Going long and staying strong

Isn't it funny how time flies when you are busy. I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. It seems that since Grantham and the 50 miler with Helen, everyone has been in touch and seeking advice and guidance with their training.
I get so inspired by peoples enthusiasm and hunger for knowledge, and their impatience to get on with their goals.

Urgency has been the theme from most of those going into the Sahara for this years Marathon des Sables, and last minute challenges from injuries and rethinking food strategies has been the regular theme of those seeking advice.

I had a pleasant surprise when an old school friend got in touch having been inspired by posts on Face book and having heard of our exploits in Cumbria helping Helen to do her 50 miler.Tony Hoskins was always a good runner in his younger years and I remember running a half marathon with him in Germany too long ago! He finished ahead of me I recall. Anyway I got a call from him after hearing of Helen's exploits on the local radio station, and he is now on his way to regaining his fitness, and full of determination. It seems she has inspired many people. Keep it up Tony, you can do it!

Mike Shakesheff was responsible for the greatest challenge though. An invitation to consider a long run lead to us doing a 42 miler with a twist.

We met at Helmsley at 01:00 on Saturday morning and after a conversation with some bemused local policemen who thought we were "Going Equipped"... we set of for the night section of our run across the North Yorkshire Moores. It was a moonless night and after the great weather on Friday it was going to be very cold with no cloud cover. 5 and a half hours later we hit Osmotherly where we intended a quick food stop.

No sooner had I stopped running... I started shivering in the freezing cold frosty morning. The sweat was beginning to chill on my skin and as the blood began draining back to the body core my teeth began chattering much to Mike's amusement... until he started doing it too...we just laughed, and couldn't heat the water quick enough to get the hot food inside us. Fleeces were pulled on and teeth were still chattering 20minutes later having eaten and set off on the return run. The sun was up but not yet reaching down into the valley as we headed back up the valley to the tops..Mike was looking strong, and the pace was well balanced, so we reached the tops and into the sunshine for what became that best part of our run, back along the edge of the valley to Sutton Bank.

The views were stunning and the banter was great, as we discussed our up-comming challenge in Namibia
We burned 5280 Calories during our 42 mile run, a very challenging outbound night section and a very enjoyable retrun section in warm spring sunshine, saw us cover a total of 5807feet of ascent over the distance.

So we worked hard until the final 3 miles where we coasted back down into Helmsley and off home to a hot shower and some sleep.

I often get looks of amazement when people ask, "So what did you do this weekend?" And I often think...shall I just say "Oh nothing much really" but then again I think to myself, "Whats wrong with living outside your comfort zone? and I tell it as it is.

Life's little surprises and greatest senses of achievement lie just on the other side of your comfort zone, Life's too short not to experience it in full...push your boundaries a little... you never know what you might find, or who you might meet...you might meet the person in you that you learn to become proud of.
more later...see you soon

Pushing the Limits

Monday was Helen Skelton's chance to go way beyond her limits and set a personal record, as well as a Blue Peter presenters record as the longest single run achieved to date. 50 mile was the challenge, but with a twist!

It was an 04:30 start to fuel up with breakfast, and a short drive from the hotel to Helen's parents house. A quick cup of coffee later to fend of the chill, and we hit the road. Rory and Helen setting the pace Eric the producer and me leap frogging them as Eric put his "running backwards whilst filming" skills into practice. It was amazing to see how the shots were selected, and how the different angles brought perspective to the tracking shots. He did however fail to catch me going "A over T" and although my reflexes didn't let me down, my forward role through the slurry puddle at the side of the road had Rory and Helen in stitches and keeping well upwind of me for the next few miles.

This run was going to become a reference point for what Helen will face in Namibia, long, hard, energy sapping and mentally difficult to overcome. After a hilly 30 miles she was going to be subjected to 90 laps of Carlisle football ground to add the boredom factor. The film crew joined us as we climbed up out of Penrith along the A6, and the first of many roadside and mobile filming stations were set up.
Rory and Helen maintained the pace and I would spend the next 30miles overtaking them before the filming stations, so the crew could time their approach and catching them up as they held a strong pace.
Helen quite naturally had many questions about Namibia which we covered in detail, but it wasn't long before Rory and I we were back into taking the mickey out of each other and winding each other up at every chance we got, Helen got the hint pretty quickly and was way too good at it! I personally think she's spent too much time training with him! She has however learned one of the skills that will see her succeed in Namibia... a sense of Humour is a vital piece of your kit for ultra endurance events!

The 30 miles to carlisle passed easily, and the pace was moderated so well that we all felt fresh and ready for more, the prospect of 90 laps round a football pitch was softened for Helen when Friends and family began pitching up for a few laps with her. There were smiles and squeals of surprise, and tears of pride and amazement at what she was attempting to achieve. The rest of the Blue Peter Crew Joel & Andy turned up to put in some laps. So what did Helen learn from the day? Well, she now understands that her ability to succeed in Namibia will be dependant on her ability to maintain three disciplines...energy replacement, measured re-hydration, and a sustainable pace - measured by heart rate!

