Plans

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Sunday, December 18 2011

2011 review & 2012 plans

By Julien on Sunday, December 18 2011, 15:20

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

Thursday, May 5 2011

Registered for the Athens Marathon

By Julien on Thursday, May 5 2011, 10:04

I have just registered for the Athens Classic Marathon, to be held in November. Starting from the city of Marathonas and finishing in Athens, it is thought to follow roughly the original route run by Pheidippides to announce victory over Persia.

Not the easiest marathon course, as it is gently uphill between kilometers 10 and 30 (ie. half the race), with a few short and steep climbs to season the race. But definitely the most highly symbolic and historical modern marathon.

Reading a bit about the history, I discovered that the name "Marathon" apparently means "fennel" in Ancient Greek. It wouldn't be too surprising if I hadn't learnt a few months back that the town of Selinute in Sicily, which was a Greek colony, takes its name from "selinion", meaning "fennel". Any Ancient Greek specialist reading this?

Any one else up for it?

Ultra original marathon plan

3 comments

Tuesday, December 21 2010

2011 plans

By Julien on Tuesday, December 21 2010, 15:23

As previously mentioned, 2010 has been a relatively sucessful year, with 7 completed races, including 4 marathons, a very well-managed PTL (thank you Leo for pulling me up) and a new marathon PB. Obviously, my miserably failed attempt on Thames Source Quest (TSQ) casts a bit of shadow...

My plans for 2011 include the Hardmoors 55 to start off the season and maybe Hardmoors 60 to finish it. One or two marathons and other random races will feature opportunistically. I might try the Marathon du Vignoble d'Alsace, incorporating a "Spätzle Party" and a decent 12-course gastronomic menu during the race, each of them accompanied by wine. My favourite being at the Munster cheese and Gewurztraminer at 31km. No marathon wall after that. Or maybe not the same wall...

The TSQ will hopefully be attempted again, but I will change a few things to increase my chances:
  • This will be the only one major (i.e. multi-day) challenge for the whole year. This should allow me to focus more before the event, and not have second thoughts during.
  • Better physical preparation, including a proper training schedule and a 2 weeks rest.
  • Better psychological preparation, with more visualisation of the route. I might even record a GoogleEarth-based fly-through video, with milestones and potentially day/night effects.
  • Better hydration method: I didn't drink enough, probably because I had to suck hard on the purifying bottle. I might consider a pump-based system to fill-in a regular bottle. This will waste a bit of time, but might be profitable on the long run.
  • Carry less food as already discussed, in order to shave off one kilo.
  • Attempt a bit earlier in the year, probably at end of May, to avoid potential heat. This will also mean less daylight.
I am also thinking about another open project, the Paddy Buckley Round. But it will come second to the TSQ, maybe in late August.

I wish you all a great festive season and hope to meet you again on the trails in 2011!

Ultra plans

Tuesday, April 27 2010

Plans update

By Julien on Tuesday, April 27 2010, 16:38

Following the Vienna Marathon trip cancellation (still no news from their "concrete and friendly offer"), we've opted for the Copenhagen Marathon at the end of May. Furthermore, I'm going to attempt my third Three Forts Marathon this week-end with Leo.

(Not so) ultra short term plans

Monday, January 11 2010

2010 plans - update

By Julien on Monday, January 11 2010, 16:38

I'm now registered to the following events: Plus these two offs:
  • Thames Source Quest (TSQ) (May) - 296km along the Thames from the Thames Barrier to its source. A long-thought personal project.
  • Paddy Buckley Round (PBR) (July) - 104km +8,700m on harsh terrain in North Wales.
Ultra start of the year!

3 comments

Friday, December 4 2009

2010 plans

By Julien on Friday, December 4 2009, 14:01

This is that time of the year again, for the 4th time on this blog!

The year was good academically speaking, with a best paper award and obviously my thesis completed!

However, 2009 hasn't been too great running-wise. I hadn't much time to train properly because of my thesis, and my left Achilles tendon has been achy when cold for most of the year. Then came the aborted Paddy Buckley Round attempt and a DNF on the PTL. Luckily, I managed to pull PB on the Nice-Cannes marathon thanks to a conservative race management, which ended up the year on a positive note.

My four main objectives for the year are then:
  • Hardmoors 55 (March) - 55 miles in the North Yorkshire Moors: the first half of the Hardmoors 110. First edition.
  • Thames Source Quest (TSQ) (May) - 296km along the Thames from the Thames Barrier to its source. A long-thought personal project.
  • Paddy Buckley Round (PBR) (July) - 104km +8,700m on harsh terrain in North Wales.
  • Petite Trotte à Léon (PTL) (August) - circa 240km +20,000m around the Mont-Blanc. It will be open to teams of two runners this time.
And obviously I'll enter other shorter events, such as a marathon in April to get under 3h20 :) . My training plan outline might look like that:
  • Nov, Dec: no running (circuit training, swimming, climbing), my Achilles tendon might hopefully recover...
  • Jan, Feb, March: progressive hill training for the Hardmoors 55.
  • April, May: building up to the distance for the TSQ.
  • June, July, August: hardcore mountain training for the PBR and PTL.
I've been briefly tempted by the Runfurther series, a sort of unofficial UK trail championship. The race list includes the Hardmoors 55 and the Lakeland 100. But that involves a lot of travelling unless you live in Yorkshire, in which case you've got half of the races at your doorstep :) .

