Thursday 31 December 2015

"My EPIC journey into unknown territory"

West Highland Way Race - 95 Miles


So here we meet again, as I embark on a journey that requires great endurance. A journey that also requires  self discipline, the ability to maintain focus and deliver mental strength as Travis Macy author and endurance athlete quotes  "having the ULTRA mindset".

"A Journey into unknown territory, as I endure the famous 95 mile West Highland Way race"

With countless hours of dedicated training that required self discipline, focus and hard effort that would propel me through my "Periodization" cycle. 

You may ask yourself what is a Periodization cycle ?. 

Periodization  is a training plan which consists of a series macrocycles. There are three phases in the macrocycle;

Preparation - Base miles
Competitive - Build, Intensity, Peak, Race
Transition - Recovery & Rest

These cycles are the build up to your objective race. Each Macrocycle can vary in length between 12 to 16 weeks all pending on the race plan. They consists of a series mesmocycles, which are a group of activities that include separate sessions of (base miles, strengthen training, tempo or hill work). 

These are the core principles and foundations that I used to constructed  my race plan and strategy in preparation for the West Highland Way race.

It was Friday 20th June as I checked over the equipment, nutrition and hydration that my support crew would need to assist me with during the race. 

I was delighted when Ray and Sarah took up my offer to join me in the race as my valued support crew. Their experience of competing in races of over 110 miles and working well together in a team  was second to none. 

In advance of the race, I had carefully scripted out a race plan and strategy. However, after countless revisions. I decided to settle on version (6), which I issued out for them to familiarise themselves with my requirements. I must commend them on being very tolerable with my perfectionist approach to the overall race plan.

Leading up to registration, my crew carefully prepared my pre race meal of porridge with jam, wholemeal bagel with almond butter, water with chia seeds and a banana.

1am Saturday 21st - June race day



                                                  






My race support crew - Sarah & Ray

The below link takes you to the start of last years race, which  I also competed in.


Just as the horn was sounded to confirm the start of the race, the heavens opened and it started to rain. I thought to myself, drat here we go again for 3rd time. As I approached Conic Hill at 3:30am at 16 miles . Without warning I developed a sudden sharp pain in the side of my right foot and lower calf. As you can imagine, I was starting to think to myself why was this happening to me. If I do not take swift action and attend to the matter quickly, then this could be the end of my race. Foolishly, I decided to take a chance and carry on running until I reached CP1 (Balmaha) at 18.5 miles.

















Check point strategy - Time scale 5 minutes 

• Take off rucksack and replenish with snacks and hydration.
• Drink 500ml of water.
• Address any skin or clothing issues.
• Put back on rucksack and adjust for comfort.
• Spray on Mozzie spray & Suntan lotion.
• Leave CP and walk while eating food accompanied by either Sarah or Ray to collate & dispose of waste in to the nearest bin.

Important 
• Crew to keep me informed on my run time and cut off times.

After 5 minutes of R&R, I was off running while still eating my porridge. Have you ever tried eating porridge and drinking tea from a mug at the same time ?. Ho and not forgetting the biting mozzies!. However, as I always tell myself "it's all character building".

As I approached the shores of Loch Lomand, I started to suffer pain from a grumbling IT band. Drat I thought to myself what's bloody next !. Its a rarity that I suffer from these type of  muscular issues, as my upper and lower body core is solid and robust.

Upon arrival at CP1, I decided to change my trainers for my comfy HOKA Stinsons. But to my surprise, the toe boxes had stretched and were far to big for my feet. It was time to introduce plan (C), my 2nd pair of Sketcher- Go Ultra trainers.  I had learned a valuable lesson form this and that is to "never leave your wet and dirty trainers to dry out or they will deteriorate quickly".

