Weigh in shocker!

At this evening's weigh in with Mark Fleming we were both shocked to find that my body fat is down to 19.6% with yet another increase in lean weight being seen! At last though, there was a change to the visceral fat rating (fat around major organs). This is now 7. It's been at 8 for months and months and was as high as 12 when I started training last year!

Now I've saved the best stat for last. My metabolic age is now down to a very pleasing 30! Yes, you read it right. THREE ZERO! Not bad considering it's a week away from my 38th birthday and this stat was 53 when I started training 35 weeks ago!

As always, there is still plenty of hard work to be done. My diet is still nowhere near where it needs to be and remains one of the few missing pieces in the USA 2011 jigsaw. But hey, let me just basque in the glory of this latest set of improved stats.

Challenge in the Cheviots! (PART 2)

Well then! Where were we? Ah yes, at the start of the Chevy Chase in Wooler. Lets have an equipment check. Brooks Cascadia 4 shoes - "check". Brooks Glycerin socks - "check", Brooks shorts - "check", Brooks base layer top - "check", Run Geordie Run t-shirt - "check"!

I was quite relieved to finally get the run underway and it was quite a good start compared to my practice run start with the first 5.5 miles done in 01:14:43. The scenery was breath taking in the baking hot heat but I tried not to get taken in by it too much. Concentration on the immediate 4 feet in front of me was needed if I was to push on and beat that 6 hour cut off time!

It didn't take me long to figure out that the good thing about not being at the front of the pack was that there was a canny well trodden path to follow. I didn't have this luxury on the last practice run.

5.5 miles took me to the base of The Cheviot or The Cheviot Knee as it is called. It took almost 40 minutes to do the next 2 miles to the Cheviot summit. This was quite a hard slog with a slight head wind and the hunger pangs really set in half way up. As soon as I reached the checkpoint at the summit I decided to have a 5 minute sarnie break. Katy had made me some peanut butter sandwiches and they went down an absolute treat. I also took on board an energy gel and some electrolyte tablets. I set off down the other side of the Cheviot and then up to Hedgehope Hill where I reached the 10 mile point with 03:05:12 on the clock. "That's the hard part over" I thought. I was ever so pleased at having made a much better job at climbing down the Cheviot than my last attempt.

The next 2 miles to Langlee Crags took almost 40 minutes but by now I had a very wide grin on my face knowing that with 8 miles left to go and 2 /14 hours left on the clock I had a great chance of success. One thing quite apparent at this stage was how strong I felt. But then I suppose you would feel strong if you'd ran over 1000 miles in the last 35 weeks. With 12 miles of the most difficult terrain and elevation I'd ever faced done, I really didn't feel that much less energetic than at the start. I had the same feeling at the 14 mile checkpoint at Brands Corner. I made it here in 04:08:48. By now I realised that I was almost certainly going to finish under 6 hours and, if anything, I was guilty of taking my foot off the gas a little.

I made it to Hell Path, the 17 mile point, in 00:04:57. By this point I was all out of water and there were emergency rations only at the Hell Path checkpoint. I decided that there were probably a few thirst runners behind me so didn't take on any more water. The climb back up Hell Path in the direction of the finish line back at Wooler was accompanied with lots of signs with quotes and sayings on. The one that sticks in my mind was "If you're going through hell, keep going. - Winston Churchill.". I thought this was a really nice touch and made that mile go by quite quickly as I was concentrating on reading all of the signs.

The next 2 miles (18 and 19) were very straightforward and I continued to fell very good about myself. The only problem now was that my Garmin GPS watch had died a death. Perhaps it was the heat that caused the poor thing to pack up on me. Me and it have been through nearly 4000 miles together. Now I've rarely experienced the kind of thirst that hit me on the last mile. The sudden feeling of dehydration hit me like a ton of bricks. Boy was I thirsty! I got close to the finish when I met Ian Harding who had come to see if I was ok. Ian had finished in 03:19:45 but had had a few problems navigating the course and was disqualified as a result of missing a checkpoint. I was gutted for him but then quickly asked "Does that mean I beat you?". "Yes!" he said, "and you have my permission to tell everyone at work and write about it on your blog". What a scalp! This is the same Ian Harding that finished 2nd in the Ovingham 10k last Wednesday and the same Ian Harding that smashed the Druridge Bay 10k record in May. But seriously! I'll be dining out on this one for years to come! My running pals at Northern Rock aren't going to hear the last of this one in a hurry!

