Nothing really to blog about. I'm injury free and running. 

I had a goal of 2000 miles this year, I was behind, but figured out a plan to get there. Well that all fell apart with Christmas. The stress of entertaining, cleaning up after, and dealing with other people's sleep schedules hit me full force the other day. I've had a fever for two days and have been unable to sleep. Obviously I'm not running either. With just 40 miles to go I was sidelined by this sickness. I was disappointed at first but not much I can do if I get sick. I would've been angry if it was due to other people's inflexibility, something I deal with often. I guess I'll just need to go for a bigger goal next year! 

I hit an all time high for weekly mileage about a week ago. I managed 80 miles which I was pretty proud of. Keep in mind I have two kids, whom I'm basically tied to, a wife who doesn't run, and I work. Very happy with making that happen. 

Been hitting the calisthenics fairly hard, well at least until I got sick. I managed to blast out 62 push ups in a minute, not too bad for a 41 year old! I enjoy the strength work and I know it's probably the best thing I can be doing as I get older. 

JKD has been humming along, although the academy closes over Christmas. Four guys just got their Phase 10 (black belt) certification and it sounds like there will be a monthly black specific class which should be cool, excited for that. 

Anyway, yeah I'm still here. No photos lately because I run when it's dark for the most part! Figured I'd better post something! 

What do you eat?

I stopped eating meat and dairy products about a year and a half ago. The reason was purely for my health. Despite being insanely healthy I could never shift my high cholesterol. At my 40 year check up here in the UK they suggested drugs despite weighing 140 pounds at 5' 7" and living an extremely active healthy lifestyle. I knew there was a better option. After a conversation with a friend the one thing I'd never tried was a plant based diet. I dropped meat and dairy for 6 months and had my blood checked. My cholesterol had been reduced by 1/3! I was sold. Since then I have eaten meat and/or dairy maybe 6 or 8 times in the past 2 years. 

People always wonder what I eat, well here's what I ate today, and what I eat most days:

Breakfast:

Overnight oats made with almond milk, with a couple tablespoons of chia seeds and a handful of berries.

Vitamins: iron, B12, D3

Two slices of toast with dairy free butter spread.

Coffee.

Lunch:

Avocado sandwich: two slices of bread, 1/2 avocado, mustard, tomato slices, spinach, pickles

Big bag of vegetables: carrots, peppers, radishes, cucumber, celery, etc.

Apple, banana

Smoothie: pint and a half of water, banana, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 fresh beet, ton o' kale, handful of frozen mango, pineapple, berries. I'll sometimes eat spinach instead of kale. I try to eat this blended salad every day and usually eat a pint as a late breakfast, a pint on the drive to work, and a pint on my drive home from work. Blending allows me to eat a lot more greens and also is easier on my digestive tract, i.e. no farts! I'll sometimes add hemp seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, out of date vegetables and  fruit, basically whatever is around too just not to waste food. It may look nasty but is delicious! 

Snack:

Peanut butter and jam sandwich, more coffee, orange, apple, couple ginger cookies

Dinner:

Piece of toast with butter before Jeet Kune Do. I also ate the carrots and sprouts leftover from the kids' dinner.

Baked potato with garbanzo and black beans, sea salt and yeast flakes on top after JKD.

Random handfuls of Brazil nuts, cashews, etc.

And that's about it. I only drink water and coffee. Pretty simple. Main rules besides no meat or dairy are to eat things as non-processed as possible. The cool thing about eating non-processed? I can eat as much as I want and not worry about overeating. 

Training and future events.

So I'm over a month out from Autumn 100 and am feeling alright. I took a week or so off and pretty much jumped right back at it feeling positive likely due to my finishing place. I had an offer to join a group of people attempt the Paddy Buckley Round and am signed up for the Thames Path 100 May 5, 2019. I also figured a pretty solid plan for running more miles.

Run commute selfie, normally I'm in jeans! 

I'm working 6 days a week now and my commute is comprised of a 30 minute drive and then a 1.5 mile walk into Worcester. Parking is expensive in the city so I park where it's free. I have anywhere from a 15-30 minute window to cover the 1.5 miles in the morning. I've began running in at a super easy pace trying for a minimum of 2 miles. If I walk in I'm usually borderline late and running I can go a bit further and arrive on time or early. On my run commute back to my car I've actually got a bigger time window and, on paper, I am able to cover up to 5 miles. "On paper" because if I go for 5 I'm cutting it really really close as I need to be pick up the kids at school at 315. I've yet to go for five. So if I run commute 6 days, about 2 miles each way, that gives me an extra 24 miles a week! The seemingly impossible goal of high mileage weeks are in reach!

Run commute, Worcester, River Severn

In other "mileage news" the wife has started in at the gym. I think I mentioned this already but she prefers to go in the morning. I'm all for that, getting her out and active doing something other than work, but it makes my time management more difficult. Her alarm goes off at 510am, she usually hits snooze, and tries to be out the door by 530. With the kid factor, I need, and like, to be home from running by 510am just in case kids wake up. Previously I was home by 6am, I've now lost 50 minutes.

Yep, that’s right I hit “start” on my watch at 3:57am

My alarm clock now goes off at 4am, sometimes 350am, and I shoot for 8 miles in the morning, I'd prefer 10, but I'm happy with 8 for now. Granted it's not everyday but my flexibility has to be in top form. When I begin doing long runs I'll likely take a day off work and go really long which is better than squeezing in quasi-long runs, possibly a fault in my training for A100. The positive is the wife is the happiest she's been in seemingly years. She's always just worked and watched kids. No hobbies. No escape. I've always encouraged her to do SOMETHING but she always claimed she didn't have time or was too tired. It's great to see and I'm happy to accommodate her as I've always told her. The good thing is she's deterred from drinking or staying up late because it interferes with her gym time!

hill

 A couple weeks ago a guy I used to work with at the outdoor shop in Birmingham got in touch. He was really the only "real" outdoorsy type there. He alpine climbed, skied, did mountain marathons, etc. I liked him. He cheered me on briefly at my first ultra, North Downs Way 50, as he lived nearby, and recently saw my finish at A100. He lives in Zurich now and I see on Strava he's fairly active in the mountains, shit, who wouldn't be there! Anyway he got in touch asking if I'd like to join him in an attempt at the Paddy Buckley Round.

In the UK there are three big "rounds," one in each country on the main island. They are fell running "challenges," not official races, and are on your honor as far as actually doing them. Each is a loop of ultra distance, unmarked, off trail, needing navigation, and summits many peaks. The Paddy Buckley Round is supposedly the most difficult and is in North Wales. It covers around 61 miles and goes up 47 "tops," or summits, comprising of 28,000 vertical feet. 

