The Spirit of Comrades (87km, South Africa)

5.20am in the dark and humid streets of Durban. A mass of huddled 16, 000 bodies of nervous anticipation. 4th row back, side by side with Kami and Lizzy. A myriad of languages around. The South African national anthem sung. Chariots of Fire blaring over the speakers. Boom - the pistol is shot and we are off! A sprint start, picking up the feet to avoid falling in the crush of racers pouring forward, eager to make their way along the 87km of tarmac inland (and uphill) to Pietermaritzburg as fast as they can. I let runners pours by me, I keep an eye on Kami, hoping our starting pace might be the same, and I'm grateful it is.

I love the darkness, it hides the four lane highway of the opening kms, it brings a calm and a collness, it sets a muted tone which helps me to not go out too fast. I had agreed with Norman (Wilson of UK Ultra) to shoot for a 6h30m finishing pace, but to be prepared to reassess in the first 10km if it feels too fast. It will put me at two back to pack marathons at aroung 3h07 pace, plus a bonus 2.6km, oh and about 2000m of ascent and 1400m of descent thrown in.

I'm excited to be part of the Nedbank team, one of the main sponsors. I'm sporting their kit and in less than an hour it is light and my sunglasses are down and Kami and I are getting cheers for beong towards the front of the women's frield and for sporting our green Nedbank kit. For the first 20km I double fist packs of Clif shot bloks, take water from the aid stations and pop salt tabs early (no repear of AR50 here!). The water stations are busy so it's a juggle to try run the inside bends (the shorter route) and grab water too. I soon learn that if you pass the water station you grab at least 2 baggies, one for yourself and one to pass to another runner. It's just one early sign of the Spirit of Comrades.

kami and I exchange short conversations, the pace feels good and we hit the first nedbank station at 66km to go (Comrades km markers count down to the finish). i grab my first bottle of Clif dribk and a Clif gel. We are already climbing the first of the 'Big Five' hills - Fields. Many people come to South Africa to see the Big Five (lion, elephants etc). Comraders come to run the Big Five. I repeat their names in my head like a mantra, 'Cowies, Fields, Botha, Inchanga'. I don't bother with the final one (Poly Shortts); I know that once I hit that I will be in survival mode.

So far the hills are fine, typically a couple of hundred metres of elevation gain over 2 to 3km. They remind me of my training on Mount Norquay Road in Banff. Steady, runnable, and dare I say it - enjoyable.

I have my handwritten wrist band so I remember where the Nedbank support crew will be. This breaks the race down and the first time I spot Norman it is thumbs up, I feel good and I know I am around 6h30m pace (I have a few course graded splits noted too thanks to Norrie Williamson). The crowds are amazing; hooting and hollering, cheering and cooking up a storm on their braais. There are quieter sections to enjoy but we are passing through lots of villages and small towns and as we are now on narrower roads the supporters are close and the atmosphere is electric. The Spirit of Comrades.

With still more than half way to go my hamstrings, glutes and hips are beginning to hurt. It's nothing new and I know that although unpleasant, I can run through it. I am a step or two ahead of Kami for a section but from the cheers from the sides I know she is not far back. We are in 5th and 6th. I know the 'Russian twins' (Elena and Olesya Nurgelieva) and Lizzy are ahead for sure, and learn that so is Farwa Mentoor, lead South African female.

I have now fallen in with a male runner. Eloi is talking with the crowds and thanking them for telling him that he is 5th female. he is a joker and helps me to soak up the fun. As Kami passes me, Eloi jibes me not to let her go, but for now I have to. the legs are beginning to hurt and I can only hope that I might catch her later, but I am a little disappointed to have slipped into 6th.

We hit Inchanga, Eloi chatters endlessly and all I can do is make short replies and thank him for hauling me up the 3rd hill to Drummond. Half the kms done; now onto the 2nd, flatter half. Eloi is a like a pacer offering me advice. I tell him I am cramping, 'Ok just relax whatever is cramping'. I tell him that my hamstrings are hurting, 'We are all hurting, we just need to keep running'. I start to walk on a small hill, 'No, not yet!' I don't dare disobey, I run the hill and soon crest the top. Eloi is the epitome of the Spirit of Comrades.

