Final Thoughts
By the time I reached the finish line I was too tired really to think and it is only now that I am home do I have time to gather my thoughts.
Running this race was a life changing event. There will always be pre-marathon and post-marathon times. Looking back I remember standing on the start line feeling nothing but fear. The whiteness stretched as far as the eye could see and all I could focus on was the vanishing-point of flags which slowly dissolved into the horizon. I remember the first few miles, the crunch of the ice underfoot, the fear slowly draining and the running taking over. We ran past a guy wearing a German flag, like Superman’s cape, and I seem to remember thinking: wow, I am out pacing super German.
I remember blistering through the half marathon finish, stuffing down some chocolate and gels and thinking: this is so pretty, to beautiful and I feel perfectly serene. I remember thinking, as the pack thinned and all I had for company was Trevor and the mountains, was that I had never felt so content, so happy or so at peace. For a few miles I was at one with my running, myself and the day – or as my yoga teacher says: be at peace with yourself…so you can be at peace with others…
And then it went downhill…
There were miles of pain and suffering. Shimmering mirages on the endless frozen sea that eventually turned into a food stop and where I downed hot sweet tea and wiped away frozen tears. There was sadness that my legs didn’t work, an endless resentment of the snow and ice and an overwhelming feeling of tiredness. Of course, now I am at home, with a beer in my hand, it is easy to realise that my mind went a long time before my body, but alone in that immense sea of ice, surrounded by nothingness it became very very easy to become unhinged and loose focus. My body may be conditioned to run a marathon but my mind is still a fair few runs from being ready.
At then the finish…
There were no crowds, no screaming family, just some lost looking Russian couple in tatty fur-lined boots, to see me across the line. As anti-climaxes go it was up there with the best of them. I wanted a brass band, girls with pom-poms and a press corp…instead I got a hand shake from Trevor and shouted at my some burley Russian bloke who wanted me to get into the hovercraft.
But perhaps this is most fitting…
This year has been about accepting change and that life cannot remain constant. It has been about paying my respects, in a somewhat bizarre and unintelligent way, to my father. It has been about sitting goals and planning and it has mostly been about my own personal growth. It now seems somewhat fitting that hardly anyone was there to see the end of this remarkable year and I probably wouldn’t have had it any another way. Trevor was even so kind as to let me finish a second ahead of him as we both know that if it hadn’t been for him I would still out there somewhere and also that he simply isn’t the kind of guy to take praise of hog the lime light. In this respect, again, he has been the perfect guide this year.
Siberia has changed me in a profound way. It has given me many things, not least the idea that anything is possible with good planning and a degree of intelligence. It has also taught me that real friends simply wont leave you to cry at 14 miles..
Sunday, March 4th, 2012, Philip and Trevor will be running across the frozen ice surface of the world’s largest, oldest and deepest lake, Lake Baikal in Siberia. It's generally considered one of the 10 toughest marathons in the world. Philip and Trevor are running in support of Iain Rennie Hospice at Home, a charity offering specialist and supportive care and advice for patients with cancer and other life threatening illnesses in their homes.
Thursday 8 March 2012
Sunday 4 March 2012
The Day After....
The Day After
What a few days, with the travel to Listvianka, the small matter of running a marathon and then travel home, although we haven't got home yet, sat in a restaurant in Moscow airport, where we will be for the next 9 hrs....
The following is a short account of how the last few days have gone.
We arrived in Listvianka on Thursday morning, we had a lazy day had a wander around the town, didn't take long, wandered out onto the ice of the Lake, it is a strange feeling knowing that in 2 days time we will be running across this, and also knowing that it is the deepest, and largest freshwater lake in the world.
On Friday we thought that we had better go for a short run on the lake, to get use to running on the surface and also used to the Yak Trax on our trainers.