Further on into the race, I was starting to feel energised all thanks to eating dried dates. However, the issues with my IT band was still present and it felt like someone was pulling at them with a pair of pliers. Upon reaching CP5 (Auchtertyre) 50 miles, I was ushered to the weigh station and to my surprise, I actually gained body weight. Could this be down to consuming to much fluids ? or, was it due to me wearing heavier mid layers?. I shall never know. My mind was fixated on reaching my next objective,  which was to reach CP7 (Glencoe Ski Centre) 70 miles before the 12am cut off time.





On the way to the weigh station with Ray


As we (Ray) and I approached Ranoch Moore, our spirits were high and our bodies in great shape. Although the under footing was hard going with protruding rocks and sharp stones. Our running economy was undulating "moving with a smooth wave - like motion",which I put down to practising endlessly (basic skill sets) during my weekly base training sessions. 

We arrived at  CP 7 (Glencoe Ski Centre) just after 10:30pm, which ment that I was 120 minutes ahead of last years race time. After a quick 5 minutes R&R, we were back up running on the WHW (West Highland Way) race.









Photograph taken the day after the race


Upon starting the ascent of the Devils Staircase in (Glencoe) at 74 miles, I had to stop and attend to an aggravating  blister. It was just after midnight and I had been running for over 23 hours and we still had another 21 gruelling miles to go before the end of the race, "Rome wasn't  build in a day"!. During the ascent the weather had started to turn for the worst, bringing with it wind & driving rain. In fact the rain was  hitting us hard at 90* degree angles. During this very tough time, I played over and over in my mind a song that would help me overcome these difficult times. 

The song was written by Amber Rubarth and  it is called "Desert Runners"       http://youtu.be/lnWjOFOv4qM

We reached  CP8 (Kinlochleven) 80 miles in to the race just after 4am. After a brief consultation with the race doctor, who managed to address my achilles tendon problem by packing out the rear of my trainer with felt. I was quickly back out on to the final stage in the race.  The weather was atrocious with high winds and driving rain, but we still had high spirits. 





Inside the CP at Kinlochleven waiting to see the race doctor


After passing through Lundavra at 90 miles into the race. Suddenly and without warning my body stopped moving forward. I had bonked !. This was the only time during the whole race, that I had experienced this sudden sensation to stop moving. What is happening to me I thought to myself ? "Bonking or hitting the wall means sudden fatigue and loss of energy, which is caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscle". My mind had started to play tricks and my muscular system was starting to fail me, which I endured for over 60 minutes.  I tried to consume as many carbohydrates as possible without throwing it all back up. I digested endless amounts of Jelly Babies and dried dates.



 Lundavra




Views of the WHW route from Lundavra

During the final stage of the race, I had experience hugh swellings around both my calfs and feet. The structure of my running shoes were stretched so wide to protect my swollen feet.



I eventually cmpleted the West Higland Way race after 34 hours and 11 minutes of running. Soon after I crossed the finishing line, I was presented with my WHW finishers Goblet. 

The day ended with a curry and several beers shared with my wonderful race team.






With Ray & Sarah holding my WHW Goblet
Below with Jason & Ray








The West Highland Way race is a fantastic event & challenge. I struggle to compare any other race to this incredible experience. 

The race is extremely well organised & supprted by race marshals &  volunteers.

As Arnold Schwarzenegger says "I'll be back " for a PB !
                                

                      




“Keep on running & be inspired”

Darren Barnes

Follow my running activities on Twitter @enduranceruner

Facebook "TEAM WLAC (We Love A Challenge)"



Monday 31 August 2015

Coming soon.

The sequel to 

"My EPIC journey into unknown territory"

Did I do it or did I DNF?.  The latter is a word I use sparingly.

Don't miss out on my incredible journey.

Darren Barnes 




        “Keep on running & be inspired”

                      Darren Barnes


Follow my running activities on Twitter @enduranceruner


Facebook "TEAM WLAC"  (We Love A Challenge)"

Thursday 20 August 2015

An EPIC journey into unknown territory - My preparation for the (WestHighland Way Race)

"My EPIC journey into unknown territory"

To prepare my mind, body & sole on my 3rd attempt to compete in the famous (West Highland Way) 95 mile race.

