The Green Man Challenge

The Green Man Challenge celebrates Bristol, a green city in the midst of the countryside, as part of the Forest of Avon. The Challenge follows the 48 mile course of the Community Forest Path.

Chris Bloor created the Green Man Challenge. He keeps a record of those who complete the challenge on his Closer to the Countryside website.

Chris has also created route instructions which split the course into 8 legs, each between 4.5-6.2 miles long.

The challenge can be undertaken solo, in pairs or as part of a relay.

My only plan so far for 2011 is to complete the Green Man Challenge, preferably in February/March.

Training so far has been sporadic rather than planned. However, I did have a day off work on the 4th January and used this to run/walk the first 4 legs of the course (about 22 miles). The course can start from anywhere along the route, but often starts from the Green Man sculpture in Ashton Court (the current blog header picture). The photo at the top of this post was taken just before I set off, looking out towards Dundry - the first leg of the course and about 5 miles by foot.

My 2010 Annus horribilis

Following my completion of the VoTwo ONER in August 2009, I took some time out before beginning to ramp-up my training again in December. Unfortunately, my training was curtailed by a back injury that nearly got better, but not quite.

My plan was to build up to a March attempt to run a 48 mile route around Bristol - The Green Man Challenge, and then run the Shakespeare Marathon in April.

My training continued to be hampered by the back injury. This put paid to the Green Man Challenge attempt, and probably effected my marathon training. However, I ran the marathon and finished in a PB of 3hrs27mins (I've only run one other marathon which was a shocker).

After the marathon, I consulted an osteopath and started a treatment programme. Unfortunately, this meant I had to take a break from all running over the Summer.

In August I started running again, building up slowly and just enjoying being out running.

Most of my really enjoyable runs have been out on training runs with the Town and Country Harriers (TACH) - Night time, offroad and about 10km.

I'm now at a stage where I can begin to ramp-up my training and look forwards to running the Green Man Challenge later in the Winter/Spring.

My back is now about 85-90%, and continues to improve when I take the time to do the exercises to help with strength and flexibility.

Onwards and upwards!

Finally

I spent much of my time and energy training for the Oner. And whilst finishing was a very satisfying moment, the journey was what mattered:

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."
- Greg Anderson (American best-selling Author and founder of the American Wellness Project., b.1964)

Roll-on my next journey!

78.6 miles, 22 hours 27 minutes, 2 feet...

I hope you're feeling strong as this race report is a bit of an epic. However, with 78.6 miles to cover, I'm sure you'll realise it was a bit of an adventure.

After about 6.5 months of training, plus a rather leisurely 4 week taper, I arrived at Corfe Castle in Dorset on Friday evening and had a quiet night staying at my Mother-in-Law Pauline's house.

I opened the curtains on Saturday morning to see that the 'light' rain was rather more persistent than had been forecast. Thankfully, from the afternoon onwards the forecast came good, and the weather for the race could not have been better.

After breakfast, lunch and final kit check, I changed into my race gear, and Pauline very kindly dropped me off at the registration point (which would also be the finish) at the National Trust car park just near the Studland chain ferry.

After registration, Ben (the race director) gave a briefing which included such delights as:

• This is a self navigation race. Keep the sea on your right and the land on your left, and if you see a hill then it's most likely you need to climb it!
• There are 40 competitors in the race. To be honest, I only expect 10 to finish

Plenty of incentive then!

Finally, we all got on-board mini-buses for the 1hr+ drive to Lyme Regis - The start.

A final photo before the off (I'm in the centre with the red top):


Between the start and the end of the race would be 12 checkpoints. These were a chance to grab food and drink, and to get my number marked and time taken.

I had decided to take a Camel Back 'bladder' in my rucksack with a drinking tube. This contained water and Nuun tablets for hydration. Most of my nutritional needs would come from a special powdered nutrition called Perpetuem which I carried as a very sweet, concentrated, gloopy mixture in a hand-held bottle. My Brother and Sister, who were staying along the course, had kindly agreed to meet me at checkpoints 3, 6 and 9 (20, 40 and 60 miles) to let me refill with more Perpetuem.

The start of the race was unusual to say the least, with most 'runners' ambling off, not wishing to start too quickly. This gave a nice chance to meet some of the others in the race. I don't think there were too many for whom this was their first ultra-marathon, and it was good to hear about some of the other 'famous' races that some had completed.

The first obstacle was Golden Cap - the highest point on the South coast of England. Climbing up I didn't feel like my legs fancied another 75 miles, but in the end I think this was probably just nerves.

Checkpoints CP1 (Seatown) and CP2 (Burton Beach) passed smoothly. I refilled with water and Nuun tablets and grabbed savory bread rolls (tuna mayo, Marmite, etc.) which helped counteract the over-sweet Perpetuem.