In the evening we had a race meeting, where we were told that this year we will be running the opposite way across the lake, this decision had been made due to some issues with the ice cracking... As in the words of the race director "Lake Baikal is living and breathing" so these things happen.. Also the start was moved forwards which meant an issue with breakfast at the hotel, but they brought breakfast forward so it'll worked out.
It was a shame that we were now running away from the Hotel, physiologically this was harder as running towards the hotel would have been easier, as you were then running "home".
But on the flip side it meant that we could stay warmer and inside right up until the race started.
Out we all trooped to give our offering of Milk to the "Ice Gods" it obviously worked as we had near perfect conditions, beautiful blue sky and more importantly no wind...
We set of at a steady pace, practicing what we had been doing all through training of running 9 mins then walk 1min, after a couple of miles you were soon in your own space, with only a field of 130 people (80 for the marathon & 50 for the half).
We progressed nice and comfortably reaching the halfway point in 2hrs 15 mins, a really good steady pace, Philip was doing well and feeling comfortable,although I knew that tough times would be ahead.
They hit a bit sooner than I thought, Philip had a little wobble at 14.5 miles, I think the bleakness of the ice and snow was getting to him, so after that we had to manage the running and rest times better. Philip dug deep and carried on, the pace slowed but that was always going to happen.
Philip even started drinking the tea at the feed stations, completely laced with sugar, he would never drink it like that anywhere else...
We got on with it, counting down the miles, at this stage Philip was struggling but he carried on, I think the last 2 miles for Philip were everlasting, although now you could see the green tent at the finish line.
We ploughed on and finished in a time of 5.03.52
An amazing effort on Philip's part
We were then whisked onto a waiting hovercraft to be taken back to the hotel, a bit quicker than running, although typically Russian style this was still complicated as we got to the halfway point and they stopped, not sure if we were meant to have a break or wait for another hovercraft or what, but the end it got us back to the hotel, although being cramped on a hovercraft straight after the race does not help tired aching legs..
Back at the hotel we showered and changed and went to the presentation of awards and medals.
There had even been a new ice marathon world record set that day, so they were very happy, also happier as it was set by a Russian..
After this downstairs to the pub for a gala dinner, with beer and Vodka,
Philip called it a night at 11pm, I managed to hang around longer, probably not a good idea, too much Vodka, does not make for a good start to the journey home.
We would like to thank all our sponsors who without their help this would not have been so successful.
Also we would like to thank everyone who has sponsored us, I will put a final figure on here once I know.
On a final note I would like to commend Philip on his dedication to training over the last year, and also to sticking to his training plan, so that he would be able to do a marathon.
I think I need to thank Philip for also finding this marathon, because yes, it was a crazy idea, BUT what an experience and one that I wouldn't change.......
Trevor
What a few days, with the travel to Listvianka, the small matter of running a marathon and then travel home, although we haven't got home yet, sat in a restaurant in Moscow airport, where we will be for the next 9 hrs....
The following is a short account of how the last few days have gone.
We arrived in Listvianka on Thursday morning, we had a lazy day had a wander around the town, didn't take long, wandered out onto the ice of the Lake, it is a strange feeling knowing that in 2 days time we will be running across this, and also knowing that it is the deepest, and largest freshwater lake in the world.
On Friday we thought that we had better go for a short run on the lake, to get use to running on the surface and also used to the Yak Trax on our trainers.
In the evening we had a race meeting, where we were told that this year we will be running the opposite way across the lake, this decision had been made due to some issues with the ice cracking... As in the words of the race director "Lake Baikal is living and breathing" so these things happen.. Also the start was moved forwards which meant an issue with breakfast at the hotel, but they brought breakfast forward so it'll worked out.
It was a shame that we were now running away from the Hotel, physiologically this was harder as running towards the hotel would have been easier, as you were then running "home".
But on the flip side it meant that we could stay warmer and inside right up until the race started.
Out we all trooped to give our offering of Milk to the "Ice Gods" it obviously worked as we had near perfect conditions, beautiful blue sky and more importantly no wind...
