Annapurna Sanctuary

You want to see mountains? See below.

I did some running too: MBC to ABC and back in 59. Minutes. 430m climb from 3800 to 4230 included. Downhill was easy, but uphill was a killer!

More pictures here(loads)

Sorry I had to resize the blog again, so pictures are not quite complete... but have a look at the link above if you are interested at the originals.

The 7000m "Fishtail" (Machhapuchhare) from the west.



Silke posing under the "Fishtail" near MBC (Machhapuchhare Base Camp)


Approaching ABC (Annapurna Base Camp). The Machhapuchhare massiv in the background.



At 4300m the legendary glacier basin (200m below) with the 8091m Annapurna towering behind



Silke scrambling up the crest right next to a 600 feet drop down (overhanging and crumbling underneath into the gigantic glacier basin)



The treck leads through rice fields


And jungle

Berlin 2009 (pictures)

On September the 19th, just after Silke passed the 10k point near the Alexander Platz (Place) (it took her 25 minutes (ok, she was on skates))...
I noticed the traces of two planes crossing right next to the TV tower. Painting a Saint Andrew's cross into the blue sky!

More pictures from Berlin

Berlin Marathon 2009

Here I was at the start of the Berlin Marathon on Sunday the 20th of September. Together with 40900 runners.

My legs felt horrible. Sore. Sluggish. I could hardly walk straight. That was caused (I guess) by the hard training the week before and the short taper...

And I did not wear my Saucony Fast Witch. Light but too risky. I was running in my normal training shoes.

I placed myself in block "B" (I qualified for that with my sub 2:50 from Cologne last year). Right behind the elite athletes. I saw Hayley Haining warming up and the other female top athletes. I could not see the male superstars though like Haile Gebrselassie because they were in the right half of the start which was obstructed. That was one of the reasons why the left "B" start block was not as busy as the right one. It also turned out that the right block had a slightly shorter "line" since we (the lefties) ended up on the left hand side of the "Street of the 17th June" and had to cross over to the right at some point which added 20 yards or so. No harm for me since I had a lot of space right from the start (for the first couple of miles) which was absulutely marvelous.

So off we went. It takes only seconds before I pass the starting line. First we all went towards the "Victory Column" passing it to the left and joined that massive dual carriage way behind it. No cloud in the sky. Although it was just 9 o'clock in the morning the entire field already oriented itself to the side of the road. Because that's where the trees cast their shadows. The sun was going to be an issue today. Anxiously I was waiting for the first kilometer marker (there were no mile markers). Here it was at 3:56. Quick. The good news was I could run without major discomfort. But running that fast felt not really comfortable. What about my cocky plan to run an average of 3:55/k? It suddenly did not feel like a good idea for today. But I wanted to give it a try at least. So I kept that effort going. No marker at 2k. Maybe I missed it. I pass the 3k and get a split of 7:42 for the last 2k. Good news! That was the fastest I have been running for weeks. The pace felt ok. A few twitches in my left hamstring. But nothing serious.

I had three "support stops" today. All accessible via underground transportation:
9.5k (Water)
20.5k (Lucozade)
32k (Lucozade Alert)
Silke would provide me with a bottle and gels at those locations. And those "stops" were crucial. There was plenty of water stations en route, but have you tried drinking out of plastic cups when running? Also there was no coke or decent energy drinks available. And no gels. And I needed moral support. To cut this short Silke did a fabulous job, although as she told me later she nearly missed me at 20.5 (which would have been a disaster)!

Back to the race. Although I was going a pretty stiff pace (from my own humble perspective) there were hundreds of runners ahead and the field was stretching for miles already. And it was getting warmer and warmer. I used the water stations to grab a cup of water and pour it over my head. Or my vest or my legs. Passed the first 5k in 19:19 which was good. A bit too fast but I rather run a bit too fast than too slow. I just cannot help it. Now it was my job to keep that going, maybe a bit slower and get to support point one at 9.5k. My pace remains ok and I can see Silke from a distance. She gives me a gel and a water bottle and says I am doing well. I cannot comment on that. It is too early to say I am doing well to be honest.

I pass 10k in 38:52. Very good. But again too early to celebrate. My legs feel sore. No problems with endurance though. Running 3:55/k feels ok. Samba bands, Jazz bands everywhere. Even Karaoke contests have been organised to entertain the crowds of spectators and encourage and runners.

15k in 58:31. Very good. A bit of a cushion. Again. Rather a bit too fast than too slow. Now I start focussing on getting to 20k in good shape. I reach it in 1:18:06.
With support point number two at 20.5 (with a bottle of Lucozade and also a red SIS gel with caffeine!) followed by the half way point.

So here I was passing the half Marathon in 1:22:23. I had announced if I manage half way in sub 1:23 I am on track for a PB. But I felt awful. I had already wasted too much energy. And it was getting warmer still. And I noticed another very typical effect: Although I held my position in the field I did not hold the pace. Since almost everyone started to slow down. If I wanted that PB I had to start to overtake runners now. And so I started to overtake runner after runner. And although it felt I was getting faster I was not. Just before passing the 25k I noted my first k above 4 minutes. Was that the end of my over-confident PB adventure? This was my first low point. But it vanished. It went. Suddenly I felt stronger again. I focussed again on getting to my next "support stop" at 32k. And although I was struggling a few times with keeping the pace up I started to believe again that I could do this. I reach 30k in 1:57:38. That was a PB already. That was something.

Silke is there at 32k and I spot her early enough. She hands me my Lucozade Alert and another Gel. I drink almost the entiry bottle and swallow the Gel.

Now it is 10k to go. My latest idea was to get to 32k quickly. And then there is only 10k left. A familiar distance. So I got there quickly. So far so good. But I feel terrible. My left hamstring wants to snap. Running at 4 minute/k now feels twice as hard as before. I am overtaking more and more runners. I force myself into a decent rythm. It is impossible. But I am not the only one struggling. There are runners walking. Limping. Sitting at the side of the road. An Italian(?) female elite runner stops. Pulls out. The caffeine however kicks in and I can maintain a good pace. Someone shouts my name. It's Silke. She managed to get to the "Potsdamer Place" 4 kilometers before the finish. "Take another gel" she orders. I obey and squeeze and swallow the warm sticky soup out of that plastic container.
Less than 4k to go. I can do this. The faster I go the better my new PB. I cannot calculate anymore though what will that PB be? There is a long dark tunnel ahead but there is light at the end. I know it. I run for my life. My legs will last another couple of miles. I can hear a voice through the loudspeakers welcoming the arriving finishers.
I pass the finish in 2:46:06. A new PB by more than 2 minutes. Woohoo!

              5k split   total
05k      19:19      0:19:19    3:56,3:51,3:51,3:46,3:51
10k      19:33      0:38:52    3:52,3:52,3:55,3:56,3:56
15k      19:39      0:58:31    3:55,3:55,4:00,4:01,3:47
20k      19:35      1:18:06    3:55,3:56,3:52,3:56,3:55
25k      19:42      1:37:48    3:53,3:55,3:56,3:55,4:01
30k      19:50      1:57:38    3:54,4:00,4:00,3:57,4:04
35k      19:57      2:17:35    3:56,3:58,3:58,3:59,4:00
40k      19:53      2:37:28    4:02,4:00,4:00,3:53,3:56
42.195      2:46:06       3:57,3:57 and some more for the last 200m

Finish: 2:46:06 PB!

1st half     1:22:23
2nd half     1:23:43

Berlin Marathon preview

One week to go to Berlin

I have just completed the hardest training week since May. I should not say the "hardest" week. It was in fact the "best" week of running. Enjoyable training. Not much speedwork though. Some uphill work instead. Yesterday was my last "hard" session and whilst I was running I felt strong and my confidence grew and grew and accordingly my plan for Berlin now is fairly optimistic:

Plan A: 1st half in sub 1:23 (3:55/k or 6:18/m). If that is doable I will try to maintain that pace and hopefully manage a 1:24 for the second half. = 2:47 (PB). Woohoo! I know, I know it is too early to celebrate since I have not ran that 2:47 yet! I just enjoy a bit of optimism for a change. But that's the plan anyway.

