Middle Pack

Now this was a race I was all ready for! Hyped up for the start of this. I had recced bits of it that I needed to. I knew shortcuts and I knew that the distance wasn’t going to kill me. It may hurt a lot but I was going to be okay.

I went up with a club mate Eirik Stanges to run the race. His first lakes race and my 2nd attempt at the race. The first attempt being in my first year fell running and the course was cut short at Esk Hause and missed out Scafell Pike.

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Last week was the first full proper week of training under my belt. With this I have managed roughly 65 miles running, roughly 13′000ft of ascent and 25 miles on the bike in the 7 days Sunday to Saturday. I can definately say it was a shock to the system! Legs have really felt it!

Most of that training was my weekend long run. Something that has been missing from my life for too long! I have so many runs I want to do now, that the rest of Summer and Autumn is catch up time!

Last weekend I went up to the Lakes to support a Bob Graham round after a request on the forum. Karl came up to do leg 2 and Iain leg 3 so there was the virtual runners out there and good to see Karl and Iain still helping and supporting after their weekend fun. Unfortunatly the guy I was supporting on leg 1 wanted a 5am start which would mean setting off from my house at 2.30am in the morning. So I scrapped that idea and travelled up late to the Lakes and slept in the car for a couple of hours before my leg (couldn’t be bothered with tent or bivi). Before I knew it, the alarm was going off for 4.00am and I was getting myself ready.

Leg 1 sets off from Keswick, up Skiddaw, then to Great Calva, Blencathra and Threkeld. We were soon at Moot Hall in Keswick, to find another person had seen the info on the FRA forum and decided to join us. Good job he did as he was the only one who knew the way out of Keswick and up Skiddaw. Before I had chance to wake up we were at the top of Skiddaw. It was only 6.00am in the morning! Next a bit of a bad line off Skiddaw but soon corrected and up Great Calva, desending to the bottom and the following a familiar trod we were up Blencathra. A slight error put is behind very slightly on an aggressive 20hr schedule.

Leg 2 I wasn’t initially going to do but it was still only 8.30am and I had the full day to play with so thought I may as well. Stuart, the person who turned up at Moot Hall also decided to tag along, giving him 3 supporting him for the next leg. Quick swap of a bag to a bumbag and off up top. This was the first time I have set foot on the Dodds and the Helvellyn ridge. Some great running but I am not suprised that people get lost when the clag is down. There is nothing to navigate off, just big grassy hills. Today we didn’t have that problem as the sun was really getting out!

Good to be catching up with Karl. I last saw him when supporting leg 4 of his Bob Graham and by his own admission by that time he wasn’t as chatty as usual but that can be forgiven considering. This time he was! So we were swapping ideas and plans of stupid stuff to run or bike and generally have a good catch up. Rod (the BG contender) was still running well! Slightly slowing on the descents but making good progress on the flats and up hills.

The other shock to the system came as we came off the fells to Dunmail Raise. On the road below us was air ambulance and half a dozen police and ambulance vehicles. Our instant thoughts were for Rods wife, Gill who was there to meet Rod for roadside support. We soon spotted her and breathed a sigh of relief and descended to the car.

A cyclist had hit a motorbike and was in a bad way. Gill was first on the scene but had been taken over by the paramedics. She went about then looking after Rod and getting him ready for leg 3. He was initially going to tackle this leg alone but Iain had managed to avoid the craft fair with the wife and was now coming to support. Unfortunatly he was stuck in the accident traffic so was going to have to catch up. Soon Rod was off. Gill was then off to give statements to the police and that then left us at the side of the road for the next 2 hours catching a tan (police write slow).

It turns out the cyclist had no id on him and the next day tghe police were having to release a press release appealing for information on the rider. This has made me think about the information I carry into the hills and I certainly will be carrying more than my mobile phone in future! Please do have a think about what would happen should you fall. A mobile can break when you fall so what else do you have?

Once the police had finished with Gill we were on our ways. Massive respoect to Gill, how managed to remain calm and collected thoughout. A great run out of roughly 26 miles and 11000ft of ascent. A shame it ended with the scenes at Dunmail.

Unfortunatly Rod didn’t finish his Bob Graham, he made good time right up to Scafell before the legs fell off. The offer is there for future of help and support.

