tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61343095706155430352024-03-05T08:58:13.907+00:00the optimistic runnerthe optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-81056187513627377222015-05-17T20:00:00.000+01:002015-05-19T19:39:31.791+01:008 days in MayWith a concentration of races not seen for myself <a href="http://theoptimisticrunner.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/high-peak-madness-107m-1350.html" target="_blank">since 2011</a>, early May threw up some events that were too good to miss.<br />
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Sun 10 May: Great Manchester 10k - 39:06<br />
the aim of the game here was to break the 40 minute barrier, a time that had been eluding and annoying me for a couple of years. I can't say I enjoy runs like this, I acknowledge the skill required to run well on the flat but give me some hills, variation and route choice any day! Managed to get my head down and meet the required time. I was not completely wasted by the end of the race, it seems funny to say, but I couldn't have run any quicker - I think I've found my natural limit, or at least the limit I could get to without hours of mindless running on the flat. Hats off to those that can go quicker.<br />
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Wed 12 May: Shining Tor fell race - 6.18 miles ~1,400'<br />
Never the same route twice for this one apparently but a good jaunt anyway. I was chatting to a mate for the first couple of miles before kicking into a decent trot - the <a href="http://labs.strava.com/flyby/viewer/#303971387" target="_blank">strava flyby </a>makes for interesting viewing and you can see me pulling up through the field! Managed 46 / 128 so happy with that; I might have made a few more places by racing all the way, but enjoying myself and talking to a mate got in the way! Called in on the way home to pick up some fish and chips for me and mrs TOR.<br />
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Thu 13 May: PFR Man vs Bike - 5.9 miles ~1,500'<br />
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The prospect of doing essentially the same race 2 days on the trot made me think I might either injure myself or have a poor run, but in the end it was a great night, just a bit chillier this evening. Anyway, onto the event:<br />
Man gets 5 minute head start. Bikers weren't happy that Edale Road had been resurfaced with un-cyclable pebbles, with the result that I didn't see any bikes catching us up on the way round. It's normally a good tussle, even if results tend to be dominated by runners, so it was a shame things panned out that way. Managed 3rd overall which I was happy with - trust me to place in the only race where there's no prizes!<br />
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Sat 16 May: Mount Famine fell race - 5.1 miles ~1,800'<br />
Short (ish) and sharp (very). Not sure how I managed to do Bollington Three Peaks after this one 4 years ago! Managed to get 31/115 so very happy with that. Had a couple of good battles on the way round. The <a href="http://www.t42.org.uk/cgi-bin/hc.pl?a=cmp&d=hc&f=mount-famine-2015&w=mount-famine-2011&z=compare" target="_blank">comparison with my results from 2011</a> shows how steep a learning curve it's been. A great race.<br />
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Sun 17 May: Lantern Pike Dash fell race - 1.2 miles ~630'<br />
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There is something quite intimidating about Lantern Pike when you're stood at the foot of it! This would be the first time I'd attacked my favourite hill this way, on the back of 4 races it promised to be pretty painful...the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-55835905177049279812015-04-27T13:24:00.000+01:002015-06-02T14:24:52.777+01:00Fellsman 2015 - DNFA big fat DNF - after taking a wrong line off Ingleborough which meant I had to go back up again, I was with another lad and we were battling our way up from the back of the field. But like others, I found the weather on the ridge between Gragareth and Great Coum too much, coming down into Dent all I had left were a couple of dry base layers, my coat and gloves were wet through and I couldn't feel my hands. I couldn't see myself lasting another 12 hours, especially if getting grouped at Fleet Moss as I was an hour behind, and having a 20 mile death march back to the end from there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">thanks for coming</td></tr>
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I don't appear in any pictures as the photographer had packed up by the time I'd run past his spot!<br />
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I pulled out at Dent and got the body bus back, it was a hard decision to make but I'll live to fight another day.Looking at some of the people who I was around when I bailed, they finished in 20-24 hours - not my idea of a good day out!<br />
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Should have worn my heavier coat and put my waterproof longs on earlier, as the rain did eventually stop. I won't make those mistakes again!<br />
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Huge thanks to the organisers for laying on the bus, just one example of the behind the scenes work and hidden costs of an event like this. I'll be back for more next year! Well done to everyone who made it to the start line and to those who stuck it out to the end.<br />
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the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-22878556322704482882015-04-15T21:00:00.000+01:002015-04-21T12:54:02.361+01:00Herod Farm - a race in picturesThis was my 5th time running this race, I managed to run 2 minutes quicker than last year and 7 minutes faster than 2 years ago. They say there's a 3 year learning curve in fell running; perhaps this is proof!<br />
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Some of the pictures in this blog post come from Mossie Net Photography and a contribution was made for their reproduction. If you would like to contribute:<br />
