Speyside Way 50K race report
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Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! But perhaps I ought to start at
the beginning. ;-)
T'was a perfect day for running a long distance race up in
Speyside yesterday. Overcast with a gentle breeze just right
for keeping you cool. About half of the 100 odd runners had
amassed down at Spey Bay (the finishing point) and we joined
them for the bus ride up to the start at Ballindalloch
Station, a disused railway station and line just upstream of
the castle. There we met the rest of the runners who'd
arrived under their own steam and discovered the first hitch
in the organisation. 100 nervous runners and not a toilet in
sight! In fact there *was* a public toilet but someone had
thoughtfully locked it. Rather annoying, especially for the
ladies who were struggling to find any privacy.
I'd agonised for a long time over my pacing strategy. I
knew I would manage the distance (on the flat) but I also
knew that there was Ben Aigen (407 m) slap bang in the
middle of our run. With a sub 7 minute 1/2 marathon under
my belt, 8 minute miles didn't seem too outrageously
optimistic. I didn't expect to average that as I planned to
walk early on the hills. but it seemed a reasonable target
for the flat bits.
As it turned out, this was really a run of three parts. The
lead in to the hill, the HILL, and the rest. My pacing
strategy after the hill needed fairly serious revision. ;-)
The run started along the disused railway line, the surface
was good and the running easy for the first 10 miles or so.
A couple of small suspension bridges provided some
entertainment as they bucked under our feet as we ran over
them making feel like you were alternately bounding along
or ploughing through mud. The path then climbed away from
the river along roads and before long, we were off the
tarmac and onto the forest tracks of Ben Aigen. Now I
*knew* Ben Aigen was there from the start, I knew it's
height. What I didn't know was that the bl**dy path was
going to go up and down and up and down and up and down all
along the sides of this hill. When we did eventually escape
the hill, the organisers had thoughtfully added in *more*
hills by putting the extra 5k needed to make it a 50k over
some steep sided valleys just for our further pleasure. I
don't now how much climbing we did but that's one hill I
won't underestimate again!
The one bright spot on Ben Aigen was where a section of
forest had been felled and we could see right down the
river valley to the sea (about 15 miles distant) and our
finishing point.
By now the Speyside Way had rather drifted away from the
river onto country lanes and we undulated out way down to
Fochabers where the path returns to river level. With only
6 miles to go I was actually feeling pretty good at this
point and found a new spring in my step. It was short lived
however and my feet that had been hurting for some time
began to complain seriously. Nothing specific, I've not
even got a blister this morning, just a hellish ache from
all the pounding. To make matters worse, much of the path
along the riverside at this point had been repaired with
sea-worn pebbles that were all knobbly. With tired legs
that had lost the will to look for secure footing, it was
just a case of stumbling along over these pebbles. (Give me
good ol' tarmac any day!)
I may have overcooked myself earlier with my pace but
somehow, I found myself passing other runners in this last 6
miles. Annoyingly, there was one runner ahead who was
walking and running but I just could reel him in. With about
2 miles to go, you could see the finish across the fields. I
have never know 2 miles to pass so *slowly* and the
temptation to walk was almost overwhelming but I hadn't
walked on any flat bits up till then and I was damned if I
was going to give up and walk so close to the finish. I know
all racing is about embracing pain but I lost count of the
number of times I thought that 31 miles was just too much
pain to embrace. I swore repeatedly that I'd never ever run
another ultra.
It was an enormous relief to round the last corner and
see the finish line a few hundred meters ahead. As the
finish neared, I picked up the pace and sprinted the last
100m (d*mned stupid I know but irresistible) and ground
to a stumbling halt. I so badly wanted to lie down but I
was terrified that if I did, I wouldn't be able to get up
again so instead, I staggered round gulping water and
salt capsules (I'd felt my right calf threatening to
cramp up over the last mile) and somehow I managed to
stay on my feet.