OUCH That was hard! I always knew it was going to be hard after only just starting to train again 4 weeks prior to the race after an enforced 10 month rest but as with all things me, I just thought I could wing it. Stupid really in hindsight.

The video is by Andy Holden. He has done a cracking job!You can check out a load more from him on Andys You tube profile

I went up with friends on the Friday evening, set up camp in the national trust campsite and had a few beers. An early night of reasonable sleep, only woken once because I was slightly cold solved by my new bivi bag / sleeping bag cover which I got into then promptly fell back to sleep again.

Saturday we woke to glorious sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. It was going to be hot today! So after some pre-race taping of ankle I was lined up at the start. I had split times for a similar time to last year and a game plan of start slow and pick it up later on if I could.

Before long we were off up the first hill and into the distance. I was following my plan well, walking, jogging and not pushing myself as much as last year. I hit the first checkpoint only a few minutes down on my previous year and I was feeling comfortable. Maybe it wasn’t going to be so bad after all?

I was stuck behind someone on the twisty path down from Whin Rigg. I was happy with that as again meant I wasn’t going too fast. As soon as I hit the valley bottom the heat hit me! I just knew it was going to be a long day in the heat so I was slowing down through the shaded wooded bits hoping to get my body temp down, a futile exercise in retrospect with the long exposed climb to Seatallen with the sun bearing down on me. It was on the start of that climb that my legs started to feel heavy and my stomach felt bad. I drank a fair bit hoping it was dehydration, and looked at a gel but the murmurs from my stomach suggested I put it away till later. A depressing climb to the top with streams of runners coming past me as I tried to hang on, left me 20 minutes behind last years time. The climb to Pillar was a similar affair as I again watched runners skip past me as I lumbered on. It was only jelly babies and stubbornness that were keeping me in this race.

Soon I was on the contouring route round Kirkfell, I enjoyed this section last year and ran it all. this year it just seems hillier? I have to admit walking all that section and also spending a minute or so with my feet in a stream as they felt like they were on fire. It was then the ascent of Great Gable. I had done this two weeks before for Karls BG and it was fine, this time it was torture. I was sure I was going to quit once I got to the other side. in fact I think that was the only thing that got me up the hill was the idea of stopping at the bottom.

Then something strange happened? Descending Great Gable I started to enjoy myself again? Maybe I was going to be able to push the last bit? Maybe its all in the head? Onwards and upwards to Scafell Pike was my only thought on hitting the bottom of Gable. I briefly stopped to pick up a drink and some more food from my support team of my wife and friends. Shoved a load of jelly babies in my mouth and I was away. Only to be brought to a walk very shortly afterwards. I did know now that I was on the homeward stretch and the beer wasn’t too far away. The drag across the boulders of Scafell Pike was not too bad and although I was no longer in a race and it was all about finishing things were not too bad. I was soon on the last stretch down Lingmell Nose. Onthe way down I confronted by what seemed like hundreds of 3 peakers sticking to the racing line. If I was racing I would have been a bit more miffed at there existance on the desecnt but I had a few laughs at people shuffling down, sometimes on their arse as I almost ran past them. Hitting the grassy section I found myself running and catching the guy in front. I was racing again! I am off. Nothing is going to sto me now!

I didn’t take into account massive cramp in the thighs that almost sent me sprawling on the floor a number of times down the last checkpoint so a shuffle between almost running, and walking but I made it to the last checkpoint and according to last years splits  I was only 5 minutes from the finish. But this time it was a good 15 minutes to get down the last section and that was a walk/shuffle until the gradient leveled slightly and I could put in a run to the finish.

All that was left in me was to grab my beef stew and crawl off to my tent and lie down.

Not sure of the final postion but was over 1 hour slower than last year.

Quite disapointed with the final time but I suppose I should be happy that I could finish despite the lack of training and the injuries I have had. An hour is a lot of time to get back through training though so this has hopefully given me good motivation to step it up before Borrowdale.

Karl and Iain before the off

Just finally getting some time to write this post after catching up from a brilliant weekend in the Lakes.

The main reason for my Lakes excursion was to help support Karl (Donkarlo) Taylor as he made his way round the Bob Graham round. My role was to get him round leg 4 of 5 legs. This being roughly 11 miles and 6300ft of the total 63/66 miles (roughly? Depending on route choices) and 29,000ft of ascent. I was glad of only doing the one leg!

