It’s approaching 7pm on Friday evening. We are somewhere north of the Cromarty Firth approaching Alness.

I’ve been with the team since 5pm the night before. Sleeping in car for a few broken hours in a deserted Aviemore car park, driving hundreds of miles to get there and get home. I dodged trucks, ticks and got sunburn on my neck and blisters on the tops of my toes.

All to run alongside Dan for about 75 or so miles, to try and help his relentless march to the signpost at John O’Groats.

And it was worth it, and more. For at that point, as the sun shone down beautifully across the Scottish Highlands, I witnessed a resurrection that makes me want to cover The Stone Roses classic but to change the chorus to Dan is the Resurrection.

I had goosebumps watching Dan slug out mile after mile. Just five hours earlier Dan had pleaded with his crew for a rest. He was breaking down. The incessant mileage and the madness of Scotland’s most dangerous road, the brutal A9, had begun to put Dan in a dark place in both body and mind.

A team effort

I got to witness an amazing balance of athlete care, record focus and excellent decision making in what was approaching the 9th day of continuous epic endeavour. The next steps at this point could make the difference between success and failure. Too reckless at this stage could make for regrets. Not bold enough could make for regrets. The balance was delicate.

Make no mistake, this is not only physically and mentally demanding undertaking for the runner, but for their crew it is as brutal and demanding in its own way for so many different reasons.

But, where are my manners? You may have no idea what the hell I am yapping about here.

In short order. Dan Lawson set a new record running from Lands End to John O’Groats. He bested Richard Brown’s 10 days and 2 hours mark, taking it to 9 days and 21 hours (+change) and in the process beat the 10 hour mark. This is LEJOG’s 4 minute mile.

And I had a ringside seat for a small part of it.

Photo: Dave MacFarlane

The community has a front row seat

Ultrarunning is well known for its accessibility and community. I mean, you can’t just rock up and run with Laura Muir as she attempts a record run. But the average runner can spend a mile or two with Dan as he undertakes this LEJOG mission.

In fact, it is encouraged. From Penzance to Perth it was happening every day. It has the twin benefits of giving a fillip to the runner, the record chaser, whilst at the same time helping reinforce that sense of camaraderie that makes this facet of the long distance two-legged propulsion game so unique.

Meanwhile, Dan has a level of generosity of spirit – an attitude of gratitude – that makes people gravitate towards him like metal to a magnet.

Running alongside Dan for the short time I did (relative to his overall charge) was a lesson in determination and drive. His crew are exceptional. Charlotte is as focused and tough and caring as you could wish for in a partner. Always striking the balance of compassion and competition.

Robbie Britton is someone I have experience with in the GB24 team, but this is a different level, needing different decisions for different cares and concerns. As Dan began to wobble midway through Day 8, I watched Robbie and Charlotte get smart quickly. They understand the inner workings of their runner. Charlotte knows the man and the athlete, and Robbie the athlete and the man. That balance showed up so importantly in that moment.

Fresh plans late in the day

A new plan was hatched. A eye on how to best maintain the forward momentum needed to ensure that John O’Groats would be reached before 7am on Sunday. That was what was required to make the record happen.

I watched people come and go and give over anything that Dan needed, that the team needed, in selfless shows of support and it warmed my heart. I got to meet long time social media friends Jim Mann and Ally Beaven. Ambulance drivers shouting encouragement.

Random people with cameras rocking up in lay-bys and passing places to snatch blurred images or wobbly videos of Dan as he pushed north. Him always thanking them. Always.

Then there was Alan Rankin – the physio from the GB squad – who must have driven well over 1,500 miles to meet Dan in various locations at the end of many days just to rub some life back into his aching legs. And, of course, the indefatigable encouragement machine that is Mick Seymour. He’s my Mick Seymour on GB duty. But for 10 days he was Dan’s and Dan’s alone. Except when I needed coke and Clif bar.

As if to make the point about the way this sport is about the community, the previous record holder, Richard Brown, had used planes, bikes and automobiles to be there for the last few days and to help push Dan on. HIs interest was in seeing the record go down. His record. His mark. By his friend.

Dan Lawson LeJog 2020 Teaser from Dave MacFarlane on Vimeo.

More than just the runner, a whole community

On social media all you see are pictures of a runner. A bit of drama in the face at the smartly snapped shot, or a moment in time that cannot do the hours and days of toil, effort and emotion justice. It’s a snippet that can be positioned anyway the taker prefers it to. When you are inside the ropes as I had the honour of being for a couple of days, you see the inner workings of ambition, talent and team all combine to create legend and greatness. Which is exactly what happened here.

To see that was inspiring. It was humbling. It was something I am proud to have witnessed. It also has me google mapping. If that is a verb…

They say you should never meet your heroes. Frankly, if my experience of meeting Dan, a hero of mine, is anything to go by, I’d encourage you all to meet them and more. He is, quite frankly, amazing.

EPILOGUE: Dan and I passed an hour or so chatting as we created our dream teams for a West Ham v Celtic all star match. A nice example of how you pass time on a journey that lasts just shy of 240 hours. I have noted down both teams and may put them together for a simulated game, maybe Fast Running will post the match report one day. Jinky v Roberto Carlos (one of Dan’s wildcards) would be up there with LEJOG.

If you want to be one of the first to see the full film this autumn then the best plan of action is to follow @davemacfarlane on Instagram and join Dan and Charlotte @rerunclothing. We at Fast Running will keep you updated too. 

The post Down, but not out appeared first on Fast Running.

