Peak O Trial

not to be mistaken for an Irish mountain, this is another one of the local races run by the prolific Des Gibbons of Glossop.

I was running this one with a really bad back that i'd developed on the morning of my 30th birthday a couple of weeks earlier- getting old?!?! so i was happy to treat this one as a gentle trot out and a chance to get to know some of the paths i tread less frequently around Glossop and the back of  Lantern Pike.

after bumping into Will Meredith i was soon off on my requested 10am start (family commitments) and trotting down the Monks Road towards the first checkpoint. i felt some twinges in my back but was prepared for a little discomfort so plodded through it.

i'd already made up my mind to run my own version of the shorter course (i.e. pick off as many of the near-lying checkpoints as possible then head back to base) so when i saw some of the early starters head off left towards Lantern Pike, clearly on a long run strategy, i knew this was going to be a solo effort as i was on the way to CP4 by Plainsteads Farm which was the closest checkpoint and  a quick win, one that i was confident i could link to Whiteley Nab and CP1 from.

as i made my way, the nav was pretty straighforward, i was still in sight of the start of the race so not too far from home. it's always good to get the first dib under your belt (reassurance that you can at least read a map to some extent).

from here it was uphill over some of the Chunal race course and over to the top of Whiteley Nab. It was here that i bumped into John Jodrell and another Pennine runner, and could we find CP1? No!

After i'd been up, down and across the hill i reluctantly pressed on towards Cown Edge in the knowledge that i'd be disqualified from the event, but happy to be out on a clear day. This was the first time i'd been up on the Edge and the view from up here was amazing. I love being on top of Lantern Pike and other high points to the West of Kinder as I can see all the places i've lived in since moving to Manchester in 1999 - from Whalley Range down to Didsbury, Stockport and now New Mills.

i think i only made one other CP that day, at the end of the woods on Cown Edge, i had a look around a couple more but having a niggle in my back coupled with the need to get back to the family meant that once i'd had a good morning's trot i was happy to return back to base for some cracking turkey soup and cakes.

maybe next time i'll team up with someone else and get a few more of those dibs eh?

Snowdonia Marathon

This one as a bit of a date with destiny as I’d run this totally off the hoof in 2009, having run the Great Langdale Marathon 5 weeks previous, and came in at 4h46 – so the gloves were off this time. Myself and a mate (Nick Burnside) were running in aid of Myeloma UK and NSPCC – so finishing and claiming our sponsor money on behalf of our charities was the main priority, getting a quick time next down the pecking order.

I’d planned to rely on the food and drink stations on the way round the course, I remembered from last time that from around mile 10 onwards there were energy bars and drink every couple of miles.

This would make a nice change from running with the usual bum bag complete with provisions and would mean I could concentrate fully on the task in hand.

The weather was being it usual SNOD self, with a (very) brisk breeze whipping the rain into our faces for most of the course. At times it was like trying to run uphill whilst being sprayed with a shower head at the same time as having a small person hanging off my back.

I could have given it a little bit more up the first hill but I knew there was a decent downhill stretch waiting for us at the top of Pen-y-pass, where the first crowds were waiting to cheer us on. I managed to make up some lost time on the recently added trail section, and caught up with my running partner Nick who I’d lost earlier on in the race after stopping briefly at the first aid station.

We were making good time at this point, clocking around 8:15 minute miles on the road into Bedgellert. I knew things were going to get a bit tougher after this point from memory of last time and the route profile, but the constant climb from miles 13-16 really takes it out of you, it’s one of those where you have to be careful not to burn yourself out and just slow to a pace you can maintain. I felt like I was hitting the wall for the first time in the race, and it was a case of digging in with the knowledge that there was an aid station at mile 16 where I could refuel on snacks and drinks.

As it turned out when I got there one of the St John’s Ambulance blokes grabbed my head and starting rubbing me with a towel – I’m not sure if I was looking like I was struggling or just generally bedraggled – but it did the trick and I was on my way again.

The route goes quiet around this point, and I suddenly felt quite alone on the course, at a tough point in the race – the course is undulating for the next couple of miles, but the cold wind and rain kept battering us from every angle, which meant that slowing down too much meant losing valuable heat and wasting precious energy to get warm again.

A lot of races talk about a ‘sting in the tail’, but Snowdonia has the mother of them all – miles 22-25 are all uphill, leading gradually up the hillside before dropping back down into Llanberis and the end. It may seem easy for fell runners or those used to off road pursuits to dismiss this as 'another road race', but this is a real toughie and the relentless climbs and bad weather put it up there in terms of overall difficulty.

