Course Records Tumble at the Cotswold Way Century

It’s rare to see a 100-mile course record get smashed by over 90 minutes, and even more so for that kind of quality performance to result in a second place. On September 23rd & 24th on the Cotswold Way Bath’s Holly Rush tore lumps out of the Cotswold Way female FKT, with a time of 20:17 which would have won the event outright for 3 of the previous 4 years, only to follow an astonishing race from Rob Forbes.  Forbes, of Cirencester, broke the overall course record by 1:57, completing the 102 miles in 17:34 – an average pace of 10.5 minutes per mile.  Both runners had fantastic races, running at or near their maximum level for the entire event.

Runners set off on the 5th annual Cotswold Way Century.  Rob Forbes (right) spends his last few metres of the race not in the lead.  Photo courtesy UK Life Medics.

Each year, the Cotswold Way Century gives runners the opportunity to pit themselves against this iconic long-distance national trail.  Every year is different, with runners in the past having to navigate through thick fog, cope with overnight torrential rain, and occasionally even testing them with relentless heat.  This year, the weather was kind, and the front end of the field looked set to offer a good chance of a group pushing each other to close to 19 hours.  When the runners headed off down Chipping Campden high street, only one person had any idea that something special was about to happen.

Rob Forbes had a 10m lead by the first turn, and several hundred metres after the first hill.  On an ultra, these things rarely count for much in the opening miles, but by the time the race reached Broadway, he was out of sight off the front and never had need to look over his shoulder for the rest of the run. By the half-marathon point, the lead was 10 minutes.  From there, it only ever grew.

Possibly the worst-ever finishing picture, but what do you expect at 5:40 in the morning?  My camera was tired...

Meanwhile, Ryan Hogben, 2-time winner Daniel Hendriksen, and Holly Rush carried on behind wondering, like the volunteers along the route, if the race could or would ever come back to them.  By the end of the first marathon, the chasing men were 25 minutes behind, with Rush a further 20 minutes back.  By the 48 mile station at Painswick, Henriksen had dropped back to join Rush at 1:20 behind and Hogben chased alone, now 50 minutes back.

Women's winner and 2nd place finisher, Holly Rush enjoying a well-earned rest.

As the night wore on, the usual demons of ultrarunning attacked everyone bar Forbes.  Falls, navigation errors, fatigue, digestion complaints, and fitness concerns dogged the runners.  The field thinned as many ended their race early, the frontrunners reshuffled with Rush making significant time on Hogben and Hendriksen dropping out of the competition for places and into a completion pace. In the final 15 miles, the ladies’ winner pushed ahead into second overall, eventually gapping Hogben by 40 minutes.  

Further back, Daniel Weller and Rob Hicks picked up places to race each other for the men’s 3rd place finish, with Weller eventually breaking clear by over two minutes.  Emily Warren, Heather Rawlings, and Dawn Gardner pushed on for the finish, leaving the competitive thoughts in the background until the final miles.  Warren sprinted to the line in second, having seen Rawlings and Gardner getting too close for comfort.  Rawlings and Gardner, good friends and occasional training partners, finished together for joint third place in the women’s race.

Apparently, yes, you can run 102 miles in 5-Fingers. Hats off to Damian Barratt!

Smile of the day goes to Vicky Gullo

In total, of the 106 starters, 62 runners managed to complete the course within the 30-hour time limit, 15 of them in under 24 hours.  For several runners, the event was their first attempt at running 100 miles.  Race Organisers Cotswold Running wish to thank the runners, local authorities, landowners, and the Cotswolds AONB for creating an atmosphere where the elite and non-elite runners can enjoy competing against the same course to achieve extraordinary results.  Full results are available at www.cotswoldrunning.co.uk. 

Timed Lap Racing - When it's good, it's very, very good!

I like racing laps.  Long laps, short laps, in-between laps.  Once upon a time, I used to think racing laps was stupid - why race around the same route more than once?  That was before I figured out how to get my head in the game, and use the format to push myself to new levels.  Racing laps, whether on a distance basis, like at Rocky Raccoon, or on a timed basis like Thunder Run, Endure 24, or our own Ellenden Farm Frolic, gives runners the chance to mentally reset and put bad patches into the past while looking forward to a new lap where the problems of the last lap can be sorted out.

In the last 2 months, I've taken part in some very different lap races.  In May, I ran at Trail Attack 24, mostly to scope it out and as a tune-up for the planned A-Race at Endure 24.  In June, I went back to Endure 24 as a solo runner, with grand ambitions of some big PBs.  On July 3rd, I returned to Merrill's Mile to make good last year's early exit, and with an aim to get on the podium.

Trail Attack 24 is about half an hour from home, so it seemed churlish not to have a go.  I entered with no intention of running into the night - I needed a long training run that weekend, so decided to do it there instead of in the hills. It was a bit of a test event, so the route had a few issues that can be ironed out, and I expect the 2nd outing next year will be an enjoyable weekend. I ran 50km at a pretty high effort level, stopping when I turned my ankles a few too many times on the pitted, rock-hard ground.  I was out for a long run and a bit of a laugh, so wasn't about to risk ruining my summer race plans.

Endure 24 is, in theory, a 5 mile loop of mostly trail running.  The reality is a fairly fast course which, in a dry year, is more like a road run than a trail run.  This year was pretty dry, and the newly gravelled sections meant that there was only about half a mile per lap of terrain that was trail-like.  Having raced as a relay runner last year, and knowing just how quick the route had become, I went into the race with Plan A of 120 miles and PBs for 50mi, 100km, and 100mi along the way.  Knowing that I would be at home responsible for a very active and increasingly heavy baby on the Monday, Plan B was to stop before I reached a condition where I was the one more in need of a pushchair.

Race day was relatively warm and very sunny.  The night before hadn't been the smoothest sleep, with a night feed and an early start for the drive down (thanks Caroline and Andy!), so I spent quite a while pre-race trying to get into the right place mentally to be racing.  Half an hour of Garth Brooks classics did the trick, and I got to the starting line in the mood for a good run.

As usual, I started off far too far to the back, and tried not to get in a hurry.  The plan was to run roughly 10:30/mi with 2-3 minutes per lap of aid-station refuelling.  Repeatedly, I had to slow down, trying to find that "go all day" pace.  I finished lap 1 a couple of minutes ahead of schedule, but very comfortably, in 51 minutes.  The fantastic crew of friends and teammates from Evesham Vale RC had me refilled and out of the homemade aid station super-fast, and I was off on lap 2 in no time.  I added a bit more walking to allow for eating and to slow down the pace a bit more, dropping down to 53 minutes for the next 2 laps (plan: 55 minutes).  Then I turned off my GPS and ran off the watch and km markers for the rest of my race - which promptly resulted in my fastest lap of the day before I finally dialled into the splits that I needed to match the terrain with my goal lap times.