Plan B: If it turns out that I can not do this 1:23 for the 1st half (that is if I cannot maintain 6:18/m) I will drop that ambitious plan and take it easy and try to enjoy the rest of the run.

Whatever the case, bring it on!!!

I hope for a dry Saturday since that's when Silke will have her Inline Marathon and wet roads are just BAD for Inline Skating. The weather for Sunday does not matter as long as there is no wind, since that spoils PB's.

a short status report

I have a blog. So I should blog something. Once in a while.

The problem in the past weeks and even months was that there was not much running happening in the Crazy German's running department. I am still struggling with injury. Had some painful attempts to maintain some sort of fitness. To avoid excessive weight gain. To have some fun.

I watched some big racing going on from a distance. The UTMB with a lot of great performances. A race out of my reach. Of course I watched Silke's superb ultra debut in the 42mile Devil. That kept my spirit going for a while. Yesterday we watched (some of) the Ben Nevis Race. Silke wrote a nice report about this. Have a look.

But running is not really a spectator sport. And there is some good news to report. I have manged a few longer runs in the last 10 days. Nothing spectacular. Last weekend a 12 miler followed by another 12 miler the following day. This Sunday I run the Lairig More and today I managed 19 miles. I consider this a green light for the Berlin Marathon in two weeks. So that's hopefully an event where I am actually running again and hopefully finishing. So that's something to look forward to.

No Devil for me...

I still have not recovered from the WHW Race (attempt). I have tried a few longer runs to get back into some sort of shape but it did not work. "Longer" runs that is anything more than 12 miles and my left hamstring is in agony that I can barely walk for days. I am more than frustrated. Enough said. It just was not to be. I have sent a note to Gary and withdrew from the race. That's two DNS and one DNF in the last three races. A PB or PW if you like.

Silke is doing better. She is in good shape for the Devil and will have a good run. I am looking forward to supporting her and to meet all my other running friends and supporters on Saturday!

after the race is before the race...

Not too much running at the moment. The WHW Race (although it lasted only 72 miles) has taken its toll and my legs are still sore.

But I want to thank you for your comments! Full of advice and encouragement. And full of credit. It helped a lot to restore my confidence.

And I do have plans for the rest of the year: The 42 mile "Devil o the Highlands" in August and the Berlin Marathon in September.
I hope I can get back into a decent form for those and I am really looking forward to them!

Lost in preparation.

My West Highland Way Race 2009
Another DNF

First things first:
A million thanks to my support team Silke and Nancy. They had to deal with a grumpy idiot who was not even up to the challenge. I owe you big time!
A thousand thanks to Dario and his team to make this event what it is. There is nothing like it on this planet.
Thanks to all the other runners and supporters en route for making this brutal challenge so friendly and personal.

Pre Race Report

The short version:
Imagine this: You run a pretty stiff 42 mile training run on the West Highland way. That ruins your calves because you push too hard on the uphills. Then you rest for a week to let the legs recover.
Now you run a marathon and slightly overdo it… and you end up with pretty sore legs. So you sit down on the couch for two weeks to let the legs recover.
In the week before the race you also pick up a calf strain and rest for another week.
And then you stand up and try to run 95 miles.

The longer version:

I am not the most optimistic person by nature. In fact I did suffer a lot from depressions. It’s a family thing I guess. Thankfully there is a cure for my depression: Running.
It seems to release drugs which make me a normal person. Reasonably optimistic, even happy and probably good company. I hope. Ask my wife what she thinks about that.
If you google this you will find exercising releases endorphins. So I guess that’s the name for it. There is a problem with any drug, in particular those who make you happy: Eventually you need to increase the dosage. Otherwise they don’t work anymore. So guess what. I need more and more of that “running” drug. That finally made me running very long distances. I need to run almost every day. And you have guessed it: there is another problem with those drugs. If you stop taking them you will suffer. You will feel worse than ever before.

So here I was running into trouble. I had already rested the week after the Edinburgh marathon and needed to run desperately. Not just do get my endorphins. I also saw my West Highland Way Race master plan in jeopardy.
The last two weeks before the race were an absolute hellish nightmare. I completely lost it. It was all culminating in a silly argument with Silke about keeping a positive mindset and about hope. But arguing did not make things better…
Two weeks before the race where I had planned a few crucial long preparation runs for the Race I could not run at all. My Quads just kept locking up completely. The weather was just perfect for running and I was in envy of every jogger in the streets and there were hundreds of them.

The wonderful race experience I had from the 52 mile Highland Fling ultra race had lured me into dreaming of an equally successful West Highland Way Race. And I was about to awake from that dream…

The mercy stroke was a calf strain one week before the race. Before that I had hoped to have at least a few runs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday just to get some fresh blood through my legs before the race. That calf injury however was bad enough to prevent any running. I had one pathetic attempt of cross training in the gym which lasted 25 minutes and only seemed to have made things worse. However a last physio appointment on Thursday revealed that I should be ok to have a gentle jog on Saturday. I did not tell my physio though about the nature of that “gentle run”.

I knew I was not fit for the race. Not for this race. Because this was not just a race. This was a serious distance. 95 miles. Don’t get me wrong. I still thought I have this in me. I am not that pessimistic. But not this year. And surely I still was fit but not for 95 miles. But maybe some sort of miracle would even get me to the finish. And even if I fail there was still a choice to be made between a DNF (did not finish) and a DNS (did not start).

At the end I did not have a choice. I got a lot of very sympathetic and encouraging comments on my blog, I got text messages from friends, emails and phone calls. Silke and Nancy (my support team) both had already booked annual leave for the race. The hotel in Fort Bill was booked too. Gear and supplies were ready anyway. And I did not want to disconnect from the race. I wanted to be a part of it. And since I was absolutely desperate for a run I had to be at the start and why not see how it went? I discussed this many times over and over again with Silke and at the end we both made the decision that I would give it a go. And as it turned out it was the right decision!

Race Report
The short version: No I did not finish (again). Arrrghhhh!!!
But I made it to the Kingshouse Hotel. And that makes it a PB. Sort of…

The looong version:

This is not just a race. This is about the people who organise it, the support crews and the runners themselves.

And it is not just a race, because it is indeed a pretty mad race. 95 over rough terrain trough clouds of blood sucking insects.

At the pre race registration one of the first familiar faces was “Drama Queen” Mark Hamilton. A witty friendly person and good runner but his story could bring me into trouble since he ran 80 odd miles of the 2006 race with a broken ankle. And he finished.
Knowing that story and similar stories about endurance and determination did not leave me much choice: 1) You start 2) You finish. I still hoped to get away with it...

Mike Thomson looked pretty determined and confident (and after last years DNF he was about to have a great run finishing in 21:44).

I had a brief chat with Joe Sheridan. He was part of the race organisation and had run the race before. I knew his honest race tale from the 2007 race “THE RENAL WAY” I had read it again and again.
http://www.westhighlandwayrace.org/Witness.htm#sheridan

I saw the BBC team interviewing Richie Cunningham. A talented and popular long distance runner. He was about to have an absolute incredible race.

I finally met Austrian runner Martin Mayrhofer (and his team) who was nervous but surprised by the friendliness of competitors and organisers. I had exchanged a few mails before the race (unfortunately Martin pulled out of the race later at Rowardennan due to illness.)

I had only a brief chat with John Kynaston, Marco Consani and Ian Beattie. We had been in contact the weeks before the race. And they all have given me support through those depressing weeks and I owe them big time!

I met Orkney’s Graham Harcus again. I ran with him parts of the Devil’s last year and parts of this years Fling. He did the West Highland Way Race in 2007 in 23:35 struggling with an injury over the last stages. I would see more of him today during the race and I was absolutely delighted when I learned after the race that he finished in 10th place in 19:07.

