Short, sharp shrift

It is now one week before the National cross country championships in Nottingham. My first time at this event which I'm told is all about the experience!

January and February have been good to me so far, I'm training well and have already competed in four events. Hillforts and Headaches fell race, Durham cathedral relays, Wrekenton cross country (now in the fast pack) and the Hetton road relays. This is a far cry from the beginning of 2013 when I was fully focused on high mileage preparing for my first ultra and avoiding any kind of competition.

My whole running picture changed when I failed to get a place in the CCC. Discussions with friends and most importantly my coach, I now have a plan. Next 'big race' is the Yorkshire 3 peaks in April. Really enjoying this short stuff though, and the comarardery of club mates. If I'm lucky to get into the CCC next year then so be it. It is something I intend to do no matter what. Never stand still.

I'm writing this post on a train journey down to Lincoln to meet up with my wife (who is visiting her sister). We then travel to Southport to pick up our new springer spaniel puppy. A bit of a life changer! A long day of travelling ahead....

Down’s, up’s and a lottery

Part 1 – down’s

Just before Christmas I aimed to participate in the Tour de Helvellyn race.  A 38 mile loop starting from Askham and taking in Martindale, Patterdale, Stick’s pass, Thirlmere and Grisedale.  I did participate, but unfortunately this was to be the first race I have ever had to pull out of, notching up my first DNF.

The weather on the drive over to Askham the day before the event was what can only be described as horrendous.  Gale force winds, rain beating against the windows and chilly temperatures.  We were praying for the weather to improve as I hunkered down on the Community centre floor for a night’s kip, along with thirty or so others taking advantage of the cheap accommodation with porridge for breakfast thrown in.  Needless to say, I didn’t sleep much.  A combination of the wild weather and the snoring/farting combo at frequent intervals put paid to that.

Battered

I set off at 8am sharp and it wasn’t raining at this point.  I caught up with Mr D Troman and Mr M Wilson early on who both knew the route so I could get a good start and on the right path.  I was familiar with part of the route from the Lakeland 50 along Ullswater to Howtown.  Other than that, I hadn’t reccied any of it so was hoping there would be plenty of runners to follow so I could keep my rubbish nav skills in my back pocket….

I was going well up until the descent of Boredale Hause.  Everywhere was saturated.  I lost concentration on the rocky path down to Patterdale and slipped and fell onto my leg.  The force of my body weight pressing my leg into a rock.  I got up straight away but looked down and my thermal legwear had torn, exposing a large swelling of my outer shin.  It didn’t look good but a fellow competitor advised me to walk for a while to assess the damage.  I reached the Patterdale checkpoint and felt sore but confident I could keep going.  It looked like it was a damaged muscle which was petruding out, and not bone (thankfully).  Was I doing more damage running on it?  I carried on until the Swirl How car park where I was intending to eat and drink then head off again.  The marshall at the checkpoint spotted the injury and advised I pulled out.  I was gutted, but resigned to the fact that I had another 20 miles to go on an injured leg.  It wasn’t going to improve by running on it, stupid to carry on.

The organisation of the event and the route were excellent.  I hope to return one year to do it justice.  Thanks to Joe Faulkner for the lift back to the start!

Part 2 – up’s

Having rested for a few days after the TdeH disappointment, my leg had improved a lot and I was out having a bimble in the hills with my brother on Boxing day.  I was back training at the club and thought about entering the Hill forts and headaches race on New Year’s day.  A 3 mile blast from the Newcastle Hotel at Rothbury up to the top of Beacon Hill.  I had run this the previous year and really enjoyed starting the New Year with a great fell race.  Four quid for a race and cracking soup at the end.

As usual I set off too fast but kept with the leading two of Lee Bennett and Phil Sanderson up to 1.5 miles.  It was a bit of a struggle after that, the clag had come down and temperatures dipped the higher we climbed. 

I was over the moon to finish third, but I was thinking I was going to be caught at any moment.  A bottle of ale for third and a chocolate orange for first team.  Cracking start to the year and a boost to the confidence. There were mutters that this could be the last Hill forts race unless someone steps in to take over the organisation.  It would be a great shame if nobody came forward.  I can imagine it would be a lot of work involved.

Part 3 – Ultra-trail du Mont Blanc – the CCC lottery outcome

I am, without doubt, hugely disappointed with the draw - “refused”.  There was the opportunity to transfer my entry to the TDS, but I would lose my co-efficient for the CCC next year.  My goal for the last 18 months was to be selected for the CCC, so I will re-apply next time.  I will be focussing on representing Morpeth harriers and Northumberland Fell runners over the coming months and look forward to the Lakeland 50 with my brother in July and perhaps helping out on a Bob Graham round attempt. A few road PB's to aim for too

Hexham Hobble, 1st December 2013 (10.4 miles, 1,243ft)

I last competed in the Hexhamshire Hobble fell race in 2011 on a wintry day in Allendale.  There were blizzards, ice and a bitterly cold wind.  This year’s event was held in probably the best conditions for a number of years.  No wind, sunny spells and a toasty 8 degrees.  There was no alternative but to get the legs out on display.  The long sleeved Helly Hansen baselayer with the sleeves rolled up even turned out to be too warm!