We set of at a steady pace, practicing what we had been doing all through training of running 9 mins then walk 1min, after a couple of miles you were soon in your own space, with only a field of 130 people (80 for the marathon & 50 for the half).
We progressed nice and comfortably reaching the halfway point in 2hrs 15 mins, a really good steady pace, Philip was doing well and feeling comfortable,although I knew that tough times would be ahead.
They hit a bit sooner than I thought, Philip had a little wobble at 14.5 miles, I think the bleakness of the ice and snow was getting to him, so after that we had to manage the running and rest times better. Philip dug deep and carried on, the pace slowed but that was always going to happen.
Philip even started drinking the tea at the feed stations, completely laced with sugar, he would never drink it like that anywhere else...
We got on with it, counting down the miles, at this stage Philip was struggling but he carried on, I think the last 2 miles for Philip were everlasting, although now you could see the green tent at the finish line.
We ploughed on and finished in a time of 5.03.52
An amazing effort on Philip's part
We were then whisked onto a waiting hovercraft to be taken back to the hotel, a bit quicker than running, although typically Russian style this was still complicated as we got to the halfway point and they stopped, not sure if we were meant to have a break or wait for another hovercraft or what, but the end it got us back to the hotel, although being cramped on a hovercraft straight after the race does not help tired aching legs..
Back at the hotel we showered and changed and went to the presentation of awards and medals.
There had even been a new ice marathon world record set that day, so they were very happy, also happier as it was set by a Russian..
After this downstairs to the pub for a gala dinner, with beer and Vodka,
Philip called it a night at 11pm, I managed to hang around longer, probably not a good idea, too much Vodka, does not make for a good start to the journey home.
We would like to thank all our sponsors who without their help this would not have been so successful.
Also we would like to thank everyone who has sponsored us, I will put a final figure on here once I know.
On a final note I would like to commend Philip on his dedication to training over the last year, and also to sticking to his training plan, so that he would be able to do a marathon.
I think I need to thank Philip for also finding this marathon, because yes, it was a crazy idea, BUT what an experience and one that I wouldn't change.......
Trevor
We are sitting in Moscow airport on our way home.
Yesterday I completed my first marathon and it is still hard to put this into context. Today I am sore, tired and not enjoying the long day of travel. No doubt when I get home there will be time to reflect on the race and the sense of achievement, that will surely come, but for now I just feel tired and sore.
After a year of training, planning and attention to detail I am now sitting at the airport with no immediate need to rush off somewhere and train. Of course I will be back in the gym on Tuesday but for now there is a time to reflect and for my body to heal.
I have managed to achieve a life-long goal and have learnt some useful skills on the way. I have met some amazing people, been to a remote and strongly beautiful part of the world to run 26.2 miles across a changeless landscape and now, all things being considered, want to be at home.
If I take one thing away from the race it is the training needed. There is something deeply satisfying about completing a goal but there is also the unique bond of kinship I felt yesterday amongst people who had completed the race. As the vodka flowed there was the unspoken understanding that the only way we all completed the race was by dedication to our training. No one needed to say it, because it is a universal truth, but marathon training is hard. It is perhaps the most demanding thing I have ever done. But through the training I have learnt so much more about discipline, goal setting, attention to detail and self-belief that I really do have to think that this remarkable journal has deeply enriched my life.
I expect that when I get home tomorrow, and have unpacked my running kit, and made a cup of coffee, a flood of emotion will pour out but for now I just feel pleasantly numb.
Yesterday I completed my first marathon and it is still hard to put this into context. Today I am sore, tired and not enjoying the long day of travel. No doubt when I get home there will be time to reflect on the race and the sense of achievement, that will surely come, but for now I just feel tired and sore.
After a year of training, planning and attention to detail I am now sitting at the airport with no immediate need to rush off somewhere and train. Of course I will be back in the gym on Tuesday but for now there is a time to reflect and for my body to heal.
