Below are some of my thoughts on my preparation, how the event went, details of my nutrition, the kit I used (and that which I carried but didn’t use - excess weight!), and my overall approach to the run.
*Spoiler Alert* I finished, and I finished in a time much better than I’d hoped for, with overall mood and physical condition throughout the day being way better than I’d expected (as you can see from my happy face at 42 miles!)
Preparation
Well, I was determined to try and prepare properly for this ultra, as I knew I’d be pushing myself just to get around in the cut-off time. Below are some of the things I did:
Training Plan
I started with a “train for a marathon in 12 weeks” programme, but one which started from a reasonable base-level of fitness. I did this up to the first weekend in July, when I’d entered a trail marathon as part of my preparation (more details below). I entered all of the training runs I would need to do into my iPhone calendar, which I have shared with my wife’s phone, so that we could try and plan our busy family life around making sure I got my key runs in. A link to the training plan I used is here: https://www.all-about-marathon-training.com/marathon-training-schedule-12.htmlOnce I’d done the marathon and had approximately another 11 weeks until the ultra, I shifted to a 50-mile ultra-marathon training plan. I chose a 16-week plan and basically started from a point 11 weeks back from the end, as I knew I had the right base level of fitness. As with the marathon plan, again I took the runs from this and programmed them in to my iPhone calendar. The training plan I used can be found here: https://www.runnersworld.co.uk/training/16-week-50-mile-ultra-marathon-training-schedule
Now, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t quite get out for all of the runs, but I did my best to make it out on at least 90% of them, particularly the long weekend ones, and making sure I pushed myself pace-wise on the shorter ones.
I also did my best to make sure that my longest runs were on terrain as close as possible to that which I’d be running over on the day of the event. To do this, I headed to the Peak District a couple of times, up into the hills in Lancashire and over to Hadrian’s Wall territory near Newcastle. This is all a bit of a trek, so it was essential that I had the planning in the diary to make sure we could fit family life in without it being too badly affected - fortunately, I have a truly amazing, supportive and understanding wife!
Preparation Events
I ran three key preparation events during my training;
High Peak 25k
This went really well. Although it was fairly short, it was very hilly and steep and I was pleased to find that my body coped well.
Northumberland Coastal Trail Marathon
This was tough, as it was on the 1st of July and was stinking hot! I got quite a lot of cramp, found that my shoes were uncomfortable when my feet expanded and actually considered dropping out at around 20 miles when I went through a tough patch.Although my overall time was ok for the conditions (just under 5 hours), this was only really thanks to a supportive phone call with my wife and I took a bit of a knock to my confidence from the run.
Great North Run
The Great North Run is a bit of a family tradition now, and I wasn’t about to miss my tenth running of it just because I had an ultra-marathon six days later! I did at least take it fairly easy on the race and took a huge confidence boost from how my fitness allowed me to get a respectable 1:46 finish whilst not pushing myself.
Pre-Race Fuelling & Pre-Hydration
This is something that I’d not really paid a huge amount of attention to for previous events, but I decided that after my cramp issues during the coastal marathon I needed to take a little more seriously.
I switched drink to the Precision Hydration products, which I had found from training runs not only contained a good amount of minerals, but also tasted good enough for me to continually want to keep drinking them - unlike a lot of the sugary alternatives. Their pre-hydration plan suggests that for a heavy sweater such as myself it’s sensible to have one of their PH1500 drinks the night before and morning of the race. I diligently did this, and didn’t regret it at all, as cramp never set in, in spite of some serious hills and the middle of the day being pretty warm.I also tried to get a good number of calories and carbohydrates into my system over the days before the race, rather than just having pasta the night before, like I have done previously. This seemed to work pretty well, even if my dinner on the sea-front the night before the race was maybe a little less healthy than an elite athlete would recommend...
On the morning of the event itself, I had some overnight oats (porridge oats, plain yoghurt and a selection of fruit, left in the fridge overnight) on the bus on the way to the start line and a banana during registration. These are both things that I’m used to having, but that I knew would provide good, slow-release energy for the first part of the race.
Race Nutrition
During the event itself, I took quite a lot of food with me, had more in drop-bags at two of the checkpoints on route (I was running this unsupported by any family members or similar) and took advantage of the food and drink available at the checkpoints. I kept a mental note of what I’d consumed (both in terms of food and drink) and have listed it all below:
Food
2 Nakd bars - 270 calories (1 pre Saltburn, 1 around Whitby) - These are fruity, whilst being packed with oats, so went down really well.