There was a fantastic turn out this year with mutterings of an appearance by a certain Mr Ricky Lightfoot.  What a coup!

Given the conditions, it was highly likely that the course record would be smashed.  I paid my seven groats and made sure my bum bag had the necessary mandatory kit.

The start was prompt and I found myself in the top 10-15 on the first climb out of Allendale town.  Mr L was off like a rabbit, bounding up the hill and off into the distance.  I settled into my own pace keeping in touch with Andy Blackett (winner of the event the last two years).  The terrain was very runnable with the odd bog littered about, some of which I had no option but to plough through and get a soaking.  There was some to-ing and fro-ing between Andy and myself for a couple of miles then Lee Bennett stormed past.  Andy attached himself to Lee which helped pull me along, barely keeping in touch but certainly in sight.

By half way I was feeling quite strong, thinking the past couple of months of swimming sessions were perhaps paying off.  Even my dodgy achilles was niggle free.  I passed Andy on the long downhill road section from 8km to 11km, Lee was off into the distance.  I had no chance of catching him with only one climb and the ultimate descent to Allendale school to come.  There was some welcome encouragement on the last climb from Steph S, (thanks for that Steph).  I ploughed on trying to consolidate my position, conscious that I may be caught.  I made sure I didn’t look behind me just in case!

After the fast downhill road finish I was pleased with my run, and picked up my 20th anniversary race mug! 6th position in 01:10:49. I shook Mr Lightfoot’s hand and found out that he had indeed stormed to a new course record of 1:02:31 (previously Morgan Donnelly’s 01:05:19).

A great turnout from NFR, who picked up the team prize, based on the top 4 finishers from each club and also based on total time.  Emma Bain picked up a combination of 1st lady and 1st V40, great result.

A big thanks goes to Allen Valley striders. The organisation,marshalls and tea and cake were fantastic.  A cracking event.

British FRA fell relays, Llanberis 25th October 2013

When I was asked if I wanted to participate in the British FRA relays I jumped at the chance.  Not only to represent my club (NFR), but to experience my first fell relay event in a place I'd never been to before.  The team was kind of cobbled together through the hard work of the team captain as there were runners injured and had other commitments which is fair enough.  It was a long way to go.

Pen-y-pass

I'd been struggling with niggles, most prominently being the achilles but had a period of decent training so I knew I'd be able to do a reasonable job.  I reached Wales on the Friday night thanks to fellow team mate Emma Bain who did all the driving.  As this was my first time in the Snowdonia area she was kind enough to detour up Pen-y-pass to give me an idea of what i've been missing.  It didn't disappoint, fantastic views of the rugged mountains. Needless to say it was wet!

They're off on leg 1

After little sleep during the Friday night (thanks to drunken louts staying in the same hostel), we arrived at the start in Llanberis.  Weather was cool with heavy downpours and strong winds.  I was on leg 4 which was just shy of 9k with 2,000ft of ascent.  Basically up Moel Eilio and back down.  I prepared myself for a long wait as the approximate time for the first 3 legs would be around 4 hours.  I kept warm and dry in the marquee chatting to a few other competitors.  What a great turn out, around 200 teams from all over the country.

My leg went pretty well.  I was wary of perhaps having to do some navigation as the field was pretty spread out by this time and with the quickly changing weather it was likely that visibility could be pretty low.  It turned out ok in the end, thankfully.  I really must brush up on the map/compass thing.

The ascent was quite tough going with some steep sections but some areas were very runnable. The rain stayed off for me but the wind was strong.  The descent was fantastic, great views and the terrain wasn't too bad, although near the bottom it was becoming a bit of a quagmire.  I got back in around 55 minutes.

The whole team did fantastically well.  Emma Bain, Will Horsley (captain), David Armstrong, Paul Hainsworth and Steve Minnikin.  Top half finish and 45th out of 99 in the Open category.

Looking forward to putting my name forward next year, also for the Ian Hodgson relays!!

5 of the team of 6

Powering through

I've had a good couple of weeks training under my belt after a bad period with virus and persistent achilles problems.  Virus gone and able to manage achilles in such a way that it isn't anywhere near as bad as it was.  I have introduced some swimming into my schedule which I think is helping my all round fitness, working muscles I never knew were there!

British Fell Running relays next weekend in Snowdonia, looking forward to my first visit to Wales!

A few photo's from some recent off road jaunts below.

Bothal Castle

Simonside

Alnham Moor

Cheviots

Aaaaaggghhh-chilles

No running for the forseeable future. 

Finally bitten the bullet and seeing a chap about my progressively worsening Achilles problem next week. I'm taking the opportunity due to an enforced sidelining with a viral infection. 

It has to be done, I'd love to remember what it's like to get out of bed in the morning without hobbling around like an old man.

