Training Log Archive: UltraJaney

Rat Race - The Wall Ultra

Started at 7am from Carlisle Castle. The weather was cool and overcast to begin with followed by rain as forecast. However, it improved later in the afternoon and we had dry. sunny spells. Had a heavy downpour with hail and strong winds across the moors but apart from that it was ok. It stayed fine and dry into Sunday.

I used a new and very light pair of Mountain King Trail Blaze poles. I ran for the first hour or two as you advised before using a run/walk technique. Jogged the flats and power walked the hills.

Kit:

The Wall baseball cap. Bloody expensive at £14!! Did the job though.
Fancy A Threesome team t-shirt.
Base layer
Inov-8 Race Ultra shorts
Compressport calf guards
Inov-8 parkclaws with Enertor cushioned insoles. Feet still hurt despite the cushioning but no surpirse after being on all that road.

I taped my feet the night before. Lots of Compeed plasters and micropore tape which worked. I have only one tiny blister on my left toe.

I was averaging around 11 min/miling to start with - speeded up a bit to 10 min/miling but reined it in. Was aiming for 4 to 5 miles an hour.

Felt good, well in fact, strong throughout most of the race. I knew I would hit a low point in the early hours of the morning so mentally prepared myself. Still hard though, walking like a zombie at 2am!

Tiredness and the cold got to me though not as bad as I was at Chester. This affected me more than the other two as they didn't feel the cold at all even though the temperatures dropped in the night. I ended up putting on hat., gloves and waterproof overtrousers to get warm. Next time - put a warmer jacket in my drop bag for the night section as the OMM Kamleika jacket wasn't quite warm enough. Friends reckon I feel the cold because of my slight build/low body fat. I think it's age...

Fantastic countryside!! We had to climb up a set of crags and it was worth it as the views were stunning. Nice to get off road too. The area is rich in Roman history and we saw remains of forts etc. Well worth seeing.

Pit stops and checkpoints were very well stocked and manned. I felt my hydration and nutrition were much better this time as I kept eating and drinking. No swollen fingers or similar issues. They had 'proper' food at the stops - plenty of savoury items such as sandwiches, pies, crisps etc, not just plates of cake and Haribos. I've noticed that savoury food suits me better than sweet things so will stick with that.

There was hot food and drinks at the four Pit Stops and that was very welcome especially in the later stages of the race. I had hot food (noodle soup) and coffee at Hexham which helped and again at Newburn - the last pit stop before the finish.

People were wrecked at Newburn - hobbling in, lying around or trying to stay awake. It was like A & E on a Saturday night according to another runner. I had a large black coffee then a cup of tea and something to eat and felt a lot better. It was enough to keep me going until the finish.

Feet were very sore and aching by this point. Balls of my feet were burning and the top of my left foot felt like ti was being squeezed in a vice! I think all that road hammered my feet.... But apart from that no niggles or any injuries.

I walked the remaining 25 to 30 miles but apart from the dip in the night, maintained a Nordic Walking style and my friend mentioned that I was powering along to the finish. I felt like I could have run those last few miles but the three of us were in zombie mode by then.

Overall, this was a hard race due to a lot of it being on the road and there was some elevation but nothing too extreme I'd say. There are positives for me and areas that need reviewing/working on but apart from that I'm pleased to have completed it.

Travelled up to Carlisle to register for The Wall. Strolled around Carlisle cathedral - beautiful!

Resting for the rest of the day.

Prep for The Wall Ultra.

Nordic Walking session along the canal at Stone. I kept it at a brisk but not too fast pace to keep the old legs moving.

Tapering is going well for The Wall: no more training now as the race is this Saturday. I will be travelling up to Carlisle this Friday ready for the big day. It finishes Sunday morning so I aim to be back in the afternoon.

I will take next week off as recovery - similar to what I did after the Chester 100. Have got a massage booked on Monday which will help.

I went with the Walking group at Trail Tuesday as I am tapering for The Wall so wanted to keep myself in maintenance mode. This weekly event has three running groups and a walking group.

Tonight was an easy paced walk off-road around Sandon.

Easy paced regeneration run to keep the legs ticking over. I walked any hills.