Round the Isle of Wight - May 2013

Early in the year I hatched a plan with a friend of mine to 'run for fun'. Ultra running isn't always about races, for me it is about exploring different environments and enjoying the process of extreme endurance as much as possible! We set ourselves two goals for the year - a run around the Isle of Wight, and a run through the Dolomites in Italy (due in July...).

The Isle of Wight run was a training run to see how the body would hold up against two - three days of continuous running. This was particularly important for my friend who was dipping his toe into the world of ultra running after an extended layoff with injury. We run a lot together, and a few weeks prior to the planned run we covered off 42.7km / 26.5 miles along the Berkshire Loop of the Chilterns Way and also the Thames Path. We measure our performance not by time, but by the ability of the body to recover quickly enough the next day to carry on!

So on to the Isle of Wight. A 120km / 75 mile loop around the island following the marked Coastal Path. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? As long as the sea was on our right we knew things were going well...we used the XNRG Round the Isle of Wight map to give us an idea of where we would refuel and also the places we planned to run. To alleviate pressure, we planned to run on the Friday evening after work, and then have slightly easier days on the Saturday & Sunday.

Evening 1: West Cowes to Yarmouth (29km, http://connect.garmin.com/activity/311833040)

Driving south from London we caught the afternoon ferry from Southampton to West Cowes, and set about meandering across to Yarmouth in the fading light. The weather was getting gloomy, and starting out at around 5.45pm we knew we had to get moving. Leaving the sights of West Cowes behind we quickly picked up the path and ducked and weaved in and along the coastline. It was a case of head down, and seeing how far we could get without unscheduled breaks. However, in the back of our minds was the fact there was still 90-odd kilometres to go after this evening and with minimal recovery time before the start of Day 2. Having trained on the well-marked North & South Downs Way's, we soon realised the luxury of spotting an acorn on a sign was removed and replaced with a blue sign reminiscent of a street sign.

Good luck finding these!

These signs were very far between on the run, and being the explorers we are we decided that maps weren't going to be a necessity (worst case scenario we could follow the road!). We ploughed on with some interesting diversions through holiday parks and back streets, never really quite knowing whether we were taking the right turn or not (hence the slightly longer distance). It also didn't help that both of our phones were low on battery, or unable to pick up signal to find maps...hey ho, we pressed on and after a lot of time on busy roads (yes, it's not all trail so beware of cars!) we eventually found some more well marked territory and pushed on to our destination. We had a few stops and eventually made it into Yarmouth at 9pm, only to be told that most places weren't serving food! We stayed at the Bugle Inn which was great, found a nearby pub serving good grub and headed to bed planning the day ahead after a bit of a sleep in.

The weather held off until after we arrived in Yarmouth, when it decided to tip down!

Day 2: Yarmouth to Shanklin (54km, http://connect.garmin.com/activity/311833212)

The day dawned beautifully bright after rain the night before. It was a tad cool and blustery, but after a (very) hearty breakfast - the first mistake of the day - we made the move on out to Needles, and then looked forward to a downwind day...

It was pretty straightforward to Needles, and we passed by a few other walkers and cyclists out and about early in the morning.

Marshall heading out to Needles

Some good single track running in the morning and then after a break about 90 minutes in we followed farmland and coastal track downwind for the afternoon. We stopped off at a Pearl centre (insert pearl necklace jokes here) and had the first of many drinks of Coca-cola. Coke, despite all the negative press, is a staple part of my running diet. It provides the sugar and caffiene hit I need, and I actually like the taste compared to the artificial gel flavours that are generated. I think I am in the minority with that compared to other runners...

Me, heading downwind towards Shanklin from the Needles

Our target for lunch became apparent, and with a quick phone call we confirmed a place in Lower Niton. We stopped for regular rests (every 90 minutes or so) and hit Niton at about 40km into our run for the day. Time to reward ourselves with a nice lunch and some cider. That won't be a bad idea, will it?

Not a bad idea, until we replace water with cider in our packs...