Running comfortably throughout day 1 (Photo: Charmaine Mitchell)

By the time I got to 30 miles, I knew I had a good 50mi time on the cards. I was 15 minutes (30s/mi) ahead of my target time, and felt really good.  The BLT wraps and Bourbon biscuits were keeping my energy levels high, and I managed to keep on top of my hydration, so stomach and brain were both in good shape.  I knew I needed to slow down, and kept trying to aim for the 58 minute laps on my plan.  I kept failing, though, with 55-56 instead.  As I approached 50 miles, I started to get excited that I was running so well that I was looking at a 9-hour 50.  When I finished my 10th lap in 8:55 (a 30 minute PB), I knew I really needed to back off, and that a 100km PB was pretty much in the bag.  I was having the run of my life - running felt fantastic and fairly easy, eating wasn't too much of a chore, and I was drinking loads without issue.

With plenty of time in the bag, I spent a little more time in the aid station, first forgetting my head torch and grabbing a banana instead, and then the next lap doing the opposite!  I successfully gave back some of my time over the next 3 laps, dropping to 1:03ish instead of the planned hour.  Once I'd knocked an hour off my 100km PB (11:30 now), though, I started to lose focus.  The 100mi point was quite a distance away, it was now after midnight, I desperately wanted to be asleep, and the general camaraderie of the day was giving way to the earphone-driven deafness of the night.  By the start of the 16th lap, I was struggling to keep my spirits up.  I started walking a bit more, and then noticed some blisters under the callouses on the balls of my feet, probably a result of walking more.  Those blisters aren't treatable in the normal fashion, with tape or blister plasters.  They're caused by friction within the skin, and really are best treated by not having the callouses in the first place.  The more I walked, the worse they would get.  I also really, honestly, didn't want to do much walking.  I had really enjoyed running everything but a few snack-break hills each lap.  So, at 4am, knowing that I could get a 100mi PB, but at a price to my feet that I wasn't really willing to pay, I curled up and went to sleep in the back of the car having done 80 miles in 16 hours - well over an hour faster than I've done that distance before.

I don't mind too much that I stopped early, but there was a part of me that was disappointed that I had stopped before I had to.  When I've DNF'd a distance race, I've always felt like it was the right thing.  Here, I knew I had a sub 22h hundred available, even if I walked almost all of the remaining 20 miles.  In reality, that wasn't enough of an achievement to draw me into a long walk, or even much past the mouth of the "pain cave".  I had 110 miles available in the 24 hours if I worked hard, but that would have led to some serious curtailment of my summer's running - and that certainly wasn't worth the effort.  Over the next couple of days, as the aches and pains from the race worked through, I was pretty sure that stopping was a good idea.  I'd learned that I wasn't interested in simply completing 100 miles or 24 hours - I wanted to run, and to race.  Walking up the hills, or a few relatively short walking breaks are fine, but I've found that to get the satisfaction I was looking for, I needed to be running the vast majority of the time. Until 70 miles, I'd run consistently better than I had in any race in my life - ever.  And I enjoyed it at a level that I've rarely enjoyed any race before.  I had discovered what I was looking for from my next few races, as soon as I figured out what they would be.

Shortly after Endure, Nic suggested that I have another go at Merrill's Mile in Georgia.  She still doesn't get why I like the idea of running laps of a .99mi road loop, but took the view that as long as she didn't have to either run it or sit there watching me run in circles for six hours, I should have a go.  So, I entered a daylight 6 hours instead of the night-time one, prayed for a cool spell, and packed light clothes.

My goal at Merrill's Mile was simple - run 40ish laps, match or beat the course record, and get on the podium.  I entered fairly certain that, barring injury, I had a good shot.

On the drive to the race, I watched the temperature climb up into the 80s.  The high was due to be nearly 100, and I was glad I'd put most of my water in the freezer the night before.  I didn't want to spend a lot of time using the aid station, just grab a bottle and go as I went by my little box of refreshments.

As the 9am start approached, I started chatting with Anthony Shapiro, who was aiming for a sub-24 100mi, and his crew, who were entertaining themselves trying to put up a small sun shelter.  They were a great bunch of guys, and when Anthony's crew saw I was crewless, they offered to refill my spare belt bottles.  Being able to just swap bottles in whenever I needed was a huge help, especially once the heat piled on.

The race plan was pretty straightforward - aim for 8:30ish miles while there was shade, and then slow down as little as possible, depending on how the temperature affected me.  I was hoping to get through 21 laps by noon.  We had shade for the first half of the lap (a slight upward drag), and then full sun on the down leg.  Being able to run nearly 50% of the route in the shade meant I could keep a reasonable temperature while still maintaining a solid pace.  At around 11:30, the shade finally disappeared, and we had full sun reflecting off the tarmac track.  I was still nearly on schedule, but that was about to change with the flick of a switch.

At around 17 laps, Bob Hendricks caught up to me - he'd been hanging out 2-3 minutes behind for about 15 laps, and must have put in a fair effort to close me down in the previous few laps.  It was his first attempt at an ultra, and he was curious to see what his body could do.  We had a chat, and then I led him into the 18th lap.  As we started the lap, I realized we'd finally lost our remaining shade.  Heading up the gentle drag really raised the core temperature.

Without any shade, I had to change almost immediately from pace management to heat management.  During my 19th lap, I took a long walk with plenty of ice water and surrendered 4 minutes to the heat in an effort to make sure I could fuel up for the 2nd half.  Bob carried on, picking up half a mile on me.  Most of the rest of the race I ran at around 9:30-10:00/mi pace with roughly 300m of walking per lap on average. I was going through nearly half a litre of water every 20 minutes - wearing most of it.  I had on a cool tie, which is meant to absorb water and remain cool against the skin; I squeezed warm water out of it regularly.  The heat and sun were actually blistering one runner's back (maybe she should have worn a t-shirt, but that's an indication of just how hot it got).  Bob came back to me in the early 20s, and I lapped him by the time I'd done my marathon.  Once the heat built up, the only way to cool down was to slow down, and the hotter the core got, the longer the walk got.  So, I tried to maintain short walks and slow running up the slope and no walks down the slope to keep from getting too overheated.  The strategy, along with loads of ice water - it's the first time I've had to pour ice water onto my thighs! - seemed to work.  Most laps remained sub-12, while I kept hoping for a break in the sun.