I had a nice chat with Race Legend Alan Kay. He had to withdraw from the race due to illness. And I got his number! 14. That number has a meaning because it would have been his 14th time!
I chatted with Jens Lukas who won the race in 2008 (he also won the 246k Spartathlon several times). He was full of advice and friendly words. He was here to support his wife Maya today. I got a lot of encouragement from him during the race…

I meet Kenny Valentine again. Under “normal” conditions someone “to watch” and since he was in good form (I thought) I told him that today I would be no match for him. He does not quite believe me. As it turns out he too did not have the smoothest build up to the race and was struggling with a foot injury. I would see more of him today…

I meet a few more familiar faces and we all wish each other well although I tried to tell everyone that I was not expecting to have a great race and I did indeed not expect to finish this. I was just here for a jog. Not for a goblet. Not that I did not want one but for me it was out of question. My legs would not carry me to the finish today. Or would they?

The Start:
The briefing is over and we move towards the start. I had told Silke to position herself near the West Highland Way Sign and there was a reason for that. Since I had not run for more than 5 yards since my calf injury last Saturday I simply did not know what was going to happen once I started running. So that was simply the first checkpoint. Would I even make it up the stairs?
Dario counts down and off we went. I am somewhere in the middle of the field I think. I am so nervous just doing the first steps, will I be able to run at all? I am almost freaking out. But it works. There is not pain in my legs. The legs feel actually fine. A numb niggle in both calves but certainly good enough for a jog. I pass Silke waving into her camera and settle into a gentle jog. Listening into my body anxiously. Into the woods and I can’t really remember who I am talking to (was it Mike Thomson?). But after two miles I keep saying “this is already the longest run I have done in three weeks!”.

Slowly my mood changes. The more I run, the better I feel. I am breathing fresh air. I feel my heart beating. I feel great. I AM RUNNING AGAIN!
I realise I can make it to the next support point just after the Beechtree. I am still anxious about the state of my legs and fitness but the positive force coming from the simple fact that I was running for more than 30 minutes now was taking over.

The weather was great. The head torch works perfectly. I know the route. I would find the way to Fort William in my sleep. There are a few occasions where runners take the wrong turn and I shout directions towards them. I have no idea how fast I am but I am progressing well. I spot Graham Harcus and we run together again for a while and talk. In fact we ran most of this section in the Fling together. He is great company as usual. Today I am no match for him. He is in top form and I am not. I am here for a gentle jog (check with my physio!).
Approaching the Beechtree Inn is a first highlight. Not far behind I meet Silke and Nancy and I ask them for my energy gel and a fresh bottle. I know they are delighted to see me in good shape and they realise my race is not over yet. I will see them again near Drymen (12 miles into the race).

My legs are slowly showing signs of problems. Both calves started to tighten up. My left hamstring was getting sore. And slowly I noticed a numb pain in both quads returning. Nothing serious though. I also spotted Kenny Valentine again who was running nearby. I told him that I expected him further ahead. He replied that he followed a more modest pacing strategy today. I don’t know if he already had problems at that time but I found out later that he was struggling with his quadriceps and that developed into a serious issue for him. It felt great to run with runners like Graham and Kenny. It was a sign that I had not lost all my fitness and I was in fact in good shape. However I was aware that my endurance was not accordingly after the long training pause. But you can’t have it all.

We approached Drymen and it was a happy moment when I met my support team running well and I told them I was going to meet them in Balmaha again. And I was looking forward to the Garadhban Forrest and Conic Hill. There was a lot of applause when I passed the other support crews and there was a voice shouting “C’mon Crazy German!!!” and I replied “is Marco going too fast again?”
I checked my watch and I think it was 1:54. Marco’s plan was 1:55. Was he still behind me? No way I thought.

Drymen to Balmaha:
A wonderful section. ‘Loved every minute of it. I forgot about the race and my silly legs and just enjoyed my running. Most of it on my own, still using my head torch since it was still dark. Something warned me “if it’s still dark here you are too fast” but I was not here today to finish. No way. Or was I?
The undulating path here helped my legs to recover since all the different muscles got their fair share of work to do while others could recover. I close up to the group of Kenny and Graham again (there are a few other runners in that group but can’t remember who it was). On the climb up to Conic Hill I fall behind. My calves didn’t like it. I am still happy and enjoy the ascent. The weather is friendly and the air smells great. On the decent I hear a runner approaching from behind. It sounds like Marco I thought instantly. And it is indeed Marco. The “new Marco” who was following his new strict pacing strategy. I did not expect to see Marco at all during the race today to be honest. And I have to admit I was a bit embarrassed that I was ahead of him since I had told him I was not in shape for this today. But I assured him that I had little hope of a finish. I am not sure he believed me. But running with him today was an absolute highlight for me.
I told him the moderate pacing strategy would pay off but at some point he told me that his moderate pacing was not all due to discipline and even if he wanted to go faster he couldn’t. That was worrying I thought but I did not tell him that. I still hoped he would have a good race.
He finished but did not succeed with his strategy as it turned out. I was gutted when I learned after the race he struggled badly in the second half finishing almost three hours slower than last year.

I was pleased to reach Balmaha and tell my Support Team to drive to Rowardennan (27 miles into the race). We were joined by Sharon Law, cheerful as ever. We chatted a lot (and it was not just her chatting, honestly). She is an amazing runner and I guessed she would win in a time under 20 hours. And indeed she did. The last time I saw her was when she overtook me somewhere behind Inversnaid. That was difficult technical running and she was absolutely flying. Incredible.

(rewind) Reaching Rowardennan was another highlight for me. The midges were horrible and I tried to make it as short as possible and I told my support team the good news (I hope they took it as good news) that I would make it to Carmyle Cottage (44 miles).

Running from here was starting to get more difficult. The pain went but came back stronger and my legs slowly lost the momentum. I could not help myself comparing this run with the Highland Fling race which was over the same route. In the Fling I was much faster but despite that much fitter and stronger. And there was no pain.

It was towards the end of the Loch where all the runners I ran with before had pulled away. And I was full of envy. At this stage John Kynaston overtook me. He asked me how I was doing and I thought do you tell him the truth? Not too well I said. The pain had started too early. I was struggling. John was on schedule and I was happy for him. He had worked hard and got himself in good shape for the race. And he should earn the reward for this. And he did with another sub 20 and new PB 19:52.

I started to disconnect from the race more and more. My first real low points kicked in. But it was not over yet. I needed to offer my support team more than just the Carmyle Cottage. They had driven that long detour on the A82 to get there. I will make it to Tyndrum. That was my plan. Maybe there was more. Let’s wait and see. I reached Beinglas and John was sitting there having a rice pudding I think. And there were midges. Thousands of them. I did not talk much to John (sorry John!) but I just felt awful. I told him he would catch up anyway and I left towards Derridarroch.

I had a fantastic section here in the Fling and I started to enjoy my running again. The pain came and went in waves. I started to feel that I had achieved a lot today. More than I ever expected. I should be grateful. Could I make it to Fort William?

I finally reach Carmyle Cottage. I don’t stay long. I don’t want to sit down since it would be hard to get up again. And I need to find a private spot…
The hilly session behind Crianlarich is tough and finishes off my legs. But I did not actually suffer that much. Strange. It was easy. I can’t really remember to be honest. I reach the A82 and my team changes shoes and socks. That feels great. Maybe because I sit down for the first time. Why are we changing the shoes? Ok, I have complained about blisters. Tyndrum is not that far. Am I getting ready for the second half? Am I going to finish this?
The new shoes and socks feel absolutely great! Getting into running is painful but once I am running again the run to Auchtertyre feels fine. No question: I will make it to Tyndrum (53 miles).

I do arrive at Tyndrum and here I am getting confused. Was my race over or should I continue? I am done, I cannot run anymore, don’t you see? I am looking at Silke with anger. What more do you want? Have I not done enough for today? I am not saying any of this outloud though. I look around. “you are looking great!!!” someone says. I hear applause. There is Debs. “Wohooo! Crazy German”. Silke seems to be smiling.
I think I have to continue. This is not the Fling. This is another ball game. Damnit. Fe**.
See you in Bridge of Orchy (60 miles). And off I am on my way into the second half. The Devil so to speak.