Cycling only which isn't a bad thing.

Doodled a little chart while watching the boring football. I've had a good year with some great results. Time to rejuvenate and sort the injury out.

I have plans for next year. Important plans...

Lakeland 50 27th July 2013

View from tent at finish

We arrived in Coniston on Friday afternoon greeted with glorious sunshine and warm temperatures.  Not exactly what I wished for – cool with cloud cover would have been perfection.  We headed to the main field at the John Ruskin school to pitch the tents which we would be falling into after the race on Saturday.  Friday night was intended to get a good kip at the local hostel... if only!

We met up with John M and checked in at the hostel then returned to the school to watch the start of the L100 and get ourselves registered.  I watched with admiration as the L100 runners got underway, what an epic journey they were about to embark upon.  Massive respect.

I got weighed and had my mandatory kit check – all the boxes ticked.  We had plenty of time to relax and get some food before turning in.  The hostel itself was adequate enough but some of us didn’t get a great amount of sleep with the amount of snoring going on.

I was up early for a quick shower, change then a quick pot of porridge.  I thankfully got a lift to the start at Dalemain rather than spending an hour on a full bus.  The weather at Dalemain was very warm and humid with the sun blazing down.  There were L100 runners coming through to a well-deserved round of applause.  I tried to get under some shade to cool down before the start at 11:30am, a little stretching of the niggling Achilles to warm it up.

All the L50 runners congregated at the start having dibbed in and the butterflies began to start.  A 4 mile loop around the Dalemain estate the off on the adventure to Coniston.  We were off at a brisk pace around the fields surrounding the estate and back through the crowds at the start.  I was already starting on the water bottle at this point, why the heck didn’t I wear a white t-shirt to deflect the sun! 

We passed through Pooley bridge and then climbed up above Ullswater taking in the cracking views on a beautiful day.  John and I unintentionally found ourselves running around the same pace. It was good to have the company.  The first checkpoint was at Howtown at 11 miles.  Bottles topped up and a bite of flapjack and then off up Fusedale.  This section up to High Kop was tough and involved lots of hiking but once at the top (the highest point of the route) it was good running along to Low Kop and descending to Haweswater.  The heat was sapping and found myself constantly taking on liquid. I remember from the recce a couple of months ago that the section along Haweswater to Mardale Head went on and on.  I tried to block that out and just focus on putting one foot in front of the other.  I was glad to reach Mardale for some refreshments and an attempt at having a pee. (only one pee all race was a little worrying).

The next section headed up Gatesgarth pass, another hike but I knew the descent was nice and steady pretty much all the way to Kentmere.  I ploughed on passing a few L100 runners offering my best wishes.  Only 20+ miles to go.  John and I had parted company at this stage as he was having some stomach issues at the top of Gatesgarth. All of the checkpoints were fantastic with a wide variety of food and drink and the support was brilliant.  I thought Kentmere was my favourite after necking a banana and apple smoothie.  Delicious at just over half way.

which way now

By this point runners were few and far between so I whipped out the road book to make sure I wouldn't go wrong.  Sadly that didn't work out as planned, in the wood section before Ambleside I went off track and came out onto the main road about a mile further out of Ambleside. Bummer.  

I ran through Ambleside with cheers from the pub gardens and random folk on the street, a great motivator.  I sat down in the Ambleside checkpoint and John walks in thankfully feeling better.  I gave my folks a wave and continued on with John to Chapel Stile.  It was so helpful having someone running with you to give you that encouragement and I thank John for that.  We helped each other for the last 15 miles.  I was also grateful he was there when I took a tumble on the way to Chapel Stile, a lapse of concentration and I was over on my side.  Knee,hip and hand got a bit of a hammering but was fine to continue.  The hand is currently multicoloured and fat!

From Chapel Stile we went on to Langdale and the running was becoming more comfortable. The banter was good and helped the miles tick over.  We reached the last checkpoint at Tilberthwaite and we had one a final push to the end. 3.5 miles to go - not easy by any means with the climb and descent.  We didn't think we would make sub 10 hours but plugged away and had a storming last mile into Coniston.  No headtorches needed.  The cheers from the pubs and the spectators was a huge lift all the way to the finish.  We finished in 9 hours 58 minutes and 7 seconds.  Fantastic!

finished

My folks and Mike S were at the finish and it was good to see them, they must have had a long day.  It was a great race and fabulous organisation and support throughout.  It was brutal and challenging but we made it.  Joint 21st place.

I had no sleep that night as the rain started soon after we finished and I was in the tent.  I was up early passing the finish gantry and surprised to see Fergus' wife there.  Fergus was running as a team of four and was still out - due in at 8:15am.  He'd been out all night in the rain.  Unbelieveable.  If he'd ran the race on his own he would have been top 20.

A great event, now looking forward to a few days off before getting some short stuff under my belt.  I have the points to enter the CCC at UTMB in 2014, just need to picked out of the hat now!