Whilst I was kept going during the previous miles by the thought that the race would be over, one way or another, in around 45 minutes time, there really is no comfort climbing that hill – initially I was walking/running between telegraph poles, until the road got really steep and I was reduced to a walk. The road gradually becomes a trail up to the quarry at the top of the hill, and despite being tired it was quite dangerous to walk, as I was soaking through and the windchill made it around freezing, meaning that it wasn’t safe to spend too long up there. I was passed in the quarry by Nick Ham, who I had passed around mile 14 and was looking strong. He would duly finish in a little over 4 hours – sub 4 still eludes him, which is testament to the difficulty of this race.

Once through the quarry the track turns steeply downhill into a path, which in road shoes is always quite an experience! I will definitely wear trail shoes next time around, as there are a couple of minutes to be made up on this section with the right choice of footwear.

The last downhill section is really steep but it was heartening to see plenty of other runners, all fighting their own battles with the final stretch of course.

the best bit was the decision the organisers have made to the finishing strait, doing away with the cruel detour round the back of the village to instead leave a final straight couple-of-hundred-metres finish to the line to be wrapped in a space blanket and towel.

there's something about this race that makes you feel quite emotional when you finish - whether it's the friendly local atmosphere or the sheer relief to have taken on the course and completed it i don't know. Nick came in 5 minutes after me in 4h21, looking slightly worse for wear; i was worried he'd got exposure, but an energy bar and hot drink soon saw him right and we were swapping tales about the race in no time.

SNOD - make sure you do it at least once in your lifetime!

'The High Peak 40' - 42miles 5,400'

 

I blame the mrs for this one! After drunkenly agreeing to do this one Sunday night back in May, as we gathered on the start line in Buxton at 8am on Saturday morning I was wondering what the hell I’d let myself in for. My plan for this one was to run the flat and walk the uphills – a bit of research indicated this would give me a finish time within 10 hours, but provided my finish time was within Saturday I’d be more than happy!!

With a great deal of thanks to the course profile on the excellent Hayfield Races website, I was able to work out my fuelling tactics in advance of the race (mile 15 and the Rushup Edge checkpoint was the big one, for reference, not only was it almost midway through the race, it preceded a steep descent followed by a consderable ascent), but in truth I was fuelling from the early stages to ensure I stayed on top of things.

With the run/walk strategy I did this event at a pretty low intensity, covering the first 6 miles in around 63 minutes, but without feeling like I’d run any distance at all. This first part only featured a bit of climb, taking us outside Buxton and down the Goyt Valley towards the second CP at Taxal Layby where I had my first gel.

CP3 - Digleach Farm

With this being my first ultra I was prepared to fail completely and put it down to experience, and it was hard to run 'within myself' on some of the lesser climbs, but my fear of dying in the middle of nowhere after 20-odd miles made me keep a lid on things.

I'd covered marathon distance by around 5 hours into the race and was feeling pretty jazzy, seeing mrs theoptimisticrunner with her arms full of tuna sandwiches and coffee at Tideswell Dale provided a nice break from the driving rain at the time.

I just kept chipping away at the race to be honest - once i'd covered the first 10 miles comfortably then it just became a 30 mile race, and I knew I was good for a marathon, and once I got to 30 miles without my legs dropping off I could start thinking about a likely finish - it was looking like i'd be comfortably within the 9 hours I'd been keeping to myself as a realistic target.

This was a great way to spend a day, meeting Will Meredith and Nick Ham, two people whose blogs I read all the time – Nick Ham’s blog probably got me into Ultra running – and swapping places along the course with a great bunch of people who were telling me about their recent exploits on long distance events around Europe.  

Will Meredith wrote a much funnier account of the day here so I will point you in the direction of his account, there is also a much moredetailed route description hidden away on the aforementioned Hayfield Races website for those looking to complete this one in the future.

To cut a long story short I finished in 8h16mins (someone bizarrely tried to sprint finish me but I saw him off) and was absolutely buzzing at the finsh – mrs theoptimisticrunner was waiting for me there with the dog  and we tucked into a cheese and onion pie and a slice of cake in the school canteen whilst I recovered.

I didn’t have any aches and pains after this one (maybe because of the low intensity I ran at) and managed 14 miles the Thursday afterwards with no problems, but I reckon it knocked 30 seconds a mile or so off my pace for the following 4 weeks or more.

Thanks to mrs TOR for 1) entering me! 2) buying me a waterproof coat the week earlier in case it rainsed and 3) coming to meet me at mile 26 with a tuna sandwich and a cup of coffee.

Whilst I couldn’t run an ultra every weekend like Nick Ham, (a bit too time consuming), I think I’ll stick one a year in the calendar – next year the Bullock Smithy perhaps??

Reeth Show 2.5m 800’

This was my first BOFRA event, the premise of which was to determine who could get to the top of the hill overlooking the showground and back again the quickest.

Great Fremington Edge had been looming over us all morning as we’d made our way round the show, inspecting bales of hay, sheep and Stripey Jelly, and at the appointed time we were under starters orders and heading up to the skyline.