I have managed to achieve a life-long goal and have learnt some useful skills on the way. I have met some amazing people, been to a remote and strongly beautiful part of the world to run 26.2 miles across a changeless landscape and now, all things being considered, want to be at home.
If I take one thing away from the race it is the training needed. There is something deeply satisfying about completing a goal but there is also the unique bond of kinship I felt yesterday amongst people who had completed the race. As the vodka flowed there was the unspoken understanding that the only way we all completed the race was by dedication to our training. No one needed to say it, because it is a universal truth, but marathon training is hard. It is perhaps the most demanding thing I have ever done. But through the training I have learnt so much more about discipline, goal setting, attention to detail and self-belief that I really do have to think that this remarkable journal has deeply enriched my life.
I expect that when I get home tomorrow, and have unpacked my running kit, and made a cup of coffee, a flood of emotion will pour out but for now I just feel pleasantly numb.
Thursday 1 March 2012
My first run on the ice
Cold or not…
We are just back from our first and last practise run on the ice and I am in shock.
The sheer enormity of this race has suddenly hit me and I am feeling incredibly nervous.
The general gist of the situation is:
1. Any race that takes more than five minutes to get dressed for is wrong. Today I went out in running shorts, thermal leggings, running leggings, thermal under shirt, thermal compression top, long sleeve t-shirt, running jacket, silk gloves with thermal gloves over the top and a balaclava and full goggles. I looked like a blimp and far from a runner...
2. Yaktraks are fantastic but tend to ruin hotel floors. This perhaps explains why the doorman of the hotel has a permanently worried look at the moment and why I ended up skidding across the lobby this morning.
3. At minus cold (or whatever it is today) the air freezes and glitters like diamonds. This is in no way to be considered romantic and is in fact terrifying. For the first few minutes, presumably whilst your goggles are equalising temperature, this can lead to a sudden loss of perspective which leads to a walking into things, like doors.
4. Running on snow and ice is harder than you could imagine. The couple of miles we did today felt like a lot more as each step needs to be considered as you try to pick your way along crevices and over moraines.
5. Lake Baikal is an immense sea of ice that stretches from here to infinity. Tomorrow we will be bussed to the other side, slapped on the arse, given a shot of vodka and then encouraged to run for about 6 hours across its frozen wastes. There is no way that I can process this as when you stand on the ice visibility is so far as to be meaningless
6. The first few minutes of the run feel like your innards are being slowly vitrified and any visible skin soon becomes numb. This is terrifying but after a few minutes of deep breathing and movement the body adjusts and things return to normal. It is these first few minutes that concern me the most. As soon as you stop running coldness sets in and almost knocks the wind out of you. Carl Jung may have once famously said, ‘cold or not…God is present...’ but after a few miles today I had my own doubts
7. We need to fuel up for a six hour run tomorrow. The food in the hotel is ok but there isn’t the exact mix of nutrition that we would choose ourselves. We will head out tomorrow on a breakfast of pancakes and frozen berries and then keep going by sucking on frozen electrolyte gels.
8. I am drawing down into myself. I can feel the quietness slowly filling my mind and every thought and feeling slowly making way for ones about the race. I am becoming hyper focused which I am not sure is a good thing. Out on the lake today it felt like I was a character from a Murakami novel (perhaps, Hard Boiled Wonderland….) and I had wondered into a place for dreams. Maybe tomorrow, at thirteen miles, we will see a sign etched into the ice which reads: this place for solitude….or perhaps I will have to etch it myself.
9. Smilla may well have once said, 'The only thing that makes me truly happy is mathematics. Snow, ice, and numbers....' but I suspect that she also forgot to mention the joys of compression tops, the thought of as much beer as you can drink after the race and the fact that this is a one off experience...she may well have had a feeling for snow but I have a feeling for the lack of it
We are just back from our first and last practise run on the ice and I am in shock.