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You can text donations: Text NETS57 £1 to 70070 (The amounts you can text are: £1 £2 £3 £4 £5 or £10). Donations can also be made on their Just Giving page:<br />
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<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: #3f7871;"><a href="https://www.justgiving.com/mossienetphotography/" sl-processed="1" title="Mossienetphotography - Just Giving Page">https://www.justgiving.com/mossienetphotography/</a></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UP (and my best David Moyes impression)<br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">up and along<br /><br />DOWN (no picture)<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UP again<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">DOWN<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjue4OOtA-2QdtQRHYp1ABKal0WZAh_wf1DUnMRGyVqeGoPrP7vT9ov9diJPIVGKDzagi5l54KGIbw4VqkVa3W2oDW5ujNGsRiiF_PFYoUG3YUpSlcHIwz2DZ8OkfAn7t457egi7crGU/s1600/with+stefan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjue4OOtA-2QdtQRHYp1ABKal0WZAh_wf1DUnMRGyVqeGoPrP7vT9ov9diJPIVGKDzagi5l54KGIbw4VqkVa3W2oDW5ujNGsRiiF_PFYoUG3YUpSlcHIwz2DZ8OkfAn7t457egi7crGU/s1600/with+stefan.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish!</td></tr>
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the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-65412981013913820452015-04-11T21:00:00.000+01:002015-04-21T12:59:04.101+01:00The Calderdale Hike - 38 miles ~6,000'A beast of a route - I was expecting this to be more like the Haworth Hobble underfoot - it's amazing what a difference a few miles in another direction can mean for running conditions; there was a lot of open fell and rough ground to negotiate.<br />
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This was more akin to a mini-Fellsman - like a 2/3 version for climb and distance. It was good prep for the Fellsman but harder than I'd anticipated. Stefan got me round again in 8h05 - I was pretty ruined at the end but a 28th / 75 placed finish shows why.<br />
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We pushed it nearly all the way round - the climb out of Mytholmroyd got the better of me - so I was happy with my performance. A nice jacket potato with chilli and some Longley Farm yogurt at the end were great.the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-26003111419816422642015-03-17T19:45:00.002+00:002015-03-17T19:54:30.830+00:00Haworth Hobble 2015 - ~32miles ~4,800'Second time round on this one, it seemed a bit quieter this year; there was to be no delayed start like we encountered in 2014 with its late flurry of registrants.<br />
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Once more we assembled on the High Street ready for the typical low-key start - we only knew the race had kicked off when the people in front of us started moving!<br />
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The front end of the race was typical of most of the race - gradual climbing, in the "should I be running this or fast walking it?" mould - the only major climbs stand out as the two stage ascent up Stoodley Pike, the climb out of Hebden Bridge and again up past Hardcastle Crags - but the 4,800' definately add up and let you know they are there. Opting for neither a run nor a walk - but a bimble - I cracked on.<br />
<br />
The flagstones soon appear - after the initial climb out of Howarth - and good time can be made across the moorland. It's a shame they are too treacherous for you to be able to get your head up and appreciate the view. They seem to be just that critical few inches too short to match stride length, meaning every step must be carefully observed. Add in a pair of steamed up glasses for the ultimate run across God's own country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-TxLR44W4GBXEQxY0cX3qtW0r5Rzw30CcuG4re0TmvNpj1H4hd4eS4pawWI-96_68by3-vZ5HUyuCrso7eFZHm4WJjA0NUCPCinM-2PolRpg42-nnblAnih-0HYpPTkCo58atKMT0N8/s1600/hoblle+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-TxLR44W4GBXEQxY0cX3qtW0r5Rzw30CcuG4re0TmvNpj1H4hd4eS4pawWI-96_68by3-vZ5HUyuCrso7eFZHm4WJjA0NUCPCinM-2PolRpg42-nnblAnih-0HYpPTkCo58atKMT0N8/s1600/hoblle+2.JPG" height="320" width="255" /></a></div>
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We are soon down by the first reservoir: do you go left or right?!?!?...went right again, Nick Ham went left and popped out 10 seconds in front of us; that route follows a path whereas ours was along a metalled road that rose slightly... decisions decisions...<br />
<br />
Route finding on this one is fairly straightforward; ironically the only complications come when entering civilisation, but with the size of the field and the conditions, it's generally ok. The check points this year were stocked with the obligatory broken biscuits, recurring were some exquisite chocolate orange mini cookies. I may not have paid close enough attention but the hot cross buns did not seem as ubiquitous this year. The whisky on offer below Stoodley Pike this year was Talisker, it does feel a bit '<a href="http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/1185268/strongbow-boosts-earn-it-message-tough-mudder-sponsorship" target="_blank">Tough Mudder</a>' but who gives a shit, Talisker is great tackle! Down the hatch with a biscuit accompaniment for a perfect start to a 600' climb.<br />
<br />
I ran this race with my friend Stefan from Pennine, he's normally much quicker than me but to my good luck he was coming back from injury so was taking it 'easy'.... he dragged me round for a sub 6 hour finish... checkpoint discipline and constant graft were recurring themes!<br />
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top race.<br />
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<u>Race notes: </u><br />
Kit worn: merino wool base layer, Pennine vest - warm at times, generally comfortable. Gloves went on for exposed sections.<br />
Drink carried - 1 litre water. CP's generally did not have cups so little water drunk en route - ~0.5 litres when there were cups available<br />