It took time to decide on a perfect title that would summarise my EPIC journey, my accounts, personal sacrifices and changes that I had to make in the preparation leading up to the West Highland Way race.
 
This would be my 3rd and final time that I will be competing in this gruelling 95 mile race. I had placed myself under extreme pressure to ensure that I had the best chance ever of successfully completing the race. This had meant that several personal sacrifices and changes had to be implemented such as lifestyle, diet, training plans and race strategy. 
 
It was the Christmas holidays and I was restricted to my bed with a very serious chest infection. As I lay in my bed,  I reflected back over my previous races, analysing the good practices, triumphs and mistakes that I had endured over the past five years. Then it struck me !, I thought to myself. If I want to compete in the West Highland Way race then things would need to change now !. So it did, I carefully scripted out a six month training plan, but this time I threw into the race mix the famous (Hardmoors 55) ultramarathon as my first race of the season. Shortly following this I would then compete in the (HOKA Highland Fling) ultramarathon. However, one other important element had to change such as cutting out all processed foods and meat from my diet. I decided on having a Vegan diet. 
 
As I stood on the weigh scale  the gauge displayed "14stone 10lbs". Ho "Bollocks" !, I thought to myself.  I had to remind myself  that my body's composition had contained very little body fat as it was constructed from well defined and sculptured muscle. However, I had decided that I would need to loose about a stone in weight, while still maintaining muscle definition and building on body core strength. So I purchased a new type of food blender called the (Magic BULLET). Each morning I would prepare and drink a homemade fruit smoothie. The ingredients would include kale, spinach, berries, hemp or soya protein powder, chia & flax seeds. My daily food intake would consist of between 5-6 small meals, made up from 60% carbohydrates, 30% protein & 10% non saturated fats.  This would include fresh (fruits & vegetables) such as  granola bars, natural nut butters, figs, mango, dates, lentils, rice, potatoes, grains, kale, spinach, peas, beans, beans and more DAM beans !.
 
Soon after recovering from my chest infection, I immediatley kicked into action my (base) training plan and strategy. Due to work and family commitments, I decided that 80% of my training time should be completed over the course of each weekend. This would include B2B2B (back to back to back) running with regular daily mileage in exceess of marathon distances (26.2 miles). I also included brick sessions, which is also known as a durathlon (run, cycle, run). Most of my long runs would be on hard compact trails and hilly terrain. These would be completed on trails around  the North Yorkshire Moors & the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland. I had to think about my diet such as what "whole foods" do I need to consume during those long and hard runs. So I started to experiment with dried fruit such as mango, figs, raisens and dates. They had to be easily digestible and have an abundance of  long lasting fruit sugars that will prevent me from bonking (hitting the wall).  

With all these changes in hand, I was now starting to reep the benefits. My pace and endurance had excelled themselves. Further to this my body weight and composition was heading in the right direction. I had to stay focused on my diet, maintain self discipline and have a positive mindset shown towards running long distances each weekend. I also included within my training strategy lower and upper core weight strengthen sessions. With all this  preparation in mind, I was starting to feel confident in achieving my long term goal the (West Highland Way) race crystal cut glass goblet.

Hardmoors 55 Mile Ultramarathon

It was Saturday 21st March and I was standing on the starting line of one of Europe's toughest winter ultramarathons, the (Hardmoors 55). I was racing 55 miles with my training buddy Jason. The route follows the long distance walking path called the (Cleveland Way), which starts from Guisborough and finishes in Helmsley North Yorkshire. Our race strategy for the day was to start off slowly and gradually increase pace towards the end of the race. This worked great as we were passing fatigued competitors along the latter stages of the race . The worst thing that anyone can do when competing in a long distance endurance race, is to start off to fast. During the latter stages of the race we teamed up with Jackie  from Southern Ireland. 