Anyway, my friend has crew lined up as well as other people interested in doing it. Sounds like one hell of an opportunity and adventure so I'm going to try my best to make it happen. This opportunity has trumped my "want" to run Western States again and made me realize there's a lot more cool races out there closer to the UK. I do all these things alone and this could open up other things similar that need other people involved. 

I used my once in a lifetime bye for the WS100 lottery this year but the reality is it's a commitment to get there and do it. The kids are in school, wife's working, and I've done it. As much as I'd love to have family there, there are comparable races in Europe that would more sensible to focus on such as Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc or any of the Andorra races. Anyway, I can't expect to take a week away from my family every year to race in the US so I need to expand my options and worry less about lottery qualifiers.

Running country lanes

And off we go, running in the dark, and lately really enjoying it. A few photos during the day, the little guy had a doctor appointment so I couldn't justify going to work for 2 hours so I ran an easy 15 miles! The others are from my daily run commute. I normally wear jeans but an opportunity to run a bit further warranted running shorts!  

Autumn 100 thoughts

Just a few thoughts on things that could be improved for future races. These things are all a learning experience and everyone I bring new ideas to the next. 

- Pace, pace, pace. Go out easy dammit!

Yep. I knew better. I knew I was going out too fast, even at the 8-9 minute mile pace I was at. The guy who got third started easy and finished further up just as expected. He was top 30, not top 10 the first 25 miles. The race starts at mile 70. This was my main fault in this race. I may have been over confident because training had gone well and decided to push it. The reality, if you start slow you can always go faster at the end rather than be reduced to a crawl.

- Feeding, potato chips and trail mix-

I've never really considered a plan for eating, or what I really prefer. For A100 I tried to eat a gel at about 30 minutes out from an aid station, I'd usually be at the next station within 30-45 minutes. This worked even though I don't care for gels. My sugars and energy felt fairly consistent throughout the race. I ate quite a bit of real food at aid stations, especially when there was more substantial options like pasta and cake, however sitting around eating and not moving likely added to my time. I don't care for the British "nibbles," sausage rolls, cheap "cakes," candy, and other bland British snacks. I was really drawn to the potato chips and trail mix, surprisingly even more so than fruit. I'd guess this is a good thing as the latter is far more calorie dense. Peanut butter sandwiches seem like a great option but I end up gagging on the dry bread. Soup broth was exceedingly good but is usually too hot to chug and I end up wasting time. Also since many races are going cup less, and requiring you to carry a cup, I'd need a new cup. The collapsible cup I have isn't insulated and doesn't stand on its own which is no good for hot drinks and only for quick drinking. 

- Consider a light watered down energy drink. Drink more and early.

As always, despite trying, I didn't drink enough early on. I suffered from cramping on the second leg after mile 25. Then peed coke until probably mile 55. I need to figure out my sweat rate which is easily done and form a plan. Then stick to it. 

I think I may have accidentally drank some energy drink known as Tailwind that everyone raves about. I "think" because it was so mild it was hardly noticeable. I like that. Not loaded with sweetness or flavor. It's a good way to get more calories and keep hydrated so possibly a consideration to experiment with.

- Rain jacket was crap.

My jacket, although super lightweight, worked about as well as a tissue. I was cold and wet. If the race had been longer things could've been jeopardized. After I finished I looked at the seam tape and it was peeling off in parts. Very disappointed in the Montane Minimus. I understand lightweight isn't durable but this thing sucked. Maybe it is old? I don't know. But next time I'll sacrifice a little weight for more quality.  

- Knees!? What the hell?

No idea what caused the knee pain, something I've never dealt with. The only things I could consider would be more 20 mile plus long runs and more strength training. Both are areas of training I neglected due to whatever reason. The long runs are very difficult to get in as they cut in to family time unless I get up at 3am or take time off work. I'm proud to say I broke into family time only a few times and usually it was a boring Sunday afternoon, the wife had a chance to sleep all morning, so I'd duck out for 5 miles. Someone commented on Facebook congrats to my wife for allowing the training, the reality is I made time around my family and most of my running was out of sight of anyone. Some mornings my wife had no idea I'd even ran and I'd been out for 10-15 miles! 

- No blisters no chafing! 2Toms Sportshield wipe, I believe around mile 55, could've saved me.

I meant to reapply BodyGlide whether I needed it or not at miles 50 and 75 (Goring). I remembered after I'd left and had a 2Toms wipe in my race vest. I got it out and hit the possible chafe zones: crotch, thighs, arm pits. The only tiny bit of chafing was around mile 97 after becoming thoroughly soaked by the rain my inner thighs began to get it a little. Unsure if this would've been prevented with reapplication at mile 75 but I had gotten that far with no issues and was happy. I need a small checklist at my drop bag to remember the key things like this.

No blisters at all. Not even a hint of a hot spot! I changed shoes and socks, with a thorough feet cleaning at mile 75 at Goring. Obviously shoe fit and socks make a huge difference however other things like foot strike come into play as well at reducing shearing. Either way very happy I don't have to worry too much about this issue that plagues some people.   

- Aid station time? Moving time?

The question is how much time did I actually spend at the aid stations? I wonder if there's a way to figure it out? If time allows I may have to dig a bit into the Suunto and Strava data and see if I can figure it out. I know for a fact as the race goes on I do spend more time eating, stretching, changing shoes, etc. but how much? According to Strava I was not moving nearly 3 hours 15 minutes! "Not moving" is just that. So aid stations, pee breaks, stopping to dig out a headlamp, etc.. Obviously the main thing is aid stations. I tend to talk to the volunteers and likely waste a lot of time doing so. Cleaning feet and a shoe/sock change, eating real food, waiting for hot drinks to cool off, are a few obvious ways aid stations take longer. It's hard to be mindful of these time killers when you're out of your mind though, this is a key job for pacers and crew. 

I initially had estimated an average of 5 minutes at 15 aid stations. So, 75 minutes of aid station time overall. I think that's attainable if I'm mindful of it, intermediary stops should be a fluid fill up and food grab. Not a stop, eat, talk. Maybe bringing a bag and to fill with food to eat and run with would work? Then at drop bag stops a slightly longer stop for fluids, eat, socks, shoes, BodyGlide. Once again thinking of eat and run. A bag full of pasta is edible on the move so why not? Seems like a good idea. 

Autumn 100 Race Report

Finisher's shirt. Zoom in to see the route.

My taper had been less than I had hoped leading up to the Autumn 100. I'd not been doing anything really besides running in my jeans back and forth between work and where I park my car, just shy of 3 miles round trip. I just didn't feel like it. I knew nothing long would help, it was time to rest.

That all changed a few days before the race. I was itching to run, excited for the race, even a bit nervous. The taper had worked. I poured over pacing charts trying to decide on a plan. Finalized my race vest and mandatory gear. My drop bag was loaded with spare clothing since you never know what the autumn British weather will throw at you. Running is a simple sport, ultrarunning to me seems to make it over complicated. I'll run how I feel, throw any pace plan out the window, and thrive or suffer. I'll deal with any problems as they occur. Just keep moving and finish, the number one goal.