The rest will be down to guts and determination. As I was miked up to run 5 of the final laps with her for our piece on camera together, we talked on film for the TV programme on 14th April about what it will take to succeed in the Namibian Desert, and in answer to her question "How am I ever going to manage another 26 miles on top of the 50 I have just done?" I replied "Well it will be the same for everyone Helen..."It will only take everything you've got to give!"

That's extreme Ultra Running, but one thing is for sure... when its done... when the final mile is completed on sore and blistered feet, and the pain feels like it is never going to be over, there will be a second when the realization kicks in that the task has been achieved, the challenge was set the challenge was met and the goal was achieved.

When that moment arrives it will be heralded by, tears of joy and a deep sense of achievement and ear to ear smiles that will take weeks to wipe off.
as proof, let me ask you this... Does this really look like a woman who has just run further than she has ever done in her life? 50 miles of hard running, and just look at the smile....

She is one very courageous young woman, and a shining example to all her fans, the children who watch Blue Peter, she has also gained a new fan, as Lauren is now the proud owner of a signed Blue Peter album.


She has also gained the respect of both Rory and myself.


They will excuse me for sharing one more cliche here form our day together...


Winners never Quit and Quitters never Win..... Go Girl! see you in Namibia Helen!

Miles of Smiles...

The last weekend in February saw my own training taking a back seat as I embraced the opportunity to give something back.
Having organized the Grantham Canal Run with Rory, Saturday night was my chance to deliver a seminar on what it will take to succeed in both the Marathon des Sables and Namibian desert Ultra Marathons.
During Saturdays 29.3 miles along the Canal and Sunday's 29.3 return trip I marshaled and photographed some of the check points and took time to praise and encourage the efforts of the competitors, lifting spirits and challenging them to up the pace.

Amongst experienced runners there were also intermediate and novice runners many of them taking a reference for their very first Ultra Marathon.
Michael Shakesheff (pictured here looking fresh and strong) was one of three Namibian Desert Ultra competitors using the weekend to fine tune their training, Francis Jones and Nick Wright who are not pictured were also competing.

At 19:30 I took center stage and delivered a information packed seminar that was aimed at taking them right to the heart of the matter of surviving and succeeding in Extreme Desert Ultra Running events that are staged in some of the most challenging environments on the planet.
Amongst the subjects covered was the psychology of overcoming pain and fatigue, coping with and treating blisters in order to succeed, Hydration -"The Key to Success", in Desert Running, and of course Food and Energy replacement.

The team of Sports Scientists from Lucozade Sports Drinks delivered a scientific version of the Hydration theme, and all in all the night was a great success. At 23:45 long after the competitors were tucked up in bed, Rory and I finalized the Race Results and posted them to the web along with photographs of the event. We retired to our room for Pot Noodle snacks to boost our carb levels, and get some rest before the long Sunday ahead of us!

I didn't escape the weekend without any training benefit though... Rory was determined to subject me to some enforced Sleep Deprivation training... 2 and a half hours of snoring later at almost 3am he finally relented and I drifted off to blissful sleep until the alarm went off at 06:00. It was going to be a long day!
You can imagine my comments when I found him catching some zzz's at one of the checkpoints as Amanda checked in the runners... It must be an age thing!!! Only joking we staged this to wind up the checkpoint teams... we do like to have fun! :)

For me however the day was all about encouraging the the competitors to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and onwards towards another milestone of achievement in their race CV's.

There were smiles and tears of elation as they received their finishers medals, and shocked looks of surprise when they inspected their tired and sore feet, a few of them had new "Badges of Honour" to show their family and friends... the proof that they had earned their medals!





"When you have run 20 miles on top of having blisters... you'll never think about blisters the same way again"

more later, see you soon.

Miles... Mud... and Mates

Thursday was a day to catch up with old friends and build relationships with new ones... Rory had arranged another training run for Helen Skelton from Blue Peter, and a great chance to put in some training mileage mixed with loads of banter. It was also great to see Paul Digman running well again. Paul shattered his ankle 3 years ago whilst we were 12 miles into running the Rotherham 50mile Ultra, he didn't realize how bad the damage was so he persisted and finished the race albeit slowly...but the damage cost him almost a year off from training to recover.

We set off well, and it wasn't long before the "mickey taking" and one-upmanship kicked in... even Helen chipped in as we put the first miles into the bank.
This was an opportunity for Helen to spend a couple of hours asking me everything she wanted to know about what was going to be facing her in Namibia, as she attempts to run 3 marathons non stop in 24 hours across the oldest desert on earth in 46c temperatures, towards the finish line on the infamous Skeleton Coast. We set off for Namibia on 8th April, so quality training time and information gathering is vital. I was impressed as she did a great job on both counts!

I was carrying a back pack loaded to 17lbs, so for the last 6 miles we made her run with it as Rory picked up the pace and Helen was pushed to her limits at this point of her training. She is a very courageous woman, and never retreated from the challenge, she succeeded in completing only her 3rd Marathon distance run over a very muddy and hilly cross country course in 5:52:40.

