Some stuff about kit, clothes, training and all that

A few people have asked a few questions so here's some information and thoughts on what I used and things I did.

Kit
I think I already wrote about much of the kit in a previous post. In the race I used only kit I'd practised with on training runs with the exception of a Light my Fire collapsible cup and a new Anker power bank. The cup was a great addition to kit and a much better option than my Hydrapak speedcup. It doesn't pack as small and it's not as light but it's sturdier so it's both easier to drink from and suitable for hot drinks. It also has a lid so I was able to walk out of CPs with hot tea without scalding myself and also on leg 4 without the cup filling up with rain.

The Anker power bank was a more powerful one than the little lipstick-sized pack I usually use. It was pretty much the same size as my phone but thinner and lighter. It was great as I had the option of being able to charge watch and phone at the same time if needed, but I struggled to get it into the side pockets of my Salomon race vest when the pockets were all full of stuff.

The Salomon S-lab Sense Ultra 8 vest proved a little more tricky to get on with in the race than I expected. I'd had no issues with it on long training runs but as the race progressed and I got clumsy I found finding and stashing stuff in the stretchy pockets increasingly awkward. I think more practise but also less stuff is needed.

I used sticks during the race: Mountain King Trail Blaze poles. They are not as fancy as ones by say Lekki or Black Diamond as they aren't adjustable and they are more of a faff to open up and fold away, but as I didn't have £££ to spend they were the best option. I've had this pair for over 2 years now and they've stood me in good stead in several races as well as days out on the SW coast path and in the Alps.
Most people think of sticks as something to use to aid with ascent. Certainly they do help with that although going up stuff is something I've always found relatively easy. Where I need them the most is for stability on descents and they also help to reduce the impact on my back. They can also really help on the flat when you're getting a bit tired- there's something about hiking with poles that can help you keep up a purposeful pace although whether it's the rhythm you get into or whether it's to do with engaging the upper body more I don't know. I do know though, that several times during the race people would comment that they couldn't keep up with my walking pace and in Hangman Ultra last year a couple of guys started calling me the Little 4 Wheel Drive as I powered up the hills!

PLEASE NOTE: simply going out and buying some poles and rocking up to a race with them won't do. You absolutely need to practise using them. A lot. Uphill, downhill, on the flat, on long runs. Practise eating when you've got them out, practise running with them- both in use for support and held in one hand because you don't need them for a bit. Fold them up and get them out whilst on the move, work out the best way of getting them in and out of your race vest. And be prepared to get a bit sore in the arms, shoulders and back. I've never had problems with arm or shoulder DOMS from using sticks until the A100 and I was unprepared for how uncomfortable I would feel after that race.

Edit: For women if you are running an ultra and you have your period, I recommend that you use the more expensive, branded pads. Cheaper ones are not as comfortable and don't always stick too well either. I used Bodyform ones without wings and had no issues with chafing or with blood going everywhere. Pads rather than tampons as you can't wash your hands except at some aid stations.
Clothes
This turned out to be a bit of a learning curve. I usually do races in a Kalenji running skirt as it has 4 pockets which is great for stashing snacks and I've never had any bother. However after A100 as I got into the shower at home noticed what appeared to be a sinister rash of big red spots around my middle. Turned out to be pressure spots from where the drawstring had pressed against my belly. Hmmm- something to avoid on my next 100 miler I think as that could get nasty and painful.
I'm a big fan of InkNBurn clothes and whilst they are VERY expensive all the items of theirs that I own are incredibly comfortable and none of the skirts have the same drawstring thing as the Kalenji one so I think I'll settle for 2 pockets and increased comfort next time.

Injini toe socks. Love them, BUT so very painful to change them when you've got blisters under the toenails and your feet are swollen. Not sure what the answer to that is- changing socks midrace was still a good move and I find Injini socks the most comfortable out of all the different sorts I've tried.

I think I wrote about my shoe nightmare in a previous post. The inov8 Trail Talons were very comfortable but are hopeless even in slight mud. I found an Ultra version of the inov8 X-Talons which are comfy but turned out to be so wide-fitting even for my hobbit feet that my feet slid about in them which caused a bit of damage. They were however nice and grippy but also quite acceptable for the long stretches of hard surfaces on leg 4.

Training
Thanks to Sensei Phil I had a really good program of strength work for the whole of my training plan for this race. The focus was mostly on posterior chain muscles and working on making sure that when I fatigued I could still keep a good, upright posture. It was hard work initially and also I really didn't like the getting a bit fat that happened to begin with- I felt big and heavy rather than strong- but after a couple of months or so I did begin to feel the benefit of it. And 6 months into my training plan I was fitter and stronger than I'd ever been before. Muscle mass did drop away leading up to the race but even so I felt strong and didn't experience any significant muscle issues during the race itself.

The  'Plan'

This wasn't a hugely detailed, prescriptive plan and I was never able to achieve the volume of running that Phil suggested but I stuck to the strength work and that really paid off. Running-wise yes, I did up the volume and was hitting +200 miles for several months, but the thing that probably had the biggest impact was consistency- just getting out almost every day and getting some miles in. I only ran 1 ultra and that was about 38 miles, I did one overnight hike of 50k but other than that nothing was over 26 miles. I'm lucky in that currently I work part-time so I have 2 weekdays to get longer runs done as well as weekends, but I did wonder how I would get on having only done what may ultra runners would call rather short long runs.

I did recce almost the entire course. Lots of people said there was no need, it would be well-marked and it's impossible to get lost. As you'll have seen if you read this blog, I found it quite easy to take wrong turns so knowing all the spots where I could go wrong meant I avoided any bonus miles on race-day. The recces also meant that I had a good idea of how to manage my pacing- I knew the stretches where I'd be slow and the bits where I could make up a bit of time. 

I kept a training diary for about 10 weeks but then hit a rough patch and couldn't face recording day after day of everything being a bit crappy and I never got back to writing things down even when training picked up again. I think at the time it almost felt like a punishment writing it all down and evaluating each session with a red, amber or green dot; if I was getting reds and ambers then I felt a failure or inadequate. Now I think that I should definitely keep a training diary again but keep emotionally detached from it. If stuff isn't going well either because I feel very tired or because I just don't get through the session I think I should have done, it really doesn't matter. Doing something is generally better than nothing, and sometimes it's fine to just move rather than train.

Mental stuff

This was hard. It was hard to keep belief in my training that what I was doing was enough, was the right stuff. How do you ever know if you've got it right? But I kept reminding myself that if I could be on that start line fitter and stronger than ever before then that was a great achievement in itself no matter how the race went.

I tried to think about how to manage myself in the race. Having twice crewed Steve at UTMB I had a good idea of how running a long way can mess you up and I've watched a whole lot of running documentaries, particularly the ones about Karl Meltzer's various FKTs and also Finding Traction about Nikki Kimball running the Long Trail. But it's hard to imagine going through something you've never experienced before. So I just visualised feeling crappy at various points in the race and what I'd say to myself to keep going. A few times I did dream about running it and getting a good time (around 26 hours was my 'dream' time) but it seemed so extremely unlikely that I didn't let that thought cross my mind much at all! 

The strength I've gained from having now run 100 miles is surprising- I feel like I'm good enough to take on more challenges now and I do have a couple in mind for 2019.

Ultimately I'd have to say that training didn't go quite to plan, but given the things that have been going on in the background this year I think I did as well as I could in the circumstances. For my next 100 I won't change anything significantly, but I think some better-focused speedwork early in the year will be the only new thing to add to the mix.

For now it's back to recovery!