The sheer enormity of this race has suddenly hit me and I am feeling incredibly nervous.
The general gist of the situation is:
1. Any race that takes more than five minutes to get dressed for is wrong. Today I went out in running shorts, thermal leggings, running leggings, thermal under shirt, thermal compression top, long sleeve t-shirt, running jacket, silk gloves with thermal gloves over the top and a balaclava and full goggles. I looked like a blimp and far from a runner...
2. Yaktraks are fantastic but tend to ruin hotel floors. This perhaps explains why the doorman of the hotel has a permanently worried look at the moment and why I ended up skidding across the lobby this morning.
3. At minus cold (or whatever it is today) the air freezes and glitters like diamonds. This is in no way to be considered romantic and is in fact terrifying. For the first few minutes, presumably whilst your goggles are equalising temperature, this can lead to a sudden loss of perspective which leads to a walking into things, like doors.
4. Running on snow and ice is harder than you could imagine. The couple of miles we did today felt like a lot more as each step needs to be considered as you try to pick your way along crevices and over moraines.
5. Lake Baikal is an immense sea of ice that stretches from here to infinity. Tomorrow we will be bussed to the other side, slapped on the arse, given a shot of vodka and then encouraged to run for about 6 hours across its frozen wastes. There is no way that I can process this as when you stand on the ice visibility is so far as to be meaningless
6. The first few minutes of the run feel like your innards are being slowly vitrified and any visible skin soon becomes numb. This is terrifying but after a few minutes of deep breathing and movement the body adjusts and things return to normal. It is these first few minutes that concern me the most. As soon as you stop running coldness sets in and almost knocks the wind out of you. Carl Jung may have once famously said, ‘cold or not…God is present...’ but after a few miles today I had my own doubts
7. We need to fuel up for a six hour run tomorrow. The food in the hotel is ok but there isn’t the exact mix of nutrition that we would choose ourselves. We will head out tomorrow on a breakfast of pancakes and frozen berries and then keep going by sucking on frozen electrolyte gels.
8. I am drawing down into myself. I can feel the quietness slowly filling my mind and every thought and feeling slowly making way for ones about the race. I am becoming hyper focused which I am not sure is a good thing. Out on the lake today it felt like I was a character from a Murakami novel (perhaps, Hard Boiled Wonderland….) and I had wondered into a place for dreams. Maybe tomorrow, at thirteen miles, we will see a sign etched into the ice which reads: this place for solitude….or perhaps I will have to etch it myself.
9. Smilla may well have once said, 'The only thing that makes me truly happy is mathematics. Snow, ice, and numbers....' but I suspect that she also forgot to mention the joys of compression tops, the thought of as much beer as you can drink after the race and the fact that this is a one off experience...she may well have had a feeling for snow but I have a feeling for the lack of it
Second Pic..
This is where, if things go well, we will end up tomorrow, late afternon...the finish line
Listvianka
Here we are in Listvianka, hotel is on the edge of the frozen lake, right opposite the finishing line, at least some things are in the right location.
The room looks out over the lake, it looks immense, just ice stretching as far as you can see.. It looks a lonely place to be.
The flights from UK to Irkutsk were tiresome, we left the UK at 8.40 in the morning, on a relaxed flight, pretty empty so plenty of room, we had bulk head seats so even better.. That was the best bit, we had 4 hrs to kill in Moscow airport, that was ok, now the next flight was meant to leave at 9.15' delayed 1 hr, they then put us on a bus to take us to the plane
and then kept us on it for 15 minutes while they finished getting the plane ready! WHY?
It's now 10.30 pm, the flight was packed, hot and cramped, think Ryanair space, but warmer and overnight, was not good. Slept for about 15 mins.
So glad to be off that flight. Then an hour bus journey to the hotel, which was frozen up on the inside so you could not see out.
The hotel is nice, no one speaks English ( but why should they speak English), some strange practices they have security here which don't seem to like us, we went out for a walk, came back to the hotel and went into the bar to get a hot drink, we had our jackets with us...Obviously not the done thing. You live and learn.
