To be or not to be, that is the question....

34th Marathon Eryri - Snowdonia Marathon Saturday 29th Oct 2016.

Foreword...

As some of you will know this year at the Snowdonia Marathon is my 3rd hill/mountain marathon in the last 6 months. All 3 marathons were run as part of my fundraising for the PSP Association who are raising vital funds for research into the condition PSP and CBD, both very serious medical conditions and with grim consequences as they are currently incurable and give the suffers a limited remaining lifespan, often 7 years.

I was asked to run for this charity and to raise awareness of it by some very good regular customers of my workplace, and as they are such a nice couple I felt compelled to try to help.

As PSP Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and CBD Corticobasal Degeneration are relatively unknown conditions they are often misdiagnosed by Doctors who don't correctly recognise the symptoms which are often similar to Parkinsons, Alzheimers and Strokes. 

The time lost giving the wrong diagnoses and treatment can be costly in both lost time and quality of life for the sufferer and their families. The PSP Association are funding research into the as yet incurable conditions and obviously money is needed for this, hence my involvement with fundraising.

Please have a read about the condition and the PSP Association at this link if you can: 

http://www.pspassociation.org.uk/

To all those who have donated and supported the cause so far, thank you so much.

To be or not to be, that is the question. 

Some of you will know that I have had some problems in recent months personal, mental and physical. Getting to this event and being in a position to finish it was a challenge, and with all the physical problems with my right knee which came to the fore at the Hoad Hill Marathon in August I didn't know how things would turn out.

Hoad Hill left me with intermittent problems with my knee which would only appear when I ran so training was difficult as I never knew whether I would be able to complete each training run.

For this reason I rested as much as possible and only ran one run a week prior to Snowdon and didn't run for 12 days before the event itself. I left it extremely late to get any long runs in and only ran as far as 16 miles in my longest one about 3 weeks out.

I was taking this event on with a bucket load of trepidation and a truckload of prayers for God to 'just get me to the finish'.

Night before/morning of event.....

As always the night before involved not much sleep, even though I went to bed at 9pm instead of my usual 3am (I work lates). My alarm was set for 4.30am and I pretty much woke at 10pm, Midnight, 1pm, 2pm and finally 3pm before finally waking to the alarm at 4.30am.

To be fair I didn't feel too bad, not groggy and not particularly tired. So it was quick shower and then straight into my running gear I had selected and laid out the night before.

Gear selection was a Run or Cake tech t-shirt and then my PSP Association charity vest, my dual layer Karrimor shorts, Injinji toe socks and my trusty Hoka Clifton 2 running shoes. Also of course my trusty running cap.

Breakfast was always going to be fairly non existent as I knew I wouldn't be hungry as I'd eaten a lot of pasta the evening before, so it was one round of toast with peanut butter and a large coffee to get the system moving so to speak. 

I was getting picked up for the trip in Liverpool by a helpful fellow runner for the day Sarah J, so I was on the first train out of Southport at 5:38am with a bag of food and snacks to eat as I traveled.

6.30am and we are off.... 

So 6.30am came and bang on time was my lift from Sarah, and off we went to Wales for the day. Thankfully it was a fairly straight forward route as we are quite blessed with the selection of routes in and out of Wales so travel time is quite decent. So decent in fact we were practically there by 8:15am as we came in via the Southern end of Lake Padarn and passed an area I was extremely familiar with as I holidayed there a lot as I grew up and it was great to be back again in an area I loved so much.

8:20am and we were safely parked a quick kit check to see what to leave in car and what to take with us and we were off down the High St of Llanberis.

Registration and number pick up... 

Llanberis (Stock photo)

Registration and number pick up was in the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre and cafe and it was here that we would also pick up our race t-shirts pre run. Good thing about picking it up pre run was the size you ordered was on your number and you were given what you ordered, no argument, no excuses, no reason to end up with the wrong size here. Very well organized and a credit to the event organizers and their teams of volunteers etc.

