London Marathon 2014
Without doubt the best Marathon out there, had a great weekend. The Race itself didn't go to plan with me setting of to fast and dying in the last 4 miles.
The Rat
One hard Ultra
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Malaga Here We Come....
Malaga Marathon
Well it's Thursday Evening and I have just been emailed my race number for the Malaga Marathon. There are 5 Yeovil Town Road Running Club runners taking part in the race and 7 of us all together,Bungy Williams, Paul Meadows, Paul Allen, Jane Allen, Pete Jakeman, Sean Gaffney and Fiona Gaffney.
Next it is up at 3 am to Pick Pete Jakeman and Paul Meadows up and then make are way to Bristol Airport and meet up with the others for the 6:30am flight to Malaga. The Flight out was Ok and on time and landed in Malaga cleared customs and made our way to the taxi rank. We got two taxi's to the hotel for 20 euro's and were booked into the Suite Novotel Malaga Centro. A very well priced hotel and the rooms are great.
As soon as we were booked in we went for a visit into the City, it seemed very quite but we found a nice cafe and sat outside and ordered a round of beer which came with a couple of bowls of crisp and nuts and the first of many photographs were taken.
We then moved to a new location so we could sit in the sun, yet more larger was drunk and then we headed for the Harbour to recce the start of the start of Sunday's race.
We then found a nice Tapas Bar near where what was going to be the start and finish of the race and decided to try a few cocktails and some food. This turn out to be expensive so we soon moved on to find more to drink. The City was now very busy and most of the shops were now open.
It was not starting to get late and I can't remember much more of the night till I woke up fully dressed in my Hotel Room. The plan for Saturday was to run the 4 miles to the Expo to get our race numbers and have a look round.
The day was lovely and sunny and the route to the expo was along the beach where we passed some bars that backed onto the beach and ideal place to have some lunch on the way back. We arrived at the expo and got our numbers and also a couple of T-Shirts one red Tec one and a white normal cotton t-shirt. I decided to get my name on the back as did Fiona. We checked our chips to make sure it said it was us and then looked around the expo and found a few more brits running the Marathon.
We then walked back along the same route to the bar above for some local barbecue fish caught that morning. It was a lovely day still and the walk back was nice and relaxed. After a couple of hours back in the room we went back into the city to get something to eat to help the run tomorrow. We found an Italian and had a nice pasta meal. An early night and then it was up at 6:30 of breakfast ready for a 7:45 walk up to the start area.
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| The Five at the Start
We walked into our pens ready for the gun, it was just getting light but the temperature was nice but knew that the sun would soon be up and the heat would soon be with us having just left a cold UK. The gun went off and the plan for Paul Pete and I was to run at a steady 8 min mile pace and run together.
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Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Bristol Half 2013
Bristol Half Marathon
I completed the Bristol Half and managed a BP with a time of 1 hr 31 mins and 49 secs. I had a bad ankle the week before and didn't run at all and although the ankle was good it did not feel right. My legs still felt bad after the RAT and I guess I still need more rest on them.
It was a well run event and YTRRC organised a coach to Bristol. It was due to pour down with rain and while waiting on the start line it did start to spit. However it held off for the whole race. Matt Driver and I were together at the start and as we crossed the start line we managed to get some good pacing in even though it was very crowded. Matt was just in front of me but I went pass in the first mile and then didn't really see Matt again until the turn around on the A4. As I ran back towards Bristol City Centre passing the other runners and looking out for the other Green and Whites. As we passed each other there were shouts of encouragement and that was a really good point about the race.
As we headed back to the City the crowds got bigger and cheered us on. My legs were hanging out and although I was doing under 7 min pacing it felt much slower. I had one Gel at about the 7-8 mile point just before a water point so I could get rid of the sticky hands. The Bristol ACF Cadets managed all the water stations and did a sterling job.
There were only a small couple of inclines in the race and my legs felt them and a glance at the watch showed I was slowing down and then I thought Matt would over take as I was not sure how far in front I was. With one mile to go I thought I might get under 1 hr 30 mins and tried to speed up but that went by and I crossed the line in a time of 1 hr 31 min and 49 secs. I walked along the street and decided to stop and go back to see any other Green and Whites and Matt was there. He said he had tried to catch me but his legs would no let him as mine would not let me get under 1 hr 30. The results showed he was 10 secs behind me so it was very close. http://www.runbristol.com/SearchResults.aspx
We plan to run this again next year with hopefully more Green and Whites.
By Guy Williams
Saturday, 24 August 2013
The Black RAT
My First Ultra Race 32 Miles
On Saturday 17th Aug at 07:00 am I jumped on a coach that took me 32 miles away from where my tent was pitched in Porthpean to a place called St Anthony's Head. The reason, well it is a Race called the RAT otherwise know as the Roseland August Trail Series. It is a mix of Races from a 12 , 20, 32 and 64 miles.
The Race HQ at Porthpean is where most of the competitors put up their tents on the Friday evening and registration started at 6:00pm. There is plenty of food to buy and a coffee stand, there are showers and plenty of toilets.