Like the furlough pro Zak Hanna, many have found new strength training through the UK and Irish versions of a lockdown. The virtual race season, at first held at arms length by many including myself, has been embraced. Virtual PBs are a thing. Well, kind of.

Now those who have been training hard and seeing improvements all though 2020 are looking to get themselves some real PBs and we’re worried there could be some carnage.

It’s important to remember that there is a slight possibility your watch has been lying to you. It was probably done with good intentions. The latest smart watch and Bill Gates micro chip in your brain registered some low self-confidence and decided to perk you up with a 5k PB.

So what if mile two was a 3:43 and it looked like you ran over a row of houses. Maybe the training is just really working. Ross Barkley could run a 16 minute 5k if he really tried anyway.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

The next start line

Now this isn’t just a sarcastic piece about people who posted “virtual PBs” (although it is a little bit). It’s a warning.

When race day comes, be careful. If your new virtual PB is over a minute quicker than your old PB then it’s certainly possible you’ve come along leaps and bounds in the lockdown.

The fact you’ve removed hours from your work week or commute, or just not been overcooking it at the track every Tuesday, could have unlocked big gains. It’s likely we’ve all improved. Just not that much.

So in the first mile of your next real race you have two options. Go for it and solidify that new PB in the real world or hold back a notch, finish like a train and set a solid season opener.

Both are valid options, because in the 5 and 10k worlds you can dust yourself off, recover and come back another week. Just don’t keep trying to run 14:30 pace if your real PB is 15:45. Set yourself a target somewhere in the middle and work from there.

Stronger together

Some will rightly be thinking they’ll be going even faster when it comes to group racing again, because it’s a whole lot easier than a time trial on a park loop. Yes, that could be true too.

Running in a group our perception of effort is altered. It feels easier for the same effort level because others around you are doing the same. You’re where you belong. Although it works both ways and if someone overtakes you who you think should be behind, the perception of effort can increase too.

So use the fact that some might not read this article. Some might even read this and still set off like a dickhead as the gun goes off. You can reel them in during the second half as you lan somewhere between your real and virtual PB over 5k.

It’ll likely still be a big improvement and if you’re feeling strong at the end, go wild next time.

Photo: Charlie Wheeler

Run from feel

We’ve said it before though, it shouldn’t be all about the watch. Remember Big Nige at Armagh 5k? He ran at the level that felt right. The training had been working and it paid off. In that situation if you run off your watch then you’re potentially selling yourself short. Running by feel is a skill though.

It’s a skill that developed mainly through racing, but can be tapped into during training as well. By working through a range of paces, either in progression runs or varied pace intervals, an athlete can grasp a better feel for their own capabilities.

Take something like a session of eight x three minutes off a three min float. You might be running the efforts around 10k pace, but only dropping 10-20 seconds per kilometre for the steady float in-between. With a session like this you need to be in touch with how hard you are working.

Get either a little too fast and the session becomes your worst nightmare. But ease back a tiny bit for either and it’s still a bloody brilliant training effort to bank. Think about what might be the best approach with consistency of training in mind. This could be the right mindset for your first race back too.

But remember, if it’s cross country then don’t worry. When the gun goes, all bets are off. Go turn those virtual PBs into real ones.

If you’re not ready to come back to real racing just yet then the SOAR X TOUR sees racers test themselves over 1km, 1 mile and 5km consecutively over a 10 day period, with both stage and overall rankings and prizes up for grabs.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Don’t get carried away with your virtual PBs appeared first on Fast Running.

There’s nothing more dangerous than a keyboard warrior with a little bit of knowledge. Fresh on a new journey of information, they take up opinions as fact and are buoyed with confidence. We’ve all likely done it, normally as youngsters, when the world is easy and you know the answer to everything.

The four stages of competence

A commonly used model of competence, often used when talking about development of skills or expertise goes like this: unconsciously incompetent -> consciously incompetent -> consciously competent -> unconsciously competent. Skill or expertise development is less linear in the real world.

The first step on the pathway to expertise is always realising just how little you actually know. Even those who are experts in their field know that they don’t know everything and the constant search for more knowledge is a sign of someone to potentially trust.

On a personal level my own professional development is built around three main factors; learning from experience, continued education and learning from peers and mentors. I know there is still a huge amount I don’t know.

Learning from experience

Quite simply you learn by doing. One study asked two groups to spend a week making pottery. Group one were asked to make just one perfect example. Group two were simply given the task of making as many pots as possible. Who do you think ended up like Patrick Swayze in Ghost?

The first group spent their time perfecting one piece and eventually made distinctly average products. Group two went through a continuous process of trial and error. The students learned from their mistakes and were actually making better clayware by the end. 

Any area of expertise you learn by doing; be it coaching, nutrition or sports psychology. What you learn on a good education course won’t give you all the answers, but will guide you on where to find them. 

Building up a wealth of experience, with reflection, will improve your knowledge base. This is true especially for individual cases, which can vary greatly from a textbook when real life is introduced.

The Endurance Conference is a fine example of like-minded individuals, all with a desire to learn, developing their knowledge together.

Surround yourself with people who know more 

A great way to learn is from others who know more than you do. Finding a mentor can be difficult, but even just a network of specialists in aspects of your own area can be a wonderful learning tool. The idea of this article actually came from a catch up with a Registered Dietician who I’ve learnt plenty from over the years.

There are sports psychologists, dieticians, biomechanists, doctors, research scientists, coaching academics and cross sport experts who make up the group of people I love to discuss, disagree and learn with. You don’t learn much from people who simply agree with you.