Final position was 40th out of 95 finishers (98 starters)
which I'm not too unhappy about for a first 50K but I wasn't
too wowed by my time which was
4:44:46. I had hoped to get under 4:30 but that was based
on a Ben Aigen walk up, run down and then back to
level running again fantasy so perhaps no great
surprise that I didn't manage that. I should just
consol myself with the fact that I did beat many
more experienced (and several younger) runners.
Somewhat galling though to know that when I was
only 20 miles into my race, the winner had already
crossed the finish line in 3:02! (Simon Pride,
five times previous winner).
To round off the day, there were cold drafty showers filled
with screaming naked men on offer but that helped to take
you mind off of all your other pains. ;-). Hot soup and
sandwiches were much more welcome in the Spey Bay hotel and
after a pint of Guinness and the prize giving, it was time
to head home.
I swore many times yesterday that I'd never run this
distance again, today, the memory of the pain is fading fast
and I know I could do better next year. I can run up and
down stairs this morning so my legs seemed to have survived
pretty well.
I've learnt a bit more about my capabilities and my respect
for other mad ultra runners who run even greater distances
has increased enormously.
Devil of the Highlands in August? Who knows, ask me
tomorrow. ;-)
Thanks for reading.
Tim
--
Remove the obvious to reply by email. Please support
rheumatoid arthritis research! Visit
http://www.justgiving.com/pfp/speyside or
http://www.justgiving.com/speyside if you're a UK tax payer.
In message <c5doae$f1am$1@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de>, Tim
Downie <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> writes
>Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! But perhaps I ought to start at
>the beginning. ;-)
>
>T'was a perfect day for running a long distance race up in
>Speyside yesterday. Overcast with a gentle breeze just
>right for keeping you cool.
<Snipped excellent race report>
Well done Tim, especially for a first time at the distance
in an event. I'd have been happy to just finish the race
although it would probably have been dark by the time I
crossed the line.
--
Les V60 North Shields Poly AC http://www.nspoly.co.uk (http://www.nspoly.co.uk/)
Tim Downie wrote:
> I'd agonised for a long time over my pacing strategy. I
> knew I would manage the distance (on the flat) but I also
> knew that there was Ben Aigen (407 m) slap bang in the
> middle of our run. With a sub 7 minute 1/2 marathon under
> my belt, 8 minute miles didn't seem too outrageously
> optimistic.
:) :)
> As it turned out, this was really a run of three parts.
> The lead in to the hill, the HILL, and the rest. My
> pacing strategy after the hill needed fairly serious
> revision. ;-)
I'd say your pacing strategy before and on the hill needs
review. :)
> What I didn't know was that the bl**dy path was going to
> go up and down and up and down and up and down all along
> the sides of this hill. When we did eventually escape the
> hill, the organisers had thoughtfully added in *more*
> hills by putting the extra 5k needed to make it a 50k over
> some steep sided valleys just for our further pleasure. I
> don't now how much climbing we did but that's one hill I
> won't underestimate again!
Did you expect them to grade and or tarmac the hills? ;) I
did suggest some time back that it's the sharp ups and
downs of a trail run which will vacuum your energy
especially if you don't train on similar terrain and/or
don't show it respect.
> I may have overcooked myself earlier with my pace but
> somehow, I found myself passing other runners in this last
> 6 miles.
That simply means there were others that cooked themselves
more than you did. ;) It takes great discipline to hold back
in the beginning and finish strong.
> Final position was 40th out of 95 finishers (98 starters)
> which I'm not too unhappy about for a first 50K but I
> wasn't too wowed by my time which was
> 4:44:46.
I was guessing 4:50 to 5. Other than you felt like **** the
last N miles did you think you lost 14 minutes in the last
third? I doubt it.
I had hoped to get under 4:30 but that was based on a Ben
Aigen
> walk up, run down and then back to level running again
> fantasy so perhaps no great surprise that I didn't
> manage that.
