Middle Pack

I know its a while off yet but Wasdale fell race seems to be flying towards me at quite a rate. Especially now I have cancelled my Saunders Mountain Marathon entry this means that Wasdale is the next big thing that I had planned right at the start of the year.

I am in two minds if I want to be doing this race. It is a British championship and at the start of the year my goal was just the 1 point from the British champs. I entered Wasdale and Langdale, figuring they where my best chances and of the two Wasdale was probably the one where I could possibly get my point. Now I am not so sure.

I remember last years race as if it was yesterday. A true classic, but tough. I think it is just apprehension as I know I have not ran anything like the distances I had last year and I found it tough then. So this year I imagine it to be even tougher. In fact I haven’t ran much past 10 miles in one go all year so 21 miles and 9000″ may be a shock to the system. I am hoping the bike miles and general fitness and stubborness would be enough?

The final decision on this will be made after this weekend, where Iain and Karl both attempt the Bob Graham round. I am supporting Karl from Wasdale early on Saturday morning, yet going up Friday for  a short recce of Wasdale and Borrowdale race (Scafell and Gable area) and a bivi followed by leg 4 of the BG on Sunday so should be getting a fair few lakes miles in and I can see how fit (or unfit) I am and how the foot bears up with some longer milage.

Regardless I am going along to Wasdale that weekend. If I am not racing I will stand at the bottom of Great Gable and watch to see tired runners desperate to stay on their feet as they tumble down the mountain side. Either way, soon after the race finishes I will be in the pub, the only question is will I be able to walk there or will someone have to carry me?

My 3rd race in 4 days was always going to be a painful experience. the Calder Valley Reservoir Bogs was made even more so by the sadistic nature of the course. The route is only disclosed on the day and generally althought navigation to the checkpoints is easy, choosing the best line through the bogs and heather is the real key to a good or a bad race. I set off at a reasonable pace and as soon as I hit the first route choice option, my choice just crumbled. Some shot off to the left of the hill, some went for the direct appoach. My initial choice was the the right of the hill but didn’t see that many people taking it so I went a bit more direct.

That was my first error as some people behind me had taken what was my initial choice and were now running on good paths ahead of me whilst I was trying to pick up small feint trods through the heather. The leading group were going fast and on remembering a thread on the FRA forum about setting off too fast and finishing strong I decided to slow right down to a comfortable speed and see if it works?

The rest of the run to checkpoint 1 was uneventful albeit a guy got close behind me then just stayed there. I was picking good lines and paths through the worst of the terrain, more by luck than judgement so he was content in beliveing I knew what I was doing. Checkpoint 1 to 2 was probably the worst terrain for me. I may just not have seen a path but it was just large tussocks all the way. Stopping any running rythm and then it became about finishing with my ankles in one piece. Only occasionally tussocks would be broken up with a bit of bogs.

2 to 3 was fine! A bit of track, followed by cutting across some short heather, picking up a small trod then bashing over boulders and heather to a small path direct to 3. Then drop down a hill where I just slowed right down. Wanting to get to the bottom in one piece through these head sized tussocks, only for it to the develop into steep sided heather, with a stone wall hidden in the heather. Up the other side and fern up to the chest, again no paths in sight, until a Calder Valley Runner went past us on the smallest of trods and I decided to follow. He eventually decided to cut up a clough but me thinking I would continue, kept on the path, only for it to disappear within seconds so I also made the choice to go up. Eventually getting on a decent path and overtaking a few people who had chosen the bottom route. We were now heading home. A good path until the Calder Valley runner runs off and I decided following was the best option. I knew where I was but this trod we were running on was not on the map so I was staying close. Annoyingly for the 2nd time in a 6 mile race my shoe lace came undone so I had to stop and tie it up again. This lost me a few places but they were not too far so I pushed on. It seems that at the end I was able to push a bit faster, there was some left in the tank to keep pushing. So starting slower was a good thing as in the final 1km I overtook 3 people to end up in 10th position. I was either 10th or 11th at all the 4 checkpoints and the finish so I think the pacing was correct, alebit a bit too fast at the start.

Final results 10th out of 67 runners

Great race! Although local knowledge is the difference in this race.

What a great way to spend an evening! An enjoyable drive up to Kettlewell with a club mate followed by some vague pretence at warming up followed by a great race route up to the top of a ridge, plumetting down the other side then a slow slog back up before a final plummet down to the finish. 5 miles yet 1800ft crammed in there.

After Wednesdays mountain bike race I was tired all day and had a good whine about tired legs and put in my excuses for a poor performance right at the start of the race. Dead legs, tired, its just  a training run etc etc. So with my excuses in, all that was left to do was to jack up on strong caffine drinks, nigella lawson flap jack and run the race.

The race starts with a steep hill with loads of false summits. I tucked in behind my Valley Strider club mate Eirik Stanges and started up the hill. About half way up I took over from him as I saw the first runner gaining a bit of a lead. Off I went and at the top I found myself in second with a fair lead on the rest of the field but a considerable distance away from first position. So the race was then could I keep second and will the first person blow up as that was my only hope of catching him. By the bottom of the hill my position was pretty much the same but with a short flat bit at the bottom it seemed like they were catching and first was getting further away. I knew if I was half way up the hill on the way back I could hold off my club mate but wasn’t sure about the rest of the field. I had lost the leader and never saw him again so I was just looking behind me. Its not a comfortable position to be running as there is no-one to chase and all of a sudden you feel like the hunted.