This was the biggest mistake we made all weekend. Funnily enough not the biggest mistake I've ever made when running long distances (think no food because I wasn't hungry, starting off too quick on an 80km run, running out of water between aid stations. I also ran this entire weekend with incredible chaffing on my lower back from my Raidlight bag and also from the inner of my Salomon running shorts. I basically bled for 2 days straight). We stayed away from fatty fried foods and went for fish, but this happened to be so lovely yet so rich, that our bodies couldn't process it in time before we started moving again. We also replaced water with cider for the 4 mile hop between Niton & Ventnor. Now, when running and your body can't process food it's only going one way. Back up. Which my lovely lunch did. And when the body is screaming out for help to process food, what do I feed it? Cider. An easy 4 mile trek across to the next stop in Ventnor became excruciating, and with another 4 miles on to Shanklin after that I just wanted to cry. We pushed on, as only idiots do, and Marshall (not suffering as much as I was at the time) and I arrived at the Waterfront Inn badly beaten and in need of water at around 5.30pm. Just in time for the FA Cup final.

Once we stopped running and my body recovered within 30 minutes, I was prepping for the next day. Marshall on the other hand wasn't having any of that. A much needed afternoon rest, a bath (separately) and some stretching later we headed out for a very low key dinner. It rained again that evening, after being so sunny during the day!

I later realised that both of us had actually caught a load of sun during the day despite cool temps. I noticed this when I was peeling skin off my forehead in a client meeting on the following Tuesday. Classy.

Day 3: Shanklin to West Cowes (37km, http://connect.garmin.com/activity/311833286)

The day again dawned lovely, although neither of us were in particularly good shape. We had a lighter breakfast than the day before, and started off at around 10 min miles which after a few miles became reasonably comfortable (and we ended up running faster than that for avg moving pace for the day anyway). We got moving quickly as we were aware of 10,000 charity walkers coming the other way. However, as it turned out they were bypassing the Coastal Path which gave us a bit more freedom and space.

Early morning climb out of Shanklin

We shuffled along well, and made pre-planned breaks. Finally the idea was coming together. I needed to exert more control over this running plan for the whole weekend, however my desire to 'keep up' with my quicker friend over-rided the sensible approach. We bimbled along well, stopping off in Ryde for a VERY light lunch and relied on our own nutrition and gels throughout the day. The path was much easier to follow, although after Ryde it became very boring as we followed the road. Despite that we kept our pace consistent and made it to East Cowes with plenty of time to spare before our planned departure. We took the floating bridge across to West Cowes and stopped off for one final pint before the trip home.

Unflattering photo, but very glad to get to East Cowes!

Again, the weather gods were kind to us all day but the trip back across the Solent was windy and wet. No idea how we escaped the whole weekend with not a drop of rain.

All in all it was a great experience, and I'd consider running it in one or two days in the future. Some big things for people planning to run IoW in the future:-
- The path isn't overly clear, you'll need guidance between Yarmouth & West Cowes for example - once it hits the road you don't always see the turn off points.
- However, it is easy to recover and you simply can't get lost. Keep the ocean to one side!
- The path isn't as well worn as we might've thought so sometimes you pick your own line
- Coastal erosion is incredible on the south side of the island, with lots of diversions in place. Be sure to keep clear of cliffs as it is very recent and ongoing
- It's easy to travel light, with plenty of places to pick up food & drink en route
- Accommodation is very welcoming, and food plentiful in the evenings
- Don't replace your water with cider
- Say hi to the loads of walkers on their way around the island!

Really looking forward to the next adventure. We are taking three days to cover the TNF Lavaredo trail in the Dolomites. We are running a week after the race, and staying up in the Rifugios overnight along the route. Can't wait to get some real fresh air and train in altitude again. Also want to get some serious hillage action in before then as it is very lumpy, with some 18,000ft of gain! Beats the 5,600ft along the Coastal Path...

Also out and about on the bike a bit now, as I have a 266 mile bike ride to complete in 24 hours in mid July (hence pulling out of the NDW100). It's not easy switching from running to cycling at the best of times, so I think this will involve some serious effort. Let's see how we get on, shall we?

Total stats for IoW:-
- 12 hours, 30 mins of running time
- Approx 120km of distance (some garmin silliness)
- Est average moving pace of 9.6km/hr (around 10 minute miles)
- 5600ft of ascent