The Ochil Ultra 50 – Pain Again

The Ochil Ultra 50 – Pain Again

After the South Downs Way 50 in April I thought I’d have another go at a 50 miler in preparation for the MDS 2018  – the Ochil Ultra. This time I’d avoid the scorching sun of the south coast (strange considering I’m training for a desert marathon) and opt for a nice grey day in Scotland in late September.

The inaugural Ochil Ultra was set for the the 30th September starting in Stirling and heading along the trail network of the Ochil Hills to Perth. This was close to home so I had the added incentive of some family support at the end of the race.

The day started with a ridiculously early pick up at 0500 on the South Inch in Perth. Groggy and sleep deprived we slowly emerged from our cars and congregated at the mini coach that would take us to the start at Stirling University. The improvements I’d attempted to make to my kit from the South Downs Way 50 were:

  • A Salomon vest for water and food (and the other necessaries)
  • Salt tablets,
  • A deposit of watermelon and oranges (and kendal mint cake) for each of the aid stations
  • Injinji socks, and
  • a particularly fetching Outdoor Research cap (ready made ‘Kepi’ style for the MDS)

We were off as dawn approached and started the first climb up through the woods to the first top. I passed a few people, one of whom had some seriously big thighs and was keeping the metronomic pace I’d seen before – I was pretty sure I’d see him again. There were amazing views of the Wallace Monument and the sun rising over the Forth valley as we climbed along the first ridge.

A quick touch of the cairn, then down the steep slope towards Menstrie and along the base of the hills to the first checkpoint at Tillicoultry. I settled into a rhythm as the field spread out. I hit the flat ground and was feeling pretty good at the first checkpoint. A comedy moment ensued as we checked in and found the timing chip sensor mounted on a table about chest high leading to the guy in front of me contorting himself to raise his leg to the sensor.

I tucked into my watermelon and oranges, topped up the water bottles and headed off for the biggest climb of the day.

The conditions underfoot rapidly deteriorated as we climbed up the valley towards the pass that would take us down towards Glendevon – good Scottish boggy trails. Dry feet were a thing of the past by the time I made the saddle and started the decent. The Inov-8 race ultra 290’s are pretty good for most hard packed trails but left a little to be desired on the bogs and sphagnum moss. Descending to the Glen Devon reservoirs my feet came out from under me, jarring me out of the daydream I’d been as I bounced across the “path” on my arse and shoulder, knocking the prized OR cap from my head.

The route followed the tarmac road down past the reservoirs and down Glen Devon. We headed off-road following the Glen then changed direction towards Glensherup reservoir, crossing the dam before winding up a footpath onto the forestry roads.

I descended out of the woods and down toward the second checkpoint for the next helping of crushed watermelon pieces and quartered oranges. I didn’t hang around here and headed off for the next climb, which would take me over towards checkpoint 3. This section was hard going as my energy levels slumped and a couple of people came past me, notably the metronome from the first hill.

As I came to the top of the climb my stomach started to play up, threatening the need for a hasty exit off the path. I managed to keep it together and continued down to the next checkpoint. 30 miles in and not feeling too bad!

I was surprised to see someone gaining rapidly on me as I climbed the next hill; he came alongside very chipper and bouncy. It took me a while to realize that he was on the 50-mile relay where each team member does a 10-mile leg before handing on to the next person. A bit of mutual suffering would have been appreciated 35 miles in with my legs starting to seize up.

I started the long descent to Kilgraston school and the final check point at 40 miles. I was starting to struggle with my stomach by this stage. It seemed to be calling for an immediate evacuation but could never quite get to that point, so after a few abortive poratloo visits I shuffled on. My legs were also becoming uncooperative by this point and had to be coaxed into a trot along the tarmac roads leading through Bridge of Earn and towards the final climb of the day up and around Moncrieffe Hill. At the top of the first long climb I could see down towards the finish on the South Inch before doubling back for some soul-destroying switchbacks that seemed to loop me around the summit several times (maybe my mind was as buggered as my legs by this point!). It was all downhill from here and I attempted to squeeze the last bit of life from my legs to get down the hill and across the line, stopping for quick shot cold coke on one of the last junctions.

 

Another relayer galloped past me in the closing stages as I made the last turn and cut across the South Inch towards the finish of the Ochil Ultra 2018 and a cheering Wife, Mum and Sister.

ochil ultra 2018

All the gear performed really well – the Injinji socks were a surprise success and the new Salomon vest made a huge difference.  The Inov-8 290’s i’ll probably leave for dryer trails in future.  The salt tablets and fresh food were a good solutions but i’ve still got things to work out on the nutrition front.

50 miler number two done. 10th place overall in 9:33 and had a much better result in terms of gear and nutrition.   A bit slower than the SDW50 but with significantly more climbing and rougher underfoot.