Caramel Snickers perked me up at mile 30 when I felt ready to fall asleep!<br />
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http://www.strava.com/activities/268148206the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-56126938211412640622015-03-15T13:20:00.000+00:002015-05-05T13:20:44.812+01:00Lad's Leap fell race - 5.8 miles, ~1,600'<span id="goog_254505879"></span><span id="goog_254505880"><br /></span>
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<i>All pictures courtesy of <a href="http://ultraploddernick.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Nick Ham</a></i><br />
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A short(ish) sharp race from Crowden - heading west with a steep uphill pull, flattening out over the tops then dropping down into a quarry with a long, just-about-runnable, run up to Lad's Leap, over the moors and back down again.<br />
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Mark Fermer tipped me off to keep something in the bank for that second climb up out of the quarry. I remember thinking I was going well, then realising we were only halfway and had I overdone it?<br />
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This was a proper fell race, the run over the tops is great and typical of the fells around Glossop - peaty, boggy and rough. I had a few good battles, one bloke blew past me on the homeward leg over the top, but I caught him on the descent as he was picking his way down the slope. My descending legs remembered to turn up for this one. Around 65 minutes so not an amazing time but I had a good run none the less. We are very lucky to have runs like this on our doorstep round here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx93viIABlBOm1P3UAmkp2XT7LGoz7w4ceTQCZbHlfRX8TvIL95P1rvXCOZGUB_aTITESYFANMg5u18AN8qDzvn5hRuDMRBtHUwHLDPA_i_Sno7R4uJJiIQ2XuOVvFfUcXqb2Y_mOFTc/s1600/lads+leaping_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx93viIABlBOm1P3UAmkp2XT7LGoz7w4ceTQCZbHlfRX8TvIL95P1rvXCOZGUB_aTITESYFANMg5u18AN8qDzvn5hRuDMRBtHUwHLDPA_i_Sno7R4uJJiIQ2XuOVvFfUcXqb2Y_mOFTc/s320/lads+leaping_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-19981095133058565432015-01-14T13:07:00.003+00:002015-01-14T19:01:41.143+00:00How tired are you?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A footballer from the wrong end of the M62 was interviewed on
one of his most important goals – a last minute equaliser, scored from 30
yards. He said that he hit the ball ‘as hard as he could’ because ‘every bone
in his body ached’; he didn’t want to lay the ball off and build up the play
any further as he was too tired to run further towards the box. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two interesting
points for me:</span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even the best performers get tired; they give
their all to achieve top results (you would have thought he was able to cope
with 90 minutes of football; this shows the difference between 'competing' and 'completing')</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even when you are tired out, you can still
perform to high levels – if your brain will let you</span></span></li>
</ol>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-61316046929839583202014-12-01T13:37:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:37:46.356+00:00What causes muscle fatigue during exercise?<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/what-causes-muscle-pain-during-hard-exercise?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-MuscleBurn"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/what-causes-muscle-pain-during-hard-exercise?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-MuscleBurn</span></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-18402943791681386112014-11-30T15:56:00.000+00:002015-01-15T15:57:07.139+00:00Famous Grouse ~5m ~1,200'My first time running this route, having done parts of it many times during training runs round and about. At £2 you get what you pay for - get yourself to the top of the hill, down, up again then FAST back down, then bugger off home. What more do you really need? Water at the end was from a big old metal kettle, filled by dunking it into a bin full of water. Helped wash away the taste of blood in my mouth after pelting down the final stretch!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ji60gG4GMfWbADqu40i4TIcYc2-F1dNxhnYWX3Pt6jI-wElCAELOV3tNsoGXMH1Z8x4YrZPX0mSH80vBrzHZ-FIOf7YP9zEj2yXw4sY32d6KHyKR7akYO8Cn2yJpcRUCpp8tA7xyG6k/s1600/hc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ji60gG4GMfWbADqu40i4TIcYc2-F1dNxhnYWX3Pt6jI-wElCAELOV3tNsoGXMH1Z8x4YrZPX0mSH80vBrzHZ-FIOf7YP9zEj2yXw4sY32d6KHyKR7akYO8Cn2yJpcRUCpp8tA7xyG6k/s1600/hc.png" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(image courtesy http://www.t42.org.uk/hayfield/)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span id="goog_1187211270"></span><span id="goog_1187211271"><br /></span>the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-62427627411714264242014-11-10T13:38:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:38:34.803+00:00Lore of Running<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">According
to Kobasa et al (1982) there are three characteristics of the hardy
personality:</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Control</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">: hardy individuals see
themselves as being in charge of their environment</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Commitment</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">: hardy individuals get involved
and tackle problems head on</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Challenge</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: hardy individuals see change as a challenge
rather than as a threat</span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some parallels here with running....</span></span></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-88822512420858056592014-11-04T13:12:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:12:30.575+00:00Endurance Fatigue: Perception is everything<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