The final few hundred yards were done with a massive sense of relief. My final time of 05:32:42 was well within the dreaded 6 hour cut off time. I was very impressed at being handed a print out showing all of my split times at the finish line. I was so thirsty though and headed straight for the drinks. 5 cups later and I was still thirsty so I filled up my Camelbak and supped on that until I had my fill. In all of my excitement I had to go back and claim my very stylish Chevy Chase t-shirt. Another one for the collection! Very nice! Even nicer was the buffet that Wooler running club had put on. I had a couple of lovely sarnies washed down with tea from a proper mug. You don't get this at the end of many races! Brilliant!

On reflection, I think I ran the perfect race for my style and ability. The amount of effort in each section was just about right and apart from the dehydration near the end I couldn't believe how good I felt all the way round the course. This was in stark contrast to the practice run 3 weeks ago.

Talking to Ian today, he has already vowed to have a crack at this race again next year and put right the wrong of being disqualified. Will I be joining him? Absolutely! Count me in.

For a full list of split times and some excellent photos please visit the Wooler Running Club website.

Challenge in the Cheviots! (PART 1)

Last Saturday saw me take part in my first ever Chevy Chase. I was part of a 2 man team from Northern Rock with accomplished ultra distance runner Ian Harding providing youth and quality to our side!

For those of you who don't know, this is a 20 mile fell race starting from Wooler and taking in the glorious heights of The Cheviot (2,674 ft) and Hedgehope Hill (2,340 ft).

I should also say that it is a very well organised and supported race and a lot of credit must go to Wooler Running Club, Northumberland National Parks Search and Rescue Team and the many volunteers involved in various aspects of the race.

Registration for runners on the day was at 09:00 and I made sure I was there right on time after a leisurely drive up through Northumberland. This was a good move as it got a little busier shortly after. Following registration was the kit check where the contents of my Camelbak were checked to ensure that I had all of the necessary items; Compass, map, water, energy gels, peanut butter sandwiches, etc etc. That whole process went very smoothly and there was plenty of time to get prepared before the 10:30 kick off.

Readers may remember that I attempted a 14 mile section of the Chevy Chase route 3 weeks ago. I came out of that run with confidence sapped due to a very poor performance indeed. It didn't take me long to realise that day that I had neither the technique nor the courage required to set the fell running world alight. My biggest fear was taking longer than the allowed 6 hours! I spent the next 2 weeks worrying about the race and the potential embarrassment. I even lost sleep dreaming about not immense failure in the Cheviots!

It was only last Monday when I really started thinking about how I could reach the finish line within the required time. I started focusing on the positives first. For example, the potential weather conditions. Well this is an easy one for me as I relish running in any kind of climate. There's a positive straight away. I've ran in all kinds this year, from the bitterly cold icy conditions of the Pennines in winter to the baking hot desert in Egypt.

What about the hills? There are some nasty climbs in this race. Let's not forget that I've done a lot of hill running this year. I've got a lot of confidence when it comes to any kind of climbing (in the running sense of the word) and if I adopted the attitude I show when running in the Pennines I should be OK. Plus, my legs have got a lot more strength in them these days. Surely I could handle 2 major climbs.

Finally, I remembered that I was the lad who ran 874 miles in 37 days from John O'Groats to Lands End in 2007. I've been in bigger scrapes than this! The Chevy Chase is a one off event and I would be able to take it easy for a few days afterwards. That got me thinking about a plan of attack. There were only 2 elements to it as far as I was concerned. The main tactic would be to make best use of the various types of terrain. Where there was a decent place to run I would go for it with as much pace as I thought was sensible at the time. On the rough and uneven terrain the plan was to push forward with a little more courage than I showed 3 weeks ago. Let's face it, that would not have been too difficult! Secondly, I imagined the forward motion coming from my upper body with my legs adapting to the various terrain underneath. This approach was to work much better on the actual race day than my previous practice run. This was me taking a few more risks on the day without actually thinking I was taking risks.