No comment. ;)
> I should just consol myself with the fact that I did beat
> many more experienced (and several younger) runners.
Boo hiss. You can get this from a 5k.
> I've learnt a bit more about my capabilities and my
> respect for other mad ultra runners who run even greater
> distances has increased enormously.
Let me impart some thoughts as long as your vulnerable.
Never equate road pace to trail pace. It's like comparing an
apple and a rock for nutritional value.
To run 4:30 you needed hills, hills and more hills and
ideally on trails if not very steep roads.
And last but not least and hopefully this make more sense
now concerning one's pace for an ultra - " find a paced that
feels comfortable and then SLOW it down."
>
> Devil of the Highlands in August? Who knows, ask me
> tomorrow. ;-)
This is other large step. Not just increasing the distance
to 43 miles but hauling you own goodies on your back etc.
Don't even think about comparing paces of Speyside - more
apples and rocks. Set your goal to finish sans a body bag
and toe ticket. :)
Great run!!!!
--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" dfreeseS@NOBShvc.rr.com
"Doug Freese" <dfreese@NOBShvc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:unvec.34073$WA4.22976@twister.nyc.rr.com...
>
> > As it turned out, this was really a run of three parts.
> > The lead in to
the
> > hill, the HILL, and the rest. My pacing strategy after
> > the hill needed fairly serious revision. ;-)
>
> I'd say your pacing strategy before and on the hill needs
> review. :)
Stating the bl**ding obvious there Doug. Short of turning
the clock back, there's not a lot you can do.;-)
> Let me impart some thoughts as long as your vulnerable.
>
> Never equate road pace to trail pace. It's like comparing
> an apple and a rock for nutritional value.
Actually, whilst I agree with you in general, the Speyside
way starts on an old railway embankment well surfaced with
crushed rock and is veritable motorway compared the the
surfaces I suspect you usually run on. An 8 minute pace was
a very easy conversational pace for first 10 miles. Clearly,
with hindsight, it would have been nicer to have a bit more
left in the tank for later stages. I knew the hill was going
to be tough, I just didn't know pre-race *how* tough.
>
> To run 4:30 you needed hills, hills and more hills and
> ideally on trails if not very steep roads.
>
> And last but not least and hopefully this make more sense
> now concerning one's pace for an ultra - " find a paced
> that feels comfortable and then SLOW it down."
> >
> > Devil of the Highlands in August? Who knows, ask me
> > tomorrow. ;-)
>
> This is other large step. Not just increasing the distance
> to 43 miles but hauling you own goodies on your back etc.
Actually, a decent sized bum bag will suffice for this race.
You have a support team who can supply you at regular
intervals.
> Don't even think about comparing paces of Speyside - more
> apples and rocks. Set your goal to finish sans a body bag
> and toe ticket. :)
My aim exactly! A 50K is too close to marathon distance
resist trying to "race" it (well at least for a regular road
runner). A hilly 43 miler is so far beyond any race I've
done I'll be treating it much more as a fast hike with
jogging intervals.
> Great run!!!!
Thanks Doug.
Tim
<yawn>
"Tim Downie" <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
message news:<c5doae$f1am$1@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! But perhaps I ought to start at
> the beginning. ;-)
>
> T'was a perfect day for running a long distance race up in
> Speyside yesterday. Overcast with a gentle breeze just
> right for keeping you cool. About half of the 100 odd
> runners had amassed down at Spey Bay (the finishing point)
> and we joined them for the bus ride up to the start at
> Ballindalloch Station, a disused railway station and line
> just upstream of the castle. There we met the rest of the
> runners who'd arrived under their own steam and discovered
> the first hitch in the organisation. 100 nervous runners
> and not a toilet in sight! In fact there *was* a public
> toilet but someone had thoughtfully locked it. Rather
> annoying, especially for the ladies who were struggling to
> find any privacy.
