Johnny Hall's Travels and Travails

Cycling vs Running

I was a cyclist long before I was a runner and I consider myself a decent cyclist and a mediocre runner (though I'm hoping to improve again next year). I more or less took this year off cycling to concentrate on (hill) running and though I enjoyed my racing, I've missed cycling. So, I'm intending to get back in the saddle and race the bike a bit (Bala Middle Triathlon and Powerman Zofingen as a minimum as well as some local time trialling).

One major difference between cycling (and triathlon) and running is the expense, though. This year, I've barely spent any real money - just some new kit and shoes and not much at all on race entries (20+ races this year and probably spent less than half that I spent on Ironman entry alone). Now, I've decided to cycle seriously again, I've got a big list of expenditure (most of which isn't necessary to be fair but I'm easily sucked in).

This bike case looks awesome
New wheels;
A power meter and computer (finally);
New shoes;
And a bunch of bits and bobs.

Some of that kit isn't available yet, in fact most of it but it all looks very cool. Cycling is a lot more geeky than running.

I'm going to get back on the turbo over the winter and start analysing my data using a couple of bits of software - RaceDay and Golden Cheetah. At least one of those is free, mind.

The Pentland Skyline

I had a good result yesterday and ate and drank well after the race and got a reasonable night's sleep, hoping to feel decent this morning before the final long hill race of the season and part 2 of the Manor Mouse. I actually woke up this morning feeling better than yesterday and my legs were in good shape, so I was hoping, if not expecting, to get round ok today.

It was sunny but there was a biting cold wind in the car park, which didn't bode well for the top of the hills. I decided to stick with just the vest because I knew I would heat up on the climbs and I didn't want to be messing about taking kit on and off during the race because I was running with a camelbak (a nice new sparkly North Face Boa number which worked a treat) in order to help ensure I drank enough through the day.

So, after enduring a very cold wait at the start, the hooter went and everyone charged up the hill and I settled in with Stewart Barrie (who also ran yesterday) and took the first hill or two very gently, losing a boat load of places in the process.

The first big descent to Flotterstone was quite amusing to me because it's very fast but that early in the race, it pays to take it easy and not burn your legs out but a lot of runners were ignoring that and barrelling down at top speed. Once we hit the road I made sure I ate and started up the climb of Turnhouse. From Flotterstone to the finish, I wasn't overtaken by anyone again (though a couple of folks came past but I re-passed them eventually), which is truly amazing (and probably means that I started a bit too slow). The first half of the race has most of the climbing and all the big hills and here is where I have a big advantage since I am a lot quicker than most on steep hills due to my bambi-like long legs. My strategy from Turnhouse on was to pass people on the climbs and to try to hold my position on the descents, and I managed that pretty well.

From Turnhouse, over Carnethy, Scald Law and the Kips, it was extremely windy and breathing was hard work. It seemed to be a head wind though so I was hoping it would benefit us on the way back. I felt good and pushed on over the high hills and down to the drove road where I had to start running. The ground was soft though and my legs were still fine. From Hare Hill the ground becomes harder to run over with boggy ground and heather. It didn't seem too bad though, certainly better than I was expecting and I kept catching runners, though fewer than before.

The last couple of climbs were hard work for everyone but I didn't break and I kept my eye on my watch, hoping I could hit my (ambitious) targets two days in a row. Over Allermuir and Caerketton, I felt a bit dizzy but I was close to the line and bowled down the hill to finish in 3.29:52, for 79th position of 170 runners. Not brilliant but certainly better than my expectations.

And, in the Manor Mouse competition, I managed to place third of 12. To be fair, the faster runners this year didn't seem to do both races but 3rd is 3rd!

The Manor Hill Race

Today was the first leg of Manor Mouse, an event which rolls over 2 days. Part one is Manor Hill, near Peebles - 10 miles and 700m of ascent. Part two is the longer Pentland Skyline, 16 miles and 1800m of ascent, or thereabouts.

I thought I'd throw fortune to the wind and attempt both of them. I wanted to do the Skyline and it would have been a shame not to have run Manor, which is one of our local races. I feel in reasonable shape at the moment and the weather was kind, today at least.

I got there in good time and caught up with a few of my hill running friends - the sport is very friendly. I decided to take it fairly easy to start with and not get caught up in a mad dash up the hill, so I kept my breathing easy and my strides short. Once we got onto the hillside, I found my position and concentrated on keeping a steady pace, trying to bear in mind that I had to race again tomorrow.

I didn't feel too great for the first 30 minutes but then my breathing seemed to settle down and I felt better for the last push up The Scrape. I re-passed some folks who had run by me earlier and kept a strong walking pace up the last steep hill. At the turnaround, I noted that I wasn't too far behind my Moorfoot compatriots, Colin, Steve and Kenny. I hit the top in about 52 minutes which was a bit quicker than I had expected.

I tried to keep my position running back down the hill and tried to reel in a few runners in front, which helped me to run strongly. On the way back there are a couple of short hills to run back up and the absence of wind here meant I felt a bit overheated but they didn't last long and I kept running up them, rather than resorting to walking.

Dave Mitchell and Stewart Barrie, both stronger descenders than I am, caught me near the end and there was nothing I could do to stay with them but I crossed the line in about 1.28:30 which was well under my expectations, though, if I'm honest, the conditions were quite quick with good runnable ground.

Now, a few hours after the event, I've crashed a bit but my legs are feeling ok and I'm confident I won't embarrass myself at the Skyline.

Exciting

The 2009 race season is almost over, just Manor Mouse to go and then we're into the winter races, starting with Tinto.