It was a fair pull up to the top, but thinking of the forthcoming pie and pint for my evening meal, I dug in and finally made it up after the false summit 50 metres from the top. 

From here on in it was downhill all the way, I struggled to find a decent route through the bracken at one point but got my head down to make it back to the fairground and enjoy my first ever top half finish in a fell race! After finishing 3^rd from last at Lamb’s Longer Leg at the start of the year, it was a good moment.

We were at Reeth Show as part of a few days in Hawes, so I took advantage of the time to get out early one morning and run partway up Dodd Fell, which was a good run but a bit bleak on the day. I’ll be back one day to complete the horseshoe and run round to Wether Fell along the roman road.

Chunal 4m 950’

Another midweek race, I’ve had to miss a few this year but there’s plenty of time to do the rest in the future. Organised by Des Gibbons who seems to organise quite a few events round here, this race takes in parts of the Herod Farm race (the hard parts), and then adds some more hard parts just in case you hadn’t been trying hard enough. 

On paper this was an utterly futile exercise – running up a hill, down it, round the bottom, up it again then back to the finish – but that’s fell running for you!

It was a cracking race and a great chance to get some climb in the legs.  Didn’t set the world on fire with my time but I’d run 9 miles home from work on the Monday so no surprises there. Next summer I might have a proper go at the midweek races, of which there is almost one a week within a 5 mile radius of New Mills during summer time – we really are blessed with this.

Shining Tor 6m 1250’

Midges! And flapjack. One is tastier than the other, but I ended up with both plastered all over my face by the end of tonight.

This event was another reminder of just how tough a short race can be, I suppose the 9 mile run home from work 2 nights previous didn’t do me any favours, but the main climb of the race, up from the valley bottom is a real tough one, up a rocky trail that twists and turns upwards, never allowing you to get your head down and strike up a decent rhythm.

From there it’s a bit of a plod across the flagstones of the open moorland and eventually coming out at Shining Tor, after which you start to come back on yourself and enter the second part of the race.

Apart from the aforementioned midges tonight was quite humid and drizzly, and the views from the top would have been pretty impressive under most other circumstances.

There was just time for a couple of suicidal descents down rocky trails and through the pine forest before we found ourselves by the foot of the dam and a nasty 20 metre uphill finish. There was a lady runner just ahead of me but being a gentleman I held back and let her finish ahead of me J
Then it was flapjack time! The spread at the end was pretty immense, as you can see below.

Probably about the most fun I could have had for £4 tonight in all of England!

Pennine Fell Runners 7th July

Tonight was my first night out running with Pennine. Mrs theoptimisticrunner had insisted that I have a run out with them, she is currently pregnant with optimistic junior v 2.0 but is a keen runner herself so can understand me going there.

It was great to find a new route up Lantern Pike, which is probably my favourite spot round these parts as the views from the top over Kinder, New Mills and further afield to Manchester and the west coast are spectacular. Plus it’s a bit more accessible than Kinder; you can be at the top within 30 mins from New Mills.

National Three Peaks 18th-19th June

I undertook the National Three Peaks Challenge with 12 colleagues and friends of friends, in aid of Francis House Children’s Hospice, a centre that provides care and activities for terminally ill children.

Undertaking the challenge was the idea of one of my colleagues, and we took it upon ourselves to organise a trip that involved two minibuses and support crew, enough food to feed a small army and overnight accommodation on the Friday evening, ready for an 8am assault on Ben Nevis the next day.

Ben Nevis

Investigation into this first peak mainly revealed a host of safety warnings of the danger of walking off the summit plateau and falling thousands of feet down the various gullies below. So we were very relieved to wake on the morning of the challenge to a clear, still day, with some cloud covering the top of the Ben. If anything the conditions were too good – the lack of a breeze in the valley bottom meant we’d soon all worked up a sweat as we made our way up. We made the summit 5 minutes inside our schedule, which was a great start and very encouraging.

The rest of the mountain passed without incident, however traffic and perhaps an optimistic estimation of the descent time by various online sources meant we finished Ben Nevis 25 minutes over schedule, in 5h25.

Sca Fell Pike

We arrived at Wasdale Head having elected to take the shorter, more direct approach to the summit of Sca Fell Pike and we could see that the cloud base was low – within an hour or so we were in the cloud and with night falling it was time to get the head torches out. 

It was vital to stay disciplined on the approach to the summit as it was by now very dark and foggy, and there were a number of other parties so this meant regular stops to re-group. We made the summit in good time having managed to claw back approximately 45 minutes that had been lost on the previous summit and the subsequent journey. The time to summit Scafell was 2h15 minutes – a great achievement.

