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Send in the Clowns - BAC 10K Challenge
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Thanks! Last time I felt this un-prepared, I was sitting down to the physics paper in the leaving certificate.
And how did you do there?
B+?
Equivelent to 5:45 on Sunday.;)0 -
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Before the race: I dropped into the bestest little pub in the country on Friday night, for some black carbs, to relax me into a good night's sleep. The plan was to have two pints, then hit the pillow. I ended up staying for 2 + 2, and for some reason felt slightly hungover (they must have been strong pints!) so not a great start to the weekend, but this race was all about having fun, and it's a criminal offence not to stop for a pint of the black stuff when you're in the vicinity of Ireland's best kept secret.
Picked up a friend in Athlone, and off we went to Clifden on a beautiful but very hot day. When we got to Maam's cross, we decided to drive down the half marathon route backwards, so my OH and buddy could get a feel for the route and specifically the hills. When we got about half way around, I saw a '7' mile marker, and did a quick mental calculation, and realized that once I hit this marker, I would have run more than 33 miles. Eek! It was the first time that I really got a feel for what lay ahead, and it raised some goosebumps. Moment of panic over with, we hit Clifden, checked into our B&B, ate an early dinner and hit the hay. I think I got about 3 hours sleep, before my porridge alarm went off.
Porridge with seeds honey cranberries and raisins, followed by a Nutella bagel with coffee, shower, sunblock, grab stuff and head for the bus. The views from the bus are spectacular as the sun clears the mountain and this was made even more vivid by a rising mist from the fields and bodies of water. It's worth signing up for the ultra, just so you can enjoy those views! We arrived at Peacockes for the briefing, and the final opportunity to void the repositories. Met with a number of the boards runners, before dropping off our kit, and had a nice chat with Abhainn on the bus, before he headed to the top of the field, while I slunk down to the back.
Race Strategy: I hadn't done any specific ultra training for this race. Instead, my focus for the last four months had been to run a good time in Barcelona marathon at the start of March, where I took just over five minutes off of my PB to finish in 2:55. The plan since then was just to recover, build up the mileage again as quickly as possible, before tapering. During this period I also ran the IMRA Wicklow Way Trail race, and finished in 8th place, but at a cost, as it left my calf muscles in knots for the remaing days leading up to the ultra. So without having done any back to back runs, I knew that I could run the first 26 miles without a bother, but would struggle with the final 13 miles, particularly given the hilly profile and my recent calf troubles. The plan was to try and run as slowly as my body and subconscious would allow before hitting Lenaune, and then just hanging on until the finish line. I knew it was going to be a struggle after 26 miles, so I was mentally prepared for it, and was comfortable with the idea of taking a few walks to re-energise.
Race nutrition and gear: I had 6 SIS Isotonic gels in a gel belt, with two more at the ultra stations, to give me one every 5 miles. At the aid stations (Mile 10, 19 and 32) I had deposited a bottle of 50% water / 50% pomegranate juice + 1 Tbspoon Chia Seeds, 5 Percy Pigs, 5 fig rolls and a gel. I wore P20 sun protection, which I hoped wouldn't need to be topped up, one of my €7 Nike long sleeve black tops, my Boards AC vest, and my standard marathon shorts, Mizuno Waveriders, and the inevitable Garmin 405.
Race Start: I wanted to head out as easy as possible, so started at the back of the field and got chatting to a fella who was running his 17th marathon of the year so far. Incredible stuff. The conversation was so good, that my first mile was close to 9 minutes, so I figured that it was time to start moving on a little. The next few miles seemed to vary between 7:14 and 7:50 as I eased myself into the run. I passed a good bit of the field during this stretch, but already, a sizeable part of the field was to be permanently out of reach. My long sleeve black Nike top was a bad choice in the heat, but I always knew I would chuck it at some stage, I just didn't figure the day would heat up so quickly. So at mile 5 a quick change, and it was gone. Motored on to 10 miles, meeting TBF and Grellan on the way before running a mile or two with the 'Running in Cork' blogger, and enjoyed a nice chat before we were parted by an aid station. At mile 10 I picked up my first food parcel, regretting the decision to pick it up so early. The juice mix was lovely and refreshing, and was a fab choice. I tried to eat a few percy pigs and fig rolls, but just wasn't hungry so early. I offered them to some of my fellow travellers, but after finding few takers, they were jettisoned at the nearest mile marker.
Race Middle: I hit the start of the marathon at around 1:38, feeling nice and comfortable (average pace: 7:32, heart rate 144). The field had stretched out quite a bit, so I ran through the marathon start on my own, before hooking up with a couple of guys from Belfast who were motoring along equally comfortably. Running in a group of three was great, as we pushed through the back of the marathon crowd, and were immediately recognized as 'ultras', so got lots of shouts of encouragement. Eventually I picked up the pace a little, and we drifted apart. At mile 19 I picked up my next food pack from the aid station, and again, my drink concoction was great. I had taken a couple of gels at this stage, and my stomach didn't seem to have any further interest in taking on any sugar, so again, I carried the jellies and fig rolls for around 5 or 6 miles, before again ditching them at the descent into Leenane. I arrived into Leenane having completed the first marathon distance in around 3:15, feeling really comfortable (average pace: 7:26/mile, HR=149) and happy to have run such a comfortable marathon distance (possibly a new pacing target?). The marathoners were really great, providing loads of support whenever they spotted the ultra number.
