So I’d finished my Atlantic row project in February 2023 and already had a race/ride scheduled to fend off the predictable post-race blues. I completed a long-time bucket list race of the Dragon Devil in my home area of the Brecon Beacons (or Bannau Brycheiniog as I think we’re supposed to call it now). Following that I threw in a last-minute entry for the Brutal Triple Ironman in Snowdonia. This was a great event and whilst I entered with very little training, I managed to finish in third place. There weren’t many entrants!
Following that I wanted to resume normality and get a regular race in the calendar for every quarter or every four months. Unfortunately, the CI 100km Ultramarathon which was due to take place at the end of November was cancelled so that led to me going slightly off the rails for longer than I’d wanted.
I’ve always been a bit “all or nothing”. A bit “Ricky Hatton”. If I’m in training mode I’ll go all in. Focus on training, nutrition, sleep etc. If I’m not in training mode I’ll head down the slippery slope of drinking too much, smoking, eating a terribly high sugar-content diet, and generally just feeling sorry for myself until I get the self-motivation to haul myself 180 and go back into a healthy lifestyle.
I knew I needed to make changes when I started worrying about heart attacks on my cycle into work when I’d stop for a cigarette but I knew that a marathon or Ironman wasn’t going to cut it. I knew that from now on, the only races that would kick me into action had to be scary, intimidating, frightening and would push me out of my comfort zone. The Trans-Atlantic row did just this and ultimately raised the bar. How can you get kicks out of a marathon after you’ve rowed an ocean!
I put an entry in for the Atlas Mountain race. I felt completely out of my depth when I answered all of the technical questions on the online application form. I didn’t think I’d get accepted so had a bit of a shock when I received an acceptance email. Once I had obtained approval from work to take the time off, I paid my fees and started thinking about buying a bike. There was going to be a whole lot to learn. And purchase. That’s part of what I love about taking up a new sport – a lot of research into the best kit and lots of kit reviews read. I live by the motto “buy cheap, buy twice” so I always do a lot of research and read a lot of reviews before committing to a purchase.
I trained a little bit through December but was more interested in obtaining the right bike. I did some research and ordered a Fairlight Holt. I did a few mountain bike rides on my old 26-inch “On One inbred” with flat pedals. When my Fairlight arrived and I fitted clipless pedals I was in for a very steep learning curve. I went out for a few rides but probably focused on terrain that was too technical and should have just gone for long rides to get time in the saddle, calories burnt, weight maintained, and a feel for the bike on long untechnical stretches of road and gravel. Instead, I was going on cliff paths and technical single track. This led to me falling off regularly which was just denting my confidence.
I didn’t manage as much training as I wanted through December due to work commitments. I run a hotel that’s busy in December and around the festive period. My in laws were over during Christmas and I have three kids but I knew the hotel was closed in January so planned to do some mammoth back-to-back overnight rides throughout January. Not ideal but better late than never. Unfortunately, on NYE, I managed to put a deep cut into the outside of my left hand whilst moving furniture at work to make way for the DJ. This put paid to any training aspirations. I probably could have gone to the gym and done something but I became rather down and lost all motivation to do anything. I couldn’t run, I couldn’t cycle. The gym was problematic. Swimming was out. So I focused on drinking, netflix, work and shopping for the race and basically beating myself up emotionally.
Towards the end of January when I thought my hand had healed enough and I had full movement of my fingers I went out for an evening ride. With the bike luggage all filled up I went out for a few hours to see how she handled. All was good. At 20kgs it didn’t feel that heavy and I actually think I mountain bike better in the dark. Maybe it’s something to do with not seeing the obstacles that are farther away so you only focus on what’s immediately in front of you. Anyway, it was a fun ride and a good confidence booster even though it was only about 40km. The next evening I went to do the same and practice with my camping gear. On the way home at about 23:00 I was cycling down a quiet country lane but as I went around a sharp corner at speed, the wheels slipped from under me and I crashed, cutting myself up quite badly. I injured my wrist, my elbow, and everything on my left side from my hip to my ankle. I ripped three layers of clothing including all my brand-new Albion cycling gear I’d either purchased or been given for Christmas. My rear derailleur on the bike was bent beyond repair and there were a few other bits of damage. I was in a bit of shock after the tumble and was panicking that I’d broken some bones. I called my wife and asked her to run a bath so I could get home, wash the blood off and assess the damage. Thankfully, all injuries were superficial and should be almost healed before the race. I’m now two days out and still have pain in the elbow, hand, and knee but I’ve managed to repair most of the clothing with the help of my seamstress-wannabe wife.
A few days before leaving for Marrakesh I visited my Nutritionist Kit @ True food. I was truthful with him and explained that I hadn’t done noteworthy training since my triple ironman in September. I’d lost my mojo completely. The diet had gone out of the window, I was drinking too much and had started smoking again. I’d since given up smoking two weeks ago and was firmly in “beast mode”. Watching what I was eating, not drinking, not smoking and generally just trying to be a more energetic and productive person. It was working. I was feeling healthier and achieving so much more than usual. I was always doing something instead of just sitting watching Netflix and putting everything off until the next day/week/month.
I then visited the amazing Rich Tanguy and his team at Big Maggy’s to borrow a bike bag/box. Rich and the team had been instrumental in getting me to the start line. I was pretty clueless and had no idea what I was doing with regards to Mountain Biking and bike maintenance with suspension and tubless tyres. Rich was happy to give me a fitting before ordering a bike from a different company. Once it was delivered he was happy (I think) to give me another fitting and get me set up properly. That was the end of his involvement I thought but there was a long way to go. He helped me with getting the tires set up tubeless. Puncture repair kits, lights, suspension seat posts, bike maintenance sessions. You name it, he and his team provided it. They even loaned me an awesome bike bag for the trip. Thanks for all your help folks.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite so intimidated by an event, apart from the Trans-Atlantic row. It’s not just the magnitude of the event and the fact that I haven’t done any training but it’s the thought that just one puncture too many or one snapped spoke or any other mechanical issue that I can’t repair in the field will mean a DNF. Usually in Ultramarathons, I rely on my physical and mental strength. Now I need to rely on both of those in addition to being able to use and maintain a bike that I haven’t had a lot of time on.
The last time I felt out this much out of my comfort zone was probably when I started the Spine race in the UK in 2014. I’d completed a couple of Ultramarathons in training for this race with my first 100 miler about six or seven weeks previous but I was very naive, very new, and inexperienced but in the end, I had a great race. My expectations were very low. I planned to enjoy the experience, take everything in my stride, be as flexible as possible and just learn as I went along. I ended up doing pretty well and finished in the top half of the field, had an enjoyable time (apart from all the pain) and won the cognitive fitness award from the race Psychologist.
I’m approaching this race in very much the same way and really hoping I don’t have too many mechanical challenges….or accidents.
Tracking for the race can be found here
stevedavidhayes 