Man vs. Machine

"The Rotary Challenge" is the longest race in a series of four which all take place on the same day in Tywyn, Mid Wales. Of the four races three of them are against a train, but it is the Rotary Challenge which is the main event; the longest and most gruelling race where train passengers & runners start, and finish, their journey at the same point, but their paths are very different!

The runners face a 14 mile run through Welsh farmland, trails, and other cross country conditions. This 'course' runs parallel to the coal powered locomotive on which family & friends of runners can watch and shout words of encouragement to the runners.

Sounds lovely doesn't it?! Well for the train passengers it certainly is...

It took two and a half hours to get from Liverpool to Tywyn, but, with the race start time being a fairly late 2:05pm, the plan was to head down on the day, run the race in less than 1 hour 47 minutes, thereby beating the train, and heading back home. The first and last bits worked out quite well; the middle bit - hmm

I'd managed to get train tickets for my parents and so my legs where saved the ordeal of guiding the car down the long and winding roads of Wales as my dad drove there and back.

We arrived at 11:30 and collected our train tickets before scoping out the area and getting some lunch.

It was soon time to get changed and head to the starting line – I was happy to see 3 running club mates who I chatted and had a few laughs with before the start as we lined up to go. It was at this time, with 15 minutes to go, when the sun decided to come out and share some heat. With all the bodies packed at the start line it was stifling, I had hoped that once we got running it would cool down and we may even be treated to a few cooling rain drops.

As the 10 second countdown started I said good luck to my club runners and off we went. My aim was to go out hard to try and complete the first 7 miles quickly – the easier half, to allow more time for the latter 7 miles. Ideally I was looking for a 50 minute first half so I could have a 57 minute second half, it made perfect sense in my head!

The first mile and a bit were on roads around the town centre and a couple of small country lanes to get the runners on to the farm land that ran parallel to the train track. Thanks to this I managed to get in a first sub 7 minute mile without too much bother –although the heat was making me work harder than I normally would.

On to the first stretch of farm land there was an incline to get on to the peak of the land but this soon levelled out. The pace slowed for this and the thighs felt it, but pace was good considering the heat. Fortunately there were 2 drinks stations coming up were I took on water and isotonic drinks.

Between the first and second drinks stations there was the first ‘proper’ ascent, it was quite horrible, but compared to what was to come it could be considered a fun little climb! The course carried on through farmland with the hardest parts getting through very muddy gate ways, as well as land which wasn’t quite flat meaning a lot of concentration was needed to stay upright.

I must confess, on my way to the 7 mile point I slipped on a cow pat, but managed to stay upright – my poor little Brooks were taking a battering; they were going to be a very different colour to the green they started off as! Recovering from my cow pat slip it was soon (and ‘soon’ is a relative term here!) the 7 mile mark. My time was 53 minutes, so, in terms of beating the train, I was 30 seconds ahead of schedule (but 3 minutes down on my plan), but I knew I had a very difficult half to come and the likelihood was, I wasn’t going to beat the train.

It was a bit demoralising, but I carried on – it’s not over ‘til the fat lady sings and all that!

 
I had heard the whistling of the train behind me a few times over the first half, and shortly in to the second half I saw it go past me – but in the opposite direction; this meant it hadn’t reached the half-way point, which was encouraging (just to counter my feeling of despair, and give me a little bit of hope). I waved at the train and was able to hear my mother’s shriek of ‘come on David’ over the choo-choo of the train, all the other passengers, and my own ragged breath…

I was now ‘above’ the train – at the half way mark the course had veered right and a series of climbs followed, and here the terrain changed drastically; where there was farm land it was now more like woodland, with some slated pathways. This was the most technical part of the course with dips, climbs, twists and turns. I’ve shown below the aerial view and route for one of the most technical parts; no ‘easy’ farmland here!

 
This carried on until an enormous climb up some rocky steps took everyone to the highest point of the course – about 9 miles in. Pace here had slowed right down to a near crawl, and as the course was now quite tight it was down to single file. This suited me fine as it meant I could get my breath back – although at this point it was heavy breathing all the way.

You would think that after a big climb there would be a descent; well, there was, but there was no chance of catching a breath as it was a treacherous downhill return to flatter land (someone actually fell and dislocated their shoulder at this point of the course!). Things did get a little easier as the course opened up a bit, and though it was still predominantly single file I could stretch my legs where possible as I didn’t have to watch where my feet were landing. It was approaching 10 miles and I had lost a lot of time, though the train had not yet passed me.

Shortly after 10 miles the course dropped back down and took everyone back on to the farmland we had all headed out on. The going was a lot easier here but the fatigue in my legs meant that on steeper climbs I was forced to walk before resuming a plod on the flats.