A fascinating study proves that fatigue in endurance
is nothing more and nothing less than quitting.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/endurance-fatigue-perception-is-everything_9067">http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/endurance-fatigue-perception-is-everything_9067</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-36810583406994875062014-07-26T13:07:00.000+01:002015-01-14T13:59:48.293+00:00Ingleborough Mountain Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHS7oTbUwLzHfxo7dC3-Tq-5fCSMcNXw9JymWqKc8wBB5PJD7l7wDyclPX0ITaizYVivBuEROAtvSxRW6faLvgJB8v53S0-0V6MG7Oro5VJ0kxNFIYFotJvwrUcYWR38BaZS1lBufktvY/s1600/WP_20140719_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHS7oTbUwLzHfxo7dC3-Tq-5fCSMcNXw9JymWqKc8wBB5PJD7l7wDyclPX0ITaizYVivBuEROAtvSxRW6faLvgJB8v53S0-0V6MG7Oro5VJ0kxNFIYFotJvwrUcYWR38BaZS1lBufktvY/s1600/WP_20140719_003.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Quite a grand title but this is officially a mountain. I
don’t think the organisers fancied the prospect of 125 wayward runners dicking
around in the fog, so the CP at the top was moved from its normal location in
the middle of the plateau to just over the lip of the summit.<br />
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Conditions were extremely humid – my mate and I finished the
race drenched with sweat/rain but were able to sit around having our tea and
cake in our vests without being cold at all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtm3IH0oMY2zpdL_ZrNzIS8PGQc7W4OaUFhD1fN6OlUl4B0hy11n3nkD1F-s2ifKgSElupy6Tj6QDDHdctj2S8AWa_fQVvNxKZc9iPYQTfVqLdg9KchwoCTgRwDhSGsFoRy1a95dG1-Q/s1600/ingleborough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtm3IH0oMY2zpdL_ZrNzIS8PGQc7W4OaUFhD1fN6OlUl4B0hy11n3nkD1F-s2ifKgSElupy6Tj6QDDHdctj2S8AWa_fQVvNxKZc9iPYQTfVqLdg9KchwoCTgRwDhSGsFoRy1a95dG1-Q/s1600/ingleborough.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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A nice little event for £4 and my best ever position/grading
in a fell race – 44<sup> </sup>/ 125 so just outside the top 1/3.<o:p></o:p></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-83290338676189495582014-06-04T13:11:00.000+01:002015-01-14T13:12:03.215+00:00Boar’s Head<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 minutes faster than last year – 1 hour 1 minute. Found it
very hard. Didn’t walk, apart from some of the uphill – there is 1,600’ of it
though so that’s my excuse! Tim Ruck beat me, after promising to do so at the
start – I think he was still sore after me beating him at Herod Farm back in
April J </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Took the path along the edge this time, as opposed to cutting across the
tussocks. I think the tussocks are easier, if you can find a good line. This
course is very runnable but the distance combined with the climb makes it very
painful too! The pint in the Boar’s Head afterwards was very welcome. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-52138664124009130082014-04-26T13:36:00.000+01:002015-01-14T13:37:22.464+00:00Fellsman ~62 miles ~11,000'<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not going to bang on about this too much as it really
should remain something that people find out about and do for themselves. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is what the Grindleford Gallop, Haworth Hobble and Edale Skyline were building up to. Plus some time in the gym working on core strength.</div>
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I bumped into Nick Ham coming out of Stonehouses (26 miles
done, 34 to go) and he announced he was in ‘survival mode’ – this really
brought home the scale of the event – not even halfway through and it had
already knocked us both for six. There was nothing to do but crack on with the
task in hand – think about it too much and I would have been done in. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Luckily on the Fellsman the CP’s are quite close together,
on average every 3 miles there are alternately (and generally) clip points and food
stops so it feels like you are making constant progress, if only to get one
more clip on your wheel-shaped tally closer to the finish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4xJ_ciu-PS4rm907jE2m6vQgJxGUw8kJK-Mq10W-CrPdUULwcb6-L682FEB-8TBxYjp-CNLVRHlPFU3pO3tD3KPEqLINJrLmnrNFGoVU2SBejVfXBeLy6GONAjrmvc1TDlq7HkIbXiU/s1600/14044836496_dc3ec5b649_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4xJ_ciu-PS4rm907jE2m6vQgJxGUw8kJK-Mq10W-CrPdUULwcb6-L682FEB-8TBxYjp-CNLVRHlPFU3pO3tD3KPEqLINJrLmnrNFGoVU2SBejVfXBeLy6GONAjrmvc1TDlq7HkIbXiU/s1600/14044836496_dc3ec5b649_z.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dib Dib</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Finish - yes I did; this one is more about completing than competing (personally) - I'll be back for more.</div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-37812603971742428742014-04-16T13:13:00.000+01:002015-01-14T13:13:55.693+00:00Herod Farm Hill RaceRenamed for 2014 as it was registered under Scottish Hill Runners rules & regulations. <div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 minutes faster than last year, 4<sup>th</sup> time running
this event. Hopefully the Fellsman training is paying off and this is a sign of
things to come…<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-69467510229737147032014-03-23T13:26:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:28:48.606+00:00Edale Skyline ~24miles ~4,000'<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Second time lucky on this one after DNF’ing 2 years ago…
someone had given me some hypotonic energy gels which I was planning on using....</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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After a great run over Win Hill and down to the road near Hope, I took my first
gel ready for the climb up to Lose Hill ridge, and waited for it to kick in.
