I got away with it!

Two and a half training sessions and I clocked up 58 miles last week. Yes, I got round the Firemans Walk (or 7 Stations Challenge to give it it's correct name). It was a great event and the organisers are to be congratulated on a debut success. Yes, there were a few grey areas (not least proceeding up the Ballamodha in dense fog), but the marshalling, drinks stations and officials were all excellent.

For me, the race went better than I'd feared (and largely expected). I walked to Peel with Marie Jackson, where two of the Parish top-guns, Sean Hands and Eammon Harkin had already stopped. Clearly, they weren't taking any risks... With little training mileage in my legs, I twisted logic and told myself that I had nothing to risk and carried on. Other than having to walk through a flock of slow-moving sheep at the Devil's Elbow, I was feeling good to Kirk Michael. From there I started feeling rough, but a quick (I didn't have anything to read) excursion to the excellent toilets in Ballaugh restored my inner calm and I was OK until Sulby. Into Ramsey was a real struggle and it was hard to maintain a race-walking technique. The hills out of Ramsey provided a real boost and from there on, apart from the steeper downhills, I was OK. A tremendous cup of tea - worthy of some sort of award - at Laxey, washed down my final energy gel of the day and I felt strong on the final section to Douglas. Top marks to everyone who finished, but a special mention to youngster James Moore.

None of the things that I was worried about happened and I seem to have 'got away with it'. Fifty miles is a long way in anyone's book. In my book, the 50 Mile chapter would feature 'blisters' and 'lengthy recovery'. Apart from the usual pressure sores where the heel strikes the ground, I didn't suffer any of the former, and although I'm only a few days into it, recovery looks to be nearer than I'd dared hope (especially as the Mountain Marathon was just two weeks ago). To hurry it along, I shan't be putting my trainers on this week.

Gumption required

Sorry that this is old news, but I thought I'd published this post a few days ago... What a ride by Mark Cavendish to win the 95th Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen race in Belgium. He is building a reputation beyond his years. On the cyclenews.com website, it says "...this man has the guts to become a big gun."

Anyway, it was a better week walking-wise, in so much as I did two training sessions. A planned hour on Tuesday was halved when I got a fire-call. I managed to complete a full hour on Thursday. It wasn't fast, but no problem from blisters. Hope they hold together for the Fireman's Walk on Sunday. To be honest, if I wasn't involved with the Fire Brigade, I wouldn't be walking on Sunday. It's a bit too close to the Parish for me. If you are fit and well-on with training, then it could provide a perfect shake-down to test feeding and pacing etc. However, I'm not and I'm concerned that if I get to the finish, it will take a lot of time to recover. Time I haven't really got. Hopefully, I'll have the gumption to stop when I need to. Hmmm...

Pity the walk clashes with the London Marathon - especially as there looks like being such a great field (like every year) at the front. In the old days, I'd have been up and done my Sunday training in time to settle down with a big breakfast and watch the race on TV (turning the sound down after suffering Brendan Foster superlative overload). I'm sure the big guns will clean up, but look out for Ryan Hall of the USA in his marathon debut.

Big 'P' Word getting ever closer...

If I was to tell you that my week had revolved around getting over last weekend, then I'm sure it will be no surprise. They all seem to be going that way! This week has seen a minimal training effort (think of the minimum you could do... yes that's about it) and the big 'P' word gets ever closer. My main hold-up this week has been blisters. I managed to produce a large, broken one on each heel and, although they have healed pretty well, I've been keen not to aggravate them.

So, apart from work, a bit of tame Laxey Bay kayaking (no wind, warm sun, mill pond conditions - could this really be April in the IOM?) and some family plantation cycling, my feet were redundant. By Sunday, I'd had enough and, having liberally applied Vaseline to my feet, went for a walk. Hoped to do three laps of the Ballaragh loop, but with the handy get-out clause of knocking a lap or two off. One and two were OK, but the third lap was a real struggle. Breakfast was a distant memory, so it could have been a lack of food, or perhaps a knock-on from the MMM? Either way, with only 2 and a bit hours on the clock it wasn't too encouraging. Happy that my feet held up pretty well though.

A brilliant day

Manx Mountain Marathon. A fantastic event and a truely memorable day. I'd failed to prepare, so I was prepared to fail. If I'm honest, it was a bit of a surprise that I got as far as I did before the wheels fell off. Up to South Barrule it had been a brilliant day to be on the hills. After then it became a brilliant day to be sitting down somewhere. When my backside did eventually hit the grass, I looked down over a sparkling Port Erin, and with a lump of fruitcake in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, reflected on my luck. To live here: to be healthy: to have beaten Allan Thompson.