Maybe subconsciously I had tailored that race today for a Tyndrum finish. I was done and dusted. It turned out that I could still move forward. Those walking breaks however felt more and more wonderful. So I took more and more. My quads however turned more and more into solid mode. So whenever I threw them forward the stride was getting shorter. I did not feel tired. But I started loosing control over my legs. I still reached Bridge of Orchy after 1:25 (from Tyndrum) and that was very reasonable. If I could maintain that pace I would still be able to finish. Good news was that Silke got the OK from the Race Marshal in BoO that she was allowed to support me over the Rannoch More from Victoria Bridge onwards.

So off I went over the hill behind Bridge of Orchy. Silke and Nancy would meet me at the Inveroran Hotel. Here I noticed that my optimism from the previous section was a bit premature. Tyndrum to BoO was an easy section. Mostly downhill. I now had a hill to climb. How to lift my legs without the use of my rebelling quads and calves? I am an idiot. I should not have started this race today. I was not fit. What was I thinking? Another DNF. But did I not already make my peace with that before the race?
I finally do make it to the top of that hill. But I cannot run. Barely walk. My steps are getting shorter and shorter. How do I get down that silly hill? I do get down finally. There is Silke and Nancy. Silke is in full gear. She is excited. She is finally going to be my support runner and bring me home to Fort William. I cannot look here into the eyes. This is a no win situation. The further I get the bigger is the disappointment. I cannot finish this. Sorry. I have a soup. It is quite nice actually. A couple of gels. Some smoothy. I get up and make myself on my way to Victoria Bridge (63 miles). I do not know how long that takes but I notice my strides are getting smaller again…

There is no harm in giving it a try to get to Kingshouse (72 miles) from here. Maybe walking for a bit would help my legs to recover. So I head off together with Silke for that 9 mile walk to the Kingshouse Hotel. Now this was about to become a strangely entertaining and actually enjoyable experience. Firstly there was actually no one else to see ahead or behind. Slowly the moore became more and more busy with runners overtaking us. Not particulary fast I would think so far into the race since most of the runners by now must have slowed down… but I was moving in fact so slowly it felt like I was standing next to a busy motorway.
And all of the runners passing by tried to encourage me. I knew many of them and some knew me from my blog and I did not know them. I felt a bit like a star and a true part of the race but I also felt I did not deserve all this since I was getting more and more powerless over my legs. Silke started pushing me or pulling me just to get some sort of forward momentum going. And it was not getting any better. The weather was friendly to us during our walk over the Rannoch More. Strangely I lost the feeling in my hands despite wearing gloves and I started shivering although it did not feel that cold. I can’t really remember but I was not really suffering but my left leg was completely seized up. I was glad that I was in Silke’s company and we were sharing this experience together. At Blackrock Cottage Jens Lukas was encouraging me again and gave me some biscuits and hints and tips.

It took us 4 hours for those nine miles and it would have taken me more than that on my own. I checked in with the marshals. The plan was to sit in the car for a while and wait for a miracle to happen.

I saw Kenny Valentine still at the checkpoint badly struggling with his quadriceps. He had them taped and massaged again and again and boy I could see he was in pain. He tried to walk and shook his head. I swear he is a good runner and more than that and I still believe I am a good runner too and I would have loved to have competed against him today and beat him (and Marco and Pacepusher! On the finish line!) but this was the end of our races. I pulled out at Kingshouse today and so did he. The race got the scalp of both of us.
Talent is not enough to get you to Fort William.
There is more to it.
But I’ll figure that out.
Promise!

I’ll be back!

34:59:59

After the Highland Fling I could not wait for the WestHighlandWay Race to start. Time was not moving fast enough. I was looking forward to the big day like a small child counting the days before Christmas.

Now it's 9 days to go and all that looking forward and wonderful anticipation of having a great race has gone. Why? The Edinburgh Marathon has left me with rotten quads. I still cannot run. 2.5 miles shuffle and then I am down to walking. My plan about running a high mileage the week before the race is not going to happen. It's all my fault. Why did I not just run a 3:30.

A sports massage has brought no improvement. My chief executive support director for the WestHighlandWay Race (who also happens to be my wife) does not want to hear my suggestions that I might not finish the race (again). "There will not be another DNF!". Period. If you cannot run "then walk" she orders. "You can walk now so you can walk on the 20th". "Others have been walking most of the way, like Debs with a damaged knee (thanks for that Debs!), so you can walk too". "She has been walking all through the night in hellish weather, and the finished, why can't you do that too?" (that was not a question!). "There is plenty of time!"

Looking now at my pacing chats with those wonderful predicted split times which I had created the week after the Fling I am more than embarrassed. Thank god I did not publish any of that nonsense.

The good news is I am not overtrained! And there are surely a lot of bones and tendons and muscles in my body celebrating. "If the quads want to go slow or even walk, what's the problem? FINE WITH US!" that seems to be the consensus.

9 days!

Edinburgh Marathon 2009

And less than 3 weeks to go...

Results

For Silke this was a season's highlight. Her second Marathon ever. And although she had a few problems in the last weeks with her training due to illness she was in good shape to go for a PB. Her old PB from her first Marathon was a 4:23 but given the circumstances setting a 4 hours target was a bit harsh. That did not even take the particular factor of the following day into account: heat! In a rather unusual dimension for Scotland.

We travelled to Edinburgh on the Saturday before the race by train and since I enjoy reading whilst travelling by train I took Karnazes "Ultra marathon Man" (again) and was reading the great chapters about the Western States and Badwater. Maybe that prepared me mentally for the temperatures of the following day.

The race:
I had to follow a no risk strategy. 3:30, maybe 3:15. Not too fast and listen to my body. No injury. Any pain slow down. Max speed of 7 minute miles. Not faster. 160 heart rate max. Just one week after the hard 42 mile training run my legs would be vulnerable. With the WHW Race in 3 weeks I had to be very careful.

It was in deed more than just warm when I was lining up with approx 13000 runners (?) just before 9 o'clock on the Sunday morning and waiting for the race to start. Off we went finally and hundreds of runners soaring away going 6 minute mile(ish) pace or faster.
I was not pushing (maybe I did but not deliberately) and in particular the early downhills were a pleasure to run. My heart rate was a bit of a surprise. Climbing into the 190s. Much higher than my recently calculated max. My breathing was easy so I assumed my watch was getting conflicting results from other runners wearing a similar belt.

I passed a red double decker bus after a couple of miles into the race and there was an incredible cheer coming from that bus and strange in particular since that cheer sounded like my name "Thomas". I looked closer and it turned out the bus was packed with Glenpark supporters and team mates. I have to admit that spurred me on and I went on slightly faster... The Harriers supporters were well placed and I got a quite a few massive cheers from them along the course. I also saw the Consanis twice and they too cheered me on. I had to deliver a good race to deserve all that credit I thought...

Back to the race. I did not spot any mile markers until mile number 6. So I had no idea how fast I was. I passed the 10k timing mat in under 39 minutes. A pleasant surprise but I doubted this was accurate though. However since I was potentially on PB course I tried to keep the pace reasonably high until the half way point and decide what to do later...

The few mile markers I spotted turned out to be extremely unreliable. One lap was done in 7:10 and the following in 5:30 according to the splits and I finally did not bother about taking splits anymore. I reached the half way timing mat in 1:24:39. This was good but not good enough to go for a PB because that would require really hard work. And running was not getting easier since the temperature was climbing further. I did enjoy the run though. All the way. Although I had a few niggle alarms in the last quarter of the race. My right calf muscle almost went into spasm so I stopped a few times to massage and stretch. My right quads first and then my left quads were tightening up. But I kept changing my running style to compensate that. You can call that limping if you like... ;-) I passed the 30k mat in 2:00:38 which was still excellent but probably incorrect because I kept the pace high now with the wind pushing and finished "only" in 2:50:50.

The Musselborough race course was overcrowded and so were the streets. Runners and spectators alike filling the small streets near the finish which were still open to the traffic. Car drivers close to road rage almost deliberately hitting pedestrians to push them out of the way. Policemen shouting at pedestrians to stay off the road. But there was not space to walk anywhere else. And now more and more runners finishing they too flooded the streets since there was no other place for them to go. It was rather chaotic.

