haven't been writing many blogs lately because I don't think I have anything original or interesting to say but here it goes!
After a disappointing 100km time at the National Championships in May I entered the Wirral Ultra and I'm glad I did because I did well there.
I won in a time of 4h08m for a distance of 36 miles. Pleased with the pace considering four wee stops (toilet) and other stops to navigate. The best thing was how I felt; strong throughout and was able to pick up the pace.
If anyone is thinking about doing this event then I would definitely recommend recce ing the route beforehand. I did and it helped. I only recced it once and wished I had done it more. Even when I was going the right way I was looking at the map in places to make sure I was on course, this slows you down. The last 8 miles are the hardest to navigate. But don't let this put you off because it's not hard to navigate, it's just that I'm not good at following signs (I run too fast!).
Nutrition
Leading up to the race my diet was ok. Low sugar but, as always, a bit too much cereal. A funny thing is that I ate pizza and chip shop Fish n Chips the day before, but in my defense not a lot.
On race day I had cereal and coffee for breakfast.
On route I stuck to Tailwind mixed in with my water, it worked out well, no stomach problems at all. I was too hydrated which made me wee four times on the run. I was worried about the temperature getting hot but it stayed cool.
I started the race going about 20 seconds per mile too slow for about 13 miles but I had good company and was enjoying the chat. It would have been boring to have run alone all the way and I wasn't really looking for a particular time. Partly why I wanted to do this race was to fall in love with Ultra running again after putting too much pressure on myself at the nationals and it worked. I also just wanted to see if I could do the distance without my hamstrings being weak which they had been in the last couple of races.
I have had the pleasure of having Zach Bitter coaching me this spring and he gave me a great plan between the 100km and the Wirral Ultra. We recognized that my weak hamstrings were probably the result of doing too much MAF (Maximum Aerobic Function) at one pace so Zach had a bit more variety in the last four weeks to give that muscle group a chance to recover. It worked out well.