1 Tesco flapjack - 250 calories (at Saltburn) - Simple, soft, high in sugar and filled with slow-burn oats, so very easy to eat.
1 Cliff peanut bar - 250 calories (between Saltburn & Runswick Bay) - I like the peanut flavour of these, but they’re pretty substantial and can take a while to get down!
1 cheese & marmite sandwich - 300 calories (at Runswick Bay) - A good bit of simple salty food to get down during a break.
2 mini sausage rolls - 70 calories (at Ravenscar) - Just what I needed with a little salt and nice and soft.
2 marshmallows - 50 calories (at Ravenscar) - What a treat when 40-odd miles in!
About 20 jelly babies - 300 calories (between 4 late CP’s, but not Ravenscar) - Quick and simple to grab at various checkpoints along the way.
1 watermelon slice - 80 calories (at Saltwick Bay) - What a perfect refreshment when I’d not been able to eat in a while!
Drinks
3.5 litres PH1000 - 0 calories - This stuff is incredible; all the minerals you could possibly need, while being refreshing and easy to drink. No energy in it, but I’m happy to get my energy from real food and treat drinks!
750ml Pepsi - 375 calories (200ml at Runswick Bay, 200ml at Saltwick Bay, 200ml at Robin Hoods Bay, 150ml at Scarborough) - I normally can’t drink full sugar fizzy drinks at all, but on this run I couldn’t get enough Pepsi!
150ml Lilt - 65 calories (at Scarborough) - I don’t think I’ve had Lilt since about 1997, so this was an awesome little boost near the end!
100ml Dr Pepper - 55 calories (at Scarborough) - Well, if you’re trying Pepsi and Lilt, why not go the whole hog and bung some Dr Pepper in too?!
950ml For Foodness Shakes - 532 calories (475ml at Runswick Bay & Ravenscar) - I swear by these recovery shakes. Not only are they full of energy and nutrients to keep your muscles going on a long run, I’ve also never had a run where I didn’t fancy one!
1 litre Apple juice - 500 calories (500ml in Whitby & Scarborough) - These were both bought as rewards for myself when I made it to shops in the areas of civilisation on the course. They were ice-cold, packed with natural sugar and gave me a real physical and emotional boost.
When you look at this as it panned out through the race, along with what was going out to keep me going, it’s pretty clear that I built up a pretty substantial calorie-deficit over the day! However, I’m pretty sure I took in about as much as I could comfortably do, whilst still keeping moving, so I’m really happy with how it all worked out - way better than previous events.
Kit
This is the equipment and clothing I used during the run. Hopefully this will be of some use to people wanting to know details of potential gear for future runs.
Inov-8 Terra-Ultra G
No blisters, no rubbing, no hot-spots, no slipping on the surfaces of the course, no pain from over-sized lugs - these were basically the perfect shoe for the day and did me absolutely proud. Zero drop, with a lovely roomy toe-box made them comfy all day long (well, as comfy as a pair of shoes can be after nearly 16 hours of being upright in them!)
Salomon trail low gaiters
Only worn these for two runs previously and only bought them as the Inov8 trainers seemed to let in more bits and bobs around the ankle than previous shoes.
I think the best summary I can give for these is that I forgot I had them on, but didn’t get anything inside my shoes at all. Therefore, I’d say they did exactly what I was wanting them for!
More Mile Trail socks
I’ve never had a problem with these socks. They’re cheap, simple and comfortable. I had zero blisters and had no need to change my socks at any point throughout the day.
Salomon S-Lab Exo Pro Twin-Skin shorts
I’ve had these for about four years and still absolutely love them. I’ve had to repair them where the compression section has come away from the looser section a couple of times, but am happy to do so, as they always feel incredibly comfortable. The design which has the compression section alone in the area where your legs might rub together makes them feel like you could run all year in them without ever having anything chafe. The compression also grips your thighs well and never rises up, unlike some others I’ve owned.
My only gripe is the price - these are some seriously expensive shorts!
More Mile running boxers
Unfortunately, More Mile don’t seem to do these any more, because they were cheap, comfy and I’ve never had problems with them.
