Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Kent 50 Mile Challenge
This was a toughie- I think I underestimated quite how tough it was going to be! 50 miles in 15 hours was always going to be tight, and to make it even worse, the eight laps were each 6.55 miles long, which actually made the event 52.5 miles!
I drove down to the Travelodge kindly booked by Carol (negotiating the Dartford Crossing and Toll for the first time ever, plus a hold up on the M25 due to an accident) and met Carol, Rach and Rose, all doing the MdS in 2009.
We had a good natter, discussed kit, and looked at the kit Carol has already aquired (she is so organised!!) I made drinks and managed to knock one over, then we went to the start to recce and register to save us time in the morning (a good thing as it turned out!)
The start (and finish) was at The Gate Inn at Marshside, and was organised by Mike, who is an MdS (and Gobi) veteran; he handed us a bottle of water and a lion bar each and gave some hints on the MdS. It appears that quite a few of the check point volunteers and competitors have done it- it seemed surreal to find so many MdS vets in a small pub in a tiny village in Kent! We ordered a meal which Mike very kindly said was on him, and set an alarm for 4:45am!!
I don't quite know how, but we were a bit late getting to the start- I didn't notice the time, and think we just left late, plus the start was further than the 15 minutes away suggested in the information pack. We had a bit of a fright when a pigeon suddenly decided to end it all by disembowelling itself on Carol's windscreen! As we reached the village the challenge had already started, and we could see the competitors coming towards us, so we parked up, donned race numbers, used the loo and set off after them.
Rose had decided to run/ walk, so quickly went ahead, and me, Rach and Carol stuck together; due to the strict time limit, we had to maintain a quick pace if we were to have any hope of finishing. The course was 6.55 miles long, and consisted of grassy tracks, tarmac paths and roads, each lap starting and finishing at the pub. It was very flat, I don't know whether this was a contributory factor but both myself and Carol agreed that we felt worse much earlier on then we expected to feel. We had been concerned about the weather, as it had rained all day Saturday, and was drizzling a little when we set off; we were very luck though, the clouds cleared and it was sunny all day.
There were various manned checkpoints/ waterpoints; as the route was a figure of eight, we passed one chap twice on each lap- he was really supportive, giving us a round of applause each time he saw us and having a quick chat.
Carol had worked out the times we should be finishing each lap, and potential rest stops, but in reality we didn't really get the chance to stop for long. We took a few minutes at the end of lap two to fix our feet, but the rest of the time we only stopped for a quick loo break, and to fill up our drinks bottles with water or electrolyte.
I must admit, after lap three the scenery became rather mundane and monotonous, although it was scenic in parts; one stretch was full of butterflies. We were lapped by various runners, including one who called out, as he passed us, 'Have you seen my wife?' Carol queried what she looked like, and he made a gesture with his hand, saying 'About yea high... strawberry blonde...'
Rach and Carol
I had developed a blister before the end of lap two, which was annoying, and although I dressed it it didn't seem to get any easier. I developed one on the other foot, which I didn't dress to try to save some time, which was perhaps a mistake. Even more annoying was the fact that my feet swelled, and my shoes felt too small; I could feel my toes being squashed. Rach had only completed the Trailwalker, a 60 mile event, a few weeks before, so her feet hadn't properly healed from that. She must have been really suffering on Sunday, but kept up the pace. Carol had recurring hip and knee problems which were giving her some trouble. Bizarrely, our hands also swelled much more than I have ever experienced before, but it made undertaking tasks requiring dexterity quite difficult!
About halfway round lap 6, one of Rach's blisters popped and she was in agony. She told us to go on, so we did, but I felt really bad about leaving her. She text us later to say that she had finished after that lap, covering an impressive 40 miles on badly blistered feet!
The Gate- Start & Finish Of Each Lap!
Me and Carol ploughed on, and realised just how the time was slipping away; we ran back to the pub at the end of lap seven, as there was a cut off time for the last lap. We had both taken some pankillers, but they no longer seemed to be touching the pain! At one point, I felt a sudden excruciating pain as a blister popped and had to hobble for a few minutes until it settled down. I wasn't the only one though- we passed a runner who was walking very painfully, and said he couldn't run anymore. About ten minutes later, Carol said she heard a shriek from behind us, and thought 'That's a blister gone!' We reached the pub well inside of the cut off, and saw Rose, who had completed the full distance- she had done really well. Mike advised us, though, that he didn't think we would complete the last lap before 9pm, and advised us to cut the lap short- meaning we would have completed 49.8 miles.
