A Challenge a Year in the Making- The 2015 Rat Race Coast to Coast Event
By Jemma Bates
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| Jemma and Liam at registration in Nairn |
The Coast to Coast event has been the main goal for this
year’s training. This for me has taken a
lot of hours training not just fitness but how to handle a mountain bike. After investing in a Rockrider 8.1 with the
bike to work scheme at work. I had to
get used to using lever gear changers which my previous bike had temperamental
grip shift gear changer and able to use these gears effectively. My usual cycling was easy commute riding
between points which had no technical difficulty so the transition to off road riding was certainly interesting,
The main change which had to learn was clip less pedals and
used an mtb shoe which again was all new to me.
I was sent o get used to wearing these shoes and bed them in spin
classes at the local gym. It didn’t take
long to see having these shoes I could go faster on a spin bike but found it
hard to get in and out of these pedals.
Liam assured me that with perseverance I would get better and be second
nature releasing feet from them. My
first ride using the bike with these new pedals was interesting and had a few
accidents with incorrect gear changing and my rubbish un-clipping ability. I have swore many times using these as to me
was having to re learn how to ride a bike again. The 1st time I learnt was at the
age of 7 almost 8 years old. Co-ordination and balance has never been a strong
point.
What’s the point of doing some challenges if they were going
to be easy? I am not a natural athlete
but steady progress is key and I had Strava to thank for that to get even a small
positive from a supposed crap ride. Fast
forward it wasn’t till we had our holiday break in Newquay I had encountered a
lot of road hills and many longer steeper hills than experienced at home. From that Liam had been putting me through my
paces at Sherwood Pines and other blue route locations in prep for the off road
section in day 2 of the challenge. I am
sure there was a moment he was cursing me a lot and wondered will I actually
get through this race.
Training for the Rat Race Coast to Coast
It's tough to train for such a big event but Liam helped give me some direction over the course of the year. Everything I've done has in some way helped with the preparation.
Bike riding- Building up to 50 mile cycle rides with cross country sections. I've been regularly riding down to the cycle routes at Sherwood Pines and riding back. It's a nice 20-odd mile ride if I follow NCN 6 from home, do a loop round the Blue intermediate trail and then head home all cross country. Hill, hills and did I mention hills (A week cycling around Newquay destroyed my Quads but I learnt a huge amount from it)
Running- Having a Rat Race season pass has stood me in good stead for this and helped developed what Liam calls my 'Diesel Engine'. From the tough hilly Deerstalker back in March to those torturous 20 miles of the Dirty Weekend through to the Trailblazer Half-Marathon events everything has been with a purpose towards the Coast to Coast. I had been hopeful of doing Man V Mountain but it was the weekend before the Coast to Coast and with such a demanding course there would be too much risk of me coming out of it in a worse condition which I didn't want on the run up to the Coast to Coast. However I'm determined to do them both next year after missing this year's event.
Kayaking. I have to admit that I was fortunate enough to get a small amount of practice at both the Stockton and London River Rat Race events so I was more experienced than Liam at something sporting for a change. I had been working plenty on my upper body strength and endurance too at the excellent Crossfit Hexis and this really helped.
Kit Choices for the Coast to Coast
We decided for me after reading past years racers
experiences that having road tyres on my mtb and then change to knobbly tyres for
day 2 which help and benefit ground conditions and would allow me to pick up pace on the road
sections. The road tyres I used was
Nutrak 26 x 1.75 semi slick. .These tyres used the same inner tubes as my
knobbly tyres and I was able to have greater speed and ease of riding when doing
the road sections . Having the same
inner tubes means less equipment I need to take with me if should anything
happen to the bike.
Choosing the right
bag which I would use to carry all the bits I would need for my Coast to Coast journey
Me and Liam was having a few
discussions with this as I didn't want a bag too small and not fit everything
in it and suggestions of a small light bag.
We then came to a joint decision of having the OMM last drop 10 litre
bag would fit the job perfectly. I must
admit when it come from the Rat Race store it looked to be on the small side
and I wondered will it fit everything in and be of any use at all. I went on a few test runs and rides with it
for feel of the bag and fit.
