Vienna City marathon 2013

This was a good city marathon. Pretty flat and scenic with regular water stations. My 80th marathon/ultra and my first one outside the UK. It was never going to be a pb for me, I am doing too many long races and no training so the plan was to enjoy the scenery and atmosphere. It would have been great to get under 4.30, a time which I used to achieve without much difficulty three years ago, but realistically sub-5 was the likely outcome. This would easily be my fastest time this year as my previous five marathons/ultras this year have all been hilly, off road and required navigation (HORN) events.

Melanie and I had help before the start, my sister lives in Vienna and we went to the house of one of her friends which was 50 yards from the starting pens  We could relax, use their toilets and then just pop out fifteen minutes before the start and go into our allocated pen. It was clear that our pen contained people from other pens and it was fairly crowded. It is a while since I have done a large event and it did remind me of the VLM and GNR or rather what I don't like about those events, there are too many people ! 

Our pen was starting about 9 minutes after the main start. This was going to make it tricky to catch Haile Gebrselassie (who easily won the half marathon) so I decided not to attempt that ... Everything seemed to start on time and we took a bit longer to cross the line. The field was spread across both lanes of a dual carriageway and we crossed the Danube 

http://www.vienna-marathon.com/?menu=0&url=starter&lang=en

and headed towards to the famous wheel of the Third Man fame where we turned left and into the Prata, a large park.

Before the start of the race I struggled with working out the route. The best way I can describe it as a letter 'X'. We started at the top right arm and ran towards the centre, then the bottom right arm, bottom left, top left and finally the bottom right again. The centre wasn't a single point but the Ring (the inner ring road which used to be the city walls, but the walls were all demolished about two hundred years ago and replaced by many of Vienna's iconic buildings), so when we got close to the centre we started to go round the Ring before going out on another arm. That is a simplified description, if you want more detail, go to http://www.fetcheveryone.com/routes-view.php?id=1295947

As we went into the Prata the course narrowed a bit which made the crowding a bit worse. We had been told it would be crowded in the first 10k, but it didn't really thin out until the half marathoners turned into the fantastic finish that we would be visiting 13.1m later. The first two drinks stations (every 5K or so) were chaos, they didn't have enough staff to cope with the demand from runners. It was a hot day, relatively speaking, with little wind. Three weeks earlier we had completed a marathon route completely covered in about four inches of snow, this felt so different ! We managed to stay together after these chaotic drinks stations and they were better staffed after this and some of these drink stations had bananas which I hadn't seen before (there was a downside to this, you expect to be trampling over plastic glasses in these sorts of events, but banana skins were more challenging !).

What made the race even more crowded is that it is popular with locals who participate in the relay event. Last year there were 6000 finishers in the marathon and 2700 relay teams, a staggering number. These teams were often a mixture of fast and slow runners, so we had fast runners flying by throughout the race or weaving round us the first half. I can see the attraction of the relay, there were two long stages and two short stages so lots of people whatever their ability could participate. The change over points were slightly chaotic, with incoming runners desperately trying to spot their outgoing team members. The relay also helped to bring out the crowds although they weren't as noisy as they are in many large UK events.

At the bottom of the bottom left arm was Schönbrunn Palace which we struggled to get a good view of because we were avoiding a change over point for the relay and looking out for my sister who was running the second stage (we never saw her, she finished the second stage before we reached the next change over point). We went back to the Palace the next day, it was stunning, a must see if you go to Vienna.

After the Palace there was an incline upwards back to the Ring, but it didn't feel very much. Then finally the half marathoners turned off through the arches and into the arms of the Hofburg Palace. And there was space  

At this stage I lost Melanie. Normally we run together, but the plan this time was to see how it goes. She was after a good pb, a pb wouldn't be hard as her previous eight marathons/ultras had all been HORN events, but I wasn't in shape for what she was after. So at this stage she drifted away into the distance. I lost sight of her and the 4.30 pacer who was carrying a big flag. I was a bit disappointed that I seemed to be losing energy again, but I knew my training hadn't been adequate and I set out to just enjoy what I could see round the route. I also had to make a toilet stop as I had been taking on lots of water to cope with the heat so I knew there was no chance of catching M again.

