Likeys Beacons Ultra 19th Nov 2011

Rogers' Rangers Standing Order #1 - Don't Forget Nothing.

As a big fan of the aforementioned Major Rogers, this should not have caused me any issues but as I neared Rhayader on my Friday night journey to Talybont on Usk for the Likeys Beacons Ultra a horrible thought entered my head - "had I packed my trainers?" A look in the back of the car confirmed my fears and I was left with no alternative but to turn round and head back to Bangor. As I cursed my way home, I then realised that I had in fact neglected to pack my entire running kit! Lesson number 1 - Don't Forget Nothing

Other lessons I learned today 

1. If you're doing an Ultra, get some sleep beforehand.
2. If you have a plan, stick to it and don't get carried away
3. Treat a challenging course with the respect it deserves
4. Don't use a feeble excuse along the lines of "I have to drive back to Bangor" as, although the marshalls will feign sympathy, they'll just think you're a spineless d***h***.

Anyhoo, the race (interspersed with excuses for which I apologise)

As I had plenty of time in between curses I managed to come up with a contingency plan to get my head down at home (after I'm a Celebrity) set the alarm for 02:15 and make the return journey. This plan worked and I arrived to register shortly after 05:30 after a hindrance free journey down the A470 full of beans (well noodles actually, cooked in the car park) and ready to take on the Beacons.

The Start - lots of shiny daysacks

The climb to Tor Y Foel

For the uninitiated, the Beacons Ultra is in its 4th year of running and covers 45 miles of some of Wales' finest scenery. The race is over 2 laps, which is good because it gives the weak a get out option after 22.5 miles. This is also bad because it gives the weak a get out option after 22.5 miles. As I soaked in the shower before writing this I became annoyed with myself for taking the easy option. Yes, I did have a 3 hour drive home but even at a worst case scenario, I would have finished the race by 19:00 in a half respectable 11.5 hours leaving me plenty of time to get home before midnight. I could even have put my tent up at Pencelli and set off tomorrow morning. But, no; I managed to convince myself that, yes, I could complete the course but did I really want to? That last thought worries me greatly.

This is all quite a shame because the course is very pleasing to run on. The first 3-4 miles are along the towpath of the Brecon and Monmouth canal, which is nice and flat. After that it does start to show its teeth with a tasty climb of 400m over 2.5km to the peak of Tor Y Foel (551m). The course is then a mixture of ups and downs meandering through forests, along rocky paths, leafy glades, metalled roads and then more towpath. Then do it all again.

It is hard after days like today to feel confident about a decent performance in Morocco in less than 140 days time but more lessons have been learned and some plusses have emerged in the fact that I know I could have completed the course in a reasonable time, I sit here typing with the confidence that I can get out tomorrow and do the other 22.5 without any trouble and even after a soggy course over very uneven terrain, I did not suffer a single blister.

So now it's back to training hard, keep taking the "Man Up" pills and, for the love of Cliff, Don't Forget Nothing!

Training Update

Typical! 2 days before my first proper test and I've been suffering all night with what the doctor once told me was a trapezius spasm or a stiff neck to you and me. Likelihood is that it will wear off by Saturday but if not I'm going to have to take a few MTFU pills and tough it out. As Chris Martin once sang, "Nobody said it was easy but no-one ever said it would be this hard"

Capel Curig

Llyn Ogwen

Anyhoo, aches and pains aside, training has been going pretty well. Pulled out 51km on 6th Nov in 5.5 hours without any undue discomfort. The scenery on the way round made the run all the more enjoyable, especially around Llyn Ogwen and past Capel Curig. I almost had a mad urge to nip up Snowdon and down the other side into Llanberis but that urge was quickly repressed. Felt a bit stiff at the end but the really good news is that I'd recovered well enough the next day to cut about work with no aches and whacked out 14km on Tuesday. So all in all I'm feeling pretty confident about a half decent performance on Saturday. If I can manage to achieve exactly 40th place 'll win a spot prize of a pair of Bloc sunglasses. 40th place last year was not far short of 10 hours so that'll do me nicely.

Last Friday saw my first session with Adrian and Ed at Bangor Uni Sports Science department. This consisted of a lactate threshold and VO2 Max test. No offence to Sam who tested us a couple of months back but it was far more comfortable doing this sort of thing on a treadmill rather than exercise bike. Felt that I did OK and performed as hard as I could, even getting my MHR up to 182 at one point. Saw a few graphs at the end that meant nothing to me but they looked impressive!! Results to follow.

Next post will be due on Sunday assuming that I've made it home in one piece.