2024-01-28 Weekly Blog
Personal Bests 1k: 3:52, Aug 07 2023 1mi: 6:44.2, Nov 19 2022 5k: 21:04, Sep 30 2023 Parkrun: 21:04, Sep 30 2023 (Coventry) 10k: ...
Post Ultra Rundown
I finished the ultramarathon in 09:58:23, 60k 2000m climb. It was the best run I have ever been on. It is one of the best things I have ever done.
Starting in Llanberis the run climbs quickly where Alex and I quickpy got into the rythm of making use of any flat and powerwalking up hills. Making some new ‘trail friends’ along the way. At the top of the first hill we decended fast to lake. This decent was thrilling feeling more like running down a hill as a child then a careful decent, this is the last time going down is fun!
Moving to Beddgelert forest the Ultra route diverges from the marathon route and heads out toward the sea, once you climb out of the forest and hit the view you are treated to a view of the hills and the ocean. Many of these trails felt like they were more often traversed by sheep then people with plenty of track so think with ferns you couldnt see your feet. The climb back ober the ridge to the forest was the first time on the route people stopped talking. The base of the hill was marshy and the top steep. It was here on a break where we met ‘red team’ who we would criss cross for the rest of the run. Coming over the ridge there was no flowing downhil track only a technical scramble down to the firetrack. Once on the firetrack Alex and I realised we would need to get a shift on to get to the 1st cutoff point in time. We made it will less that 15 mins to spare.
The trek from here to Pen-Y-Pass is flat for the majority of the way, we were back on the trail with the marathon runners some of whom had too much energy! We checked in with my Wife, Dad and dogs who had found us for the third and final time on the route. We helped one runner round some cattle who were rudly standing on the path whilst a bull stared at us. Once we were within a few kilometers of Pen-Y-Pass we realised just how steep the climb to the bottom of the snowdon ascent was. With a fair amount of grit we got our heads down and made it though a thankfully sort rainstorm to where we could start climbing Yr Waddfa. Somewhere here I finished my first ever marathon in around 6 hours so thats a nice and easy PB to beat sometime in the future!
The climb to the summit was steep, rocky, and busy. It became clear at this point that Alex and I would need to seperate as we had very different approaces to this kind of climbing. I loved every second of it entering a sort of childlike glee hopping up the rocks as fast as I was still able and running on each flat meter I could find. The decent was probably the hardest part of the run. My legs felt like the could fold backward and at several points it was simply too steep to run. Had I had the same strenth as on my first decent I’m sure it would have been a lot more fun. On the long slog I called out to a marshall to ask how far to the finish, they responded “6k thats only 1 more than a parkrun; any plum can do a parkrun”, whilst I felt like quite a bruised plum its true I could do a Parkrun.
I don’t recall the timings but having around 40 mins left I realised I has sub 10 hours in reach which was only 3 or more hours longer than my wildly optimistic best hoped for time, or 1 hour longer than the latest I thought I would finish. Still 560 minuites in sub 600 mins felt like a good goal to keep the legs going. The decent had a few more hills that felt near impossible to walk down let alone run. Coming round the back od Llanberis toward the lake there was a final treck tough a forest and just as I thouhgt I was going to miss the 10 hour mark I recognised a car park and realised I was 500m from the end. The slowest sprint finish I have ever done saw me coming in to the finish with 1:17 to spare on my newly self imposed goal and my first ultra completed.
2024
2023
2023-11-26 Weekly Blog and Post Race
This weeks run-covery was: 10km 49:26 4:54 min/km avg Full body gym 8.5km 46:00 5:26 min/km avg 15.1km 1:23:12 5:31 min/km avg
Race Prediction
I think i will miss the 7 hour goal by up to an hour, keeping it down to 7:30 would be ideal. I havent had time, i.e. forgot to make time, to practice nutrit...
2023-11-12 Weekly Blog
Two weeks of training because I forgot last week.
2023-10-29 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: 5.7km, 4:57 min/km 10x 500m intervals, 1 min rest, avg interval pace 4:13 min/km (8.5km total distance) 4x (Squats x6 60...
2023-10-22 Covid!
This weeks training was: 10km Run (PB 46:54) 5 hill reps 200m avg pace 3:20 Then I got covid and did nothing for 2 days Dog walk 8.5km Dog ...
2023-10-15 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: Intervals 10x 500m (race pace) 1min rests, 8.5km total with warmup/cooldown Beginners Yoga 1h Easy pace 10km (51:37) ...
2023-10-09 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: 8.5km 39.02 min 4:37 min/k 1.5km Swim Body Pump 10km 56.01 min 5:36 min/k Dartmoor Hiking 3 Days 72k, and a small ...
2023-10-01 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: 2k Swim Stretch, slow run, stretch Cycling to and from work 2.5k stride repart warmup for parkrun Parkrun, PB 21:0...
2023-09-24 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: 8.41km with speedwork, 10x 500m @ avg ~4:12 min/km (1 min rest with 2 min rest after 5) 5.5km Easy avg hr 162bpm and avg pa...
2023-09-17 Weekly Blog
This week my training was: 8.4km poor dicipline and went too fast Core workout with reps increasing from 5 to 15 hold/rest time is 2xreps (twists, s...
2023-09-11 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: Hill Sprints 10x 200m Flat out 15k trail run 400m ascent decent (~1:50) 200m Intervels flat out Outdoor gym workout ...
2023-09-04 Weekly Blog
This week (medium week): 6.5k run at 80-90% effort Upper body Strength workout Trail run with 5 hill repeats Parkrun (Pacing a 24min) with a 7...
2023-08-27 Weekly Blog
This week: Light (nearly) 5k Ab repeats N from 5 - 15, with Nx2 rest between each exorcise N Russian Twists Nx2 seconds side pl...
2023-08-21 Weekly Blog
Since the last post my training was: Strength training, hitting the big muscles and then doing core. Warmup run to Parkrun, 5:08 pace Zone 3 for 50\...
2023-08-18 Weekly Blog
This week (and a bit) training was: Intervals 5x 1k on 1 min rest with warmup/cooldown for a 6.5k run. Average running pace was 4:14 min/km. 1k pb set ...
2023-08-06 Weekly Blog
This weeks training was: 10 sets of 1 miniute sprints 3 minuite cooldown, for a 8.5k run A lactate threshold test (the last 3 mins of which was tour...
Running some numbers
Ran a lactate threshold test, ~10min warmup, 4 heart rate zone (HRZ) tests, ~11min cooldown.
2023-07-30 Weekly Blog
This week I: Did my short running workout Ran 5x 5min race pace intervals with 2 min walking rest Swam 1.1k Ran 6.5k at an easy pace ...
2023-07-23 Weekly Blog
My Current goals Road Distance/Time goals: 5k: 21:00 10k: 45:00 Half: 1:45:00 Marathon: 4:00:00 3:45:00 ...
2023-07-16 Weekly Blog
My Current goals Road Distance/Time goals: 5k: 21:00 10k: 45:00 Half: 1:45:00 Marathon: 4:00:00 3:45:00 ...
Post Ultra Rundown
I finished the ultramarathon in 09:58:23, 60k 2000m climb. It was the best run I have ever been on. It is one of the best things I have ever done.
Beggining with insanity
This is the first blog post as it is when I signed up to my first ultra-marathon. Written as a retrospective.