Suffice to say it never kicked in (neither did the second one) and this,
coupled with the undulating, exposed ridge meant I started to struggle. I got to
Mam Nick with 11 of the ~24 miles done, and about 3,000’ in the bag but, as
anyone will tell you, this race gets started properly after Mam Nick!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXe1GZbWFjWNEWiQfTzroAyXCQlBtDXiA5k626p6B-OEZtmNCxS8P-mZSfaetpVC1Yi8omL5f9zQCX0lGC123eyv6xst9RJem0wKShKR1WcXqS7OvrHbvF4PRMxvCW0qMUrLx4-drH1Tw/s1600/hc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXe1GZbWFjWNEWiQfTzroAyXCQlBtDXiA5k626p6B-OEZtmNCxS8P-mZSfaetpVC1Yi8omL5f9zQCX0lGC123eyv6xst9RJem0wKShKR1WcXqS7OvrHbvF4PRMxvCW0qMUrLx4-drH1Tw/s1600/hc.png" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Route profile (courtesy http://www.t42.org.uk/hayfield/)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I plodded my way over Brown Knoll and was really struggling,
so I was more than happy to hear Steve Grace coming up behind me with his
trusty bag of trail mix. Some of this real food soon kick started my metabolism
and I was soon going again. </div>
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<br /></div>
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It might be the toughest bit but the second part
really is my favourite half of this race – around the Woolpacks where you dink
onto the Kinder plateau it really is like being on another planet (or at least
not like being in Derbyshire). The run in from there is deceptively far but we
got each other round, boulder and stream hopping as we made our way back down
Ringing Roger to finish in 4h44. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Not the best of finish times but great
training and the last of my long runs in preparation for the Fellsman.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-38889909573093634272014-03-15T13:29:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:30:26.802+00:00How to spot a turnip at 30 paces – and other Haworth Hobblings<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-line-height-alt: 18.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don’t
know your Mankinholes from your Lumbutts (one of those involves a shot of Jura
and a doughnut), then this is the race for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As this is
ostensibly a walking event (aka the Wuthering Hike), our start time was 8am,
which necessitated a 5.45 pick up to make our way over to God’s own country.
Four of us packed into Stefan’s car for the journey.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As our
respective metabolisms warmed up (and the car windows went down), the ice was
well and truly broken between us. Conversations around crystal meth and
corporate fraud soon followed and before we knew it we were in Haworth, where
we arrived just after 7.20 to find the queue for registration stretching out
into the car park. It would be a late start.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Featuring the
most robust safety pins I have seen in a competitive event, registration was
almost as brief as the starter’s orders “well I hope you all know the way – off
you go” as went ran up the cobbled main street.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ian
Wolfendale and I had decided to run together before the event; the weather
conditions were fair and navigation seemed fairly straightforward so our maps
remained in our bags for most of the race, save for a couple of checks.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first
couple of miles took us out of Haworth and up onto the moors, near the Stanbury
Splash route and up to Top Withins. The terrain for much of the day was to be
farm tracks and paved paths over the fells, with the odd section of road thrown
in as we made brief forays into civilisation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made our
way across the moorland and over the wall of Walshaw Dean reservoir, whose
surface was a foreboding mass of tall, dark waves. It was at this stage Ian kindly
said that he would stand me a pint if I got him round the course.