As a coach some of my biggest learning comes from fellow coaches too. The combined knowledge and experience of a group is greater than the individual. Even a simple Whatsapp group to share useful information or discuss problems can be a huge help. The fancy name is a virtual “Community of Practice“.

Count yourself lucky if you have a network of peers who share a similar desire to learn, you’ll grow stronger together. Even that network can be constantly evolving. I’m very grateful for the friends and peers that help me grow.

Know what you know

One thing all these people have in common is that they know what they know. The limitations of our own knowledge isn’t a failing, but an opportunity. 

We all might step beyond our own labelled discipline as we develop a wide range of skills, a coach might advise on race day nutrition, whereas a dietician might advise on training and its effect on the diet. But it’s important to know the time to advise the athlete to seek the next level of help from an expert in that particular field. 

Chatting with fellow ultra distance coach Paul Tierney recently we both agreed that we’d much rather trust someone who admitted they didn’t know something rather than fudge their way through to save face. 

It’s also important to be okay with admitting when you’re wrong (although my wife might disagree just how much a grasp I have of this). It would be lovely to say this is just because research in endurance sport is always developing. But it isn’t. There’s no shame in making mistakes in the past, as long as you are willing to learn and adapt.

Add to this the individual context of each athlete and it can simply be that what is right for 99% of the population isn’t right for this athlete. 

Lost on social media

The danger we have these days is that there are too many “experts” on social media. People who aren’t really aware what they do or don’t know, but willing to shout really loudly until they deem themselves the “victor”.

This isn’t how healthy debate works. You have to approach it with the willingness to learn. You might not learn anything new, but if you’re not open minded to the other person’s argument then it’s not a discussion. You’re just WRITING. IN. CAPITALS.

We’re at risk of losing real experts from these forums because a thicker and thicker skin is needed to debate online. Someone adding evidence-based research to the wider world should not be subject to abuse. Period.

If your social media is more than 50% conspiracy theorists then you’re not edgy and most are just being contrarian to stand out.

I don’t have any evidence to back up that percentage though so I could just be a CIA agent who helped fake the moon landings for the lizard people.

Related: Fast Running Performance Project marathon coaching for all.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Know what you know appeared first on Fast Running.

“Why should I do my 20 mile long run this weekend if my race is likely going to be cancelled?”

This tweet caught me by surprise. Why wouldn’t you want to spend a few hours enjoying the pleasures of the long distance run? It brought about a thought process about motivation and how for all of us it is different, but being motivated by the end product, the race that might be cancelled, we’re surely missing out on most of the fun.

If every long run is a chore and then when it gets to race day you’re racked with anxiety about whether you’ve done enough training or purchased the right percentage improvement in your shoes, then what aspect of this fine hobby are you enjoying? If it’s just the post-race tweet and likes on Facebook then surely there are easier ways to get that satisfaction. Have you tried posting videos of narcoleptic goats?

Enjoy the ride

It’s not your usual spring season with all the concerns of Coronavirus and the cancellation of events, but whilst I have previously used the Steve McQueen quote “Racing is life; everything before or after is just waiting” as an email signature it isn’t something life should be lived by.

Take an analogy of collecting football stickers. As a youngster the goal was to fill up every single page of a Merlin Premiership Album, but it wasn’t placing the final sticker and boasting to your friends that brought the enjoyment. It was the opening of hard earned packets and the intense, Wolf of Wall Street swapping in the playground that filled me with excitement and joy.

Apply this to your marathon training. You’re not collecting stickers but fitness. Investing your time in becoming a faster and stronger individual and whilst there is a lot of validation when you finally get that PB number, it’s too small a thing to focus all your motivation on.

Motivational Climate

As more and more events are cancelled (Athletics Ireland introduced a blanket cancellation for their affiliated events as I wrote this) the question we should ask is how do we stay motivated to go running if we’re not.

As Erika Kelly recently wrote about on her Fast10 blog, Ryan and Deci’s “Self-Determination Theory” is a good place to start. There are three key aspects they highlight for a healthy motivational climate and athletes, parents and coaches can be instrumental in whether autonomy, relatedness and competence are part of an athlete’s existence.

If you expect all your enjoyment to come from race day that can be detrimental to your performance. Photo: Robbie Britton

Autonomy

Personally autonomy feels vital. An athlete has to feel like they have some control and ownership over their own training and racing. Just being told what to do on a daily basis, without reasoning or discussion, can lead to feeling of staleness and low motivation. If you’re just following the words of a coach or a stock training plan off the internet then it can feel like you have no say in your own training.

The same could certainly be applied to your work life as well. No autonomy is a sure fire way to lose any motivation. Even just following a pre-written plan it is good to have a little of your own control. There isn’t a coach on earth who can put a plan on the internet that everyone should follow. No one knows you better than you.

So if you have a good coach then discuss your training with them. If something doesn’t feel right for you or if you want to make one changes then you should feel comfortable to and if you’re just following a plan downloaded off “Runner’s Planet” then make it your one. Take some control.

We may not control whether races are cancelled or not, but your own training is up to you.

Competence

One of the reasons that we love a new PB is because it lets us know we’re competent. Training is moving you in the right direction and it’s solid proof that it’s working. Feeling competent doesn’t just need to come from races though.

Think about the factors that might make you feel the opposite? If every long run or interval session is a struggle then you’re going to lose that motivation quite quickly. Is your session or plan set up so that you’re going to fail? Even in weightlifting not every set is “to failure” and our running shouldn’t be either.

Are you attacking those long runs a little too quickly from the start or just not fuelling sufficiently for the time on feet? If every long run makes you feel like a failure then of course you’re not going to enjoy them and training will make you feel beat up.