The 64 mile Ultra is known as the Plague, and the 32 as the Black Route hence the coach journey to St Anthony's Head. At the start I met Iain MacCallum also a member of YTRRC. It was the first time I had met him and found out he had done quite a few Ultra's and maybe I should have stayed with him to gain a bit more experience.
It was a lovely morning, the Sun was out and there was a slight wind, just right for nice run along the Cornwall South Coastal Path. The Plague had left at 5 minutes after midnight from race HQ our finish and were heading to where we started for their halfway point. At this moment I felt good and had a week off running apart from a slow Pub run with YTRRC, my main concern was the 64 miles I had done three weeks before but I did feel Ok and was now waiting for Mimi Anderson to start the race. Click on the link to find out about this Ultra hero. One last piss and a banana and Mimi sounded the horn and we were off.
The first few miles were relatively flattish, if thats possible and difficult to overtake which is good as this did slow me down or should I say shooting off to fast. But when I got the chance I did start to jump ahead of a few people. My first mile pace was 10:46 so not to fast but the next 3 were under 10 so I guess I started to go a bit to fast here. The route was undulating for the first few but nothing hard. I soon ended up at the first CP at Portsctho around the 4 mile point in 00:40:15. The CP was well manned and plenty of GELS, drinks and cheering. It was then off to CP 2 at Portloe, I was feeling good and no issues. I was carrying a water pack with a 2 ltr bladder of water and a bum bag with 1 bottle of Isotonic Drink mix and also a bottle of Lucozade Sports drink so I did have plenty of liquid. From mile 6 the up suddenly got steeper and harder but I could handle the hills but then the up turned to steps and my pacing went well above the 10 min and up to 14 except for mile 9 which was under 10. It was around the 12 mile point that I didn't feel great, the steps were getting to me and on the second set I got bad cramp in both legs half way up and was in a lot of pain. Nothing I could do would get rid of it. I stopped and I just couldn't raise either leg to the next step without the cramp setting in again. People passed and offered help, Gels and asked if I was Ok, great community, but there was not a lot I could do. I managed to get to the top and once I was off the steps I was Ok and could jog on. I arrived at CP 2 and stuffed some food in and drank a few cups at yet another well run CP again with the cheers but this time from the 20 mile runners, it was quite a site as they cheered you on. My time here was 01:25:20.
Time to move on to the next CP at Gorren, after leaving the Portloe it was a climb up the road and then back onto the Coastal Path. By now the downhill was hurting, the rain was coming down and the downhill was wet and muddy. I could feel pain in my toes as I tried to jog down hill. My feet were strapped up and I had a good set of Trail shoes, but this did not help. Around the 14 / 15 mile point I thought I would not make it making it my first DNF. But on I went, I kept passing two blokes running together on the downhills as one of them had the opposite to me, cramp going down the steps. I felt for him as he did for me when he passed on the steps going up. Iain passed me just before the CP and then I thought he would finish well before me. He ran with me for a bit but I was going to slow by this stage.
I arrived at Gorran in 04:17:30 and was glad to see it, drank loads and had coke, peanuts, cake and any other food I could see. Then it was back on the trail and off to Pentewan.
Some of the 20 milers passed and close by was one of the ladies running the 64, I believe she won as the first lady but either way loads of respect to her, if I was in a bad way she seemed to look good and strong. She was probably also suffering but doing well. I ploughed onto the next checkpoint and the last at Pentewan. This was down a hill to the CP and my feet were in a bad way as I got there, I was kicking the back of the steps as I went down to try to help move my feet to the back of the shoe to relieve some of the pain. Still only 11 miles to crack. As I arrived the 11 mile race had just started so that egged me on to try and catch a few of these up. My pace was in the 15 / 18 depending on the up's and downs but I got to the CP at Pentewan and Mimi Anderson was giving out the drinks and advice to all the runners. I got to the CP in 05:42:10 As I left the CP and ran through the village I saw a bloke who I knew in the Royal Marines cheering us on, I shouted out to him and a brief word as I continued running, small world.
The worse of the steps was to come and I was not looking forward to them, sod knows why but when I hit them the cramp seemed to stay away but I still went up very slowly waiting for the pain that never came. I thought the checkpoints were over but they put one in with about 3 miles to go and it was a life saver, melon, water and jelly babies, I just shoved them in and then headed for the finish at Race HQ Porthpean where there was a crowd waiting in the Red Bull Event Shelter in a final time of 07:05:42.
I handed my chip in and then received my Black Rat
T-Shirt. I then saw Iain and found out that once he passed me he got in a bad way and kept throwing up. But he still managed to beat me by 5-10 mins. Iain said he found it one of the hardest Ultras he had done. I got to my tent and just got my stuff together for a shower and then after that had a god look at my feet. No blisters so the tape worked but my big toe nails were black and that is what was causing all the pain. Need to sort this out for the next one...
All in all a very well organised race by the Mud Crew and can understand why it made best newcomer last year in Runners World. There is a live band and a disco in the evening and food is available all weekend. The camping for the weekend is £10 and well worth it. Parking is in a field so plenty of room and also a place for Caravans and campervans.
