HBT OMG WTF LOL

I may have accidentally joined a running club.  And by “may have” I mean I have and by “accidentally” I mean inevitably and by “running club” I mean HBT.  

Kata is a long time member of one of Scotland’s most decorated, and by far most quirky running club.  Through her I have got to know quite a few of the members and most races I have ran have also had a big HBT presence.  Recently some of those that know me better have suggested that I need to “get my brown on” and have asked when I am joining, and have I still not joined yet?  I am apparently difficult to spot during races as not wearing brown renders one invisible to ‘Trotters’ (as members of HBT are known).  

HBT stands for Hunters Bog Trotters.  Their racing colour is brown (described to me as “stool brown” - L).  The irreverence of their name and colour is quite deliberate.  They (we?) pride themselves (ourselves?) on being a non-elitist club and encourage runners of all abilities running for both the fun of running, and/or to win races.  This is in stark contrast to my short experience running with Edinburgh AC who told me once that “people say we are an elitist club, well we never claimed we weren’t”.  Where Edinburgh AC seemingly are primarily geared up towards winning races (not a criticism by the way, it’s fair enough), HBT welcome runners of all standards.  That is not to say that HBT should be underestimated.  On the contrary, at the top of the order are some very, very good runners indeed who regularly win races on road, hill, and trail, and compete at national and international level.  Selfishly, I hope to bask in the reflected glory of their success and improve myself by running with better runners.  

My first Trotter’s Training (TT) session was hill reps in Holyrood Park.  Running up hill for 30 seconds, then 60 seconds, then 90 seconds, and repeat 4 times.  It was tough and it was great to be taken out of my comfort zone.  Repeatedly running up and down hill at speed is really the sort of thing that needs a bit of peer pressure!  If I’d been on my own I’d have got tired and quit half way through.  Well if I was on my own I wouldn’t even have started but that’s beside the point.  After the hill session we jogged to the pub.  If there is one thing that HBT does nearly as well as running, it’s drinking (only ale though, no lager, ever).  It was fun to talk to some of the  guys I’d met before and also to meet some new people.  I was made to feel very welcome and was initiated into the club by the time honoured and mysterious ceremony, “The Signing of the Beer Mat”.  Beer mat signed, I was presented with the HBT brown vest which I will wear with pride at all races from now on.  I need to make an extra special effort when racing in future as I’ll be representing my club and not just myself.  Also because my results will be looked for, checked, and emailed out to all members to see!!!!    

I’m looking forward to Trotter training next Thursday.  

N.B.  While in the pub, the ale ‘Meg’s Tail’ was described by Trotter Simon as tasting “like Trade Winds but with TCP in it”. This is an excellent description.  I liked it.  I’ll buy it again.

Dunbar XC Race Report

On Sunday I ran my first race in a very long time and it felt good.  It was in Dunbar and it was the latest and penultimate leg of The Borders XC Series.  It seems like a very long time indeed since I last pinned on a race number and since I blogged something that wasn’t just waffle.  So here comes my race report….   

The Dunbar XC was a very different sort of race and unlike anything I have ever ran before, mainly because for a large part (about 4km of the 7km distance) it as run on a beach.  Kata and I arrived just in time to make our way to the start line on the beach.  It was pretty cold and I was wearing a long sleeved top, a t-shirt on top of that, a buff as a scarf, gloves, and a hat.  I was told by someone from Kata’s running club that I was wearing too many layers, but I laughed off this advice.  About 2km in I had to admit to myself that I was wearing a long sleeved top, buff, hat, and gloves too much.  3km in I didn’t care anymore.      

Dunbar Beach (post race)

We got underway and ran about 500m away from the lighthouse that was a beautiful course landmark.  After 500m we turned 180 degrees around a flag and ran back the way we came.  I wasn’t sure of the purpose of this at the time but someone suggested later that it served to spread out the pack before starting on the main part of the race.  This seems like as good an explanation as any.  I passed Kata going the other way and she gave me a nice big smile and a wave J.  Running on the sand was very tough and the not inconsiderable amount of seaweed and large stones added to the challenge.  On a few occasions I took a longer line just to stay on the wet sand and I think that tactic worked quite well.  At one stage early on, despite running on a very wide beach indeed, I was running three abreast with two other runners and we were all touching shoulders.  The racing line with the wet, grippier, sand  was much coveted!  

