Fuelling and some food for thought.

Over the last few weeks since I have been increasingly getting into the world of ultra-running, I have spent a good deal of time listening to the Talk Ultra and Marathon Talk podcasts on my long runs. I am also currently studying for an Open BSc degree with the  Open University and was studying Human Biology until a few weeks ago.
I have also recently read a recent book by the famous South African sports science “guru” and iconoclast, Professor Tim Noakes.

Together these influences have made me question how all of us who run long distances should be fuelling ourselves. Indeed, Noakes himself, in his famous definitive work, "The Lore of Running" reiterated these tenets some 20 years ago. The scientific consensus is changing rapidly on the high carbohydrate diet, carbo loading and feeding yourself full of carbohydrate “fuel” at moments of tiredness (or even hunger).

Like many of us involved in sports, I have always believed that a muesli / porridge and fruit breakfast was the way to start the day and after that, wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, fruits and vegetables and low fat proteins were the way to go to optimise my nutrition for exercise and by implication general health.

I, we, and by implication, everyone could seemingly benefit from a more open-mided approach, particularly where fats and protein are concerned.

After I come back from my double marathon week in the US on November 12th, I intend to put away the road shoes and start a month’s specific training for the Ridgeway BAM, involving 5 to 6 hour sessions on 4 consecutive days in occasionally quite arduous offroad conditions. My blog will probably also deal a great deal with the fuelling issue and I intend to see if I can make use of some of this “new” thinking as I build up to and during that week in December.

Talk Ultra 19 featured a long and extremely though-provoking interview of Ian Corless with Barry Murray, a practising endurance exercise dietician. I have cut and pasted the text of an article from his website below. Warning - it odes perhaps assume some knowledge of “nutrition biology” but should also be of interest to anyone thinking a bout sports nutrition who lacks the biology. The article is not prescriptive, more explanatory of the systems involved, but the best way to stimulate your thinking on this is to listen to the podcasts I mention, particularly the interview with Murray and interviews with Tim Noakes on recent episodes of Marathon Talk and Talk Ultra.

Also googling “Paleo Diet” will describe the rationale behind this. As “Nariokotomeboy”, now star of a BBC 2 documentary, I feel it is my role to point this stuff out to everyone.
(That was tongue in cheek - but if you follow the evolutionary biology, you will “get” why this stuff cannot easily be dismissed.)

Enjoy!

FAT ADAPTATION AND FUEL EFFICIENCY: THE SECRET TO ULTRA ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE - (Barry Murray)

Endurance sports require the body to produce energy for a very (and especially “ultra” events) very long time. Thus, it would seem logical that to improve your endurance performance, it would be wise to make your body very efficient and robust at producing energy. One of the key components of achieving this is being selective about the fuel source. The main fuel source that is used directly to produce ATP (i.e. energy) is glucose. In terms of food, the type of foods which contain glucose are carbohydrates. Hence, this is what has led to the hundreds of studies which have looked at the relationship between carbohydrate feeding and exercise.  Out of these studies have come the hundreds of recommendations that tell us to eat carbohydrate foods if we want to improve performance. So glucose = energy, carbs consist of glucose, therefore, eat carbs to produce more energy. Sounds simple right?
Unfortunately, when it comes to ultra endurance, it’s not that simple. There are lots of reasons why so let’s look at them in a bit more detail

1. Exercise Type/Duration

The majority of these studies typically involve 1-3hrs of exercise and are carried out at medium intensity. There are very studies which have tested athletes exercising for longer than 5hrs. When we look at times to complete ultra endurance events such as ultramarathons, ironman and adventure races, the “exercise” time can be anything from 12 to 24hrs, even longer in some cases. Thus, we cannot fully correlate the findings of the 1-3hr studies with ultra races.

1. Experimental Conditions

In addition, the majority of these studies are carried out in the laboratory on treadmills and ergometers under controlled conditions. While this is critical to laboratory experiments, it doesn’t replicate the conditions of racing over varied terrain and in the temperatures experienced during races held in mountains and desserts. This brings in a huge psychological component into the equation that is likely (without there being any studies, just my own opinion) to have an effect on physiology. In other words, even if they did conduct studies involving 12hr/24hr runs on the treadmill or riding on stationary bikes, the brain signals which control energy systems, muscle contraction and perception of pain etc, are likely to be different. So even if these 1-3hr studies are referred to as “endurance” investigations, do they really tell us what’s going on inside the body of an ultrarunner doing a 100mile mountain marathon??