I squeezed myself through the masses to find a spot to wait for Silke to arrive. I was extremely pleased to see her approaching the finish almost on dream target time. She was suffering from the heat though. She finished in 4:02:44 official time. A PB by more than 20 minutes. Incredible.

My Splits:
10k: 00:38:58
Half: 01:24:39
30k: 02:00:38
Marathon: 02:50:50

4 weeks to go

And another "Devil"


I joined John Kynaston and other family members on his two day cruise on the West Highland Way. He and a few others ran from Balmaha to Fort William (77 miles) on Saturday and Sunday.

I decided to go for a one day run from Tyndrum to Fort William (42 miles) on the Sunday and meet the crew somewhere on the way. Silke did support again for me and took a few Pictures.

This was kind of a replacement long run for the Cateran Trail Ultra which I missed last week. Since I had quite a few problems with injury and that virus in the previous weeks I had plenty of rest (7 days in two weeks) and no speed work done. That was almost a tapering (although not willingly) . So energy wise I expected to be in good shape for this run.

The profile:




Tyndrum - Bridge of Orchy
I took it easy on the first section. Since I had a problem with my right upper calf muscle I watched that injury all day not pushing too hard and I was also prepared to call it a day anytime it went too sore. To cut this short the muscle was sore all the way to Fort William but I made it!

I met Karen D on the way and we chatted for a bit. She was about to complete a 90 mile week and was running to the Blackrock Cottage and back today. I reached BoO after approx one hour and met Silke, Katrina and Debs & Cairn all providing support today. I heard that John, Marco and Sharon had already left and I got on my way to catch them. That was an achievable target I thought since they all had run 42 miles yesterday and I had fresh legs.



Bridge of Orchy - Kingshouse

I went over the hill behind BoO steadily. Had a quick stop at Victoria Bridge and was on my way over the Rannoch More going steadily. Plenty of walkers on the Way today but no trace of John, Marco, Sharon or Sue and others.


To be honest. I was not particularly impressed with my performance on the flat bits. When I hit the tarmac at the Inveronan Hotel towards Victoria Bridge my legs felt extremely sluggish. And that stayed that way for the entire run on the flats.

Strangely I had no problems with the uphills. I could push the hill behind BoO, the Rannoch More, the Staircase, the climb out of KLL and what was even better the final sections of the Nevis Forrest.

Kingshouse to Kinlochleven

I saw a yellow WestHighlandWay vest from a distance when I approached the Kingshouse Hotel Car Park but when I arrived JK, Marco and another runner (John Malcolm) had left. I had a bit of soup, replenished my supplies and got on my way to catch them.

Half way between the Kingshouse and the bottom of the Staircaise I caught up with them and together we went into the climb of the Devil's Staircase. Since I had the fresher legs today I decided to push on and left them behind. It has to be noted that Marco did not follow me!

Knowing his hunting instinct that must have been very been difficult for him.
;-)

I went ahead on my own and quite enjoyed that Staircase section today. The weather was still ok although I could see dark rain clouds approaching.

I reached KLL after 4:20 running time and found quite a good bunch of runners and supporters here. I spent about 10 minutes chatting and replenishing my supplies and off I went towards the last section.

Kinlochleven to Fort William

The climb out of KLL was done quickly. Note to self: this will be a different story in four weeks (if I get there in the first place). But as soon as I reached the high pass the weather deteriorated and I was facing a very wet headwind making this section less enjoyable. My right calf muscle was very painful so I had to go slow and careful which caused my body temperature to drop. I was extremely glad I took Silkes advice and took my Goretex jacket for this section. I saw a few walkers here, dripping wet, and I felt sorry for them because this was not the best day to finish the WestHighlandWay. But I was dripping wet too today...

There was a walker who told me there was a runner about a mile ahead. Could that be Sharon? I thought but it took almost an hour to get her into sight. After Lundavra just before the Glen Nevis forrest I finally caught up with her. She was going extremely will maintaining a brisk pace. I eventually overtook here but finished at the Leisure Centre only a few minutes ahead of her (although she had done 77 miles in two days!). She is obviously in terrific shape and will have a great race in four weeks.

I took a shower in the Leisure Centre and it was not too long until John Kynaston, Marco and John Malcolm arrived. There was a bit of a post run discussion but we were all tired and soon we all were off heading home.

Conclusion:

It's good to have done the second half of the WestHighlandWay just four weeks after doing the first half. But I am not in a good shape yet. I have done that run before a few times and I expected it to be easier in particular after the great Fling. There is still some work to do and I do not even know what in particular I have to do to get into that perfect "Fling" shape. And there is a lot of luck needed to get rid of injuries...

Four weeks...

5 weeks to go

1) No Cateran Trail Race for me. I had to withdraw from the race as I struggle with a virus of some sort since my holiday week in Germany. Silke was hit even worse by that virus and spent three days in bed. I hoped to get fit for the race but on Friday I just felt awful so I wrote a mail to Dario and told him I won't be doing the Cateran Trail. But I also told him I will see him in five weeks!

2) There is the Edinburgh Marathon in two weeks. A big club outing as well with loads of Glenpark Harriers running or participating. That will be a steady training run for me. Frankly I do not think about this race much. I even tend to forget when it is. No offence to anyone, but I have my reasons (see next paragraph). For Silke the EDI will be a season's highlight and she is a bit worried about her training since she has not been running for days because of the virus. I still think she will be in good shape for this event.

3) Ok John, you wanted an update on this, here you go: My main thoughts are round and about the 20th of June. That's when the West Highland Way Race starts. 95 miles. At one o'clock in the morning I will be on my way from Milngavie to Fort William. I did not finish this race last year. A traumatic experience of some sort. But after this years Fling I have started to look forward to this again. I cannot describe how different both races went.
Let me try: It was heaven versus hell if you like.
I started the WestHighlandWay with sore legs and they did not get any better. In fact, when I finished the Fling this year my legs were fresher than they were when I started the West Highland Way Race 2008. Sort of. Sounds too weird? 'Told you I cannot describe the difference.

My point is, if I could only get myself into a similar shape as I managed for the Fling. Then I will finish this race. Even when I follow Marco over the first 20 miles at 7 minute mile pace I will finish this. Frankly I could have continued to Fort William after this years Fling, that's how it felt.

Sorry for the banter. It's all triggered by the WHW DNF trauma. Mixed with post Fling euphoria. I apologise. No I don't. What do you expect to hear from a crazy german anyway?

I have already finished and polished my splits for the race (no I will not publish them since it got me into trouble last year). Although I will follow my own pacing instinct. Focusing on Tyndrum as half way point of some sort (not Auchtertyre, that's confusing). A Fling and a Devil if you know what I mean.
I know what I will eat and drink. It will be the same as in the Fling. As simple as that.

5 weeks...

The Montane Highland Fling 2009

The Profile:

The distance:
53 Miles (85k)
The climb (total ascent):
6500ft (2000m)

The short version:

Jez wins in a new record time. Sarah Ridgeway 1st woman. Lucy did not start. I had a great day. My best race ever. Finished 7th in 8:20. More than one hour faster than last year.

Results

The long version (if you are interested):

The race plan:

I pulled a muscle just before the easter weekend and had to cancel the long runs I had planned for Saturday and Sunday. But I managed to squeeze 70 miles of running into the following week including a wonderful recce on the Lairig Ghru (where Silke took some amazing pictures of the crazy german in running mode, see the new title and profile pictures). That left one week for the taper: 8 miles on Monday and 8 miles on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday off.
I was getting nervous on Friday. John texted at 11:20 "where are you tomorrow". I respond "between Rowardennan and Inversnaid". I was right with that prediction. That was easy. I had ran from Milngavie to Rowardennan half a dozen times so I know that's where I would be. I text Marco, tell him I am nervous. He is too. I knew we would have very different races tomorrow. He would go off fast. I would start slower.

I check my mail the night before the race. A note from Glenparks Steevie Mcloone. He tells me "Best of luck in the race - I had a quick look at your blog, my advice would be - dont go for the fast start - steady is best you can always pick it up later on in the race." I decide to take his advise seriously.

