Post Match Analysis

So why was 2009 not as good as 2008 ? I’ve decided to look for reasons why in the hope that it will help with preparations in 2010.


2009 – Good Points

I started my training well and was doing good mileage early on in the year.

My knee problem was pretty much fixed by a physio and some surgical tape (it wasn’t tracking properly).

I became more familiar with the route through John Kynaston’s training runs, this helped in particular crossing Rannoch Moor.


2009 – Not so Good Points

Possibly my training peaked too soon ? In 2008 I built up steadily and kept going as the chart below shows. To my shame the chart also highlights how “relaxed” (or possibly undisciplined) my training schedule is.


The chart also shows that I hardly ran at all in May 2009. This is probably due to me having a horrific run at the end of April in the Highland Fling. I’d been running well but it was the first warm run of the year and cramp first hit me going up Conic Hill then hit my legs regularly over the next 36 miles. This run was a major de-motivating factor !

2009’s race was a solo run for the majority of the length.With the exception of someone coming out a few hundred metres to run in to a checkpoint with me I had no pace runner this year. Psychologically this makes a big difference as there's no one to take your mind off the bad bits and get you fired up, but as I was within 4 hours of the leader for most of the race it was against the rules, and when I was eligible for one I had run so far on my own that I wanted to finish having run all the way solo.

I didn’t even really have the company of other runners after Rowerdennan, in 2008 I ran a good chunk of the way with Craig Liddle, in 2009 the last 70 miles were really lonely.


2010 – The Year Ahead

Training this year has suffered a bit of a blow as I was too late applying for the Highland Fling and didn’t get in. For me this 53 mile race over the bottom half of the Way was ideal prep 2 months before the main event as it was a pretty good gauge of form. The theory being doubling your Fling time will give you a rough time for the big race – it’s not too bad a rule of thumb.

So this year’s training is resembling 2008’s and if I’m going to improve on my time, which I’d like to do, then, at the risk of stating the obvious, as the race draws nearer I need to up my miles. Training has started gently but I did a 23 mile run the other day and in 2008 I didn’t run more than 10 miles until the beginning of April when I did a 22 mile run. So lets see how we get on ……..