Between CP2 and CP3 (Abbotsbury) a friend of Suzi's - Louise, her husband Simon, and her parents, were on the route lending support. It was great to see such friendly faces - a great boost.

At CP2 it was beginning to get dark, and by the time my brother Colin met me at CP3 (with the next batch of Perpetuem) it was time to don the head-torch for the night run.

The night was beautiful - a half moon only occasionally shrouded by cloud. With my head-torch providing a really good light, I started making good progress. But this was hindered somewhat when the ground under foot started to get quite uneven across fields.

Along this flat section towards the next checkpoint at East Fleet (CP4) I met two other runners that I ended-up spending the rest of the run with.

Sophie and Phil knew each other from a famous ultra-marathon - the Marathon des Sables (a 6 day / 151 mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert). We soon found that we were a good match. Firstly, we all seemed comfortable at the same pace. Then I could offer a good knowledge of the course, which helped Sophie and Phil, especially during the night. In return, they provided support, especially helping me to keep my walking pace up - Walking fast is a key part to successful ultra-running.

After CP4 we set off for Portland, 1 hour 45 mins ahead of the cut-off.

I was so glad to have recc'ied Portland when it was light. This helped us reach CP5 on top of Portland. Unfortunately I completely lost my bearings due to the darkness and only partially managed to navigate the way out. We took a detour into a quarry, but eventually found a road
that took us back to the causeway towards Weymouth.

Sophie, Phil and I had by now settled into a good pace. Our reaction to the terrain was generally either 5 minutes running / 5 minutes walking on the flat, walking the uphills, or gently running the downhills.

Weymouth at about 3:45am on a Saturday night was not a pretty sight. There were plenty of plump, semi-clad drunks happy to hurl abuse at weird looking sober people with head-torches. Not surprising really!

When we got to CP6 (Weymouth and 40 miles) it was great to see my brother again. This provided me with a real lift. And, with Portland and Weymouth behind us, and the very first light beginning to show, Sophie, Phil and I headed off for Osmington with raised hopes.

I stopped briefly to tape the bottom of my right foot which felt like it was beginning to blister, and then we got stuck into the Jurassic cliff paths.

After Osmington (where Sophie and Phil enjoyed a quick pasta meal) we headed up to a headland called Whitenothe, where there is a small terrace of 19th Century coastguard cottages. These are now mostly used as holiday homes. And whilst being well built, they still don't have electricity or running water. My family have spent many years holidaying at Whitenothe, and my brother and sister and their family were all staying here while I was racing. So, when Sophie, Phil and I passed, my sister (Hilary), sister-in-law (Teresa) and niece (Ruby) were all there to give their support.

I was now well into my longest run ever, and whilst my leg muscles weren't too bad, my heels and ankles were quite painful.

The terrain from Osmington to CP8 (Lulworth Cove) starts to get very hilly, and Sophie, Phil and I started to show our strengths and weaknesses. I was able to march quite steadily up the hills, but found the steep downhills very difficult. Whilst Sophie and Phil weren't so quick on the uphills, but easily caught up on the steep descents.

After Lulworth Cove we had a short stop while Phil popped and taped his poor blistered feet.

The section between Lulworth Cove and Kimmeridge is just brutal. I hadn't done this section before as it passes through an MoD firing range which was closed when I practiced the 2nd half of the course.

The uphills here were tortuous. I think this was the crux of the race. Getting through here in one piece with a reasonable time buffer should get us to the finish within the cut-off.

Despite all beginning to slow, we made it to Kimmeridge. Again, I think that being a small group working well together really helped us through.

At Kimmeridge (60 miles) I was beginning to comprehend the enormity of the last 20 miles. However, Hilary, Teresa and Ruby were there again which was great. I refilled my hand-bottle with Perpetuem for the last time and off we set.

I was pleased that the navigation was now straight-forward because my mind was starting to get confused and I was beginning to mix-up bits of the course or even add in bits of other runs I have done during training. This wasn't so good for the others, especially Sophie, who was finding the uphills a real strain, and my uncertainty about the upcoming terrain wasn't helping.

It was during the CP9 (Kimmeridge) to CP10 (St Albans Head) that we all first began to fall apart. Sophie was suffering due to the hills around Chapman's Pool. But she also had stomach issues, and very bad chaffing between her legs. She really showed her strength to tough it out through this section. Phil's feet were troubling him, and my heels and ankles were slowly getting more and more painful.

After St Albans Head, the last two checkpoints were both long at 11km and 12km. The first of these leading to Peveril Point at Swanage was fairly flat but just seemed to go on and on.

On this section I began to really suffer, and I found that I could not run. This was definitely the low point of the race. We were mostly silent as we trudged towards the next checkpoint. Phil was the only one who was able to give encouragement. This was really helpful, even if I was getting fed-up with him saying "come on now, let's get a wiggle on".

Arriving at Peveril Point (CP11) we all looked a mess - John Cleese would have been most proud of our reenactment of the Ministry of Silly Walks.