His answer to my question as to whether if I took him round twice I
would get two pints, was not so kindly put.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 19.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first
checkpoint loomed into view, with bags of broken biscuits on offer – I opted
for a stem ginger number and ran to catch Ian up.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without going
into a blow by blow account of the full seven hours we were out there, we had a
great race, the terrain was pretty runnable with a couple of major climbs – up
Stoodley Pike and out of Hebden Bridge. The race organisers seemed to have
bought a job lot of doughnuts and hot cross buns as this is what we were fed on
throughout the race, along with broken biscuits at a couple of CP’s and hot
dogs at another.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One
interesting bit was coming down off Stoodley Pike. Having had Wendy Dodds in
our sight for most of the race, it was at this point we were passed by
Nicky Spinks and a couple of her pals. <i>‘Not doing too bad after all!’ </i>we
said to ourselves. I’m sure they were thinking along the same lines:<br />
<i>“Hey, there’s that Crawshaw fella – didn’t he once do a sub-21 minute
Parkrun?”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #373737; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shortly afterwards we ran past a farmyard that was
full of what looked like yellow, round pebbles – Ian reliably informed me that
these were turnips to feed the sheep. You learn something new every day!</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-39396338967000901812014-03-08T13:31:00.000+00:002015-01-14T19:07:15.785+00:00Grindleford Gallop - 20 miles, 3,000'<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNJrYrdS5QV1UfHvbdMLeju7DZLbeXJnRdD2T0K19qvJrtpukxVUR46ppNhuxXxIU1mxutuzFF082FSiSx9CAVvX90MkClAbaX_CjJ-e-FOQGqWaheJFAPED-h8n9sf-ViakbUO-UjV4/s1600/1394288574618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFNJrYrdS5QV1UfHvbdMLeju7DZLbeXJnRdD2T0K19qvJrtpukxVUR46ppNhuxXxIU1mxutuzFF082FSiSx9CAVvX90MkClAbaX_CjJ-e-FOQGqWaheJFAPED-h8n9sf-ViakbUO-UjV4/s1600/1394288574618.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Race 1 of 3 long ones to get me ready for the Fellsman. I
did this with mrs t.o.r. and we had a great time. The route was nice and varied
with a mix of trail, track, road and fell, and some spectacular views over the
Chatsworth Estate and Froggat Edge near the end. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The feed stations were amazing
too – mrs t.o.r. even broke her self-imposed cake ban just outside Bakewell and
was absolutely flying!<o:p></o:p></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-68574216203857050732014-01-19T13:31:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:40:23.767+00:00Trigger 2014 ~22 miles ~4,500'<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love this race. I am still new to long distance fell
running but the variety and challenge it contains make it really interesting
and a great day out. Conditions started off warm and I was conscious of not
overheating by going off too fast on the run past the reservoirs on the early
stretch – which I did last year.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got that bit right and on the climb up to Black Hill the
wind soon got up and the temperature dropped correspondingly. Good job I
brought spare gloves as no soon as I’d put my first pair on, than I fell over
in exactly the same spot as the year before, and they were soaked through. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was running with Ian Wolfendale at this point and we were
making good progress down into Crowden, which is about a third of the way into
the race. The next step is to decide whether to go straight up Lawrence Edge or
up Wildboarclough… we took the second option and it seemed like better going
than last year’s LE route.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Having topped out on Bleaklow it’s always tough after
climbing around 1000 feet, coupled with knee deep snow, old friend Mr Cramp
decided to stick his head round the corner and bid me good day. I managed a
shuffle and managed to string along until we hit the Pennine Way, which gave
the chance for a faster trot along a better defined path.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When we got to Shelf Stones the wind was up and it was
decidedly chilly, so time to put a coat on. We could see Kinder in the distance
with its top in the mist, but that was a mere hint of what was to come!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To quote Pat Barry on the Pennine forum, setting out onto
the Kinder plateau was ‘like entering Hell’. Albeit a chilly Hell. I was strung
out at this point after picking a very bad line up Withins Clough and going up
to my nuts in a freezing bog, meaning the waterproof trousers were on. The
Kinder crossing was done in near-zero visibility, with driving wind and ankle
deep snow making going difficult. The river was iced over too, and the surface
gave way occasionally resulting in an icy dip for the toes, which by this time
were like blocks of ice. I did this section with a Dark Peak runner and we
convinced each other of various twists and turns through the groughs to appear
on the edge path just above Crowden Brook – job done, same as last year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally made it to the finish line 5 hours and 45 minutes after setting off – a
great day out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-32890928642730466042013-11-24T11:49:00.000+00:002014-02-26T12:44:01.034+00:00The Snowdonia Marathon<br />
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
Snowdonia Marathon. Sounds easy when you say it quickly. It’s also probably the
most scenic road race in the UK, alongside the Langdale Marathon, and lined
with friendly supporters all the way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I’d done
this one twice before: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2009:
4h46<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2011:4h16
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">2013:
target sub-4.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
July’s Lakeland 50 I had 13 weeks in which to go from an ultra-distance, slow
paced running routine to a fast, consistent paced, continuous running style. I
had a week or so off after the 50 miler and then got back into things with the
Cracken Edge fell race. My plan was to use the 50 as a general foundation for
fitness, and slot some short, sharp speed work on top, combined with a good
foundation of 8 to 15 mile runs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Having
done Snowdonia twice before I really couldn’t be bothered doing it too many
times again, and the lack of a sub-4 hour finish was starting to annoy me. I set about devising a training schedule that had a mix of speed, distance
and climb – all on the road therefore specific to the race in hand – working up
to the clichéd 20 mile long run about 3 weeks before race day.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Luckily
mrs theoptimistic runner had also signed up for the race, so more often than
not our Sundays saw us getting up, sorting the kids out and doing family stuff
then passing each other on the doorstep as we set out on our long runs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Training
for a specific time on a road marathon, at around 7 weeks before race day the
long runs were getting to be 2+ hours long, and whilst they were enjoyable, I
felt a bit like a hamster on a wheel at times – the runs had to be done whether
I felt like it or not. For the record I did about 85% of the training runs in
my plan, if I ever missed something I’d try to make up for it by putting more
into the next run, or taking the dog for an extra walk or something. During my
training I did find some lovely routes over Werneth Low and down the back of
Mellor, it’s always great when you discover new routes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
averaged around 20 miles a week over 3 runs. I think I had two 30+ mile weeks.