Otherwise, I'm still working on a real-time runner tracking software, that I hope to test on the Hardmoors 55. More on that later.

Ultra loaded year.

one comment

Monday, May 11 2009

Registered for the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes

By Julien on Monday, May 11 2009, 18:22

It's all in the title, I'm registered for the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes, running along the seaside from Nice to Cannes via Antibes. I've got a revenge to take on the Promenade des Anglais after the painful experience at the Nice Ironman last year. My sunburn marks are still visible... And I've also got to motivate Bastien!

Anyone keen?

Ultra ready for the revenge

5 comments

Monday, November 24 2008

Ideas for 2009

By Julien on Monday, November 24 2008, 19:09

The Dublin Marathon just closed my running season and I'm obviously already thinking about next year. No confidence ratings this time. Just a bunch of random ideas that might or might not happen.

I'm only going to run one major event next year. Probably one of those:
  • La Petite Trotte à Léon (PTL) - 220km +17,000m ascent in high-mountain terrain around the Month-Blanc in under 100h (teams of 3 runners) - this is my favourite choice if I manage to build up a team in a month
  • Lakeland 100 - 100 miles (161km) +6,300m ascent in Lake District
  • the full Thames Path - 295km from sea to source (most likely solo and without assistance, or mabye in 3 days of 100km each)
  • Grand Union Canal Race - 233km from Birmingham to London along the canals
I wish I could run the West Highland Way race but it's full already, the limit being only 175 runners.

Other potential and somehow shorter events: And because my thesis should be finished by next summer (touch wood), I'd like to do something a bit longer but not necessarily running. I'd like to see the Alps, loads of them, and the sun. I have the impression I haven't got any real summer for a while.
  • Cycling between Istanbul and Athens marathons: about 1400km via Sofia (70km/day) or 1100km following the coast (55km/day - runnable?)
  • Cycling around Iceland
  • Via Alpina (red) - hiking 3 months in the Alps from East to West across 8 countries
I've not run since the Dublin Marathon, and I'll try to stick to it till the new year (although I'm already tempted to do the ritual December run to Guildford). And why not a new year ultra: one marathon from 8pm to midnight, a quick flute of Champagne and toasts, and another marathon from midnight on. That would be the last marathon of the year, the first marathon of the year, and an ultramarathon over two years overall :)

More generally, I'd like to enter more short races for the fun. I know I said that last year already...

Beside that, I'll try to marshal at Hardmoors 110. Since I came down from the race's high I've been thinking about that: I'd like to give something back to the race. It would be cool to be posted at Bloworth Crossing or Roseberry Topping...

Ultra ideas.

4 comments

Wednesday, January 16 2008

2008 plans (2)

By Julien on Wednesday, January 16 2008, 19:15

That's it. My running plans are fairly set for the year 2008, as I've registered for the following events:
  • Tough Guy (27th January) intense and muddy winter assault course (see also this entry)
  • Nice Ironman (22nd June) 3.8km swimming, 180km cycling, 42.2km running around Nice (see also these entries)
  • Hardmoors 110 (26th to 28th September) 110 miles cross-country run in the North Yorkshire Moors (see also this entry)
  • Dublin Marathon (27th October) a nice way of finishing the year, with a hope to get closer to 3h.
It's not too far from what was planned about 4 months ago. I hope everything will go well, and I wish my PhD was as well planned ...

Ultra plans.

3 comments

Tuesday, September 11 2007

2008 plans

By Julien on Tuesday, September 11 2007, 15:46

I think it's now time to decide what will be the main sporting events of my year 2008. I've got some fairly well defined plans but I also feel undecisive about others. I'll give a confidence index to all these ideas, and we'll see by the end of 2008 whether I was correct or not...

As previously argued I won't run the UTMB again in 2008 - confidence: 99%.

The main ideas so far are the following:
  • the CCC (100km in 2008?) or the potentially new race starting from Champex - confidence: 5%.
  • a marathon on 1st January, starting at midnight. How cool would that be to start the year by a night marathon ? I see it quite friendly and not too fast. This idea has already been implemented, for example by the Neujahrmarathon. Champagne available at aid stations :) - confidence: 10%.
  • a long ultra in Spring:
    • the Grand Union Canal Race - 233km from Birmingham to London - confidence: 10%.
    • OR the Pennine 100 miles, a trail involving night navigation - confidence: 20%.
    • OR the full Thames Path OFF (most likely solo and without assistance) - 295km from Sea to Source - confidence: 30%.
  • the Dublin Marathon in October to close the season (I could nearly do it this Automn actually ...) - confidence: 40%.
  • the Nice Ironman (June) OR the UK Ironman (August) - 3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.195km run - confidence: 70%.
  • I'm registered for Tough Guy (c) at the end of January (if they eventually send me my "passport" back) - confidence: 99%.
The long ultra and the Ironman being obviously the most important, I may decide not to do both. In this case I'd replace the unselected event by a (relatively short) 50 to 100km trail.

