The Spine v3 2014

So The Spine v3 2014 starts tomorrow at 08:00.

This morning I woke with nervous anticipation as the start looms ever closer. Not the sheer terror and panic before the 2012 race, or the brewing excitement and determination of last year but just a gentle anticipation of the task ahead.

I remember all the highs of last year and also some of the pain and huge lows during the race, but as time passes the highs become more memorable and the lows less important. They say this happens to women after childbirth.

'Newbies' will be feeling understandably scared; the fear of the unknown. Us ’veterans’ just nervous; we know what’s out there. It doesn’t make it any easier; we just know what to expect.

It’s been a very long trip to even get to the start. On the running front, an almost perfect first 6 months of year with finishes in The Spine (5^th=), MdS (77^th), Hardmoors 110 (7^th) and Lakes 10 peaks (7^th), followed by a less memorable second 6 months when I had to focus of getting my enjoyment and motivation back. On the personal front, a pretty poor first 6 months following by an even worse second 6 months. I have spent much of the year drowning under the weight of my depression and have pushed all my family to the limits of their love and patience. I know it has affected everyone around me and for that I am truly sorry. I also thank everyone for their love and support when I have most needed it.

My enthusiasm for life has been pretty low at times. I didn’t make it to the Spine Training weekend as my head was in a torrid place. Even as late as this Monday, I put all my Spine kit back in the drawers, not sure that I could face it.

But face it I can, and face it I will.

Over the next week, I (and I imagine all competitors) will have moments that encapsulate all possible emotions. There will be laughter. There will probably be tears. However, the finish and the whole experience is worth it all. Good luck to all

That which does not kill us makes us stronger 

The Spine 2014 Training Weekend

The Spine training weekend was held recently, and this should have been my blog of that. I had been really looking forward to catching up with old friends and my adopted family, and making new acquaintances.

Unfortunately, due to a rather large mental implosion on my trip to Hebden, I didn’t make it as such! Apologies!! For a small donation to charity, I will relate the details of my sorry journey and how to waste an entire day of one’s life. And a lot of petrol.

I had been looking forward to giving a short presentation on my experiences of The Spine but it wasn’t to be. However, I thought it might be beneficial to reproduce the presentation here. The presentation itself was mainly pictures only (the rest being in my head) so please excuse any ramblings!

I hope this is helpful or informative to some.

My experience:

2012: Entered The Spine v1 with no real idea what to expect or what I was doing. I DNF’d at 135 miles with significant hypothermia

2013: Entered The Spine v2 thinking I knew what to expect (I still didn’t). Finisher

2014: Entered The Spine v3. I still don’t know what to really expect.

Top tip No. 1: The Spine is not a race.

Who's that prat on the right??

It is an event, an adventure, a mini-expedition. It is many things but the last of those is a race.

There are only a very few who are actually capable of winning this event. If you go into it thinking of winning you will probably not finish.

The Pennine Way in January does not respect reputation. Big names have and will take a tumble. Competitors previously unknown to most will shine.

Last year, several people were in pieces at the first checkpoint (Hebden Hey). They had essentially gone off at 40mile race pace and their races were effectively over.

To give some perspective, I have run a flat, fast, trail 40 miles in the summer in just over 5:30. The first 43 mile stage of The Spine took me 14:30 in 2012, 12:30 this year.

Top tip No. 2: Do not think of the finish; go checkpoint to checkpoint.

Is that Gary or myself asking?!?!

Do not worry about the exact location of Greg's Hut until you are on that section. This question was given a lot of air time at the race briefing but only a small percentage of the starters got anywhere near it

This top tip is never truer than in The Spine. My advice is to treat each section purely as means of getting to the next section. Spend Day 1 concentrating on getting to CP1, day 2 on getting to CP2 and so on.

Do not think or plan too far ahead. Stay in today. How you feel, weather conditions, where you think you will get to at any given time will change. Don’t plan for how long you will stay at Greg’s Hut or CP4 until you get closer because you have no idea how much time you will need……and take that time.

Top tip No. 3a: If you see food, eat it

I had one these too - it was bigger than my head!

Mmmmmmm.....

Top tip No. 3b: If you think of food, eat some

Breakfast in Gargrave Co-op. Truly a highlight of my entire ultra-career .

You need food for fuel. You need food for warmth. You need food to survive. End of.

One of my major learning points has been how much the role of eating plays in keeping  you warm, especially if you are a slighter build. Pie & chips vs. Merino. Discuss.

By all means have a dietary plan, but my advice is to eat as much as you can when you can. In the second half of the event, you body will be breaking down and calorific requirements escalate exponentially. If you don’t eat enough, your body will simply shut down.

When you think you’ve had enough, have some more!

Top tip No.4: It will be cold. It may be f@cking cold. You must keep warm.

This is my layering system from last year. 

It's not a biblical list, and I don't post it as such; it's purely what worked for me. Later in the race, you will really begin to feel the cold and may need more layers than you thought possible; as you can see I went up to 9 last year. Be ready!