Race End: (race start?) The final third kicked off with the hill climb out of Leenane. I was on my toblerone, and may have paced the hill incorrectly (trying to stick to my 7:30 average pace) and I was rapidly running out of steam, so decided to take a walk to regroup. Walked for about a minute or two and felt refreshed, so when I heard footsteps behind me, I rejoined the running fraternity, and ran the next mile with first my new Irish buddy and then my new German buddy, as we crested the hill and started tackling some of the rolling hills. At this stage, the legs were feeling quite sore and tired, and the finish line felt like it was a long, long way away, but I focussed on keeping the feet moving as quickly as they allowed, and enjoying conversations with those around me. Hitting the half-marathon crowd brought mixed emotions, as it was great to be surrounded by so many supportive runners, but at the same time negotiating around the runners who had slowed was difficult, as my legs were only interested in travelling in one direction, towards Maam Cross. I picked up my final food parcel at mile 32, but the stomach flatly refused to take on any sugar at this stage, so I only managed to take three of my eight planned gels in total, and the sweets and fig rolls were discarded with dis-interest, but again the drink proved to be a big hit. A couple more walks, followed by more pushing through the field, then I met a friend and stayed with her for a while, before pushing on again, and running into my OH at around mile 34. We chatted briefly, before she urged me onwards. I would've been happy to stick to her pace for a while, but she insisted, and I was now 82% of the way through the race, and the finish line (and stopping beckoned). So as we crossed the Bealnabrack river, we parted and it was just me, and the other 2,000 runners once again. I ran the base of the HOTW, before taking a walking break with a fellow half-marathoner, before pushing on again. At this stage my right calf bunched into a knot, and no amont of pounding or stretching was going to release it, so I had no choice but to push through it. Walking proved just as uncomfortable as running, so though my pace had dropped considerably due to tiredness and pain, I pushed on with a slow run.
I could see Maam's Cross and the finish line in the distance, so started to have a look at the watch, and figured that 5:15 (one of my loose targets) was still achievable. I had about 13 minutes to cover a mile and a half, so I figured I'd give it a go. It was hard to stay motivated though, knowing that I was at a stage where I was as good as done, and would cross the finish line eventually, whether I walked or ran. I did my best, and arrived into the chute, with the clock showing 5:14:45. I picked up the pace, somehow finding the energy to get as close to a sprint as the body would allow, and let a yelp at the walking wounded to get out of my way, I sprinted over the finish line with a couple of seconds to spare.
The aftermath:Very happy and very tired, I felt ill for a while, and couldn't stomach water, or anything with sugar. I hung around with some of the other ultra runners (including mithril and TBF) in the VIP ultra area until the nausea started to lift its veil, and then started the cowboy shuffle towards the gear area, where I met a few other familiar faces (Mick Rice, Asimon, Izoard and respective OH'es. Some time later I arrived at the food area, and to my delight found the one thing that my stomach would happily accept - a cheese sandwich.
I think my sugar problem may have been down to a salt defficiency, something I hadn't really planned for, so will try and find a solution for this in the future. I also need to revisit my nutritional strategy, as I couldn't eat any of the foodstuffs I had left in the drops and this definitely affected my later performance. If I do tackle another ultra in future, it'll most definitely be on the back of some ultra specific training. In summary though, I'm delighted I did the race, very happy with the first 26 miles, and glad I had the motivation to keep plugging away through the next 13 miles, contented with the fact that the race went almost exactly as I expected it would, pleased with hitting the target I had set myself, and over the moon with a 14th place finish. Connemara Ultra..... I will be back.
Summary: 39.57 miles in 5:14:51, @7:57/mile, HR=149, Calories: 4,760
Thanks again for all the well-wishes, whether they were shouts of encouragement on the day, or posts in this training log. It was the support rather than any training, that carried me over the tough hills and through the heat of the last 13.1 miles.1 -
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I have a new pair of light shoes, sitting in a box under my desk in work. Sadly, due to pain in my legs I can't reach them for the moment (which is probably a good thing!). A couple of pacing marathons over the next two months, and lots of easy running, and then I hope to be able to train for some shorter faster distances before launching the next marathon training platform. Looking forward to it!BeepBeep67 wrote: »Great race report Krusty and great running, hope you're planning a little break for yourself, you should treat yourself to a few 5 and 10k's over the summer
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Well, I don't know if I can really give myself that mantle just yet. Maybe i'll wait to complete another one, where I feel like I'm actually racing, instead of enjoying the views and chasing butterflies across the fields.great report , kick started my day , an essential read this morning before i started work !!! cool you can call yourself an ultra runner now not like those mere mortal marathon runners !( which i can not even claim to be )
I did wear my ultra t-shirt in Clifden that evening with pride and and felt a bit like a conquering hero. Everywhere we went, people would give me a clap on the back and pass on their congrats. Just as well it was only for one evening, as my ego would swell beyond all recognition. Back to earth now, and back to chasing butterflies. 0 -
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On a 5:14 run, you've got lots of time to think, chat, enjoy scenery, and generally enjoy yourself. At the top end of the field, where they're pushing to their limits, I don't think it's quite so pleasant.
If you haven't seen Daniel Kowalczyk's photos from the race, you should have a look. He really captures the beauty of the area and the spirit of the ultra. Photos here. Fantastic photos of Abhainn and Mick Rice.0 -
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Krusty_Clown wrote: »Before the race: I dropped into the bestest little pub in the country on Friday night, for some black carbs, to relax me into a good night's sleep. The plan was to have two pints, then hit the pillow. I ended up staying for 2 + 2, and for some reason felt slightly hungover (they must have been strong pints!) so not a great start to the weekend, but this race was all about having fun, and it's a criminal offence not to stop for a pint of the black stuff when you're in the vicinity of Ireland's best kept secret.
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Never mind the race, let us in on your pub secret :mad: Great run and report incidentally 0
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