Last week, leading up to the race I managed a couple of 6 mile sessions through Jesmond Dene and a slower than usual 4.5 miles on the treadmill. I had a few pints of orange the night before the race with none other than Jimmy Bell among a few others. Jimmy has ran this race twice before. His words and advice really set my mind at ease and completed my week long mental preparation for the run.

Meanwhile, back to the start line at 10:15 on Saturday morning. The weather was absolutely baking hot! I met up with the other half of the Northern Rock team, Ian Harding, who was out to do a very good time. Of course, this was to be the last I saw of him until the finish line! Me and a few hundred other runners got underway right on time. I was actually looking forward to getting stuck into the run now. Did that frame of mind last? Tune in for part 2 as well as a surprise ending tomorrow.............to be continued.

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 35

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Tuesday 30th June - 6 mile run, Jesmond Dene. (00:58:00 tbc).

Thursday 2nd July - 4.5 mile run, Treadmill. (00:39:40).

Friday 3rd July - 6 mile run, Jesmond Dene. (00:57:00 tbc).

Saturday 4th July - 20 mile run, Chevy Chase. (05:32:42).

Chevy Chase - done in 05:32:42

I'll post a full report on the blog soon!

Ooooh! Exciting fundraising news to be revealed soon.

Watch this space over the next few days for the exciting (Nay! Very exciting actually!) news of a new fundraising strand to Run Geordie Run.

All will be revealed as soon as the final details have been finalised. Suffice to say, that it will be worth waiting for and will hopefully be of great benefit to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation.

Business as usual

I'm pleased to report that the headache I've been suffering for the last few days has finally gone. Even more pleasing is the fact that I managed some inclines in Jesmond Dene today during a 6 mile run.

The conditions were very hot and humid indeed. Thanks to my training in Egypt a few months ago this was no problem whatsoever. Almost the entire surface in the Dene was slippy underfoot. It was good practice for Saturday's 20 mile Chevy Chase run.

Speaking of which, I had a bad dream about that particular run last night. The dream was all about not taking any water with me for the course and instead opting for speed due to my reduced payload. Madness!

I don't tend to do that many ogranised races but when I do I tend to get very nervous for one reason or another. The Blaydon Race, for example, had the pressure of wanting to run a sub 50 minute time. Next year I'll be gunning for a sub 45 minute time and the nerves will no doubt re-appear. The pressure of the Chevy Chase is simply to beat the cut off time of 6 hours and be recognised as a finisher! Simple really!

Grounded by a headache!

I've had a headache since Friday evening which has meant I missed a run at the weekend and a session in the gym tonight. It seems to have gone now, thankfully. I've got a feeling it was linked to dehydration. I do seem to be drinking a heck of a lot at the moment but still feel very thirsty. Perhaps it's something to do with the increase in temperature. Who knows!

The good news is that I'm desperate to go for a run tomorrow and will be doing 2 or 3 short easy runs before the Chevy Chase on Saturday.

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 34

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Monday 22nd June - Personal Training Session. (01:30:00).

Tweaks to the training schedule imminent!

The last 8 months have consisted of alternate weeks of running and cross training. It's a nicely balanced schedule which has worked really well up to now. It has allowed me to run almost 1000 miles so far while being able to fit in work and family life. The results, so far, are there for all to see or read about. I'm running faster and further than ever before and I've lost count of the number of PBs I've managed over the last few months. It's all good stuff and is slowly but surely getting me where I need to be as I prepare myself both physically and mentally for the toughest challenge I have ever faced in my life.

While I'm quite happy with the current schedule, I feel the time is right to make a few tweaks to it. I suppose "tweak" is the wrong word as the changes I'm proposing could be seen to be pretty major.