That’s me done with the big ones until after the MDS.

ochil ultra 2018 weeventure

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Callum is an engineering geologist with a love of the great outdoors and physical challenges in extreme environments.

Prime Beef Bars – Ultramarathon Race & Recovery Nutrition

Prime Beef Bars – Ultramarathon Race & Recovery Nutrition

Prime Bar – beefy goodness for weary bodies

The information you actually want, without having to read my chat.

Product: Savoury protein beef bar snack
Weeventure rating: 5* / In Ma Belly
Company: Prime Bar
Website: https://primebar.co.uk/
Facebook:  /primesnacks
Instagram: @primesnackspri,e bar chilli with red peppers
prime bar chilli and red pepper beef bar nutrition Continue reading

mm

Rob is a chubby, out of shape bloke who spent a lot of time in Sub Saharan Africa peering down well shafts. He is not suited to running long distances.

Mount Hood – Timberline Trail in 24hrs

Mount Hood – Timberline Trail in 24hrs

Mount Hood is in the US Pacific Northwest state of Oregon. My wife was in the midst of preparing bachelorette (Hen) festivities for a high school friend, leaving me the chance to get into the hills, have a bit of an adventure and get in some quality miles in preparation for the Marathon des Sables 2018.


It was a secret plan of mine as soon as I knew we were heading to Oregon. I casually brought with me most of what I needed for lightweight camping and anything else I could pick up in Portland before heading off. The newly purchased OMM 25 litre pack (https://www.theomm.com/product/classic-25/), Nordic lightweight fibre sleeping bag (https://nordisk.eu/oscar-10/mustard-yellow/p/284/) and classic army issue goretex bivvi bag were the core pieces of kit. I also tested out the Inov-8 Race Ultra 290’s and MSR Titan kettle.

The route itself was the Timberline Trail which is a circumnavigation of Mount Hood (a dormant strato volcano). I started at Timberline Lodge on the southern side of the mountain going clockwise.

The worst part of any route is navigating from the car park and getting on to the right trail. You don’t want to look too serious taking out your map and compass at this point but I find this most likely where your going to screw up. About 20 minutes after leaving the car park I make it onto the Timberline trail (also part of the Pacific Crest Trail – the major hiking thoroughfare of the west coast mountains). It should have taken about 3 minutes and not needed me wandering around some ski runs, pretending I knew where I was going.

Anyway, it was a reasonably late start to the day in the mid afternoon and I got moving along the sandy volcanic trails through the forests contouring around the mountain. I started at a brisk walk, running the down hills and flats. The first attraction was the Paradise Park side trail that comes off the main trail and heads a little higher up the mountain and parallels the main trail. This area was stunning – full of mountain wild flowers. Sadly this was too early for me to stop, as it would have been an incredible place to spend the night.

Mount Hood Timberline Trail meadow

For most of trail around Mount Hood you head up and down the spurs of the mountain, climbing over ridges and down the other side, the views can be a bit limited by the forests but when you do pop out on the ridges you really know about it. I was aiming to get half way around the 40 mile loop before looking for somewhere to stop for the night. I hit Ramona Falls just about dusk and pushed on, climbing up and around Yocum Ridge.

Due to the fact that I didn’t really have anything to make camping a very pleasurable experience I decided to push on late into the night. This gave me chance to give my head torch (LedLenser SEO7) a decent outing which performed very well through the pitch dark forests and looking out into abyss of the steep gorges. I set my sights on getting to around McGee camp on the northwest side of the mountain to stop for the night, hoping  I wouldn’t encounter anything lurking in the darkness.

Mount Hood Timberline Trail waterfallMount Hood Timberline Trail sunset

I climbed up towards McGee camp, topped up with water at one of the streams that crossed the path and started scouting for a flat piece of ground to bivvi. The spots right by the trail were occupied so I descended down a spur a short way and found a flat piece of ground by a decent sized tree to curl up for the night.

I have a hangover from the military where I always try and camp somewhere a bit out of the way and out of view – this usually leads to me hunkering down in a spot that most people think is appropriate for taking a dump. Not a great feeling in the morning when you wake to see white corners of toilet paper peaking out from beneath a small pile of pine needles.

Camp was basic but I got the esbit cooker going and tucked into my freeze-dried beef stew and a nice brew. A gentle rustling caught my attention, I blasted the direction of the noise with my head torch to see a little mouse about to tuck into the oxygen absorber pouch that comes in the freeze dried food packs. Not the best of meals for the local wildlife. Some Porridge and more tea for breakfast before setting off around the northern side of Mount Hood.