>
> I'd agonised for a long time over my pacing strategy. I
> knew I would manage the distance (on the flat) but I also
> knew that there was Ben Aigen (407 m) slap bang in the
> middle of our run. With a sub 7 minute 1/2 marathon under
> my belt, 8 minute miles didn't seem too outrageously
> optimistic. I didn't expect to average that as I planned
> to walk early on the hills. but it seemed a reasonable
> target for the flat bits.
>
> As it turned out, this was really a run of three parts.
> The lead in to the hill, the HILL, and the rest. My
> pacing strategy after the hill needed fairly serious
> revision. ;-)
>
> The run started along the disused railway line, the
> surface was good and the running easy for the first 10
> miles or so. A couple of small suspension bridges provided
> some entertainment as they bucked under our feet as we ran
> over them making feel like you were alternately bounding
> along or ploughing through mud. The path then climbed away
> from the river along roads and before long, we were off
> the tarmac and onto the forest tracks of Ben Aigen. Now I
> *knew* Ben Aigen was there from the start, I knew it's
> height. What I didn't know was that the bl**dy path was
> going to go up and down and up and down and up and down
> all along the sides of this hill. When we did eventually
> escape the hill, the organisers had thoughtfully added in
> *more* hills by putting the extra 5k needed to make it a
> 50k over some steep sided valleys just for our further
> pleasure. I don't now how much climbing we did but that's
> one hill I won't underestimate again!
>
> The one bright spot on Ben Aigen was where a section of
> forest had been felled and we could see right down the
> river valley to the sea (about 15 miles distant) and our
> finishing point.
>
> By now the Speyside Way had rather drifted away from the
> river onto country lanes and we undulated out way down to
> Fochabers where the path returns to river level. With only
> 6 miles to go I was actually feeling pretty good at this
> point and found a new spring in my step. It was short
> lived however and my feet that had been hurting for some
> time began to complain seriously. Nothing specific, I've
> not even got a blister this morning, just a hellish ache
> from all the pounding. To make matters worse, much of the
> path along the riverside at this point had been repaired
> with sea-worn pebbles that were all knobbly. With tired
> legs that had lost the will to look for secure footing, it
> was just a case of stumbling along over these pebbles.
> (Give me good ol' tarmac any day!)
>
> I may have overcooked myself earlier with my pace but
> somehow, I found myself passing other runners in this last
> 6 miles. Annoyingly, there was one runner ahead who was
> walking and running but I just could reel him in. With
> about 2 miles to go, you could see the finish across the
> fields. I have never know 2 miles to pass so *slowly* and
> the temptation to walk was almost overwhelming but I
> hadn't walked on any flat bits up till then and I was
> damned if I was going to give up and walk so close to the
> finish. I know all racing is about embracing pain but I
> lost count of the number of times I thought that 31 miles
> was just too much pain to embrace. I swore repeatedly that
> I'd never ever run another ultra.
>
> It was an enormous relief to round the last corner and
> see the finish line a few hundred meters ahead. As the
> finish neared, I picked up the pace and sprinted the last
> 100m (d*mned stupid I know but irresistible) and ground
> to a stumbling halt. I so badly wanted to lie down but I
> was terrified that if I did, I wouldn't be able to get up
> again so instead, I staggered round gulping water and
> salt capsules (I'd felt my right calf threatening to
> cramp up over the last mile) and somehow I managed to
> stay on my feet.
>
> Final position was 40th out of 95 finishers (98 starters)
> which I'm not too unhappy about for a first 50K but I
> wasn't too wowed by my time which was
> 4:44:46. I had hoped to get under 4:30 but that was based
> on a Ben Aigen walk up, run down and then back
> to level running again fantasy so perhaps no
> great surprise that I didn't manage that. I
> should just consol myself with the fact that I
> did beat many more experienced (and several
> younger) runners. Somewhat galling though to
> know that when I was only 20 miles into my race,
> the winner had already crossed the finish line
> in 3:02! (Simon Pride, five times previous
> winner).