Slow the pace of that long run by 10-15 seconds a mile and add in some decent, race practice fuelling in and it’s a whole different story. Finish the long run feeling like you could go on and you’re full of a feeling of competence. Motivation will stay higher than if you’re knackered.

Relatedness

Just knowing you’re not in this alone will help. In this hyper-connected world we can often feel more alone than ever. In days of old it was simply going down to the club and seeing your peers in the same boat. We trained together, struggle together and built life long relationships around our running.

That still happens, but at times we can get too obsessed with an online world. Social media connectedness isn’t the same as a real life connection. It’s important to keep our real relationships healthy and talk to our friends and family.

At the moment everyone is facing a similar problem for their 2020 season. A common enemy can bring us all together more than anything else in the world and just speaking to others in the same situation (ie every other runner) will let you know it’s not just you feeling the strain.

Even better if you talk about this during your Sunday long run together, but remember to wash hands, stay a metre apart and don’t turn to the group run if you’re feeling poorly. This should go for all the time, not just in the current crisis.

Motivation

So have a think about your own training and just how thrown you are by the Coronavirus. It could be a really good opportunity to assess your own motivations and why you run.

It’s it’s just for the Facebook likes and Strava Kudos, then that’s what we’d called extrinsic motivation. Look for the intrinsic motivation, the things that matter to you, something that is personally rewarding. Going out for a long run should be a joy, something to look forward to, not dread.

Every single run is an opportunity to improve yourself and whilst not everyone will be enjoyable, if every single outing is a chore then something isn’t right.

Take it from an injured runner, I’d take a 20 mile road run in a thunderstorm any day of the week.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Are you dreading the long run? appeared first on Fast Running.

Firstly, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. You’ve made it this far, however old you are, and you’re still ticking along. Before setting any New Year’s resolutions take the time to focus on what is going well.

When one of my athletes finishes a key race I often ask for “three things that went well and three things to improve for next time”.

Focusing on your strengths isn’t just a vanity project, it will put you in a positive mindset for planning, as well as helping to remind you of improvements you have made in the past 12 months too.

Too often we end up disappointed with a PB because we always want more, instead of focusing on how far we’re come. “I’m not where I need to be” or “I’m fit, but still a long way to go” are common phrases for runners. Where are you going? Olympic marathon gold?

Getting SMART about it

Last year we spoke about setting SMART goals and 2020 is no different, but this year we wanted to remind all the Fast Readers out there that you’re not starting from scratch.

It can help to do this with a pen and paper, writing down your goals can add to accountability and make them seem a little more real. Now think about it. What three things have you done well or improved in 2019.

I’ll start… it’s not as easy as I initially made out. Especially when you’ve been involved in your sport for years and currently have a long term injury you’re trying to sort out. I’m probably in quite a negative mindset at the moment really, I’d be able to list 10 things I’ve done wrong in 2019 quite easily.

Find the positives, they’re there

There has been a growth in my mental skillset since taking on some ultra-distance bike races, I’ve finished a MSc Performance Coaching that has really helped me grow as a coach and this year I really focused on stretching and conditioning work, although maybe it was a reaction to injury than a development.

Even that small exercise whilst writing this has helped highlight that 2019 has been a good year. On paper there has been PBs over 5k and half marathon, more race wins than usual, a Wicklow Way course record and a whole new adventure on the 2VS 1100km bicycle race all alongside finishing my MSc and final research project. Oh and we’ve moved to Italy, bought an apartment and a whole host of other stuff.

Take the time to reflect on what has gone well and it soon all comes back to you. It’s just easier to focus on what you need to change to improve in the future.

Going forward

Now onto the good stuff. What can you improve? Start with three small tasks, don’t take on too much as you’ll chuck it all in.

Use the SMART goals model if it works for you, but just make sure they are achievable first and foremost.

Want to get a new 5k PB? Set one second faster as the first goal, maybe then target the next minute barrier and leave the national record as a long term stretch goal. The have a think about how you’re going to achieve that.

A 5k PB is an outcome goal, but just sticking that to the fridge (which can help) isn’t going to make it happen. Think about the behaviours and habits you need to work on to bring the magic. Focus on the process and the outcomes should come to you in good time. 

A 5k PB should always be a good thing. Photo: Keith McClure

What have you got to do to get there?

The key is still consistent training. If you’re not getting that then it has to be the first target. But what can you do to create that outcome? You can still bring to down to smaller actions. Run five days a week might be the goal you need, or to rest at least once a fortnight if injuries are what stop your consistency.

What stops you taking that rest day or getting out five days a week? A fear of missing out or just not enough time in the day? Is social media making one runner feel they can never take a day off and the next runner lose hours from every day of the week?

I’m getting into semantics, but hopefully you get the point a little bit. Set your goals and then look at what is stopping you achieve them in the past?

Eating too many sweets but you have a box full in the kitchen all year round? Maybe stopping buying too many at the supermarket if you can’t control your urges on an hourly basis. Or buy your wife a lockbox so she can keep her sweets at home without you eating them all… That one might juts be relevant to my home.

Patience is key

Then it’s time to be patient. Everyone wants “instant results” and “15 min workouts that will give you rock hard abs” but running is wonderful because it isn’t about instant gratification.

The rewards come from building a whole wall from individual bricks over time. You get stronger, consistency comes easier, your work on a healthier diet and the PBs drop. When you’ve got momentum everything feels a bit easier and January can often be tough as you need to get the ball rolling.