1. Subjects/Participants

As most of these studies are conducted at Universities the volunteers that are put through the study are typically students in their twenties. They are also predominantly male students. In most situations, they will be “untrained” individuals with little experience of a proper exercise regime although there are many studies that have used athletes. However, the majority of the studies are on individuals that have very different characteristics and make-up to a typical ultra endurance athlete. Those competing in ultramarathons and ironman are more likely to be older and have several years of serious endurance training clocked up. So, it is suffice to say that there would potentially be different outcomes between those sets of individuals if we were to compare 10 untrained students compared to 10 experienced ultra endurance athletes.

These points above hopefully explain why the recommendations on the back of sports drinks or even the recommendations in the scientific literature cannot be applied to extreme ultra endurance events. In order to investigate this further, we need to back track a bit to understand how the produces energy. Is it simply one pathway and one system that convert glucose to ATP? Is glucose the only molecule that we can make energy from? The answer to these questions is no and examining all the other energy pathway systems is the key to understanding how ultra endurance physiology works.

Energy Systems

Now for the science bit. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but understanding how your body functions is the key to understanding how food works. So very briefly, here are the different ways your body can produce ATP (i.e. energy)
PhosphoCreatine System: ADP +Cr P  –>  ATP
This system is used to produce the first 10-15secs of energy that we need for sprints. Obviously, this is not a system that ultra endurance athletes use very often. It doesn’t require glucose or oxygen and it is fuelled through the use of creatine, a natural molecule produced in the body consisting of 3 amino acids.
Anaerobic System (Glycolysis): Glucose  –>  Pyruvate + ATP + H+
This is a system more familiar to people which burns glucose quickly and coverts it to lactic acid. The result is quick energy, the type needed for high intensity exercise like interval training or hill climbs. This process doesn’t require any oxygen but the trade-off is a large production of hydrogen ions which decrease the pH resulting in muscle fatigue.
Cori-Cycle (The Lactic Acid Cycle): Lactate + ATP   –>   Glucose
Despite what people think, lactate is not the bad guy. The acid builds up and muscle fatigue/pain is mainly caused by an increase in hydrogen ions (which lowers the pH). The lactate produced in the muscle can be recycled in the liver and converted back to glucose. This glucose can then be shuttled to the muscle and used again to produce energy.
Aerobic System (The Krebs Cycle/Citric Acid Cycle): Glucose + O2 –> CO2 + H2O + ATP
This is the main system that our cells use to produce energy. It’s a series of enzyme controlled chemical reactions that use oxygen to breakdown glucose. The first few steps of this reaction involve converting glucose into a smaller carbon chain intermediate. What’s important to note here is that both fats and proteins can be broken down and converted into this exact same intermediate. In other words, as well as pure glucose, our cells can use fats and proteins to fuel the aerobic system.
Lipolysis/Beta-Oxidation
Lipolysis is the conversion of triglycerides into glycerol and free fatty acids. These free fatty acids can then be transferred to muscle where they are further broken down through beta-oxidation to prepare them for the Krebs Cycle. The advantage of using fatty acids is 1. The amount we can store is far greater than carbs and 2. They provide roughly twice the amount of energy per gram. So we have lots more of this type of fuel and it produces more energy. The only disadvantage is that because they are much bigger molecules than glucose, they require more oxygen for their combustion. Therefore, fatty acids from the plasma and adipose tissue are oxidised at a higher rate when the intensity is low (i.e. when you can take in more oxygen, i.e. breath more)
ITMG (Intramuscular Triglycerides) Fat Oxidation
So when fats are used to produce energy, they can come from three different locations. 1. Adipose Tissue, where the majority of itis stored 2. Muscle and 3. Blood Plasma. The fat stored in muscle is called Intramuscular Triglycerides. It is this which gives meat its marbled appearance.  As ITMG’s are already present in the muscle, transport and delivery is not an issue. Therefore, the ability to use them is increased especially as exercise intensity increases.
Glycolytic Proteins/Protein Oxidation
Amino acids (such as Leucine, Isoleuncine and Valine) can also be converted into Acetly-CoA (the intermediate that both glucose and fatty acids are converted to) and then used in the Krebs Cycle. It is estimated that 5-10% of energy can come from the oxidation of proteins. However, this is not ideal if amino acids are not plentiful as it means that the source of amino acids will be from muscle tissue. This can be reduced by supplying amino acids and increasing the rate of fat oxidation to spare the use of protein.
Glucose Alanine Cycle
Just like the Cori Cycle, where a waste product is converted back into glucose, the same can be done with amino acids. The amino acids Alanine and Glutamine can be used to convert Pyruvate back into Glucose.