>
> To round off the day, there were cold drafty showers
> filled with screaming naked men on offer but that helped
> to take you mind off of all your other pains. ;-). Hot
> soup and sandwiches were much more welcome in the Spey Bay
> hotel and after a pint of Guinness and the prize giving,
> it was time to head home.
>
> I swore many times yesterday that I'd never run this
> distance again, today, the memory of the pain is fading
> fast and I know I could do better next year. I can run up
> and down stairs this morning so my legs seemed to have
> survived pretty well.
>
> I've learnt a bit more about my capabilities and my
> respect for other mad ultra runners who run even greater
> distances has increased enormously.
>
> Devil of the Highlands in August? Who knows, ask me
> tomorrow. ;-)
>
> Thanks for reading.
>
> Tim
"Tim Downie" <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote
in message
> I swore many times yesterday that I'd never run this
> distance again,
today,
> the memory of the pain is fading fast and I know I could
> do better next year. I can run up and down stairs this
> morning so my legs seemed to have survived pretty well.
Great race and report, Tim. The pain of a long hard race
always gets me on day 2 post-race. If I were you I would do
something today like 20 minutes free and easy spinning on a
recumbant or stationary bike, if you have access to either -
then take the next day off. I firmly believe this really
shortens recovery time.
cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org "The most
insecure people are the ones you see, putting other people
down constantly."
<mighty snip> Well done! You only took a few minutes longer
than it took me to complete the Medoc marathon and that was
MUCH more pleasant. I am most impressed. I hope you raised a
substantial sum towards the RA thing. I really enjoyed
reading youir report, too. J
"SwStudio" <shhhh_secrets@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:z%wec.21929$n37.1868414@read2.cgocable.net...
>
> Great race and report, Tim. The pain of a long hard race
> always gets me on day 2 post-race. If I were you I would
> do something today like 20 minutes free and easy spinning
> on a recumbant or stationary bike, if you have access to
> either - then take the next day off. I firmly believe this
> really shortens recovery time.
You're mistaking me for someone who takes these things
seriously.;-)
So far it's been a dog walk (and litter collection) on the
beach with a little jog down Ayr high street in search of
some more Easter eggs.
Tomorrow it'll probaly be a hill session at the club or some
such nonsense. (I really did run on one of our club hill
sessions two days after the Loch Ness marathon. Maybe not a
good idea but by the end of the session my muscles were much
less achy and I ran a 5K PB the following week). I suspect
that what training you do *before* the race has more impact
on recovery speed than what you do after.
Cheers.
Tim
"Jonathan Sydenham" <sydenham@mail.dk> wrote in message
news:407aacea$0$282$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.dk...
> <mighty snip> Well done!
Thanks Jonathan
> You only took a few minutes longer than it took me to
> complete the Medoc marathon and that was MUCH more
> pleasant.
That's another one on my "to do" list. As I discovered,
Slimfast and Lucozade Sport make an ultra doable, but not
enjoyable. Wine sounds like much more fun.
TIm
"Me again?" <awarburton69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:fd2a52f5.0404120557.28179a0f@posting.google.com...
> <yawn>
Why thank you Bill. I shall bask in your adulation. ;-)
Tim
"Tim Downie" <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote
in message>
> "Me again?" <awarburton69@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:fd2a52f5.0404120557.28179a0f@posting.google.com...
> > <yawn>
>
> Why thank you Bill. I shall bask in your adulation. ;-)
>
> Tim
I'd be honoured - your run was so long and tiring, the mere
mention of it even puts the trolls to sleep. :)
cheers,
--
David (in Hamilton, ON) www.allfalldown.org "The most
insecure people are the ones you see, putting other people
down constantly."
Tim Downie wrote:
> Annoyingly, there was one runner ahead who was walking and
> running but I just could reel him in.
A gallow-walker. How insulting! ;)
> I was damned if I was going to give up and walk so close
> to the finish.
Hmm. Maybe this could be part of your re-evaluation :).