I did see her again in the bottom right arm which we did for a second time. This contained a couple of out and back sections, one of them quite long. This was in the Prata where the spectators were thin on the ground. However, they had lots of music booming out of speakers, some of it classical (Vienna has style ) and we also had Robbie Williams asking to entertain us  This made it a bit easier, but at the 34K I got hit by the dreaded cramp in my left calf. It was so painful I had to pull off and stretch, but it didn't seem to help very much. I had been very strict with myself in this event, regular shot bloks, s-caps and water, so I can only put it down to the heat and not being used to long runs on tarmac. I slowed down even further, but then it happened again, so I moved into a walk/run strategy. As I ran through the arches into the grounds of the Hofburg Palace at the finish there was more music and what greeted me was Call Me Maybe which made me cross the finish with a big smile  

http://www.youtube.com/v/6kDcTDD6ye0

I knew I would be under 5hr and came in with 4h 47min which I was happy with  I will let MelanieLH tell the story of her event.

We had a great six days in Vienna, we shall be back 

Charnwood marathon 2013

I did have doubts about doing this one. The forecast for Saturday was not good, strong winds and snow. Also the journey down from Durham didn't look good on Friday night, falling snow. But after a chat about it, Melanie and I decided to go for it. We left Durham with no snow and the further south we went the worse the snow got. In Derbyshire on the M1 it was quite heavy. Into Loughborough safely and into the hotel.

Awoke on Saturday morning to find a winter wonderland outside, several inches had fallen overnight. Checked the website and the event was still on. As another runner mentioned later, the Long Distance Walking Association (LDWA) are hardcore

Parked and walked to race HQ in a blizzard and saw that there were several familiar faces from Enigma events, the Great Barrow Challenge events and marathons we have done earlier in the year. The Town Crier was present in his full regalia and sent his off into the snow with his bell. We took it nice and easy and we were soon offroad and heading along footpaths, through villages and up hills deep in snow. As we climbed the wind started to bite and it got very cold. We were well equipped, I was wearing two tops and a waterproof, running tights, waterproof trousers, waterproof socks, gloves, hat and buff - the buff was invaluable to pull up to my eyes when running into the falling snow and bitter wind. We had microspikes in our rucksacks (not used), fleece tops (used at the start), spare gloves (used) and a spare hat and buff.

We had copied another runner's published 2010 route onto our Garmins. The vast majority of the route was the same with just some minor changes and it proved invaluable as it was so easy to miss turns with the heavy snow obscuring things. The course wasn't marked but they had marshalls out directing us in a couple of places where there might have been some uncertainty. Those marshalls and the ones at checkpoints must have been freezing in that wind.

I was expecting the route to be similar to the Belvoir Challenge, that is a few hills, nothing major and a fair amount of flat. The hills weren't too bad, but they kept on coming !

At the halfway point which is apparently the highest point in Leicestershire we passed a walker in shorts and no hat and no gloves He was carrying a rucksack, presumably full of warmer gear, so maybe he just felt more comfortable that way, but how he kept warm I have no idea.

It had taken 3 hours to get to halfway and both of us were not looking forward to another 13m, the snow seemed to be sapping energy from us. In one way we were lucky, the earlier runners and walkers (who set off an hour earlier) had trodden a wide path through the deep snow which made it a bit easier.

After half way I had a spectacular fall in heavy snow which kept Melanie amused. We were passing some walkers and I pulled out of the well trodden path into the soft stuff, caught my feet and went headlong, but I had a lovely soft landing

After reaching the top of another climb, the race instructions said you could go any route to the car park (which I couldn't see in the poor visibility), so we followed the route on our Garmins which worked fine.

Shortly after crossing the railway bridge (and after having seen a steam locomotive go by!), about 3 miles from the end we came onto a path where the snow had melted and there was just a complete mudbath. It probably lasted for a mile before we got back to Quorn where the race started and finished. Back to race HQ where we finished with 6hrs 50min. Probably my slowest marathon, but in those conditions we were very, very happy to finish

The food at the end was especially good even for an event of this type. A choice of at least four soups, cake, sandwiches (we had also had tea, cake and sandwiches at some of the checkpoints).