Friday I had the kids all day, they didn't have school due to a teacher training day. I had a hotel room booked in Swindon, about a hour's drive away. I'd likely leave after bedtime for the kids. Everything was ready to go. 

I woke at 630, after the best night's sleep I've had in months, ate some breakfast, organized my race stuff, and was on my way. It would be around a hour to the race start in Goring. I stopped for coffee and cobbled together some race food. I'd neglected to bring any for some reason. Energy gels are just too sweet, I have trouble choking them down. I'll adapt as needed and eat to move, whatever I need to.  As I enjoyed that sweet black nectar I checked the weather. No rain forecast until 6am the following morning. Excellent to see! However I didn't notice today's humidity.

Goring and Streatley are two small villages, each on one side of the River Thames. They are a ways upstream from London so the river is relatively small. As I crossed the bridge from Streatley to Goring there were all sorts of locks, weirs, boats, and activity going on. A beautiful little place. The race headquarters was at the Goring Village Hall, this would be the start, finish, and also a major aid station after the first three out and back sections of the course. I was initially going to park at the train station for convenience and due to the fact a friend from Minnesota was going to meet up on Sunday as he was in London on business. I opted for a side street just a short few minute walk from the town hall. I thanked myself for this decision after the race! 

I ambled up to the town hall with my drop bag and race vest. It was warm out and cloudy, maybe in the low 60's, upper 50's. As soon as I walked in I was shown the "kit check" station. A volunteer made sure I had all the required gear for the race, then gave me a poker chip to confirm with race registration I was clear. At registration I received my race number, some pins, was asked if I have any pacers (no), and was shown where to put my drop bag. A guy grabbed my bag and put it in numerical order on a stage behind the registration tables. 

My drop bag was unusually large. I'm normally a pretty low key person when it comes to this stuff but with the weather being unpredictable I had multiple changes of socks, long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirt, hats, gloves, tights, even a spare rain jacket! The usual was in there: spare Altra Lone Peak shoes, BodyGlide, blister kit, headlamp, food. But this time I also was using a new set of bottles, so I had spares. I normally had used cycling bottles but I gave in and had been trying out some soft flasks. Essentially a bottle sized camelbak that is soft (duh!) and collapses as you drink from it reducing space, sloshing fluids, and having a rigid plastic bottle against your chest in your race vest. I wanted a back up in case these failed so I had spare soft flasks and a set of cycling bottles. 

Now we wait. I had gotten there early and had time to kill. So I basically stared at the wall for an hour and a half. I spotted a handful of the race favorites, including the guy I beat at Snowdonia 50. I was tempted to talk to him but my initial impression of him before was that he was kind of a dick and I really toyed with him in that race. I guess I shouldn't judge. These races seem to draw a large population of people from London and they all seem to know each other. It's a cool community just like what I assume it's like in the US. People of all abilities supporting each other with positive vibes, pretty cool. I see these communities and always have wanted to be a part of them. I was jealous and just wanted to rap with someone I'd met in a race in the past but no luck. I guess I had my opportunity just didn't take it. I checked my watch. 

Soon was the pre-race briefing. I missed the most important part because they started early. The weather. All I got was no rain until 6am. Just what I wanted to hear! I was planning to be done before 6am, that'd be awesome to walk across the finish and have it start raining! Shortly after we were all walking down the street to the start. We crossed the bridge into Streatley and gathered on a section of the Thames Path. The Thames Path is a national trail that follows the River Thames. Centurion Running put on another ultra in May that is a point to point 100 that follows it, I'm registered for the Thames Path 100 next May. Following along the river, you guessed it, it basically flat. 

The race course was four out and back segments from Goring. This first one went out the Thames Path. The race began in the mellow fashion as these seem to do. I settled in ahead of the crowds comfortably in the top fifteen. I talked with a few people here and there but mainly kept to myself. The pace was faster then I wanted but damn is it hard to run slow! I'd guess we were around 830-900 minute miles. I wanted 10 minute miles but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'd pay for this later. At Western States last year I went out insanely slow, but it was easier since it was all uphill, and I learned the benefit of slow being able to run the last 40 miles effectively. This year, I knew better, but just didn't do it. I don't know why, maybe I felt comfortable where I was, maybe I felt like this is where I should be. Either way I motored on. 

PC: Stuart March Photography

It was hot and humid. Probably more humid than hot, the sweat dripped off of me, and soon I realized the importance of drinking. Once again looking back I should've drank more. I felt fine, was taking salt tablets and eating, just should've drank more. The first two aid stations flew by. The food selection was minimal so I settled for gels, which I hate (too sweet), but they serve a purpose and work well. I was focusing on aid station to aid station. I never once looked at cumulative time or miles. It's much easier to digest 4, 6, or 8 more miles at a time versus 76. Besides every station was a mini break, a talk with positive people, food, water, things that are always welcome when you feel like shit. Mini goals seem to break it down and it worked extremely well.

PC: Stuart March Photography

I was running fine in 10-12th place. Feeling great and just motoring along. The Thames Path followed single track along the river, went through little villages, marinas, and in from of huge boathouses full of row boats. Some of the homes were insanely big. Huge grass gardens flowed up to the river keeping the main houses safe from flooding.  The boat houses appeared to be extremely high end facilities likely tied into a private school. They looked like factories that create Olympians. My boss later confirmed this! Also you could see remnants of World War 2, concrete pill boxes with gun ports scattered alongside the river hidden in the trees, obviously built to welcome German boats coming up river. This history fascinates me, I wish I had more time to read about it, it's everywhere and scarily recent.

Soon we arrived at race HQ, Goring. In and out in less than a few minutes, not much was needed other then food and water. Section 2, I went this time following the Ridgeway National Trail. The humid temps were taking their toll and cramps fluctuated around my legs. I soon was deciding this would be my last 100, mentally I was crashing, why would I do this for the rare weekend away from family when I could use this time to do something way more fun? These things are so unbelievably uncomfortable! I felt like shit. My vision seemed to become tunneled and I had a searing pain under my feet much much like they were on hot coals. The Ridgeway was nice single track once we were outside of town but it seemed to be one long uphill, despite the scenery I was given no mental uplift. Easy to run but when you feel horrible easy to walk. 

I became very emotional, thinking of my daughter who has daily physical challenges with mild ataxic cerebral palsy, and I'm complaining about pain I put myself through voluntarily. I unfortunately had missed her tae kwon do grading to do this race and I felt bad. She had worked so hard and I couldn't be there. It happens I guess, besides I had signed up a year ago. I just wish I could see her during one of these races at the finish preferably. It would mean so much to me. I like to think she sees what I do, how hard I work to fit it all in, and gains some inspiration from it. 

