Saturday 21st January 2012 - It's all fun and games until someone runs the Anglesey Ultra

Total so far: £700.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

Well, it's taken me almost a week but I think I'm ready to write about my first ultra-marathon attempt. I went into it quite blindly and didn't really know if I was prepared or not.  I guess I got the answer. I wasn't prepared. I was organised and on top of things, arrived early, hydrated and with a belly full of food. But physically, I was not ready. 

I shouldn't be too down about it.  After tearing that calf muscle in December I had actually only run twice in almost a month.  And both of those runs were on the treadmill with no weight on my back.  So to step out to the start line of a 33 mile off road ultra-marathon in a hilly location with an 11 kg pack on my back was always going to be a big ask.

I started out feeling awkward under the weight and treading gingerly  with my right foot; always waiting for a tell tail stabbing pain.  I didn't have a chance to easy myself into stride because by mile 2 we were climbing and mile 3 was basically mountain climbing!  I did a 17 minute mile, recorded a HR of 178 and was largely goosed by the time I crested a 500 foot climb.  However I negotiated the descent with relative ease and finally hit some form.  Steadying my pace around 11 mpm; even coming down to sub 10s on mile 8.  I kept it around there for the first half marathon but if I'm honest I never felt comfortable.  I just had enough strength and determination to push it.  This began to bleed away after mile 13.

I started to walk more and to find it harder to lift my feet under the weight of my pack. My pace began to drift out, 13s, 14s, and by mile 21 I was clocking 15 minute miles with long spells of walking.  But still I was dragging myself forward despite me knowing that I simply hadn't been prepared to carry the weight up that hill and over that distance.  But I still harboured a hope of making the cut at 5:45 to allow me to finish the ultra.

And then mile 25 happened.  A look at the course profile and my pace record below shows pretty clearly what went wrong.  It was three things at once.
- Firstly I 'bonked'.  I'd had a bad stomach throughout the event and this meant I hadn't eaten enough food (though goodness knows I was carrying enough!) nor had I drunk enough water.  I suddenly lost all energy and became deliriously empty and exhausted.  Just desperate to stop. 
- Secondly my legs cramped up.  I'm pretty sure it was the combination of the weight of my pack, the severe climb right at the start and most of all, the time away from running due to injury.  So now every step was agony to my thighs and my calves.  And I mean every single step.  I buckled many many times and stumbled over the slightest obstacle.
- Thirdly a mountain happened to me.  At 25 miles in we turned off the road and ascended to the very top of a very big mountain.  I could barely walk over the flat let alone climb a mountain.  I did a 30 minute mile which is surely a record for anyone who writes a running blog??  Coming down the mountain, mile 27, was a blistering 22 minutes.  Honestly I could barely move.

So that was my first attempt at an ultra marathon.  I learned a huge amount and my weaknesses were brutally exposed.  But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and I now have a very strong idea of what I need to focus on in my training.  I will attempt the distance again shortly but for now I am working on my strength.  Strength to lift the bag and strength to lift myself up big climbs.  That is what killed me.  My aerobic fitness is good.  At the end of the day I did 27 miles with an 11 Kg pack and didn't die.  So cheer up Jacobs.  There's still time to turn it around and meet my goal.

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 78.9 Kg

TODAY 
Distance 26.98 miles
Time  6:20:50 hrs
X-Trainer 0 hrs
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  0 mins

TOTAL
Distance 371.46 miles
Time  69:11:33
X-Trainer 17:41 hrs
Press-ups 620
Swimming 13,000 m
Sauna  7:15 hrs

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Friday 20th January 2012 - Anglesey Ultra Preparation

I wrote a bit yesterday about my preparations for the Anglesey ultra; mostly in terms of what I've bought for it and what I intend to eat.  Today I'll bang on a bit about my approach to it and about what I think will happen.  If anyone is reading this for tips to help their own ultra-marathon experience then you should probably look away now or at least take all this with a pinch of salt (or other electrolyte) because I've never done this before.  My preparation might be fine.  Or it might be recklessly incompetent.  I should have a fair idea which it is by this time tomorrow.