It’s a lot easier than letting the ball stop completely and trying to get it up to speed a few weeks out from your goal marathon. Maybe time to apply for the Fast Running Performance Project if that sounds familiar. 

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you

The post 2020 is just the next leg of the relay appeared first on Fast Running.

Are you running London, Manchester, Brighton, Boston or any one of the fantastic spring marathons next year? We’re opening a limited amount of spots on the Fast Running Performance Project, a community coaching scheme that provides a bespoke training plan along with top class coaching from Tom Craggs and Robbie Britton.

We’ve described the process here, but we’ve refined and improved after working with a great bunch of athletes for 2019. Each month your training plan is built around your own commitments and needs, using the excellent Final Surge platform. Then there is a the FRP Community page where you share your journey to a shiny new PB with all the athletes and our team of coaches.

Our goal isn’t just to give you a one off training plan and leave you to it. We want to help athletes learn how to adapt their own training around busy lifestyles and obstacles that arise in any normal marathon build up. Building consistency is key and with our help you can give yourself the best possible chance of a new personal best on race day.

Get a head start on the 2020 marathon season. Photo credit: Tom Craggs

What to do now?

Click on the link here and fill in the form. Simple as that. We don’t want to wait until after New Year’s Eve to start, it’ll be before the first week of December that we get the ball rolling. We’ll provide training plans that are exiting, specific to your goals and achievable for you as an individual.

Tom and Robbie have Masters Degrees in Performance Coaching, as well as a host of other UKA coaching qualifications and a huge range of experience in getting people to the start and the finish of marathons, both key parts of marathon coaching.

Regular video Q&As as well as answers to any questions you have on a day to day basis come through the community group and there will even be other guest coaches and athletes who can help out and prepare you both physically and mentally for the adventure ahead.

So don’t delay. There will again be limited spaces on the Project, although a few more than last time.

The cost is a mere £30/month for a personalised training plan, community coaching and your greatest possible chance of getting a personal best at your Spring 2020 marathon.

APPLY NOW

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Fast Running Performance Project 2020 Launch appeared first on Fast Running.

It’s not mine or anyones place to tell you what you can or can’t do, unless you’re four foot two and want to make it in the NBA at age 43. If you set lofty goals, but are willing to do the work, then you’ve got a chance.

This is no “you can do whatever you set your mind to” blog. Somethings are simply beyond us. I will never be the President of the USA. You will never win the Olympic 100m Gold Medal (unless Dina Asher-Smith is reading this).

Yet so few of us reach our own genetic potential it isn’t genetics holding us back. If you’re done everything within your capabilities to reach your goals and still fallen short, then fair play, you’ve had  true journey of self-discovery and pushed your own limits. I’ll take my hat off to you.

It’s not if, but when

The problem for many people is not their lofty goals, but the time scale attached to them. In ultra running people want to run a 100 miler, but they don’t want to put in the years beforehand.

A marathoner wants to run sub 2:30, but hasn’t run quicker than 2:59 yet. They need to deal with 2:50, 2:40, 2:35 and then think about the next leap…well most of the time.

Your goals might not be ridiculous, but what’s the rush? Is wanting everything NOW a problem of today’s “same day delivery” generation. We want it and we want it yesterday. The grind, the work that needs to go in beforehand just isn’t appealing to most people. It might be the foundation of much greater problems.

Plan like a boss

So whatever your goal, don’t let people tell you can’t do it. But do listen to someone who is willing to help you plan towards that goal and thinks you shouldn’t rush.

Don’t focus on proving people wrong, focus on proving right those who choose to believe in you. It’s a small difference but an important one. Be positive, focus your energy forwards, but be realistic.

Take that goal of yours, be it a marathon time, a club medal, the Tor des Geants or representing your country and think about what you need to do to get there. Be realistic in your time line, break it down into manageable steps and get advice from people who have been on the journey before.

A plan can go out the window on day one and it can be super flexible but to start without one really isn’t giving yourself the best chance of success. If you’re running hard but you’re not sure which direction you’re supposed to be going then you’ve certainly lowered your chances of winning.

Overreaching hurts, like I discovered (again) at the Armagh International 5k this year.  Photo: Keith McClure

Talking from experience

As an athlete I certainly have been guilty at times of rushing. I’m writing this en route to my first bicycle race, the 1600km TransPyrnees self-supported adventure. I might even be rueing making the same mistake that i’m writing about by the time this is published. [In fact by the time this was published Robbie had failed at the first race but was starting another to see if he had learned from his mistakes. Or was just clearly an over-reaching, hypocritical idiot – Editor]

It doesn’t mean you don’t take chances, try to take that big leap by going with the lead pack every now and again on your 10k or starting way too hard. Some of the greatest breakthroughs in sport and life are made people who don’t listen to other people’s expectations. They just do their thing.

But they learn from their mistake. They don’t overstep every time and when you do, you need to be honest wth yourself.

Trying to bite off more than you can chew and then blaming the weather/shoes/type of sandwich when it’s really all down to you, will only lead to consistent disappointment. There’s a difference between someone repeatedly missing a target they’re capable of and someone missing it because they’re just not ready.

You’ve got to reflect yourself

Both require deep (or pretty shallow) reflection on the athlete’s part, but to just keep banging your head against that wall and expecting a different result is idiocy.

As a runner there are a whole host of things you can work on, such as nutrition, pacing, hydration and psychological skills but if you’re two years ahead of where you should be then none of that will help.

