My Western States 100 Journey
With the race being my focus this year I thought it would be good to capture some of the build-up in the form of moving pictures on the old YouTuber.
Let me know what you think – this is the first episode. More on my YouTube channel. Please subscribe there if you fancy seeing some more as race day gets closer.
Join me as I meet the locals, discover unmarked trails, run some mountains, rest, recover and train again.
For more behind-the-scenes content on my final preparation for the big race you can follow me on Twitter, instagram and Snapchat (@pyllon).
Javelina Jundred 100 – Race Report (October 2015)
I was nervous. But I wasn’t scared.
I ran hard. But I didn’t ‘best’ people.
I won. But I didn’t crush others.
That’s where I differ. I don’t think I’m the greatest. I’m no bullet train. and I don’t walk across fire. (more…)
Not the West Highland Way – Race Report (June 2015)
It’s been a while.
It was a race I hadn’t really planned to do with the IAU WorldTrail Champs being only a few weeks earlier. Lots of sensible reasons not to. But racing isn’t as cold as that for me. Things aren’t black and white.
I don’t race to strict heart rate zones. Sometimes I run sections hard because it feels good. Sometimes I slow because I feel like it, and I can (or simply that I have to). Sometimes I make mistakes. Other times it comes good. It’s a race. Not a time trial. And sometimes you make racing decisions that you’ll live with, good or bad. (more…)
IAU World Trail Champs – 2015 Race Report
Yeah, a little late with this one. Still for the sake of consistency, a quick report from the World Trail Champs.
Race start was a pretty awkward time. 3:30am from the lakeside in Annecy. The GB team were staying about a 20 min drive away with a few of the other nations, so it meant a pretty early start (to force down some breakfast) and get on the bus to the start / finish area. It was almost not worth bothering to sleep with the usual nerves and list of things to remember. (more…)
De Zestig van Texel 120K – 2015 race report
Dutch Courage
4.00am and I’m leaving a hotel in the dark on an island off the coast of Holland. It was pretty chilly and my stomach was at its limit after the food assault that commenced from 2.15am when my alarm woke me from that familiar disturbed pre-race sleep. I was in Texel to race 120KM around the island and back – an event that’s been running for over 25 years and one of the best in Holland.
TNF Trans Gran Canaria 2015 – race report
Taking a trip
I’d wanted my first race of the season to be a challenge and it certainly delivered. I somehow had it in my head when I entered months before that it was pretty tough – but maybe just 4,500m ascent tough (with 127KM). I hadn’t fully registered the course profile until much closer to the race – a fairly technical 8,500m of ascent (and returns). (more…)
First week in Flagstaff AZ
After a fairly lengthy journey via Philadelphia and an overnight in Phoenix I arrived at Flagstaff ‘basecamp’ this time last week. Not really a holiday believe it or not but a chance to get away from everything and train for a few weeks in new surroundings and maybe with some other runners.
Flagstaff is in Northern Arizona so much cooler than the likes of Phoenix. It sits near the southwestern edge of the Colorado plateau and is home to the biggest Ponderosa Forest in the US (so they tell me). I can confirm there are a lot of trees! The town itself sits at over 2,100m above sea-level, something that the locals seem proud of and I imagine helps to attract a lot of athletes to the area for training. (more…)
Refuge in Chamonix
So, you run all the time? If you’re not working you’re normally training or planning races and adventures? So what exactly do you do when it comes to taking a holiday? Well if you’re anything like me you’ll probably want a chance to relax a little, run a little and find some inspiration for the next block of training.
In April that’s exactly what fell into my lap. Nathan had sorted out a booking at the Runners Refuge in Chamonix for a week of trails, nice food and inspiration. It was exactly what I needed at that time, having been through a busy period of work and the same repetitive training routes. I had a few key races coming up and hoped that I’d find something to give me that extra spring in my stride. (more…)
UTMB 2014 – heartache and pain
Hi guys, UTMB 2014 was a painful one for me in more ways than one. Loads of you tuned in, wished me luck, tweeted etc and I feel like I’ve let a lot of people down. I’m sorry for that. Anyway, here’s the truth of it. Make up your own mind.