Lighthouse just visible

A lot of the race was a blur, I was trying hard and concentrating.  I’ll bet the course was beautiful but I didn’t have much opportunity to lift my head and take it all in.  The one exception was when we passed the lighthouse and I looked up then.  It’s a great landmark and added to the character of the race.  I remember thinking it was very white and must have been painted recently.  Everyone that I spoke to expected the distance to be about 4 miles (or 6.5km) so at 4km and we were still running in a straight line away  from the start, I was wondering when on earth we were going to turn aback and how long exactly WAS this race?!  Fortunately about 200m later we did indeed turn off the beach, onto trail, and start heading back.  The trail was at first a welcome change from the sand as it afforded a lot more grip and I could almost feel the blood rushing back into my legs.  The respite was short lived as the trail was very difficult.  It was very bumpy in parts and I needed to concentrate hard.  We crossed a few stiles, ran through  few gates, and jumped a few streams.  I settled into a rhythm of following the bright yellow Inov8 footsteps of the Portobello runner in front of me.  I eventually passed Portobello runner at a gate in a fence and she kindly congratulated me.  This made me feel a bit guilty about earlier on when I deliberately sped up to get to a gate earlier so as it would be closed behind me before the runner behind me got there and so slow him down!  I’m a bad man.  The runner that I tried to keep behind me at the gate eventually passed Portobello runner too and at the end I could feel his breath on the back of my neck.  This spurred me on and I did succeed in finishing ahead of him.  I’m never going to win a race outright, but I and every other runner run their own personal races.   

Heading back I have never been so grateful to see lighthouse in my life.  As it came back into view I knew we only had about 1.5km to go.  The trail section of the course was very bumpy and it wasn’t too often  possible to see very far in front of you.  The lighthouse, being tall (a defining characteristic of lighthouses everywhere), helped with judging my position on the course.    

Stunning landmark - and tall!

Results are in already and I finished in 00:31:51.  A result that Kata later deemed, not good enough and stated that I could do a lot better!!!!  I averaged 4:30 per km and much of it on sand so I think that’s a bit harsh!  J  In her defence (and mine) I think she was referring to my potential rather than my effort on Sunday.  I actually jogged back about 200m from the finish to cheer on Kata as she finished.  While standing there I chatted to HBT founder and living legend, Robin Thomas.  He apologised for not cheering me on but noted in his defence that it was because I wasn’t wearing a brown vest and was therefore effectively invisible.  He said he’d give me one but didn’t have any with him that day.  I am dangerously close to losing my independence and joining a club!  Kata even thinks it’s a good idea if for no other reason than to train with better runners.  

We drove home.  Brian and Carrie RAN home!  

So thanks to everyone that made Dunbar XC the brilliant and unique race that it was.  It was marshalled brilliantly and there was a luminous vest at every turn to make sure no one got lost, and at every stream to make sure no one broke an ankle.  The course is challenging but flat(ish) and fast(ish) and the weather was kind to us.  The soup and cakes at the end was also very welcome.  I’m really looking forward to the final run of the Borders XC series in three weeks at Berwick Upon Tweed.  Might even see if we can get the train to that race and make a day of it.   

Wearing too many clothes

I Didn't

Warning:  this update contains graphic pictures of nasty looking toes!

It sounds totally counterintuitive, but the most inspiring words I've ever heard to do with running are, "I didn't". 

I dropped a jar of coffee on my toe this morning.  It was really sore!  In the dim, artificial light of the kitchen light, I thought it was pointing upwards and therefore broken.   I was panicked.  My first thought (after the swearing had stopped) was that I might not be able to run and that Most Runningist Year Ever was over.  Kata iced and cooled the toe for me and after we established that it almost certainly wasn’t broken, I felt better.  I tried to bend it but you can’t really bend your middle toe independently anyway so that was inconclusive.  I am certain now that it’s just a sore toe and I consider myself very lucky.  It could easily have been broken.  I think if it had been, I’d have found a way to run.  Ron Hill did after all keep his run going the morning after surgery.  Asked how he managed to avoid injury and illness for the 50 years of his running streak, he replied, 

“I didn’t”.  

Those two words are the most inspiring for me and the words I think of most when I am running through sore hips, sore ankles, suspected bronchitis, and possibly broken toes.  

Warned you about the graphic picture!

