and here's another ..

GUCR 2014

 

This was always going to be a strange one for me. It would be 2yrs to the day since I last ran a ‘proper’ ultra, with my last race being a 37.20 on the 2012 GUCR and not counting my pathetic Spartathlon attempt later in the year.

As a result I was pretty apprehensive since in the meantime I had seriously wrecked my back and 2013 proved pretty much a waste of space.

 

I had trained up though in 2014 for the London marathon and got a reasonable time. My back hadn’t been too bad but it is one thing training up for a marathon and quite another for 145m of canals. I was apprehensive but needed to know whether I had the fitness, both physical and mental to do any more of these real challenges. It was the mental side of things that worried me since a lot of water had passed under the bridge since my last ‘big’ ultra and I was a whole two years older. My goal therefore was just to finish the thing and no more. It would be my 7^th GUCR race and hopefully my 7^th finish too. It was a difficult decision which ultra I should make my comeback and in fact it was partly because of my record on this run that I chose it for a return to the proper stuff.

 

Louise dropped me off at the start. In previous years I have tried to get some sleep only to be thwarted by Birmingham’s nightlife. I’d have to get up before 4am but if I could get some half decent sleep at home it might be worth it.

 

In fact I didn’t get to the start until about 20mins before the race. I’d missed out on the previous night’s burgerfest and camaraderie and most of my time before the actual race start was spent making sure my kit was in the right pile etc and I didn’t have much of a chance to chat … or think too much about things either.

 

As a result no sooner was I down on the canal than we were off. It wasn’t raining yet despite the forecast but one disadvantage of setting off from home in the early hours is that I hadn’t had a chance to have my daily ‘regular’. I’d set off very carefully and towards the rear and by the time I’d found somewhere to offload and after only about 4miles, I was well towards the rear.

 

But that was good since it meant pressure on me was reduced – let others shoot off. Before too long I’d caught up with Lindley and John Poole and we to & froed for a while and I had a good chat with a few runners. It was all light hearted stuff and served to ease me back into things and gradually the pressure subsided. It was also starting to drizzle by this time too and well before CP2 I had to put on the wet gear. I didn’t care too much though since I seem to perform better in this sort of weather. The only worry was that the Hokas, necessary to keep my back in order, might skid about a bit on this sort of surface.

 

I have little idea now of my splits since my old GPS, the one that I can fit with AAA batteries for this sort of distance had decided to play up. It kept turning itself off and before night, had expired completely leaving me the novelty of just running.

 

Even less than a week after I’ve finished I can’t now remember a lot about the run which for me is not strange. 36hrs of running takes a long time, well 36 hours I guess, and is filled with lots of things but it soon all gets thrown out. That’s why we run these things again – we just forget, all too quickly about how bad we felt at the time etc.

 

I do remember that CP2 at Hatton Locks was wet. I’d just seen Louise and Boz at about 15miles before they left, at which time I’d been chatting with Martin who then bounded off ahead. I then met Steve Thompson on his bike and at the CP chatted to James and Javed. It was a good day … but wet, did I mention that?

 

Anyway, things went ok and time passed without any issues, albeit slowly, I do remember that too. My back seemed ok and I was just more than happy to be out there again. In fact I felt like most of the time I had a smile (or grimace) on my face. I can barely recall a time when I didn’t feel like smiling. Not even Henk patting my stomach at CP3, telling me that I was fat and that he had a nice warm space in his van which I would soon be filling could get me down. This time last year I could barely walk let alone run and even when I started back running in October 2013 I never dreamed I’d be able to start another ultra of this calibre again. I was determined therefore to enjoy the day.

 

My plan from CP3 onwards was to take my mind off things by listening to the Championship play-offs on the radio. Back in 2007 when I ran my PB, Derby had been in the play-offs then too, only on the Monday and only they won that time. I’d finished on the Sunday night, gone home to pick up my daughter and then gone back down to London on the Monday. A good weekend. This time I’d had to decide canal or Wembley. The canal won and perhaps that was a good decision given the team that turned up on the day was the ‘other’ Derby, the one that can batter a team for 90mins, miss any chances they have then let one chance on goal and a stupid defensive mistake ruin it all. Anyway, it did pass the time but the radio nearly went into the canal at Braunston and it nearly, but not quite, ruined the mood.

 

Braunston is a good point. It’s usually a hive of activity and marks leaving the canal for some hillwork for a short period. I didn’t stop for a Magnum this year since it wasn’t as hot and I didn’t feel like I needed the treat. For me it marks more than ½ way through the 1^st day and that was a treat in itself - I’d got to Braunston feeling healthy.  

 

It wasn’t long after the 50m point though that I started to feel it all. My knees were both suffering. The continual hammer was getting to them, despite the Hokas and it was all too much hard work and too much bother. I wondered why I really wanted to be back here again and wondered why I hadn’t just used the excuse of my back and age to retire gracefully. I had been aware that I would get to one of these low points eventually and though I was prepared for it and aware that they do pass (usually and eventually) I found I wasn’t ready for it after all and I didn’t recall just how bad and how low you actually feel. It was a very definite ‘never again’ time. It was also the point at which Louise phoned to see how I was getting on and I did advise her that if she ever wanted to extract a promise from me about not doing any more of these runs, especially over a Bank Holiday, now was the time to do it.

 

But I did carry on. I guess these are the points that can make or break runs, at least for the inexperienced. You have a lot of time on your hands and it only takes one second out of several hours of pain to DNF. I was waiting for one of these moments and as prepared as I could be I was still dragged down into despair for a time. Fortunately though, I resisted the urge.