Too hot & sunny for a vest. (Photo: Cotswold Running)

With around an hour to go, a cloud finally offered some shade and I was immediately able to run easily again, knocking 2 minutes off that mile compared to the ones either side, so I knew I could push hard for 1-2 laps at the end if I had to.  Nic and a huge gathering of my side of the family arrived just after 2:30 - with me needing 3 more laps in 30 minutes. I tried to up the pace so I could get in a couple of sub-10 miles, but got a little light-headed and had to hold to around 11:00/mi instead.  My brother, Chris, shouted to me as I approached the finish line with just over 8 minutes to go, that I needed one more lap to take a lap lead over runners from the previous 6 hour races during the event.  I swore to myself, because I really didn't want to have to pull out a fast lap, and accelerated up the track.  I was down to 8-ish pace, and kept running up to the turn for the first time in over 2 hours.  I started to feel a bit light-headed, and ran with an irrational fear that I'd be cranking out all this effort only to get to the line seconds after the time ran out.  On the way down to the finish, I pulled out all the stops (and nearly pulled out my small breakfast and the previous night's dinner), to get down to under 7:30 pace, finishing my 36th lap with 30 seconds to spare.  The 40 lap goal had gone out the window at 11:30, but I managed to tie the men's course record of 36 laps (ladies' is 39 laps).  I had to wait for the night-time 6-hour race to take place to find out my placing, but was pretty confident of a podium finish.  When I went back in the morning, I was very pleased to discover that I'd won by that horrible, hard last lap.  Bob finished 3rd, 2 laps back.

My first ever win - celebrated next to a soon-to-be-packed gazebo.

The joy of the lap race is that mental reset each time you start a new lap.  In May, I was out for a training run more than a race, and really struggled to look at each lap individually, so I really struggled to get into that "in the moment" mindset you need for a good race.  In June, I managed to keep my head right for 14 hours, but started to struggle against the sleep monsters and wasn't really up for the mental challenge of the rest of the event.  In July, getting to reset every 8-12 minutes worked for me, and gave me the opportunity to completely revise my running plan to match my ability to respond to the extreme temperature (the car read 103 when we got back to it, so I'm guessing we weren't much cooler on the track).  When I was getting battered by the heat, all I had to do was break my run into 2 pieces - up the track and down the track - and then repeat that until the clock ran out. The regular mental refresh made it incredibly easy to stay in the moment.

I still love racing on more traditional routes.  But if you haven't tried timed racing on a short lap, you really should - it's a fantastic way to push yourself to new heights.

Whisky River - The Speyside Way Ultra

A couple of years ago, Nic needed a long run while we were up north, and decided to run a section of the Speyside Way.  Her opinion was that, aside from a couple of long drags, it was a pretty flat and enjoyable route.  Fast forward to a few months ago, and we decided to return and join in the annual race from Ballindalloch to Buckie (36.5ish miles).  I duly visited the Speyside Way Ultra website, put a load of details onto the entry system, and started to plan my race.

Night Running in Circles

Mostly, I enjoy trail running at night.  When it's dark, you don't get all those scenic views that distract from the pain.  Sometimes, you see green eyes glowing out at you, and have a little frisson of excitement wondering if the cattle are bored or scared enough to chase you.  But mostly, you find yourself in a little tunnel of light, and have to put all your effort into staying upright and moving forward.  When you can get into that focused world where every part of your mind and body is geared towards your run, it's one of running's great joys.

Rocky Raccoon 50 - Weeks of Anxiety Undone in Just a Few Hours

Nic ran the Rocky Raccoon 50 the weekend after my hundred.  To say that the hardest part was getting to the starting line doesn't doesn't really do justice to the pre-race nerves.  Read her take on the race and run-in to it below.

---

As is often the case, I entered Rocky Raccoon 50 after a few glasses of wine (or I should say, I allowed Kurt to enter me).  I had toyed with the idea, since we'd be in Texas anyway, and I thought it might give me some good motivation to train consistently through the winter months.  The wine made me brave - or stupid - and before I knew it I had an email from Tejas Trails confirming my entry.

2014 wasn't the best running year I've ever had.  I managed a total of one race race all year long, the Cheltenham Circular Marathon, a slow but lovely plod in the searing heat, after the most minimal of training.  I've been running regularly, but with no consistency.  Surely a 50 miler in early 2015 would focus my mind.  Kurt did me a training plan, and I attempted to follow it.  This went ok for a while, and I managed a couple of really enjoyable long runs.  Then a combination of a cold, a foot injury and a packed work schedule put various flies in the ointment.  Christmas came and went, and still I had only managed three long runs (none more than 20 miles).  Time was running out to get those miles in, so I had to focus on quality back-to-back runs, managing 40 miles in 5 days in early January.  Then - another blooming cold and cough and another two weeks off.

We arrived in Texas two weeks before my race.  I was seriously lacking in confidence, but Coach Kurt kept telling me that I could build into Rocky by doing lots of miles in the first week of our holiday, tapering in the second, and could still get round intact.  I did not believe him!  Especially when running felt so awful.  I was struggling badly with tightness and pain in my hamstring and quad in my right leg, and my chest felt tight each time I pushed myself.  My energy levels were poor and my running self-esteem was non-existent.  But I did manage to run around 38 miles that week.  It's rather lovely not to have to fit work into a week of running.  My final run of the week was a 12 mile recce in Huntsville State Park itself, while Kurt did the packet pickup and a bit of chatting prior to his race.  It was a beautiful afternoon in the park, with the lake glistening in the sunlight and the birds singing in the woods.  The route was a bit hillier than I remembered it being though, so those seeds of doubt didn't stop growing.

Lake Raven in the late afternoon sun.

Easy running in a beautiful location.

I'd like to say that crewing Kurt in his 100 miler provided me with inspiration for my race.  In some ways it did, as being around ultrarunners and crew is always uplifting and awe-inspiring.  But standing at the finish line at 4am, seeing runners in various states of disrepair make their way out for their 4th and 5th laps, exhausted and in pain - well, that just scared me.  What if I was in that kind of state after the halfway mark?  Seeing Kurt's feet and bruises after his race made me feel sick with fear.  His training for the 100 had been fabulous; he was way better prepared than me and yet he was a bit of a mess for a few days.  I didn't want to be finishing in really bad shape and I was fearful that I would, if I finished atall.  I had an emotional couple of days in the week following, and came very close indeed to pulling out of RR50.  I simply did not feel well-enough prepared and was anxious that I was going to spend the day punishing myself, while I should be enjoying myself - after all, I'm on holiday!!!  A long chat with Coach Kurt helped me figure some stuff out.  I didn't want to DNS - that would be worse than a DNF.  The worst that could happen was that I could have a go.  I felt confident that I could complete one lap (each lap is 16.7 miles) and get around a second, which would have me completing an ultra-distance, and if I was too knackered to start a third, that was ok.  Mentally letting myself off the hook put me in a new and much happier frame of mind.