If you think that just by putting in the miles you will get the job done, you
are wrong. It takes a good diet, a plan of how you’re going to run the race, a
desire to do well with a positive mindset, and good overall fitness. Also – if
you live by your schedule and you miss a session, the feelings of guilt and
despair when you miss a run can really knock you back. By incorporating more
factors that you can actually control, you stand a better chance of running the
race you want to run.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">My 20
mile long run a few weeks before the race was an absolute disaster and I was
hobbling from about 15 miles onwards. Even downhilling I could only manage 7:30
minute miles. I put it down to a bad day and decided to bank the strength I’d
gained – when you run 20 miles, no-one can take that away from you – either if
you stuff yourself with junk food afterwards, or the run itself doesn’t go to plan,
you’ve still done those 20 miles and your legs have still got that little bit
stronger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I think
of running as building up a foundation of capability – so for instance on a
marathon, if you can get to the stage where you feel comfortable for the first
15 miles, then you are only left with an 11.2 mile run – and an 11.2 mile run
should be pretty straightforward for someone wanting to run a marathon. It’s a
bit of kidology but similar to how I approach ultras – just keep chipping away
and keeping yourself hydrated and fed, resetting yourself back to zero with
food and drink from checkpoint to checkpoint as far as possible whenever you
can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In the
10 days leading up to the race I laid off all caffeine, processed food and
cakes, but I did have a cheeky bottle of Pendle Witch’s Brew and it tasted
rank! Together with mrs theoptimistic runner we knocked our cake intake right
back and mainly kept to dark chocolate for treats. So we approached Carnarvon
on the Friday night excited and ready to run the next day. We nipped to
Llanberis to get our numbers and the weather was doing its worst – I’ve got to
be honest and say if it stayed like that I wasn’t going to have a great run the
next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We had a
look around the registration area which has now moved into the Electric
Mountain visitor centre and incorporates a mini-Expo (more like a jumble sale
but it’s nice to see the race getting bigger and more popular by the year), and
then ran back to our car through the wind and rain.</span></div>
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</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Tea on
Friday was a big lasagne with sweet potato chips for me, and I finished off mrs
t.o.r.’s steak and ale pie, along with a medicinal pint of stout. Breakfast on
race morning was a bowl of porridge, with a full English in sandwich format to
eat after the race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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</div>
On the day, things went great. The weather was perfect and we got there in plenty of time. I'd borrowed a Garmin to keep me on pace, anything like 8 mins on the flat, 7 mins on the downhills and 9 mins on the up would see me right to the tune of 3h39. I'd planned each mile against the course profile and my knowledge of the route and it felt achievable.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8NRXFc5I0IegSOkIWP413rAfwWD1imc-UslC_tff7hs0uIuzdLgKDGGEmxejEdQZtCxXsJa-CSgpyaTtGO9ielcSwN3u28vPYKpWPKnW-ZDLtSH6zneanEJuhlDigwFepXrAPsDbEklc/s1600/snowdonia+timing+calculator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8NRXFc5I0IegSOkIWP413rAfwWD1imc-UslC_tff7hs0uIuzdLgKDGGEmxejEdQZtCxXsJa-CSgpyaTtGO9ielcSwN3u28vPYKpWPKnW-ZDLtSH6zneanEJuhlDigwFepXrAPsDbEklc/s400/snowdonia+timing+calculator.jpg" height="158" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">planned timings</td></tr>
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<br />
Mile 1 went a minute faster than predicted so that was 60 seconds in the bank. Halfway up the climb to Pen-y-Pass I realised one of the Garmin displays was wrong, so I got that sorted and pushed on uphill.<br />
<br />
When the road after Pen-y-Pass opens up and the route down the valley is laid out before you, at that point of a marathon, there aren't many better places to be in the world. The next downhill is as fast as you want it to be, the fastest part of the course, so I took advantage and got a couple of 6 minute miles under my belt - another 2 minutes in the bank.<br />
<br />
From then on it's a bit more downhill to mile 8ish, then along the valley bottom to Bedgellert which seemed to take an age to come. Just keep the head down and concentrate on running, no thought about planning for retirement, pints at the end or anything else - stay focused on the job.<br />
<br />
Bedgellert finally arrives along with the following uphill slog for a couple of miles. This gave me a chance to use some different leg muscles, there was a brief shower too which was a nice break as well. Time for another gel - during the race I took one at 3, 9, 16 and 21 miles. 9 and 21 were caffeine gels, I swear by SIS, they always seem to do the trick.<br />
<br />
From mile 16 it's tough for a few reasons - no suppport, it's quite an isolated stretch, flat, and nearly 'wall' time. Time to bash out some consistent miles and tick them off. They fell soon enough, and a few runners overtook me. Just concentrate on my own timing and my own race; stick to the plan.<br />
<br />
By this time we were approaching Waunfawr and the famous last climb - looking across the valley, it looked much the same as Lantern Pike near me which I run up all the time, which was reassuring.<br />
<br />
There's no big story about the last hill on this run - I ran about 90% of it, but there were a couple of times I was reduced to a walk. I looked down at my watch and it was about 3:15; I had around 3 miles to go. It was decision time. Find something extra in the tank and be home in half an hour, or forget it all and get back sometime later. The path flattened out and I pushed on, the quarry gradually came into view. I stopped for a quick drink at the final station and then it was time for the final descent. The last downhill on the tarmac is brutal at that stage of the race, but it's all free energy and I tried to take advantage as best I could.<br />