The schedule drafted for my support team (Silke and Nancy). Silke picked that finishing time. I said I can do sub 9 and she said, you can do even better and suggested 8:45. 8:30 no way. But 8:45 perhaps. There you go:

PLANNED (pictured above) vs actuals:
Drymen 1:35 - 1:35
Balmaha 2:40 - 2:40
Rowardennan 4:00 - 4:00
BeinGlas 6:30 - 6:24
Carmyle Cottage 7:25 - 7:08
A82 crossing 8:10 - 7:48
Auchtertyre 8:25 - 7:58
Finish 8:45 - 8:20

Saturday morning just before 7am, met quite a few friends shook hands, am very excited and finally move to the start with all the others. I place myself in front of the pack with all the other "sub 10 hour" runners. A few jokes and finally we are off. Do not push! I tell myself. I will keep on doing this the over the next hours. I do not know how fast I am. In a race it is always different from a training run. You think you run relaxed and easy, but you are not. I notice however that I am feeling good. I am moving well. Still there is a large group pulling away running with Jez Bragg. Marco is with them. To be honest, it is tempting to follow them. And it is not THAT fast. Is it? 7 minute mile pace? I can do that. But for how long? Surely there are runners who are simply faster than I am and can go that fast. Should go that fast. I have no idea. I hope Marco is doing the right thing. He is fast. Faster than me. And what is that "you can always pick it up later on in the race" talk about? Why does everyone keep saying this? Is it not too late later? Today was the day to find out.

I am joined again by Orkneys Graham Harcus who I ran most of last years Devil with. His pacing was spot on in the Devil. And he is good company. We chat about plans and the racing season, the training and the usual. We are joined by Mark Harris who I would meet a few times today. Of course I meet George Cairns (2nd in the WHW Race and 3rd in the Devil last year) again. That's an old tradition. It seems he always starts modest but picks up the pace later (but like a race car)... Just before Drymen I ask him about his plans for today "Just under 9 hours". Modest and humble. No way I reply, you'll finish this in 8 hours. The he is off and never seen again (he will finish this in 8:02, so who was right, me or me?).

Silke is double booked today: marshalling, medical support and supporting me, the crazy german. Therefore we decide no support at Beechtree. I meet her at Drymen the first time. 1:35 (predicted 1:35). The leaders are already 6 minutes ahead. I try to relax and not to push the pace. The lid of my drinking bottle comes of and all the good lucozade is gone. What do I do, return to the checkpoint? No. I can go over Conic Hill without drinking. There are streams if needed. Thankfully I met Jan (Jon's wife) at the forest behind Dymen who refills my bottle (thanks Jan!).

I am now on my own and enjoy the race. The weather is marvelous. I can see small dots in different colors climbing up Conic Hill. 10 minutes ahead? Which one is Jez, wich one is Marco? Who and where is everyone else? The staggered start is confusing. My left hamstring hurts. Not cramping but will it seize up? How far can I run today with those stupid legs? I stop and massage the sore muscle. I decide to climb Conic Hill slowly. No rush. I sacrifice a few minutes. I pass Caroline. She is going well. It will be a long day for her but she will finish this. Well done Caroline!

The downhill is tricky. I am running in my road shoes and this is not working. Despite a careful descent I almost fall. I cannot risk doing the Loch Side with them. It's too wet. I make the decision to change into my new Saucony Exodus in Balmaha (2:40, bang on target).

I am again joined by Graham Harcus. The climb to the viewpoint is dangerous. Do not push! Take your time! It is hard to let them all pull further and further away. The Sauconys are great though. I will get away with no blisters and loose only half a toenail, but that's not their fault. I drop Graham somewhere. Instead I am passed by Mark Harris again who got lost somewhere and added a mile to his race. He's not happy and going fast (to make up the lost time?). Too fast for me. I have to let him go. I meet Peter (supporting the pacepushers) and ask him if he knows where Marco is. He said he was "miiiiles" away. I am a bit embarrassed to be so far behind.
I reach Rowardennan slightly ahead of schedule. 3:54 (according to the results table). And shut up. I cannot call that slow! It is in deed a PB. I never ran that fast to Rowardennan.

I cannot find Nancy who volunteered to support me here. I finally decide to refill my bottle with water from the rest room (hot water, there was not cold water, argghhh!). I head on towards Inversnaid and see Nancy sitting there at the other end of the car park. She offered me a whole supermarket of foot and drinks and even a chair (borrowed from George Cairns wife). Aparently Nancy was waiting exactly where she agreed with Silke she would wait for me. Only Silke did not tell me where that was... But that was only a couple of minutes lost. No divorce bells are ringing in the crazy german's house!

I leave Rowardennan just after 11:00. I do a bit of math in my head. I am 13 minutes faster than last year. That was not much but something. Still a bit dissapointing to be honest. But I feel good. And I quite like that section between Rowardennan and Inversnaid the most of the climbs are all runnable. Slow but steady. My legs felt relatively fresh, but is was not the time to "race" yet. To push. Why not continue for a while "just" steady? I overtook quite a few runners . Many familiar faces. Unfortunately I do not always remember the names of other runners. I am horrible with names. Ask Silke (my wife in case you don't know). Some say "hi Thomas". Many of those I overtake are from the 6am start. Weird this race because people looking at each other and asking themselves "is he over 50?". Are you a relay runner? When did you start? But it was great to meet a few runners, many of them I know from training runs and blogs, and have a small chat and head on. I had forgotten my scheduled split time for Inversnaid so I was not sure how fast I was going. But I felt more and more that my strategy of the slow start was paying off. But what would that pay off be? I found a good rythm and actually enjoyed the section between Inversnaid and Beinglas. There was one runner who overtook me going very fast. But he was not a relay runner. I believe it was Stuart Mills. Since I was in the second half of the race I thought it would now be ok to increase my effort but frankly I just could not follow him.

Following the path up and down towards Beinglas I started looking at my watch to see If I could make it there in 6:30 target. That would give me a chance for a 8:45 finish. If it all went well with no engine trouble etc. That was an optimistic target, more than half an hour faster than last year. Beinglas was getting closer and closer and I still felt great. Last year I arrived at BeinGlas and I was a wreck. I still managed to finish but it was a nightmare. Silke is extremely pleased seeing me early, ahead of schedule and in good shape. She tells me Marco is not far ahead and he did not look good. I suddenly know I will catch him sooner or later. I have to rewrite my blog (which I had written between Rowardennan and Beinglas. In my head of course.). This will be one of those low points of my race. Somewhere near the Falls of Falloch when climbing towards Derridarroch I can see Marco. He is struggling. I catch up with him. "you call that running" I want to say. But I am not sure if the time is right for joking. He is tired and his knee is sore. We chat a little. This is all part of the weird world of ultra running. He will have a long way to go and as it looks I only a short one. Why can I not pass him on the finishing straight? I leave him behind and continue my own race. I actually love that section. I love all sections. Today that is. I am having a good day. Why not? Last year I went through hell here. This year it's heaven. Strange world of ultra distance running.

I pass Stuart Mills again. I can see Kenny Valentine ahead. It looked like he was navigating through a little sheep herd and opens a gate. I pass him and he shouts "hey you are not supposed to pass me!" (since I passed him last year). I laugh. Kenny has a good day and will improve his PB by almost an hour. He beat me in the Glasgow to Edinburgh Double by 4 minutes. But today I am faster. Call it even?

I did not mind the warmer temperatures. A few runners will struggle today though. I pass Mike Thomson. He looks quite relaxed and was going well. Any idea where John is? Not far ahead he sais and points towards Derridarroch. That was unexpected. I knew I was going well, but catching John so early meant that he did not have a good race. I reach him eventually. He is not happy with his running but he still manages to make a short movie to document our meeting. Finish strong he tells me and I am off.

I meet Silke and Debs at the Carmyle Cottage and pour water over my head. It is warm but not uncomfortable. On my way to Bogle Glen I pass Sharon Law. Cheerful, quick and relaxed listening to her IPOD. First she does not recognise me since I wear dark sun glasses and NOT my Skins today... she was about to finish 3rd female.

