I've not posted on here in an ages! But i'm always reading and thought i'd dip my toe in the water again this year
Anyone entered any of the Centurion Running 50's this year? Just to see if there is anyone else looking forward to what will undoubtably be some great events again.
I'm attempting all 4 this year, but wondered if anyone had any experience of any of the courses, as i've only completed the SDW 50 before. I realise the Wendover Woods and Chiltern Wonderland are new, but has anyone run in these locations before? I must say both the information provided by CR and other sites certainly indicate that the Wendover Woods 50 might be more than a bit tricky if its wet!
Anyway, over and above me looking for info, i'm interested in seeing who else is signed up this year - how's the training/prep going?
Comments
I'm up for CW50 this year, a new event. I know the Ridgeway well parts of which this event uses. The only centurionrunning events I've done before are NDW 100 in 29 hours and TP100 dnf.
I'm in for all four. I've only done the NDW50, that is quite a tough course with Box hill and Reigate hill. I didn't do as well as I'd have liked so I'm back for another crack. I held back too much and spent too long in the aid stations.
Tempted by the A100 as well
I'm up the Chilterns end of the Ridgeway, have never run a decent stretch of it. I envy your NDW100 though, i'd love to build up to a NDW/SDW 100 one day - not sure i'd manage it. It'll be interesting to see if we catch the ever-more-usual September heatwave this year.
Hope you have good run in with the training, just out of interest, what will your training look like in between the two? Was this where you picked up injury before? Having not run two of of this length that close together, this makes me nervous.
The A100 looks pretty epic. I've heard to not underestimate the NDW 50, although I know the elevation isn't too different to SDW50, i've heard there are more 'killer' climbs. Out of interest, same question as Millsy really, how are you looking at training between the SDW and NDW?
For this year I'm looking at peaking for the SDW, then a couple of easy weeks before the London Marathon. Then a recovery week before building up for the NDW. I have no idea if it will work though.
That's pretty much what I'm planning on doing. The plan I'm following leads up to the SDW50, I'm also doing London so I'll be taking it relativley easy between the two races. Not 100% sure about the 3 weeks in between that and NDW50, lots of easy running and a couple of long ish runs but nothing fast.
I've done a few races on sections of the ridgeway plus run the whole ridgeway & train there too a fair bit . It's pretty good varied terrain so I'm really looking forward to CW50. Wendover have yet to recce but have been to the woods for brief view .
Wendover is going to be the killer , if wet ( likely ) then it's going to be a mud pit once 200 odd runners have gone round once never mind 5 times !!
I've got a 55-mile event in the Brecon Beacons a week before CW 50. I'll be doing no running in between.
Jamie R - even if you have got a 3-week gap between long events I wouldn't do any long runs during that period. It's all about recovery. You won't be able to add to your endurance, but you could take away from it! I would suggest no more than medium length 12-18 miles and as you say, no speedwork.
loulabell - that's a good challenge for this year. Even though Wendover Woods was my neck of the woods, so to speak, I wouldn't want to enter that one. I'm not a fan of multi-lap events especially in the mud in November! I prefer courses where you feel like you're getting somewhere!
Doing RTTS too & XNRG run in October as a training run for Wendover , looking forward to it all
Hoping to get out to Wendover a lot over the next few months to recce & get familiar with it so if anime fancies a group jaunt to check it out then just yell .
I suppose as loops go 10 miles is quite big. All the best for your grand slam. Next up the100s grand slam??
I hope to get back up to doing the odd 100 now and again. You need to be very well conditioned for them. I'm quite a low mileage runner and I have nearly come to grief on a couple of very long events. Although I'd already had three completions of the Ridgeway Challenge 86, I came a cropper on #4, and my one attempt at the TP100 ended badly at mile 72.
So I'm sticking to 50s for the time being.
T Rex - That was pretty much my thinking, I'm not going to take any risks by trying to run anything long when I won't get any benefit from it.
I think for this year I'll stick with the 50's as well, I am tempted by something longer and would like a crack at TP100 but missed the waiting list.
No I'm in Sidcup so not local to either unfortunately. I'd like to have spent some time out on the course but it's unlikely I'll get a chance.
I'm hoping to do the NDW 50. I've recced the following stages of the course
- Farnham to Guildford
Not much of the hilly Downs here; lots of fields, golf fields and some tricky turns where I accidentally missed the North Downs Way sign a few times. Also, the terrain turns very sandy toward the end as you approach Guildford.