We almost made a common mistake on the summit – heading off to the North for a few paces until we re-orientated ourselves to get on the path back down. We later met a team on Snowdon who had started at Borrowdale and instead of turning round at the top, had carried on down to Wasdale, 2 hours away from their support team and leaving their 24 hour challenge in tatters.

A review of our GPS track showed that we made a slight deviation on the way back down, but this was to be expected crossing the boulder field in thick fog at night. Our choice of Wasdale as a start point was vindicated as once we’d dropped below the cloud base we could see Wast Water shining in the moonlight below us.

Mount Snowdon

I didn’t have much choice in the matter of sleeping between Sca Fell Pike and Snowdon, we’d been awake all day and climbed two of the highest mountains in the UK.

We were all pretty strung out by this stage and so it was decided to form a breakaway group to ensure we made the Snowdon trig point inside 24 hours.

Suffice to say we go the job done and in the end we raised over £4,200 for our charity, blowing our original target of £3,000 well and truly out of the water.

wincle trout run 5.6m 1000'

this popular race takes place as part of the annual Wincle Village Fair just off the Buxton - Macclesfield road. sponsored by a local fishery, the USP of this race is that all finishers receive a trout for their efforts!

as a young man partial to a bit of fish, this event fairly sprang out from the pages of the FRA calendar like a leaping salmon. having not raced since late May's Leaden Boot, this seemed like a good event to get back into the swing of things again.

the start of the race took me a little by surprise! as i was still stood with the Optimistic clan in the corner of the field when it commenced - no whistle or gun, just the commotion associated with 300 people starting to move at speed over the car park field meant i had to fight through the throng of supporters, well wishers and family members to cross the start line. at least it meant i got off to a quick start!

we ran round the car park field and through the fairground, down a steep descent and across a meadow to a river crossing and our first ascent.

i've learnt quickly this year that a fell race is something you've got to want to run - you can't just turn up and bimble along hoping to finish. as such the first mile or so, and the first climb or two make you wish you'd not started, but the lungs and legs soon reach their optimum levels of performance, allowing you to get on with the business in hand, and if you are lucky enough not to be dodging tree roots, bogs, other runners AND are not faced with driving rain or sleet, enjoy some wonderful scenery.

after a conversation with George Scott earlier in the week - a local legend in his own right and still going strong in the MV60 category after over 30 years of fellrunning - i made a note to follow his advice and not only keep up with the runner in front of me but also the runners in front of him, and ensure they stayed within reach. the logic behing this is that whilst the next runner may be helping you to keep running along, if the next runners after him/her are pulling away then you are slipping back down the field and may even find yourself being overtaken.

whilst i'm not overly competitive, i do believe in applying yourself fully to the task in hand, so i try and squeeze every last drop out whilst i'm running (does that sound corny?!). i overtook a few runners in the woods a couple of miles into the race as a result of this.

the first couple of miles or so progressed gradually uphill through the woodland, before we emerged onto a trail that ran along the ridgeline and brought us our first sight of home, still a mile or so (and more than a couple of ups and downs) away.

i'd managed to keep up a decent pace up to this point, but I took this opportunity to take a quick breather and get my heart rate down to something like normal.

we then ran across some moorland before turning left to descent to a farm trail, over a stile and into Wincle itself before turning right by the fishery to start the last series of ascents back to the fairground. i knew we couldn't have been far away now so pushed uphill at a jog over the crest of the hill and began to hear the announcer from the fair cheering the runners home. i could see that we had a couple of climbs still to make up to the fenceline above, so i cracked on and was soon making the final turn into the fairground. mrs theoptimisticrunner's cheers spurred a final burst from my tired legs and i ran into the final strait as strongly as i could.

with about 50 yards to go i became aware of another runner on my shoulder, so i gave a final kick to see him off - which he matched - so i pushed again, giving everything i had (the uphill finish added to the difficulty!) and managed to ease in just ahead of him, narrowly avoiding running into the runner in front in my frantic efforts to see off the other man!

i must confess i had a quick lie down (collapse?!?!) after crossing the finish line, still clutching my Free Trout Voucher, but after a welcome drink of water i was right as rain again.

next stops: Edale Country Day (perhaps), Kettleshulme (perhaps) and the National Three Peaks Challenge on the 18th-19th June (definately).

If anyone is feeling generous, you can sponsor us here - we are walking for Francis House Children's Hospice, a facility that provides respite care for terminally ill children.

thanks

the optimistic runner

the Leaden Boot Challenge 26.2m

situated in the Lovely Village of Alstonfield deep in the White Peak, the Leaden Boot was a marathon length challenge event that took in the rolling countryside of the surrounding area and an associated 5300'+ of climb.