Up ahead I see Lizzy, I soon gain on her and in the hubbub of a water station pass her without being able to exchange words. I am happy to be back in 5th and Nedbank crew advise me that I am 2mins back on 4th. We pass through the Green Mile (cheering section) with 25km to go. I am still working but I am beginning to get a second wind. I spot my parents with their Scottish and Canadian flags. I am waving at the crowds and just soaking up the noise and the energy.

We are now on rolling country roads. It's now just about clicking off the kms. Run steady. Fuel. Relax. Keep up the pace. Out of the blue I let out a yelp of pain. Blister! I'm annoyed, I'm not going to let something as silly as wearing socks too thick for my shoes and the heat ruin this race. I recall Gary Robbins writing about how blisters only really hurt when you start running on them and after a minute or two the psin fades away. Ok then, one more reason not to be tempted to walk. Thanks a lot GR!

We pass through the 22km to go mark and Eloi mentions, 'don't worry, everyone finds the last 2okm tough'. All I can think is that it is tough already and we still have 2km to go to get to the 20km mark! Keep on moving. Keep on moving. Keep on moving. For now I have gone off gels and bloks so my strategy becomes to grab two baggies at each water station, one of energy drink to take salt tabs with and one of water to pour over myself to keep cool. The temperature is starting to climb. By the time I get to 20km to go, 19km to go, 18km to go I am feeling stronger and stronger. The finish is now in my minds eye and I know I'll make it. At around 17km to go I slip ahead of Eloi, the field is now spread out so I am running solo but passing men reasonably frequently as there are always a few runners in view ahead. And in Comrades it's never realy possible to run solo, kids want to high five you, ladies call out 'go sista!' and other words of encouragement. I'm flying high on the Spirit of Comrades even if I am pushing hard.

At about 9km to go I hit the final hill, Poly Shortts. It is gradual but seems tough so I switch to run, powerhike, run, powerhike and keep up with the runners around me. But when I spot Farwa ahead of me I know the walking has to end. That's 4th place Ellie, just run! So I run. It's slow. It's not pretty. But I ease my way past Farwa and into 4th. Wow - Ellie gaining a position on a uphill, that's unheard of! Now I definitely can't walk! 7kms to go and I'm watching for every km marker. It's count down time. The road continues to roll but I continue to run and soon I feel that I am on the flats and descent into Pietermaritzburg. It's tough but it's awesome. Many people had warned me in the days preceding the race that Comrades is tough for newbies. Elena and Olesya (who one again claim top two spots) have raced Comrades nine time and have 2h26m marathon PBs. How do you go against that? I am (barely) a 2h49m marathoner and a Comrades newbie. But I've run a smart race, I've soaked up the Spirit of Comrades and I'm stoked to be powering into 4th place. For the final 1.5km or so I've got a motorbike literally 2ms in front of me and a TV camera in my face. Ok, time to enjoy - I might never experience this again! On entering the stadium I am handing a rose and hold it high as I enjoy the crowds, but I am also wondering how many corners there are before I hit the finishing straight. I chuckle to myself, the stadium is turfed - aaaaah, bliss - finally I am back on my natural running surface :)

What can I say? 6:32:46/ 4th place and 6mins back of Kami and 8mins back of the twins. I am delighted and now have the answer to my question, 'Why have so many people run this race 10+ times?' It's the Spirit of Comrades.

Big thankyous to:

- All of the Nedbank crew
- Norman and Anne Wilson
- Ma & Pa Greenwood
- Montrail/ MHW, Drymax socks, Clif, Sundog Eyewear.
- Eloi of Boxers Running Club.

Marathon Talk Interview!

With a bit of shameless self promotion as well as a shout out to an awesome podcast - check out Marathon Talk at http://www.marathontalk.com. Lots of awesome interviews with all sorts of distance runners from all over the world, an amazing source of information and inspiration. Oh, and my interview is on episode 71 :)

The count down is on...

13 days until Comrades 89km in South Africa...

Point to point, uphill from Durban to Pietermaritzberg...

Taken place since since 1921...

16, 000 competitors...

It's going to be a blast!