The discomfort continued. The eventual third place finisher ran with me for a bit, a very positive guy, I think that's the key to these things. I hit the far aid station and took a few minutes to stretch and eat. I talked with the very friendly volunteers before they encouraged me onward. My accent aroused curiosity and I mentioned Minnesota, of course everyone in the ultra world knows Scott Jurek. I told them I ski raced against him briefly and that his younger brother was a much stronger athlete, not sure if anyone knows that but it's the truth. The conversation was a much needed positive boost and distraction. I headed downhill and I was on fire. Any pain and cramping I had was gone. I was running like I was fresh and pushed it the entire way back to Goring! The mind is primary. Control it, don't let it control you. It will always try to shut you down. 

PC: Stuart March Photography

PC: Stuart March Photography

At Goring I grabbed my wind jacket from my drop bag, made sure my headlamp was accessible and on I went. Darkness was falling and soon we'd be running via headlamp. Out the Ridgeway the other direction. I was feeling good but got a little confused as to were to go. After a 200 meter out and back, a few shouts and pointing from the aid station and I was heading in the right direction. Supposedly it was a two mile climb then fairly mellow rolling terrain. My hydration was normalizing finally and I chugged my way up the road. I spotted a guy ahead of me, he was sitting facing downhill. He said he'd been puking and was done, ready to walk back to Goring and drop out. I encouraged him to start walking, eat, drink and soon he'll feel better. Much better than tomorrow when he'll regret dropping out! I never saw him again. 

I made an emotional video and sent it to my wife wishing the kids good night. It took a while to send which was annoying. I think it freaked my wife out as she never showed the kids. Unless you've ran an ultra or been around them a while you have no idea how crazy emotional people can get. It's the oddest thing and it comes out of no where. I don't think my wife will ever understand that.

Soon I was in no mans land. I couldn't see any head lamps in front or behind me. I chose to keep mine off as long as possible. The trail was a gravelly double track through farmland. Easy footing. Soon I had snuck up on a guy in front of me. He never knew I was there with my light off! I think he thought I was weird. We bounced back and forth. I was starting to fade again and I could see lights behind me slowly gaining ground. Fortunately I was at the far aid station of this leg. I was oblivious to the fact that I had ran nearly 65 miles, I'd done a great job of focusing on the immediate goal and distance to the next aid station. The station at Chain Hill was littered with Christmas lights and had dance music going. They had a decent spread of food, I'd been mainly eating chips, fruit, trail mix, and GU, but here they had vegan chocolate cake and I believe vegan ginger cake. It was super good and besides being vegan a nice change of pace from the usual British food options. Speaking of vegan I did my best to stick to my plant based diet however likely broke it eating some form of gelatin in gummy products, whatever, it's a race! 

I headed out and tied in with a guy and girl focusing on a pretty solid run walk plan. We made pretty good progress working together, 6 miles to the next aid station, in, out, and seemingly in no time we were near Goring and running the final two mile descent into town.

Goring had pasta and sauce which was glorious. I filled my belly, chugged some really shitty dehydrated coffee, with rain on my mind and 25 or so miles to go, on to the final section. Down stream following the Thames Path to Reading. Quitting never crossed my mind. 

The initial path was actually mildly hilly, winding up the steep river bank I can only assume. It was only 4 miles until the first aid station, likely scenic in the trees but running via headlamp there's not much to focus on. I left the path and onto village streets and sidewalks. The aid station was a short maybe quarter mile up a hill (out and back) in possibly a town hall or community center. In and out, back the way I came downhill and back on the Thames Path. I recall winding through suburban looking neighborhoods and then onto a single track path through seemingly endless pastures. I was moving along ok but was pretty beat up. That's when my knees began to act up. Out of no where both knees were in an odd pain. The left one reducing me to a limp. I'm not dropping out now, no fucking way! It worried me as it wasn't just muscular pain, it was the joints, and it could possibly cause injury. 

I hobbled on and realized it went away when I ran. If I stopped to pee or walk slow it returned. So on I went power walking, running, and leaving a squiggly line of urine on the ground, refusing to stop to pee! It all worked. I wasn't going fast, but I was going. Soon I was on a paved path and was able to focus on swapping running and walking between lamp posts, park benches, and garbage cans. Reading must be near as I was going through business parks, marinas, civilization. My watch read 7 miles and the aid station and turnaround was at 8.5. 

Soon my watch read 9.5 miles and my mind is flailing, where the hell is the aid station! Finally around 10-10.5 miles (according to my watch) I get there! Of course it's upstairs in some building. Stairs!? Thanks! Anyway, chips, trail mix, really shitty coffee. I'm out, well probably a little slower than that implies. I likely talked to the aid station people a bit as I always do and then finally motivated. The social contact with people talking about ultrarunning is always awesome, something I rarely get to do. 

Somewhere between 13-15 miles to go! No rain. The guy I'd been bouncing back and forth with left a little ahead of me. He said he couldn't run anymore so I was assuming I'd catch him with the pace I was doing. I trudged onward knowing there wasn't much left and it wasn't raining, thank god. Most people I saw were in the same place my mind was on the way out, wondering where the hell the aid station was! I was feeling ok other than my knees, but was curious why I hadn't caught the other guy. 

I was at the annoyingly endless meadows when I caught him. He had an insanely fast hiking pace which is why he'd held me off. I was glad I caught him as this is just what I needed. We joined forces, as you to, with the main goal of finishing. When you feel this bad you could care less about your place or time, you just want to be done! We motored through the suburban looking neighborhood and were at the final aid station. We ate quick and, yes, put on our rain jackets! With only 4 miles to go it started. 

The end was so close and the rain came down hard and cold. I was immediately chilled and uncomfortable, borderline shivering. I even had put my rain jacket over my wind jacket in hopes of retaining some heat. The trail seemed to immediately turn to ankle deep puddles and slippery, silty, river sediment. We attempted to avoid the puddles for some reason and the other guy nearly fell a few times, his Hoka shoes providing very little traction. I was good to go in my Altra Lone Peaks. Monotonously one foot in front of the other we power hiked doing 4 plus miles per hour. Not bad all pain and sleep deprivation considered. 

The rest of the field of runners was on their way out towards Reading. I felt bad for them but inspired as well. They still had nearly 22 miles to go, they persisted in the rain, and I'm assuming they all got to the end. Sometimes it's the slowest people who are the ones to look up to, not the fastest. 

We were off the trails and on the tarmac running along the paved paths parallel to the river and nest town. Soon we could see the bridge over the river from Streatley to Goring. We had done it. We crossed the final tracking mat and into the village hall at Goring. Some guy handed me my belt buckle and asked me my shirt size. Next I was ushered in front of a black curtain where the photographer we'd seen all day was taking finisher photos. This guy was still having the best time of his life! 