Firstly, after spending a lot of time analysing the composition of my runs over the last week or so, I have decided to add another target to the schedule. Currently, the only target I have is TOTAL MILEAGE. My next running week, for example (Week 37, 12th July), will see me attempt a total mileage of 95 miles. Starting from that week I will factor in the AVERAGE DISTANCE PER SESSION to the schedule. This stat so far has been around about the 7 mile mark. I'll be looking to increase this over the next 6 months to an average of 14 miles per session. In other words, every time I go out I should be looking to be run just over a half marathon in distance! Of course, I'll be doing this within the constraints of the total mileage required for the week. This figure has been increasing steadily towards 110 miles a week and I should reach that by mid August.

So lets get this straight in our minds. By December 2009, I will be running 110 miles every other week and each run will be around 14 miles in distance. Wow! That's a far cry from the amount of running I did in preparation for the 874 mile jog from John O'Groats to Lands End in 2007. I should emerge a better runner as a result of the new target with a greater range and increased endurance.

The other "tweak" to the schedule will be seen in the cross training week. This is a more straightforward one! Quite simply, I will be allowing myself one single rest day as opposed to the 2 or 3 I'm currently enjoying. I feel that I'm just not doing enough sessions during the cross training weeks and I must change this. I wouldn't even rule out doing further running during these weeks.

These 2 tweaks will certainly increase the difficulty and hopefully the intensity of my training. With so many other day to day things to fit in, not to mention the planning and organisation of the USA 2011 run, there is very little margin for error or slip up. I wouldn't want it any other way!

A disappointing end to a tough week 33!

The start of week 33 saw me attempt a 14 mile route in the Cheviot Hills with Mike Lewis and Paul Bradbeer. Now I've ran some tough routes in my time but for me this was a new definition of difficult!

The route involved climbing up The Cheviot summit itself which stands at 2674 ft and the neighbouring Hedgehope Hill at 2340 ft. The elevation didn't prove too difficult by itself. I've ran up and down many hills (and steps!) during this training campaign so I wouldn't expect anything different. It was, however, the terrain on which I was running that caused me as many problems on a run as I've had in a long old while. Straight forward paths were few and far between and for the most part it was a case of "wading" through heather and lots of rough overgrown uneven terrain. The near constant jarring action on my ankles was nothing I've ever experienced before. I was running like a cross between a drunken Elvis and a new born Bambi! The air was blue in the Cheviots that day I can tell you!

While clambering down the other side of The Cheviot I was beginning to question the seemingly ludicrous decision to enter the Chevy Chase on July 4th. I think I also realised why Jimmy Bell said "Never again" after he ran this race a few years ago. Although he did come back and do it again a second time!

All of a sudden my respect for Fell Runners increased many times over. I found I neither had the courage nor the technique required to descend a hill such as The Cheviot in a respectable time. I will definitely be up against it when I try and beat the 6 hour cut off time on July 4th! This particular attempt took just over 5 hours and was 6 miles short of the full distance! You don't have to have a GCSE in maths to work out that I probably wouldn't beat the cut off time with this kind of performance. The fact that I ran out of water after 9 miles didn't help matters either. That's no excuse though!

I will be returning to have another go at it by myself on the 27th June. I won't be stopping to take photos this time and I'll be armed with my trusty iPod. It'll be a case of head down and get on with it! I'll go into the next attempt better hydrated than last week and will try and use the 1.5 litres of water that I'll be carrying sparingly.

Last weeks run in the Cheviots was the first of what should have been 95 miles. By the time I came to do a few regular runs on Monday I realised that this was a particularly tall order. I felt absolutely shattered. Sunday's effort up and down the rough terrain had definitely taken it's toll, particularly on my quadricep muscles. They never ache! It's usually my hamstrings or calf muscles that ache!

I missed 3 scheduled runs between Monday and Wednesday but still managed to clock up 42.7 miles. But they were all very laboured miles and the confidence that I'd gained from last week's Blaydon Race PB was nowhere to be seen! I can't say I enjoyed many of those 42.7 miles and if it wasn't for the usual runners from Northern Rock keeping me company on a few of those runs then I would have struggled even more. Thanks yet again are due to Austin, Colin, Patrick and Carl.

One thing to note was the amount of sleep I was having. 12 hours on Monday, 10 hours on Tuesday and 9 on Wednesday! 12 hours! That's unheard of!