To start my preparation, earlier in the week I began carbo loading.  That is eating lots and lots of carbohydrates at every meal.  So the result is that now, on the eve of the event, I am feeling a bit heavy and sluggish.  But that's no bad thing considering what I face.  Actually, I should be honest with you.  I didn't start carbo loading earlier in the week.  I started carbo-loading in 1976 and now, after 25 years of preparation I should be just about ready.  I've had an early tea tonight of liver, spinach and swede mash. No real science about that, I was in tesco and liked the look of them!

Sleep wise it hasn't been a good week.  In particular last night was a really disturbed night and I have been tired all day.  But I'm not too worried because hopefully that fatigue will allow me to sleep early tonight.  I intend to be in bed by 8pm with lights out by 8:30.  My alarm will be set for 3am so hopefully I can get something over 7 hours tonight. 

As for right now, well once I've finished writing my blog I'll pack my bag.  Then I'll decide that I've packed it wrong and pack it again.  And again.  And again until the final time when I decide to leave it as it is without realising that something crucial has rolled under the sofa and will be missing tomorrow despite my certainty that I packed it.  It is by such events that my life remains continually on edge.  I have my torch batteries charging, my phones charging, and my watch charging.  The Sat Nav is programmed and the car is full of fuel.  I am scarily organised for this!

So, a 3am alarm call tomorrow.  I'll have some Barocca with water to start my hydration off the right way and hit the road for 3:30.  Even with a few inevitible toilet stops this should get me there for about 6am.  Enough time to light my cooker, make some black coffee and be ready to go for registration at 7am.

The race goes off at 8:15.  I haven't found any information about cut off times but I think I will make an initial grab for a 9 hour finish so I come in before the head torch is needed. Assuming the 33 mile distance is correct that makes for an average of about 16:20 mpm.  I intend to walk up the hills and run down them and over the straights.  It's quite an undulating area so I hope that this tactic will give me enough rest.  If not then I will walk some straights too.  I will aim to run around 12 mpm pace; nice and slow and certainly sustainable.  The sections I walk (realistically probably walking most of the last 5 or so miles) will be around 18 mpm on the uphill and 15 mpm on the flat with some run/walking.  I'm estimating 1/3 of the course to be uphill and that would give me 11 miles at 18 mpm, probably 15 at 12 mpm and then probably 7 run/walking at 15 mpm.  The arithmatists amongst you will see that this would bring me in around 8 hours; with an hour spare for toilet stops etc to meet my 9 hour target.  I have a bad feeling that last place beckons but to be honest I don't care.  If I finish it then I have won it in my own mind.

If I get a mobile signal I might tweet some updates as I must carry a phone for safety.  If you're interested in my progress then follow @miffjacobs (or click the follow button on the sidebar - it's easier).  I won't bother with a hashtag because I know I'll forget it so just check my feed.  I have noticed that once I'm beyond about 18 miles my brain starts to become like mush and I can't work out my split times.  It'll be interesting to see what happens to me tomorrow and I probably won't enjoy reading the tweets back on Sunday!

Right then, time I got that bag packed and thought about settling for a very early night.

Keep everything crossed for me to tomorrow folks.  I have a feeling I'll need all the luck I can get!

Peace, out.

Thursday 19th January 2012 - Anglesey Ultra Kit Prep

No training for me today.  I'm on a two day taper in readiness for the Anglesey Ultra on Saturday.  I've never been beyond marathon distance before (well, other than by plane, train, car, or bike at any rate) and it's fair to say I am approaching it with some trepidation.

So far the Marathon des Sables has seemed like a jolly adventure; an excuse to get myself fit and to lose sleep over some charity fundraising.  (Incidentally, I am losing a LOT of sleep over it... if you have a few quid please sponsor me because I'm getting desperate!!!)  But with a tough 33 mile off road ultra-marathon looming in my very near future suddenly things look a little more serious.  I am, of course, treating this as simply a training run.  But it's a big step up and I have plenty of worries.  What if my leg doesn't hold out?  What if my fuelling or hydration plans are way off mark?  What if my stomach plays up and I'm caught short in the wild?  Biggest of all though.... what if I am not even close to being fit enough for it?  I've done a lot of training but not enough to make me confident of achieving this.  I'll give it my very best though.