Fewer thick layers vs more thinner layers? Work out what works for you.

Be prepared to layer up and down, and don’t leave it to late.

Always keep alert to how you feeling. Things can change very quickly so pay continual attention to your personal dashboard.

Which brings us to:

Top tip No. 5: Manage sleep. Make sound decisions

Not really looking at my best!

You will get very tired, physically and mentally. One of the hardest factors in The Spine is dealing with this whilst still making correct decisions.

What do I eat? Where and when? Where shall I sleep? How long for? Do I need to put on more layers? Do I shelter? Do I rest? Do I push on? Where am I? Which way do I go?

Get any of these wrong and your smoothly running race will quickly disintegrate into a DNF or worse.

Stay alert, listen to your body, be honest with yourself, make the correct decision for you.

Top tip No. 6: Look after your feet – you’ll miss them when they’re gone!

Easy one. Deal with blisters and hot spots quickly and early. The medically team are superb. An hour spent sorting out feet early on will pay huge dividends later in the event, and may be the difference between a medal and a DNF.

Top tip No. 7: It will be dark……. a lot. How are you going to manage this?

We can probably expect around 9hrs of light each day. That leaves 15hrs of darkness. That’s a lot.

It can be miserable. It can be lonely. It can be scary. Great progress through the day will suddenly slow right down. Spirits will drop and then rise again with the onset of dawn.

Recce’s go out the window. Those nice posts across bogs can’t be seen.

But it’s out of our control and can’t be changed. Just be aware and really consider the implications. At best, embrace it. Sorted!

Top tip No. 8: You will have good and bad times. Manage them.

Exhausted at Alston

Not having fun on Great Shunner Fell

Sunrise over the Cheviots 

The Spine.....bringing people together!

This is reproduced with kind permission from my blog of the 2013 event:

“I was starting to really feel the cold. I could feel my energy levels dropping and my drive to continue diminishing rapidly. I tried to call Jenny but couldn’t get through. By now I’d quite frankly had enough of this stupid race and was fighting a losing battle with mind and body. Just before Greenhead, I was ready to quit. Jenny finally got a signal and rang. I burst into tears; she burst into tears.

R: “I can’t do it. I’ve had enough but I can’t fail again, I don’t want to let everyone down”

J: “You’re not a failure darling, you are the bravest person I know”

The medical team arrived, my rescue team, my way out of this torture – it was decision time”

You will have bad times. Deal with them.

But......you will have great times. You will make friends and feel part of a family. You will see things that make you gasp in wonder, that make you glad to be alive. Moments when you appreciate life at its simplest. Relish, enjoy and absorb the good.

Top tip No. 9: Do it on your own………or with someone else

Not really a tip. Whether by choice or circumstance, you will either be on your own or with others. Clever aren’t I?

My anecdotal observations are that you will generally cover the ground a bit quicker on your own. “Running your own race” and all that stuff. However, two heads can be better than one, and the power of companionship should never be underestimated, especially over an event of this time and distance.

Top tip No. 10: Finish! 

Because you’re worth it!

Need more incentive - they make this at the finish

Finally, and again with kind permission from myself:

“Please do not underestimate it ……trust me, it is brutal and will take you to places physically & mentally that you haven't been to before………. This is not just a long ultra, not just 268 miles. It's 6/7 days of continuous effort and concentration - managing sleep, food, the cold, your feet, trying not to lose focus but trying to make the right decisions, feeling so miserable, wanting to go home. It is tough and many will pull out in the first 2 days.

But …..this is a great race, is great fun, and is one big adventure. You will experience camaraderie, team spirit, a true feeling of adventure, being at one with nature, episodes of complete bliss.

And believe me, the joy of finishing is unparalleled in my sporting life. I love this race; it sucks you in, takes everything you have but gives back everything you could wish for”

I hope this may have been helpful to someone, somewhere.

See you all in January. I will actually get to the start this time.

Oh….. and to the finish.

Could you navigate in this?

Imagine the scene:

It's the 4th section of The Spine.

You're on top of Cross Fell. It's bitterly cold. The light is failing.

Your GPS, which should last 24 hours on a set of batteries, is only lasting 6 hours in the cold, and has just died. You've used all your spare batteries.

You are cold, you are tired and you are beginning to shut down. Your thought processes aren't quite what they should be.

So could you?

This was yesterday on the Kinder Plateau. It was sunny in the valley. Within about 500m, I had strayed at least 150m off line. I know this area really well having spent my formative years in the Peak District and fortunately I recognise some of the more minor features. However, 150m error in 500m equates to 300m in 1 km, 1.5 km in 5km........

Do not expect to rely on GPS because they will fail. 

Map and compass should always be your primary method of navigation

MdS Vs Spine: which is tougher?

So MdS vs Spine. Which one is harder?

