I made what I feel was a strong training plan to combine healing and rehabilitating injuries with building time on my feet and gradually extending distances to reach the level I feel I need to be in the time that I had to do it (5 months). Now it's about Race Day...
I've studied the course route, looked at elevation. Rest stops and have been lucky enough to remember how I was feeling hiking the same route two years ago at certain points. I know what the terrain is like at different points from paths, to trails to hills, to beaches. I also have tracked my pace at different distances throughout my training and get a sense of what my likely speed is. This helps hugely to plan the challenge when you have a time target in mind.
I will be out on the trail for a long time. In fact a very long time on my feet. Hiking it took 34 hours for me no sleep, and that was with a lot of training (that wasn't dissimilar in time frame to train, and my weekly progressions in distance). My Time target for this (conditions willing of course) is to come in under 24 hours. That means traveling the course 30% faster than I did before, and that nearly killed me then.
Typically I'd approach this about simply having a target of a successful finish. It's not about the time. The drop out rate on this particular course is very high. It's tough for us everyday folks, but that's what makes it special. If the weather is against us then it'll be even higher.
However, this time I want to finish in under 24hrs. As a runner. The elite guys will do it in half that time, but I'm nearly 50, was pretty overweight and have (and still carry) some very uncomfortable chronic injuries. 24Hrs is my stretch target. I am better prepared, wiser and more experienced in what problems I'll face with gastric distress, energy management, hydration, movement, etc on this kind of distance. I am lighter (16kg lighter in fact = 2.5 stone / 40Ibs) and way better conditioned for running the course and will use a run-walk-run strategy very common on this type of event and what I've practiced throughout. This will help hugely to cut rest stop times down, and move that bit quicker overall.
I've done the right things and as much as I can in training. The final part of the puzzle is the course itself. Having remembered and visualised what is to come, I'll be approaching this like The Terminator. 'he simply will not stop!'. Just as much constant movement as possible.
This means planning sensible rest stop times (which I can cut a few minutes shorter each stop as I've left a little margin in each) and sensible paces that adjust based on terrain and tiredness levels with a final surge for the last hour as the finish adrenaline kicks in.
Here is what that looks like:
This will not break any records, other than my own. And that is good enough for me. What it does give me is a sense of where i am when I'm on the course and if I'm ahead or need to catch up a little. The hilly sections (almost 9000ft of climb added up) are the slower parts, along with the night section which is largely trail and shingle (sections 4-8)
Pacing is average pace on trail. I'll run at around 7kmh and walk around 4kmh. I've been conservative on these deliberately, so that when I look at my timings I should be a few minutes faster ahead into each stop on the early half of the course which will give me the motivation to keep pushing on the second half where it hurts the most.
At the end of the day it's a long fucking way I'm moving across. I'm also carrying 10kg of pack/fluids which adds to the 'fun'. Anything can happen. Blisters, sprains, strains, need for stretching, tumbles, weather, sickness. Having a margin of error gives me the sense that I can still meet my target if there are problems en-route and doesn't mess with my head by thinking 'I can't do it now' (at least not early in the event!). I won't allow that thinking in my head and this plan feels right.
You've got to measure it to master it, right? I have 4 days left in my event countdown now and I think I have most things covered. I'm confident i can come in under 27hours which would be a great result (TBH finishing would be a great result with my ankle problems) however, how it's about executing the plan to it's final conclusion... finishing the Jurassic Coast 100km Ultra in under 24 hrs!
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