Now it was only 8:30am or so and we had time to kill so it was into the cafe for a cuppa and a snack and time to find friends. Sarah J is a Penny Lane Strider so it took no time at all to find several other members of the club, and as it happens I knew mostly all of them. Mainly because they are also members of my charity running group Run or Cake (Only the best) The first we found were Eamonn, Rachel, Jane and another lady whose name escapes me.

Not long after another fellow caker and running friend Martin appeared and wished us all luck etc.

There were lots of people I knew doing the event so I kept my eyes open but I knew I would not see most until the end where I could wait around at the finish to find them all one by one whilst chilling out with a brew and biscuit etc. 

Time was flying and it was soon last call for the Porta Loo time and into the long queue. Panic did start to kick in a little as I tried to gauge the speed of the queue and the fact I still needed to get rid of my stuff and put my number on and store my bag.

Thankfully I didn't store my bag first, because by the time I got to the front of the queue and into a loo I discovered it had no toilet paper! Seriously what the hell! Thankfully ever prepared as any trail runner should be I had a pack of Kleenex tissues in my bag. I was even kind enough to leave the pack in there so the next person could breathe a sigh of relief (pardon the pun).

Race start.... 

Race start was officially 10:30am so after storing my baggage in a very well organized baggage store courtesy of the organizers (full credit to you again) I started the 10 minute  walk to the start line. I think 10 minute was if you were a fairly keen speed walker to be honest, no time to chat or dawdle on the way and don't leave it until 10:20am to set off as you will end up right at the back of 2000+ people.

Thankfully as I set of earlier I got fairly close to the starting line up, so close I had to step back a little as I felt a little to close being stood in the middle of a lot of very serious looking club runners. After stepping back a little I bumped into Lainey and Ian who had both been entrants in the new Ultra Great Britain 200 mile event! serious respect to them. I said my hello's and said my 'all the best's' as I don't say 'good luck' as I'm not superstitious and as a Christian I don't believe in luck.

So 10:30am and we are off and I'm feeling good.

First 5 miles to Pen-y-Pas.... 

Llanberis Pass to Pen-y-Pas (stock photo)

The first 5 miles is pretty much the whole of the Llanberis Pass and it is such a lovely place to run it is hard to concentrate on where you are running and indeed on what pace or speed you are running. You look to your left and your right and on both sides you are surrounded by the steep sides of the valley and it's sharp cliffs which have been the Mecca for rock climbers for decades. 

Today was a bit misty so when you looked up the mountainsides the top often disappeared and as someone said as I ran alongside them "It's almost like looking into Mordor", you would have to be a Lord of the Rings fan to get that reference, but he had a point. It looked treacherous, dangerous and with a hint of darkness. No doubt people had lost their lives over the decades on the surrounding cliff faces and surrounding mountainsides, especially Snowdon itself.

Thankfully we were currently road running and at a fairly decent speed as well. I felt well, nice and comfy and was slowly passing people. I was aware however though that I could feel something wrong with my knee, the all too familiar some thing stuck in my knee joint feeling, like a small pencil nib was being poked into my knee joint as I ran. 

Thankfully after about half a mile it disappeared as it often did when the problem first appeared several months back on small runs. I prayed it would not return with a vengeance later along with it's all to familiar partner 'Pain'.

The miles passed and the long slow climb started and this one is a long one, several miles in fact. It's subtle at first but if you have gone of too fast at the start as most do on the flat you suddenly start to feel out of breath as your heart beat steadily rises and the lactate slowly builds in your muscles as you climb up to the 1000+ft it takes to get to the end of the pass at Pen-y-Pas.

I felt good this year and didn't huff and puff or struggle at all really and even got up the final sharp 100m of climb to the YHA hostel at Pen-y-Pas and the checkpoint/timing mat and the welcome sight of the 2nd water stop, I even got a decent race pic of me running up the final bit of the climb and with both feet of the ground, a rare air shot for me.