Alstonefield's Best Kept Village awards 1980 - present!

the concept of challenge events is that route instructions are given beforehand and competitors should navigate round using these on the day. with this being primarily a walking event, the numerous checkpoints on the way round were well stocked with biscuits, cake and water to keep us going.

with the walkers starting at 9am, us runners were afforded a later start at 10 which gave me plenty of time to collect my number and get ready for the race. milling around the start, it was clear that most people didn't have a clue where they were heading! after a quick briefing from the race organiser - along the lines of "be careful, respect the country code... you might as well get going now...!" we were on our way.

conditions underfoot, the weather (intermittent driving rain, sleet and gusting winds combined with baking sunshine) and the course itself made this feel more like a marathon-and-a-half - this was seriously tough and closer to what i'd imagine an ultramarathon to be like.

however, the views and scenery were amazing, with rolling hills as far as the eye could see:

view from Baley Hill - the first spike on the graph below!



elevation profile

 it was striking to note the difference in terrain in this fell race/challenge event/marathon in the White Peak as opposed to the Dark Peak of home - after discussing this with my old man it is definately true the difference between the surrouding area once you travel south of Buxton - the peat bogs and heather of New Mills/Hayfield are replaced with rolling turf hillsides and meandering streams.

this event will hopefully become a firm fixture in the fell running/LDWA calendar in years to come - there was a real sense of occasion on this first running, whose name came about after the lead was stolen from the village church and the locals were forced to come up with an idea to raise money to replace it.

i think the course took many people by surprise - the amount of climb coupled with the rough terrain and length of the course combined to make this a really tough event - in hindsight i could have travelled lighter and ploughed on through the driving sleet/rain as opposed to messing around with changes of clothes, but it was really nice to get out into the countryside and enjoy some wonderful views:



Narrowdale - the last climb before Alstonfield and home



there was a real sense of cameraderie amonst the runners and it was great fun navigating round the course - the route was really well marked though.

the winning runner was Steve Temple of Hayfield Races website fame in c.4h30 - an indication of how tough the course was.

once i'd finally made it back to the village hall i was greeted with a choice of pie or veggie bake-type thing... I opted for the veggie but the pie looked belting!



it is food like this that made this country great.





i just picked at my food - a small helping of veggie bake and a sliver of cake



the Leaden Boot Challenge - make it a part of your life in 2012!!!!!

high peak madness - 10.7m / 3050'

careful study of the FRA calendar (bit of an in-joke at Optimistic Towers as I read it most nights in bed) threw up two races in one day this weeked - Mount Famine and the Bollington Festival Three Peaks.

I had also hoped to tie in the Lantern Pike Dash on Sunday, but higher powers conspired against me, delaying the race by one week to clash with my entry into the inaugral Leaden Boot Challenge.

i was quite looking forward to this bumper day of racing, but unsure how to pace myself to stay the course over both races. on one hand, Mount Famine was the harder, with 1850' of climb over 5 miles, but my second race of the day weighed in at a longer 5.7 miles and a not inconsiderable 1200' of climb.

there is a great account of Mount Famine here at a fellow FRA forumite's blog, so i'll save the details on this race, however i will include a picture of the start (taken at the 2010 running, but I can vouch that the hill is still there):



(picture courtesy Geoff Briggs)

i was pretty happy with my run at this first race of the day, and made my way home as quickly as possible to round up the troops for a trip to Bollington and the day's second race. after refuelling with a slice of pizza and a lucozade, i was on my way again.

the Three Peaks race was to take in the summits of Kerridge Pike, White Nancy and the Nab, before returning to the cricket ground below the Middlewood Way viaduct where we started from.

luckily this race started off on the flat and continued like this for the first couple of miles, giving me time to coax my legs into action. we were soon climbing up to the first hill, i didn't find the going too tough, perhaps as I knew that the climb would be spread over the three peaks.

perhaps the toughest part of the race was the contouring back from Kerridge Pike back onto White Nancy, but we'd soon made the second summit and there was just time to take in the view from the top before we were ploughing down the hill and back into the village. i managed to squeeze the last drops of energy from my legs to make the top of the Nab, before making one final descent to follow the canal home to the festival site. this last stretch brought home memories of the final stretch of the Troller's Trot, however this stretch of waterside running was not nearly as bad in this case, and the only other similarity was a happy one at the end - a big pile of chilli - and courtesty of the brewery, a pint of Three Peaks ale.

high peak madness indeed! to my knowledge these two races were also run by two other runners, from Wilmslow AC and Springfield Striders (Essex!!).

next stop Vanessa Chappell

Crowden Horseshoe fell race 8 miles

The Crowden Horseshoe is a circular fell race that takes place from Crowden campsite just outside Glossop. a typically low key affair, circumstances were conspiring against me from before the race even began as i'd only brought my race entry fee, so didn't have enough money for the car parking on site. luckily i managed to park just off the main road, but having registered i found myself short of safety pins - luckily i found a kindly soul from North Yorkshire who helped me out.