A challenging run. Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/CWr6qVAY5yRSfcSY2

Golden Fleece Circuit 26m 2013

This is the second running of this 27.5m (or you could choose to do 15m) event. I couldn't do it last year for some reason and I was looking forward to it this year.

Having done two marathons in the last two weeks I became a bit complacent with this one. Firstly, I forgot to put on my Garmin, but that wasn't a major problem as I was running with Melanie who had remembered hers. Secondly, I got my kit out on Saturday morning and realised I had forgotten my running tights. I normally keep spares of most of my running gear in the car boot (after a Strider turned up a race without his running shoes !). There were plenty of socks in there (four pairs !), but no running shorts or tights. For some inexplicable reason, I had brought with me a pair of summer cargo trousers and that seemed my best option. Then I reconsidered and went for my waterproof trousers which are breathable.

They might have been fine on a cloudy day, but although the temperature was -3° when we left for the start, it turned out to be sunny all day without too much wind, so I was a bit warm at certain times.

The Race HQ was the South Cave community centre. If was good to see two regular marathon runners who I haven't seen for a while and have a chat about upcoming and previous races.

There was a mass start for both distances and for runners and walkers. We started at the back, but there was plenty of room to overtake the walkers in the first mile. The first four miles were mainly flat, following footpaths around fields, through country estates. It was lovely to see some of the spring flowers coming out and the birds singing whilst running on a cloudless day. As the miles went by the flat sections were replaced by gentle ascents which seemed to last a while. The route was not marked, but we had printed off the map that had been emailed the day before. That was just about enough. There was a written route description, but it wasn't very specific. We went wrong once, but only lost maybe 3 or 4 minutes.

After the third checkpoint at about 7m, the routes split and we started more serious climbs. Nothing too steep, but up typical Wolds hills, rounded with lovely valleys which twisted and turned as you went up them. Not all the checkpoints had food and drink, but the vast majority did and they seemed to turn up every 3m or so.

We went up the Wolds and then down the other side getting close to Beverley, before heading south towards Skidby. By then I was feeling pretty tired although Melanie was still feeling pretty fresh (she had completed a tough half marathon and a marathon in the previous thirteen days before this one). We then started more gentle ascending as we went back up the Wolds again. This was followed by a rapid descent with fantastic views over the Humber, past the lovely Brantingham Church and on to a brute of a climb before another lovely descent back into South Cave, where we caught up with some of the 15m walkers. Lovely vegetarian stew followed by rice pudding was quickly devoured at the end. I think we may well do this one again

Apart from the two mistakes mentioned above, I had also managed to book our hotel for the wrong night (I had booked the night after). The deal I had got meant that I could not transfer the booking, so we had to book a second night the day before the event. This turned out to have been a good thing to do, we didn't have far to drive before we could have baths and just chill for the evening.

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/fpyxihNdB4oH6HLdA

Bevoir Challenge 26m 2013

This is my fourth time for this event. The reasons I keep returning are the friendly runners, locals and organisers and the variety of routes. The race starts and ends at the same place and uses some of the same checkpoints, but the organisers seem to be able to vary the direction and routes between the checkpoints.

We drove down the day before and took the opportunity to look round Lincoln. Melanie had only visited it years ago and I had never been. I liked it, especially the area around the castle and cathedral. It was a cold day though and it was hard to spend too long outdoors.

Last Sunday on the Hardmoors Osmotherley marathon I had a bit of a cold. I also took quite a bit of skin off my heels. The cold seemed to be coming back on Friday and my heels were still a bit raw. I seriously wondered whether I could do Belvoir, but the plan was to strap up my heels with several layers and to see how my cold was on Saturday morning.

Saturday morning dawned, I strapped up my heels and they seemed to be okay. My cold also seemed a bit better. The run also had a option of a 15m alternative and the separation point was about 5m into the race so I thought that would give me the option of a bail out if I didn't feel good.