Iain Kelly was also attempting his Bob Graham round on the same day so it was also a good opportunity to meet Iain and also a few other FRA forumites and fellow bloggers.

I went up early Friday so I could recce some othe Borrowdale and Wasdale fell race before I run them later in the year. A good run up from Honister onto and around Gable then back to Honsiter. Not as long as I had wanted but this weekend was all about the Bob Graham so went back to the car and got myself ready to go see the two contenders setting off.

Setting off is strange! A bit of wandering around a few photos then its just waiting till your schedule time arrives. Then there off, for a total of about 6 or 7 metres until they disappear down an alley. Thats it! There is then just a load of friends and supporters stood around looking like spare parts.

I took the opportunity to meet up with Kate and Jane and have a pint with them. Great to meet you both! Also a great little campsite and pub! That will be used for a bit of weekend camping very soon! Unfortunatly I couldn’t have too much beer or get comfy at camp as I was off to bivi at sprinkling tarn so I was half way to the meeting point in Wasdale to start leg 4.

Bivi at Sprinkling was great! A strange feeling initially of being a bit unprotected from the elements and the thought that I was going to get cold. No such problems that night as I slept in a t-shirt and was warm enough to use my down jacket as a pillow! It was busy at the top of the tarn and a group were blasting out music so I fell asleep not quite as isolated as I had hoped but still a great experience. An even better experience was waking up dry! no condensation and it had rained a bit in the night with no adverse effects! Planning next bivi already!

On arriving at the changover point I was told Karl was an hour down on leg 2 due to nav error so there was some tension in the air to see if he had made up any time or slipped further back. This tension increased as Iain came sailing into Wasdale with some ragged looking pacers trying to keep up with him. Iain was looking strong but there was no sign of Karl? Soon with a fresh set of pacers, Iain was off again on leg 4 and shortly aftwerwards came Karl, looking good and running well.

Soon we were off, with Emma and Bill taking nav duties and me being the packhorse with over 4l of water, food, first aid kit waterproofs you name it I was carrying it. Then I had my own stuff as well. Oh well onwards and upwards. By mid round Karl was supping water well and had got through a fair few litres. We were running out, so I had a cunning plan to avoid Kirkfell, take the traverse and pick up water on the traverse. This was denied by Bill who had chosen a shorter route to Black Sail Pass, missing out a few summits to arrive with water. This meant I was off up Kirkfell. We unloaded our many empty water bottles to Bill to take the traverse and we went up and over. Soon Great and Green Gable came and went, and before we knew it the descent into Honister.

We had got him in with him gaining a little but most importantly not losing any more time. This meant the home straight of Leg 5 was there for the taking. Soon the support team and Karl were off. Great to hear he finished in 22 hours 48 minutes. A great achievement. Iain also finished in a rapid time of 20 hours 46 minutes.

Great weekend, seeing friends and making new ones. So who’s up next? I want another fun weekend.

I took a trip out with Judy Howells from Wharfdale Harriers to do the Beamsley Beacon fell race. A hot evening to run from Addingham, up to the beacon then straight back down through a small ginnell covered in nettles and thorns. I have only ever done this race route in the dark so it was going to be a novel experience seeing where I was going.

It was a race I kind of talked myself out of. I wasn’t feeling too great so convinced myself that I wasn’t going to run great. The race starts wth a fairly big bit of flat road and trail which left me behind the pace. It then gradually goes up the hill through a wooded bit and a fw fields until finally hitting the moors. All the worst kind of terrrain for me – runnable terrain!

Once at the top then the descent down to the bottom begins. The initial descent is quite rocky and steep. A lot rockier than I remember when it was dark. Guess thats what you get when you can see. Then a road section to a sneaky little ginnel. This was the bit I was dreading. Thorns at eye height and nettles and thorns at leg level and this was meant to be a mad dash? On getting there the rumours I heard at the start were true. Someone had gone up the night before to strim the path a bit! This person is a star! This meant full tilt down the ginnel that last time I couldonly walk down in the dark. Catching up with others on the descent. It soon leveled off and we were running back into Addingham.

Slightly disappointed with my race. Could have done better at the start of the race and I made a bit of a meal out of the whole thing. The evening though was great! Straight in to the pub afterwards and I wasn’t driving so a few swift pints and driven home via chip shop and getting a few more tins of beer.

17th out of 89 finishers.