the race itself started from the centre of the campsite and climbed up a track to the Outdoor Centre, then skirted up its side onto the fell.

it was at this point i encountered what i had previously understood to be Technical Terrain - i think that Difficult Terrain might be more descriptive, but i'll put that down to experience... on this race it wasn't the climbs that killed me, it was the run along the top of the rock face over the sharp uneven surface that meant i couldn't get into my stride, coupled with my tired legs from Friday's Run Home.

the large bowl of porridge and wheatgerm, coupled with a liberal dose of Deep Heat in the shed before leaving the house failed to do much for me, which meant i was goosed for pretty much the whole race.

this was actually a really enjoyable race - ran across pretty bleak Pennine moorland, which eventually turned into a paved path, our goal was the trig point where we would take a sharp right and being our eventual descent back down to the campsite.

having made the trig we duly made the turn, but conditions were extremely windy for the next mile or so, which made running across the peat even more tough - like wading through treacle with someone hanging off you at the same time.

it was around this point that i began work on setting my own personal record of falling over during a race (that's twice, for all the budding statisticians out there), and my planned three weeks of abstinence in preparation for the Leaden Boot went out of the window - i was having a pint afterwards!

after a long trudge across the fell, Crowden Reservoir soon loomed into view, and we found ourselves descending back into the campsite, where i made time to fall flat on my face and roll down the hill right in front of the small crowd that had kindly assembled to cheer us on for the final part of the race.

i've not seen the results from this one yet but it wasn't pretty - a cracking race though. better luck next year!

run home 6th May 8.93 miles

Same run home as the other night along the canal, but this time i came face to face with a heron minding its own business just above the road through Strines:

what you looking at?!

in hindsight i shouldn't have run home tonight as it left me too tired for my race on Sunday, especially after counting election votes at Stockport Town Hall until the small hours of this morning, but more of that later...

run home 3rd May 9.1 miles

after a tip off from our friend Doris, i explored the possibility of running down the Peak Forest Canal from Romiley to New Mills as an alternative run home this evening.

it turns out the route is no shorter, but it does have the added bonus of being almost completely off road, and takes in some lovely views, particularly passing through Chadkirk and through to Marple Aqueduct, running along the canal parallel to the railway viaduct over a wide gorge.

however running along a canal for 9.1 miles does have its limits in terms of keeping you occupied, so much so that i found myself stopping after 8 miles to see if i had inadvertently gone off route and ended up in completely the wrong place - the going got a bit boring this first time round.

however i persevered along the towpath and soon found my nostrils full of the sweet smell of the Swizzels Matlow factory at the top of town, where i left the canal and finished my journey along the main road.

not a bad run home and surprisingly taxing, it's good to have the option of going off road to get home. apart from a bit of ascent around Marple locks, the route is pretty much flat so good for days when i just want a gentle trot.

the Royal Wedding Day 5k

we are always game for a laugh here at Optimistic Towers, so when a chance perusal of the Kiwi Classic Events website showed this race, mrs theoptimistic runner thought there could be no better way to spend a day off work than running round Woodbank Park in Stockport.

whilst we do have access to childminders, we thought it would make things a bit more interesting if we did the race (which involved being handcuffed together via cable ties) whilst pushing optimistic junior round the park in his super duper off-road buggy.

i also thought i might as well go the whole hog and wear half my penguin suit - which turned out to be very hot!

i understand that the race followed the woodbank parkrun route which involved a couple of hills and tree roots! luckily the buggy was up to the task - though the driver struggled with the hill second time round! we were finished by 10:30 in time to collect a pair of commemorative champagne flutes and make our way back to new mills to enjoy the rest of the day off and walk the dog along the canal to the Navigation Inn at Buxworth.

Herod Farm fell race 3m

With the week off work post mrs theoptimisticrunner's London Marathon jaunt, i thought i'd best put my free time to good use and have a go at this fell race. A category 'AS' race with 1100 ft of ascent, this was set to be even tougher still than January's Lamb's Longer Leg which fairly chewed me up and spat me back out again.

After a low key registration at the Reliance Garage off Turnilee Road in Glossop, we made our way up to the (uphill) start up a farm track just off the main road. A quick chat to one of this race's veterans revealed that the race took in the summit twice, information that at least meant I knew some of what was in store.

the first hill

after the first stretch of farm track the race took us up the side of Whiteley Nab which involved some hands-on-knees climbing, but we were soon bombing back down the hillside.

the fun I was taking in the descent was tempered by the fact I knew that every stride was going to have to be compensated for in the climb back up to the top!

the last climb back up the nab didn't seem too bad, however the last stretch saw us with the heather in front of our faces, and in danger of falling backwards if we leaned too far back! but the summit was soon made and we plouged our way back down again:

whilst I still finished near the back of the field, I put in a much better performance compared to Lamb's Longer Leg, and was pleased with my time and how I coped with the race.

next up is the Rainow 5 in May.

breakfast poll

On the right hand side of this blog is a poll that will run until Christmas - what do you eat before a race? Do your carbs come from cereal or toast? Is your sugar in the form of a banana or some jam? Results will be revealed in December...

