Race Report: The Grizzly Grrrrrrrr….
Hills, bogs, trails, tarmac, sand, stream-crossings, more hills, this race had it all and then some. The first ‘warning sign’ was that they recommended to expect completion of the 20-mile course to take in the region of your road marathon time. The second ‘warning sign’ was the recommendation to do your shoes up tight to avoid losing them!
My approach to a racing season
I generally structure my year around a couple of key ‘A’ races. I’ve tried previously to limit myself to only these and I find training feels less furfilling. For this reason, I dot more ‘fun’ races throughout the season. The frequency and distance of these depend on the races I am targeting. For example, if I am targeting a 50k trail race, I might compete in a trail half marathon 6-8weeks out from my goal race.
I also find this beneficial for when I arrive at a top priority race. I suffer from pre-race nerves, I think stemming from a lack of confidence. By racing more frequently and ‘testing’ myself, I get feedback on how my training is going. It also allows me to practise my pre-race routine - wake, poo, eat, beetroot, change, poo, beetroot, race! I generally don’t taper or take structured recovery time for this type of race because that would detract from the training block. Instead, I restructure my training to aid performance and recovery. That usually looks like this:
Week preceding a ‘B’ race: complete workouts earlier in the week (on a treadmill if possible), rest day Friday, shorter recovery run + strides/hill sprints Saturday into a Sunday race
Week after a ‘B’ race: rest day Monday, assess damage on Tuesday - if feeling good then resume normal training today or if still fatigued/sore, easy recovery jog and resume normal training Wednesday
The Lead Up
The Grizzly was a ‘fun’ race. It was on my bucket list due to its shear size - a 2,000-person start line at a southern UK trail race. Devon seems to have a long list of trail races like this, that have real history, not simply created to satisfy the increasing demand for race entries. The Drogo 10, Exe to Axe, and the newly put together Devon fell series consisting of a number of longstanding events including the Haytor Heller, now in its 36th year. Get yourself down to Devon, its where its happening, people!
Since completing the Arc 50 in January, I have changed my approach to training, focusing more on quality than quantity. This is for a number of reasons: other commitments (family and lifestyle) meaning time isn’t so available right now, focusing on shorter events later in the year lends itself better to this type of training, and simply wanting a change in my approach to running. While my body still feels ‘worked’, it is difficult to adjust to that lower ‘total mileage’ on Strava (social media owns us!).
The results, you ask? I feel fitter, healthier and more driven than I have done in a long time. Roll on the start of The Grizzy.
The Start
I knew the start would be fast. This event attracts quality athletes year after year. The first thing you do is run down onto shingle and complete a 750m beach run. I also knew that the first half of the course of overall uphill while the second half is overall downhill. It was more important than ever to moderate my effort out of the gates. After all, I know my own strengths - endurance over speed and downhill over uphill running.
I was pleased when the lead pack went out relatively conservatively. However, into the first hill I watched as 10+ people just started to move away from me. I counted as they came past, 12th place. I was strict with myself though, tune into that ‘marathon effort’ and ride it. Smooth, comfortable, controlled. Don’t strain, it’s FAR too early.
For the first 10miles, I danced with the competitors around me, passing them on the downs and equally being overtaken on the ups. I tried to settle any frustration that I had about my ineptitude at climbing hills. I remember when I set out on this running journey and the hills were where I thrived. Nowadays, they are where I try to minimise the damage. Is this a result of experience and me being able to better gauge my effort throughout an undulating course, or is this a lack of focus on hill running in training? I put this debate to one side, perhaps today would lend some clarity.
The Middle
Coming to the top of what I had marked the highest point on the course, I had shifted up to 8th position. Several people had disappeared into the distance. This didn’t bother me, race those around you, that’s my philosophy. Let them get the best out of you. The race doesn’t start until mile 15.
I had exchanged a few words with another chap beside me already but at this point I suggested we work together to chase down the two guys ahead of us. They had 30-45sec on us but I could feel them fading. He said he wasn’t sure he had it in him but simultaneously seemed to shift to another gear. I knew he was onboard. The game was afoot!
The End
With 7k to go, there is a long shale, beach section at Branscombe. By this point, my new teammate and I had crept up onto 4th and 5th. A couple of hundred metres ahead of us on the beach was the first podium spot. A significant headwind gave us the advantage. Without uttering a word, we started taking short shifts in the lead of our pair, buffering the person behind from the wind. I felt like part of an efficient Tour de France breakaway chasing down the lead rider.
We caught and overtook 3rd spot as we left the beach and entered the ‘stairway to heaven’ (I’ll leave you work out why it was called that!). I recognised him from the Drogo 10 as the competitor who caught and overtook me on the last hill. I felt a slight satisfaction evening the scoreboard.
Prior to the race, I had earmarked this spot as the point where I would allow myself to race. It was the last climb before a steady decent to the finish (if you ignore the climb out of Beer!). I suddenly lost any sentiment I felt towards my ‘teammate’. I had gained a few metres on him leaving the beach and found myself taking advantage. It twists and turns upwards. I urged my burning quads to push, promising them ‘summit this last hill and gravity will take us’. It worked. I had gained 20sec on the climb and now we were on ‘my terrain’ - steady down, tarmac and runnable trails. I had the bit between my teeth and I wasn’t going to let go.
Crossing the line in a respectable 2:20:02 and, to my surprise, 2nd place was a fantastic feeling (the guy who I had thought was winning the race was in fact competing in the shorter distance ‘Cub’ event). The finish line funnel had a major-marathon feel - populated, loud and encouraging. I had a smile beaming over my face. This was made all the better by Jo Pavey appearing from the race centre to present me with my award. This one will stick in the memory for some time to come!
Take homes
Know your strengths and weaknesses. Think about previous races or training runs - how do your skills and fitness compare to competitors of a similar ability.
Do your race research. Look at previous times to get an idea of what to expect from yourself, look at blogs/race reports/the events website to get an idea of terrain and elevation, identify points of strength and weakness for you and decide when you can push and when to remain conservative. This information will be invaluable come race day and will also contribute to your enjoyment
Work with competitors around you in the earlier stages of a race. You don’t need to see them as your enemies. You can get the most out of each other and it really adds to the race experience.
Thanks for following along!