It was incredibly misty here as we were at over 1000ft and it was weird seeing runners coming up the hill out of the mist and off down the other side down toward Beddgelert etc.All the water stop volunteers and supporters were all wearing coats and hats etc and it was surreal to be running in a vest and shorts while looking at them all wrapped up. Thank you to them all though for being there and doing such a great job.

I stopped at this water stop to take a SIS gel and have a quick drink to wash it down. At this point my Garmin bleeped and I realised I had left it in Auto stop mode, so it would stop counting my time every time I stopped moving. At this point I realised I wouldn't be able to accurately measure my overall time without adding several minutes for stops at various water stops.

I did see though that I had just run this section in 40 minutes as opposed to 44 last year and was ahead of previous schedule, I was also in position 535 as opposed to 986 the year before.

Miles 5-13 miles Pen-y-Pas to Beddgelert... 

Pen-y-Pas decent (stock photo)

It was now my favourite part of the run, the downhill section, and a steep one at that on fairly fresh legs...and Hoka's!!

This was my realm and despite the fact that hurtling down this steep section at speed is commonly known as 'stupidity' or 'suicide pace' I gave it some, I held back more than the previous year and I did come across Martin who was being more sensible and I briefly chatted as I passed and then sped on trying not to look like I was, as I knew he would frown upon my stupidity.

To be fair I had pre planned to run the downhill at speed to gain places and time in the only part of the course I knew I could. I was wearing cushioned Hoka's and they allow you to pound down a hill without braking on your knees every time you heel strike and they often save you some of the quad bashing that was going on as well. The key is to try and still lean a bit forward and try and land mid foot or even forefoot if you can, and take a faster shorter steps to try and land your feet under your body instead of in front of your body where you will indeed be braking and slowing your running technique by doing so.

On this section you come off the road and spend several miles still going downhill running down a farm track. This is where you will see most road runners slow right down and gingerly try and negotiate the terrain, especially if they chose full on road racing shoes with hardly any grip or cushioning, as this path is full of stones, rocks, grass, mud and puddles.

At mile 8 you finally reappear onto the road and this is where you start to get your normal marathon legs back. You have to settle back into a decent comfortable pace and start to tick of the miles one by one. It was also time to assess whether or not I had smashed up my quads, knees or anything else on the long fast downhill. Knees felt fine, quads felt ok, but my lower back felt rather ropey as I clearly didn't control my core as I banged my way down the hill. I decided to see how it went as to whether or not I had to do something about it.

Miles 8-9 you pass the lovely Llyn Gwynant (That's a lake to you and me) and it was a welcome distraction to what would be a long road section until mile 13 at Beddgelert.

I tried to remember at what point my previously injured hamstring had given me problems last year and as I was currently at miles 8-9 it felt fairly good although not 100%, I did realise as I continued it was actually mile 10 before I felt it's problems.

I reached mile 10 this time round which was Bethania and assessed my legs. My legs felt a bit tired which is always alarming only 10 miles in but I had just hit 1hr 20mins for 10 miles on a tough course so was very happy at this point. I did feel a little niggle in my hamstring but only very minor and it went as quick as it came. My quads were slightly sore but it could of been more lactic acid build up due to the pace.

At mile 11 we were now alongside another bit of scenic splendor in Llyn Dinas and again it was a welcome distraction from pounding the road. I also decided as it was now 1hr 30mins in that I needed a second gel. I was trying for 1 gel every 45 minutes as I was keen to keep my energy levels up as much as possible. My legs were tiring and I knew the hamstrings in particular would start to breakdown and tire first followed by my calves.

This was were my lack of recent long distance training would most likely hit me as my legs always start to fall to bits from 14-16 miles onward, and on this course it was guaranteed.

From 11 miles onward we were now receiving electrolyte drinks at water stops as well as water if needed and I was taking full advantage of them as I had decided not to run with a drinks bottle as I usually do as I knew there would be plenty on course.

Mile 13 and the welcome sight of Beddgelert soon approached and I felt fairly decent although I was already planning a walk section next on the upcoming long uphill section from 13+. At this point as I glanced over my shoulder I saw Martin again as we were taking supplies of the waterstop/aid station which now had HI5 gels as well.

We chatted briefly as we ran through Beddgelert as we looked for the 13.1 timing mat to record our half marathon times, and soon enough we crossed it. I told Martin I was going to have a bit of a walk as a recoup for what lay ahead and that I may or may not see him further on.

At this point I went for the option of taking an Ibuprofen tablet as my lower back was still sore and I knew it would give me trouble. You shouldn't really take them on runs themselves but if you do make sure you take in lots of water throughout, as they affect your kidney function and it's ability to work fully during the efforts of your marathon. They are a last resort and a personal choice.I would not recommend taking them on a hot day or when you are sweating a lot, because a worse case scenario is the dehydration can cause renal failure.Certainly worth doing a bit of research on the internet.

Miles 13-21 Beddgelert to Waunfaur..... 

Beddgelert Bridge.

  

I started to walk now up what was going to be a 600ft climb over several miles, My plan had always been to give it some welly for the first half of the event up to 13.1 where I had done fairly well last year, and then settle back and walk were needed to get me through the second half at no particular pace or speed. Surprisingly I had actually cleared the first 13.1 miles/half marathon in 1 hr 46 minutes, and 14 minutes faster than last year! I was puzzled as I couldn't work out why I was so much faster, I don't recall any walk breaks prior to the 13.1 last year so couldn't see where the time saving came from.

I was now in position 453 as opposed to 753 last year,I was very happy but I knew my legs were now tired. I carried on my walk as I tried to decide how long or far I would walk from this point. I figured half a mile or 5 mins I wasn't sure. My legs where at this point fairly full of lactic acid and quite stiff and the walk was difficult to start as my legs were not as flexible or loose as they would normally be on a walk. I was one step away from the 'Penguin walk'. 

Slowly I could feel my legs loosening and the feeling that the blood was slowly flowing comfortably through my muscles again and I tried a run for a bit. 

The running didn't seem too bad for a while but as the hill was still upon us it wasn't long before my legs felt stiff again as though cement was flowing through my legs as opposed to blood. I took to walking again on/off.

I did this pretty much up until mile 15 and the water stop there, but I ran on as I didn't need and I had already rested on my walk stints and I was keen to make back up places I had lost.

Between mile 15 and 16 was Rhyd Ddu and the mountain railway alongside the road there, it looked like a cracking place to visit and it would be a good idea to go back and check out that railway sometime, certainly plenty of support for the runners as we passed so I thank them all for that.

Mile 16 approached and this was a welcome water stop and I stopped for a few minutes as I took in another gel and some electrolyte drink. As I looked back behind me I realised how many people were just behind, there were loads and they were clearly running in packs, I decided it was time to get a move on.

From here on was a nice downhill section, nothing mad or steep but a chance to regain a little time and indeed some places. There had been a lot of too and fro with places and you get an idea of who is running with you and against you. To be honest I lost track often, but every now and then it was nice to go past somebody who had previously gone past you earlier as it is a good sign you are performing ok. It's also a little alarming when several people seem to be going past you and you wonder whether you are going particularly slow or they are just better endurance runners, this happened often as well.

Miles 18-19 included passing the safety of the Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel which was also the 4 hour cut of point for runners. If you didn't get here by 4hrs or by 2:30pm you were on the sweeper bus home. You also passed Llyn Cwellyn at this point as well, which yet again was a welcome sight.

Over the previous miles several times as I hit a mile marker I would consider a little walk as my quads were now giving me trouble and I was worried as they don't usually bother me. Most of the time I would get to a marker and think I'll go to the next one I'm ok and sometimes there was a little downhill after so it didn't make sense to walk at that point, it was fast becoming a mental game to keep going.

I managed to do this up to mile 20 and Betws Garmon were I was definitely going to have a little walk and recoup, and I was pleased to hit 20 miles in sub 3hrs which was good for me as I only just normally manage that on flat 20 mile training runs on a good day, never mind hilly ones like this.

Waunfawr finally arrived at mile 21-22 and after a little rise in the elevation we were suddenly at the dreaded right turn into hill hell! 22 miles in and somebody thought it would be a good challenge to put yet another 1000ft+ climb into a marathon and this one would be over roughly 2 miles as opposed to the first one which was over 4 miles so this one was twice as steep.

Miles 22-26.2 Waunfawr to Llanberis....

Llanberis and home.

 

Thankfully as you round the corner and started the dreaded final climb you are greeted with a very welcome water/aid station and more gels and a very keen and friendly bunch of kids offering you water/electrolytes/gels/sweets and loads of encouragement including one very polite young lad stood in the middle of the road saying " Well done, each and everyone of you".

This was now walk time again as running or jogging uphill was not an option as the lactic acid would seize up my legs or cause cramps if I wasn't careful. My legs at this point were obviously suffering and I shuffled up the hill with a walk courtesy of my cement filled leg muscles again, I could even sense my right leg had no idea of what is was supposed to be doing and I was often swinging it around to the front in a bid to get it to work in tandem with my left, it clearly had other ideas.

As the hill continued we passed a group of supporters singing "If your happy and you know it clap your hands" accompanied by a girl playing it on a trumpet. Certainly encouraging but I only managed roughly 20ft of running before returning back to a walk.

The hill continued and we passed another timing mat at mile 23 and I was now 3hrs 27mins in and in position 664 as opposed to 1125 last year, I had lost a couple of hundred places due to my walk spells but I knew this would happen and had no option really as my legs would not of let me run all the way. At this point my head was all over the place timing wise and I was merely thinking I could finish sub 4hrs 15 as I knew this slow climb was going to suck time away and I knew that normally the downhill that followed was a long slow painful decent back into Llanberis.

The final climb up Bwich-y-Groes continued and it was getting painful just walking up this hill now and several of us were trying to walk with our hands on our knees or quads trying to help our legs gain some momentum up the hill.

Eventually a flattish section appeared and we approached the final water/aid stop near to mile 24. I carried on without stopping or taking anything as by now I was feeling a little sick and full of gels, water and electrolyte and I had spent the last half a mile watching a girl being sick several times at the side of the path and then saying she was ok.

After mile 24 and the aid stop there was a final climb to a bunch of supporters and one of them sadly had an annoying megaphone. I don't know who they were jeering on as it sounded like it may of been some club mates, but when you are at mile 24-25 and still climbing you don't want a stationary person telling you to 'come on'.

Finally the top was conquered and what a view it was across the valley and back down into Llanberis, it was worth all the pain and suffering and if I could of stopped to take it all in I would of done

It was going to be all downhill from here along a nice bit of trail path, albeit a wet, slightly muddy one with the odd rock or two thrown in for good measure. Last year this bit was treacherous as it was so wet, waterlogged and really muddy due to the footfall of previous runners and a cameraman was conveniently placed to try and catch as many people as possible going arse over tit for your enjoyment. Thankfully I stayed upright last year just, and this year too.

After the initial muddy and grassy bit of path we hit a slightly better bit with a bit more tarmac as well as grass. This was however extremely steep in parts and it was now 'Hoka time' my knees felt ok and my hamstring was ok and by know my back was ok, so it was time to give it my all and throw caution to the wind and hammer it down the hill. Or at least faster than those around me anyway, as they gingerly ran/jogged/walked down the steep decent I ran rather uncontrollably at times past as many as I could. I managed to get past a fair few I'd seen along the way as they had passed me earlier and in all I reckon I took back about 20-30 places.

I came off the decent down onto the back roads of Llanberis as we approached the High St and was still overtaking due to the momentum of the hill, I was clearly not anywhere near the front runners of the event and obviously at this point only in position 600 odd but with the adrenaline that is surging through the body and the sense of well being and accomplishment you get from nearing the finish in such a difficult marathon, you can't help but feel like an athlete, an Olympian, a star for the day.

I rounded the corner and was now on the High St and sprinting hell for leather (well it felt like it) and I got past a few more but couldn't quite catch the one at the line so tucked in behind him so he crossed in front of me so he got a clear camera shot, rather stupidly I may add as I cut myself out of camera shot in doing so.

Finished....

So I finished in position 609 on chip time in 4:01:20 and was slightly gutted I hadn't realised how close I was to sub 4, but I was in position 1144 last year and did 4:35:00 so improved my place by almost 50% position wise, so was well chuffed. I had also taken 34 minutes of last years overall time which was a totally unexpected result, especially after the lack of recent training.

I have to say the support on the High St of Llanberis from spectators and locals is amazing and heart warming and I will always appreciate the feeling that gives me to finish in such a lovely village full of such welcoming and supportive people.

Crossing the line you get given your own Marathon Eryri slate coaster made from Welsh slate and a cracking memento of a cracking event and it's an honour to have it adorn my coffee table. I've now got a set of two and will return for more in years to come.

After crossing the line it was straight to the Cadets hut for free coffee and tea and biscuits and time to keep an eye out for friends. I had already bumped into Marc G who had a cracking time around 3:45 or so, and I bumped into Martin again who got 3:56 I think although he said he wasn't racing it.

Slowly but surely friends came in and I watched my friends from Penny Lane Striders come in safely as most of them ran together including my lift for the day Sarah J.

A little bit later I saw Mandy and Darren who were fellow cakers and they were waiting for the final three calers to come in Catherine, Sal and Derek. I was by now really hungry so decided to check out the local fish and chip shop while I waited. 

Great fish and chips, well happy now.

I couldn't of timed it better, as I walked back fish and chips in hand I saw Catherine, Sal and Derek hit the High St and finish in style all while wearing our Run or Cake t-shirts and they even managed to get a mention of the announcer. Darren also got down on one knee and proposed to Sal and the announcer got rather excited until Derek told him they were both already married. As it turned out it was a genuine proposal as Darren and Sal explained later that Darren had never really proposed as it just 'kinda' happened.

It was a lovely gesture from a truly genuine and great bloke to a likewise truly genuine and great lady, I for one am truly fond of them both and am proud to call them friends and running family.

Sal and Darren after the proposal :)

After a far few other mutual well dones to people I missed pre race i.e. Mandy, Marc and Sarah, Kenny and Clare it was finally time to head home and although I was tired and was looking forward to getting home and resting, a part of me was sorry to leave.  I truly believe that a part of my heart has always remained in Llanberis and in the shadow of Snowdon. Ever since I spent many a happy holiday there as a child, being back there out on the mountains made me feel whole again, a feeling I don't get often.Long shall I return.

Thank you.... 

Thank you to my lift for the day Sarah, you are a star. Giving lifts to fellow runners is a vital way that runners can save on costs and save car parking spaces at events, it's also better for the environment folks and it also allows many of us to put the saved money in to various charity causes.

 

Thank you to each and everyone of the event organizers and their crew, and each and every one of the volunteers and supporters at the start the end and indeed along the way. You all truly make the events that extra bit special and are responsible for people coming back time after time.

Thank you to all the sponsors that help these events be put on in the first place. Thank you to the race event photographers who help capture the magic of the event for years to come.

The Marathon Eryri - Snowdonia Marathon is a tough yet fantastic marathon and event, I would recommend it to anyone. Forget your flat boring road marathons, take on something with spirit and a true sense of adventure in Gods country.

Don't forget entries open for this event for 2017 at midnight on New Years Eve!! You need to stay moderately sober to be in with a chance of successfully getting in as all the places will be gone by the time you wake from your drunken stupor on New Years Day and you will regret it.

Is it...to be or not to be, that is the question!

Be there or be......without a slate coaster!! 



Additional pictures from the day..... 

         

 

gweld chi y flwyddyn nesaf.

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