Ronhill Run Guard
This may be why I’ve had no problems with the running boxers or top - if you have ever had issues with chafing, this stuff will sort you right out! I applied once at the start and once after going to the loo at Ravenscar. No chafing anywhere on my body - I just dread to think what’s in it that makes it so effective!
Compressport Trail Short Sleeved top
I was wearing the Mk1 version of this top for the 60, although I have the Mk2 at home.
This is a very tight, compressive top, which I’ve worn on a few ultras and have never had an issue with. The 60 was no different, with the rubberised grippy areas on the shoulders helping to stop my pack from bouncing around, while the compression helped my fat from doing the same! Haha
The only slight issue with this top is actually just due to its tight-fitting nature - it’s not exactly flattering if you don’t have the physique of a demi-god (which I definitely do not!)
Salomon running cap
Well, it’s a cap which I wear for running... pretty much a Ronseal job here, it does exactly what it says on the tin, much like all my other running caps!
I will say that it was nice to fill it with water from the stream during the climb up from Runswick Bay and cool my head in the afternoon heat!
Joluvi Baston Trail Running Poles
Oh, my new best friends in the world... running poles!
I only started using these around 3 months before the HM60, and my use of them only included three training runs, but I’m so glad that I got them. I started the run with them strapped to the front of my pack (due to the number of people in such close proximity and not wanting to skewer anyone!), but got them out on the first climb and immediately felt the benefit as I moved up the steep slope towards High Cliff Nab without slipping once. Others were having to choose their footings carefully, while I moved up in relatively limited grip shoes, thanks to the added traction of the poles.
From them on, I kept them out for the whole day, using them all the way to the finish.
They took the strain from my legs on so many occasions; saving effort on the uphills and stair-climbs, protecting my knees and quads from the eccentric effort on the downhills and stair-descents, and just providing a little additional forward motion on the flats.
Can you tell that I absolutely love them yet? Well, if not, let me be clear - you need these in your life, they were an absolute game-changer for me!
Garmin Fenix 3 Watch & Heart-Rate Monitor
Well, if I love my new poles, my watch may as well be part of my family, I love it so much!
I’ve had my Fenix 3 for around 3 years, and it’s been my every-day watch along with being my running watch for numerous challenges.
For the 60, I programmed the gpx file of the route into the watch beforehand, such that it could point me in the right direction if I ever strayed off course (which I’ll admit I did twice!) I’d been worried that this would kill the battery, but it was still at 50% when I got to 42 miles, so it really was probably unnecessary for me to put the top-up into it there that I did.
I used the watch primarily to keep a general eye on my pace, but a closer eye on my heart rate - making sure that I was keeping my effort at manageable levels throughout the run.
After the run, the data that had been captured made for really interesting viewing and showed that having that information along the way had proved to be really useful.
Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Vest 3.0
I bought my Adventure Vest second hand from a chap on Facebook, as I already had a smaller Salomon one and felt I didn’t want to invest loads of money if it turned out to not be right for me, or to just not be needed.
I needn’t have worried - this bag is adjustable enough to fit both me and my wife, when she’s borrowed it. It’s comfortable and big enough for a long event like this, while being compressible enough to be useful for shorter stuff too.
Is it as comfy as my Salomon S-Lab 5l vest? No, but then I can’t imagine much that is, and it’s way more practical for a long run.
The flasks are easy to access in the front pouches, there are massive side pouches around the waist area, additional mini pockets for essentials on the shoulder straps, little straps to hold poles comfortably on the front and then big main sections in the back for all the stuff you don’t need immediate access to.
This pack was comfy all day, and I clearly carried more kit than I needed, but didn’t suffer for it, which is as much of an endorsement as you can get, I reckon.
Salomon soft flasks
I’ve been using these for a couple of years and am a total convert to soft flasks. The lack of sloshing around of fluids while you’re running is just such a nice change from the hard bottles I’d previously used.
These Salomon narrow-neck flasks aren’t great in terms of being a bit more of a pain to pour a sachet of drink powder into, but the narrow neck also means that they don’t press into your chest/shoulder area when in a front-mounted pouch.
As such, I’ve stuck with them and they did me proud on the 60.
Petzl Tikka RXP head-torch
I’ve had this torch for about 4 or 5 years, but haven’t really used it in anger all that much up until the HM60. I’ve used it out on roads on early morning or late evening winter runs, but never off-road, so I was a little nervous about how I would do with it.