I managed to run all the ascent and it felt like I was getting some of my ascending strength that I had at the end of last season so was happy with that. Even felt I could have gone a bit faster if needed. The descent was great grassy descent, again I could have gone slightly faster but wanted to maintain where I was in the race and not do anything stupid so just made sure I got to the bottom without falling. Job done there was then a stretch of undulating path that I was trying to push on but there was someone catching me up, and FAST! I was going as fast as I could but he was still catching. The question was then could I get to the end before he caught me? Being careful went out the window and now it was eyeballs out, lung rasping and careless running over rocks, through the odd stream and jumping down small depressions. There was the final field up ahead I could do it!

I managed to hold my position and came second! A quick congratulations to the winner who was looking a bit too fresh for my liking and a shake of the hands of third, who in all honesty if we had a bit longer would have taken me and there would have been nothing I could have done. He was flying the last mile! I then decided lying on the ground was the best thing for me!

Great race and great organisation from Abbey Runners! Congrulations on 25 years!

Final result, 2nd out of 41. Winner was Bruce Elsworth from Wharfedale Harriers (Also the winner of Weets the night before.

In keeping with my recent theme of no running training and only racing on races that are less than 6 miles and usually on an evening, it meant I could do the Otley Chevin fell race. Although only 3.5 miles it does pack in a whopping 900ft of ascent before tumbling back down to the finish.

This was the only category A fell race in the Valley Striders Fell Champs and it was also my only official short category race I competed in for the whole of last year. Last year I biked to the start only to realise that my house is then 10 miles uphill from Otley. This year I took the car. Quick pick up of another runner and we were in Otley in plenty of time. Quick register and on the start line.

The race is a cruel one, with a lot of tarmac, steps and road so not your typical fell race terrain. Really a very steep trail race would be a better description however I feel that wouldn’t do this classic race any justice to class it as a trail race.

The race started with the minimum of fuss and off we went up the cobbled street, over the bridge and up a steep road. As it was a Strider fell champs race and I wasn’t sure how fit the others are at the moment I decided to try and hang on to the faster Striders and see what happened. We were soon onto rough trails but still going steeply uphill. It then turns in to a steep section of stairs. Here I culdn’t decide which would be the fastest way to get up them? Hands on knees? stand upright? start jogging? It was kind of inbetween all three so I tried all three. That was until first lady ran past me on one side and a guy from club walked past me on the other. the guy from club looked like he wasn’t trying as hard as the lady so I tried to walk just behind him. As the path flattened out briefly I tryed to catch up but this was just not happening as the brain was saying go faster but the legs were not listening. So I tried to tuck into a nice rhythem and keep my breathing under control as we went up a final ascent to the top of the Chevin. Thinking I will get him later (I always think that, but never do?). There is then an all too brief spell of generally flat trails across the top of the Chevin, going round Suprise View before the great descent back down to the finish.

The descent is a very fast non technical descent that seems just to plummet to the bottom of the Chevin. At one point I was flying down only to lose my bottle a bit and try to apply the brakes. I really do need to master that descent as you could really pick up some mighty speed if you could get your legs to keep up with you.

Eventually the track goes onto concrete and an even steeper section that really does jar the legs. I was catching my club mate so kept on pushing. Back the way we came and I was now catching him fast, but also seeing the finish come even closer. I pushed hard down the road, finally finding a bit of speed 200m from the finish line but just couldn’t catch him.

I came in 22nd position overall, in a time of 20.48, club mate beat me by 2 seconds in the end. Winner Graham Pearce from Pudsey and Bramley in 17.35.

Another great evening race. Thanks to Skyrac for putting on the race and marshalling. I will definately be back next year and who knows I may even have a few goes at the descent in the meantime.

Another race where I have come away with some booze! A few last minute emails during the week and we had a team of three for the BOFRA Badgerstone Relays. A short route up Ilkley Moor to the Badgerstone then a great steep grassy descent down to the bottom of the Moor.

After turning up a bit early and finding no-one at the start we popped off for some coffee and came back in time to see the junior race and register as the first team. A quick recce of some of the route and back down to the start in time for our race. Unfortunatly the turn out for the relays was poor due to the inter county champs and Jura being on the same weekend and there were only 4 teams. A bit of rounding up and a few ad-hoc teams and the turn out was up to 8 teams of 3.

I got the 1st leg and we were soon off up the hill. I tucked in behind a guy from Settle but he was soon pulling away from me up the hill. In my mind I was thinking he will tire soon. I will get him on the flat section across the moor. As soon as we got to the flat section I realise that he wasn’t going to tire so the main aim was to try and keep the gap to a minimum and ensure that the rest of the team can keep 2nd position. A fast descent and a better route choice meant I caught up with him a bit but he still had a healthy lead on the change over. I had also got us a good lead over third by around a minute on a 20 minute course.

Our second runner was soon off up the hill and I went off to take a few snaps. He ran well and we were still comfortably in 2nd but the top team had a healthy lead. Our 3rd runner arguably our fastest was soon off but had a huge gap to close and an awkward postion to run in. Too far away to catch up with 1st but so far ahead of 3rd that he didn’t have to push hard to keep position. He still had a good run and we came home 2nd team out of 8.

We won booze as the prize and all in all a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. A recommended relay and I will try to get a few more club teams to come down next year for the fun.