This was a question that I was asked regularly during last week’s MdS. I also realised that I am the only person in the world to have finished both (a small claim to fame!) so the only person in a position to compare! Is it really possible to compare?

150 miles in 5 stages over 6 days vs 260 miles within 7 days? Which one’s tougher?

Well, that’s actually far tougher to answer than you might think. I propose to look at some of the different factors.

Finishing

The MdS is not designed to be tough to finish. The cut offs for the shorter stages was 10-11 hours; I completed them all in less than 5 hours. Completion rate is over 90%. The challenge is a personal one; how far is one prepared to push oneself?

On the other hand, completing the Pennine Way (260+ miles) in 7 days is a challenge unto itself.

Winner: The Spine

Comment: However, is toughness all about the ability to finish. Would the world’s toughest ultra be one in which no one finished – ever. Or, taking it to its extreme, an ultra with a high mortality rate? Running especially ultra-running is, to me, about personal challenge. It’s about adventure. About exploring the limits, pushing the envelope. A race can be as hard or easy as you choose to make it. A 100 miler in 24 hours is easy for some people but racing it, pushing oneself to the limit; that’s tough. Yes, the MdS is easy to finish for a well-prepared ultra runner but to race it, push oneself; well, that is the challenge.

Physical effort

The MdS is a running race. The 2^nd day (jebels/mountains) and, in particular, the “long day” of the MdS are without doubt the hardest 2 days of running I have ever done. I finished the long day of 50 miles in tears, a wreck. Temperatures of over 50C for hour after hour; moments of utter pain & anguish. It was brutal. It was savage. I left a lot of myself out there that day.

The Spine is primarily a long walk with some running. A true challenge but I never felt my body would fail me. I didn’t feel the limiting factor was a physical one.

Winner: MdS

Mental effort

This is where I feel the major difference is.

The MdS requires focus and concentration especially regarding hydration and salt intake. However, I was only actually running for just under 30 hours in 6 days. There was plenty of ‘down time’. Plenty of time to relax both physically and mentally. Plenty of time to soak up and enjoy the experience and the camaraderie

The Spine is a massive mental effort. The clock is always ticking. Food, water, temperature, sleep and navigation all need constant focus, constant concentration. There is minimal time to relax. One small mistake could trigger the start of the downhill spiral to a DNF. My concentration broke on day 5, my mind started to doubt my ability to continue and I so nearly gave up. I can’t over-emphasise the mental strength required to complete the Spine.

Winner: The Spine

Terrain

Very hard to compare but the MdS is probably more variable with soft sand, hard & sharp rocks, dried lakes. Probably more feet trashed in the MdS.

Winner: MdS (just)

Weather

How can you compare hot vs cold, sand vs snow, jebel vs fell? Both events ensure competitors meet the extremes.

Winner: A tie

Food & water

For the MdS, food has to be carried for 6 days, 12000 calories minimum. For me this weighed 3.3kg; not many were lighter. I didn’t put enough thought into type and variety of food and after 1 day was starving. I had to trawl/beg for extra food. Good planning is essential; there are no shops in the Sahara. Water is rationed. If you want more, it's a 30 minute time penalty.

During the Spine, food is essential not just for energy but also for warmth. Get it wrong and hypothermia is a real possibility. However, you can stop at shops, eat at pubs and there really is no limit to food at the CP’s. Just remember to eat when you see food, and eat when you think of food! Water is really a problem.

Winner: MdS

Pack weight

I started the MdS with a touch over 6.5kg plus water. This got lighter every day as I ate my food.

For the Spine, I started at around 5.4kg plus water. This tended to get heavier as I required more clothes further up the course, and added items such as Kahtoola microspikes.

Winner: A tie

The X factor

Both events give total escapism – a week totally removed from “normal” existence. Both make you appreciate the simple things in life, the bare necessities – food, water, shelter and companionship. Both have a family spirit, a real sense of camaraderie, of all being in the same boat – albeit a smaller Spine boat!

I enjoyed both events; both ticked all the boxes for me.

The MdS is a massive logistic exercise but the camaraderie amongst both competitors and helpers is amazing. The spirit engendered in the bivouac and even more within one’s tent is hard to describe – a truly shared experience. As a run, it’s head down and the experience is more about the camaraderie. Watching others finish at the end of stage 5 was wonderful. Inspirational.

I love the Spine and am part of the small Spine family. The Spine is total immersion. As a slower paced race, there is far more chance to take in the moment, appreciate the view, live the dream. You live the Spine.

Winner: The Spine (just)

Conclusion

So overall, which event is tougher? Is it really possible to compare? Both are classic events but totally different in so many ways. The Spine is harder to finish but both push the body and spirit to the limit.

Would I do either again? Yes to both. Will I do either again? I’ve entered the Spine again next year. The MdS is cost prohibitive and means a week totally away and mainly out of contact for that week.

And the winner is?

The Spine.

No, MdS.

Oh I don’t know; ask me again next week!