I reach the undulating path in the Crianlarich forest. Last year I hallucinated here. I approach a runner who looks like Richie Cunningham (running together with Iain Ridgeway I believe). I cannot be running with a runner of that caliber I think but it's not a hallucination. Maybe he has a bad day? We chat for a while and when we came to one of those steeper downhills I increase the pace and a gap opens. I am still going well. But Richie must have thought I am not having this and switches the turbo on. He flies past, mumbles something about a chippy in Tyndrum and disappears in the distance. That looked like 6 minute mile pace.

When I reached the A82 crossing I started to calculate again and it was becoming clearer that I was about to finish much quicker than I had ever expected. Not just under 8:45 but much faster. I cannot catch Richie, he is too fast. I cannot see anyone behind me. At Auchtertyre I change into my Glenpark Harriers club vest (although I am running for Kilbarchan today).

I finish in 8:20. 7th place. More than one hour quicker than last year. I get a big cheer from the crowd. I feel great. What a day. What a race. I have a shower, a stovie, loads of handshakes. Even Marco can laugh again. Loads of little stories and celebrities. We stay until the prize giving and I end up with 2nd veteran and 2nd team (with Neal and John) prizes. Not everyone has a good race. Harvey pulls out. Many struggle with the heat. Some with a cold. Some suffered from a crazy fast start ;-). But most of the runners will want to be back next year for this tough, unique, personal and friendly ultra race!

Highland Fling Contemplations

No real taper madness yet, but I have been thinking a lot about the race ahead and here are some humble random snippets:

My Fitness:
9 out of 10. Despite a few injury problems in the last couple of weeks where I could not train I am in much better shape than last year. On average I have trained 50 to 55 miles per week over the last few month. That is a bit less than planned but still on track and the quality was much better than last year.

Injuries and DNF worries:
I am getting old and I have been doing too much racing until now. Shorter races, a Half Marathon and the Double Marathon and that has taken its toll. Although I feel fit and positive about the Fling there is a good chance (50/50) I will drop out due to an injury problem.

Expected result:
If I make it to the finish without major injury trouble I would expect to be much quicker than last year where I produced a 9:22. I would be extremely happy with a Sub 9 hour finish. If it goes really well I think even a 8:45 is possible. That all depends on weather conditions, wind directions and other environmental factors (queueing?).

Top 10
Due to the strong field this year I have calculated a 8:30 minimum to get into the top 10. IMHO. Regarding predicting my race results I am always an optimist but I doubt I can achieve this. I had a good race last year finishing in 9:22 and I cannot see how I can run this race almost an hour faster.

Rowardennan split:
I will think about splits in more detail later. As a guide I have planned to get to Rowardennan in 4:00. (Last year 4:13). If I get carried away with the field it could be a 3:50 but I am not sure if I will benefit from that. The leaders will go through this in 3:30 I guess (because that's what happened last year).

Shoes:
I was having issues with my Asics Trabucos so I decided to by a new pair of trail shoes. Saucony Exodus. According to the advise of other fellow runners I will take a pair of normal trainers and those new ones to the start of the race.

Competitors:
I am looking forward to meet a large bunch of friends on Saturday. I do not have to stress that all competition is purely friendly and I wish everyone to do well!

A good run

The weather was great again yesterday so I decided to go for a last longish run before the Fling. My legs felt fabulous, no trace of injury or soreness. I took my GPS to monitor the effort and distance closely. The first couple of miles down the promenade went quickly. My heart rate did not climb above the 120s so I knew the effort was just right. I lapped the first miles 6:05 and 6:10. It felt effortless. I reached the bottom of the climb up to Loch Thom in 35 minutes. That was roughly 10k.
Not bad for a relaxed training run. I allowed my heart rate to go into the 130s now on the climb. That's 3 miles and 600ft ascent. Done in 20 minutes. A bit slow but this was a recovery training run after all. I added another climb to the very top of the highest local hill and went down on the other side. Dropping about 700ft and up again to the top. I added another 7 miles around the Greenock Cut. Going steady and quick. Checking the heart rate was low. 125. Despite going 6:15 mile pace. Nice and relaxed. I just jumped over those annoying gates. That goes much quicker than opening them and closing them again. And saves a lot of time. Why did I not think of doing that before? I should do the same in the Fling! Now the downhill back to the main road. I am flying. Floating. Any soreness in the quads? No. The steepest bit I manage a sub 5 minute mile. I feel great. I really enjoyed that run today.
The last 8 miles back home are great. The sun sets over the hills of Bute. A light breeze. 5:50 mile pace. Nice and relaxed. It is difficult not to run any faster because it feels so effortless. I finish this 26 mile training run in 2:40. Superb. Let the Fling come!!!

Then I woke up. Need to go to the toilet. Climbing out of the bed is painful. Sore hamstrings. I think I am getting old...

Fling Recce - Part 2

Rowardennan to Tyndrum. 27 miles two weeks before the Fling. What do you think? A good recce or too dangerous?

After last weeks great run from Milngavie to Rowardennan I hoped to run the second half of the Fling this weekend. The weather forecast was just perfect but the plan did not quite work out. I pulled a muscle whilst painting and fixing our front door on Saturday. I could hardly walk on Sunday. It was not much better on Monday but I forced myself to walk around the Greenock Cut with some friends who visited us. Silke now has to cope with a frustrated husband.
But the front door looks nice. The neighbours are ecstatic.

Fling Recce (Milngavie-Rowardennan (27 miles)

And a few more miles... Not the whole Fling obviously (I am not crazy am I???) but still a good chunk of it. I have done this section many times now and I thought it would be a good idea to do it again three weeks before the actual Highland Fling race. Also since I did only 18 miles last weekend I needed to get some miles into my legs. Silke also wanted to do some trail miles so the plan was for her to drop me at Milngavie Train station and drive to Rowardennan. She wanted to run to Inversnide and back. And I ran the 27 miles to Rowardennan (self supported).

We actually wanted to do this on Saturday but the weather was not worth it so we changed our plans and went on Sunday. And wow! The weather was absolutely brilliant. A side effect was that there were hundreds of walkers on the Way in particular between Balmaha and Rowardennan. Which slowed me down in places but since I was not racing that was probably just as well.

Milngavie - Drymen: 1:35
It is always exciting to start from Milngavie Train station. It is here where theHighland Fling race starts. And this is also the start of the biggest race of all: the WestHighlandWay race. The weather was superb. Although I started at 11:00 the temperature was still cool but the sun was out all day. Not many runners out today but loads of walkers. The season for those walking the 95 miles had begun it seemed. Time was flying and I reached Drymen in 1:35. Quick but it felt just about right. Maybe I will do this a bit slower in the Fling race though.

Drymen - Balamaha: 1:03 (2:38 total)
Another enjoyable section. Perfect conditions. Almost. The descent from Conic Hill was absolutely crowded and I took an alternative route on wet grass. And slipped down the hill on my backside for a bit. That contributed to the amusement of some of the walkers and I had to run the rest of the day with muddy pants. I was pleased to reach Balmaha after 2:38 which was the fastest time for that section I had done before. The car park was absolutely packed with cars. I have never seen it that crowded. There was a queue in the shop and I decided to refill my water bottle in the car park "rest room" (although that water was hot that worked well for the rest of the run).

Balmaha - Rowardennan: 1:20 (3:55 total).
I met Karen on the way down from the viewpoint after Balmaha. She was out for a 40 miler today (Milngavie-Inversnaid-Rowardennan). Her longest ever. Also a Fling recce for her. There were bus loads of casual tourist on the Way. Sitting in the middle of the path. Taking pictures. Children with bikes. Of course also loads of "real" walkers with heavy rucksacks. I ended up at the Rowardennan Car park in 3:55. A PB wohoo. Yes this was not a race, but still...
The car park was absolutely packed. There was no space left!