The Cheshire Challenge 40 mile walk

Report to follow

http://www.constructingcommunities.com/home/media/news/11-05-05/Mansell_completes_The_Cheshire_Challenge.aspx

.....

run home 9.3miles

1h23 http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gBW4P0WyhvA

run home 9.5 miles

1h 23 http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gBW4P0WyhvA

I tried to take a shortcut through Brabyns Park and cut out a large section of climb and a mile of the route, sadly was reduced to a walk through the park due to muddy conditions underfoot and came out at the wrong time, at the foot of the hill.

run home 9.5 miles

1h25 http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/gBW4P0WyhvA

My new Run Home passes through Bredbury, Romiley, Compstall, Marple Bridge and Strines before landing back at new mills. Some of the views are pretty breathtaking, as are the hills!

If this was a race it would be pretty tough, so mrs theoptimisticrunner has imposed a two-runs-home-per-week rule. Pretty sensible as I was a bit grumpy after this one. It was worth it though.

The final stretch takes me along the Millenium Walkway, located in the gorge created beneath New Mills by the rivers Goyt and Sett:

the Millennium Walkway

Sett Valley Trail 2.5 mile

The Sett Valley Trail is a disused railway line that runs from New Mills to Hayfield, and is popular with runners, walkers, joggers, baby strollers, horses and dogs. Other animals may be seen along its route.

I managed to grab half an hour down the SVT on Saturday night before tea, until the dark forced me to return home along the better illuminated roads. The trail is flat and very runnable – should be good for interval and Fartlek training, once I find out what those two things are.

New Mills seems to have lots to offer that from just driving through the town you would not have a clue about – for example llamas:

llama

Farewell Stockport

After almost two years running around Stockport and the surrounding area, the time has come to bid farewell to the Home of Hatmaking for a New Life in New Mills.

No more Fire Station Hill reps (nice one!)

No more 3 mile runs home from Bredbury – welcome to 9.5 miles of pain to get home!

No more trots round the block to Davenport and back

Farewell Stockport, you’ve done me proud.

the Bottom of the Fire Station Hill

bramhall parkrun 5k

as mrs theoptimistic runner had a long 20-mile run this weekend in preparation for the London Marathon, i took the chance to do an event that she usually takes part in - the Bramhall parkrun. the parkruns are free organised races that take place all over the country every saturday morning. there is also one in Woodbank Park but for some reason we've always run this one. this is the busier of the two events, with over 385 people taking part this week.

i was a bit short of time this weekend so i thought it would be a good chance to give it some welly over a shorter distance and see what happened.

with such a large field in a small park the start gets very congested and mrs theoptimisticrunner has found that starting near the back just ends up being annoying as you can't get going properly for the first five minutes. so without wanting to look too much of a nob i positioned myself about halfway through the pack ready for starter's orders.

conditions were great and there must be something in the air at Optimistic Towers as i was the second member of our household to get a PB here in a week with an average min/mile of 7m34 - i felt it afterwards though!!

after a bacon and egg buttie back at home it was no rest for the wicked however, as I had to start clearing the cellar ready for the big move to New Mills in ten days time - not sure if we'll be ready or not but it will be fun!!

a quick visit to the nice man at road and fell in Stockport in the afternoon followed by a trip to the allotment rounded off the afternoon. not sure when my next race will be but there will be some good runs in New Mills to report on in the near future....

trollers trot 24.8 mile

the Trollers Trot is an event organised by the Long Distance Walker's Association, and is very popular with the fell racing community. starting from Upper Wharfedale School in Threshfield, near Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales, the route follows an anti clockwise course and features three major ascents.

with this ostensibly being a walk, the start time was 8 a.m. in order to give competitors time to complete the course in daylight. this meant a 5 a.m. wake up call in order to be in Grassington to collect my number for the race by 7.30, but it also meant a reasonably early finish was on the cards, providing everything went to plan! luckily the weather on the day itself was pretty reasonable: a few degrees above freezing, misty on the tops with some moisture in the air but, as it turned out, dry the whole day.

the race itself was run on trails and footpaths, starting with a long slog for two miles or so up to the open fell of Threshfield Moor, which resulted in a lovely descent with which to make up some lost time and take in the views:



not bad for 9am Saturday morning

we proceeded onwards through Hetton and across to Rylstone - it seemed strange to be running across the road that i'd been down hundreds of times as a kid on my way up to the Dales to the caravan - where we came to our first drinks station. at about 6 miles in, this came at just the right time to stop and catch your breath and get an energy bar down. i took a little too long at this checkpoint trying to get my BlackBerry to work to check my progress (worrying a bit as it's my works phone!!) but was then back on my way.