PC: Stuart March Photography

PC: Stuart March Photography

And that was that. No fanfare or cheering. Only a tired high five. Random people sat staring at the floor in exhaustion. I got my drop bag and a volunteer gave me some pasta, then some more, and yeah, one more. I stripped my soaked clothing off as best I could in the cramped bathroom and put on dry running gear. My street clothes were in the car. 

I wandered out into the dark and rain and made my way to the car. I had pre-placed my sleeping bag and pad, folded the seat down, and placed anything I'd need within reach, mainly my pee bottle. I climbed in and lie there too wired to sleep. I maybe got 30 minutes until my friend Aaron got in touch. He was in London for work (after traveling from Singapore and the US!) and would arrive via train to Goring within an hour or so! Not that I was going to sleep anyway!

Unofficial results

Official finishing time was 20 hours 47 minutes. 23rd place overall. According to my watch my moving time was 17:36 so by doing the math I wasted a fair amount of time standing around! I sure don't recall that much aid station time but it can add up considering there were 15 stops. I'll need to look into that as that's an average time of 12 minutes at each stop! Unlikely but I could've had a few longer stops particularly at Goring and the far turn turnarounds (7 total). Anyway, discussion for another post! Click HERE for a link to the Strava post if you want to see a decent map or dork out on numbers:

PC: Stuart March Photography

PC: Stuart March Photography

Almost done with an Autumn 100 race report. Been slowly chipping away and trying to recall what I experienced. Been back running and trying to get into the groove of it again. Going to be tougher as the wife has finally decided to start going to the gym. She leaves at 530am so I'll likely get up earlier. I don't mind, I'm really happy she's doing something other than work. When I first moved here she went all the time and really enjoyed it. Work stresses her out to no end which usually falls on me. I hope her hitting the rower, her favorite, helps. 

Well I survived. An Autumn 100 finish adds another belt buckle to the collection, and another ticket in the Western States lottery! Every time I do one of these I think “what a stupid idea, what a waste of a weekend away.” Then when it’s over I’m ready for more. It’s unreal how bad you feel at times. Anyway, I’ll do a race report hopefully sooner than later, likely later.

Autumn 100 is this Saturday. 10am UK time start. Google the race name and you’ll find all the details on the Centurion Running website, tracking info will be there too.  I’d assume they  (Centurion Running) will have possible front of the race updates via Facebook and Twitter too.

I’m spending the night in a hotel in Swindon Friday then driving down 45 minutes Saturday to the start in Goring and Streatley.

I’ve done what I can do training-wise to the best of my ability. Surrounded by kids who demand attention and no real support network I had one of the best streaks of consistent higher mileage weeks ever. I’d liked to have ran 2-3 more 20 milers but feel the higher mileage weeks will hopefully make up for it. My Minnesota visit really tired me out and put a wrench in the routine but was worth it.

I’m struggling with the idea of starting slow. An 11:30 minute mile average pace will likely be a top 15 finish time under 19 hours (added in to that is dead time at aid stations). Last year top 25 was all under 20 hours. That’s too slow to me, but fast in a 100 miler. I figure 15 aid stations with an aversge of 5 minutes at each (some more some less) will tack on 75 minutes to the finish time. So moving time keeping pace of under 10:30 minute miles as a really rough average could be a reasonable target. Well, at least for the first 70 miles. Then I’ll hopefully fully be able to go a little faster.

The thing to keep in mind is this is a relatively flat race compared to others I’ve done so walk breaks for big climbs won’t really happen. Consistent pacing seems to be crucial.

I’ve got my watch set up to monitor my current and overall average pace which will hopefully keep me in check for the first 3/4, at least that’s the plan. Then I just need to be sure I eat and drink.

I’ve always thought I could do well at these races once I figured out the strategies of all the nuances of the ultramarathon. I’ve experienced the sleep deprivation, vertical, heat, cold, my equipment is dialed, at Western States I learned to start slow, but I do feel I need to fine tune my feeding, I don’t eat enough. Maybe this will be the race it all comes together?

Whatever happens it should be fun and I’ll do my best. As usual in the UK I’ll be alone, no crews are allowed anyway, but it’s always awesome having family there. I understand it’s a long boring race to follow and running is an enormously selfish act, but I like to think my kids look up to me and the things I do. I’m always jealous of the people who get to cross the finish line at races like Western States, UTMB, and Tor des Geants with their kids. That will always be a dream of mine.

So this will likely be my last post until after the race. Stress reigns high here as always. I take the brunt of it. I hope I can conjure some PMA to keep the evil away. Negativity is a poison. Stress is a poison. I do my best to let positive thoughts triumph.

I just deleted my entire post, not that it was much, just a short what's going on.  Life's been crazy ass busy and the first thing to take a back seat is the Internet. Anyway, a little motivation:

"If you are always comparing yourself to mediocre people, that's exactly what you will be mediocre.

A lot of people think that they are at the top of their game in life because they are the best among a group of people who don't even give a fuck. 

Mediocrity feels so fucking good. If you wake up and don't want to workout, all you have to say is “fuck it, I don't give a shit!” And if you're mediocre, you are probably hanging around other mediocre people, so they are happy that you don't add pressure to their life! One big happy soft ass family!

People don't like hanging around that dude who makes them feel uncomfortable or like an underachiever on a regular basis. People stay away from the fucking savage who wakes up at 0330 regardless the weather, if they got a good night’s sleep, if their life sucks and times are hard. People stay clear of them. Those kind of people make you question yourself. They also let you know where your life ends and their life begins.

Don't hang around with people who say “it's ok, you deserve a day off.” Hang around people who make you uncomfortable because they are on a quest to find more. 

Comfort is a fucking drug and once you get used to it, it becomes fucking addictive.

Don't be an addict and live your fucking life the way it should be lived."

--- David Goggins

I'm sitting here listening to Spotify, late 90's pop-grunge music I grew up with. I was hoping to be kid free starting this week but my son starts nursery (pre-school) next week. We're stuck at home as the car is getting a look over to make sure it's road-worthy, a yearly requirement in the UK called MOT.

Outside it appears Perpetual November has started early. Gray skies loom above just dark enough to threaten rain but never really do until you plan to go out.  I feel it bring me down. The weather is a stark difference from the unusually hot and sunny summer we had that everyone complained about. No one ever asks how I am, they just say "what's the matter with you?" in a negative unconcerned tone. 

Some of the music I liked and purchased, others were just part of life being beaten into your head on the radio. It's unreal how it dredges up memories. I vividly remember having breakfast, the radio always on, before walking to school in Duluth in the bitter cold of Northern Minnesota. I immediately remember the raging house parties, always going until sunrise, walking the halls at UMD, ski and bike trips out west; Crested Butte, Bridger Bowl, Breckenridge, Utah, and all the shenanigans that ensued with those. The good friends I made as well as all the characters and acquaintances that I crossed paths with. Change the time period of music, the memories adjust to coincide. Call me fuckin' Uncle Rico, but I miss those times. 