It doesn’t mean you can’t achieve your goal, in time, but you need to step back. You want to break 40 minutes for 10k but you’re still regularly over 20 minutes at your local parkrun. The goal isn’t ridiculous, but you need to take the time to progress. Rome wasn’t built in a day and a marathon PB isn’t built overnight. It’s years of hardwork.

I’m not the only Robbie who dreams big, but Robbie Simpson achieved big at the Commonwealth Games. Some doubted the mountain runner on turning to the roads. Photo: Bobby Gavin

So how do you set the timeline?

Start from the end point and work back. We’ve spoke about SMART goals before, but even just a vague plan towards the bigger picture will make you think about it.

Talk to others about it. Not only does that make you accountable, but it also provides feedback. If one or tow people tell you it’s impossible then you can choose to ignore them, the same as if everyone tells you it is. Or just ask other people.

We could say “the only person who really knows is you” but if your dream is big enough then even you can’t be certain until its done. Take into account what people say but don’t be paralysed by their words. Don’t just ignore everyone and hammer on regardless. Be a thoughtful runner and reflect on what you do and what others say. 

Then remember what the late Italian Alpinist Walter Bonatti said. “It was impossible. Then I did it, so it was possible”.

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Many runners will be able to relate. You plan your year, training is going better than ever and suddenly you have a little niggle that keeps you off the roads/trails. Surely a couple easy days or some rest will see it disappear?

Days turned into weeks and easy runs became easy bike rides. The goal of the Centurion Running Track 100 slipped away but the fitness transferred well onto the bike so the idea of a bike race crept in. No point wasting a summer of cycling up and down the mountains of Italy.

After dot-watching the likes of the iconic TransContinental Race across Europe and the Silk Road Race in Kyrgyzstan, travelling for days at a time, self-supported and into the unknown in terms of sleep deprivation and fuelling, seemed an exciting prospect. What could be learned that might help make me a better ultra-distance athlete all round?

Photo: Natalie White

The preparation

Most people enter these events with a fair few miles behind them on the bike. Back in Autumn/Winter 2009 I cycled from Bath to Birkenhead, then Birmingham to Copenhagen, just for laughs, then the running started taking over. The only there significant bike ride after that was a 140 mile fixie ride to Bristol to visit my mate Dave in 2012, but everything else was on foot.

There’s been some significant country crossing in there, with Iceland, Bulgaria and Jordan traversed in recent years. There’d been some nice weather, but also some shitty conditions too. The TransPyrenees involves going coast to coast, and back again, in October so might involve troublesome conditions.

The benefits of cycle training is that you can do a fair bit more than running (if you have the time) and visit a much wider area than you might on foot, even for an ultra runner. Based in Coggiola, Northern Italy, we’ve got a couple of Giro d’Italia climbs nearby, some big fancy lakes and even the joys of the Aosta Valley.

Up to 20 hours a week was the goal, gradually building up and not doing too much that the muscles couldn’t recover. Much as the same as a running training plan building up too quickly can lead to injuries and see you off training. Consistency is more important than anyone session or ride, so think of the bigger picture when planning your training or cross training.

The Ultra-runner looks uncertain because he doesn’t really know what he is doing…. Photo: Natalie White

The long ride

Like a marathoner preparing for the 26.2, a bike racer has to have a few long rides too. How long is the longest ride when your race is 1600km long? The equivalent of a 24 miler would be over 1000km so really it was a case of figuring out what was sensible and how far I had to ride to figure out a good few issues for the bike ride. Like how to bonk, how sore my arse is going to be and how cold it is going downhill in a rain storm.

With a longest ride of 185 miles (285km) I might well be less prepared than some at the start, but I’ve avoided biking injuries and got a great block of consistent training in the buildup over eight strong weeks. The same as a marathoner, the sum of the parts are key, rather than one big session. Although in this case a 3-400km overnight ride would probably have been smart, it’s just too late now.

Food wise, it’s going to be fun. Burning upwards of 10,000 calories a day with the goal of keeping going as much as possible, it’s going to be using anything I can find in shops en route to fuel the fire. Some riders stop for sit down meals and hotel stays overnight, but my plan (which may go completely out of the window after day one) is to try and do as much on the go as possible and push the limits of comfort.

I’m not expecting to be competitive, but I am going to race to the best of my own ability. For this to be worthwhile in the long term of my own ultra-running career, I reckon testing out some possible sleep strategies for future six day races and, maybe one day, the Tor des Geants, could be useful.

Follow those dots

Dot-Watching, as many do with the Montane Spine, The Dragon’s Back Race and other ultra running adventures is a huge part of bike-packing events. Following the SPOT trackers of riders, alongside any social media interactions and updates, lets everyone see what the riders are going through, the different strategies and an idea of the distances covered each day.

All the riders get cycling caps with numbers on, instead of you usual race number, and I’ll be #30.

If you’re wondering why Fast Running isn’t as sarcastic on Twitter from the fourth of October, check where I am and when normal service can be expected to resume. The great Thomas Craggs will be picking up the slack whilst I’m away.

Hopefully, over the course of around 1600km of the route I’ve planned, with a minor detail of over 30,000m of ascent, I’ll be able to come up with some insightful article ideas for the future, although more than likely I’ll just be a confused mess by the finish and ready to hide my bike in the basement for the next five years.

Robbie is sponsored by Odlo, Profeet Sports Lab and Precision Hydration. If you want to follow his training, which will be back to more running after this push-bike race, you can see it here on Strava or the highs and lows of Twitter and Instagram.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Ultra-runner gets carried away with cross training and enters 1600km bike race appeared first on Fast Running.