Testing out the MSR Titan kettle

The route between Eden camp and Cloud Gap was beautiful with some great views of the mountain and to the north towards the Columbia River Gorge. A new trail had been cut after a significant washout of one of the valleys before Cloud Gap which wound down the steep slopes to the stream in the bottom. I  managed to rock hop across the stream without any trouble, making use of my poles and keeping my feet dry. Cloud Gap seems to be the other major entry to the trail system so it was a bit busier here as I headed up to the highest section of the route above the tree line and across some snowfields. This section of the route was barren, dry and hot in the sun. I pushed on to get back into the forests and a little shade.

I came into some incredible stands of small twisted old pine trees on one of the high ridges before descending towards a valley and the rushing river at its base. The river channels in the base of the larger valleys are something to behold. The constant erosion of the soft, unconsolidated sands mean the valley is loaded with sediment dumped by spring thaws and debris flows where large sections of the mountain slide into the valleys. This leaves ridges of boulders, cobbles and sand in the base of the valleys with a small summer stream flowing through one section – quite the spectacle for a geologist!

The heat of the day picked up as I made the final climb up to Timberline Lodge on the sandy path – some decent training for the MDS perhaps. I finished around 5pm making it about a 24 hour trip.

Overall the kit check was successful – trainers were good (though needed gaiters), rucksack and sleeping back did the trick and the Titan kettle was a champ.

Mount Hood national forest is awesome – I recommend it to anyone heading out to the Pacific Northwest.

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Callum is an engineering geologist with a love of the great outdoors and physical challenges in extreme environments.

Shin splints & shiny new shoes – Dad Bod Diaries #2

Shin splints & shiny new shoes – Dad Bod Diaries #2

Shin splints – they are the devil. A ridiculous level of discomfort for what they are but it doesn’t bear thinking about to try and train consistently through them for the next 8 months, let alone run the 150 miles through the desert at the end.

Wooaaaooo my shins are on fiiireee

So what are they? Well the NHS website (always go to a reliable source) is actually fairly vague, but states that shin splints is swelling of the tissue surrounding the shin bone. They list the likely causes of shin splints too

  • a sudden change in your activity level – such as starting a new exercise plan or suddenly increasing the distance or pace you run

Yep, whoops, typically me. I was doing ok at 2 miles so though “och, let’s just go up to 10”. My poor wee legs having my 16 stone frame crashing through them for 10 miles might have come as a shock.

  • running on hard or uneven surfaces

Yep, it’s mostly tarmac where I live.

  • wearing poorly fitting or worn-out trainers that don’t cushion and support your feet properly

I did not realise that trainers needed replacing. My Sauconys have done me proud for at least 7 years.

  • being overweight

I’ve only once managed to sneak into my recommended BMI range, and that was after 3 months living in Africa living off one meal of rice and beans per day (student debt induced diet). I’m a bit doughy at the moment, sure, but genetic inherited from a shot put chucking, caber tossing grandfather means that I am never likely to be a waif.

  • having flat feet or feet that roll inwards (known as over-pronation)

Well there you go, I thought I supinated (opposite of over-pronation) because I don’t feel much pressure through my big toe and the outside of my shoes wear out faster, but according to the gurus at Run and Become, I have a neutral, if slightly over-pronating gait. Which explains the splints I suppose.

  • having tight calf muscles, weak ankles, or a tight Achilles tendon (the band of tissue connecting the heel to the calf muscle)

Finally, one box I don’t tick. Though, my Achilles could do with a stretch now you come to mention it.

Off to get my gait analysed

In light of the above, I decided I need to try and get the mechanics of my running checked, and buy some decent shoes. A ban on Mrs Unis samosas for the foreseeable will hopefully deal with the weight thing (they are God’s own snack of choice – true story). I heard about fancy computer tech, etc and the physio round the corner from me looks to offer a good service, but I’m stereotypically Scottish when it comes to parting with cash. Run and Become is a famous running shop in Edinburgh and they claim to do a more holistic (full mechanical spectrum) analysis just by watching you run. They explain it better here..

So off I went, did lots of running up and down in the road and came out 20min later with a pair of Hoka One One Challenger ATR 3. I tried on Sauconys again. They were beautifully light and comfortable but we had concerns about how they would fare in tougher conditions. The adviser also pointed out that stitching on velcro for gaiters would weaken the overall fabric as the stitching would be tougher than the shoe upper. . I tried Brooks as well, but felt like my big toe was about to pop straight through the top. I liked the Hokas for the cushioning and the solidity. They feel like they could kick a rock or two and live to tell the tale.

Anyway, I got the old bat phone out and filmed a quick vid as I went along, which you can watch below. We’ll try and get more content on YouTube but in the meantime, sign up to our email updates to get all the latest blogs and chat..