Rory, Paul and I were very impressed with her determination, (very quiet determination in the last 6 miles as she struggled to breath) and although she has a great deal still to do before she is ready for Namibia, so far she has what it takes to succeed. I will have the pleasure of witnessing Helen put into practice all of Rory's training when I join her in Namibia and It will be amazing to watch her succeed in crossing the Finish Line.
We have another 50 mile run arranged for her next month to give her a reference for the fatigue she will have to endure in the desert, so I'll update you on her progress then.

As for me I'm feeling good getting fitter, Oh...and after taking the mickey out of Ellie's blisters earlier in the month...I have developed one myself on the ball of my foot as a result of not stopping to adjust my sock!! Tut Tut... mind you if I had stopped I wouldn't have been able to catch up with Helen...Rory's doing a great job of training her...lol.

"It's not the size of the man in the fight that is important... It's the size of the fight in the man that counts"...

If you substitute "woman" for man, I'll put my money on Helen in Namibia all day long! She is one courageous Lady!

see you again soon...

Training kicks in

The last weekend in January was the Namibian Desert Ultra training weekend, and Steve Clark, ADT's Operations Director and Race Organizer invited me down to ADT's headquarters to share my experience with this years competitors over the weekend. For them it was chance to supplement their physical training with knowledge which will prove vital if they are to succeed in Namibia.

Steve arranged a tough training weekend, and interspersed the
physical sections with information briefing sessions, which covered Kit, navigation, a comprehensive medical briefing from Amy Hughes the Expedition Doctor, hydration and energy replacement, and my section which covered mental preparation and the psychology of coping with the night section of the race.

The race starts at 09:00 and after 9 hours the sun will set and your world will diminish into a circle of light emitted from your head torch... this is when the mental toughness kicks in, your pace may well see you being isolated and alone as you tackle the last 35 miles of the course. You will be physically tired, probably feeling mentally low, and there is no visual stimulus other than the amazing sky of the southern hemisphere, but on tired and possibly blistered feet you need your wits about you to maintain a course and pace that will get you to the finish inside the 24 hour limit.

These information briefing sessions were a real eye opener and the hydration, electrolyte replacement, medical and night session drew many questions as the competitors began to appreciate it wasn't just going to be about running!

Steve did however put in a very cheeky mid day 3 hour run along the Jurassic coast, which treated them to an energy sapping 3900ft of climbs over the 6mile out, and back course. It gave us a chance to get to know Darren & Nick from Team Men's Fitness Magazine. They were both part of a three man team of competition winners who will be tackling Desert, Mountain and Jungle Ultra Marathons over the coming year. Whilst it is difficult to replicate the Heat effect of Namibia, he certainly made sure that they received a reference of what the fatigue feels like at the mid way point in the race... the return trip in the 4x4's was a lot quieter than the outbound one as the task became more real.
Physically this took its toll and a couple of the competitors experienced psychological lows, as negative thoughts and doubts began to set in.
This was still early in their training plans, and some found it tougher than others, the briefing session ahead of the night run picked them up again, and they all began to realize that these points of reference for what they would all experience in Namibia were worth many times the cost of the weekend.

Mike had suffered a strained collateral ligament in his knee as a result of the muddy conditions on the coastal run but despite that he supported it with a tubigrip from the medical kit and carried on into the night section.
As I shared with them, "It's what you don't know that will hurt you in these kinds of extreme ultra marathon events", but to their credit everyone of them kitted up for the night run. They were there to train and learn what it was going to take for them to succeed in Namibia, and I'm sure everyone of them will reach the finish in time.

"Your own determination to succeed is more important than any one thing"
- Abraham Lincoln

Namibia ...the return...lol

Hello again, It's been a while, a year since my last Namibian blog, slightly less if you followed "In the footsteps of Pheidippides... Andy's "Spartathlon" challenge" but either way It's always great to catch up with friends, and it is good to see you here again.

So get your self comfortable and I'll bring you up to speed and set the scene for this years Across the Divide's Namibian Desert 24hr Extreme Ultra Marathon...
Rudyard Kipling in his poem "If" said this

"If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!"

"If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"

Ahh... the wisdom is there if you look for it Boys 'n' Girls, I think Mr Kipling was a secret Ultra Runner when he wasn't sharing his words of wisdom.

Well sharing words of wisdom, encouraging, inspiring and praising others in their efforts to achieve their dreams has become a way of life for me in the year that has past. I have been privileged to work with some great business leaders, and their teams of people, and many have become friends.

Many friends have also been sharing their dreams and goals with me, and I in turn have been inspired by their passion, drive and determination to succeed.
There is a hunger in their eyes and an excitement that originates from them when they engage with their goals... it is an unspoken message that tells me "the decision has been made, the challenge has been accepted" and I love watching them come alive and inspiring them succeed whenever I can.

Some of the latest have been my wife Caz, who along with dear friends Teresa & Ellie, have set their goals on completing the Edinburgh Moonwalk in aid of Breast Cancer, to add to the challenge, Caz is just recovering from surgery on her cartilage, and Ellie has set herself a change of lifestyle challenge of losing 4stone by August when they both share the big '40' birthday... they will be inspirational to all who know them as they commit themselves to their goals.

As for me, well you know me...I'm gonna be pushing my limits and raising my bar at every chance I get...lets have some fun along the way, more soon...