We were undecided, as part of us badly wanted to complete the full lap, but as we neared the suggested cut off point, our bodies made the decision for us- if we had had more time, we could have done the full lap, but to finish before 9pm would have meant we would have had to really push ourselves after a day of already pushing to the limits. We did walk an additional 0.2 miles, measured by my Garmin, to make it a full 50 miles, and when we reached the pub again, Mike greeted us and gave us 50 mile medals. Rose was waiting, and we were given hot drinks and generally looked after by the organisers.
My feet are really painful- I have several black toenails, and had blisters under each large toe nail, which were actually lifting the nails up! I am aching, but luckily it's just muscular. Although we didn't quite do the full course distance, we still covered long distances, and it was my first 50 miler, so I am pleased. It was also quite a useful event in a way, as it seemed to mete out problems I hadn't encountered before, such as swollen feet- I am definately now considering using shoes a size larger. It was well worth driving down for this one, as it was lovely meeting the girls and having people to plan, walk, natter and socialise with!
I have had the details and comfirmation for the Bullock Smithy Hike, which is only four weeks away, so I am hoping me poor feet will have healed by then...
I drove down to the Travelodge kindly booked by Carol (negotiating the Dartford Crossing and Toll for the first time ever, plus a hold up on the M25 due to an accident) and met Carol, Rach and Rose, all doing the MdS in 2009.
We had a good natter, discussed kit, and looked at the kit Carol has already aquired (she is so organised!!) I made drinks and managed to knock one over, then we went to the start to recce and register to save us time in the morning (a good thing as it turned out!)
The start (and finish) was at The Gate Inn at Marshside, and was organised by Mike, who is an MdS (and Gobi) veteran; he handed us a bottle of water and a lion bar each and gave some hints on the MdS. It appears that quite a few of the check point volunteers and competitors have done it- it seemed surreal to find so many MdS vets in a small pub in a tiny village in Kent! We ordered a meal which Mike very kindly said was on him, and set an alarm for 4:45am!!
I don't quite know how, but we were a bit late getting to the start- I didn't notice the time, and think we just left late, plus the start was further than the 15 minutes away suggested in the information pack. We had a bit of a fright when a pigeon suddenly decided to end it all by disembowelling itself on Carol's windscreen! As we reached the village the challenge had already started, and we could see the competitors coming towards us, so we parked up, donned race numbers, used the loo and set off after them.
Rose had decided to run/ walk, so quickly went ahead, and me, Rach and Carol stuck together; due to the strict time limit, we had to maintain a quick pace if we were to have any hope of finishing. The course was 6.55 miles long, and consisted of grassy tracks, tarmac paths and roads, each lap starting and finishing at the pub. It was very flat, I don't know whether this was a contributory factor but both myself and Carol agreed that we felt worse much earlier on then we expected to feel. We had been concerned about the weather, as it had rained all day Saturday, and was drizzling a little when we set off; we were very luck though, the clouds cleared and it was sunny all day.
There were various manned checkpoints/ waterpoints; as the route was a figure of eight, we passed one chap twice on each lap- he was really supportive, giving us a round of applause each time he saw us and having a quick chat.Carol had worked out the times we should be finishing each lap, and potential rest stops, but in reality we didn't really get the chance to stop for long. We took a few minutes at the end of lap two to fix our feet, but the rest of the time we only stopped for a quick loo break, and to fill up our drinks bottles with water or electrolyte.
I must admit, after lap three the scenery became rather mundane and monotonous, although it was scenic in parts; one stretch was full of butterflies. We were lapped by various runners, including one who called out, as he passed us, 'Have you seen my wife?' Carol queried what she looked like, and he made a gesture with his hand, saying 'About yea high... strawberry blonde...'
Rach and CarolI had developed a blister before the end of lap two, which was annoying, and although I dressed it it didn't seem to get any easier. I developed one on the other foot, which I didn't dress to try to save some time, which was perhaps a mistake. Even more annoying was the fact that my feet swelled, and my shoes felt too small; I could feel my toes being squashed. Rach had only completed the Trailwalker, a 60 mile event, a few weeks before, so her feet hadn't properly healed from that. She must have been really suffering on Sunday, but kept up the pace. Carol had recurring hip and knee problems which were giving her some trouble. Bizarrely, our hands also swelled much more than I have ever experienced before, but it made undertaking tasks requiring dexterity quite difficult!