This needs a re-cap

We can produce energy quickly using the PCr and Glycolysis systems. This produces energy that can be used for seconds/minutes at high levels of intense exercise. Aerobic metabolism can then be used to burn glucose, fatty acid and amino acids to produce more ATP for longer periods of time. Glucose can also be remanufactured through the conversion of metabolites by recycling lactate and alanine.
To simplify, there are 3 fuels (glucose, fatty acids and amino acids) that can be used to produce ATP and there are 3 ways of providing glucose to the muscle 1. Consume it 2. Cori Cycle and 3. Glucose-Alanine Cycle.

What can be taken from this?

Ultra endurance is essentially about exercising at low intensity for a long period of time (although there may be short periods where medium to high intensity efforts are required). As ultra endurance events take several hours to complete, optimising the body’s ability to use fatty acids (adipose and ITMG) as the predominant fuel to produce energy can significantly help performance. There are 4 factors that support this 1. Glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle; however, we only limited stores of roughly 300-400g of glucose which can fuel only approximately 3-4hrs of medium intensity exercise. 2. Once the bodies’ stores are used, glucose needs to be consumed. However, only 1g per hour can be absorbed (for a 70Kg athlete, this equates to 280kcal). Considering we can burn anything between 300-500kcal/hr during an ultra endurance race, we are still unable to meet the energy demand by purely fuelling on carbs. On the other hand, fat is present in large amounts in comparison. A 70Kg athlete with 10% body fat will have approximately 7Kg of stored fat which equates to 69,000kcal. This is theoretically enough to provide energy to fuel several days of exercise.

How does this improve performance?

There are several ways that improving the body’s ability to burn fat as a fuel during ultra endurance exercise.  An important point I want to make first is this; fuel from carbohydrate is still important and some people are not suited to fat adaptation. Also, the emphasis is on ultra endurance events lasting >8hrs. In other words, events where the pace at which you exercise at has to be relatively slow.

Improve Fuel Efficiency

This essentially means that by increasing the efficiency at which you burn fat, you can go for longer and a faster speed. To give an example, let’s say you currently can only rely on fat as your predominant source of fuel while running at 9min/mile. Then, by improving your fat adaptation, you use the same amount of fat as fuel but can run at 8min/mile. This can improve performance through a variety of knock-on effects as discussed below.

Carbohydrate Sparing

Simply, by using more fat for your fuel, you use less carbohydrate. This means that your carbohydrate reserves are retained in the muscle for longer where they can be used during periods where you have to increase the pace/intensity e.g. a steep climb, a break-away etc.  A more complex benefit to this is the effect it may have on metabolic fatigue. When the muscle is completely empty of carbohydrate and fat and protein cannot keep up with the ATP demands, an increase in reactive oxygen species occurs. This increases oxidative stress causing structural damage to muscle fibres and the mitochondria. This is essentially what causes the severe muscle damage that ultra endurance athletes experience after several hours with steep ascents and descents.

Protein Sparing

In a similar way to “carbohydrate sparing”, the more the body uses fat as a fuel, the less protein it uses. This may reduce the risk of ammonia build-up which is a by product of amino acid oxidation. Ammonia is linked to metabolic fatigue so the less ammonia the better.

Reduced Risk of GI Distress

It is conceivably possible to rely more on carbohydrate than fat and still perform well. As your glycogen pool empties (after 3-4hrs), glucose from food needs to be supplied to the muscle. The amount needed would have to be close enough to your energy expenditure. So if you were burning 400kcal per hour, you would need to consume roughly 300kcal. This would equate to 70g of glucose (1 sports bar = 30g, 1x 500ml sports drink = 30g). The issue with this is that it can cause GI distress. Consuming 70g of glucose per hour during a race lasting up to 24hrs or longer, is not only impractical but it can cause stomach upsets. Hence, needing less food is desirable.

Studies

So are there any studies to prove or support any of these benefits? Well, as I discussed in the introduction, there simply aren’t any performance studies conducted on athletes competing in these ultra endurance events. There are 3, 4 maybe 5hr studies, but as I mentioned, these findings cannot be directly related to what goes on metabolically in an event lasting 24hrs. However, there is some supporting evidence which I will summarise as follows:

1. Fat adaptation increases rates of fat oxidation and spares carbohydrate (1)
The study conducted by Carey et al, used trained cyclists and the duration of exercise was 5hrs in total. Although there was no improvement in performance, the study did show that the rates of fat oxidation increased. Again, we can’t directly compare these finding to what happens during a much longer event so we can’t draw any definite conclusions. However, it does show that it is possible to improve your fuel efficiency, by increasing the rates of fat burning and limiting the use of carbs. Thus, the benefits discussed above could apply i.e. improved fuel efficiency, carbohydrate sparing, protein sparing and reduced GI distress.
2. Improved Performance (2)
There are one or two studies that actually show how endurance performance can be improved with fat adaptation. The studies showed that there was a varied response amongst the individual athletes – some performed better, some slower, some no difference. They then correlated this with the Respiratory Exchange Ratio (RER). This is a measure of how much fat you burn versus carbohydrate at various intensities. Those that naturally had a better RER value (i.e. burned more fat than carbs), showed an improved performance with the fat adaptation protocol. These findings are possibly what govern this whole concept i.e. it works well for some, not for others. As with all aspects related to health, nutrition, and exercise, no one shoe size fits all and individuals need to find out what works for them.
3. Improved metabolic adaptations (3)
There are a couple of studies which show how fat adaptation improves metabolic adaptations. These are things like upregulated lipid enzymes (carnitine acyltransferase) and transport molecules. Again, this did not make a direct improvement in performance but once more, the exercise study used was very different to the context of an ultra. The exercise protocol used in this particular study was 2.5hr steady cycling followed by a 40km time trial. Thus, we cannot correlate it with a 12 or 24hr event. However, we can postulate that the improved metabolic adaptations can contribute to the benefits previously discussed.

References
1. Goedecke JH, Clark VR, Noakes TD, et al. The effects of medium-chain triacylglycerol and carbohydrate ingestion on ultra-endurance exercise performance.International Journal Sports Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism 2005; 15: 15-27.
2. Carey AL, Staudacher HM, Cummings NK, et al. Effects of fat adaptation and carbohydrate restoration on prolonged endurance exercise. Journal Applied Physiology 2001; 91: 115-122.
3. Van Proeyen K et al. Beneficial metabolic adaptations due to endurance exercise training in the fasted state. Journal of Applied Physiology 2011; 110: 236 – 245.

Here is the link to the online article.


Evolved to run. Born to run. Older, greyer, still running. Follow @Nariokotomeboy

Shoes...decisions, decisions, decisions.

Warning - this is "the running shoe post". Probably good to read just before you need to drop off to sleep.

Today I went for my last long run prior to the double up marathon week in the USA in a fortnight's time. Around 21 miles, all on the country roads around my home. Autumn in full leaf-changing glory, constant drizzle, beanie hat pushing the headphones right into my ears.

I listened to episode 19 of Talk Ultra which brought me to 3k from home and just time for a bit of Springsteen to see me home. Talk Ultra is a fantastic way to get through a long run. Ian Corless seems to be right at the centre of the Ultra scene and the interviews with top competitors such as Tony Krupicka and Anna Frost after the latest "Sky race" were very topical. However the main interview with Barry Murray about the Paleo Diet and endurance training was fascinating. You can catch Talk Ultra on itunes.

The run couldn't have gone better really, and taking out the walking sections where I was troughing flapjack or re-filling water bottles, I was easily able to cruise along at a 5:45 x km pace which is tantalisingly close to a 4:00 hr marathon. I even finished faster and the only after effects are a bit of ankle soreness - a shoe issue, which will be the subject of a soporific discourse later in this post.

The context here is that I know I am capable of running "sub 4" again. My PB, age 42, is 3:46, and even that day I finished with so much in hand that I probably should have gone for a 3:40. The story of the last 15 years definitely suggests I should have gone for it when I could.

Then, in my comeback in London in April, I negative split the race to finish in 4:12:30. Physically I could have gone quicker, but as it was I started in the 4:30 section, and passed 1700 runners in the second half. That is hard to do in such a busy race with water bottles flying everywhere and people stopping in front of you.

In New York, there is a field of 48,000 runners and it is meant to be a slow course anyway, so if I can cruise along at 6 min x km pace and enjoy my day, I'll be very happy. The theory is I will have enough in my legs to try to "race" in Richmond, but I realise this goes counter to most theories about post-marathon recovery.

So I am faced with 2 marathons in 2 weeks time, 6 days apart. The first one is harder to run a fast time in, but may take away the chance of a fast time in the second. A quandary which I will resolve at some point.

But the main point of this post is to talk about shoes.
Like most runners I have been blotting paper throughout my periods of running seriously for the marketing claims of the major shoe companies. I am now in my dotage and have had it up to my eyeballs. It's just "mass customisation" to provoke sales. A bit like people who really think they want to try a Stabucks Gingerbread Latte (wrong blog - sorry).
I know I over-pronate and have tended to go for "motion control" shoes. I am now pretty certain that this is total hogwash, and that the most important thing for me, and probably most runners, is to rotate your shoes. Never let your feet get biomechanically "lazy" by getting totally used to one type of shoe. This is the route to overuse injuries for me of the many small ligaments and tendons around the ankles and feet. I also believe that the minimalist "feel of barefoot" shoes have a great deal to offer every runner, maybe not everyday, but certainly part of the time.

So here's my shoe list with some comments on each one. First the mainly road shoes.

 Mizuno Wave Nirvana 7 - 8 months old; cost £70. I've run 612 km in them. They are motion control shoes, but have a flexible forefoot which suits me. The toebox is a little narrow that doesn't suit me and as you can see they strangely curl up a bit! At the moment I run roads only in them and intend to run the New York marathon in them.

Nike Air Zoom Structure Triax 14 (what a load of waffle). 14 months old; cost £78. I have run 991 km in them. Again these are motion control shoes. They are a little snug and can give me some pressure pain in the ankles. Good workhorses and I ran the 2012 London Marathon in them. Next to retire.

Inov 8 Road X 233. 2 months old; cost £95. I have run 123 km in them. These are minimalist shoes with a 6mm drop from heel to toe, extremely light, a very thin midsole, I call them my plimsoles and I absolutely love them. They encourage toe-heel footstrike and I pitter-patter along in them. have run up to 25 km but am using them to "transition" into other neutral minmalist shoes. I am very tempted to use them in Richmond for the marathon, but this is a little scary.

Saucony Hattori AW. Nearly a year old; cost £55 (crazy, there's nothing there!) I have run 110 km in them. These are almost barefoot shoes, with a zero heel to drop and they scare me a little - hence the purchase of the "plimsoles". They will get used though - but over short distances for the moment.

Now for the offroad, trail and cross country shoes.

Salomon XR Crossmax Guidance. 4 months old; cost £60. I have run 69 km in them so far. They are compromises really - designed at the offroad market but with enough cushioning and motion control to use on the road as well. They are quite stiff in the footfoot and I am not sure if they suit me really. Good grip on trails though.

 Asics Gel Fuji Trainer. 2 weeks old; cost £75. I've already run 75 km in them, including the first 30 km of the Nottingham Ultra. Nice and flexible in the forefoot and they are OK on roads as well for part runs. I think I am going to like these.

Salomon Speedcross 3. 6 months old already; cost £90. I've only run 58km in them. These are the real bad weather winter offroad shoes as they have a mud clearing sole design. It's all clay around here and I hate that feeling of running across a field and taking half of it with you. I'll only be pulling these on in the depths of wet weather or if I get involved in some serious offroad challenges.

Lastly - Saucony Progrid Omni 08. A year old; a snip at £56. I've run 1004 km in them. They are road workhorses, but have cost me a sprained ankle offroad. Very happy with them, especially in terms of comfort, but I think the midsole is buggered after 1000k, so they have been retired to be "trainers". No more running for them.

You can wake up now, I've finished!

Evolved to run. Born to run. Older, greyer, still running. Follow @Nariokotomeboy

The Ridgeway BAM - update

I am definitely back in "training" since the Nottingham Ultra (in quotes because I don't consider it training - just running). In fact I've run every day since, with diminishing after effects
It does just show that post-run fatigue is partly mental - my recipe is normally eat well, rotate the shoes and put my feet up when not running. It seems to be working so far as I managed a pretty steady road 17k yesterday in the rain - bliss.

I do have to admit to having some trepidations during the ultra about my ridgeway challenge. When I was at the 35k mark more or less and cruising along quite nicely, it did suddenly hit me that I had to manage this distance every day, for four days, on harder terrain and inevitably with worse weather.

I'll go slower - and eat more. I'll have company. It'll be fine....

I have to thank the "early adopters" who quickly put their names forward to run part of the way with me - Amy, Jo, Abi, Mary (actually it is beginning to look quite glamorous) and my old mucker from the Ridgeway multi-stage run many years ago, Trevor White, to balance that out. Trev's knee is pretty knackered these days and although he keeps his running going and just completed the Great North Run again (he's a Geordie), Trev has committed to run alongside for the last 10 miles. We could be quite a crowd by then - don't wait for me, I'll get to Ivinghoe Beacon eventually.