When I last did the MMM, it was my favourite local event and I was desperate to do it again. That was 1985, and as my walking career was kicking off, Mountain Marathons didn't really fit into my annual plans. Now that my walking career has reached full time (deep into injury time anyway), you may have noticed that I don't have an annual plan. As in last year's Parish, I learnt a great deal from the race and will hopefully be able to remember some of it for an improved race in 2008.

The organisation was superb - drinks galore, loads of marshals and 'computerised' timing at every checkpoint (the read-out of 100+ runner's split times is truely mind-boggling - see the link on Murray's homepage)! Last year I did the Easter Athletics Festival - another wonderful event. Two big, nationally recognised events organised by separate groups on the same tiny Island on the same weekend. Both are excellently marshalled and cater for upwards of 300 visitors. An amazing feat. Also it's surely the ultimate local fixture clash - either would undoubtedly be bigger if it was a lone Easter event.

Now that the MMM is out of my system (though not my legs), I can start concentrating on doing some walking. Just as soon as my blisters heal.

All at sea

Good run on Sunday. Well, if I'm honest, most of it was good but some of it was rubbish. This was to be my last harder run before the Mountain Marathon and so I was looking for a confidence booster (to paper over the harsh truth of prolonged and persistent undertraining). It started off so well...

I ran from Laxey to the top of North Barrule on one of the best sustained uphill tracks I know. For those who remember the old Laxey Horseshoe course, I followed it up to the slopes of Slieau Lhean, but instead of branching off to reach the summit, I followed the track around the head of the Agneash Valley and eventually on up to Clagh Ouyr. The run along the ridge to North Barrule was beautiful - the views were stunning in the sunny and clear conditions.

Sheltered sunshine at sea level had tricked me into getting my shorts out again, but even before I'd met the couple wearing full waterproofs, hats and gloves, I knew I was a little underdressed. (For those 'tut-tutting' at my lack of preparedness - I had a bum-bag and full body cover with me. No, I've no idea why I didn't stop to put it all on). Anyway it took about 55 minutes to get to the top (running all the way) and I felt pretty strong. It took about 49 minutes to get back down and I felt pretty awful. My ankle was sore and I was whacked.

I haven't trained since Sunday - an enforced 'total rest' approach to race preparation. Ice and Voltarol gel have been applied and I spent an excruciating 10 minutes up to my knees in the sea on Laxey Beach yesterday evening. A week ago I was worrying about the 12 miles beyond St Johns, now I'm just hoping I'll get that far. Good luck to all the locals running at Easter - there is a big entry for both the MMM and the Easter Festival.

Decorating and blister planning

Training was limited to Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week, but such has been my level of inactivity in recent weeks, that this represented a better week. The weather has been great hasn't it? Clocks go forward, sun comes out, wind drops and suddenly summer's coming.

In shorts and t.shirt (global warming?) I did a two-lap walking session based on the coast road-Ballaragh loop on Monday. I took the tougher direction option (up the coast road ) and it felt OK. Not fast, but OK. Then my mind wandered to the enormity of the required Parish mileage. I worked it out that the Parish would be approx. 18 laps of the Ballaragh loop! I decided to think about something a bit more positive and spent the rest of the session trying to work out how many blister plasters I'd need this year...

Tuesday was a day of decorating (upper body repetitions). It went well until I ran out of white emulsion with just half of the final ceiling coat to go. Anyone got any tips regarding fitting coving..?

A good run on Wednesday. Sunny but windy and cold, so no shorts. From our house, up through the farm top fields to the summit of Cronk y Vaar (first checkpoint in Snaefell race). On over Mullagh Ouyr and down to cross the mountain road at Brandywell before climbing Benn y Phott. 45 mins up - didn't feel fast, but I ran all the way and that was the aim. Slight dampner was the onset of a 'sore ankle/shin' on the descent. It got worse during the evening and I knocked the plans for a longer run on Thursday on the head.

Still a bit sore on Friday morning at work, so I decided to finish the week with another walk. Did my usual trick of not leaving enough time before picking the boys up from school and ended up doing one and a half laps of the Ballaragh loop instead of two. A bit of a slow struggle I'm afraid. Perhaps more significant was the posting of my entry for the Mountain Marathon. I'm looking on it as a guaranteed long session. I haven't done enough long sessions and I predict a struggle from St Johns. Still, I don't remember my last Mountain Marathon being too awful. Then again it was 22 years ago...