This is the most remote place I have been to, we walked around the town in 30 mins, no shopping here..
This is one of the biggest challenge that I have done, looking forward to tomorrows run, with excitement and anticipation. It will be a long day, as we leave the hotel at 9.30 to get to the other side of the lake where the start is. We start at 11.00am, we have to finish within 6 hrs, this creates problems about fuelling the body.
A decent breakfast followed by gels etc will bet the order of the day.
If you are reading this in the UK , when you wake up on Saturday morning we should have finished all being well:)
This picture is taken near the finish, roughly 26 mile behind us is the
start, what a frightening prospect..
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored us for this race we are very grateful for every penny received.
The room looks out over the lake, it looks immense, just ice stretching as far as you can see.. It looks a lonely place to be.
The flights from UK to Irkutsk were tiresome, we left the UK at 8.40 in the morning, on a relaxed flight, pretty empty so plenty of room, we had bulk head seats so even better.. That was the best bit, we had 4 hrs to kill in Moscow airport, that was ok, now the next flight was meant to leave at 9.15' delayed 1 hr, they then put us on a bus to take us to the plane
and then kept us on it for 15 minutes while they finished getting the plane ready! WHY?
It's now 10.30 pm, the flight was packed, hot and cramped, think Ryanair space, but warmer and overnight, was not good. Slept for about 15 mins.
So glad to be off that flight. Then an hour bus journey to the hotel, which was frozen up on the inside so you could not see out.
The hotel is nice, no one speaks English ( but why should they speak English), some strange practices they have security here which don't seem to like us, we went out for a walk, came back to the hotel and went into the bar to get a hot drink, we had our jackets with us...Obviously not the done thing. You live and learn.
This is the most remote place I have been to, we walked around the town in 30 mins, no shopping here..
This is one of the biggest challenge that I have done, looking forward to tomorrows run, with excitement and anticipation. It will be a long day, as we leave the hotel at 9.30 to get to the other side of the lake where the start is. We start at 11.00am, we have to finish within 6 hrs, this creates problems about fuelling the body.
A decent breakfast followed by gels etc will bet the order of the day.
If you are reading this in the UK , when you wake up on Saturday morning we should have finished all being well:)
This picture is taken near the finish, roughly 26 mile behind us is the
start, what a frightening prospect..
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored us for this race we are very grateful for every penny received.
Wednesday 29 February 2012
Somewhere over russia
Somewhere over Russia
We have now been travelling for so long that time has lost meaning.
For the last six or seven hours we have been the sole foreigners on a plan heading east across Russia. It is cramped, stuffy and endless. Siberia is so far from civilisation that it is rapidly redefining the term ‘far and exotic…’
We are tired, hot and I have a stiff neck from trying to sleep on the shoulder of the burley Russian next to me. Trevor has enjoyed some airplane food whilst I have had a protein bar. It is, quite possibly, the most bizarre way to prepare for a marathon.
I seem to have cap napped between flights and delays and fell into a deep sleep soon after take-off. Trevor seems not to have slept and is beginning to look haggard…
The thought of running 26 and a bit miles now seems daunting.
We have now been travelling for so long that time has lost meaning.
For the last six or seven hours we have been the sole foreigners on a plan heading east across Russia. It is cramped, stuffy and endless. Siberia is so far from civilisation that it is rapidly redefining the term ‘far and exotic…’
We are tired, hot and I have a stiff neck from trying to sleep on the shoulder of the burley Russian next to me. Trevor has enjoyed some airplane food whilst I have had a protein bar. It is, quite possibly, the most bizarre way to prepare for a marathon.
I seem to have cap napped between flights and delays and fell into a deep sleep soon after take-off. Trevor seems not to have slept and is beginning to look haggard…
The thought of running 26 and a bit miles now seems daunting.
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