Getting the list of required items was needed to take with
me was straight forward but to make sure was packed in the right bags for which
day was a difficult one and shouldn't be rushed at all. Liam's super cool organised approach did work
out well. Only one thing I forgot was my
charger for my Garmin Forerunner 210 as there are charging points when you
finish on day one in the food tent note for 2016 as this failed as we got to
the Road run of the cycle leg of day two.
Prepping what you are going to eat while you are riding is a
hard job which I still need to fine tune we took Peanut squares, Buttered Malt
loaf, Flapjacks, Energy gels and a treat pack of beef jerky. I found most of this OK to eat in tests done
before hand and not sweet but in the saddle I found couldn't swallow or consume
whilst moving and wont use again as food sources and with energy gels there is
so many I can consume before I feel sick and unable to take on even when I need
it which will be a battle for some time.
Getting to race day I have been a bag of nerves from getting
my bike from been serviced to having my semi slicks put on my bike and to test
ride on how will perform in the race. I
was not under any illusion would be quick nor find easy in fact I was shitting
myself and questioning everything in my training and the events I had done
before Coast to Coast. After registering
and getting my race numbers It was a case of having a good meal in my stomach
and cast all feelings aside now if that wasn't hard enough.
Breakfast eaten we made our way to the start line and been
scanned through awaiting our 1st run me and Liam already got our
plan of action sorted the last mile or so he would run ahead and make sure our
bikes which we left at Cawdor castle was OK and ready to go about the time I
got there via having a wee stop. This worked fairly well with Liam vanishing up the trail with a mile to go on the run, no doubt putting the frighteners on a few of the people he flew past en route to the bikes. By the time I arrived at Cawdor Castle (I didn't actually notice a castle to be honest I was so focused), Liam had managed to get pretty much everything in order ready for us to hit the road.
After getting all set up and ready for going again it was a
case of keep going and trying not to stop.
This was a impossible task as every so often was needing to blow my nose
from another re-occurrence of a sinus infection but this I think I ended up
middle of the field which was happy with but I found some of the uphills not favourable. Especially the last massive climb which i did a Jemma special and selected the
wrong gear and my chain came off. Not
un-clipping quick enough I managed to fall off my bike ungracefully into the
kerbside grass verge. I don’t know if
Liam was cursing me or not but he sorted me out and we slowly made our way upwards. I really had to dig in and grit my teeth but I was compensated
with a great downhill which I was so thankful for Liam to follow for my path on
the road as we flew past a few cautious riders as we dropped down to Fort Augustus.
When we got to
transition at Fort Augustus we had a short run and Kayak on Loch Ness. Both me and Liam got soaked me from the waves
and Liam with my shit paddling and wet him (sorry). Both of us managed to get back to transition
and that was end of day one with plenty of time to spare allowing us to wander around the beautiful Fort Augustus, grab a beer (well earned) and a nice bite to eat on the Locks.
The main thing was trying to recover the best you can and
take on as much food as possible in preparation for day 2.
Coast 2 Coast Day 2
Getting up early and packing our tent up back up making sure
we hadn’t left anything behind. Triple
checked our rucksacks for day two as we needed few extra mandatory items to
carry which was needed for day one. Liam
had now fitted the night previously my knobbly tyres onto my bike as we had a
good 20 miles off road to do and 13 miles on the road.
We set off in a never ending line of people
and trying to get comfortable again on my bike.
This proved difficult as tiredness started to set into my legs and they
took a while for them to be persuaded to work efficiently. The wind from the Loch on the left was a
constant for at least 5 miles while we cycled.
When finally came away from the loch edge and some shelter started to
feel more comfortable. This was short
lived as we had to briefly get off the bike and wheel into the woodlands by a
single track and started to climb in the woodlands and gain attitude. This started to worry me slightly now as
starting to form clusters and with me have clip less pedals I know wasn’t
overly efficient at getting out of and when going up an hill. Me been myself had come very close to hitting
another person’s back wheel as she stopped in front of me on a hill thankfully
I yanked out my foot just in time.