Several things seemed to happen all at once just before 12 miles; first off, the train passed me; this signalled the end of my challenge of beating it – my hope now was to come in before 2 hours as I was really struggling – the sun was still out so I didn’t want to be out for long; I was concerned about dehydration and sun stroke.

After the train passed a club runner turned up alongside me; he really tried his best to raise my spirits; he told me there was one last climb, then we’d be back on roads – “we’ll batter them on the roads” he said… I wasn’t feeling his optimism!

After about half a mile of trying (valiantly) I couldn’t keep up with him any longer and off he plodded ahead of me. Then came the one last climb of the course – I couldn’t handle it, I walked to the peak of it. However I had now covered 12 miles and with a mere 2 miles to go I trudged on and was soon onto country lanes which felt much better on the legs. My pace was very slow, but I was at least carrying on.


Soon I was on the main road in to town and I could feel (though not quite see) the finish line! I turned a couple of corners and the crowd started to thicken and rapturous applause carried me over the final stretch. My name was read over the tannoy as I crossed the line… I had finished! My overwhelming feeling was relief – glancing at my Garmin I saw 1 hour 58 minutes and I was somewhat astonished as it felt I had been out there a lifetime!

 

 My mum and dad had made their way to the finish line so I was able to see them straight away. I thanked my fellow club runner for his encouragement before collecting my goody bag, medal and t shirt. I then had a well-earned shower and something to eat.

Over the course of the race I wanted to stop running several times, but as Winston Churchill said “When you’re going through hell, keep going” – and I most certainly did! The heat was at times unbearable, as race organisers later said this was the first time it hadn’t rained on race day, and it was the hottest day of the year on location!

On the way home I was feeling the effects of the run on my legs, but it was my stomach which capitulated; a quick lay-by stop was required so I could throw up in to the flower bed of a bespoke kitchen designer’s shop… Classy!

Reflection

The race was tough, very tough, but that’s because I pushed myself and went out hard in order to try and beat the train. If you want something you have to try for it, and even though I failed at least I can say I failed having a go. If I had completed the race at an even pace knowing my finish time I think I would have enjoyed it more… Will I try again next year? I don’t know – I need to wait for the aching in my legs to ease first, but I would like to one day say I beat a train in a race…

Final Stats

Total distance: 14 miles
Total time: -1:58:07
Position: 240/839


A very well organised and original race, with plenty of drinks stations with a very challenging course. Excellent for a fun jog round, or to pit your legs against metal and coal! Excellent and novel medal, (see below) nice t-shirt and decent goody bag! Highly recommended.

 

 “If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning is not very exciting” - Dick Vermeil

Man vs. Machine - prelude

Yesterday I completed 14 gruelling miles in the small town and surrounding farmland of Tywyn, Mid Wales. "Race the Train" was the hardest race I have ever run, with the exception of the Liverpool Marathon, although that was difficult for different reasons.

I wasn't quite good enough to get under the 1 hour 48 minutes required to beat the train.

I'll post a report during the week when I've managed to collect my thoughts; it's not often I question why I run, and yesterday made me...

Changing focus and pre-race nerves

It’s the eve of Race the Train, and I’m feeling a tad nervous… A 14 mile stint across rugged Wales farm land vs. a train; what have I signed up for?! Not only that, but the parents are coming along so I’ll have to make sure they’re entertained prior to the race without expending too much energy…

I’m apprehensive about tomorrow for a couple of reasons:

1. I want to beat that damn train! I’m concerned I’m not fit/strong/fast enough, and I'll look like a 'wannabe'

2. It’s my first long distance race since the marathon which royally botched my knee – will my legs be able to take it? I don’t want to undo all the hard work from the last 3 – 4 months of getting back to fitness.

I just want to be on the start line (well, having just crossed the start line to be precise). I always, always, (always!) get nervous before races, particularly ones I haven’t taken part in before.

At running club on Tuesday I was speaking to one of the faster runners, and after telling her about my marathon experience, was given a good 5 minute talk on why folk my age shouldn’t be contemplating a marathon. What we should be doing, it was claimed, is focusing on shorter distances and hence speed. The reason being that when we get older we won’t be able to post those fast times, and that is when we should focus on endurance. (I’m not inserting a joke here about stamina and endurance !)

Of course what she said made total sense, and I did agree with her that focusing on speed now while possible is the logical thing to do. However, I don’t regret running a marathon; it was a massive achievement and meant a lot more to me than simply running 26.2 miles! The marathon was essentially the easy part – the miles and miles of training I put in was the difficult part, and I think unless you have put in that type of dedication (I had less than 10 pints in 6 months, such was my dedication to get my body ready for the marathon) you aren’t going to completely understand the marathon and what it means.