I can't wait :)

June 14th - Talk at 'Out There' in Calgary

Date for your diary if you are in the Calgary area on Tuesday June 14th when Out There' outdoor store will be holding a special Montrail evening. Come along to 151 - 8th Avenue SW just after 6pm where I will be talking about stepping up from 50km to 'real' ultra distances, like I did last year when racing my longest race to date - the 125km Canadian Death Race in Grand Cache, Alberta. I'll try to share some insights on how I changed my training, learnt to run longer in both time and distance, as well as what you need to think about when setting goals to run 100km plus. Brief outline of the evening:

6.15pm - My talk with short Q&A session after

6.45pm - Short run (so wear your running gear!) - pace will be easy (promise!)

7.30pm - an hour of shopping with special sales, and some food & drink!

Look forward to seeing lots of you there :)

Creaking Along

I am a bike commuter. Since moving to Banff from Vancouver I bike a lot less (well it's a smaller town!) but I still have my well-worn, well loved second-hand Vancouver commuter bike that I use most days when weather allows. It's well used and well abused. Generally in Vancouver I would get it serviced once a year or so, whilst riding it daily, year long in steady Vancouver rain and on the dirty city streets. Once in a while I would put a little oil on the chain and pump up the tyres, but other than that I would expect it to be a reliable mode of transport for lots of miles on very little TLC. I've lived in Banff for 18 months; it's not been serviced since the move. However every time I get it serviced I hop on and feel like I've got a new set of wheels, smooth and strong, and I wonder why I didn't get it serviced months earlier.

You could say that my maintenance of myself in many ways is similar to that of my bike. I work hard and run hard, try to get enough sleep (but often want more), eat a balanced vegetarian diet but go little more complex than that. I'll go for a massage or physio when I need to and if I get into a routine, but often months can go between appointments. My typical answer when someone asks if I take supplements is, 'No, I eat food'! And generally I like that principal; I feel that despite running a decent amount and training decently hard that it is still possible to get what I need from real food rather than mixing supplements and popping pills.

But there is always room for improvement and I had been hearing great things about Udo's Oil, a blend of oils perfectly balanced to ensure the correct ratio of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. More and more ultra runners have been finding benefits from Udo's, primarily in aiding recovery (and thus allowing higher mileage or more harder/ intense runs) as well as helping lean up. So when I was approached by Udo's I was really keen to try their product out with no-commitment - I could just see how I liked it. They said that about 85% of athletes felt a difference once they began taking it, and whilst it is hard to prove I certainly feel that I am recovering better whilst maintaining high mileage (with Comrades and Western both coming up soon!) I won't go into the scientifics (I work in tourism, not in the nutrition industry) but check out more about Udo's Oil at http://www.oilthemachine.com/.

I'm delighted to now be part of Team Oil The Machine (along with a long and illustrious line up of names such as Scott Jurek, Krissy Moehl, Anton Krupicka, Yassine Diboun, Jen Segger, Joe Grant, Adam and Lauren Campbell...need I go on...).

Needless to say, this machine is going to stay well-oiled, and maybe I should apply the same principals to my much loved bike too :)

New Banff Run Club

Well I think even here in Banff we can finally say that spring is in it's way! It has been a long winter this year (it was snowing on my cycle into work yesterday, and although this morning the snow had stopped it was still a chilly minus 9) but slowly the snow is melting off the trails and the roads are looking pretty bare.

So, if you had hung up your running shoes over the winter or were hibernating at the Sally Borden gym then now is the time to get OUTSIDE and RUN! A great way to keep you motivated is to join the new Lululemon Run Club. There will be an in-store info session at Lululemon (121 Banff Ave) on Wednesday 27th at 8pm, and then the first weekly run starts the following Wednesday (May 4th) at 6pm.

So dust off your running shoes and come and join. All abilities (from total beginner) welcome, and best of all - it's FREE!

For more info check out http://www.lululemon.com/banff/banff/events/event-31573-2011-04-27

And the Winner is.......