I needn’t have worried - this is a superb head-torch!
Rechargeable, but with the option to put 3xAAA batteries in it, I didn’t have any fears about running out of power, while the adaptive brightness and light focus meant that I was comfortable with what I could see at all times. The new version of this torch is the Reactik+, which I would therefore highly recommend.
North East Marathon Club buff
Well let’s be honest; a buff’s a buff. I wore this one very briefly when it first got dark but hadn’t cooled down much, as it meant I could wear my head-torch whilst keeping the sweat out of my eyes. Always worth having with you on a run, given how small and light they are, I normally throw one in my pack no matter the weather.
Inov8 Race Elite 280 Thermoshell Running Top
I slipped this on in Scarborough, as the temperature and my pace both dropped a bit. To be honest, this was probably way too thick for what I needed and I definitely got pretty hot by the end of the run, but once it was on, it was on for the duration!
The top is reversible, with one side providing greater wind-protection (and therefore warmth) than the other, so would have been fine if it had got really cold. However, I definitely could have got away with something that compressed a bit smaller and was a bit lighter. Better to be over-prepared, I guess!
Anker PowerCore II 10000 - Power Bank
I bought this especially for the 60, as I didn’t know what my time would be like, how my watch and phone batteries would fare etc.
I ended up using it just to chuck a bit of charge into my watch for 20 minutes at Ravenscar, just in case, but to be honest it probably wasn’t necessarily.
Still, I guess it’s useful to have for in my laptop bag, and as with my thermoshell, it’s better to be over-prepared.
Unused (kit I took with me but never used):
Skins compression tights
Ronhill flip-over Running gloves
Raidlight gloves
Montane Minimus Stretch jacket
SOL bivvy bag
Bluetooth headphones
Overall Performance and Thoughts on the Day
Overall, this was the most I have ever enjoyed an ultra-marathon so far, and I’ve done a few now. I felt pretty good all the way around - both physically and mentally strong.
This was definitely helped by the amazing support that comes from the Hardmoors family around the route - they’ve created a brilliant culture around these races, where everyone supports one another, from other runners through checkpoint marshalls and on to the various supporters around the course.
It was also helped by the fact that the course itself is not only attractive, but also varied and busy with people who are keen for a chat - something which definitely helps to pass the time.
Below are my overall thoughts on my mood throughout the day, how I managed it and why I think this race went so much better for me than I’d originally expected:
1. That was the most positive I’ve ever been throughout an event. Other than a period on the way into Scarborough when we were running by torchlight and the seafront didn’t seem to get any closer, I didn’t have a single low point all day.
2. I fed off other people for most of the day. I’ve always known that this is something that affects me, but previously haven’t really actively used it. On this event I decided to be the happy one in any conversation. I decided to get the joy out of every exchange I could have with people and to try and keep conversations flowing with various people throughout the day. This worked a treat and really helped the miles to roll by.
3. When I was on my own, I still felt strong. This is something that’s not been the case on previous runs, but this time I basically only went ahead of others if I knew I was feeling really strong. This meant I was in a good space when doing it and I knew I was likely to catch up with someone else for a chat anyway.
4. I built upcoming rewards in for myself as I went. As I was unsupported, I was entirely in charge of my own destiny. So I decided that at Whitby I would get myself a drink that I fancied (genuinely the best ice-cold apple juice I have ever invested in - and yes, I would class it as an investment in this instance!) When I was nearing Scarborough, I promised myself the same thing, and it worked again (the second-best ice-cold apple juice ever!)
5. I didn’t worry about distances. That’s something which is very easy to say, but I basically just decided that the checkpoints would come when they came, as there was nothing I could do about it, so I should just try and enjoy myself while I trundled my way there. This really helped to keep my mood nice and steady, rather than the peaks and troughs I saw in some of those around me.
6. Feeling strong is a self-perpetuating cycle. Every time I got a burst of energy, the positive feeling of being strong just lifted me even more.
7. Only since I started thinking about my mood has all of this become possible. The 60 may well just have been one of those days when things all went well, but I personally doubt it. I willed that result into being by choosing to be positive.
If you’ve made it this far and want to listen to my prattling in person rather than just by reading it, you can watch my video blog here: https://youtu.be/sv7-Be3scN0