In searing heat, with the run section of the race shortened from 10km to 5km, the British pair forged ahead on the run together and then finished the race holding hands. So in comes ITU rule 2.11f which states “athletes who finish in a contrived tie situation, where no effort to separate their finish times has been made, will be disqualified”. You race to the end or no race at all.

So should we have the same type of rule in running races? Personally I always refer to joint winners of a race as “joint second” as nobody wins. Harsh, I know, but I love a good race and it’s got to be to the line.

It is worth noting that the race in Tokyo had been shortened due to extreme temperatures, so had it been about not competing in the heat due to the dangers involved, I would certainly be supporting these two athletes. The rule about finishing together is clear though.

Down at the track

You never see it on a 400m track do you? Even friends are dipping each other at the line, if someone celebrates a little bit early and the sympathy from track fans is never that vocal. “You always race to the line” the old guard choruses.

The Olympics may be a different matter with medals on offer, could you imagine the uproar if two marathoners decided to share the Olympic title? Do they get a pair of gold medals or half and half of the gold and silver?

Can you imagine it happening at a cross country race? I think not! Is Kipchoge gradually shifting up through the gears at the London Marathon so that he can share the victory and how great was the sprint finish to Boston Marathon this year, with Lawrence Cherono out leaning Lelisa Desisa for a one second win.

Imagine if the first winners of the London Marathon, Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen, had been disqualified for what is now seen as one of the most endearing pictures of a marathon finish? Should they have been as now we don’t have a first winner, but two. It probably helps to share the media workload after the event, split the journalists in two and get more interviews done.

I don’t think anyone crossed the line together here. Photo: Charlie Wheeler

The longer the race, the better?

In ultra running we see joint winners a little more often. The shared toil and battle against the course often brings runners together and hours and hours of competing can actually just get too much for some, so they agree to run together. It might also make things easier if they’re working together.

But that’s a problem for me. They’re working together to beat the rest of the field, in a solo event. It’s great to see camaraderie on the course and helping each other at times, but working as a pair to finish together in a solo event. That’s just no cricket (although some argued England and New Zealand should have been joint winners in the cricket recently, due to umpiring error).

In team sports there is a tie, which means no body wins, but when you need a winner, it goes on until we have one. Who remembers John Isner and Nicholas Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships? The longest tennis match in history with a final set over eight hours long. Yet at no point did they decide to finish together and go into the next round as a pairs team.

It’s more than just a race

So in ultra we see these joint winners and many enjoy the camaraderie it shows. I get it. I love making friends in a race and often help others along the way. But when it comes to that finish line, something else takes over.The closer it gets, the harder I work. It’s uncontrollable really.

So when Jason Schlarb and Kilian Jornet finished the Hardrock 100 together in 2016 I didn’t feel the joy of having two winners, I felt the disappointment of having watched a race for nearly a full day and then not seeing any winners.

Xavier Thevenard, who’s no stranger to a DQ, fought on his own and was overtaken by both the runners, who worked together by their own admittance. Thevenard was DQ’d last year for accepting some water from a support crew outside of regulated areas, but was defeated in 2016 by a pair?

It seems American runner Schlarb loves a joint win, doing the same at the 2018 UTMB Oman in November last year. This time with wonderfully eccentric chap Diego Pazos, the pair were practically hugging as they crossed the line and it may make some feel all fuzzy inside, but I just want to see a race. It’s not over until it’s over.

Is it just a weakness?

So now I’m going to get more controversial (and potentially unpopular) but I have thought about it myself, battling with a runner over the ultra distance, even shorter, and thinking “Maybe we could finish together”. It was always in a moment of weakness.

At the 30km Garda Trentino Trail this year I was going back and forth for second place with a lovely Italia chap. The more technical bits he went ahead, the less so I went back in front. We worked together a wee bit, him encouraging me to follow his line and telling me how far to go, me egging him to come along and chase first place with me.

Working hard to go past on the final few kilometres I did think about how lovely it would be to run in together, working hard enough to keep joint second, but not destroy each other. It would mean we would both come out of the event a little less batter too (maybe another consideration for professional athletes).

But it was weakness that brought that thought on. I didn’t fancy working that hard for the final miles. I wanted an easier option with the same amount of glory. Fuck that.

No holding hands at Speedway 10k Photo: Rob Gale – Parc Bryn Bach

Saving yourself for bigger things?

I pressed on and eventually saw first. It wasn’t a goal race and the plan was to not really hammer it. Logically I had bigger fish to fry and this was a training effort, but something deep inside decided otherwise. If this had been chasing second place, then maybe I would have eased off, but this was the hallowed victory. It’s why we race. For the win.

When I caught first there was no thought of holding his hand. I wanted to crush his spirit as I passed so there was no hope of a battle. It wasn’t the easy option, that would have been joint second, but this time the hard choice paid off.

Further down the field it actually makes sense to work together and enjoy the finish, but when it comes to the win, that’s a different matter. If you want to win, even the podium, you need to work harder than everyone else and, for me, I’d have a same rule for running races.

If you want to win a race, you have to work for it. The easy option shouldn’t be rewarded. It may look pretty for the cameras, but I’d rather see ugly sprint finish faces every day of the week. Joint winners… no thanks, I’d rather get beaten.

RELATED: Have you got the fight? 

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Those rare days where everything seems to flow like clockwork and nothing can go wrong. It’s a great feeling every now and again to have the race of your life and come away with a PB, but a greater measure of a runner is if they can run well when everything goes wrong.

As an ultra runner I’m used to problems. Even the best results have their ups and downs, but these can make the result even more satisfying.