None the less this has got me thinking; is setting a sub 3 hour marathon target before my 30^th a realistic target? Should I be putting my energy into something else? Should I just be enjoying my running and not thinking about time and distance? I’m not sure I’ll ever completely be able to do the latter as I am very competitive by nature, and I want to be the best that I can be at anything I do. I do enjoy, no, love, my running, and I work harder when I have a target I am aiming for… Who knows; having come in to running quite late in life I have no comparison to make against other runners, or know that many except for those at my club.

Questions, questions, questions! The only certain thing for the moment is the impending 14 miles I’ll be toddling along tomorrow

Bikes, shins... Races!!

Having pondered for a while about purchasing a bike I finally took the plunge, following some advice from a bike mad mate! Last year when we went to Barcelona we went on a 36km bike trail ride through the mountains which I really enjoyed. Well, I did eventually – it took me a little while to get used to being in the saddle again after so long being ‘just’ a runner.

The bike I’ve gone for is the Scott Aspect 45 (if that means anything to anyone!) – it's the 2010 model so I managed to get a pretty sweet reduction on it, happy times!

I've been on a few rides (including a lactic acid inducing 30 miler) and I can safely say I'm glad I'm a bike owner again. Something I haven't missed is the chronic derriere pain from sitting in the saddle (!) Aside from this though the aches and pains that have followed any jaunts on the bike have been minimal.

Naturally I'm going to be expecting Chris Hoy-esque thighs within a few months !!

In running news my suspected shin splints is now all sorted; I ended up having ultrasound on them at the physio, a week off from running (I don't know how I managed it) and followed that up with a week of easy running to get me back into my stride.

Fortunately I'm now back club running; and with my 'return' to fitness I've gone a bit crazy booking races. In my haste to fill my diary with racing dates I've double booked myself! I signed up for the Blackpool Half Marathon (which I unfortunately won't be able to make), an 8.5km trail race in St Helens, and with 9 others from running club 'survival of the fittest'; a 10km race with really hard core manly obstacles in Manchester (GRR!!).

A week on Saturday I've got a race where I'll be competing against a train! It's a 14 mile race across fields, farm land, and other hilly terrain which are parallel to, and as close as possible to, a train track. To beat the train you have to complete the 14 mile course in under 1 hour and 47 minutes - something I would comfortably be able to manage on roads, but throw in challenging terrain and the prospect becomes more difficult. Still, I'm optimistic enough of my chances (famous last words!)

The website for the event is http://www.racethetrain.com/ 

This takes place in Tywyn in Wales, which is Mid Wales. The train that I'll be competing against (there’s a sentence I never thought I'd write) is an old fashioned coal fired train. In my mind's eye it's the train which takes all wizards to Hogwarts from Harry Potter, and I'm going to be staying ahead of it so that I can get to Hogwarts... Well whatever motivates me I guess :p

I will finally get the opportunity to wear my trail running shoes  - I bought them a few months ago knowing I'd use them for this race. I've been quite excited about them because they are, well, beautiful!! They're Brooks Cascadia, and here they are in all their glory:

I'll let you know how I get on against the train, and hope that my shoes don't get too muddy !

Park Run and Drainage fun!

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for me – but not always for the right reasons!

I completed my first ever park run earlier in the month – Princes Park Run. The coach from running club encourages as many club members to complete the local park run on the first Saturday of the month, so off I trotted to take part!

The course is a tough one with a couple of energy sapping inclines that you have to tackle three times – essentially two and a half loops around the park. I was hoping for a sub 19 minute 5km given my sub 40 minute 10kms. I thought a PB (18:39) was a little out of my reach at the time.

I went off quickly – as often seems to be the case these days, fortunately I’m experienced enough to not go off too hard and rein myself in a bit. I wasn’t looking to finish in a certain position, but having fast runners around you always helps push you a little more. I felt pretty comfortable throughout the run, and had my usual (and frustrating) third km dip in pace, otherwise I paced myself pretty well.

The inclines weren’t a problem for me –although I do have a tendency of picking up the pace whenever there are any increases in the gradient. This was the case for the park run, and it did aid in getting me closer to the runners in front of me.

I must have passed about 5 people on the way round, and when I came in with a time of 18:57, with a position of 8^th (out of ~120) I was very happy – things were going in the right direction.

Unfortunately, in the warm up, and as soon as the run had stopped, as had been the case for a couple of weeks, I had a pretty bad pain on the inside of my left shin/ankle. Walking on it was pretty difficult. Due to this didn’t complete my LSR that Sunday and rested for a few days. Whist it got slightly better the pain is still there. So, tomorrow I’ll be heading to the physio, I’m guessing it’s posterior shin splints, but I’ll see what they say. I’m really hoping it’s nothing too bad as I have really been coming on and the latest track session with the club I was holding my own with the front runners.

Away from the running I have been just as delighted as I’m sure you have been (!) with all the weather we’ve had recently.