On the first climb of the race the nagging doubts in my head were confirmed. I was tired and my legs were empty. No real strength or response to my demands. I knew then for sure I hadn’t really recovered from the most stressful and busy period of my life at work. Since the WHW race towards the end of June my work at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games went into overdrive. It was all-consuming. I was still determined to train and I made the necessary sacrifices (mostly sleep), squeezing in runs at crazy times (morning marathons at 4am etc) whenever I could. As the Games got closer I was lucky to have any time at all and Games Time itself was almost a complete write off other than the few hours off we got each week (when the last thing you wanted to do was run). By early august I was exhausted and undertrained. I just hoped I’d have enough in the tank and maybe the lack of training might somehow work in my favour. (more…)
West Highland Way Race – 2014 (report)
I’ll keep it brief, since it’s been a while since the race.
This time it felt different. Circumstances meant I couldn’t focus so much on the race due to work, certainly not at the same level as the year before. That said, when I could finally confirm I was doing it (last minute) I had trained well and was feeling strong.
Chat before the race was all about Robbie Britton – ‘2013 Ultra-runner of the Year’ in the @ukrunrambles initiative. He’d be fast. He’d run the first sections at record pace and I’d never be able to stick with him. In truth I was happy to hear those statements and to get the chance to see up-close what the hype was all about. Talent and potential don’t account for everything that’s needed in a 100 mile race and where I may be lacking in those I make up in other ways. (more…)
UTMB – 2013 (Race review)
Yep, I know. The race was the end of August. But time has just flown past with training, racing and work. So here it is – some words about UTMB 2013.
For anyone who doesn’t know anything about the race it’s probably the premier mountain ultra in the world. Certainly Europe’s most prestigious. All the best ultra-runners normally attend and this year was no different. UTMB is made up of 4 x separate races, 3 of which are solo events: The CCC (just over 50 miles), the TDS (just over 70 miles) and UTMB (just over 100 miles). No fun-runs or relays here. (more…)
The Altra Zero Drop – Lone Peak 1.5 (review)
Kit Review
So, the dark nights are actually drawing in. Scrap that. They’ve already drawn in. It’ll be dark, cold and wet runs for the foreseeable future. Not all doom and gloom though, it’s a chance to dig out those merino baselayers, re-proof the gore-tex and get muddy / snowy. Maybe even squeeze in some time to write up some kit reviews! So, let’s start with some footwear.
Altra have recently launched their zero drop shoes in the UK. (more…)
24-hour ultra support – the real hard work
You asked…..so here it is. The view from the support team on what turned out to be one of the toughest races of my year. In her own words….my sister, Nicola (Vadar). (more…)
A Winter WHW trial (08.11.2013)
On Friday I set out on a challenge that was never really meant to be. I had other plans that had been scuppered by circumstances and bad timing’s (a recurring theme for me of late). So rather than do nothing and waste the ambition I decided on a double WHW. Yep, I know, off-the-cuff like that doesn’t quite give that particular challenge enough respect. A fair accusation I guess, but I do know what’s involved in a WHW both in summer and in winter. (more…)
Thunder Run 24 – race report (July 2013)
Ok, so I can finally talk about the worst race of my life.
Yep, the Thunder Run 24.
I was actually pretty excited about it as things had been going well after wins at the Kintyre Way and West Highland Way races. This was to be my first ever 24 hour race. I’d really wanted to run the Glenmore 24 the previous year but it clashed with UTMB.
The Thunder Run is an off-road 10K loop with around 150m of ascent per lap. The start / finish area was in the middle of some fields with runners and support crews all camping on-site. When we arrived it felt a lot like a festival without the booze and music. (more…)
West Highland Way 2013 – race report
Photo courtesy of Thomas Loehndorf
There are loads of great blogs written already about this year’s race and hundreds more from earlier races so rather than cover most of the same I thought I’d be better just trying to answer the actual questions I’ve been asked most often since I made it to Fort William……..and…….won the WHW race (still feel slightly awkward saying that). The other bit is even more awkward! (more…)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Part 3 – Kintyre Way Ultra 2013)
The final part! ‘At last’ I hear you say.