I guess the only thing for it is to make it to the start line and then put one foot in front of the other over and over again until I either finish the race or it finishes me!  I have, for once, put my laid back haphazard approach to life to one side and am getting myself organised.  As illustrated in this photo.

This is the equipment and food I have ready so far.  It looks a lot but I'm still a little worried it won't be enough and may supplement it today or tomorrow.

Listophobics.... look away now.  Listoholics.... time to rub your thighs.... this will be a doozy!

ANGLESEY ULTRA MARATHON KIT LIST
Food for the race:
500g mixed fruit (1500 cal)
24x Belvita breakfast biscuits (1392 cal)
2x PowerBar (312 cal)
2x Clif Bars (390 cal)
3x Energy Gel (295 cal)
5x ISO sports drink (705 cal)
5Ltrs Water
    [Total calories for consumption in-race: 5,594 cal]

Food for recovery:
2x Wild West Beef Jerky (300 cal)
1x packet Cous Cous (555 cal)
1x pot noodle (383 cal)
1x All Day Breakfast in can (450 cal)
    [Total calories for consumption post-race: 1688 cal]

Emergency food:
1x packet Dates (696 cal)
1x Protein recovery shake (262 cal)

Clothing:
Brooks Ghost 4 trainers
Socks
Compression shorts
Normal shorts
3x T-shirts/tops
Jogging bottoms (in case of cold)
Gloves
Hat
Beanie
Water belt
Phone carrier
Windproof jacket

Safety kit:
First aid kit
Pea-less whistle
Foil Blanket
Head Torch
Spare Batteries
Ankle and calf strapping
Stretch fabric tape
Mobile phone

Creams and tablets:
Berocca
Electrolyte tablets
Vicks rub
Vaseline
Deep Heat
Nurofen
Deep Freeze
Halls vapour tablets
Ibuprofen gel

Miscellaneous equipment:
Swedish army cooker
Metholated spirits
Matches
Air Zone 35 backpack
Water bottle
Fork
Heart rate monitor
GPS watch
Tin opener (not pictured)
Sleeping bag (for after the event - not pictured)
Duvet (for after the event - not pictured)

All told I will have about 7,500 worth of calories of food in my pack when I set off although this can be added to by simply having more of the isotonic drink supplement I will be taking.  I will also start the event with a good breakfast in me that should carry me through the first couple of hours.  I hope that this will be enough.  I have a real fear of feeling hungry and empty as this will affect my mental stamina too so I may add one or two more 'fatty' items to my pack before I start.  The advantage of having some fat in the diet is that it produces a feeling of satisfaction and fullness that you just don't get from these high impact, low volume energy bars etc.

Tomorrow I'll talk a little about my other preparations, carbo-loading, sleep, plans for the day etc.

Until then, thanks for reading!  Peace, out.

Wednesday 18th January 2012 - 90 mins X-Trainer

Total so far: £700.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

After getting some pain after 15 miles in two days on the treadmill I decided to go back on the elliptical.  Or, as I have realised in the last day or two, the Cross-Trainer.  It seems I am the only person in the world to call it an elliptical trainer.  Or maybe there is such a thing as an elliptical trainer but I have not been on it.  What I have been on is the cross trainer, or X-Trainer to save space.  Anyway, whatever it is or isn't, I spent 90 minutes on it tonight. I find myself zoning out when I'm on it and I used the time to read some more (I'm reading a book about Shackleton's ill-fated mission to Antartica).

My legs were tired and weak by the end after three days of hard work but I feel good.  I did a quick set of 15 reps on some machine that you sit on and pull things down to you.  I won't attempt to name it.  Then I went down and did 20 minutes in the sauna, unbroken. Usually I have to get out at about 15 minutes and cool down but I saw all 20 through.  Then I jumped in the pool for 30 lengths and then back into the sauna for another 20.  I didn't do this second twenty unbroken, I had to get out and grab a cold shower and re-fill my water bottle.  By the end of the 20 I was drizzling water over myself from my bottle and feeling pretty dreadful.  But I'm glad I pushed it a little and got to the 40 minutes.

That's the last training I'll do before the ultra on Saturday.  My thoughts are now bending entirely to the challenge ahead. I bought my provisions and have made my plan but more about that in the next post.