I had my front garden paved earlier in the year so I could park my car on it. Unfortunately this has caused any rain to rush into the drain in the drive, and with the sheer amount of rain that has fallen lately, it flooded. Inevitable or what?! Nothing is ever easy when it comes to houses!!

Initially I thought the drain must just be blocked, so I got a drain ‘expert’ out to rod them and pressure spray them… All it did was cause the mud, guck, and other fowl smelling contents of the drain to spew out onto my drive – it looked like a mud bath; uncool!

Turns out I need the drain excavating, and a new one put in, which will connect it to the drain at the rear of my house. Isn’t that just A-MAZ-ZING?! Fortunately only a small section of the drive will need digging up, but my alley way will need to be ploughed up and a drain laid (no jokes please!) to sort this little… Predicament(?) out; yippee!

So next week I shall be shelling out on getting that done. Mayeb the next time I blog I’ll have a nice shiny bit of piping in my alley way and a front drive which doesn’t flood!

Sub forties and wallpaper paste!

I've been a bit lazy not blogging, but I've been really, really busy, which I see as a good thing!

My life at the moment consists of running, football, and friends, with a dash of DIY thrown in. Which, if you ask me, is a brilliant little cocktail!!

The Mersey Tunnel 10km a few weeks ago went brilliantly - it was two training sessions after joining Liverpool Running Club and I was aiming for sub 40 minutes. I managed sub 40, and more - my official time was 39:27 which I was ecstatic about, and it was a PB.

Two weeks later I and quite a few of the running club group ran the Penny Lane 10k. This was orgnaised by the Penny Lane Striders and was a great course along (Otterspool) promenade and into a park which was a little trail like in conditions given the heavy rain that had poured down the day before. It was a race with plenty of club runners and was of a very good standard. I was happy with another sub 40 minute 10k; 39:48 my time, not bad considering this was a tough course.

Away from the running side of things I'm finally decorating my final spare room! it's not quite finished, as with everything else when it comes to my house, complications have arisen - dodgy air vents, wonky electricity plugs, etc. Give it another month of Sundays and it will be sorted ;)

Until next time, asta la vista!

Wake up...

I peel my eyes open and look around; my best friend is standing over me, and I’m on his living room floor. It was our school friend’s wedding last night. I remember getting in, ditching my clothes at my feet, and collapsing onto his couch – obviously during the early hours I decided the floor was the more comfortable option.

It was 7am on a Monday morning, we’d got in at 2am and I was tired. Fortunately, I’d booked the day off work to recover, but, as my mate works in a school, he couldn’t. So, what would any other person in my situation do? Go home, and sleep it off of course….

…What did I do? Go home, get changed into my running gear, and go for a 10km run! Running it off really is the best way to recover from a drinking session!

Weddings always bring you together with people you haven’t seen for a long time and one of you always utters (often in a drunken state) “we’ll have to keep in touch – I’ve missed you”. Of course this happened, but, pushing closer to 30 than 20, you realise that, in reality, you’re not going to, and you are somewhat set in your ways. This is especially the case if you have an ‘other half’ – and this is fair enough, everyone has their own priorities, but it never ceases to amaze/disturb/worry me how easy it is to drift apart from people you thought you would always be around and spend time with.

I won’t veer off onto a long rambling “what if…” set of scenarios of how all the decisions I made meant I lost good friends and relationships, but it did get me thinking about something I wrote on 31^st December 2011 – I wouldn’t call it a set of resolutions, more a set of reflections on different aspects of my life, and where I wanted to be over the year.

I’m not going to go into them all, as some are very personal, but there is something I wrote about my health, and my knee. “I’ve undergone physio treatment for strained medial collateral ligament damage, for iliotibial band tightness and strain. Despite these, and seemingly overcoming them, pain just under the knee cap occurs when running – as usual, left knee. I’m booked in to see a private knee specialist in 2 days’ time (2^nd January of this year).”

Since then I’ve had an MRI scan, ultrasound, and physio… Here I am today, having run 6.5 miles on Saturday, 12.5 miles on Sunday, and a quick (2.5 mile) jog around the block this morning.

I’ve come a long way, and I’m very happy about it, but I still feel there is a long way to go; but that’s ok, because I love a challenge, and pushing myself. This week I’ll be going back to train with Liverpool Running Club for a track session - I can’t wait, having never done anything like that before! I’ve also got the Mersey Tunnel 10k on Sunday. I completed this last year in about 41:30, so I’ll be looking to better this and my Manchester 10k time from last month. I’m really going to try for a sub 40 minute 10k; this would signal a noticeable improvement, and marker, in my fitness. It also gives me a chance of a PB; 39:48 is my current best, so it would be nice to deliver a new one before the first half of 2012 is out!!

I’ll update after the race, hopefully with a good report (and time!) to boot! Until next time… The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle :)