Jue’s 7x7x7 challenge: Stage 3, Portland (23/1/10)

Jue James attempts a tough two lap coastal marathon despite recovering from debilitating ankle injury...

Well I made it to the start line of stage 3 of Endurancelife’s 7x7x7 challenge. The preparation hasn’t been ideal, but I was pleased to be able to start. I had hardly been able to train since the last round 7 weeks ago due to my major ankle injury (happened 2 days after the last stage, falling over a friend’s dog!) and the snowy/icy conditions over the Christmas period. With my right ankle heavily strapped (to hopefully avoid any further injury) I knew it would be a big physical and psychological challenge. The Portland marathon course consisted of 2 laps around the ‘isle’, including an additional 3km stretch up Chesil beach and back down the other side of the causeway each time, passing by the finish area at the end of the first lap (thankfully, this is the only stage that has this format!). I must admit that I didn’t have high expectations for this round – the ‘isle’ didn’t look that exciting from glancing at the map – but sometimes that’s a good thing!

Gary (the race director) emphasised at the race briefing the enormity of the psychological challenge due to the 2 lap format and the inclusion of Chesil beach. When mentioning Chesil beach he said ‘you can either both hate it, and let it wear you down, or you can learn to enjoy it!’, but more about that later. He also warned of the narrow waterlogged paths next to the steep cliffs where it was best to go through the water or round the right hand side, especially those who suffer from vertigo, as it was a long way down to the left. Oh, and he warned us of the overhanging rock that we could hit our heads on!

Thankfully the weather was bright and calm to start, if but a bit chilly. The race started fast on flat tarmac for a few hundred metres before heading off road and up the first of the two main hills. I was pleased that I managed to run up it and keep what seemed a good pace. Shortly after there was a slight bottle neck up a short steep bank which gave a bit of a breather! After a flatter section across the top the first checkpoint soon appeared and then a nice zigzag descent. Usually I like to up the tempo on the descents but not this time; I took it easy not wanting to risk further injury on my ankle. A beautiful section followed along the coastal path on the east side of the isle: great views, interesting terrain, sun shining and much warmer now out of the wind. The running conditions were tricky at times due to the mud and rocks, and unfortunately I slipped on one of the rocks, sod’s law on my right foot, and tweaked my ankle. The strapping saved me completely going over on it but it was still enough to cause pain for some time. Thankfully the beauty of the surroundings helped distract me! I even managed to keep attention and not hit my head on the previously mentioned rock.

The rest of the section to the Bill of Portland was similarly beautiful and enjoyable running, bar a few hundred metres on a footpath beside the road. The lighthouse at ‘The Bill’ soon loomed and once checked in it was off north on the west side of the isle. The first hill was very deceptive – looked nothing from a distance but once climbing it was much harder work than anticipated. Once at the top the effort was rewarded; the run along the edge was flat to undulating, all the way to the end of West Cliff, with far reaching views for several kilometres. The main effort was due to the mud, the cold wind and avoiding the worst of the puddles, remembering to be careful and not go round the left side of them! When Chesil beach came into view the full extent of the ‘challenge’ ahead became apparent.
Having already tweaked my ankle once, I took it much steadier on the main descent to a short tarmac section before the beach. Thankfully we’d been forewarned about the difficulty of the beach, and yes extreme effort was needed to make any reasonable progress running on the pebbles. I decided to go for the ‘enjoy it’ approach and managed to focus on the beauty of the surf pounding on the pebbles below, trying not to think about having to do the beach a second time! The biggest shock was coming off the pebbles: the legs had just turned to lead. It took a while to get them going again and then the biggest challenge, running past the finish area and heading off for another lap knowing what was ahead.

The first lap didn’t seem too bad (apart from coming off the pebbles) and I was able to run 99% of it. The second lap was a different story. The hills seemed to be much steeper and longer and mostly I was reduced to walking them. It was a real psychological battle with few stretches where I felt good! But against all odds I made it to the finish. The second lap ended up taking nearly 25 minutes longer than the first (though some of that time was taken up helping another competitor with a suspected broken wrist) but I was just pleased to have finished. Main thought: I need to do longer than an hour in training!! I’ll try to give that a go and see what happens next time. Another thought: good choice to have worn my Inov8 gaiter socks.

Overall this was an awesome course which far exceeded any expectations. I even enjoyed the beach!!