a joker ;)
After I passed next to the finish line and my tent, I switched on my head torch for the final 10 miles loop, where I didn't see a single runner, but a few animals a bit surprised to see me: a couple of kittens blinded by my head torch, an owl, a rabbit who didn't know where to run away and was just zig-zaging in front of me until I nearly stepped on him, and a few cows that didn't seem too bothered.
Not only animals were surprised. As I was close to finish, I got stopped by a farmer who was patrolling, a bit worried by all these lights in the fields in the middle of the night. He told me that he was concerned we were poachers or metal scrappers. I convinced him that after running 60 miles, the last thing we had in mind was to carry a metal gate or a sheep back home...
I pushed a bit to arrive 15th in just under 14 hours (13:58). Just in time to discuss a potential Hardmoors 160 and maybe even a Hardmoors 1000 :)
I have too say I was not too keen on this final loop, not only it doesn't bring much in terms of scenery, but it's not a natural ending after following the coast for 50 miles. And passing by the finish line 2 hours before finishing is a bit depressing. It might be scrapped next year.
As I came back to London, I was subject to a new form of craving: I was really keen on getting a dozen of oysters. Something to do with water and salt I guess. Or maybe the consequences of a run by the sea?
Ultra coast
As you know, the Hardmoors 110 route is composed of two distinct sections: the first half in the moors (Helmsley to Saltburn) and second one following the coast (Saltburn to Filey). Last year Jon created the Hardmoors 55 on the first half of the course. This year he naturally added the Hardmoors 60 on the coastal section. Slight issue, the total distance was a bit under 60 miles, so a loop had been added at the end, forcing us to run an extra 10 miles after passing 100m from the finish line...
I pitched my tent in Filey on Friday night, and took the coach for Saltburn on Saturday morning, in which I met the usual suspects: Steve, Flip, ... and slept a bit. By the time we were greeted by Jon at Saltburn, the sun was up, and a gorgeous weather was waiting the 50 of us!
The conditions in the morning were perfect, and I kept running with my head looking left towards the sea :) The section on the beach at Runswick Bay was particularly nice. Much easier to enjoy than on the 110 after a night out in the moors...
Unfortunately, things started to change after Sandsend. I started to feel diarrhea looming. The whole section between Whitby and Ravenscar turned into a difficult moment. Aside from the pain and the technical challenges of the condition in the middle of a race, it left me relatively weak and probably dehydrated, since the weather was relatively warm.
Luckily, after a great deal of help from the marshal at the Ravenscar checkpoint (32 miles), who fed me with soup and rice pudding, I was back on track and enjoyed the rolling section to Scarborough, and even ran the whole promenade despite the hardness of the concrete and the density of pedestrians.
As I left Scarborough (43 miles), I thought I had only 7 miles to Filey Brigg, then 7 miles to Stocking Dale, and logically 3 miles to the finish line. As I asked for confirmation at Filey Brigg (50 miles), about the 10 miles left, I was told that it was actually 12... I know I was a bit confused after 11 hours on the trail, but was still fairly confident that 60-50=10. Then I started to think again about the map I had roughly memorised, and thought it would be strange for this loop to be about 6 miles on the way in, and only 3 on the way back. And indeed, the total distance happened to be 63.5 miles (102km)... Jon's such a joker ;)
After I passed next to the finish line and my tent, I switched on my head torch for the final 10 miles loop, where I didn't see a single runner, but a few animals a bit surprised to see me: a couple of kittens blinded by my head torch, an owl, a rabbit who didn't know where to run away and was just zig-zaging in front of me until I nearly stepped on him, and a few cows that didn't seem too bothered.
Not only animals were surprised. As I was close to finish, I got stopped by a farmer who was patrolling, a bit worried by all these lights in the fields in the middle of the night. He told me that he was concerned we were poachers or metal scrappers. I convinced him that after running 60 miles, the last thing we had in mind was to carry a metal gate or a sheep back home...