Elite Runners and Racing Inspiration

On Saturday I ran my first race of 2015 and it was Parkrun.  I finished in 21:59 which is nearly 2 mins slower than my PB.  The conditions were the worst ever which for Edinburgh Parkrun is really saying  something.  I awoke at 8am to the noise of the windows rattling in the wind.  When I arrived at the race, I wondered whether it had been cancelled – there were hardly any cars where normally you are struggling for a space.  However, once I saw some other mentalists in running gear get out the cars that were there, my heart sank as I realised I was going to have to run after all.  Standing on the start line, I almost wimped out and went back to the car because the wind was so strong and it was icy.  Only the acceptance that Parkrun or no Parkrun, I was going to have to run today anyway made me start the race.  I was there now and I was dressed to run so I might as well.  It’s hard to put into words the relief when I put my hands in my shorts pockets for some warmth, only to find my gloves that I thought I had forgotten to bring with me.  Pre-race, the organisers always mention who has reached the 50 or 100 Parkrun milestones, and always thank the volunteers for making Parkrun happen.  At this point everyone always claps.  On this occasion the noise wasn’t so much “Clap, clap, clap” as it was “Fopp, fopp, fopp”.  I don’t think many people were running without gloves.  

Where is everyone?

So we got underway and the smaller than normal field headed off along Cramond Foreshore.  As usual, it was a tail wind on the way out and my first 1km was 3:57, second km was 4:05.  Meh.  Not bad.  About average.  Maybe this wont be as bad as I thou….OH DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN!!!!!!  Turning to go back (it’s an out and back course) was unreal.  The headwind almost blew me to a complete standstill or even backwards.  I wouldn’t have been surprised to have seen a 5 or even 6 minute km recorded.  I had to turn my head to the side and away from the direct force of the wind so as I could breathe.  At about 2km the snow started as well and despite this producing a beautiful rainbow, it was hard to appreciate the scenery.  I finished in 21:59 and walking back to the car, watching people still running, I saw a row of 5 runners all bent into the wind, heads down , arms pumping, and eyes squinting.  I wish I’d had my camera as it summed up in one picture what I couldn’t do with 1000 words.  

So just when I thought I was a hero for my run in the wind, I got home to be reminded by Kata that we were going out to watch the international cross country event that was taking place on our doorstep in Holyrood Park.  I quickly showered and headed back out.  What we saw there was truly inspiring.  The weather now was even worse.  The snow was on heavy, occasionally turned to hail stones, and the icy wind was brutal.  Spectating was hard going and we were dressed in layers of thermals, hats, gloves, and waterproofs.  Watching the runners in short shorts and vests (or even less for some women)  was mind  boggling.  There was a lot of bright pink skin on show.  The park was a mud bath.  We arrived in time to watch the Scottish Athletics Women’s 6km event in which Eillis was running.  She finished 8th in an incredible time of 24:34.  I went to take a photo of her at the end and decided against it.  It seemed somehow disrespectful.  She left nothing out there and looked broken, muddy, and freezing.  A lot of women were bent double with arms wrapped around their body, presumably trying to get some body heat.  My 21:59, 5km road race in the wind was put into sharp focus.  Amazing effort from all the runners.  

Some Very Fast Runners 

 

Muddy

We went home for soup and warmth before returning at 2pm to watch the International Women’s event.  Again the distance was 6km in what was now underfoot conditions that were difficult to walk never mind run in.  The mud was thick and sticky and the hailstones were back.  The race was won by Britain’s Emila Gorecka in 21:26.  Incredible, inspiring, and hard to comprehend even though I saw it with my own eyes.  It just makes me want to run faster.

Garmin Geekery

My new Garmin comes with amazing functions that records (in layman’s terms for my benefit);

1.       How much I bounce up and down when I run (about  9cm)

2.       My steps per minute (about 170)

3.       How long each foot touches the pavement (about 226ms)

4.       Stride Length (about 1.2m)

I literally have no idea what to do with this information!  I am sure I will and it’s useful information to track progress, but right now, I don’t know what to do.  What I find most interesting at the moment is the VO2 max and Rave Predictor functions.  According to my Garmin, my VO2 max is 52.  I have checked and this puts me in the Superior category for my age (smug mode) and in fact I am Excellent for someone in there twenties.  Here’s an interesting table.  