- Guildford to Box Hill (done this multiple times, it's so beautiful!)
Starts with a little trail in Chantry Wood (really muddy at this time of year) and then turns into a sandy climb up to St. Martha's Hill! This part is probably one of my favorites. The view is simply stunning. After St.Martha's run along the downs ridge, until you hit Newland's corner. From here, relatively flat woodland with some small hills as you hit the downs. The view from Denbies vineyeard is also quite beautiful.
- Box Hill to Merstham
By far the most technical of the NDW50 sections I've done. First, there is the infamous/famous climb up to Box Hill. After that, you pass Betchworth limeworks and hit some very narrow trails. There some fields and a small village on route until Buckland Hills, which was very hard for me as well (but I'm a complete newbie here; more experienced runners, weigh in?)
- Oxted to Otford (bypassing Knockholt pound)
Mostly flat fields, apart from the climb to Botley Hill. A few dangerous road crossings. Be careful!
Going up one side of the main road & under the subway to go all the way back up other side is a bit arduous , especially when you see everyone ahead on the opposite side !
Boxhill I actually really like , I'd say it's the bit between there & Reigate that gets to people if it's going to happen . It is technical , the part from Caterham ( ice cream again hopefully! ) slightly easier then a climb to Botley hill which is steep , the last few miles always seems longest as its through fields which can be a bit ankle breaking if dry & lumpy
Overall it's the middle section that is most technical , but the views are there to distract !
I'm in for the SDW50, first time doing the distance. Training so far has been pretty inconsistent having had a succession of colds and moving house at the end of Jan. Hoping to get a good month of solid training now, I think I'm gonna need it!
BaconBits wrote (see)
Lets hope for a less windy month and a bit, been fantastically windy at the moment!
loulabell - I share your anticipation about the mud-fest WW will be! Caked in the mud, probably little light - going to be a fitting end to the GS journey I'm hoping.
I'm kind of on the Chiltern Hills at one end, looking to find a nice muddy day to go and scope out Wendover though, which isn't a million miles away. Who knows, we may all get a scorching November day?
Glad to see the thread has picked up a bit, will be interesting to follow eachothers journeys through these!
Ignore this post - my mac really hates this forum! Actual post on previous page!
Improve over the next few weeks. Most of my usual off-road routes have been too muddy to run on (at a reasonable pace).
I've got the Wokingham half marathon on Sunday and then the specific ultra training starts in earnest.
How is everyone else getting on? Do you have all your kit sorted?
All my kit is sorted (I think), I've now got a spare headtorch which was the only thing I was lacking.
Training has gone pretty well overall, longest run was a 3.22 marathon last weekend but all other runs have been 18-21 miles. I've got one more long run (20-22) this weekend then I'll start the taper.
Just got to figure out how I'm getting to the start, I don't really want to drive and leave the car knowing that I'll have an hours drive back to collect it at the end. Got a couple of weeks to sort it out.
I'm in Wendover and run on the trails that the route covers - in its child's drawing way - quite a lot. There are a couple of nasty hills in there, and loulabell is right, it's going to be very muddy. Currently it's quite sticky, but it won't take long for it to churn up, and the parts on the bridleways are deep and mucky. It can be quite firm underfoot if there's no rain, and because the paths are well usedyou can end up with some very solid and rutted paths on which to twist an ankle. At least one of the trails is currently covered by leaves, but is pretty good underfoot.
Gutted I didn't see this before it filled up! Very much in my backyard - i live on wood lane, which you can find just above the 'camp' of Halton Camp on the map.
I'm other side of Aylesbury but hope to get out to Wendover over summer a fair bit
Millsy/Jamie/Loulabell/Baconbits,
So how did it go for you guys? Other than that short shower the weather was ideal!
Top race as always by Centurion Running, eyes ahead to the NDW50!
I finished in 25th place in 8.10. A 9 min PB from 2014 so very happy with that. Great organisation from Centurion running. Have London marathon to get through and then plan for the NDW 50.
Nice, thats an awesome time! 11:13 for me, which i'm happy with considering.
The mud definitely added a nice dimension, especially at my end of the field after you faster lot had been through it
Good luck for the London Marathon, see you at the NDW hopefully.