Racing the Wicklow Way 127km recently it all looked plain along from the outside. At every checkpoint until halfway I was either just ahead of or with second placed Gavin Byrne. It seemed very much in control for those watching the trackers. Yet from very early on my stomach had other ideas.

Probably due to attempting to take on too much liquid in the first couple of hours when the cool conditions meant there wasn’t much sweating going on, but let’s just say I had to hide behind a few stone walls whilst Gav repeatedly overtook. 

As the race continued I wondered if eventually my stomach would leave me weak, but I kept eating and drinking, keeping pitstops a short as possible. For some reason this extra personal battle was giving me extra strength, not less.

The fight

There are many reasons people excel at running races, normally down to them being fast. I know I’m pretty quick (for an ultra runner) but that isn’t why I do well. It’s down to dealing with problems. Coping with adversity, even enjoying it. 

We all know great runners at our club or local races that have so much potential, but cannot hold it together when the going gets tough. Their coping skills are not a strong point. 

The fight inside is part nature, but it’s also nurture too. many fast athletes have never had to fight in their early careers. They are used to being clear winners, arms aloft and smiling for the cameras crossing the finishing line. It has made some of them weak. 

Fionnula McCormack is a great example, fighting at the Euro and World Cross Country for year after year. Working hard against faster runners and building that fight that makes her such an exciting prospect over the marathon distance.

Photo: Michelle Sammet

Learning those lessons

Speedway 10k race director James Blore, where the featured sprint finish photo is from, was surprised that “over 10% of the field dropped out of the two lap course. It wasn’t crap weather, or a mega hard ultra race, but a different type of suffering chasing a PB.

“People want flat and fast courses with good quality fields that will enable them to run fast. As a race organiser that loves athletics it’s simply about giving them that opportunity – but ultimately it’s up to them if they take it.”

Fighting for position, for a prize, for a time, are all important in developing a runner. You can learn a hell of a lot in the second half of a tough 5 or 10k race, let alone the marathon and longer. Ultimately working on the skills that keep you going forward when those around you seem stronger, when your legs are going through treacle.

Photo: JHMSport

Good competition breeds good competitors

That is why it delights me to see the likes of Patrick Dever and Emile Cairess fighting for the finish in BUCS cross county. For the victor the spoils, but for the defeated, the fire. Both lads clearly have a huge amount of ability, but it is nothing without hard work. They have each other to thank for future successes.

Some see strong competition as a negative. They like to win, it builds their confidence, but confidence is fragile if not hard fought.

The harder you work to achieve something, the greater the confidence it can provide. The strength in British distance running is growing and the competition, such as the strong women’s field at the Vitality 10,000 and the Nights of the 10,000m PB’s, will only make our athletes more resilient.

Back in the 80’s it was Coe, Ovett and Cram, alongside a huge chasing pack of British athletes, that meant no one was invincible. Athletes worked hard and still fastest defeat, but it made them stronger for the next time.

Not just in racing, but in training too. Those solitary efforts on a country lane or a windy track might be the practice needed to dig deep when the big stage beckons. Practice driving for the line within your mind, controlling the narrative in your own mental arena so that you can attempt todo the same on race day. 

Learn to cope

Some of you reading this may relate. You know your strength comes with coping well when it hurts and pushing forwards. Other may recognise the feeling of it all slipping away when things go wrong. All of us can improve.

Mental skills are just that. Skills. They can be learned and improved. Techniques such as self talk, visualisation and goal setting can all be practiced during training and races. Research has shown that all can improve performance and all can be improved.

You might think talking to yourself is reserved for those haring voices, but it doesn’t have to be shouting “COME ON ROBBIE, YOU CAN DO THIS” to yourself as you run through the local park, especially if you’re not called Robbie.

An inner monologue, urging yourself forward, believing you, will help you keep pushing. you can shout out loud if you want to, it’ll probably help even more. Certainly during long ultras I have given myself a talking to, even in the Valencia marathon last December in the hard last few miles. 

Practice makes perfect, so hen you’re training imagine yourself running the final miles, overcoming whatever obstacles the race has thrown your way. Chuck yourself into a competitive local race or a parkrun (not a race, but you can still race others). Practice going too hard at the start and how you cope in a race that doesn’t matter to you. 

Have you got the fight?

Then the next time a race starts to hurt or goes off plan you can tell yourself “I have the fight for this”. Know that you have practiced and worked harder than those around you, whoever they are. Because thinking you have a natural talent will only get you so far.

A growth mindset, one that knows hard work is how you improve, will take you forward. instead of bemoaning the natural talents of others, focus on the fact you’re nowhere near your own genetic limits, that’s for sure.

Photo: Sam Morley

The above picture is from the European 24hr Champs. Featured is James Stewart and James has the fight. In the early stages sickness in the heat was a problem, but the Scot fought on, eventually coming good and finishing 11th, helping GB to team silver with his 244.35km.

When the the fight comes, one day you won’t dread it, you will relish it. That’s what I felt on the Wicklow Way. The challenge was ever the more satisfying because I had a race and even at the start the plan went out the window.

In the second half of that race I knew no one would catch me. Not because I’m super talented, because I don’t think I am, but because I’m willing to fight every step of the way. Whatever happens, with any problems, you can only do the best on the day and most of the time that is good enough. 

Robbie is sponsored by Odlo, Profeet Sports Lab and Precision Hydration. If you want to follow his training chasing sub 2:30 you can also see it here on Strava or the highs and lows of Twitter and Instagram.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post Have you got the fight? appeared first on Fast Running.