This dip in confidence didn't last and the 3 sessions on Thursday were a good sign that I'd finally recovered from Sunday's Cheviot adventure. The aches in my quads had gone and I generally felt a lot better. To make life easier I did more miles than I'd planned to do during the first 2 sessions on Friday. This only left 3.9 miles left during the 3rd session which I took easy on the treadmill. Somehow, going into the final day of week 33 I'd managed to run 73 miles and I felt I had a really good chance of getting to the target of 95 miles. The plan was to run the 22 mile Pennine Challenge route on the final day. This never happened though as I woke up with a very sore throat and a bit of a head cold. I put off and put off running until finally making the decision to quite at 6pm. I was quite prepared to start the 22 miles that late but it wasn't to be. Another thing that affected my decision was the need to be in ship shape for the next attempt in the Cheviots next Saturday.

The Chevy Chase has been a bit of a distraction from my USA 2011 training. Is it a welcome one? I think the answer to that is yes! One thing is for sure, running on that kind of terrain certainly makes my regular running feel a whole lot easier and straightforward. I take my hat off to those hardy fell runners. Some of whom may be reading this and having a bit of a laugh. I'm not too embarrassed by lack of fell running technique or even by my constant complaining this week. What will be embarrassing though is not beating the 6 hour cut off time on July 4th!

The plan last week was to go straight into 100 miles this week but I need to focus on the Chevy Chase. This week (34) will just involve a session in the gym with Mark Fleming before a 2nd attempt at 14 miles in The Cheviots. I'll have another session with Mark in week 35 before the Chevy Chase at the end of the week. I may well have another gym week after that before attempting 95 miles again in week 36. It's all subject to change but if all goes to plan then I should be running 110 miles per week by mid August. This is approximately half of the weekly mileage that I'll be running in the USA in just under 2 years time.

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 33

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Sunday 14th June – 14 mile run, The Cheviot and Hedgehope tour. (05:03:00).
Monday 15th June - 7.6 mile run, West of Gosforth Tour. (01:07:52).
Monday 15th June – 3.5 mile run, Treadmill. (00:32:59).
Tuesday 16th June - 7.3 mile run, St James’ Park. (01:10:48).
Wednesday 17th June - 10.3 mile run, Havannah and Race Course. (01:41:30).
Thursday 18th June – 5 mile run, Treadmill. (00:44:55).
Thursday 18th June – 5 mile run, Race Course. (00:44:00).
Thursday 18th June – 5 mile run, Treadmill. (00:48:28).
Friday 19th June - 5.5 mile run, Treadmill. (00:52:01).
Friday 19th June - 5.9 mile run, Around the Sage. (00:50:52).
Friday 19th June – 3.9 mile run, Treadmill. (00:35:58).

A tough but enjoyable end to week 32.

After Tuesday's PB in the Blaydon Race, confidence was very high going into Thursday's personal training session with Mark Fleming down at David Fairlamb's gym. Body stats were measured at the start of the session and I was pleased to learn that more fat had been lost and more lean weight gained. Moreover, my metabolic age is now down to 32! Regular readers will remember that it was 52 when I started training!

Half an hour in to the session, though, and my feet were brought firmly crashing down to the ground with a very tough workout indeed! Chin ups and various dips were on the menu early on and I was left shaking after that lot. I almost passed out during the interval session on the step machine. What a tart! 90 minutes later though I left the gym feeling invigorated after a really tough workout. These 90 minute sessions also gives Mark and I a good chance to talk about preparations and training for the USA. Although, there were times today when simple conversation was beyond me!

The follow up session, 24 hours later, involved more weights and I felt I coped a bit better than the day before. I wouldn't do half of the required work in the gym without a personal trainer and I would recommend one to anyone with motivational problems or who, like me, someone who likes to be really pushed to the limits in the gym. Why not check out David Fairlamb's website for more details. That's him pictured up above there.

The results that I've seen in some of David's clients are remarkable. Peter McCowie is one example. Peter was over 20 stone when he started training in November. I remember his first Beach Bootcamp where to say he had to take it easy was an understatement. Peter is now 14 stone something and completed the Blaydon Race last week in 46 minutes. As I said - REMARKABLE!