the next pull up to Rylstone Fell was pretty tough going, maybe three quarters of a mile straight slog upwards, but we were rewarded with a beautiful view:

things then went from one extreme to another as once we'd crested the hill we were then on the open fell, and it was windy!! it was a real struggle to get going, especially after the two climbs we'd already undertaken, and my legs felt seriously wobbly at this point. i had a quick word with myself and tucked in behind another runner. we ran for maybe two miles along this open stretch, then found ourselves dropping down to Upper Bardon resser and a checkpoint.

the next stretch was downhill and very runnable, which saw me clock my fastest mile of the whole race, so I stopped to take a quick picture:



Lower Barden Reservoir - in all its glory

we were then greeted at the end by a refreshments stop complete with cakes at Barden Scale!!:


i just had a small swiss roll

from here on in, psychologically it felt that everything was downhill from here; we'd passed the halfway mark and crossed the bleak, open moorland - having plotted the route on Friday night i knew the course contained more twists, turns and features from here on in - more to keep me occupied.

we took the Dales Way for a short while along the Wharfe up to Howgill, where we were faced with a climb of about a mile - this was quite a testing time as it was the middle of the race and I found myself on my own without anyone in front or behind me, and no markings. i stopped for a minute to put my hat on and have an energy bar, to try and keep things moving in the right direction. i was trotting along with my head down when suddenly a car door burst open and a man with a marker pen jumped out to take my number. a quick study of the route description showed this to be the checkpoint at 15.87 miles - less than 9 miles to go! the next mile or so was downhill, then we found ourselves climbing through a ghyll up to a disused mine, it was around this time i met with a runner who lived just north of Leeds who helped me pass the time and keep going. 

after a climb onto the fell we arrived at another checkpoint, i'd been looking forward to the flapjack at this one! but it was so hard i had to sling half of it - i didn't have 10 minutes to chew it unfortunately! after a short section of road we were back on a the trail downhill towards Hartlington and Burnsall, home of the famous Burnsall Fell Race.

from here on in, the route was a runner's paradise: flat, springy turf along the side of the River Wharfe, past a country pub with outdoor seating overlooking the water (chips never smelt so good) and fine weather, with one exception: this came at the end of 21 miles of fell and trail running. 



 (cramp just out of picture)



the route was full of stop-starts through stiles, over small brooks and tree roots, and a false dawn at Linton Falls - thought we were on the outskirts of Grassington!! the aches were really kicking in every time I paused to go through gates and cross over roads, but a few swigs of ginger beer (check the sugar quotient in the nutritional information if you're not sure why) and some marzipan helped me through this last stretch. when we finally left the Dales Way and turned left onto the road into Threshfield, i was fearing a slog on the road back to the start point, but after cresting the hill, the end was in sight and i somehow legged it to the finish. looking back on my running app, my average speed for the last three miles was 10m49 - that will do me, although it felt like longer!

after scoffing my face with sweet stuff for the past 4h23m, i felt sick as a dog and struggled to eat my jacket potato and beans:

so i took a few minutes to get myself straight and changed into my jogging bottoms and thermals. 

what a brilliant race this was, i almost felt guilty that it only cost me £7.50 to take part, when you look at events like the Wilmslow Half Marathon that cost c. £28 at the last count (no food included), i know where i'd rather be!

my only regret is that the family couldn't have been with me, but i'm working on that for next year!!

hands up if you like graphs

graph-tastic

The graph above shows my run home from work over the past couple of weeks. There's a couple of hills in there, with fairly steep gradients.

my average minute/mile has gone from 9:22 to 8:05 in the space of ten days - let's hope I can make it round the Troller's Trot tomorrow!

Tuesday 22/02/11 4.90m, 45:58 - average speed 9:22 min/mile

Fastest mile: 08:22

Slowest mile: 10:19

Thursday 24/02/01 6.05m, 53:08 - average speed 8:46 min/mile

Fastest mile: 07:52

Slowest mile: 09:27

Friday 25/02/11 3.55m, 30:34 - average speed 8:34 min/mile

Fastest mile: 07:42

Slowest mile: 08:50

Monday 28/02/11 3.57m, 29:48 - average speed 8:19 min/mile

Fastest mile: 07:40

Slowest mile: 08:59

Tuesday 01/03/11 4.88m 40:24 - average speed 8:17 min/mile

Fastest mile: 07:38

Slowest mile: 08:47

Wednesday 02/03/11 3.59m 29:04 - average speed 8:05 min/mile

Fastest mile: 07:28

Slowest mile: 08:53

Thursday 03/03/11 3.57m 29:45 - average speed 8:17 min/mile

Fastest mile: 07:43

Slowest mile: 09:01