The race organisers encouraged the runners to get to the front of the start line this year - a very welcome development as it can be a bit frustrating trying to get round walkers at the start. Soon after the start we had the first stretch of mud and this was an indication of some of what was to come. But we were lucky, some parts which could have been muddy were frozen. But it was a mixed bag, some were frozen, some not. Just before the end we reached a genuinely large mud pool and there was no alternative but to go straight through it. Melanie went first (she never used to like mud, how things have changed in the last year !) to cries of 'Eugh' from several 15m walkers who were watching and contemplating which way to go. Melanie had an slightly eventful race, she slipped early on (no damage) and later had her hat taken off by a bush that reached out and grabbed it .

When we reached the separation point of the 26m and 15m option I was feeling pretty good. The padding on my heels seemed to be working, my cold seemed much better. We were both feeling tired though as our legs had not recovered from the races last Sunday. But that wasn't sufficient reason to do the 15m.

The route undulated around and across fields, through attractive villages and every 5m or so there was a checkpoint with plenty of home made food (but no pizza this year). At about 19m we went close to the lovely Belvoir Castle. At about 21m it started to snow, but it felt that we were almost back by then. I was pretty tired at this point and the run walk strategy we were employing was helping Melanie's ITB which had been giving her some concern since the 14m point.

We got back to the Village Hall to the soup followed by bread and butter pudding. The proceeds of this race go to the local school and the schoolchildren seemed to have got much more involved in the event this year. There were pictures on the wall, little cards on the tables saying 'Thank you for doing the Belvoir Challenge' and every race completion certificate was a different drawing completed by a child. A nice touch.

Then it was a slow drive back to the snowfields of the North

Hardmoors Osmotherley Trail marathon 2013

The Hardmoors Osmotherley Trail marathon was tough. Some big hills and quite a bit of mud and some snow.

There was quite a climb out of Osmotherley, then the route undulated along trails across the moors to halfway. Then 3m over three big hills along the Cleveland Way from Lordstones cafe to just before Clay Bank. It took an hour. Then back to Lordstones via the lower path which was pretty muddy - that took me almost an hour as well.

Then it was following the Cleveland Way back to Osmotherley. It started with a big climb up Carlton Bank and the a lovely descent to Scugdale and a long drag to the radio station and the descent into Osmotherley and the finish. There were some lovely views from some of these hills. It was a beautiful day to run. Sunny with only a bit of wind. It would have been much harder if the weather had not been so kind.

It was a well organised event with a tee shirt and a medal for all finishers, plenty of well stocked checkpoints and a well marked course. There were three events being held on the same day - a marathon, half marathon and 10K and everyone seemed to enjoy the first running of this event. There are four more similar days in different places on the North York moors during the rest of the year. Aaron Gourley was also running the marathon but he finished so far ahead of me he had long gone by the time I finished. My time was just under 6hr 45min which is much longer than I normally take, but this one had lots of hills, so I wasn't disappointed with that time. Phil Owen did an excellent job at his checkpoint having carried all sorts of provisions up a big hill to reach his station. Melanie ran the half marathon and did very well and she has written a separate report.

The only difficulty is that I finished with very bad blisters on my heels. I can't recall this happening before. I used the same shoes for the Hardmoors 30 and they were fine there, so I am not sure what is going on. They had better heal fast !

Hardmoors 30 2013

I was top of the Fetcheveryone Training League ! It won't last long (probably already gone), I will soon plummet downwards. This happened two years ago as well. The reason for this unexpected boost to my training is the start of a new year and the Hardmoors 30.

We did attempt to do the Hardmoors 30 in 2012 but we awoke to heavy rain and decided to do another shorter race.

I have just reread my blog from January 2011 and my experience this year was similar, but with two big differences.

Firstly, the course was even muddier that it was in 2011 (and in 2012 which was apparently worse than it was in 2011). I had learnt two years ago that my roclight shoes couldn't cope with the mud, so this year I wore mudclaws which have big rubber spikes. I have never run more than ten miles in these before, so it was a bit of risk. The outcome was that there was no problem wearing them for 30m, they were much better than roclights, but they still struggled to cope when the mud stuck to the bottom of the shoes and covered the rubber spikes.

