The Dukeries 40 miler came and went in May with a nasty calf rupture about four weeks prior. This needed intense acupuncture and Physio along with some taping to even tow the start line. What this did force was a slightly steadier start which may have saved me over the long run. The result was a slow last 10 miles but leaving me with a 6:40 finish time and 16th place. In all honesty I was a little disappointed wanting to improve on my finish position from Ennerdale 50k. But in the end just getting a bigger distance should be satisfying enough when my goals and training are tailored for further not necessarily faster. I will try and put in a late report for Dukeries at some point, more than anything to bring out any learning I've missed out on.
So Ladybower 50 - this took place on Sunday Sept 22nd and is basically a small 5 mile loop of the bottom end of Ladybower, followed by three 15 mile loops taking in Howden and Derwent reservoirs. I'd been astute enough to carry out a couple of recces of the area so was well versed in the terrain and elevation I could expect. The only major downside I would report, other than the relative monotony of doing laps, is a long road section that doesn't suit my training or running style. On retrospect I think it would have been advantageous to have put in some road training just to prepare for the pounding that this race would deliver...
Four weeks prior I took my kids to a skateboard park to let them sample Daddy's hobby from when he was younger. In doing so, and I'll be honest to impress the kids with my talents I took a board and threw down some tricks in the park. As my confidence grew, so did the rather important fact that my skateboarding prime was some 20 odd years ago !! How time flys !! Long and short of it this resulted in a 50/50 on a handrail that took out the ligaments in my left ankle. A hospital visit and a Physio appointment later I found myself back in the same territory as the Dukeries with only 4 weeks to rehab a bad injury and no training!
Moving on, it was an early start rousing the family for the 25 minute drive to Ladybower from our house. Breakfast entailed a berocca and some peanut butter on toast, followed by a banana at the venue prior to the start. The start of the race was a low key affair with a small gazebo set up as start, finish and only real aid station for the 15 mile loops.
The race kicked off soon enough and the speed and effort felt pretty fair, although I really wanted to be sensible after what I perceive to be a bit of a blow up at the Dukeries Ultra. So the first 5 mile loop (basically added to top the miles up to around 50ish), this passed by with little drama and me in a lead group with two guys, Steve and Simon. Steve told me he was a bit of an ultra veteran with 3 Lakeland 50's under his belt. And while Simon was an ultra 'noob' he did have a rather impressive sub 3 hour marathon to his name.
As we passed the aid station for the first time, I was lifted to see my wife and kids there cheering me on. Probably even more so as the kids got to see Daddy leading the race. Aware that there was the small matter of another 45-46 miles to go I stocked up for my first bigger loop with my Ultimate Direction vest loaded with gels and Shot bloks. This delay at the aid meant Steve and Simon led out in front of me by maybe 50 metres. No worry I let them go and over the next mile or so I had a word with myself to not do anything stupid pace wise and backed off a little. The bigger loop held no surprises for me as I'd been training on the course a couple of times over the summer. I felt confident I knew where to push and where to take things easy. A few more folks passed me, but equally I was passing some of the 35 mile racers so it was difficult to gauge my position. Still one of the goals for the day was to be top ten so I'd keep an eye on things. My legs didn't actually feel great so I really felt I held back on the first big loop to concentrate on a finish rather than a spectacular time.
By now things were heating up and the balmy September sun was cranking up the temps. Time to strip down to the essentials. Essentials belt on, hand held and vest off ready for big lap two! I set off with flapjack in hand to try and turn a bit of a funk around. So it turned out I would hit the wall a couple of times over this lap. It was time to grind it out! Unfortunately I ran out of water ov this lap. Clearly the hand held in isolation was fool hardy with the sizeable gaps in between aid stations. So at about 9 or so miles into this lap I skulked down to the stream at slippery stones to rehydrate and cool off. Head dipped and a hand full of water felt good, but re filling my bottle revealed brown, peaty water! If I only had the 6-7 miles left to the finish I might have risked it. However I had more like 22 miles to do, so no go. I binned the water and set off again feeling pretty sorry for myself.
A short while later on the trail I saw two females stood cheering on runners. They were clearly waiting for someone and kindly informed me I was in fifth. They had some drinks laid out on a towel. So it was either my pitiful puppy dog eyes, or the fact I looked pretty rough they kindly offered to top up my water. I wondered whether a look that flashed across one of the females faces was consideration to let a competitor to her loved one flounder without water. However faith is restored in my fellow humans and hydrated I plodded on, content in the knowledge that I would be meeting my wife Emma for the final lap.
As I arrived at the aid station for the final time Emma was stood with the kids and no parents in sight! (Emma's parents had kindly offered to have the kids while she ran the last 15miles with me). This was grim and a real low point where I was expecting some much needed company and support. However, on running for about a mile or so I heard Emma shouting and she was running behind me. The parents had arrived! About 3 miles into the last lap I looked across the Res to see two runners together, looking pretty strong, but maybe a mile back of us. This was a concern as I didn't want to lose my fifth place on the final lap. However the back side of the res was again tough, but we managed to string some pretty good sections of running along the flat sections and pow hiked the inclines. Despite this the two dudes chasing we're gaining a lot of ground and had paced the race well. As we hit slippery stones they were getting within 100 metres or so, and after the trail leading to the long road section they were within about 30 metres. It was then that my wife commented that we weren't going to relinquish my place and we'd have to put the hammer down.
It's funny how for several hours the pain of an ultra can completely consume you and your whole existence focusses on the suffering and wanting it to end. Yet this comment from my wife, or the need to prove something to myself, or maybe pride and ego - whatever it was I just. Let. Go. And that was it. The pain was still there, but rather an annoyance at the back of my mind, rather than the all encompassing beast it was before. And off we went. It's weird how even when you feel at your lowest there are hidden reserves yet to tap. Deep, buried pockets of energy that only by pushing to your limits can you unleash and use to power out a second wind.
Powering an incline, followed by a fast descent left the guys behind floundering. I will never know if our burst of pace caused them to slow, or if they'd have slowed anyway. I don't think it matters, what is most important is that the chasing pack inspired a strong finish to my longest ultra to date.
We clicked out some 7-8 min miles over those last 6 or so. Impressive for me with 45+miles in my legs, but even more so for my wife who hadn't run for more than about 8miles and definitely not at those paces. We finished strong with a 8:40:49 finish time and sealed my fifth place. Final distance on the Suunto Ambit 50.7 miles.
I congratulated the winner who was still sat at the finish line and we left soon after.
Post race I had three new black toenails and my ankle was swollen. And over the next month my Achilles would flare a little and fatigue was lingering. This didn't stop me entering the Lakeland 50 and Highland Fling for 2014. The Ultra Tour Du Mont Blanc is starting to feel like an itch I need to scratch, but I'll need another event worth at least 3points to tot it up....