Sometimes I look back in regret. What if I'd have ran back then like I do now? Skied? What if I'd tried harder in class? Where would I be, would I be happier? Too late for that, there's no reason to live with regret, but I can't imagine I'm alone in thinking that way. 

I listen to the music and it makes me happy remembering things I could've forgotten but I also just want to shut it off, forget it, get out the door, run. Usually I run at 4am to be back before the wife and kids are up, invisible training, they can't call me selfish if I'm not interfering with them, I like that. Most days I run, once I've fully woken up, I'll briefly walk and look around. I smile and laugh. It's a glorious feeling that really can't be described. It's so peaceful out with no cars or people around, it's been dark which I've learned to deal with. Bats buzz by, I chase badgers along country lanes, rabbits dart away from me. Lately I've been running nearly every morning, that is until today. Sleep deprivation seemed to catch up with me. I'll definitely be back tomorrow. I miss that feeling. I want it back. 

Moving up with the miles

I did it. I managed two 60 mile weeks. Really stoked about this. I was diligent with foam rolling, stretching, and massaging my feet as aches and pains have appeared with the increase. My feet are my main concern. They’ve both had odd pains throughout. Yesterday  I managed to have a few minutes where I didn’t have to chase kids, the wife had a friend over who also had kids so they were all fairly occupied outside of me. I took advantage and soaked my feet in ice water which helped significantly. It’s alwsys been said it’s the things you do outside of running that make you faster. Being on top of all this stuff is allowing me to increase my mileage.

This week will be tough. The wife is out for a funeral and also for a wedding so mornings will be compromised. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. It may be a good thing to take an easier week and then ramp it up again next week to 60-70 miles. I’m tempted though to shoot for another 60 mile week, I have been enjoying running so much lately as well as the time management around life that it’s  hard to say no. I find it such an achievement to do what I do around a family. If I end up injured though all this positivity will go away which is a very bad thing.

Speaking of positivity I read a really interesting article recently which really really rings so true in a lot of ways for me. There are people in my life that would understand why I do what I do more if they read the article however I doubt they will. Here’s  link:

Extreme Athleticism Is The New Mid-Life Crisis

And on we go. One more week and it’s back to school for the kids, hopefully more opportunities  to run,  and also more work for me. It will be busy but I enjoy that.

Mileage, France

The miles keep coming. Things are going seemingly really well in my running world. The early mornings are flowing smoothly, even at 415am. I’m staying positive and happy, not grumpy, despite the reduced sleep. Grumpiness around the kids is the toughest one as patience needs to be on top, I struggled with that in the winter.

Busted out the Chariot at the request of the little guy. I won't turn down a "Daddy can we go for a run?" So we ran 3-4 miles to the playground, then 3-4 miles back! Worked out really well and we were both happy. I also attempted two kids in the Chariot but it obviously was too cramped and also damn heavy. If I was to get a double it would likely be too heavy for hilly terrain. Figured it would be fun to experiment at least.

Kind of fell off routine a bit a couple weekends ago. Saturday after a long busy day at work the wife decided to have people over for “a drink.”  Everyone, even the kids, were up until 11pm, a late night for me especially when I get up at 4. Yes it was fun, but I’m not one to drink much anymore mainly because I’ll be up with the kids in the morning. So, needless to say I was exhausted all day Sunday as were the kids, they “slept in” maybe a hour. Of course we had to attend another social function in the afternoon, I was wrecked, the kids were wrecked, the wife had the hair of the dog to keep going, despite sleeping all morning. I fell apart in the hot sun around 3pm. Rough afternoon but we all survived.

Back to running! No one here in the UK is really interested in it so once again I’ll puke it out on here! Hitting consistent 50 mile weeks has been good. I’m feeling fairly injury free (fairly = yes the piriformis hamstring thing is still there) but I think I’ve adapted to the distance which is perfect. Right where I want to be. I may dabble with a little increase in the coming weeks, maybe 55-60 miles, but the tough thing will be early mornings as usual. Once September hits I’ll hopefully have a bit of extra time to pad the mileage without compromising sleep, ideally up to 60-70 mile weeks. These would set me up well for Autumn 100 in October. All I’d add would be a couple runs of 15 - 20 miles each week which I’d run during the day.

I’ll be back working during the week in September but can work as much as I want. Once October hits I’ll likely work 6 days a week but through September I’m hoping to take two weekdays off so I can get two long runs in. That’s the plan for now.

This past week we were fortunate enough to spend in Graveson, Provence, France with another family at their mum and dad's house. Our friend Marianne is half French and her Mum Nicole (French) and Dad Peter (British) were gracious enough to have us stay with them while Marianne and her husband and kids were there. Very nice people, I applaud them for allowing two families to takeover their home! 

The area reminded me of the Central Valley in California with tons of agriculture and a rural feel. Fun fact: France is the only country in the world that is capable of being self sufficient feeding itself! Temps were in the 90's and mildly humid, the sun was really intense though. Most of the time we lounged around the pool but did go to the beach on the Mediterranean one day, toured a castle, ate out a few times. 

I had to break my plant based eating habit (I'm not a vegan, I eat a plant based whole foods diet) as the seafood was insanely good! I tried sea snails which were good, just not all that flavorful, and had awesome shrimp, mussels, and squid in salads. I held fast at not having anything from the cheese plate that was "dessert" after lunch and dinner which was tough! However when we ordered pizza I gave in. Emmental cheese with artichoke hearts, olives, and asparagus! I did my brother and sister proud too by having wine with every meal. Our late lunches at home were mostly fresh vegetables, fruit, and bread. It was hot out so a hot meal was a rarity. Oh, and we always had Spanish gazpacho, a cold tomato soup, which was awesomely refreshing! Remember I live in the UK and the food here is extremely boring, it's easy to stick to a clean diet, however in general all the eating was really healthy and fresh while in France.

Another fun thing was Peter, our host, had an awesome espresso machine. I was offered double espressos pretty much all day long! Damn were they good! I'm pretty sure all I drank was espresso, wine, and beer for the majority of our stay! 

I was kind of expecting a low mileage week in France but did manage to get out running a few times. Right next to where we were staying was a small foothill type mountainous area called the Montagnette. Unfortunately it was closed from June through September due to fire danger. I was kind of bummed but still found some nice running around the outskirts of the Montagnette and town. It's always fun to run somewhere new no matter what the medium. Overall it was a tiring week of time in the sun and staying up later than normal, not really happy to be home honestly because it was awesome! 

And like that it's officially summer for the kids in the UK. They only have a 6 week break from school and finished this past Friday. Maybe fun for them but this makes my life more difficult. I stop working during the week and only work Saturdays so I'm broke. I also have to entertain two kids all day long. And the toughest part for me personally, and selfishly I guess, is that running becomes much more difficult.