We finished the race in 13 hours & 53 minutes 

 

Hoka Highland Fling 53 Mile Ultramarathon


It was 6am on Saturday, 25 April 2015 where after a full hearty breakfast, I met up with my TEAM WLAC (We Love A Challenge) running friends Jenny, Jon, Mel and Jason. 
The weather conditions on the day was a mixed bag of showers, sunny periods and hail. To summarise this in two words I would say that it was all good "character building".
As the race got underway, I slipped into a slow to moderate pace to prevent myself from bonking (hitting the wal) to soon. Upon reaching the summit of Conic Hil the views over Loch Lomond were stunning to the eye. The downward decent towards Check Point No 1 was leg destroying to say the least.  Bearing in mind that only less than four weeks ago, I had successfully completed the Hardmoors 55 mile ultramarathon. Most folk would of taking time out after the race to recover.
After 24 miles, I had developed a sudden and sharp pain in my right calf. Negative thoughts were flowing through my mind to what was the cause of this potential race disaster. I thought to myself, that if I did not address this issue immediately then it  could lead to a sudden end to my race. So I STOPPED and grabed some tape out of my rucksack to strap up my calf. Once this was done I was quickly up running again and back into a confortable pace. As the distance progressed, I was having regular high points (feelling good within myself) with lots of energy derived from stored muscle glycogen. This had demonstrated to me that my Vegan diet was starting to pay off. "I had lots of energy and I had recovered quite quickly from my last race".

I eventually crossed the finishing line with the sound of bagpipes playing, spectators and friends congratulating and cheering me on. I had completed the  race in 13 hours and 15 minutes.

The Hoka Highland Fling race is not to be underestimated. With the ever changing weather conditions and the topography of the route. The rediness colour of  my eyes had proved that I was badly dehydrated but  "feeling happy" with my achievement.

I must point out that both the Hardmoors and Hoka Highland Fling ultra races were just training runs for my big race which was latter in the year (June), the 95 mile "West Highland Way" ultramarathon.

Crossing the finishing line



After 13 hours and 15 minutes of running I'm  still smiling 😊

 


To follow shortly;

My EPIC journey and accounts  as I compete in the famous (West Highland Way) 95 mile race.

Don't miss out....

                         
“Keep on running & be inspired”

Darren Barnes


Follow my running activities on Twitter @enduranceruner


Facebook "TEAM WLAC"  (We Love A Challenge)"

Tuesday 5 May 2015

An EPIC journey into unknown territory - My preparation for the (West Highland Way Race).

Coming soon 

 An EPIC journey into unknown territory - My preparation for the (West Highland Way Race).

Don't miss out.......................
 

 
 
“Keep on running & be inspired”

Darren Barnes

Follow my running activities on Twitter @enduranceruner

Facebook "TEAM WLAC (We Love A Challenge)"



Wednesday 25 March 2015

The end to yet another perfect season of Ultramarathon racing

The end to yet another perfect season of ultramarathon racing!.

I feel that this statement offers a true reflection of my racing achievements for 2014. As usual my base training had started way back in January, where I had tried out various running, hydrating and nutritional strategies all designed to help me prepare for the famous West Highland Way 95 mile Ultramarathon.

Winter training is always challenging with ever changing and unpredicted weather patterns. You have to be prepared for the worst case scenario as you never know what elements mother nature has in store for you on the day. As most of my runs are based in the hills and are over 20 miles per training session (Character Building)! ........  then I have to ensure that I carry spare layers of clothing, hi energy hydration and nutritional snacks.

The following kit list is an example of what I carry during my long winter training runs.
  • 12 litre running hydration vest
  • Headtorch with spare batteries
  • Bivi bag
  • Space blanket
  • Map & compass
  • Whistle
  • Top layer for upper body core
  • Gortex jacket
  • Light weight waterproof over trousers
  • Gloves
  • Bandana
  • Wool hat
  • 2x 500ml of hi energy drink
  • Chia seeds
  • Sweets (Elephant Heads)
  • Dried fruit bars
  • Granola bars
  • Banana




My first race of the season was the 32 mile (Howarth Hobble) ultramarathon, which is set in the surrounding foot hills and moorland of West Yorkshire. The race starts and ends in the tiny village called Howarth, which is home to the famous Bronte family, see link for details.