Amazingly, as we arrived in Huntsville on Friday afternoon, stopping for lunch at the excellent Five Loaves Deli again, I actually began to feel excitement, where before there had only been anxiety.  I was feeling relaxed and smiley as I picked up my race packet and listened to the race briefing.  We headed back to the Days Inn in Conroe, about 20 mins south of the state park, where I got all my kit and food ready for the next day.  Crackerbarrel for dinner, then we were in bed by 10.  I slept ok, and by 5am we were back at the state park, raring to go!  I was no longer feeling negative, but instead looking forward to running.  I'd posted a Facebook status before going to bed, telling anyone who was interested that I needed a bit of luck to finish, but I was going to try to be positive and have a go - by the time I got up in the morning, there were so many wonderful uplifting messages on my page, I was quite inspired.

It was really rather chilly (about 3 degrees celsius) at the start, which made kit choice a little challenging, especially as temperatures were forecast to get into the low 20s later, with plenty of sunshine.  Luckily, my lovely father in law had loaned me some arm-warmers, which worked really well - I started the race in shorts, t-shirt, buff on my head and around my neck, and the nice warm arm-warmers.

Brrrrr!!!!

The one piece of kit that let me down was my Garmin.  It's been playing up for a while, with the screen blanking from time to time, but generally had been working fine all of the week before.  Frustratingly, as I turned it on at the start line, the display had more or less disappeared.  I only wanted it to make sure I wasn't starting off too fast, as it's so very easy to do.  Oh well, I'd just have to use my judgement.  So I started near the back, and off we went.  The darkness, rootiness of the course and congestion of other runners made it easy to keep the pace really easy.  The other runners around me were happy, friendly and chatty, although I really didn't want to run with anyone in particular - it was important to me to run my own pace and not get caught up with anyone else.  So I let the conversation float over my head, just enjoying listening and joining in with the occasional comment.  In no time atall, the first checkpoint came, I ditched my arm-warmers and Kurt gave me breakfast - a bag of cheese and crackers.  The checkpoints in this race are every 3-4 miles, which is great.  I'd originally planned a run-walk strategy, based on running to the CPs then walking for a few minutes.  But on advice from Coach Kurt, and after my recce where I realised the course wasn't flat, my tactic became to jog on the flat, coast the downhills (mind the tree roots!!) and walk and eat on the uphills.  So I duly stuffed my face with pepperjack cheese as I walked the long drag uphill after the first CP.

Lap one was easy.  The forest was cool, shrouded in mist.  It was so beautiful in places, I was sad not to have my phone with me to snap a few photos.  I found it easy to tap out an easy rhythm which felt very sustainable.  I was enjoying eating lots of cheese, some crackers and the oreos at the checkpoints.  I ate far more than I ever have in the early stages of a race, which I think helped me a great deal later.  Kurt was there to greet me at the Park Road CP (~13miles) and to tell me that I was moving at a really good pace, but not too fast.  He looked happy, I felt great and the sun was beginning to shine.  I arrived at the start/finish 3 hours 45 mins after I started.  Jerry had arrived - I heard him clanging his cowbells before I saw him, which made me smile broadly.  Every time I heard them all day, it just made me smile and laugh.  I changed my t-shirt into a vest, drank some fizzy water and ate some oreos, and left for lap 2 still smiling, and fully expecting to slow down significantly.

All smiles after 20 miles.

Lap two continued in much the same vein as lap one.  I tapped out my rhythm and kept on moving comfortably.  I'd moved from cheese and crackers to Clif Builder Bars (mint chocolate) which I find quite yummy, but by ~23 miles, I was starting to feel a bit nauseous.  Kurt had stocked my waist pack with water bottles filled with GU electrolyte stuff, which I found surprisingly palatable.   It was getting a bit warm by now, as the early mist had well and truly burnt off.  I made sure to have some salt tabs at the DamNation CP.  There was a small section of the trail where there was no tree cover, alongside the lake - I'd been running for around 5-6 hours and it was late morning - it was HOT!  Thankfully it wasn't a long stretch before being blissfully among the trees again.  I got passed by the winner at this point - wow, he was moving so fast, with less than 10 miles to go and I still had a lap and a half to go!  I was feeling a little bit ropey and had no idea what to eat.  I knew I had to keep eating.  I was forcing down small bites of builders bar.  The CP at DamNation, which was 6miles and 8.7mi into the lap had a huge array of food on offer - even bacon and pancakes on the first lap! - and I looked at it for inspiration before pouncing on the pickles.  I've never eaten pickles while running before, but I think I'm now a convert.  I saw them, and had to eat them, then wanted them all the rest of the day.  They tasted amazing - salty, sour and palate cleansing - goodbye nausea!  I carried on to Park Road feeling good again, with Kurt there to meet me and inform me that I was still running a good pace.  Park Road is 4 miles from the start finish area, and the section of trail between the this CP and the start/finish is lovely - twisty, turny, undulating and rooty.  For some reason, 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen came into my head, and I started singing out loud (there was no one around). I had such a big smile on my face as I realised that I was going to be able to start a third lap, and 50 miles began to feel like a reality.  I finished lap 2 in 3 hours 55 mins.

Pickles and a quick chat about food and then Coach Kurt kicked me straight out onto lap 3.

I still felt strong, had no injury problems and continued to be able to move along freely and comfortably.  Foodwise, I was struggling a little, but I'd eaten so much in the first lap, I was reaping the benefits, and as long as I topped up with some gels and shot bloks, my energy levels were good.  As I came through the out-and-back part of the course after the DamNation CP, having run 42 miles, I counted at least 20 people behind me - what a shocker!  I was getting a bit tired now, and I was having to tell myself to keep running.  I think my brain was more tired than my legs, as when I was running, my pace was still perfectly steady and comfortable.  Still, I couldn't stop smiling - apart from when I had to shout at myself - DO NOT FALL DOWN!!  Kurt, Jerry and Marilane were all waiting for me at the last CP, which was so lovely - those cowbells again!  The last four miles were hard, mostly because it was the only part of the race where I had no company.  So much of this route is two-way, so you constantly get to see and encourage (and get encouragement from) the faster runners.  But of course, they had all finished, so I was on my own.  I talked to myself a lot in those last four miles!  I did get a little tearful knowing that I had almost done it, when I really didn't think I could, but those tearful feelings turned to pure joy and elation when I crossed the last road crossing into the finishing straight.  The cowbells again!!  I put my foot down and finished strongly, there was plenty left in the tank!  I had such a big grin on my face - if only that feeling could be bottled!  I finished my third lap in almost the same time as my second, with a finishing time of 11hours 33mins, and more than 90 people behind me or dropped out.  At the start, I would have been utterly delighted to have believed I could have finished in less than 13 hours - I just wanted to make sure I could finish in time to enjoy dinner and margaritas with friends and family.  I am still shocked at the time - Coach Kurt has joked that maybe I've found my distance.

The only person I know who didn't think I'd get here when we left the UK...

Bling!

Overall, this was a day where simply everything went right.  I got my pacing, nutrition, clothing, fluids all just right.  My excellent crew helped greatly, of course.  I'm incredibly proud of myself for beating my demons and managing to run positively and happily.  And I'm so grateful to all my friends and family who were rooting for me - knowing they were there supporting me and encouraging me really helped to keep me going.

2015 Rocky Raccoon 100 - Running Happy

The great thing about running long is that no matter what you plan for, or how well you think you know your body, the course, the weather, or your gear, something unexpected always turns up to make you think.  At this year's Rocky Raccoon 100, I got to enjoy a lot of my plans going right, and a few going ever so awry.  The key word there is "enjoy," and in spite of my newly super-sized big toes, I really did enjoy pretty much every minute of my race.

To say that this year's event has been a key goal ever since last year's disappointing DNF would be an understatement.  Most of my gear reviewing has been based around fixing weaknesses identified last year.  The races I have run have had little to do with this year's attempt, but the many races I chose not to run were almost all about making sure I had the legs to go the distance.  What can I say?  That DNF hurt a lot, and I wasn't in the mood to let it happen again.


So, what went right?  The pre-race build up was the first thing I got right.  The goal was to arrive in Huntsville in a positive frame of mind.  The next improvement on last year was to have my own food for the entire race, so the aid stations were top-up and back-up, rather than the mainstay of my nutrition.  I geared my choices early on to things that I would want to eat even when not feeling hungry, because I've found that I feel hungry about 5 minutes before I bonk.  The final plan that worked out better than 2014 was to use a very light bottle belt instead of a race vest - I'd tested the Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Endure Belt repeatedly and knew it would do the job and give me the chance to dissipate heat more efficiently than a vest would.  With those pieces in place, together with a better training block in the Fall, I started and ran the whole race with no concern about whether I'd finish, and with a lot of confidence that a PB was completely achievable.

However, something always goes wrong in an ultra - you're out there too long for it not to.  I had some particularly exciting lighting problems, and did a bit of a number on my big toes with a few of the roots along the way.  But, because I felt positive throughout, I never really got down about the problems - I just set about finding solutions or carried on regardless.  I think a lot of that positivity was helped by calorie-loading early on and maintaining a manageable pace - so I didn't have a major energy dip until quite close to the end.

Overall, I ran happy - and running happy makes everything else that much easier to put into perspective.  For the details & pics, keep reading!

Pre-race

The plan was to relax and catch up with family while we took an extra couple of days to acclimate to the local weather.  Since Nic is doing the 50 (one week after the 100), and had the joy of a winter cold in mid-January, the plan also included a few good runs on local trails in Austin & Round Rock to make sure we were building up to the race well.

Great weather for the build-up runs - Lady Bird Lake looking beautiful in the warm sun.

Taking my EVRC club vest out for a spin in 20C temps - High Summer in January!!

It's always important to include recovery and enjoyment into any training schedule, and the fine weather in the week before race day certainly encouraged some relaxing time outdoors.

Sunshine and warmth begets the occasional afternoon libation.

If you've never been here, you've missed out on some of the most amazing donuts in the land.  Eat more than one, though, and you may have to take up ultras to keep the weight off.

All told, the week leading up to the race was perfect.  We arrived on Friday in Huntsville with me excited and ready to run, and Nic delighted to take a few hours recce-ing the 50 route alone (ie without me yapping incessantly).

Raven Lake looking good in the sun on Nic's run

Nic capturing the evening light on the boardwalk.

While Nic enjoyed some well-earned peace, I meandered over to packet pickup, enjoyed the race briefing, and caught up with some fellow runners.  I managed to catch up with Stephen Rodgers, who was kilted up for the event, and we reminisced over the 2014 humidity trial (he passed the test, finishing in the freezing rain after the sweltering Saturday).  I also had the joy of meeting Tony Nguyen, who takes running happy to a whole new level of big smiles and super enthusiasm.  I dropped my DamNation drop-bag, started panicking over where I'd packed my rain jackets (eventually found in time for the final sort-out), and then picked up Nic for an early dinner.

Like so many of the runners, we were up at stupid-o'clock (3:45am) to allow plenty of time to get through the queues into Huntsville State Park.  While I got set up at Dogwood, Nic headed off to the Nature Center station, which would be her base with Dad for the day.  Pre-race, I caught up with Brits Chris Mills and James Elson.  James would be shooting for a high placing, while Chris and I were both aiming for sub-24.  Time flew quickly, and before I had time to get properly nervous, we were off and running.

Wrapped up in the chilly wee hours.

I set myself towards the back half of the 367-strong field, knowing that a gentle walk-jog for the first 5km would be a good way to ease through the early (dark) miles without blowing a lot of energy and hopefully without catching too many roots. I was looking for a 3:50-4:00 first lap, with plenty of food and drink along the way.  Nic was supplying me with rather tasty BLT wraps for the first few hours, and I looked forward to each of my snack-break uphills.  With yummy snacks, easy running, and friendly faces around, I thoroughly enjoyed my 20mi warm-up.  That first lap went pretty much perfectly (3:52).  By starting in the back, I was constantly passing people rather than running with them.  While not the most sociable way to spend the morning, it meant that I could exchange pleasantries but avoided accidentally tapping into someone else's pace - a mistake I made repeatedly in 2014.  It also gave me the opportunity to play a little chatty leapfrog with Brandon Holloway (25:50) and Roy Pirrung (26:44) as our run/walk strategies overlapped.

Feeling fresh after the first lap

Much like the first lap, the second was full of gentle running, eating (now with a couple of hummus wraps thrown into the mix), walking up hills, and a bit of chit-chat with runners as we passed and re-passed with our various run/walk strategies.  Nic and Dad continued to look after me like pros at the 3 accessible aid stations.  Nic and I had already agreed that her job was to be bossy, and my job was to do what I was told - never easy, but it worked beautifully on the day.  The roots started to get a bit bigger and easier to trip over, and the hills seemed slightly longer and steeper than on lap one, but I was still in a happy place, bimbling along through the peaceful woods.  By now, the out-and-back segments were a bit trickier, since runners were running in both directions on the narrow trail.  It was a chance to exchange encouraging words (leading to me thinking of them as the "Good job!" sections) and also see how others were getting on.  By the time I'd reached 30 miles, I started to feel a hot spot on my right heel, so stopped and patched it before it became a problem.  Messing about with the sock, I noticed a stinging feeling on my big toe, so had a look, and sure enough found some blisters starting up.  I hadn't felt anything at all, so counted myself lucky, applied a couple of blister plasters, and got moving again.  The few minutes lost tipped me a little outside schedule for the lap (4:01), but it was time very well spent.  The heat started to get a bit much, so I reverted to my youth and bared my pasty torso on the run for the first time in decades, and felt much better for all the extra air.

Picture? I was topless, and the glare was just too much for the camera.

The goal for lap 3 was to avoid over-heating and over-working, so that I'd still have something in the tank for the final 40.  Really, it's best not to think too hard in the middle section about things like "next time I'm here, it's only 40 miles left to go!".  So, I kept concentrating on the time it would take to the next aid station, whether I was eating enough, drinking enough, or getting my feet high enough.  Food and drink were fine.  My feet, however, were not always getting over the roots, and I started to kick the whatsit out of my big toes.  Plenty of times I just glanced off the little hazards, but every so often I would catch one flush on the big toe and feel a sharp pain shoot through my whole foot.  I guess the upside was that I was still moving fast enough to hit the roots hard.  Somehow (probably due to reasonable training and plenty of early calories), I maintained a cheery mood and shrugged off the blows as "well, who needs toenails anyway?".  In about a week, I expect I'll be looking at my nail-less toes and wishing I had done a better job of getting my feet up.  I finished the lap in good time for Nic and Dad to get me set up for the night before they headed off for some well-earned rest (4:39).  The heat was slowing me down, but not taking a long-term toll like it had the year before.

Still topless - apparently people were turned to stone by the sight.

Lap 4 took the race into proper problem-solving mode.  It was dark by the time I left Dogwood for the penultimate time, and I forgot to pick up my spare batteries.  I knew the dark laps would be slower than the light ones, if only because I'd be tired and having to take a bit more care on the roots.  Early in the loop, I had a brief chance to chat with Scott Dunlap (new PR of 17:06, age-group win) - a big boost for me since he was a big inspiration for me to set up on my own.  At DamNation, before heading out for 10km of dark single-track, a volunteer asked if I had my spare batteries.  I thought briefly and realized that they were still at Dogwood.  Hoping that my new LED Lenser SEO7R would still have plenty of charge on it from the morning, I set off into the darkness.  A mile later, the light switched to low power.  Compound errors:  I hadn't really learned to use the SEO functionality or the battery-saving function, and had been running fairly high-powered to make sure I didn't catch too many roots.  So, I walked up the hill in very dim light, hoping that a passing runner might have spare AAA batteries I could use.  After a few AA carriers, Ace Gallegos offered me his spare light - which was back at DamNation.  Ace was shooting for a 22hr finish and was motoring through a painful ITB, so I stuck to him like glue.  I kept my light on the lowest power and widest angle to give some ambient light, and Ace had his spot on quite bright, picking out the major trip hazards.  Every now and then, I missed one with the eyes and found it with the toes, and I hit the ground at least twice on that section (I was more focused on sticking to Ace than anything else, so I really don't know how many times I tripped, fell, or turned an ankle).  We got back to the aid station still in good time for a 22hr, and Ace very kindly sorted me out with a light before taking some time to work on his leg.  I finished the lap with an opportunity to grab a 22hr, and ample time to get the sub-24.  After sorting out my light with fresh batteries, returning Ace's with some fresh batteries, and grabbing my backup H7R for some secondary lighting, I grabbed my lap-5 gels and set out aiming for a 4am finish.

Lap 5 was a tale of two halves.  With the SEO7R on my head providing a mid-power wide angle, and my H7R on high-power spot focus any time I was running, I was able to keep moving at a pretty good pace.  Nature Center came and went, with my pace near enough to 14min/mi.  DamNation arrived in similar fashion.   I was starting to properly tire by the time I got to the half way point, but was still looking at a 4:00-4:15 finish time, if I could maintain my effort level.  I knew the second half of the loop was potentially faster, but I also had 90 miles in my legs and was definitely feeling it.  The final visit to DamNation came at around 1:50, and I'd been working hard on that loop to keep the potential for that 4am finish.  Once I got off the Dam Road and back onto the single track, though, the effort of staying on plan A+ bit back, and I knew it was time for a longish walk.  I also realised I needed to put in some new batteries to keep the bright light (maybe next time I'll get some new ones instead of picking up a few 2-year old ones.  Thus far, I'd managed to avoid walking on the flats for anything other than comfort break, aid station, or some of the really rooty sections where a 10s walk is better than a face-plant.  Now, I knew I was bonking a bit, so I put on a fastish walk, popped my last 2 gels, aiming for 30-40 minutes of walking.  I figured the difference between 2 20-minute miles and 2 15-minute miles was pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.  The 22hr finish was gone, so the next goal was a PB (previous 23:17, on a much easier course).  After 20 minutes, I was on some good running track and got back to running - I couldn't bring myself to miss out on flat fire road.  It wasn't fast, and it wasn't pretty, but it was kind of like running.  My lights started dimming a bit (or possibly it was my brain), so I got a bit paranoid that I was going to end up in the dark again and started to push harder on the easy footing and eased off on the trippy bits.  I dropped nearly 40 minutes over that last 8 miles, but ended with a strong run on the nice, flat final straight to cheers from Nic and Dad, who'd crawled out of bed at way-too-early to see me finish.

Hurrah - finished with time for a nap before breakfast!

We enjoyed the euphoria of the finish (22:41), and headed to the car, and just about then the happy fell away as my battered toes started to say hello.  Sunday was a bit rough, but it was all made better by a little anesthetic in the evening.

Ice treatment made everything better!

Gear:

Salomon Fellraisers  (Run Stuff)
Injinji Performance 2.0 Trail Socks (ULTRAmarathonRunningStore)
Dirty Girl Gaiters (UMRS)
Ancient Brooks shorts
Cotswold Running Singlet (Run Stuff)
2x Cotswold Running Short-sleeved T-Shirts (Run Stuff)
dhb Arm Warmers
Cotswold Running Buff
Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek Endure Belt (UMRS)
LED Lenser H7R and SEO7R head torches (UMRS)

Food (as best as I remember):

4.5 BLT wraps (2 rashers of bacon, a bit of mayo, lettuce, tomato in a small tortilla)
2 hummus wraps
9 Oreo cookies
3 TORQ pineapple & ginger energy bars
1 large Clif Chocolate Mint Builders Bars
~5 small Clif Chocolate Mint Builders Bars
~15 Hammer salt tablets
4 TORQ Energy gels
4 TORQ Energy caffeinated gels
4 Gu isotonic tablets

Eco-Trail de Paris 2014: Liberte, Egalite, and lots of trees

Why, when all of the delights of Paris await - delicious food & wine, art, architecture, engineering, history, and driving patterns that turn pavement cafes into theatre - would one possibly choose to take a train to the suburbs only to run back again?  When the route becomes so circuitous as to mimic a dog working its way around a park full of fire hydrants, and the best answer available seems to be, "why not?"

Or, for the longer answer, read on.

Trail running in the UK, with a few exceptions, is dominated by small races where you meet plenty of  friendly faces before eventually ending up alone or with a few new/old friends as you work your way among the footpaths and bridleways that criss-cross the countryside.  These are the sorts of events I tend to frequent (and organize), because they suit me.  I like the long periods of quiet interspersed with a bit of chit-chat when I end up running with someone or playing leap-frog in the latter stages of an ultra.  But, every now and then, opportunities arise to learn something new while still having a good time.  Racing in a big event (>1000 runners), in a big city, in a foreign country is a great way to see how other people do things.  Plus, we hadn't been to Paris in a while and both Nic & I quite like the city.  So, we signed up to give Nic a focus for the spring and to give me a fallback in case Rocky Raccoon went belly-up.

Nic's training got hit by one of the nasty winter bugs, which left me flying the Cotswold Running & Evesham Vale RC flags on my own.  So, while Nic checked out the finish-line HQ, watched me being tracked online courtesy of the GPS transceiver I rented for the day, and tried to forget that she was supposed to be racing, I headed out to St. Quentin des Yvelines on the RER with the intention of racing back.

Racing? For those who have followed my short ultra career, the admission that I planned to do the event as a race, rather than a bimble about in the woods will be a surprise.  I always have plans A, B, and C (and occasionally D & E), but have only once tried to approach an ultra as a race, in Exmoor nearly 2 years ago.  I spent a bit of time retching in the bushes and feeling generally unpleasant.  So, why not try again, but add on 14 or so miles?  The target this time was to average in the region of 12 minute miles (5mph), or roughly 10 hours, depending on how long the course actually was.  I'd managed a similar pace last year at the Highland Fling, and believed I might just be getting back into the kind of shape that would let me do it again this year.  All I had to do was get my nutrition right, avoid overheating, not get lost, avoid falling down too many times, and keep running even when I wanted to jump on the train back.  Simple, right?

My beacon to the finish, waiting for my return in the night-time.

First target of the day was to get to the train to the start.  I checked the map, found where the station was relative to the apartment, and headed out for a nice, sunny walk.  Turns out the map wasn't so accurate, and I couldn't find the RER where I expected it to be.  With 4 minutes left before my train, I asked directions every 200m until I found it (yes, I do actually ask directions when lost and in a hurry).  With a bit of jogging, I made the platform just as the train arrived.  Yes, I could have waited half an hour for the next one, but then I'd have been without contingency should there be any delay.  So, I was very happy to arrive just in time.

The RER pulling in just as I arrived at the station.

 With the transport under control, the rest of the morning was a dawdle.  I had plenty of time for pre-race prep, including a nice little 30 minute nap in the sunshine followed by a little picnic.  Noon start times are great for relaxing into the swing of things.

Mildly awake and ready to run.

Gathering for the safety / eco briefing

The briefing included plenty of useful reminders about using lights in the dark and keeping our rubbish to ourselves.  One of the appeals of this race, to me, is the emphasis on treating the course with the respect it deserves.  Pretty much every road race I run involves stepping through somebody's trash, because there's an expectation that someone else will clear it up.  It gets on my nerves when that kind of behaviour hits the trails, so I was happy to see the ETP rules include DQ for littering and was delighted to receive my mini reusable rubbish bag to attach to my pack.  Of course, with over 1000 runners, it didn't take long to see a few gels lying unused on the ground (about 100m).  Here's a tip for anyone who uses belts/straps with loops for your gels - they don't work very well, and you'll really miss the ones that pop out.  The steady trickle of gel tubes, especially, made me wonder if they had particular power to jump out of bags.

On the run at last!

After a mile or so of easy jogging among the crowds, I was caught by Nick Reed from Manchester.  Guessing rightly that my Cotswold Running vest marked me as an English speaker, he popped up for a chat.  We enjoyed a couple of miles at around 9:30m/mi before I decided the combination of pace and temperature were going to hobble me later on and waved him on his way.  I really wanted that 10hr finish, and wasn't really in the mood to blow it on the super-flat start for the sake of some very enjoyable camaraderie.  From there, even when surrounded by runners, I was pretty much alone on the trails.

Chatting with Nick Reed in the early miles

Pretty lake, flat trail.

 Generally, my experience of trail races includes a lot of talking. Not necessarily constant, and frequently of very little deeply intellectual discourse.  Just a lot of friendly chat and a bit of banter on the hills.  My French isn't what is used to be, but I can just about get by with the general platitudes of racing - encouragement, talking about the weather, etc.  To my surprise, the field was in rather sombre mood; even those not plugged in seemed deep in their own thoughts from the outset.  The silence around me gave me something to think about, and certainly provided a different atmosphere to my normal races.

After 12 miles, a proper hill!

The combination of easy flat terrain and the heat wrought havoc on the field.  At the 25km check point, I was 1034 out of 1500+ runners, in spite of my 10m/mi pace on the flat first section.  At the CP, runners were strewn about in varying degrees of disarray - 110 ended their race there.  Most were simply wandering listlessly among the buffet.  I had a quick look, but it seemed quite fruit-based, and I didn't really fancy the added fibre so early in what would be a long day, so I refilled my water and carried on.  I was astonished to see prunes - full of energy, yes, but it seems like the start of a game of digestive roulette!

After the first half marathon, it starts to get a bit hilly.

The ETP team have done an amazing job of finding a way to get from the suburbs to the centre of Paris with very little road.  There are loads of woodlands around the city, and the various authorities have ensured there are a lot of bridleways and footpaths through the woods to encourage outdoor pursuits.  On a dry, sunny spring day, it means you get plenty of miles surrounded by tall trunks and new foliage.  If you like wide open views, you may find the route a bit claustrophobic.  At times, I was desperate for an open vista, especially while it was light enough to enjoy it!