For the first time in the race, and with 12km to go to the finish, I decided that some refined sugars were the order of the day. So I had two cups of coke and took a good handful of sweets.

We set off for the finish on the last, but at 12km, also the longest leg of the race.

Once along the promenade at Swanage, we climbed the headland (Ballard Down) and made our way to the point where there's a big chalk rock in the sea called Old Harry.

I was still really suffering, especially with my left ankle. Phil gave me a couple of ibuprofen and that really did the trick. Within 30 minutes I was back to speed marching.

The last section along Studland Beach just went on and on, and comments like "come on now, the others who came through here were running!" didn't help!!!

Finally, we rounded South Haven Point and finished - 78.6 miles, 22 hours 27 minutes, 2 feet.

Louise and Simon were at the finish, and a bit later Suzi arrived with our children, Laura, Helena and Felix.

As you might expect I was very emotional. But we had done it.

I'm so grateful to Sophie and Phil for their support. Would I have made it without their help? Being my first ultra, I don't think so.

Of those I spoke to, the consensus was that the Oner is one of the toughest (but also most beautiful) ultras around. Most of the difficulty being the combination of the tough terrain, combined with going through the night and all of the next day (as well as the 78.6 miles of course!).

Would I recommend the Oner to others wishing to undertake an ultra-marathon? Absolutely!

Will I do the race again? Almost certainly not!

Physically, I haven't been too bad afterwards. I have several broad bean-sized blisters around my heels, and my feet keep swelling, but are recovering.

I will add more photos as I get them. However, I'll leave you with my feet after 78.6 miles non-stop (Hmm, nice!!!):


Arriving at the finish:


Great to see my family there:

Inspiration...

We all have people who inspire us.

Here is someone who inspires me - My eldest daughter Laura, who like all my children, inspires me greatly.

This picture was taken last weekend when she took part in her first triathlon.

Oooh, ER!

The second course recce, this time over the second half of the course, started with an early drive to Swanage, then bus to Wareham and finally a train to Weymouth.

Another nervous, on the bus picture:


The run started from the clock-tower in Weymouth:


After a short while things started to get hilly. However, my nutrition (Hammer Perpetuem) was working well and I felt strong.


The above picture (Bats Head) sums up the beautiful Dorset coastline.


More beautiful views at Durdle Door (pictured above) and then on to Lulworth Cove. Here I stopped to sort out a couple of spots on my heels that were beginning to get sore because my socks were too short. A combination of Compeed plasters and duct tape (which didn't stick terribly well) sorted the problem, and I was on my way.

However, my route from Lulworth Cove to Kimmeridge was majorly diverted inland due to the Army firing range being closed. I had to head to East Lulworth, then along a road that was open through the firing range, and finally back down to the coast path at Kimmeridge. The diversion added a bit of distance but was probably a more forgiving terrain.

I ran out of drink at about East Lulworth, but managed to find a pub where I filled my Camel Back (water not beer!).


The above is Chapman's Pool - A truly majestic scene.

The route after Kimmeridge had some major ups and downs. My legs still felt pretty strong, but it was very hot and I emptied my Camel Back of water quickly. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nowhere to get more water, so I just had to carry on regardless.

I was still reasonably well hydrated, but couldn't really eat anything else because I knew, without water, the food would stick in my stomach and make me feel nauseous. So I carried on more slowly, walking a lot more, and resigned myself that my day was pretty much up.

When I finally reached Swanage again, the thought of carrying on towards Studland Bay was not very palatable. So, I ate and dipped my feet into the sea before heading home tired but quite pleased with the day.


All in all I covered about 34 miles in 8hrs 20mins. I have had no ill effects, and feel surprisingly chipper today with no muscle soreness or fatigue.

There are 4 weeks to go until the ONER, so from now on I will taper slowly until the big day.

Not too long to go...

The Harpy Throne

The Harpy Throne - a mostly off-road route around Bristol that I discovered via the Closer to the Countryside website, which in-turn I found when investigating the Town and Country Harriers off-road running club.

Having already completed a hard 50mins hills session during the lunchtime of the same day, and some leg exercises the previous evening, I set out at about 8pm and ran 15 miles from home out to the Beehive pub and then around the route until exiting Nightingale Valley. At this point, as I lost the route and the wooded-sections were getting pretty dark, so I headed back to the centre of Bristol, went around the harbourside and then home.

My legs felt pretty good the whole way round, so all is well with the training at the moment.

I had recently bought some Hammer Perpetuem nutrition and this run gave me a chance to try it out. Carrying a concentrated solution in a hand bottle and sipping frequently seemed to work really well. I'll test some more in my next few long runs as liquid nutrition may well form much of my calorific needs during the second-half of the ONER.

My next run is hopefully a 5am start on Saturday morning. At which point I'll probably try to complete the whole Harpy Throne route 20-24 miles.