I'm working at my last event of the season this coming weekend, at Larkhill on Salisbury Plain and it promises to be freezing cold as it often is, but a great chance to see close friends for the last time this year. Time to pack away all that is "coffeeman" for 2012. It is just fantastic that this week saw me pass the £13,000 mark in total donations for Spinal Research, most of this raised across the counter of my coffee trailer. Thankyou, all of you, your generosity is amazing and (that bloody word again) inspiring. And there's plenty more to come from those foolish people who agreed to sponsor me per mile for the 2012 miles in 2012. Well the good (or bad) news is I now have less than 400 miles to go and the 2 marathons and the ridgeway will account for over a third of that - cheques to Spinal Research, you can start writing! My £15,000 target does now look possible.

So, as well as some celebration cake, I am taking this little flyer to Larkhill to distribute to my friends and maybe snag some more participants..

Sorry about the spell check underlining!

Now time for an hour out on the roads before I hitch up the wagon. The sun's out!

Evolved to run. Born to run. Older, greyer, still running. Follow @Nariokotomeboy

I finally become an ultrarunner....after 30 years.

Two years ago this would have been inconceivable, but having begun "proper" running in 1982 and despite many lapses over the 30 intervening years, on October 7th 2012 at about 1.45 in the afternoon I finally became an "ultrarunner". At 42.2 km in to the Ultrarace Nottingham Ultra, in the middle of Wollaton Park in Nottingham, I crossed that line into the zone of "more than a marathon".

How  Endomondo recorded the run.

Limitless possibilities now open up with the boundaries all being linked to preparation beforehand and mental approach on the day.

Many non-runners find it hard to grasp how you go about running for an hour, believe they can never run for the four hours needed to run a road marathon, and cannot contemplate further.

"Further" is where I intend to do some research over the next few years and the first taste of this new running delight seemed to go fairly well.

People had always told me that "ultrarunners" were different to the people who run city half-marathons and marathons. Now I don't hold a lot of store with that sort of stuff. I believe there's no such thing as people who can't run (due to some physiological disadvantage), or who can't run far. In fact I am firmly with the "born to run" camp - those who believe modern humans evolved as persistence hunters, with specific adaptations enabling us to run long distances in the heat to catch faster running, but less well adapted, game. So any of us can do it (and I think we probably should - but more on that another time).
But to be attracted to running much more slowly just so that you can travel longer and longer distances is, I have to admit, totally at odds with most of what the running industry is all about, and so ultra-running, by definition appears on the fringes of the running community - if such a thing exists.
Every Brit now knows who Mo Farah is and what a great champion he is, but I wonder how many know and admire Ellie Greenwood, Mimi Anderson or Ian Sharman (and his last post makes this one look a bit silly!). Never mind totally iconic athletes and role models such as Scott Jurek or the phenomenal Kilian Jornet - move aside, F.C. Barcelona, Kilian is the sporting sensation of Catalunya.

So the 60 or so people who climbed onto a double-decker bus just by Nottingham Castle at 7.15 on a sunday morning were, by definition almost, "outliers". But they were reassuringly normal sounding, although clothing and kit was not typical of your average 10k roadrunner. Packs of all sizes, bottles, and bottle packs everywhere, calf compression tights and almost everyone with some type of hat. Everyone, without exception was eating rather than drinking. A few were chatting animatedly and some were remarking about how many first timers there were. I have to admit to being slightly psyched - but luckily I am now very familiar with my running strengths and weaknesses, at least at distances up to the marathon, and, as it turned out with only 83 starters there was never going to be a problem with "running my own race". In fact from 12 km up to about 30 km, I only saw about 4 other people - and each of those several times as I (a) got slightly lost a few times, (b) had to "organise" pack, drink, food, camera(!), headphones, clothing (c) needed a pitstop.

So here are some impressions of what took a sunday morning to late lunch-time to accomplish. We started with a cup of tea and a number session in the Blidworth Leisure centre, not far from Mansfield.

Pre-race briefing

 New York Marathon take note - or maybe 48,000 bags bring slightly greater logistical problems....

Chuck your bag in here

The start - fast men on the right. Yours truly far left.

P*ss off that way and we (might) see you later

Once we were off, it was all pretty low key - just follow the bloke (or in my case, women) in front and try to spot the markings and no blow up.