About halfway round lap 6, one of Rach's blisters popped and she was in agony. She told us to go on, so we did, but I felt really bad about leaving her. She text us later to say that she had finished after that lap, covering an impressive 40 miles on badly blistered feet!
The Gate- Start & Finish Of Each Lap!Me and Carol ploughed on, and realised just how the time was slipping away; we ran back to the pub at the end of lap seven, as there was a cut off time for the last lap. We had both taken some pankillers, but they no longer seemed to be touching the pain! At one point, I felt a sudden excruciating pain as a blister popped and had to hobble for a few minutes until it settled down. I wasn't the only one though- we passed a runner who was walking very painfully, and said he couldn't run anymore. About ten minutes later, Carol said she heard a shriek from behind us, and thought 'That's a blister gone!' We reached the pub well inside of the cut off, and saw Rose, who had completed the full distance- she had done really well. Mike advised us, though, that he didn't think we would complete the last lap before 9pm, and advised us to cut the lap short- meaning we would have completed 49.8 miles.
We were undecided, as part of us badly wanted to complete the full lap, but as we neared the suggested cut off point, our bodies made the decision for us- if we had had more time, we could have done the full lap, but to finish before 9pm would have meant we would have had to really push ourselves after a day of already pushing to the limits. We did walk an additional 0.2 miles, measured by my Garmin, to make it a full 50 miles, and when we reached the pub again, Mike greeted us and gave us 50 mile medals. Rose was waiting, and we were given hot drinks and generally looked after by the organisers.
My feet are really painful- I have several black toenails, and had blisters under each large toe nail, which were actually lifting the nails up! I am aching, but luckily it's just muscular. Although we didn't quite do the full course distance, we still covered long distances, and it was my first 50 miler, so I am pleased. It was also quite a useful event in a way, as it seemed to mete out problems I hadn't encountered before, such as swollen feet- I am definately now considering using shoes a size larger. It was well worth driving down for this one, as it was lovely meeting the girls and having people to plan, walk, natter and socialise with!
I have had the details and comfirmation for the Bullock Smithy Hike, which is only four weeks away, so I am hoping me poor feet will have healed by then...
Labels: Bullock Smithy Hike, Kent 50
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Preparations!! And Clear Hearing...
I have had my ears done and can now hear again!! It wasn't too bad- it felt just like somebody was pumping lukewarm water into my ears, which, of course, they were... I didn't look at what came out but was assured that it was a goodly amount...
I am off soon to drive to the Travelodge in preparation for tomorrow's Kent 50 challenge. I have bought snickers, m & m's, skittles, crisps, flapjack and malt loaf, so won't be going hungry!!
Sadly it gives rain this weekend (what else is new- this is the UK...) so will have to take wet weather gear. The beauty is that we can stash most of the stuff at the start.
50 miles in 15 hours is a big ask, just hope I am up to the challenge!!
I am off soon to drive to the Travelodge in preparation for tomorrow's Kent 50 challenge. I have bought snickers, m & m's, skittles, crisps, flapjack and malt loaf, so won't be going hungry!!
Sadly it gives rain this weekend (what else is new- this is the UK...) so will have to take wet weather gear. The beauty is that we can stash most of the stuff at the start.
50 miles in 15 hours is a big ask, just hope I am up to the challenge!!
Labels: Kent 50
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Nothing Much Doing...
... I haven't done an awful lot this week... sort of tapering for the Kent 50; Saturday I actually did such a good job of procrastinating, that I only managed 7 miles with a light pack and I've been feeling guilty ever since! Especially as it's getting close to 'that' time of the month so have also been eating loads of chocolate... mind you, chocolate must contain carbs, right!?
I did redeem myself by going to the gym Sunday, but stuck to only 20 minutes on the treadmill- I know I should be tapering but I am never quite sure how much or little I should actually be doing!?!
I went out last night to a slow jog sans pack- about 8 miles, with the MP3. I am thinking of going to the gym tomorrow but only doing a very light cardio workout and concentrating more on weights. I've not been back to body toning, mainly because 1; it's not that challenging and there is other stuff I could be doing instead, and 2; I am skint- and still have the MdS to pay for plus equipment to buy... my gym membership includes all classes there, so I really ought to get off my butt and join some!
