Thursday 27 August 2009

From A(shes) to B(louse)

So on Monday I had the great pleasure of catching up with the Pirate Dave Waterman, the Lovely Lee, Murdo the Magnificent and Ian the Wise.. A nice little lunch sitting in the sunshine, trading a bit of chat and just having a catch up.. And getting a present and a surprise..

1st one off the block was from MtM - my own version of the sacred urn that the Aussies and Poms have been tussling over for the last few months.. As I was still pretty gutted from the outcome of the weekend, it was a little light relief.. Still bloody hurts though, roll on 2010/2011 !! We'll get them back..


And then we come to the best bit.. Cue The Pirate, at this stage wearing a black zipped up fleece.. Clearly smarting a bit from his pansy like performance and DALBBNFE (Did A Little Bit But Not Fucking Enough) in the Round Strathaven 50 miler on the weekend, he was clearly keen to get my thoughts out in the open and over and done with .. Knowing full well that the Blouse moniker was heading back south he had come prepared. Now the guy is truly a SCPB, but I tell you what, boy does the fella have a great sense of taste, elan and a certain je ne se qua. Sitting in the sunshine on a warm August lunchtime he has singly re-defined the meaning of the word blouse and for this my friends I Salute him !! The tatts, the hairy chest and back, the friendly little man boobs, what a shame he is taken.. In the words of DQ "Marks out of 10 - I'd give him one !"

Enjoy

Thursday 20 August 2009

Training and Motivation

Seems a very hot topic on a lot of blogs of late so without going into the various discussions I thought I would put in my 2 pence worth here. Anyone who is a regular reader of the WHW Race Forum will already know my views and thoughts, as I am always telling people to relax and not get too obsessed with times and distances..

My first Ultra was the WHW of 2002... These days you would not even get an entry form with this sort of 'pedigree' but back then you could still apply in March and get in.. I was working at BP Grangemouth at the time and mentioned to someone that I had always wanted to walk the WHW. As I had done the London Marathon the year before, they knew I ran a bit, and told me about a bloke who ran the whole 95 miles. The bloke was John Kennedy and the rest is history .. Lesson number 1 - never listen to someone who can rationalise a 95 mile race and say - it's only 4 miles an hour average for under 24 ! Lesson number 2 - always have time to listen to someone who has done it before and decide what advice you want to keep.. The one I will always remember from John is "If you get to Kingshouse you WILL finish "

So at this time there was no forum, no real website, scant information.. In some ways this helped, too much information can be quite daunting and you worry if you are not doing enough, haven't got the right shoes, supplement, leg support or t-shirt.. I only did 1 'long' run with John that year - from Kingshouse to Lundavra and return (he ran to the end of Nevis forrest). This was just him and me, I was a rank novice and underfit, yet this did not matter. I would never get near John in a race, but for 6 or 7 hrs, we just plodded on and chatted, and cracked on..

So over the next couple of years, I went on a few more runs and got another goblet. I remember meeting Ian Beattie in Jan or Feb at Falkirk Station for a run with John and others from Rowaradennon to the top of the Loch and back, meeting mad Jim Drummond for the first time going around Queen Elizabeth National Park, John McLaughlan and other notable proper runners. And I learnt a lot, from people faster than me, and those at my pace or slower. I learnt from Ian that where the forestry road turns into track after Rowaradennon is about 45-50 mins, and to look for the concrete block that is less that 500 m from Inversnaid.

And not only in training. I have had the privilege of sweeping the race twice and supporting once, learning all the time. In 2006 (?) I met my Pirate mate, and learnt that it is possible to get lost at Auchtertyre, and no matter how crap you feel and the fact that your knee is going to drop off, you can keep going.. I also learnt how to better read the signs of people who really don't want to be told they are going to get poked with a big stick :-) ! And in this race I spent 3 or 4 hrs with Mad Jim Drummond going across Rannoch Moor, on a cracking still night, listening to his tales of life in the army, and the words of his Sgt Major "The Queen pays you and she wants you to go 40 miles that way and be there in 8 hrs.. The Queen doesn't care how you do it, and she doesn't care if have to stop in the bush and have a little cry, as long as you do as she asks.." Classic.. In 2008 I swept the whole race, and ended up finishing the last 40 or so with Jim Robertson.. 67 years old, doing his 12th race and going through all the ups and downs.. A truly awesome experience.. At 1:45 AM, going up the Devils Staircase, 40-50 mph wind, sleet, rain, dark, cold and we are all getting asked some big questions. I was thinking that they would give us a safety stop at Kinlochleven, and said so to Jim .. "No they won't stop us" was his only reply.. I immediately felt ashamed to have had that thought, and will always remember the big cup of Toughen the Fuck up that I got from this bloke 25 yeats my senior.. Needless to say number 12 was completed by Jim and I was so proud to be with him when we got to Lochaber Leisure Centre after 33 hrs 45 mins, how can a PW also be a PB ??