Actually the route was pretty well marked throughout and the maps given to very runner were very clear and of good quality - no complaints there.

At 12 km - still in full ultra gear

I started off in (new) Asics Fuji trainers which are trail shoes with a tread pattern that seemed ok on the roads and the first 30 km or so did involve quite a few muddy sections and lots of really easy forest trails. A good choice. I also ran very conservatively early on, walking most of the uphills and trying to keep my pace above 6 mins per km. I zoned out while listening to episode 18 of Talk Ultra and only re-surfaced again after 2 and a half hours.

I had asked Debbie, my long-suffering other half to meet me at the 30 km checkpoint (there were 4, each providing water and snacks) so I could change shoes.

Here I decided to reduce my load to what I would take on a normal long run - just GPS tracking on phone and a drink bottle, plus some Clif Shots. So having started with a back pack, arm pack and bottle, I was now in "running free" mode, and this must have inspired me to get a bit of a shift on. I started passing people reasonably steadily from there on in to about 5 km from the end, although by now there were quite large gaps between runners.

The footpath / trail / field / lanes mixture started to end as we came into the city and, as I began to recognise the area around the hospital, I began to start to tire a bit, with thighs and hips beginning to complain a bit. Mentally I was OK, although in my head, I was beginning to expect the course to be a bit short and I found this a bit distracting. Some music for the last hour might not have been a bad idea, but my headphones were already in Debbie's boot!

I somehow kept a bit in reserve for the last 2 km or so and finished with a bit of a flourish, stuffed some proper food in and headed for Starbucks - that is the only part of the day I am a little ashamed of....

Uphill finishing sprint past 2 naive runners chatting.
Bandit!

Amazingly when the results came out online later in the evening I saw I had passed 27 runners in the second half and I came 34th out of the 83 starters, still 1 hour 40 behind the winner, but nearly 3 hours in front of the last man home (ouch!).

What's next? 5 miles on monday for starters.

Evolved to run. Born to run. Older, greyer, still running. Follow @Nariokotomeboy

Where I run no. 4 - Bernwood Forest & Claydon House

As they say "the next in an occasional series" - the last was 5 and a half years ago when I lived 15 miles south of where I do now.

I live in the North Buckinghamshire village of Granborough and there are plenty of quiet (and less quiet) country lanes to run on straight out of the door. Granborough is literally "green hill" in Anglo-Saxon, so every home run finishes with a bit of panting.

Getting offroad involves either a "road start" or a short car journey.

On wednesday I was only due for 5 - 6 miles as the 50k is looming sunday, so I nipped up the hill to Botolph Claydon and ran a 9k circuit on the Bernwood Jubilee Way and across Claydon House grounds .

So here's my short run on a "partly cloudy" October day.

 The track up to Runts Wood from the Botolph Claydon / Calvert Road. Parking here.

 Views of Quainton Hill off to the left as the track climbs steadily and gently.

 Which way? That way.

 I must find out who or what "Runt" was to have these woods named after them.

 There is a path down there. Its been a good summer for "overgrown" around here. One of my favourite routes became an ordeal of nettles and thistles when a lazy farmer refused to clear a gateway for 2 months making the footpath unpassable, and his sheep as a result got a quieter life. I am not a "right to roam" zealot be any means, but leaving footpath gateways blocked and ploughing over tracks do make you feel slightly miffed in the middle of a long link between easier sections. As a result I never feel the slightest guilt about a bit of "hashing" away from the marked paths. A little bit of maintenance and consideration, chaps, and we wouldn't do it!

 A funny moment when I quietly skirted mum and daughter. Cows make me nervous, and when I did eventually look left, Dad was there quietly grazing! I sprinted then, hoping I might be invisible, hence no photo..

 Through the woods and out into a long tree lined farm road back up to the road. 5 km done - just in rhythm.

 Plenty of choice!

 Claydon House, the country house of the Verney family since 1620.
This makes a nice loop through the estate either across the fields or on the roadway.

 Leaving the estate grounds on my way back to the Botolph Claydon road.

9 km done. Easy as you like.

Evolved to run. Born to run. Older, greyer, still running. Follow @Nariokotomeboy

Ridgeway BAM 4th leg 9th December 2012

The grand finale, shortest and definitely toughest leg of the Ridgeway BAM on December 9th chops across the Chiltern Hills from Princes Risborough to Ivinghoe Beacon.

Starting with footpath, and occasional road, the only stretch of bridleway is right towards the end.