 

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Rob is a chubby, out of shape bloke who spent a lot of time in Sub Saharan Africa peering down well shafts. He is not suited to running long distances.

You are going to die – The Inspiration Station

You are going to die – The Inspiration Station

You are going to die. A brutal but effective observation from a man who would meet that fate all too soon. Steve Jobs had drive in bucket loads, acting as the visionary’s visionary when it comes to understanding where the modern world was heading. His words speak volumes beyond the tech sector though.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Listen to the whole speech, from a commencement address he gave, here:

Fear of failure, of what people may think of you, is a more powerful force than it ought to be.

As a non-runner signing up to the toughest running event on earth, I am opening myself up to ridicule if I fail. But you know what, I just don’t care, because all that matters is the peace of mind that we can enjoy when the Valkyries come to take us.

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Rob is a chubby, out of shape bloke who spent a lot of time in Sub Saharan Africa peering down well shafts. He is not suited to running long distances.

Why I’m running the Marathon des Sables? – Dad Bod Diaries #1

Why I’m running the Marathon des Sables? – Dad Bod Diaries #1

I hate running.

There you have it. That is my reason for signing up for 6 days of running across the Sahara desert.

I try to like it but you see I’m a bit like Gimli in Lord of the Rings;

Even when, during that brief moment in puberty when I grew to the height of a man with the body mass of a medium sized otter, I was physically capable of running long distance effectively I never felt any love for it. That is not to say I was not reasonably athletic. As a boy I played rugby to a reasonable level, being part of a Scottish championship winning youth team and earning modest representative honours for the district. One seminal night in 1996 I learned to love athletics too, as I watched Michael Johnston storm to victory in the 400metres in Atlanta. As 13 year olds, we assumed the 400m was middle distance, not a sprint. In that moment I understood that I could do more than I though it was possible for me to do. In the school years that followed I won multiple sports championships (multi-event athletics) and broke the school discus record. The points for these however, did not come from running far. Genetics meant I was somewhat of a natural mesomorph, destined to be good at shifting heavy things, quickly. Incidentally, all the distance medals were mopped up by Callum anyway.

What I lack in terms of being aerobically fit, I make up for in being spectacularly stubborn. I enjoy endurance competitions when they go well beyond physical fitness and into the realms of mental fortitude. Sure, some 8 stone racing snake will leave me miles behind in a marathon, but how would he fare after two days carrying 50kg without sleep?

Why do people love these self-harming challenges? I could give you many deep and meaningful reasons but your man Johnny Cash hit it on the nugget when he sang(?) the lyrics “I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel”. I grew up in the country, did my first munro aged 6 and was rarely ever indoors. My current life, lived in the cosseted world of a city, working in an office, removes you from a sensory connection with what we, as humans, are meant to be. So it’s a mighty good way to blow away the cobwebs of modern life. Self-sufficient long distance running is what humans are designed to do. True story (possibly).

But, and like that overdeveloped gluteous maximus which makes humans so good at running it’s a big butt, that doesn’t mean you have to enjoy the sport of running. I far prefer worshipping at the iron temple, hoisting weights to get pumped for absolutely no practical purpose. I do it because I get a much bigger endorphin rush from that. Basically I enjoy it … and every child of the 80s yearns to be in their own Rocky montage. By taking on and possibly completing one of the hardest running events in the world, I’ll hopefully earn the right to never have to run more than 30 yards between ruck again.

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Rob is a chubby, out of shape bloke who spent a lot of time in Sub Saharan Africa peering down well shafts. He is not suited to running long distances.

FootActive

FootActive

FootActive is one of the World’s leading manufacturers of orthotic and lifestyle insoles.  Originally started in Australia, they now distribute to the United Kingdom, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Italy and the United States.

They work closely with our team of Podiatrists and Physiotherapists to make sure our insoles are at the cutting edge of orthotic technology.  They manufacture a wide range of insoles for a wide range of activities and uses including medical use, sports, everyday and children’s foot problems. They have been an NHS approved supplier since 2010 and our sports products are used by athletes throughout the World.

The body is a biomechanical kinetic chain, where abnormal movements in one joint can interfere with proper movements in other joints.  Medical research in the past 15 years has clearly established a link between poor foot function and injuries to other parts of the body such as knee and lower back pain. FootActive orthotic restore natural foot function, allowing joints and muscles to function more efficiently.  In turn, this will help relieve painful conditions and help prevent future injuries.

Their goal is to offer an easy and effective solution to most common foot complaints.  All our products are “of the shelf” and ready to use.  They also offer all of their customers a 30 day refund or exchange policy.  This means you can try their products for 30 days and if you really don’t like them just send them back for a refund. Visit their website at footactive.co.uk to find out more.