All quiet on the fundraising front. It's been a week since my last donation so I need to step things up a little.  I will spend some time today contacting more businesses and maybe see if I can use my Linked In or anything like that to promote it.  I was supposed to be in the Whitchurch Herald but they didn't print the article.  Oddly I did see a spike in hits to my blog but no donations came of it.

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 79.6 Kg

TODAY 
Distance 0 miles
Time  0 hrs
X-Trainer 1:30 hrs
Kcal  0
Press-ups 0
Swimming 500 m
Sauna  40 mins

TOTAL
Distance 344.48 miles
Time  62:51:43
X-Trainer 17:41 hrs
Kcal  34,388
Press-ups 620
Swimming 13,000 m
Sauna  7:15 hrs

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over
£9,500 for MENCAP.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Wednesday 18th January 2012 - 6 miles treadmill

Total so far: £700.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

A solid 10Km on the treadmill tonight to give my calf another workout.  I felt some soreness in my legs through the run and also afterwards but just tiredness, not injury (I hope!).  I do have some pain in my right ankle and I think I will invest in a support for the ultra on Saturday.  Before the treadmill I did some core strength work. I put more effort into this than I normally do and my heart rate was high even before I started on the treadmill.

Over the last week or so I've focused a little on my kit list.  Most of the equipment I need has a pretty obvious safety function and some of it will be helpful on Saturday.  I have bought a foil blanket; anyone who has ever wrapped one around themselves at the end of a cold marathon will testify how warm they are!  Also, a pea-less whistle (great phrase!); a desert hat with neck shield; and a tiny first aid kit that seems to weigh only fractionally more than the air that surrounds it.  I've also bought some gaters to keep the sand out of my trainers.  This is an essential precaution as I am told that having sand in your shoes is a sure fire way to rip your feet to shreds in the desert.

The exotic nature of the Marathon des Sables is evidenced by the fact that I've also had to buy an anti-venom kit to suck out snake or scorpion venom quickly in case of a bite.  The possibility of being bitten by a snake or a scorpion fills me full of dread and yet also a sort of boyish excitement.  I hope I never have to use it but you have to say, it's kind of cool to need one.

I intend to write much more about each of these precautions as I get closer to the event (and learn how to use each of them!).Tonight I may go back on the elliptical just to give my calf and ankle a full three days to rest before the 33 mile ultra on Saturday but I'll see how I feel when I get to the gym.

On the fundraising front I emailed the PR departments of all the companies listed in last week's New Scientist recruitment special (random I know, it was the first thing that came to hand!).  I have also listed out all the companies in the FTSE100 and the FTSE250 and over the coming days I intend to write to the PR departments of all of those firms asking for sponsorship.  If you work for a company who might be willing to sponsor an honest and hardworking Welsh boy to do something a little useful with his life then please get in touch!

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 79.6 Kg

TODAY 
Distance 6.25 miles
Time  0:59:15 hrs
Elliptical 0 hrs
Kcal  0
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  15 mins

TOTAL
Distance 344.48 miles
Time  62:51:43
Elliptical 16:11 hrs
Kcal  34,388
Press-ups 620
Swimming 12,500 m
Sauna  6:35 mins

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Monday 16th January 2012 - 9 mile treadmill

Total so far: £700.53
Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

Another big step on the road to recovery tonight.  And also a big step on the road to the Sahara perhaps?  I gave my calf a proper test in the gym, running 15km.  I wanted to run 10 miles and my usual combination of confidence and ignorance meant that I didn't check how many Km it was.  Turns out it's not 15.  It's a little more.  So in the end I only did 9.32 miles but I didn't know it until just now when I checked.  Never mind.  I'm happy with 9 miles at roughly 10 mpm pace.

My leg held out pretty well.  I had some pain in my right ankle before things got warm and loose.  Then, at about the 70 minute mark, I got a growing pain directly at the site of the muscle tear but it only lasted about five minutes and it eased off as I slowed the tempo a little to prepare for my warm down.  I'll wait and see how it fares over night.  Right now (about 2 hours after the end of the run) it feels fine and I have no pain :)

I'll have another short run tomorrow and Wednesday but then I intend to take two full days off before the true test on Saturday.  The 33 mile Anglesey ultra-marathon.  It'll be the longest event I've ever competed in and I'm really looking forward to seeing how my body copes with it.  I'm targeting a time of 10 hours to finish although I don't know if there are cut off times that are quicker.  Ten hours works out to about 18 mpm and I think I can maintain that as long as I don't linger too long at the checkpoints etc.  It's nice to have a target but of course my main focus is just on finishing it at all!