So what's the point of all of this... It's not only about training and running, at least not for me .. It's about the friendships, about the shared learning.. It's finishing a run in darkness in January with Mags and Jim and Michelle and Gus and Jeannie and John and others and sledging DQ coz his car broke down and having had a cracking day out.... It's about getting mental cues and aids for recovery when you are down in the depths, about taking something from every run, which if you are only set on the goal of beating a time, I don't think you can do .. A bad day running is still far better a day or period of time than most of the world can enjoy, which sort of means there is no such thing as a bad day running . So as a natural extension, a bad period or dip in a run, whatever the distance, is still only a passing and fleeting moment of insignificant discomfort... Best just dry your eyes and have a crack !

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Test Cricket - The Ultra Running of Team Sports ?

Been feeling like I should write something for a few weeks, but have been struggling to find the time.. So a quick summary

Went to Birmingham for 5 days of cricket.. Now it is one of the things that I really miss living in Scotland - cricket... I love it ... I can watch football (just), I like rugby and other sports, but cricket is definitely my favorite.. No-one gives a hoot about it up here, it is just one of the crosses I must bare (just as well the hills are good ! )

So every 4 years when the Ashes comes by I make a point of heading down to England to get my fill.. This year (and in 2005) I made my way to Edgbaston in Birmingham for 5 days... People often say "Oh that must be so boring.." ... I have been thinking, and I reckon that test cricket is the Ultra Running of Team Sport.. In these days of instant gratification, of year round football, of penalty shoot outs and now now now results, Test Cricket over 5 days just should not fit in. It takes too long, people can't concentrate for that long can they anymore ? Sound familiar ??

So is it boring ?? Not for a moment.. The tension builds from the very first ball.. You can very rarely win a test in 2 hours... One team can get on top and be seemingly cruising, only for a someone to play an absolute blinder and turn the course of the game.. Each day brings a new challenge... There is always a chance of a turnaround... And best of all, there is beer... And mates... And you can sit there watching the game, having a chat, blowing the froth of a few and relaxing.. No agro, no hassle... Sensational..

And a Test it is.... Not only for the players, but also the spectators..

A standard day saw me wake at 730-8:00 AM and go for a trot with Gaz (K'leven to FW support runner) and my mate over from Oz Peter West.. Westy is 65 but still fit as a fiddle and great company... Not a long run, but 25-20 mins for a great hangover clearing start to the day.. Enter the ground at 9:30 - 10.. First pint at 10 :30 then on it all day... Carlsberg which is very weak, but needs must... After play closes it was out for dinner, then a pub or wherever to get home at around 1:30 ish to get ready for the next day.. When it rained (on the Thursday and Saturday) we either got a taxi into town for a 3hr lunch or went back to the flat to investigate the fridge..

They had these cracking "automatic" beer dispensing machines. The ist day we walked past and at least 1 of them was open at any time getting fixed.. On day 2 they were working... In order to get these "automatic" machines working, they had 1 person at the voucher dispensing unit helping you put your change in, then you handed your voucher to the bloke at the beer unit and he pressed the buttons and within a minute you had your pint.. 3 pints took 3 minutes.. Sensational... An automatic machine that needs 2 people and takes longer to pour a pint that I did to pi55 it out 2 hrs later... I love it !!

So after 5 days, the end result was 1) The Game: A Draw, 2) Subversive Behaviour: Lots !! 3) Runs: 4. 4) Money Spent: Are you kidding - who knows who might read this..

And it is game on again this Thursday in London .. I had a ticket for the Oval but have to pay the bills somehow so sold it to a mate.. He is a pom, so I hope he enjoys the day, but not too much !!

As an aside, cough still giving me grief but have managed a few runs.. My mate has shrugged that blouse off in style so it is currently looking for a new home.. Am toying with going to Strathaven on Sunday.. The idea of a lazy 50 miler and a hug from rhe lovely Lee is very tempting... But I might well be celebrating the Aussie demolition of the Poms so ....

Enjoy