The Kent 50- This is (obviously) a 50 mile event, consisting of 8 cross country laps of just over 6 1/2 miles each. There is a time limit of 15 hours, which is actually quite tight; I did have reservations about an event involving doing laps round a field, but the bonus is that we can leave packs at the start point, and access our stuff at the end of each lap. This will be my first 50 miler, and a milestone (lierally!) if I can complete it... I have also sent off my entry form for the Bullock Smithy Hike in September.
I am meeting Carol and Rach- fellow forum buddies and 2009 MdSers, which will be great- we are staying in a Travelodge the night before, so can discuss tactics.
I am also having my ears syringed tomorrow... which I am not looking forward to... actually the hearing seems to have returned today for the first time, but suppose I'd still better go through with it...
I did redeem myself by going to the gym Sunday, but stuck to only 20 minutes on the treadmill- I know I should be tapering but I am never quite sure how much or little I should actually be doing!?!
I went out last night to a slow jog sans pack- about 8 miles, with the MP3. I am thinking of going to the gym tomorrow but only doing a very light cardio workout and concentrating more on weights. I've not been back to body toning, mainly because 1; it's not that challenging and there is other stuff I could be doing instead, and 2; I am skint- and still have the MdS to pay for plus equipment to buy... my gym membership includes all classes there, so I really ought to get off my butt and join some!
The Kent 50- This is (obviously) a 50 mile event, consisting of 8 cross country laps of just over 6 1/2 miles each. There is a time limit of 15 hours, which is actually quite tight; I did have reservations about an event involving doing laps round a field, but the bonus is that we can leave packs at the start point, and access our stuff at the end of each lap. This will be my first 50 miler, and a milestone (lierally!) if I can complete it... I have also sent off my entry form for the Bullock Smithy Hike in September.
I am meeting Carol and Rach- fellow forum buddies and 2009 MdSers, which will be great- we are staying in a Travelodge the night before, so can discuss tactics.
I am also having my ears syringed tomorrow... which I am not looking forward to... actually the hearing seems to have returned today for the first time, but suppose I'd still better go through with it...
Labels: Bullock Smithy Hike, Ear Wax, Kent 50
Saturday, August 02, 2008
A Wet Weekend...
Well. I was thinking of doing a nice 16 mile walk/ run in the countryside, but it's absloutely hissing down, and it's somehow lost it's appeal... what I may do instead is procrastinate all day and then go out later, walk/ jog my 7 mile route and then run round the villages to make up 15/ 16 miles. I'm so glad it wasn't like this last Saturday!
My ear continues to drive me mad... I still can't hear and have lovely whistling noises in it- I can even hear my own heartbeat wooshing around in there (I assume it's mine, anyway...)
What have I done this week... Monday I did a recovery walk- about 4 1/2 miles. Tuesday was takeaway night with a friend (god it was tough!!) Wednesday night a did a 6 mile run. Thirsday was back to normal at the gym, with 20 minutes on 'Brian' (that sounds odd!) and some hill work on the treadmill as well as the usual stuff. It was so hot and humid Thursday, although the fans were going at the gym there seemed to be absolutely no air at all... mind you, that's a good thing for me- something I have to get used to!
Next week will be a taper for the Kent 50- just hope the weather picks up a bit by then!
My ear continues to drive me mad... I still can't hear and have lovely whistling noises in it- I can even hear my own heartbeat wooshing around in there (I assume it's mine, anyway...)
What have I done this week... Monday I did a recovery walk- about 4 1/2 miles. Tuesday was takeaway night with a friend (god it was tough!!) Wednesday night a did a 6 mile run. Thirsday was back to normal at the gym, with 20 minutes on 'Brian' (that sounds odd!) and some hill work on the treadmill as well as the usual stuff. It was so hot and humid Thursday, although the fans were going at the gym there seemed to be absolutely no air at all... mind you, that's a good thing for me- something I have to get used to!
Next week will be a taper for the Kent 50- just hope the weather picks up a bit by then!
Labels: Kent 50
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Ridgeway Revisited
I had a lovely walk last Saturday... Carol, who posts on the MdS Forum and is a fellow 2009 MdS entrant, suggested a walk along the Ridgeway as it's pretty much midway for both of us, so we arranged to meet at the car park where the B4494 out of Wantage meets the Ridgeway. I remembered this being a particularly attractive part of the trail, and we decided to walk out and back again, covering 35 miles as preparation for the Kent 50.
It was a gorgeously hot, sunny day- around 24 degrees- ideal training conditions! As we weren't taking part in an organised event, we needed to carry our own water as, apart from a couple of water taps along this part of the Ridgeway, there's not much else. This meant that my pack was considerably heavier than during the Ridgeway 40, probably around 5 kg.