The last 4.5 miles or so, from Tring Station, skirts the Ashridge Estate and combines woods with open downland with extensive views.

If my legs will take me back down the hill at Ivinghoe Beacon, the intention is to finish with large quantities of ale and hearty grub in one of the pubs nearby.

The plan is a 9 am start and a 3 pm finish. Staging points to be arranged.

Ridgeway BAM 3rd leg 8th December 2012

Here is a runningahead.com interactive map of the 3rd leg of the Ridgeway BAM, to be run on Saturday 8th December 2012. The route begins in North Stoke, just south of Wallingford but on the other side of the Thames, and finishes just outside Princes Risborough on the junction with the A4010.

The early part of the route is only suitable for runners and walkers, but after Watlington and past Chinnor, it becomes bridleway and more suitable for horses and mountain bikes. The section from Chinnor or Bledlow to Princes Risborough across Lodge Hill is good for walkers and very scenic in parts.

The Lions of Bledlow is an excellent pub for a meeting / staging point about 4 miles before the end.

Lots of Red Kites en-route too.

The plan is a 9 am start and a 3 pm finish. Staging points to be arranged.

Ridgeway BAM 2nd leg 7th December 2012

Here is the route for the second leg of the Ridgeway, from Blowingstone Hill near Kingston Lisle in the Vale of the White Horse to the village of North Stoke, on the West Bank of the Thames just south of Wallingford.

This is the longest leg, but is also net downhill. A doddle.

From crossing the A338 south of Wantage to ducking under the A34, it is prime bridleway and very suitable for horses and / or mountain bikes.

The last 8 km from the Goring / Streatley Bridge follows the Thames and is very flat and mostly scenic, great for walkers.

The plan is a 9 am start and a 3 pm finish. Staging points to be arranged.

Ridgeway BAM 1st leg Dec 6th 2012

Here is the route for the first leg of the Ridgeway, from Overton Hill where the trail starts on the A4 near Avebury to where it crosses Blowingstone Hill, about a mile south of Kingston Lisle in the Vale of the White Horse.

Hopefully we can refuel in a nice friendly pub!

The plan is a 9 am start and a 3 pm finish. Staging points to be arranged

The Ridgeway BAM - my craziest idea yet.

By now, everyone must surely know the story of Claire Lomas the amazing young lady who refuses to admit paralysis from catastrophic spinal cord injury means a "lesser life".

As Claire and I are both connected in different ways to the sport of Eventing and we were raising funds for the same charity this year, we met up before the London marathon in April and I decided to help her get to the end of her marathon challenge in "Fred, her bionic "exo-skeleton" legs.

At a low point (it rained for days on end and the first 10 miles is very dull) early in the 17 days that it took, I foolishly said to Claire that I would add another running challenge to my list in 2012 if she finished, to which she answered "Ok then, but I will choose it" and then started to mumble about channel swims, round Britain bikerides and suchlike. A couple of days later I came up with the stupid idea of running the Ridgeway National Trail over 4 days in winter, and I think this appeased Claire, so I wrote it down on my fundraising signs on the coffee trailer.

Well the time is fast approaching when I now have to do something about this, so here in brief is what is planned:

- I will split the 135 km or so into 4 "bitesize" chunks and will run/walk one of these per day from 6th to 9th December inclusive. The direction will be west to east, finishing with a party at Ivinghoe Beacon at around teatime on sunday December 9th 2012. Claire has promised that if I cover the 135 km, she will get to the top of that hill to welcome me home (probably with a few less cameras than she had at the end of her marathon!)

And I can't guarantee celebs parachuting in either!

- Anyone is invited to come along and join in, at any point, and over any distance, using any legal mode of transport on that part of the Ridgeway to accompany me. Hence the Ridgeway BAM - By Any Means. Details of the exact daily arrangements will appear on this blog over the next few weeks

- All I ask is that those joining in make a donation to my nominated charity, which will be a small charity funding spinal injury repair research. Here is their donations page. If we get enough to come we may also get a commemorative tee shirt printed.

There'll be more, much more on this in the weeks to come - but I have bought some shoes for it!

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Marathons

I was lucky enough to see all of the olympic mens marathon and part of the paralympic marathon, featuring blind and partially sighted athletes and those with an impairment to the arms.

It was hot both days and here are a few photos from the Mall for the olympics:

And from Westminster Bridge from the paralympics:

I met tow of the Kenya partially sighted athletes in the village - lovely people, but unfortunately neither of them were able to perform to their best on the day.