More generally, I'd like to enter more (small) races for the fun.

Ultra plans.

Thursday, February 15 2007

2007 training plan

By Julien on Thursday, February 15 2007, 15:43

We're in mid-February, the relative rest period is over and it's time to devise a more detailed training plan for the next 6 months.

Overlall, great care will be taken to follow my feelings in order to avoid over-training, injuries and to keep the pleasure going. I know that this UTMB will be much more a matter of staying injury-free than a brute force issue. A well-trained mind can always compensate a lack of strength, forget gentle pain, but can't fix a serious injury.

As mentioned earlier, there will be three main phases in this training plan: speed, endurance and hill training. However, these phases won't be disjoint and will overlap in a continuous manner. The aim is to combine a fair base speed with a good endurance factor.
  • Speed training - Feb, March, April
    Last year, as I couldn't train as much as I wished, I focused mostly on long runs, which decreased my base speed. This may also have affected the strength of my muscles and led to the tendinitis.
    I've now gently started speed training again and I'm already a bit faster than I used to be a year ago (10km in 43min lately). More work is necessary. Since the New Year, I've mostly ran distances between 10 and 13km. Sometimes gentle, sometimes fast, and sometimes with intervals. As for the latter, after 5km warming up, I push a 20 to 30 seconds sprint 5 times during the following 5km. When I feel good, I need to emphasize more on that sort of runs to increase my base speed.
    With this training, good feelings are back on short distance, so is the appetite (*), and unfortunately so is the kind of irritability while not running for 2 days in a row...
  • Endurance training - April, May, June, July
    My endurance factor has never been very good and I have to work on it. It's OK up to a half-marathon distance, but it decreases quickly beyond that distance. I can run the marathon (42km) at 12km/h, but London-Guildford (60km) at 10km/h and London-Brighton (90km) at 9km/h.
    One of the long distance will be run on the 3 Forts Marathon which is a 27 miles race (43.5km) in the hills with 1050m of ascent. This kind of race is sometimes referred to as a "marathon+". This race will also kick off my hill training.
  • Hill training - May, June, July
    As I mentionned earlier, I'll need at least 3 serious sessions in the hills, in Wales or in Lake District and maybe an overnight run (just for the fun). They could be between 40 and 60km. A long distance hike in serious mountains at the beginning of the summer would complete the training.
Ultra careful not to get injured.

(*) I'm eating lots of Nutella(c) sandwitches during the day, I didn't dare to take my first UK-bought Munster cheese ... too smelly.

Monday, September 25 2006

Future plans

By Julien on Monday, September 25 2006, 15:31

Of course, I'd like to run the UTMB again in 2007 and, if possible, to finish it (first difficulty will be to get in...).

But what about other plans ? You know, the kind of things you think about, but you don't really believe you'll carry on for good. The Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc was one of them. And the dream did eventually happen! So why not another one, slightly different, maybe harder, maybe crazier... Lots of those dreams will probably never happen, but I still hope to complete at least a couple of them.

On the long term, I still have the idea to walk one of the European long distance paths. But none of them is exactly the one I dream of. Because it needs to follow the GR5 in France (Vosges, Jura, Alpes), but the E2 is too short. Ideally, it would start from the North of Scandinavia, then head South to Denmark, Germany, France and Spain... That's probably 6000 to 7000km, a year walking :)

On the mid-term (in the coming years), I wish I could complete the Nice Ironman (*), because I want to try something a bit different and also because it's usually considered as a challenge.
I would also like to run the Grand Union Canal 145 mile Race (233km), from Birmingham to London. This is a properly organised race with food points if you need them, which helps a lot, but on the other hand I'm still wondering if following a canal by night in the Midlands is very nice...
More symbolic, following the Thames from source to sea. A National Trail, the Thames path, actually follows the Thames for about 294km, from the source to the Thames Barrier. So far, I've thought mostly about running from the source to the sea, following the water flow. But as suggested by some web sites, the other way round may also be an option. Because escaping London feels nicer, and the sort of quest to the source is highly symbolic. I don't know if this has been done so far. As nothing is organised, I would need a small team (or a big bag) to carry one with this project.
And of course, there's still this multi-day run, the UK diagonal from Dover to Cape Wrath, detailed previously in my blog, or maybe the more common but also slightly longer Land's End to John O'Groats (LEJOG).

Ultra plans.

(*) An ironman is a triathlon composed of 3.8km swimming, 180km cycling and a marathon (42.2km running).