Since Silke was still on her way back from Inversnaid (she actually went even further to Rob Roy's Cave) I ran another few miles in that direction until I met her. She was running very relaxed and I had difficulties following her to be honest. I keep saying it: she is one of us now! :-)

Altogether I managed 31 miles on the WHW in wonderful weather. A perfect day that was.

However I can only hope for bad weather for the actual Fling race! Because what will happen when 400 serious runners will clash with hundreds of tourists on the narrow parts of the path. And that car park does not cater for another 400 support vehicles!
Fingers crossed...

Running and Supporting the Devil

JK and Friends' training run from Tyndrum - Fort William

This was going to be a long day. Getting up at 5:30 after a short night with 3 hours sleep. Maybe I was nervous about how my legs would feel two weeks after the 54 mile canal run. I could hardly run after that race with severe hamstring problems. The Highland Fling was only four weeks ahead and I started to become depressed. One careful run or even walk every other day and hoping for the best.

My plan A was getting from Tyndrum to the Kingshouse Hotel. But not further. That was less than half the distance from what everyone else was doing but for me the longest run since the Glasgow-Edinburgh run. And there was a spark of hope to be able to run that section with (fast) Marco. Silke would provide support but only up to the Kingshouse where she would get into her running gear and run the remaining 23 miles together with Caroline.

And I would take over support from here with stops at Altnafeadh, Kinlochleven, Lundavra, the Braveheart CarPark and the Leisure Center (the finish).

A good bunch of runners showed up at the Tyndrum Car Park next to the Green Welly:

From the left: Ian King, Marco Consani, Thomas "Crazy German" Loehndorf, Ian Beattie, John Kynaston, Mark Harris, Neal Gibson, Caroline Gibson, Mike Thomson, Phil Tipping, Richie Cunningham.
A few runners had started earlier ... and no one probably regretting to be there since the weather was just perfect. A cold crisp air and blue skies, ideal for running.

Tyndrum - Kingshouse Hotel 2:30
Off we went and I was running with Neal and Harvey out of Tyndrum and we were leading the field for a while. Soon Marco had made his way through the field and was in the lead. That was the moment of truth for me today. Would I be able to follow him? Should I follow him anyway? I can always try I thought. Neal gave us his blessing and told us to go ahead since he wanted to take it slower today.
I did manage to go Marcos pace which was a delight. Ok, maybe I slowed him down a bit (he should be grateful for that since he was going too fast anyway ;-)).We chatted all the way and in no time (48-49 minutes) reaching Bridge Of Orchy. Debs (supporting Marco) and Silke were waiting. Also Cairn was there providing moral
support for his Dad. Silke was relieved that I was running well with no problems.

We ran up the hill out of Bridge of Orchy going a stiff pace. Marco chatting about something like "you can run this, as long as you are not out of breath" but I did not respond anymore because I WAS out of breath... Thankfully Marco slowed down to have his hourly Gel Meal. Phew! The downhill was a great relief. Firstly it did not hurt, and secondly it felt rather like a leg massage (in particular after the pancake flat 54 miler two weeks ago!). I felt great. Better than I had hoped for.

Lucy Colquhoun

There was another surprise waiting for us though. Silke told me that West Highland Way record holder Lucy Colquhoun was running ahead of us. Marco first did not believe me and frankly I was not sure if Silke wanted to wind us up... We did however increase the pace, maybe we can catch a glimpse of her in the distance. Marco had switched into full race mode now (I blame it all on him, since he was leading most of the time ;-)) and after a while we saw a runner ahead which could have been a woman, maybe Lucy, or potentially Caroline who was also ahead.
Although we were going a pretty breathless pace now that runner, although handicapped with a rather large rucksack did not get any closer. That must be Lucy we agreed. Another increase of effort then... (probably not wise, but hey, there are little opportunities in life to run with such a celebrity, so what the heck with wisdom). We passed Caroline and finally managed to catch up with Lucy.

The three of us reached the highest point of the Ranoch More and ran the remaining couple of miles chatting all the way. In no time we reached the Kingshouse Hotel and for me running was over for today.

To be honest it was tempting to go on for a bit but my hamstrings were starting to tighten up on the last fast ascent. A couple of days later I can say it was the right decision!

Now it was my turn to get into support mode. Silke was already in her running gear and waiting for Caroline to arrive. I also was asked to provide support for Neal and John and I tried my best to keep everyone happy.

I started to take pictures as well. More than 500 came together. Most of them rubbish but some of them not too bad I think.

Next stop was Altnafeadh. Caroline did not look too happy when she arrived with Silke. Silke asked me if I had those Gaviscon sachets. Yes, in the car, I replied but that was not the response Silke was waiting for. And she gave me the "GO AND GET IT" look. The perils of supporting...

I ran to the car and get a couple of Gaviscon (and also a Ranitidine) for Caroline. Frankly I had doubts the girls would make it to the finish considering those problems so early in the run. But off they went up the Devil's staircase.

I jumped into the car and rushed to Kinlochleven. I arrived in time to catch a glimpse of Marco, Debs and Cairn. Marco looked a bit tired. So did Cairn. Debs looked fresh as always.

After the Consanis had left Mark Harris arrived. He asked for a sip of water and left again. Was he chasing Marco?

Ian and Phil arrived and went straight into the pub for a soup. That sounded like a good idea, but I could not give them company since I had to make sure not to miss Neal, John, Silke or Caroline...

It took not long and John, Neal and Harvey arrived, not wasting too much time. They had some food, refilled their bottles and off they went again. Followed by Phil and Ian.

Another runner on the Way today was Richie Cunningham. A man on a mission. I could hardly lift his rucksack without dislocating my shoulder. Maybe he wanted to add an extra challenge to his 180 miles in four days by carrying his own luggage and running self sufficient. More than remarkable. I don't think I can call myself "Ultra Runner" anymore...

Richie Cunningham

The good news was that I did not have to wait too long for Silke and Caroline. That meant Caroline had recovered and both were going steady.

They did not spent too much time either and after having some food and drinks they left again. I jumped into the car and wanted to make sure to get to Lundavra asap. Maybe to catch a glimpse of Marco and co. But it was too late. When I arrived they were gone.

The Lairig More: Approaching Lundavra

Can you spot John Kynaston?

I actually like this place. It's not pretty, but it delivers a feeling of remoteness and wilderness. It also reminds us of being a rather small part of something vast.

John, Neal, Phil and Ian came through and left. And of course Richie. He told me the good news that the girls were not far behind him. And he was right and I did not have to wait too long for them to arrive. I was cold by then though and I actually offered the runners coming through to sit down in the car but they all refused. So did the girls. And there was no question that they both wanted to continue. I was happy to see them in such good spirit!

I rushed back to Fort William to the Leisure Centre and arrived just a few minutes after John and Neal. And just in time for them to get into the centre for a shower. John had met his 7:30 target almost exactly although Neal beat him by a couple of minutes ;-). Not sure about Harvey's time. Probably in between.

It took Marco one hour less. 6:29. That is he beat my time from the Devils race last year by 5 minutes (in a training run!). Marco, I will crush that time in August! ;-)

I went to the Braveheart car park to look out for the Girls. And they did arrive in style. When I asked them if they actually wanted to continue to the Leisure centre or just call it a day and get into the car Silke gave me the "No way, I am going to finish" look. Caroline just threw her bottle in my direction (to avoid any time loss I suppose) and off they went flying towards the Leisure Centre.

Of course they made it. Caroline finishing her longest run ever. Silke covering 23 miles on the West Highland Way. Well done girls!

Silke was smiling all the way. I think she enjoys those long runs. She is becoming more and more one of us! :-)

Silke, Caroline, John, Neal and Harvey and myself squeezed ourselves into my small Golf and off we went back to Tyndrum.

Tyndrum - Fort William Training Run 2009. Pictures

A great day for running. I did only make it to the Kingshouse Hotel and took over supporting from there.

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35938782@N08/sets/72157616025124385/

Report will follow

another WHW Race Logo

WHW Race Logo
Originally uploaded by tloehndorf

"I told you he is crazy" I can hear some of you say...
Others might think "The world famous Buchaille Etive More is easy recognizable but what does that little black rock symbolize?"