haworth-village.org.uk/brontes

Shortly following this race came the (HOKA Highland Fling), which is a 53 mile trail race that follows the famous West Highland Way. The race starts in Milngavie near the Scottish city of Glasgow and finishes in the scenic village called Tyndrum. Once again shortly following the Highland Fling I entered the Cateran Trail ultramarathon, which is a 55 mile trail race that follows most of the famous Cateran Trail. The race starts and ends at the Spittal of Glenshee in Perthshire. My hard efforts that I had put in during the long winter training months had certainly paid off, as I had achieved PB's (Personnel Best) in all races.

The West Highland Way race came around quickly after the Cateran Trail Ultra. I was on a mission to finally bring this 95 mile trail race to a successful close. During my 2013 attempt I had to DNF (Did Not Finish) after 60 miles, as I had great concerns that both my achiles tendons were about to rupture. Ouch!. As you can imagine, I was gutted as I only had 35 miles to go to finish the race. Further to this I had bonked! (Hitting the Wall) on several occasions, but I had recovered from them quickly. After scrutinising my performance during the race and identifying what had caused me to DNF. I put pen to paper and roughly scripted out how, I was going to put solutions to these serious issues for my 2nd attempt on the 2014 West Highland Way race. Remember this:

You only get out what you put in !

The above quotation was my new training moto !......... I started plotting out my undulating training schedule and race day strategy. I was fortunate to be able to recruit two fantastic runner friends , John and Sarah who would be my personal support crew for the duration of the race. Being part of a race support crew is a very responsible job. It is vital that each person knows what is expected from them and that they work together as a team, each of them pulling their own weight. If the team does not gel together and have issues, then the runner will surely suffer from this and it could mean the end of the race!.

The last few days leading up to the race I started my carbo loading process. This is where you eat small portions of high complex carbohydrate foods on a regular basis, such as (Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Pasta, Humous and Couscous), not forgetting protein and essential omega fats. The race started promptly at 1am and I ran for over 23& 1/2 hours before I got timed out at Glencoe CP (Check Point), which was 70 miles into the race. During the race I had serious issues with chaffing, which I had to endure for over 23 hours. Bloody hurt !. Also I Bonked on 3 occasions, which I quickly recovered on two occasions but the 3rd time had wiped me clean out. I was suffering from serious hallucinations, fatigue, chaffing and had twin groin strain. All in all, even though I was timed out after 70 miles, I did not volunteer to DNF. I was proud to think that I had  achieved running
70 miles of very hilly and tough terrain, but the funny thing was that my legs were still feeling strong and I reckon that they had easily another 26 - 30 miles left in them. This had proved to me that my training strategy had worked and that it also highlighted some minor improvements. Such as investing in better moisture wicking underwear, having prepared an improved hydration and nutritional strategy.

It was important to me that soon after my  recovery period, that I signed up for more races. The reason for this was to stop me from falling into a mild depression. This is quite common for all runners following a big race. It is vital that following a short recovery period that the runner quickly starts his or her base training. Starting slowly and gradually building up the miles.

To finish off the year, I had entered the Jedburgh 3 PEAKS ultramarathon, which is a 38 mile trail race that takes in some of the most stunning scenery of the Scottish Borders. Following this I entered the (Goathland) marathon, where I ran 29 hilly miles around the picturesque North Yorkshire Moors with an injured glute. Ouch !. Finally I  had offered my services to Sweep (Last Running Marshall), the Hardmoors (Rosberry Topping) 1/2 trail marathon.

Watch this space for my next chapter titled

An Epic journey into unknown territory -The West Highland Way Race.

 

My fabulous West Highland Way support crew

Crossing the finishing line of the HOKA Highland Fling 53 miles in over 13 hours






“Keep on running & be inspired”

Darren Barnes

Follow my running activities on Twitter @enduranceruner

Facebook "TEAM WLAC (We Love A Challenge)"