Congrats on your achievement.
--
ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,-
,ø¤º eNo "If you can't go fast, go long." ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°-
`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º°`°º¤ø¤º°`°º¤ø,,,,ø¤º
Tim Downie wrote:
> Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! But perhaps I ought to start at
> the beginning. ;-)
>
Sure you have enough ouches there, Tim? :)
....
> Now I *knew* Ben Aigen was there from the start, I knew
> it's height. What I didn't know was that the bl**dy path
> was going to go up and down and up and down and up and
> down all along the sides of this hill. When we did
> eventually escape the hill, the organisers had
> thoughtfully added in *more* hills by putting the extra 5k
> needed to make it a 50k over some steep sided valleys just
> for our further pleasure. I don't now how much climbing we
> did but that's one hill I won't underestimate again!
Rule of thumb: Where there's at least one big hill, there's
bound to be a few others, possibly smaller :) They're highly
social critters. Oh, and if you check topo maps ahead of
time, they may hide between the contour lines to surprise
you on race day. Never such a thing as too much information
ahead of time when new to trails.
>Annoyingly, there was one runner ahead who was walking and
>running but I just could reel him in.
With longer distances and hills, it's amazing how efficient
walking and running can be, even when going for speed.
>
> Final position was 40th out of 95 finishers (98 starters)
> which I'm not too unhappy about for a first 50K but I
> wasn't too wowed by my time which was
> 4:44:46. I had hoped to get under 4:30 but that was based
> on a Ben Aigen walk up, run down and then back
> to level running again fantasy so perhaps no
> great surprise that I didn't manage that.
Congratulations on an excellent race, considering you had
done it more or less blind and weren't familiar with the
course and appropriate energy management for it. I'll bet
next time you'll do much better because you'll know how to
adjust to hills better as well as recognizing differences in
trails vs roads.
Dot
--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd
Heinrich in Racing the Antelope
"Tim Downie" <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c5doae$f1am$1@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch! But perhaps I ought to start at
> the beginning. ;-)
>
> runners and not a toilet in sight! In fact there *was* a
> public toilet
but
> someone had thoughtfully locked it. Rather annoying,
> especially for the
Add a crowbar to the list for next year then...
>
> I swore many times yesterday that I'd never run this
> distance again,
today,
> the memory of the pain is fading fast and I know I could
> do better next year. I can run up and down stairs this
> morning so my legs seemed to have survived pretty well.
:) That sounds like a pretty quick recoverr
>
> I've learnt a bit more about my capabilities and my
> respect for other mad ultra runners who run even greater
> distances has increased enormously.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Don't do it! :)
Well Done!
Ben
Wine is great. I have incontrovertible evidence that as one runs one
combusts the alcohol present in one glass of wine between any two given
chateaux. Any distances between 38 and 42 km can be completely lubricated by
partaking of oysters and champagne followed by steak at 38 and 40 k
respectively, and any resulting damage to your make-up by having your face
painted by pretty girls at the 41 km mark.
J
"Tim Downie" <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:c5ebap$nc7u$1@ID-81538.news.uni-berlin.de...
>
> "Jonathan Sydenham" <sydenham@mail.dk> wrote in message
> news:407aacea$0$282$edfadb0f@dread16.news.tele.dk...
> > <mighty snip> Well done!
>
> Thanks Jonathan
>
> > You only took a few minutes longer than it took me to
> > complete the Medoc marathon and that was MUCH more
> > pleasant.
>
> That's another one on my "to do" list. As I discovered,
> Slimfast and Lucozade Sport make an ultra doable, but not
> enjoyable. Wine sounds like much more fun.
>
> TIm
"Jonathan Sydenham" <sydenham@mail.dk> wrote in
news:407bc74a$0$221$edfadb0f@dread12.news.tele.dk:
> Wine is great. I have incontrovertible evidence that as
> one runs one combusts the alcohol present in one glass of
> wine between any two given chateaux. Any distances
> between 38 and 42 km can be completely lubricated by
> partaking of oysters and champagne followed by steak at
> 38 and 40 k respectively, and any resulting damage to
> your make-up by having your face painted by pretty girls
> at the 41 km mark.