The second big difference was running with Melanie. This was her 100th race and her first ultra. She had a fantastic run and appeared strong throughout. For me it makes it so much easier on a tough run to be running with someone else.

Slower runners were allowed to start with the walkers at 9.00 (although I didn't see anybody walking the entire route). In 2011 I think I started at 11 and struggled in the dark, even with a headtorch, in the tough section between Robin Hood's Bay and Ravenscar. The earlier start meant leaving home at 6, but we finished in daylight (just) which was much easier.

We had expected that the section from Ravenscar to Hayburn to be muddy. It wasn't too bad and we made good progress. Even on the ascending old railway line back to Ravenscar we made reasonable progress. The easiest section, though it has quite a climb from Robin Hood's Bay, wasn't too bad even though the head wind was tough at times. It never rained for a change, but the low sun seemed to be in our eyes for quite a while on this run.

The difficult bit started soon after Whitby. Liquid mud, sticky mud, slippery mud, every type seemed to be there on an undulating route. We made very slow progress. As in 2011, it took four hours to get to Whitby (20m approx) and then over three hours to do the last 10m.

It was good to chat with friends and clubmates (and eat all the food - with some free beer and mulled wine ) in the Ravenscar Village Hall afterwards. A tough day out but a good end 

Photos : https://photos.app.goo.gl/4CyTwZ4S3A6Ag9Ui9

Ultratrail26 Grizedale 27.5m 2012

This was a new race organised by the same people who organise the Lakeland 50 and 100.

I have had a cough about ten days ago which has been hard to shake off and I knew it would affect this race. I found myself more breathless than usual and hills which wouldn't normally be too difficult felt much harder. There were also lots of hills on this race!

The route was basically a figure of eight with the start, finish and the only checkpoint at the centre of the eight. The organisers had provided a GPX route which I had downloaded to my Garmin and my GPS. There was a map provided and a road book (written instructions) and the course was very well signed, so there was little chance of getting lost.

The first 12m was in the western part of Grizedale Forest and it was almost all on forest road some which I had covered in the Lakeland Trails marathon (but in the opposite direction). It was more hilly than I expected, but it didn't feel too bad and we made it back to the checkpoint/start/finish in about 2hr 15min. All good so far.

As we left the checkpoint a marshall said 'that is the easy part over, the next bit is harder'. I often take what a marshall says with a pinch of salt - we have probably all heard 'It's all downhill now ...' when there are still hills to come. But this one was definitely right!

It started with a climb up a rocky path and then the route started to climb north on the eastern side of the forest. The forest roads changed to a forest path and it started to rain. There were some substantial puddles which meant it was pointless trying to keep our feet dry. We made our way down a steep path to Esthwaite Water and then onto a section of the Windermere marathon course. Then it was on up to Near Sawrey and onto the hills to the east and on to a section of the Lakeland Trails Hawkshead route (but in reverse). Past the beautiful Moss Eccles Tarn, through a tricky path down to the start of the Coffin Trail. Going up the Coffin Trail is tough, going down when it is wet and the slippy rocks are covered in leaves is very tricky. We made it and enjoyed the section alongside Lake Windermere. Then up the hill we normally run down at Hawkshead and then down to Far Sawrey. I was expecting just one more climb back into the forest, but no, there was three more climbs, mainly on rocky muddy paths. Finally we climbed up into the forest again and there was a tough section south and then north again (with plenty of undulations).

By now it was dark and our head torches came out as we started the final rocky steep descent.

We finished in 6hr 28min 21sec. It was 27.5m in total. The second 15.5m loop took us 4hrs, the second loop was so much harder than the first one. I had underestimated how tough this race would be (I had thought we might finish in about five an half hours).

Melanie did great. This was her first marathon since her last operation and her longest run since then has been 13m, but she just kept going! She also put up with my grumpy phase at the 20m point! It was her fourth marathon this year and my sixteenth and that's it for 2012, everything else will now be shorter distances.