So, I get to indulge myself by picking the races I was to do next year. This year, my big target was to complete at least 5 SHR Long Classic hill races, which I have indeed managed (Stuc a' Chroin, Jura, Loch Lochy, Glen Rosa, Two Breweries and Pentland on Sunday). Next year, I was thinking about doing something big again but some of the things I want to do (like the WHW race or another Ironman) are probably a bit ambitious (time-wise), given my work and family commitments.

Anyway, discussions with a work colleague piqued my interest in a race I'd looked at previously and my major (late summer) race has picked itself. With that in mind, my current race season for 2010 looks like this:

So, a nice mix of hill races and other bits, with the standout being the trip to Switzerland to do Powerman, which I'm pretty damned excited about. Mind, it's still some time away, so plenty to focus on until then. Also, a few races I've done before and some new stuff, mostly big English hill races.

I'll focus on my run and bike base over the winter and try to do a fair bit of racing - the Edinburgh RC duathlons, the Glentress Duathlons and Edinburgh Parkrun. I shouldn't have to do anything special to get ready for Edale and the Three Peaks and I'll pick up the long running from March to get ready for Jura, which will be my big early race. I'd like to do well there after getting round ok this year and suffering in the bad weather. I'll do some swimming from May to get ready for Bala and then once the weather gets decent, I'll start riding my triathlon bike outside for longer and longer distances to get ready for Powerman in September. From May and June, I'll try to as much evening time trialling and hill racing as I can squeeze in. And then, finally, I'll do a couple of long races I've done already at the end of the season.

So, there's a fair amount of racing in there but no more than I did this year but perhaps a bit more variety. I'm keen to try to avoid any major down time like I did this year, which I downed tools in August (work, flu). I think I'll deliberately have extended easy periods throughout the year to keep myself from flaming out. Probably after Bala and Powerman, when I'll be goosed.

The Two Breweries

The Two Breweries was one of my target races this year. It's local (the start is 3 mile from my house), which means I don't have to leave the house super early, or get up a stupid o'clock, or drive for hours. Granted, the finish is a bit further away but that's part of the beauty of the race. Because it's local, I also trained on the course a bit, so I knew (some) of what I was in for.

The race itself starts at the brewery at Traquair House and finishes at the brewery in Broughton, some 18 miles and 1600 metres of climbing later. The terrain isn't mountainous but it is hard going, with heather, bog, steep ascents and decents, some road and track and some easier running. It's particularly hard because most of the roughest terrain is early on and the steepest ascent is at the end, when you are sucking air.

I had a few weeks off in August because I was tired and because work had ramped up a bit and I needed to put some hours in. Once that was out the way, I'd lost a fair amount of fitness but I was confident of getting strong enough to complete the race but maybe not to feel great doing it. And this was the way it turned out.

I decided to start very conservatively, and to walk any sort of climb. I placed myself firmly in the middle of the 115 or so runners and jogged the first mile to the farm track and then started walking as soon as we went uphill. I knew the early terrain pretty well but not the best route. I guess there are a couple of choices once you hit the heather but I kept with the majority and battered my way through. Being tall has its advantages.

I reached the first summit of Birkscairn on 56 minutes, bang on my target of 55. I then followed the line of runners down the steep heathery descent to Glensax, which I managed pretty quickly, about twice as fast as I did it in training, mainly because of picking a much better, less direct line. The track up Hundleshope looks intimidating but after some initial steepness, it's fairly easy. I reached the next summit about a minute up on my target.

The next section over Stob Law and down to Glenrath has some route finding difficulties (indeed, I went wrong here in training, which cost me a lot of effort) but I managed to pick a perfect line without gaining too much height or losing any and found the contour track from the reentrant with no difficulties. Harder in mist no doubt. I started feeling good here and probably picked up the pace a bit too much. Everyone in my group here bar one or two runners finished 5-15 minutes ahead of me at the end, so I was definitely punching above my weight. If I'd had the endurance in my legs, I might have held them but...

Down the descent of Stob Law, I kept my place and then we hit the track to the farm and started running and I immediately drifted off the back, running 9 minute miles where my group was running 8s. The sun was out here and I wilted a bit. At the water stop, I probably lingered a bit too much. Over the course of the race, I'm positive I didn't eat or drink enough, which I need to correct at the next one (Pentland).

Up Whitehope, I drifted further backwards, feeling horrible. Another group caught me on the steep climb but I didn't have any push. I managed to run off the hill down to Stobo ok, but I was definitely going backwards. I was still on target at Stobo but only just. The track from Stobo is hard going and any ascent had me grimacing. I just didn't have the energy, though I was still running. I took a bad line through the heather before Trahenna here and only corrected myself when I say Stewart (Barrie) and Ellie (Homewood) on the "path" and cut over to them. They were going well here and I was not but miraculously, I kept with them, more or less, up the ascent of Trahenna. Which. Was. Brutal. I didn't really think it would be that hard, but it's very steep and my legs were gone. I thought I was going badly here but the runners queued up behind me here were even slower, so I didn't get overtaken again before the finish.

Unfortunately, there is still a lot of hard work to do from the top of the hill and my left calf was cramping very badly. I couldn't stay with Ellie and Stewart and they finished comfortably inside four hours and was over a minute out. Once down to the road, there is still about a mile but I couldn't pick up the pace and shuffled to the finish in 4:01:22. Not far off my 4 hour target but disappointing nevertheless.

I finished 61st of 114 starters, which is fairly standard for me. I'll be wanting to be further up the field next year.

The race marked my fifth Long Classic hill race of the year and meant that I'd achieved my primary (race) goal for 2009. At the beginning of the year, I had no hill running experience and now, I have quite a bit.

Next week is Manor Mouse. Manor Hill on Saturday and Pentland Skyline on Sunday. I should probably skip Manor but at the moment, I'm feeling masochistic, so weather and fitness permitting, I'll be attempting both.