The 64 mile Ultra is known as the Plague, and the 32 as the Black Route hence the coach journey to St Anthony's Head. At the start I met Iain MacCallum also a member of YTRRC. It was the first time I had met him and found out he had done quite a few Ultra's and maybe I should have stayed with him to gain a bit more experience.
It was a lovely morning, the Sun was out and there was a slight wind, just right for nice run along the Cornwall South Coastal Path. The Plague had left at 5 minutes after midnight from race HQ our finish and were heading to where we started for their halfway point. At this moment I felt good and had a week off running apart from a slow Pub run with YTRRC, my main concern was the 64 miles I had done three weeks before but I did feel Ok and was now waiting for Mimi Anderson to start the race. Click on the link to find out about this Ultra hero. One last piss and a banana and Mimi sounded the horn and we were off.
The first few miles were relatively flattish, if thats possible and difficult to overtake which is good as this did slow me down or should I say shooting off to fast. But when I got the chance I did start to jump ahead of a few people. My first mile pace was 10:46 so not to fast but the next 3 were under 10 so I guess I started to go a bit to fast here. The route was undulating for the first few but nothing hard. I soon ended up at the first CP at Portsctho around the 4 mile point in 00:40:15. The CP was well manned and plenty of GELS, drinks and cheering. It was then off to CP 2 at Portloe, I was feeling good and no issues. I was carrying a water pack with a 2 ltr bladder of water and a bum bag with 1 bottle of Isotonic Drink mix and also a bottle of Lucozade Sports drink so I did have plenty of liquid. From mile 6 the up suddenly got steeper and harder but I could handle the hills but then the up turned to steps and my pacing went well above the 10 min and up to 14 except for mile 9 which was under 10. It was around the 12 mile point that I didn't feel great, the steps were getting to me and on the second set I got bad cramp in both legs half way up and was in a lot of pain. Nothing I could do would get rid of it. I stopped and I just couldn't raise either leg to the next step without the cramp setting in again. People passed and offered help, Gels and asked if I was Ok, great community, but there was not a lot I could do. I managed to get to the top and once I was off the steps I was Ok and could jog on. I arrived at CP 2 and stuffed some food in and drank a few cups at yet another well run CP again with the cheers but this time from the 20 mile runners, it was quite a site as they cheered you on. My time here was 01:25:20.
Time to move on to the next CP at Gorren, after leaving the Portloe it was a climb up the road and then back onto the Coastal Path. By now the downhill was hurting, the rain was coming down and the downhill was wet and muddy. I could feel pain in my toes as I tried to jog down hill. My feet were strapped up and I had a good set of Trail shoes, but this did not help. Around the 14 / 15 mile point I thought I would not make it making it my first DNF. But on I went, I kept passing two blokes running together on the downhills as one of them had the opposite to me, cramp going down the steps. I felt for him as he did for me when he passed on the steps going up. Iain passed me just before the CP and then I thought he would finish well before me. He ran with me for a bit but I was going to slow by this stage.
I arrived at Gorran in 04:17:30 and was glad to see it, drank loads and had coke, peanuts, cake and any other food I could see. Then it was back on the trail and off to Pentewan.
Some of the 20 milers passed and close by was one of the ladies running the 64, I believe she won as the first lady but either way loads of respect to her, if I was in a bad way she seemed to look good and strong. She was probably also suffering but doing well. I ploughed onto the next checkpoint and the last at Pentewan. This was down a hill to the CP and my feet were in a bad way as I got there, I was kicking the back of the steps as I went down to try to help move my feet to the back of the shoe to relieve some of the pain. Still only 11 miles to crack. As I arrived the 11 mile race had just started so that egged me on to try and catch a few of these up. My pace was in the 15 / 18 depending on the up's and downs but I got to the CP at Pentewan and Mimi Anderson was giving out the drinks and advice to all the runners. I got to the CP in 05:42:10 As I left the CP and ran through the village I saw a bloke who I knew in the Royal Marines cheering us on, I shouted out to him and a brief word as I continued running, small world.
The worse of the steps was to come and I was not looking forward to them, sod knows why but when I hit them the cramp seemed to stay away but I still went up very slowly waiting for the pain that never came. I thought the checkpoints were over but they put one in with about 3 miles to go and it was a life saver, melon, water and jelly babies, I just shoved them in and then headed for the finish at Race HQ Porthpean where there was a crowd waiting in the Red Bull Event Shelter in a final time of 07:05:42.
T-Shirt. I then saw Iain and found out that once he passed me he got in a bad way and kept throwing up. But he still managed to beat me by 5-10 mins. Iain said he found it one of the hardest Ultras he had done. I got to my tent and just got my stuff together for a shower and then after that had a god look at my feet. No blisters so the tape worked but my big toe nails were black and that is what was causing all the pain. Need to sort this out for the next one...
All in all a very well organised race by the Mud Crew and can understand why it made best newcomer last year in Runners World. There is a live band and a disco in the evening and food is available all weekend. The camping for the weekend is £10 and well worth it. Parking is in a field so plenty of room and also a place for Caravans and campervans.
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