Smile, you can see the sky!

Is that a hill ahead?

A chance to practice my fell-runner walk.

Within a couple of miles of leaving the CP, runners who'd run too quick, or drunk too much at the CP, or who were just on the wrong side of Lady Luck started to litter the side of the trail.  Slowly walking the flats, loudly calling to the roots of trees, and generally looking miserable, the carnage provided a stark reminder of what can happen when plans go awry.

Approaching the marathon distance - it's a little steep on some of these hills.

The difficulty, on this route, is that if you're suffering at 18 miles, you have another 23 or so hilly miles before you reach the flat run in along the Seine.  For much of the next 10 miles, I kept the effort steady but strong, telling myself to "pass the carnage, don't be the carnage".  The gentle breeze helped to keep me much cooler than I'd been at Rocky Raccoon, even though the temperatures were very similar.  A little extra fitness probably didn't hurt, either.

Meudon

 Passing the marathon point in roughly 4:45, I'd managed to keep to under 11m/mi, giving some leeway for the hilly half marathon to come.  I arrived at the 47km checkpoint in Meudon having just run out of water (perfectly judged?) and ready for a short break.  I refilled with the help of an enthusiastic volunteer, politely declined the opportunity to dunk my head in a bucket of water, and sat down to re-partition my remaining food into accessible pockets.  The nutrition plan was TORQ bars & gels for the day, one every 35 minutes or so, to hopefully avoid the unhappy gut that running in the heat can bring. A little text back and forth with Nic helped keep me smiling, and then I was on my way.  I knew I'd passed a lot of people between check points, and wanted to avoid seeing too many of them again.

If you look past the stylishly arranged wheel barrows, you can just make out the Eiffel Tower.

Meudon Observatory - it's at the top of a rather steep hill.

 Reminding myself to "pass the carnage", I took it very sedately out of Meudon.  The slow pace was, I'll admit, rather helped by the stupidly steep hill up to the Observatory.  What kind of fool puts hills like that into a route just for a great view??? (Oh, yeah, that would be me. My bad. I'm really sorry, all of you Evesham Ultra runners, for the nice view from Broadway Tower.)

Taunting me, the tower is only 20 miles away by trail.

Leaving the grounds of the Observatory, I continued to feel quite shattered for several miles. Apparently, the bit I thought was flat, given the steep hills that preceded it, was a steady uphill drag for about 3 miles.  I thought I was just running badly.  Turns out, I was running badly up a hill.  Still, at around 32mi, the route headed back down for a while and I managed to get back to running again.  It also started to cool off, which gave me some hope of being able to pick up some speed once we left the hills.  By the time I reached the 58km CP, I'd pulled myself back together and was looking forward to the final 20km.  I quickly refilled my water, grabbed a few crisps, and headed out, hoping to get as much mileage in as I could before it was time for the head-torch.

Sunset on a pretty lake - cooling down and ready to put in some hard miles.

The final 20km just seemed to happen. When I could run, I was still hanging at around 10-11m/mi. When I couldn't run, I walked, mostly on the uphills, but not exclusively.  I was tired, but I was running.  I even tried to take a few pictures of the night skyline from the final CP, but couldn't quite keep the camera steady enough to get anything but blurry lights.  The plan to race for a time that would challenge me to hold it together until the end meant I had actually kept enough in the tank to push hard over the final miles (I won't say fast, because it really wasn't...).

So close I can almost touch it!

 The final few miles along the Seine aren't the most scenic, at least not in the dark, but the Eiffel Tower (carrot?) dangling there for me to chase definitely helped spur me on.  Over that final 8km, I continued to overtake runners who I'm sure were well ahead of me for much of the day.  Having the plan go right made a nice change from the last race, and was a mental boost as I tried to chase down as many runners as I could before the finish.

Finished! 9:51:04

The finish, unlike previous years, was not on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower.  In many ways, that was a shame.  But, since it gave me the opportunity to run hard around the final turns and past a cheering Nic, I'd say the new finish at the Palais de Chaillot is pretty fantastic.

All told, it was a good race.  Things went mostly to plan, I felt good considerably more often than not, and I got some useful insights into how other people do things both as runners and organizers.  I didn't really get a lot of "Fraternite" in the first 65km.  There was a lot of introspection around, and I would have liked a little more social interaction, to be honest.  Would I do it again?  Maybe - it's a lot of trees, so I don't think I'd want to approach it as a touring race.  If I did it again, I think it would have to be with the goal of going faster.

A few random thoughts:

As an event, the ETP is definitely an epic feat of organization.  There seemed to be hundreds of volunteers throughout the course.  They were, as race volunteers generally are, fantastic, enthusiastic, and friendly.  I'm sure the traffic they were stopping wasn't as enamored by them as I was, but that's to be expected.  Apparently, it's not the done thing to say "merci" to the marshals as they stop cars from running you down or point you along the route.  Quite a few volunteers and runners were surprised, but it started to rub off on those runners around me and eventually the steady trickle of thanks to the marshals was met with big smiles and shouts of encouragement.  Next time you find yourself in a race thinking that the volunteers seem a bit dour, give them a smile and a thank you and see what happens.  After all, watching a bunch of grumpy, smelly runners stream past isn't as much fun as cheering on inspiring runners who look like death but still manage to give a smile, a wave, or even a word or two in exchange.

Hiring the GPS transceiver was great for friends and family around the world, and meant I got to waste about 20 minutes on Wednesday watching my little icon run around on Google Earth.  That was pretty cool.

I was very happy I was self-sufficient on the food - a key learning point from Rocky Raccoon.  Every race organization has its food strategy.  If I had tried to subsist mostly on the CPs, I would have had a very bad day indeed, since the fare didn't really fit what I'm used to eating.

Main gear (plus plenty of other bits & pieces):

Shoes:  Salomon Fellraiser
Socks: Injinji Trail
Shorts: Brooks (the Sherpa is the closest on the market to the ancient ones I wear)
Vest: Cotswold Running bespoke
Pack: Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab Hydro 5 w/ 2 500ml soft flasks and a 1.3L bladder
Head-torch: LED Lenser H7R
Garmin Forerunner 305
Camera: Nikon Coolpix AW110

Food:

Pre-race - ham sandwich & Clif Builders Bar (mint choc chip: yum!)
TORQ bars: 5
TORQ Energy gels: 7
TORQ Energy w/ caffeine gels: 2
Salted crisps: ~8
Water: ~4.5L