 

By 60miles I was largely over it and the last 10miles into the (nearly) half way CP were slow but not as bad mentally, and physically my knees seemed a little less hammered too. At the CP I was met with unfailing cheer and help and once I’d put on my night kit and had a good feed I felt I was ready again.

 

But it didn’t last too long. Marching off into the night I found that it was difficult to run. I was slithering about in the mud and though I was more than happy that my feet were still dry unlike most others, I was worried that I’d wrench my back. It might in hindsight have been the Chimps excuse not to have to run but at the time the Human thought it was a valid point and didn’t resist. I usually try to run without the light of a headtorch where I can, but tonight the night was dark and I had to have the light on. As such my life was a little circle of light bouncing just ahead of me. Eventually I gave up any pretence of running and though I trogged on at a fair pace for most of the time I was finding it hard to keep awake, and when I started nodding off the pace slipped too. Caffeine tablets had no effect and the whole night seemed an extremely long one and the pace dirge-like. In fact the only thing that seemed to keep me wake was when I ate. I ate a Mars Bar and whether it was the effect on my stomach or the physical act of eating, it did waken me for a while.

 

Bridge 99 came and went. My least favourite CP (sorry guys) mainly since it is the dead of night when you eventually get there and invariably cold and wet too. It wasn’t wet this time though, though it had been shortly before and would be shortly after, but it was a better CP for me this year since I forced down a hot dog, which cheered me up.

 

The dawn when it came, was a gradual greying off of the nights blackness and pretty uninspiring, save for the fact that I was still here to celebrate it. It also heralded the need for my regular again and it took me a good while before I could find a suitable exit from the canal. Once on my way again it was now properly light but I was approaching GJA. The last bit always seems longer than I recall but I was starting to overtake some of the guys who had passed me in the night so my pace was picking up a little.

 

GJA is my favourite CP since this is bacon butty point. Today it was sausage and scrambled egg and a change back into shorts. I started off back on the road with long yawns. In previous years I have struggled from this point but this time it was the road to Damascus and not the Highway to Hell, and I would be shortly having my epiphany moment.

 

I still don’t really know what happened. In recent years my times to GJA have been remarkably similar however my race has got me there. I might have been fast in the day and deathmarched the night or been steady throughout but my times have always been the same within a minute of each other, from 24.34-24.38. I had arrived today some 15mins down, well out of the usual bracket but then again not far away from it either and as such, despite my steady Saturday and deathmarch through the night, was actually not too far from where I usually am. I was pleasantly surprised.

 

I started to run/walk again. The run periods got longer and the walks were restricted to yards, and I got faster too. My knees felt ok and for some reason at 110m I actually felt good and getting better. From just finishing I formed in my head the possibility of beating my 2012 37.20 time. The section to Springwell is always a long one at over 20miles but today it didn’t seem as bad. I had also started playing a game with the map. I looked to find the next red dot/milemarker and then tried to get there in 15mins. That meant keeping an average 4mph pace, not earthshattering sure but I’d worked out that if I was able to keep it up I’d beat my 2012 time. I was overtaking people too, probably most of those who’d passed me in the night.

 

I stopped at Springwell only for rice pudding and some of those marvellous marzipan balls. By now the weather had improved too, it was getting windy but was sunny. I paced it out to Hamborough in the same manner, overtaking a few runners in the process and ran the whole stretch from Bulls Bridge to the CP. At the CP and not only just to avoid James making fun of the Wembley result, I was able to get down a quick banana and back out quickly on the road.

 

Since well before Springwell I had been able to keep to a steady 4mph but now I decided to see by how much I could beat 15mins to the next mile marker. I found out during this period that some miles were definitely longer than others but was still able to push it. The sun was getting hotter but I felt I was able to push it now, it being only 10miles to the finish. I could also see that if I kept up the pace I’d beat my 2012 time by some margin – and possibly beat my 36.40 2011 time too. Not long afterwards I caught up with Sam who was struggling with his feet, as so many were. Mine by contrast were perfect, which I put down to the Sealskinz and liners. I hadn’t needed to disturb my feet all race and this I believe is the main reason I was where I was.

 

I was also still smiling. I can’t remember a race where I have smiled so much. It was definitely good to be back and so amazing to be feeling this good after 135miles too. That last 5miles though, is very long and every year I forget just how long. The amount of cans of Polish lager and rubbish in the bushes was also the source of some amazement too.

 

But soon enough the finish was reached. I would have said soon in sight but it wasn’t in sight until the very last minute due to the amount of walkers on the canal. 28^th out of about 61 finishers (about 50 dropped out mainly due to blisters from the wet weather, I think) and at 36.27 was my 2^nd best time and my fastest time since 2007.

My feet were well prepared and stayed dry throughout. I got no blisters other than a couple of minor ones on my little toes and I also ate well.  When I 1st ran the race in 2003 I came 5th in 40.20 and later, 38hrs or so was still fast enough to get me into the top 10 - not so now though, testament to the deserved popularity of the race.

My only real problem was sore knees and that I was starting to get shin splints in the last section. I think they were caused by my calf guards which I tend to wear on the longer stuff now. They do seem to help reduce muscle fatigue but they are a bit long for me and ridged round my ankles so, as my ankles swelled up they may have restricted my tendon movement - i'll have to invest in a new pair if I am allowed to run another long ultra!

For now though I am just so very pleased about Ultra no.98 and so grateful for being able to get back out there again, this being just the run to do it on - my favourite ultra by a long stretch. Finally, my great thanks to all involved in getting me there once again.