EUGENIA! Eugenia, you have just won yourself a pair of Montrail trail shoes - yay! You were selected by a very official process of me texting a friend for a number between one and sixty-seven, and just in case I thought Jason might cheat and select his own number I then counted up from the bottom of the list rather than from the top - tee hee. For proof of this voting process - please see the picture below :)Eugenia - please email me your mailing address on elliegreenwood@yahoo.co.uk and I will get the voucher out to you (which you then mail into Montrail for them to mail the shoes to you).

For anyone wanting to check out the latest line up Montrail shoes at http://www.montrail.com/

Awesome River 50 miler

View from my desk in Banff, April 7th - day I left for American River

Ok, the race is actually called American River 50 miler but I had such a delightful 3 night stay in Sacramento for this fab race that it really needs to be renamed 'Awesome River'. My blog posts have been pretty infrequent recently as I've been laothed to post moaning-mini reports about trying to struggle through slushy yet deep snow, failing to find snow-free trails, and MORE fresh snow ... in April. So it was delight that I left Banff in the midst of a snowstorm on Thursday afternoon and about 7hrs (and a few airport sprints in my Montrail Rogue Racers) later I arrived in warm, palm-tree-blessed, sunny Sacramento. To make the journey even better by checked luggage arrived too (in Seattle, that had been in seriously in question).

Day prior to the race I transit-ed it out from my hostel in Sacramento (19th century manor in downtown, a 10-bed room to myself, could this get better?) to Fair Oks for package pick up. I chatted with a few runners, met the Montrail rep Justin and picked up some hot-pink compression socks for my plane ride home. I then headed back into the city and soaked up some sun whilst exploring the historic area as well at Capitol Park. All in all, it was a great day and I was back in the hostel cooking up some pasta by 6pm, and in bed by 9pm

California oranges - now you don't get those in Banff National Park!

Sacramento State Capital and PALM trees!!!

My alarm went off at 4.10am after a night of tossing and turning. I hadn't slept well but felt rested and was relieved when the taxi I had booked actually showed up to take me to the race start. I was there pretty early but always like to have spare time for last minute prep and used the time to pick up some tips from volunteers who knew the course. I had checked out the desciption and the profile but it is always nice to get some specific tips, and I was glad to hear that the climb on the final 3 miles or so was really not as bad as it looked.

At 6am we were off, it was barely getting light so in was beautiful to run as the sun came up over a misty and cool morning. Kami Semik and I introduced ourselves to each other at the start, we had never raced before but of course knew that we were each others competition, I checked around as I'd expected to see Tracy Garneau but noted that she wasn't there. The first 27 miles of the course are pretty much straight, flat paved bike path. Kami and I ran side by side for the first section just chatting along. I noted that we were hitting averages of about 4:15/ km which was a little faster than I had planned but it felt ok and although I had been warned that it was easy to go out too fast on this course I decided to roll with it. It was great to chat to Kami but I am not always very talkative when racing and didn't want us to push too hard to soon, so I dropped back and tailed her a little, hoping I wasn't being annoying by hanging on her heels, but really not wanting to stay side by side. The weather was perfect at this point, cool and crisp yet sunny and we knew it would heat up. I was relishing running in just shorts and a t-shirt, having been able to leave the bulky layers back in Banff. A couple of times the path rolled a little or we dipped into the trail a little but Kami and I were still together. At the marathon mark (we think it was a little short) we rolled by at 3h05 which I was happy with. Shortly thereafter we came to a major aid station at the end of the paved path at Beals Point. I grabbed my drop bag, took some extra shot blocks for my pack and carried on through. I was trying to drink from the stations by stopping briefly so I had my 2l pack with Clif drink for in between - yet hoping I could avoid having to waste time filling that. I was mostly eating shot bloks and realised why I routinely stick to the these, as I tried a gel I got about 1/4 of the contents in my mouth and spent the next mile trying to get the rest off my hands, gloves and everywhere - nice!

Heading out of Beals Point I was glad to be done the tarmac, although it had been traffic free and scenic as it rolled right by the edge of the American River running on tarmac seems to pass so much more slowly. Although I had a relaxed and got into my run I was not feeling lost in my run and was concerned that I had maybe gone out too fast in trying to stay with Kami. As I looked ahead Kami seemed so much more relaxed than I felt. But now I could relax and enjoy it a bit, we had about 50km/ 30 miles in the bank and were hitting the trails where miles always pass so much faster and are more fun!