Casually saying oops almost went into the back of you. Liam was saying later on not best thing to
say oops and comment as it may have unsettled the rider which isn't what is needed for riding in a group scenario.
The route had a lot of ups which I wasn’t used to for group riding with some loose uneven ground descents. For this I was absolutely terrified and got to a
tight bend which even with a foot un-clipped I couldn’t manoeuvre. It didn't help that there were people falling off bikes around
me too. I walked down very shaken and in
tears the series of tight switchbacks and when I finally saw the bottom and pulled
out the road again I was relieved especially as this was the first proper point I was able
to take more gels or food on. The off road
section didn’t give you much opportunity to eat.
After calming down and trying to “woman up”
unsuccessfully we started the road section where my Garmin watch now decided to
die on me and we had to use Liam's
The Road cycle which we followed had some beautiful scenery
and plenty of hills which by now i was flagging a lot. As we started to near Fort William it was a
case of digging in and keep on moving and get mentally prepared for my next
challenge the run 14 miles of it. Liam
had spotted ahead a garage and said you fancy a mars bar i nodded yes please
and said follow ahead and get to the bike drop off point and he'll see me there shortly.
Once we arrived at the transition we was only
allowed to stay there for 30 mins. Just enough time to get more food inside me
go to the toilet and take out the backpack all cycling gear I wouldn’t require
from this point onwards. Liam was an
angel and brought said mars bar in a form of a Mars Duo which I polished off
very quickly. On any
given day me to manage a mars bar is hard going for me but I wolfed it down. It was agreed that Liam was going to run on
his own and have some fun time on his own without me- a first over the
weekend. Staying and running at my
walking dead pace wouldn’t be good for us.
I know my running would be on a serious empty but if had to crawl that
run stage I would do so.
The Final Walk- Run to Glencoe
As I left transition I started to lightly jog I managed to
carry on till I got to the forest entrance and the slowly inclining fire road
which then slowed to a fast power walk pace.
This pace i kept up till came to the top of that peculiar peak and when
started to descend down which was uneven that for me was proving
difficult. Shower of rain came down and
decided to put my Scott jacket on to protect me so wouldn’t get cold which I
then kept on right to the finish line.
I
met a few people along the way and that broke up the journey. The last four or five miles I was subjected
to the midges and they seem to attract to me whether it was the sweat or they
just liked my contact lenses. This made
it gruelling and at this point I had ran out of water and the halfway point
station as I found out from Liam was giving water out had no water. I couldn’t take on any more gels or flapjacks
without body starting the process of bringing up the gel as quick as I had
eaten it. When I finally got to descend
down the grassy muddy hill to get to the Kayak stage I was thankful for been
over taken by a group which offered me liquids which happily drank. Getting to the bottom I seriously felt I
needed my x-talons as my grip and traction was nonexistent in my trailrocs. This is something would do have
different running shoes for each day to suit the type of running involved.
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| The views from the Kayak finish at the Isle of Glencoe Hotel |
The Kayak stage was a short run from where was a small cue
of us waiting to be assigned to a Kayak as i came on my own I was asked if
wanted to kayak on my own and there was another person not far behind could
join me on the Kayak so decided to wait.
The guy was quite cheery and we set off.
Wasn’t long till found my new partner in crime started to cramp and
stopped paddling and left me trying to compensate which was hard as I was at
the back of the Kayak. There was much
pleading and anxious moments before we got a rhythm back as wasn’t strong
swimmer and getting ever so near to a island which we didn’t need to be near to. The period of time in the water time stood
still so when saw the finish point I knew was close to completing my 2015 big
challenge. Wobbly legs wouldn’t run fast
but with hearing Liam cheer me from the point he could see was my kayak to
seeing him the massive hug was amazing and yes I cried and to proceed to say
well what a shit run I had done just under 6 hours it took me everything out of
me but even with the poor run i have achieved more than ever done to date over
the weekend
I did Coast to Coast in 15:36:06.
Challenge for 2016 is to beat this on my own.
The breakdown of my times for the Rat Race Coast to Coast 2015
http://www.racetecresults.com/Results.aspx?CId=40&RId=7076&EId=3