I pushed a bit to arrive 15th in just under 14 hours (13:58). Just in time to discuss a potential Hardmoors 160 and maybe even a Hardmoors 1000 :)
I have too say I was not too keen on this final loop, not only it doesn't bring much in terms of scenery, but it's not a natural ending after following the coast for 50 miles. And passing by the finish line 2 hours before finishing is a bit depressing. It might be scrapped next year.
As I came back to London, I was subject to a new form of craving: I was really keen on getting a dozen of oysters. Something to do with water and salt I guess. Or maybe the consequences of a run by the sea?
Ultra coast
Rather unbelievable
By Julien on Wednesday, September 28 2011, 14:26 - Misc
Especially after the ridiculously bad summer we had...
Ultra hot and sunny
Monday, September 5 2011
Another thames challenge to follow
By Julien on Monday, September 5 2011, 10:07 - Misc
David Walliams has started this morning his attempt to swim the length of the Thames in seven days. Apparently colder than expected, he's eventually decided to use a wetsuit. I cannot blame him really...
As they advertise it, "WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF. The tidal Thames is incredibly dangerous and many people have drowned in its waters which have powerful tides and unpredictable currents". So up to Richmond is fine then :) Lewis Gordon Pugh, who has actually done the full length from the source (starting by running) to South-end-on-Sea, said the biggest danger was coming from objects immersed just under the surface. For Charlie Wittmack, it was probably more a bacterial threat, as he became violently ill during his attempt.
Ultra swim
As they advertise it, "WARNING DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF. The tidal Thames is incredibly dangerous and many people have drowned in its waters which have powerful tides and unpredictable currents". So up to Richmond is fine then :) Lewis Gordon Pugh, who has actually done the full length from the source (starting by running) to South-end-on-Sea, said the biggest danger was coming from objects immersed just under the surface. For Charlie Wittmack, it was probably more a bacterial threat, as he became violently ill during his attempt.
Ultra swim
Wednesday, August 31 2011
A week of ultramarathons (behind my PC)
By Julien on Wednesday, August 31 2011, 11:15 - PTL
It's been a good week, following events unfolding in Chamonix.
I didn't realise how much fun it would be to follow the PTL live GPS coverage. I was mostly following Team Green, but it was rather entertaining to see other teams getting away from the original path. Sometimes it seemed to be planned (shortcut the Mont Rogneux like us last year). Sometimes not. Sometimes they gave up... Sometimes it was clearly a GPS mistake ("Pierre qui roule" rolled down to Milano, before coming back on track). Sometimes it looked like some had forgotten to give back their beacon: "Team du Risoux" ended up in the Jura, not far from the eponymous mountain range :) Easier than running it!
It's been sad to see Jon dropping from the TDS, Andy, Flip, and Jez from the UTMB. But so goes it during tough events like those.
It's been good to see Börkur flying through the super tough UTMB this year. First delayed start to 23:30 to avoid the storms. Then extended via Martigny while the race was on to avoid a dodgy section near Catogne. It must have been tough to take this news en-route... And all that in a visibly cold, misty weather, with snow on the ground.
Well done to you guys, you made me want to do it again! Or not...
Ultra armchair runner
Friday, August 19 2011
Yet another last week-end of August
By Julien on Friday, August 19 2011, 14:20 - UTMB
For the second time since 2005, I will not be in Chamonix on the last week-end of August :( It feels a bit strange.
All the best to you all who are going to start running on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. I envy you (kind of). Andy, Börkur, Eoin, Jez, Jon, Phil, Philipp, and Shirley, I will follow you online.
Unlike here in London, the weather in the Alps seems rather warm and dry at the moment, so perfect running conditions so far. Have a great run!
And for a little warm up, listen a few times to this before the UTMB/CCC/TDS and this before the PTL.
Ultra nostalgic
All the best to you all who are going to start running on Monday, Thursday, and Friday. I envy you (kind of). Andy, Börkur, Eoin, Jez, Jon, Phil, Philipp, and Shirley, I will follow you online.
Unlike here in London, the weather in the Alps seems rather warm and dry at the moment, so perfect running conditions so far. Have a great run!
And for a little warm up, listen a few times to this before the UTMB/CCC/TDS and this before the PTL.
Ultra nostalgic
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