BigSea50k 2023

 

My second 'warmup' ultra of the summer, BigSea50k, was also my best ultra-marathon, just in terms of consistency, how I felt, how well I ate, paced myself, and enjoyed myself.  In just under 2 weeks I'll run Race to the Stones 100km non-stop, and I feel ready, especially after doing BigSea. RTTS has a bit less elevation than BigSea, over twice the distance, so RTTS will feel relatively easy in terms of gradient.

Nutrition continues to go extremely well, and I ate better on this one than I did in the Chilterns a few weeks ago, because the BigSea aid stations were set up for instant calories, of which I ate precisely one of each of: banana, sausage roll, soreen roll, and an orange slice, washed down with 350ml of flat Coke.  I also took on one hard-boiled egg and one gel per aid station, as well as a few salt tablets.  

I felt stronger running than walking all the way to the end. The most challenging parts were the stairs, which consisted of hundreds of concrete slabs placed on end, one above the other, and carved out behind each were eroded damp soil crevasses.  Here's where the poles came in really handy. Going down was treacherous on these steps, so the poles held me back from a big bad fall.  Going up they helped with speed.  Otherwise, the ground was so uneven my faithful Lekis ensured that I remained stumble-free.

There was a lot of overgrown entrenched narrow single-track running, and there was a lot of SW coast path overgrown shoving through bushes and getting scratched up.  Actually, the first couple of miles were on beaches and sand dunes too.  This variable terrain was really interesting and fun.  Some of the aid station volunteers were lighthousekeepers, and they were grumpy, which I loved. They had no clue about running and clearly thought we were crazy (which is accurate!).

The weather was very hot, but moderated by some mist and breezes, so overall not too bad.  You had to watch the hydration, for sure, so I took on about 1.5 litres or so between the aid stations.  I made some new friends and chatted with some for a ways, and then we'd break up and re-form into new groups.  One such chat took place in an urban area (Swanage), after which we were back up another steep hill and over into the Knoll Beach area, where one of the famous Pig restaurants is.  The run down the other side into the golden beach and forest was glorious and unforgettable.  

RTTS will feel like a victory lap and a glorious bit of fun after the summer so far.  I've done it before, but last time it was broken up into stages, so I did the 100km over 2 days in 2021.  This year, I'll go all the way through in one big go. The question is: which is harder: all in one go, or staged.  I'm really not sure, because it was incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to run during day 2 last time, but the advantage could be in nutrition.  I think if I keep myself well fed as I did at BigSea, this RTTS 100km non-stop run should be a breeze.  Full disclosure: I'll be walking up ALL the hills!

My ultra summer: Chiltern Ridge Ultra Trail and beyond

2023 summer is my summer of ultra, and as I head into my last big training run for Race to the Stones 100km non-stop (the BigSea 50k ultra trail this Sunday the 11th of June) I realise I haven't been documenting my journey so far this year. Other than in my own training diary, of which I'm a religious keeper of notes, observations and strategies for each and every upcoming race.

The first of my two 'warmup' ultras was the Chiltern Ridge Ultra Trail 50k in May 2023.  It is a really lovely little event, just a couple hundred people on the start line, and we had sunny weather for it too. It was the day after the coronation of King Charles, so the countryside through which we ran was sprinkled with picknicking, games, and hikers.  

The summit of the run is Ivinghoe, which Robert MacFarlane talks about in the Icknield Way section of his book The Old Ways.  We had a great view there.  By this time, about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through, I had 'buddied up' and found someone who was running at my pace. We were kind of racing each other, but he also saved me from a couple of wrong turns because I had decided (foolishly it turns out) to run without Navigation turned on.  Some of the signs had also been tampered with by other people on the trail.

All the various ultra strategies were being tested, from footwear to pacing to nutrition. Footwear went well, with only one clear small blister at the end of 32 miles.  Choice of socks should help here as I was wearing road running socks.  Nutrition, as I have posted on Strava, was excellent.  I tried caffiene gels for the first time, towards the end of the race, and liked that.  These were both provided on the course, and carried by me, having bought some GU gels in a last minute splurge at Chertsey's Rock & Ice.

I downed 4 hard boiled eggs, but will go with 5 this time, as they are a great savoury and extremely easy to swallow protein option.  My crew (Diane) brought me a sausage bap which was great but that was a one off!  So this time I'll bring burritoes for more savoury on the BigSea.  Pacing was good too, with running strong at the end, and sustainable throughout.  I never really pushed it that hard, but I motored up the hills with my Leki poles, passing people the whole way in a fast walk.  Downhills are a strength too, as I don't really get quad burn even on a few thousand feet.

The hardest part was I guess mental, being separated from the pack for most of the latter half, with the sporadic exception of my new friend who helped me not get lost.  What got me through was the scenery, the sense of cameraderie, brief chats with walkers on the move, and really having mainly internal goals.  I was motivated to get the medal too, which does help, and did motor a bit for that finish line feeling.

I'll blog BigSea too, especially as I'll be using it as a chance to get in more like 55k as its finish and start have a gap between them.  This way, I can hopefully get in 55k, a mental leap over the halfway barrier that some find at RTTS base camp.  The strategy there (to which I'm increasingly turning) will be to get in a good feed, but not spend too long there.  The main thing will be to just get going again while the light is still strong, and to finish not too long (<2 hrs) after dark. 

Here's a new trailrunning hat I got at Chiltern Ridge Ultra Trail. It's made by Ugoku, and I love it!