For the next 6 weeks, other than a short stint in the South of France, I'll mostly be tied to two children 5-6 days a week from 6am to 8pm. I say "mostly" because I've got Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai a couple nights a week and Sunday my wife is around. Do the math. Outside of that time I've got about 10 hours to sleep and run. 

I've become pretty good at maximizing the time I've got though on Saturdays. I can wake up at 4-430am and run 10 plus miles. Then I've got about a 15-20 minute commute from where I park my car to my job which if I run I can sneak in 3 miles (6 total to and from work). Then most days I'll get an hour lunch break where I can easily get in 5-7 miles. That's a pretty solid day of running! It takes some planning, mainly I need a ton of food at work to eat all day, and a fair amount of coffee, but it makes for a good day. It's far easier for me to motivate at work than when I'm tired at home. I just get grumpy and just want to sit on my ass. 

Been hitting 50 mile weeks which seems to be the threshold where I really need to be careful with injury. It also seems to be where the benefits to ultramarathon distance races begin. It becomes a balancing act of sleep and miles for me. I want more miles but without enough sleep I won't recover. I'd love to have guaranteed 8 plus hours of sleep a night and the time to run 60 plus miles per week but that's not feasible. For example last night I ended up sleeping with my son for whatever reason while he kicked me all night. This also thwarted my 430am wake up and run for today! Nothing is consistent, I can't plan for anything. 

Another tough thing to manage with limited time is running pace. If I've got a limited amount of time to run and a mileage number stuck in my head it's likely I'll run faster than I should be. More miles with more speed is a recipe for injury. Too much too soon is the number one way people get injured. It's not your fucking shoes! Sorry, I work at a running store and everyone wants to blame shoes when it's usually their training. Going easy, easier than normal, annoyingly easy is the key to adding more miles. However with limited time it becomes difficult. 

A good thing to look forward to is when school does start in September I'll have possibly two nearly full days to run. Great for two long runs a week. If I hold the reigns back now, stay healthy, and slowly build miles these two days should set me up nicely for Autumn 100 in October. (100 mile race outside of London). 

Planning and mainly patience is the key. 

Been ramping my mileage up which has been fun. Focusing on going easier most days then adding in intervals one or two days. It's hard to go abnormally easy but very beneficial. The tough part is that it takes longer and with a limited amount of time to train balancing everything is hard. I need to be careful though as I increase, injury lurks! Shin splints start to build, feet hurt, my piriformis gets sore. Just need to be mindful of these things and deal with them, foam roll, stretch. Also I need to not be afraid to take an easier week and reduce mileage. Rest is where you get stronger and recover from the stress. I'm fully convinced though to be "fast" at the ultra distance all you need is real easy high mileage. Good luck with 80-100 mile weeks with a family who doesn't run though! I can only hope for the time! 

Wyre Forest Half Marathon went down this past weekend. It went better than I thought it would. Increasing mileage and having a race in the same week aren't conducive to racing well. I ran 15 miles Friday for instance, that isn't resting to race well! 

Anyway, it was really hot, and has been here for quite some time. People are bitchin' and moaning about it, it's hilarious, you can't please the British! Really hot being low 80's, however due to the northerly latitude the sun is a bit more intense than you'd expect. It's hot but I'm loving it! Far better than the shit ass winters here! 

I bumped into a guy named Paul, a running acquaintance. He's fast and has won the race before, but is coming off of an injury so is taking it as it comes, he says there's some fast people here today. There always seems to be a few randoms that show up! I'm just planning on running my own race since I'm not very well rested. The course is bone dry and many people are in road shoes versus trail shoes. I've got my Altra Lone Peak trail shoes. 

We are off and I'm in the front 5-6 person lead pack. A couple miles into it two guys from out of town are off the front, they're the guys Paul mentioned. They are 6 foot plus, rail thin, obviously younger, and likely very fast. Oh well, I'm running my race. I settle in to 4th, close behind 3rd. Paul eases off and is behind me, that's the last I see of him. There's one guy hanging on behind but he's suffering, I can hear it. I'm not worried. 

The race drudges on through the hot sun, despite being in a dense forest the race is actually very exposed and hot. Every water station I dump water on my head to cool my body off which makes a surprising difference in how I feel. The guy in third finally submits and I pass him, he's walking a small hill. I use this opportunity and a high I'm riding to push the pace a bit. I can't see the fast guys anymore. 

I motor on while the guy behind holds about 30 seconds or so back. For the first time in a long time I'm very conscious of my breathing. My legs hurt but my breathing is easy yet steady. I think about it a bit, why do I want to slow down? It's because my legs hurt, not because I'm working too hard. I begin to really focus on this in order to keep going and hold off any possible guys catching up. The pain can be pushed through, it won't slow me down, but as soon as I cross into a higher heart rate my body will slow me. I'm guessing this sensation late in the race is due to the longer, slower running I've been doing. I can push it harder towards the end. Whatever the reason it's pretty cool. I'm confident I've got third in the bag, not only third though but also first veteran (age 40-45). 

The final 2 miles are rolling and I press the small uphills going out of my comfort zone.  I'm all alone and onto the final 200 meters, a nasty hill, all 200 meters, right into the finish. I stay at an even pace and roll across in third. 

My family is there which is fun. We hang out for a while and they leave before awards as the wife can't take the heat! Besides her dad and his girlfriend are in the area so they are off to visit. I mill about for the awards and get £20, a plaque, and a bottle of cider. 

Overall a decent effort. I was happy with it. Life has been challenging lately and being among my tribe helps tremendously.  At home I researched the top guys, guess their mile PR? 4:08 and 4:18! Yep. Fast dudes! Their finishing time wasn't anything crazy, I've finished faster, I think they eased off and strolled it in. Either way both were nice guys and congrats to them. Unfortunately my friend Paul rolled his ankle and hobbled in, felt bad for him as he's already coming back from an injury. He'll be back soon enough. 

So what's next? Possibly the Worcester City Half Marathon, which my job is a small sponsor for. It's in September, is a fast road course, and has decent prize money, £400 for first! Maybe I'm dreaming riding this high from yesterday, but it would be fun to focus on it and see what happens. You never know! 

On with increasing miles and balancing life and running! 

I'm rolling along. Running seems to be going well. I'm happy and enjoying it. My piriformis issue is still there but mild. In all reality I should get seen to fix it which I'll likely do soon. A couple recent canal photos below.

Looking to the future I see time opening up when the little guy goes to preschool full time in September. As always fingers are crossed the kids will slowly start to sleep in more giving me more time in the morning, my preferred time to run. I see what needs to be done but just am not allowed the time. Running comes second to my family. A perfect example is yesterday my wife asked "have you been running?" She had no idea I'd knocked out 30 miles already this week! Out of sight out of mind, just how I like it! 