That brings me nicely on to Saturday morning, where I attended my first David Fairlamb's Beach Bootcamp in 4 weeks. Lots of running and the recent bike ride has kept me away but it was great to be back with both David and Mark Fleming overseeing the proceedings. David's section was mostly cardio on the beach section and Mark's was more concerned with resistance training in the old outdoor swimming pool area. As per usual, it was a brilliant session and it was topped off with 10 lots of steps in King Edward's Bay afterwards. What a great way to end week 32 of the USA 2011 training schedule!

USA 2011 Training Summary - Week 32

The Run Geordie Run Training Summary is brought to you in association with Northern Runner, 52 Low Friar Street (Just down from the Gate), Newcastle.

Why not visit the Northern Runner shop and let the experts examine your feet to recommend the best shoe for you. Alternatively, click on the link to the left to go straight to their website.

Tuesday 9th June - 6 mile run, The Blaydon Race. (00:46:48). 

Thursday 11th June - Personal Training Session. (01:30:00).

Friday 12th June - Personal Training Session. (01:30:00).

Saturday 13th June - Beach Bootcamp. (00:45:00).

Saturday 13th June - 10 x steps.

..away we went along Collingwood street, that's on the road to Blaydon!

Oh me lads! You should have seen us gannin! Well it's the 9th June, which can only mean one thing; my annual participation in the Blaydon Race. 3 years ago I clocked 00:58:59 in this race. 2 years ago my time was 00:52:53 and last year I managed 00:51:32. The aim this year was to beat 50 minutes and I'm pleased to report that I finished well within that target with a time of 00:46:48. 

I started the run just how I intended to go on with a faster than usual pace for me. I was never in any distress or trouble throughout the entire run and felt in total control the whole time. I think this pace was just about right for this stage of my training. I did wonder if yesterday's sports massage would have an adverse effect on my legs but in fact the opposite was true; my legs felt as good as they have for a long time. Although they are still very sore to the touch after Tracy from the gym had a right good go at them. Ooya!

The mile split times were as follows:

Mile 1 - 00:07:47

Mile 2 - 00:07:31

Mile 3 - 00:07:36

Mile 4 - 00:08:21

Mile 5 - 00:07:59

Mile 6 - 00:07:34

The final time was particularly pleasing given that it was done with only 2 rest days following that tough 90 mile week of running. I'm already looking forward to next year's run when I'll have ran nearly another 2800 miles by then. I've got to be looking at a sub 45 minute time next year!

While I'm on the subject of the Blaydon Races, why not check out a rather brilliant version of that famous song on the Exiles Myspace page. Regular readers will know that The Exiles (aka Alan Millen and Tim Readman) are in the process of producing 2 charity songs for Run Geordie Run. The delivery of the songs are imminent and I can't wait to hear Runner on a Lonely Road and Beneath The Angels Wings Once More. I'll keep you posted as and when I get further news on the songs. In the meantime, click here to be taken to The Exiles page where that catchy version of The Blaydon Races awaits.

A slight change of plan.

The Chevy Chase doesn't fit nicely with my training schedule so I've decided to change things round a bit. This Sunday will see me start a 95 mile week as planned. Once that is over, however, I intend to get straight into the 100 mile week. So that's 195 miles to be ran in 14 days. Ooya!

I'll then enjoy 6 full rest days before taking part in the 53rd Chevy Chase on Saturday the 4th of July. Pictured is one of the summits of the route (The Cheviot) standing proud at 2674 ft.

After the Chevy Chase I'll have a week in the gym before attempting 105 miles the following week. If all goes to plan with that then I'll have a crack at 110 miles in the last week of July. I should be back in some kind of routine after this, with a week in the gym followed by a week of running 110 miles, etc etc. 

I should learn a lot about what I'm capable of over the coming weeks and months. Quality running is what I'm after. As soon as the quality goes then I'll reduce the mileage and come back stronger until I can do it properly. That's not going to happen without one hell of a fight though! Run Geordie Run indeed!