The Kintyre Way was 2 weeks after the Fling and I was really keen to do it after the disappointing performance. It was pretty tight in terms of recovery but I felt that a 67 mile run along some trails with some new scenery was probably the best tonic and would also provide a decent gauge on potential performance for the West Highland Way race June 22nd.
This was the first time I’d done the race so was excited at the prospect of some new running routes. (more…)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Part 2 – Highland Fling 2013)
The Anglo Celtic Plate was a race I enjoyed more than I thought I would. The recovery however took longer than I expected. I took a few days off then started running again. I was desperate to get back into the hills after a month or so of training mostly on road (a challenge in itself). Less than a week after the race I took my chance and hit a fairly rough trail for a 25-miler. By mile 22 I had developed a serious pain in my knee and had to walk / shuffle the last few miles. I was worried but thought it was probably just a strain from the uneven surfaces after the relentless pounding of a road ultra. In short, I had done some kind of ligament damage probably just from doing too much and not allowing enough recovery time. So I was worried about the Fling as I couldn’t commit to much training before it. It was only weeks away. (more…)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (Part 1 – ACP 100K)
The title pretty much covers the 3 races since I last posted a blog after the D33 in March. 3 races – all very contrasting.
1. The Good – The Anglo Celtic Plate 100K – Perth 2013
I was asked towards the end of last year if I wanted to be considered for selection for Scotland to run the above race. I immediately said, ‘yes please’ and only afterwards thought about what the race entailed. An ultra road-race is something I’ve never done before and I knew it would be a different sort of challenge. On paper it’s just a straightforward 62.7 mile race on tarmac. Easy. Just run round a 2.4K loop of a park with support at the start / finish line. In reality, it’s a beast. (more…)
Ultra-running – the highs and lows of life
It’s fair to say that 2013 has already been a pretty mixed bag of ups and downs. For reasons I’ll come on to later I’ve been giving much thought to why it is I continue to run and what I really get from it.
Last week I was asked to talk at a WHW race ‘inspiration’ night to offer some insight into how I train and maybe provide some words of encouragement to those attempting it for the first time. It would have been nice to talk to more people on a one-to-one basis afterwards but by the close most people were probably keen to get home. It got me really questioning why someone would want to run the best part of 100 miles. To openly accept the inevitable suffering (at several stages throughout the race) as well the necessary sacrifices required to train for it. (more…)
A Winter West Highland Way – report
Getting there
It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a while but didn’t quite manage to organise it last year. Not that it takes too much to organise if you keep it low-key.
It made more sense for me to do it as a reverse rather than trying to sort out accommodation at the Fort William side (or worse – sit on a train back to Glasgow). I decided on a day, booked a train ticket and that was it. The Winter WHW was on.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t just doing this as it sounded like a good idea or just to see how far I could go – it wasn’t ‘spur of the moment’ – I had tailored my training for an attempt and had a target time in mind. The Jez Bragg record of 21hrs 14mins.
Thursday came around quickly and before I knew it I was heading for Queen Street Station with everything I’d need to survive the run (I hoped). It must have been the coldest day of the year to date and I was more than a little concerned about being under-dressed. With just under 2L of fluid in my pack, food and some spares I didn’t really have much room for emergency clothes. Still, no going back now. (more…)
Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) at UTMB – report 2012
The “beautiful” UTMB race by all accounts……
‘A race in open country along the ‘Grande Randonnée’ paths crossing though the Mont-Blanc, Beaufort, Tarentaise and Aosta valley countryside.‘
….sounds like a stroll. Although doesn’t look it:
BRUTAL is how I’d describe it. Don’t let the pitiful 2 qualifying points or the fact it’s ‘only 70+ miles’ give you the impression that this is the ‘easy one’. Nothing at UTMB is easy. (more…)
Sur les Traces des Ducs de Savoie (TDS) at UTMB
We’re taking this racing thing International! Plane leaves very early tomorrow morning and I’ll be on it raring to go.
The TDS is part of the UTMB event in Chamonix and is…
Pyllon - ultra runner 