When I say Kami and I ran side by side, this is what I mean...Photo: Jesse @ Montrail

The trails were awesome! They rolled up and down but no incline was so steep it couldn't be run. If I powerhiked it was a for a very short stretch before I either got back some energy or peaked at the top of the hill to run down. As I bowled along I suddenly felt like I was easing ahead of Kami. Before I had been ahead of her or she ahead of me but we were always at the same pace. Now I could feel that without intentionally meaning to I was pulling a little ahead. I decided to use this and make a break. We had 30km to go, she may well still catch me but if I could get a lead now and maintain it, it could help if I tired later on.

The aid stations were excellent. By now, although I was energized, I was tired and so having aid stations every 5 miles or so I simply ran from one to the next. I would pause, get on board some coke and chips and energy drink, and carry on. If I ever I was tempted to stay long or hike a hill, I didn't dare - I had no clue how close, or far behind, Kami was. As I got into the last 20km and then 10km, I was working hard. My legs felt like they were seizing but I just kept pushing knowing that every step I took and the faster I took it, the closer I was getting to the finish line at Auburn. I'd been keeping an eye on my Garmin for pace and knew I was doing ok but I was also aware that I was bound to slow on the steep hill in the final 2 to 3 miles. At this point, the views were fantastic, I was passing a few men, and people were encouraging me at the aid stations but I really took little of this in. It was head down and push forward. I had to laugh as I had seen photos of this section of the course from when my friends Leslie and Keith had run it a few weeks prior, and although I was enjoying myself I could only think how much more they must have enjoyed it as a leisurely training run and having the opportunity to soak up the surroundings.

The final hill came, and not a moment too soon. I had been told that about 1/4mile was a hike and the rest was runnable, which was great info to have and pretty spot on, I even thought that the 1/4 mile was short! In the runnable section (now I'd hit tarmac again) I would walk a few steps only to force myself to run - get this done, and don't let Kami catch you! Scott Jaime was just in eyesight in his Pearl Izumi t-shirt ahead, I looked up and just focused on not losing ground on him. For the final 2 miles there were mile markers which seemed 2 miles part, but as I hit the final 1/2 mile I knew I was near the finish as I could hear the hubbub of the finish line. By now it was flat, so it was push to the line and - wow! 6:25:42. I was done. Kami came in 9 minutes later looking much more calm and collected. I soon realised why the last section had been so tough, being unused to heat I had not taken on enough salts and was seizing seriously. Without wanting to seem too much like a prima-dona I was escorted to the massage table by 3 men helping me with my gear etc. I knew I had to get electroltyes back on so before I got on the table I downed some coconut water. Felling a little better I now tried to get off my shoes and that was when all agony broke lose in my right calf - aaaaaaargh! Well, if I was going to cramp big time, having someone to hold me up and a massage therapist to work my calf was a good time to do it. Needless to say the massage wasn't pleasant but was definitely just what I needed (along with lots of salts and liquids).

RD Julie ensuring there were no collapsed runners at the finish line! Photo: Bob@ Drymax

I am really happy with my time. It is good marker to see where I am at and I have never run a 50-miler this early in the year. It's great as a marker for Comrades and Western coming up, and a big lesson in running in warmer temperatures (because I am fully aware that it wasn't actually anything like hot!). It was also great experience to run side by side with a competitor for so many miles, great mental training and experience, as well as an absolute pleasure to share the experience with Kami.

So as I reward if you have read this far - for winning AR50 I received one awesome pair of Montrail trail shoes!! Fair to say I already have a few pairs so if anyone would like them just post a comment 'shoes please!'. If you make a comment without that, I'll assume you don't want them :) 'Shoes please!' comments must be posted by 6pm MT Friday 15th, and I'll then post who won them. They can be any current model, mens or ladies and any size - your pick! Pics will be added to this post shortly - but for now, I gotta go run (literally!)

With fellow Brit/ N. American Ian Sharman (4th male). You can tell that Bob @ Drymax socks took this photo - our feet are in it perfectly, yet Ian has lost the tops of his head ;)