Typical Ridgeway Scenery Near The Start Of The Walk
I made pretty good time, and met Carol as arranged. It was really good to meet a fellow MdS 'nutter' and we were able to chat all day about everything MdS related!
I wore the Cobber I picked up in Blacks for £3.99- basically it's like a long, narrow scarf filled with crystals, and when soaked in cold water, they swell up until it becomes sausage shaped. It is then tied around the neck, and is supposed to keep cool... I must admit, it worked pretty well, especially when rotated every so often to find a cool spot.
We set off at a good walking pace, and stopped for a breather and a drink on Whitehorse Hill, site of the famous Uffington White Horse. There were quite a few gliders here, and on the way back we saw quite a few paragliders.
View Of The Ridgeway From Whitehorse Hill
Then it was pretty much straight on, past various ancient landmarks such as long barrows and hill forts, to Fox Hill and the road past the Shepherd's Rest pub.
View From The Ridgeway Near The Pub 
Near Liddington Castle Hill Fort 
Approaching Waylands Smithy
It was a gorgeously hot, sunny day- around 24 degrees- ideal training conditions! As we weren't taking part in an organised event, we needed to carry our own water as, apart from a couple of water taps along this part of the Ridgeway, there's not much else. This meant that my pack was considerably heavier than during the Ridgeway 40, probably around 5 kg.
Typical Ridgeway Scenery Near The Start Of The WalkI made pretty good time, and met Carol as arranged. It was really good to meet a fellow MdS 'nutter' and we were able to chat all day about everything MdS related!
I wore the Cobber I picked up in Blacks for £3.99- basically it's like a long, narrow scarf filled with crystals, and when soaked in cold water, they swell up until it becomes sausage shaped. It is then tied around the neck, and is supposed to keep cool... I must admit, it worked pretty well, especially when rotated every so often to find a cool spot.
We set off at a good walking pace, and stopped for a breather and a drink on Whitehorse Hill, site of the famous Uffington White Horse. There were quite a few gliders here, and on the way back we saw quite a few paragliders.
View Of The Ridgeway From Whitehorse HillThen it was pretty much straight on, past various ancient landmarks such as long barrows and hill forts, to Fox Hill and the road past the Shepherd's Rest pub.
View From The Ridgeway Near The PubWe stopped for a cool drink at the pub, and used the facilities- I made the mistake of lookingg in the mirror and realising how stupid I looked sporting my sunglasses, orange baseball cap and Cobber! Carol had some Nuun tablets- one dropped into a bottle of water turns it into an electrolyte drink. She kindly let me try one, I will definately be getting these for the MdS.
After a road walk which crossed over the M4, we climbed back onto the Ridgeway and the spectacular section by Liddington Castle Fort I remembered from the Ridgeway 40.
Near Liddington Castle Hill FortWe stopped for lunch just before the track starts to become badly rutted, and had some lunch, before turning and heading back. It was still very warm and, as usual, I sweated bucket loads all day- maybe this means that my internal cooling systems are in tip top condition!!
Approaching Waylands SmithyJust past Waylands Smithy we passed a group of cyclists looking for Ashbury. I got the map out and pointed them in the right direction- they weren't far off- and had a bit of a chat. They had actually heard of the MdS and were suitably impressed!! Both me and Carol admitted that we don't usually tell folks what we are doing as they expect us to be super athletes and stride off into the distance at a great rate of knotts!!
White Horse Hill 
Strong Evening Light Near The End
White Horse HillWe had a pull back up to White Horse Hill- the only trouble with the Ridgeway being a long, relatively straight route is you can see where you've got to go- as in the above pic!
We had another quick stop on the hill- I hadn't taken any painkillers this time, so my legs were starting to ache a little, although I managed to stay blister free thanks to the multi sports socks I bought in Blacks.
Strong Evening Light Near The EndWe had an uneventful finish apart from me being charged by two black labradors whilst refilling my water bottle (I presume they were owned by somebody out of sight working in the field by the track, as I could hear a disembodied voice yelling ("Come here! Come here! Bloody dogs!!"); my legs were aching by the end but nothing more sinister, and I really enjoyed the day!
Both me, Carol, Rach and Rose, all 2009ers, are undertaking the Kent 50 a week on Sunday- I am really looking forward to this as it will be like a proper weekend away, staying in a Travel Lodge and everything- can't wait!