Next race is likely to be the Wyre Forest Half Marathon which I think is in 10 days. It came up quicker than I expected. I ran the course the other day, I took the day off for our anniversary but the wife worked, so I went for a run. Temperatures have been in the low 80's and the course was bone dry. That can all change but usually it's a hot race. I don't mind either way as long as it's not like the mud fest the other winter half marathon I ran out there was! That was horrible! 

Hoping for 15 road miles today but I feel I'm being roped into going to friggin' church at school. A. I'm not a believer B. I avoid social scenes around school like the plague C. It's all school mums there All, f those are red flags! 

Western Glen Rosa Horseshoe

Had a little bit of a scare Friday morning. For whatever reason my old big toe JKD injury flared. The night before I could hardly walk on it. In the morning it was just as painful. I wasn't going to let it screw up my run though. I had planned a few hours running around the higher peaks on Arran. The one opportunity I get to be in the mountains. I packed up as usual and once moving around it fortunately was fine! Whew. That would've ruined my day!

                             

I ran down to the nearest bus stop in Kildonan, got on board, and headed to Brodick. I had minimal gear, the basics for an ultramarathon I normally am required to carry. Once off the bus at the ferry terminal I ran off towards Glen Rosa. The huge U shaped valley pretty much splits all the higher peaks or Corbetts. Corbetts are anything between 2500 and 3999 feet in height. Anything over 4000 feet is considered a Munro. On the way I made a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up more food and some extra water. I knew I didn't have enough and I'm not sure if the water here needs to be filtered, likely not, but I wasn't going to take that chance! Off I went through the rest of town and on to Glen Rosa.

road to Glen Rosa, Goat Fell in the mist

The "track," as they call it here, starts off a wide gravel road and continues to slowly get narrower. Nice running but the more difficult the terrain the lower quality the track.  They don't consistently do trail work like in the US so it's more like following a route versus a trail. Once I left the main track I was forced to hike due to the steepness of the terrain. They don't do switchbacks here, it usually goes straight up. 

Beginning of Glen Rosa

The views up Glen Rosa are spectacular. The end of the glacial valley surrounded by rugged peaks. Creeks drain down from all over to form Glen Rosa Water, the main creek that leaves the valley to sea.

Looking up Glen Rosa at Cir Mhor

I was doing the Western Glen Rosa Horseshoe. A ridge run that, as the name says, forms a horseshoe around the Glen including a run down the Glen itself. I'd previously ran the Eastern version and was nearly snowed out. The top of Goat Fell, the highest point on the island, was covered in rime ice, and the Glen was half full of snow. It was anything but safe but I made it happen. Ideally I would've liked to have connected both sides today but I didn't have the time or the water. 

Looking at the high peaks you'd think it would take forever but it went rather quick, especially going straight up. Initially breaking off from Glen Rosa Water (the main creek) I followed a drainage of cascading waterfalls straight up. A faint track came and went alongside the creek which was full of granite slabs making it look like a huge water slide. The water looked a murky golden color from the tainted rock slabs, likely stained by the runoff of all the peat bogs. Eventually I came to a ford. Seeing it marked on the map I was expecting a flat watercrossing with a few rocks to hop across. What I got was a 30 foot deep gorge with pretty much vertical rock walls with a steep narrow trail in and out. Pretty cool and very unexpected. The odd rolling terrain hides many features here and until I was at its edge I had no idea! 

hidden gorge, trail on the left

Once I gained the main ridge the terrain was basically low brush and grass surrounded by boulder fields, no more boggy patches. All shapes and sizes of granite were strewn about and the track was decomposed granite. It was very similar to the a Sierra Nevada, just much less maintained other than old man made slab staircases randomly constructed. Some sections required class 3+ scrambling and climbing which made for slow going. Not much of the "high country" was runnable. Going up it was a power hike and the flat sections were short and few. 

hard to believe behind me are a bunch of Corbetts, looking South West

decomposing granite track, this was a 17% grade

Holy Isle in the haze, the low valley is Glen Rosa

gaining the ridge, I eventually followed along all of that

As I worked my way around I considered what I was doing, and as much fun as it was, it wasn't the same alone. Running I'm perfectly happy alone. Out power hiking and picking my way through boulders I'd probably have had more fun with a friend. I likely missed a few ideal cliff top viewpoints and even avoided a couple more technical sections just to be safe since I was alone. It gets extremely exposed in a few spots, even recommending rock protection and roped climbing for the faint of heart. 

panorama

The sun was hot despite being obscured by clouds and remnants of fog, mist filled in the distant bays. From one direction it's sheer cliffs pouring into Glen Rosa, the other it's open rolling hills into valleys filled with lochs and creeks. Very surreal, inhospitable, and likely a nightmare to travel through. Despite looking like an easy walk, underfoot can be inconsistent hidden bogs and grass. Far off in distance you could see the ocean and Holy Isle beyond Brodick in the sea-haze. 

looking back at the ridge line

looking at A'chir, Cir Mhor behind it

I worked my way through the technical ridges, then ducked down a saddle back into Glen Rosa where a more runnable track was. It was nice to run gradually downhill alongside the beginnings of Glen Rosa Water. The valley is deceivingly long with Glen Rosa Water growing in size the further you get, varying from open and flat to a deeply carved out gorge.

much steeper than it  looks, the track went down through the rocks

looking back at the ridge line

down into Glen Rosa, the left ridge line leads to Goat Fell

Looking up at Goat Fell I regretted not continuing on however got over it once I realized I was out of water and I had still another 5 miles until Brodick just by taking the easy way out! The further down I got the wider the track became and more hikers were seen. 

down Glen Rosa

Soon I was back on pavement and working my way to the bus station at the ferry terminal. I was in a rush as I knew if I missed the bus I'd be stuck for a couple hours. I raced through Brodick in time, I had twenty minutes! So, I ran to the grocery store to get some food and water. Blueberries, watermelon, and a couscous curry concoction. It was so nice to have fresh fruit! I bumped into a couple of Minnesotans I had met the day prior. This was a whole story in it's own as they had known a close friend of mine, Britta, basically all her life! It was great to see them before they caught the ferry as day day before the even smaller world connection hadn't been made.

At the bus stop it arrived and I got on. I turned my phone on to let the wife know where I was at, turns out she'd come to town with the kids! I jumped to get off the bus before it left and headed to the other end of town to meet them. Overall a really fun run, but as I mentioned, I think I'd have preferred to do it with someone since it had all the more non-runnable sections. 

The photos turned out ok. The light wasn't that great and all the selfies I took looked gray, I think my lens was dirty. I didn't mention the corbett names because they're in Gaelic and also with kids going nuts I didn't have the patience to! Sorry! This goes for the large format photos too. 

A lot of the steepness and distance is hard to grasp. Below is the Strava data. If you look at it on my Strava page you can change the map settings and see the profiles and obviously a more in depth map.