Male

Age	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent	Superior
13-19	<35.0	35.0 – 38.3	38.4 – 45.1	45.2 – 50.9	51.0 – 55.9	>55.9
20-29	<33.0	33.0 – 36.4	36.5 – 42.4	42.5 – 46.4	46.5 – 52.4	>52.4
30-39	<31.5	31.5 – 35.4	35.5 – 40.9	41.0 – 44.9	45.0 – 49.4	>49.4
40-49	<30.2	30.2 – 33.5	33.6 – 38.9	39.0 – 43.7	43.8 – 48.0	>48.0
50-59	<26.1	26.1 – 30.9	31.0 – 35.7	35.8 – 40.9	41.0 – 45.3	>45.3
60+	<20.5	20.5 – 26.0	26.1 – 32.2	32.3 – 36.4	36.5 – 44.2	>44.2

Female

Age	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent	Superior
13-19	<25.0	25.0 – 30.9	31.0 – 34.9	35.0 – 38.9	39.0 – 41.9	>41.9
20-29	<23.6	23.6 – 28.9	29.0 – 32.9	33.0 – 36.9	37.0 – 41.0	>41.0
30-39	<22.8	22.8 – 26.9	27.0 – 31.4	31.5 – 35.6	35.7 – 40.0	>40.0
40-49	<21.0	21.0 – 24.4	24.5 – 28.9	29.0 – 32.8	32.9 – 36.9	>36.9
50-59	<20.2	20.2 – 22.7	22.8 – 26.9	27.0 – 31.4	31.5 – 35.7	>35.7
60+	<17.5	17.5 – 20.1	20.2 – 24.4	24.5 – 30.2	30.3 – 31.4	>31.4

I read that an elite male runner will have a VO2 max of about 85 and a female about 77.  The record VO2 max recorded in a human was cyclist Oskar Svendsen who recorded 97.5.  I have no reason to believe that cyclist Oskar’s results were anything other than genuine.  

How accurate is the VO2 max on the Garmin?  Hard to say.  Based on it’s predicted race times for me;

5km – 19:59 (Reality 20:07)

10km – 41:27 (Reality 42:30)

Half Marathon -  1:31:46 (Reality 1:41:31)

Marathon – 3:11:12 (N/A)

I’d say reasonably accurate.  Only my half-marathon time is out significantly and I every half-marathon I’ve ran has been a really difficult course.  Still, I’d be delighted to run a 1:31 half-marathon.  That’s a target for this year then.  

So I’m loving the Garmin 620 (thanks Kata).  Lots of numbers to look at and lots of talking points if you can find someone who’ll listen.  I can see me in future saying things like,  “No I didn’t get a PB today, but my average vertical cadence dropped by 5mm”.

End of December

I'm a bit behind with the upkeep of my log and collecting stats, so here, better late than never is December's stats.  It doesn't make particularly impressive reading.  And here's the up to date log.

Count:	31 Activities
Distance:	167.21 km
Time:	14:16:25 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:	1,176 m
Calories:	14,293 C
Avg Time:	27:38 h:m:s
Avg Distance:	5.39 km

Feeling Fine

Happy New Year etc!

What will 2015 bring running wise?  What will be this year's surprise race like 2014's 'The Beast'?  What PBs will I achieve?  All of them?  None?  Will I run 5km sub 20 mins and then 10km sub 40 mins?  Most importantly, will I complete my 365 running challenge?

Well the signs are good because for the first time in a very long time indeed I feel alright.  My cold finally seems to be lifting, and although I can still feel my ankle, I am not limping on it so a big improvement there.  I ran a 5km route today that I have ran a lot in the last month and it felt so much easier.  I could breathe!  Hallelujah I could breathe!  The pace was an average of 4:40 per km so alright for a jog without being sensational, and it was easy.  I could breathe (did I mention that already) and I had it within me to up the pace any time I wanted.  I have been running through injury and illness and it's paid off as I am coming out the other side with my fitness seemingly in tact.  Just need to drop those few pounds I have no doubt gained of Christmas and I'll be back in business for the beginning of the road race season in the Spring.  IN the mean time I still have to run a few more XC races as part of the Borders series.

A note on a run in Hungary.  Not sure exactly what day it was but it was between Christmas and New Year (29th December or something like that), I was running at about 09:30 and it was utterly FREEZING.  I had to stop to cover some exposed skin between the bottom of my jacket and the tops of my gloves because it was stinging like a frozen wasp wrapped in nettles.  Also Jellyfish.  Jellyfish sting.  Anyway it was painful and bright red.  I have never experienced anything like that before and ideally I wouldn't like to again.  Back in Edinburgh the cold feels mild but I am sure that will wear off and soon enough I'll be moaning about how cold and windy Edinburgh is again.    

Another note on wrapping up warm for running in the cold.  Buffs don't make good running scarfs to cover your face with.  Fine when walking and breathing normally, but as soon as you are running hard and breathing starts to get deep and heavy, you end up with a mouth full of scarf!