On the fundraising front I got knocked back by tesco locally.  I have to go through a central organisation in London to collect at a tesco so I'll give them a call.  I also want to find locations for some collection boxes this week and get them in place and collecting money as soon as possible.  As I've mentioned before, if you know of anywhere suitable to house one for a few months please let me know!

Thanks for reading folks! Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 79.6 Kg

TODAY 
Distance 9.32 miles
Time  1:34:22 hrs
Elliptical 0 hrs
Kcal  0
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  0 mins

TOTAL
Distance 338.23 miles
Time  61:52:28
Elliptical 16:11 hrs
Kcal  34,388
Press-ups 620
Swimming 12,500 m
Sauna  6:20 mins

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet

Thursday 12th January 2012 - Another treadmill test

Total so far: £695.53

Text "MIFF70 £5" (without quotes) to 70070 to donate £5 to Mencap.  Change the amount to whatever you are comfortable with.
Click on the "Donate Now" link in the sidebar or visit www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet.
Thanks!

Well I gave my legs another tester on the treadmill.  This time I did a mile at roughly 11 mpm pace.  The good news is that I did it.  The bad news is that I felt some pain in my lower right leg.  I just don't know if this is a sign that the leg is not healed or whether it's just that I haven't run on it for a month and that I'm now stretching around the scar tissue after the muscle tear.  I wasn't limping and the pain wasn't severe and didn't linger long after I finished.  I have a rest day today and I think I will avoid the treadmill at the weekend and stick to the elliptical just to be safe and then next week I'll test it again.  However, I have booked myself a "do or die" challenge the following weekend.  The Anglesey ultra-marathon.  It's a 33 mile off-road course.  I know, I know.  I never was the sharpest pin in the cushion but it's all off road and I intend to walk a lot of it and use it to test my kit out (cooker, dried food, etc).  I will probably have three or four days of complete rest afterwards and see where I am after that.  Keep everything crossed for me!

So anyway, after the mile on the treadmill I did 77 minutes on the elliptical (eqiuvalent to 7 miles at 11mpm) and then went home.  I didn't even shower at the gym because I was worried about my legs so instead I got home and sat in a deep hot bath for a while.  As I write this (7am the following morning) I have no pain and can stand easily on my toes.

On the fundraising front the fund I got another £41 in donations.  Thank you Zoe & Pyme and thank you to the two folks who donated via SMS.  With the uncounted money that is sitting in the collection pot I'm using for leafleting I know I now have over £700 in the total.  Thank you :)

Lastly, I got my photo taken for the Whitchurch Herald.  Hopefully they will feature it in next week's edition.  I made some changes for the photo though after the unflattering one that was in the Leader.  I lost the hat! Fingers crossed that it generates some more sponsorship.  I also sent some text to the "Essentially Yours" magazine and with any luck I'll be in the next edition.  Rest day tomorrow!

Peace, out.

JUST THE FACTS!!
Weight: 79.6 Kg

TODAY 
Distance 1 miles
Time  0:11 hrs
Elliptical 1:17 hrs
Kcal  0
Press-ups 0
Swimming 0 m
Sauna  0 mins

TOTAL
Distance 328.91 miles
Time  60:18:06
Elliptical 16:11 hrs
Kcal  34,388
Press-ups 620
Swimming 12,500 m
Sauna  6:20 mins

Contact me: miffjacobs@hotmail.com
Please remember that I'm inflicting all this pain and misery on myself for a cause greater than just having a good story to tell over a beer. I hope to raise over £9,500 for MENCAP.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. Most are treated as ‘different’ however with the right support people with a learning disability can have access to education, jobs and an independent place to live. Mencap works with people with a learning disability to help them live the lives they want.

Be cool and click on the link below and help make someone's life better.
http://www.justgiving.com/pitymyfeet