Then you might enjoy this race.
http://www.usraceseries.com/wchalf.htm
There will be 7 aid stations along the course that include,
among the normal fluid replacement drinks, one-ounce tasters
of the lightest varietal from the local wineries.
Phil M.
--
"Pain is temporary: the success it brings can be
everlasting." -fortune cookie
Dot wrote:
> Tim Downie wrote:
>> Now I *knew* Ben Aigen was there from the start, I knew
>> it's height. What I didn't know was that the bl**dy path
>> was going to go up and down and up and down and up and
>> down all along the sides of this hill. When we did
>> eventually escape the hill, the organisers had
>> thoughtfully added in *more* hills by putting the extra
>> 5k needed to make it a 50k over some steep sided valleys
>> just for our further pleasure. I don't now how much
>> climbing we did but that's one hill I won't
>> underestimate again!
Tim, just a side question concerning your training - how
much hiking did you do in preparation?
> With longer distances and hills, it's amazing how
> efficient walking and running can be, even when going
> for speed.
And why I asked the question above. Walking muscles are a
different animal and need strengthening just like the rest.
It's amazing how many people know they need to walk the ups
yet never practice walking thinking it's less work and can
be ignored.
--
Doug Freese "Caveat Lector" dfreeseS@NOBShvc.rr.com
The area looks pretty idyllic but a bit undulating don't you
think?! I would enjoy the downhills, anyway. And why only
the lightest varieties? In Medoc you get heavyweights from
St Estephe plus the legendary lafittes ... J
"Jonathan Sydenham" <sydenham@mail.dk> wrote in
news:407c1941$0$242$edfadb0f@dread12.news.tele.dk:
> The area looks pretty idyllic but a bit undulating don't
> you think?! I would enjoy the downhills, anyway. And why
> only the lightest varieties? In Medoc you get heavyweights
> from St Estephe plus the legendary lafittes ... J
>
>
Did you look at the eleavtion map?
http://www.usraceseries.com/wchalf/images/wc_elev.gif To me
this doesn't look too bad. Am I wrong? I'd like to know,
since I'm running this.
Phil M.
--
"Pain is temporary: the success it brings can be
everlasting." -fortune cookie
Phil M. wrote:
> Did you look at the eleavtion map?
> http://www.usraceseries.com/wchalf/images/wc_elev.gif To
> me this doesn't look too bad. Am I wrong? I'd like to
> know, since I'm running this.
Phil,
Unless they used something like MS Streets and Trips (no
contours at all) or some inaccurate software or a bad
altimeter to generate that profile, I would call that course
relatively flat (note: I didn't say completely flat). None
of the climbs are over 100ft at a time and everything looks
like it's less than 2% slope (100 ft in 1 mile). OTOH, I
have to put the treadmill in class at about 7% before I
notice the incline ;) Someone who's racing it at x:xx
min/mile and trained only flat might notice an effect on
pace, but for general running, the course seems to offer
enough variation in ups and downs to be gentle on body
instead of constant flat. I'm guessing there might be around
500-600+ ft of uphills scattered through the course. That's
based on what I've seen in local profiles and what they
advertise for elevation gain (main hills account for about
half the elevation, then a bunch of undulations in between
and even getting up and down the big ones that may not show
on profile account for the rest).
Although the pictures look like gently rolling hills, the
course itself may not go from tops of hills to bottoms,
but rather take a gentler route along roads traversing
sides of hills.
Or it may be an inaccurate profile for the actual slopes and
elevation gain ;) Seriously, if there were substantial
hills, I'm sure they would give you an elevation gain in the
description somewhere.
Let us know :)
Dot
--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd
Heinrich in Racing the Antelope
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