<br />
Turning the corner into the finish strait in Llanberis I had the biggest smile on my face as I saw the clock: 3h39. I crossed the line and went into the kit hut. I was bleeding in 4 places and pretty emotional and had a bit of a moment to myself. After 9 months of planning and prep, and 2 previous attempts over the past 4 years, I'd done it. Should have run quicker in the first place!<br />
<br />
I hope you enjoyed my tale.<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/397520005">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/397520005</a></span><o:p></o:p><br />
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the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-70986585599775374542013-11-23T13:05:00.000+00:002015-01-14T13:06:22.569+00:00Tour of Pendle 16m 4,100'<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last AL of the season and my longest
and steepest fell race to date. We organised a Pennine minibus to take 12 of us
on the 60 minute journey to Barley and race HQ. The start was bitterly cold
which promised clear conditions on top and easy navigation. This isn't a classic route but it's certainly tough and interesting.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the route</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are 6 major climbs (and descents), the most notorious descent being Geronimo (how fast do you dare come down?!); the final climb doesn't have a name but i'm sure it's been given a few unofficial titles by runners over the years! I was so strung out
on this last bit that I picked up a half-eaten Murray Mint and ate it. It was delicious!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Geronimo!</span></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-59910460533993308002013-10-19T16:52:00.000+01:002013-12-17T16:52:36.465+00:00Marple Parkrun 5k
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1 week before Snowdonia. If I can’t run 5k flat out in just
over 20 mins, what hope do I have in running a marathon for 3.5 hours plus? Me
and mrs theoptimisticrunner brought the kids down to Brabyns Park in Marple for
the grandparents to look after whilst we had a final fling training run.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s nothing like having kids to bring you down to earth
– forget about preparing for a sub-4 hour marathon target time, there’s coats
to put on, dummies to find and screaming to deal with. You’re 14<sup>th</sup>
out of 104 runners in the parkrun? I don’t care, I’m knee deep in a puddle and I’m
having a great time!<o:p></o:p></div>
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After a brief warm up we were away. I felt close to the
front of the pack but the pace was painful. Managed to hang on for the first
lap; the second lap was a skin of the teeth job. One runner (Frank Fielding,
fellow Pennine fell runner and track athlete extraordinaire [now 50+]) overtook
me, I managed to claw him back but couldn’t get any nearer the next man. 21:22
I think I did it in, a new PB. Like I say, it’s all relative. Didn’t mean
anything on the day, I had bigger fish to fry in a week’s time.<o:p></o:p></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-31200613582704230152013-10-13T16:53:00.000+01:002013-12-17T16:53:56.327+00:00Windgather fell race 13.5miles ~2,500’
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<o:p></o:p> </div>
The first taste of winter? Weak showers and a mild breeze
played with our thoughts of kit selection as we lined up at the start. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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At just over 13 miles and around 2,500’ of ascent – but on
trail & fell terrain – this race would be a reasonably accurate barometer
of my overall fitness in preparation for Snowdonia. </div>
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It was all pretty runnable and navigation was easy apart from
one bit where instinct should have kicked in – but I gave in and followed
someone else. This only continued for a few yards as a spectator saw us back on
the correct route.</div>
<br />
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I was glad of the Snickers bar (remember they used to be
called Marathon?) I’d brought with me; I had half on the climb out of the
reservoir valley bottom and the second half on the top just after Windgather
rocks. This shows the logic of running your own race; some runners overtook me
as I slowed down to eat the second half of my Snickers, but then I finished it
off and soon overtook them, never to be seen again. Know the route and know
what you’re looking to achieve – unless you’re just out for a fun run, in which
case just enjoy it. Personally I’ve been disappointed too many times in races
that have fallen in the middle of a training schedule and I’ve been too tired
to compete. Don’t get distracted by the detail if you’ve got your eyes on
something bigger.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think I finished around 2h25, not a brilliant time but
something to take to Snowdonia in a couple of weeks time and a nice reminder of
the beauty of the Peak District in which we live.<o:p></o:p></div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-91123053842915223022013-08-07T19:54:00.000+01:002013-11-17T19:55:44.177+00:00Cracken Edge 2013<br />
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After the Lakeland 50, running 7 miles over a bit of
moorland was a doddle. No sore legs and a beautiful evening. Is performance all
in the mind? 5 mins quicker this year.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
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Some runners were wearing rucksacks, I presume they’d either
run there or were being overly cautions. Better that than the other extreme.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134309570615543035.post-75999983326275193982013-07-27T20:08:00.000+01:002013-11-17T20:08:15.161+00:00Lakeland 50 2013 - 50 miles, 9000'Nearly 9 months in the offing, this was going to be my first race of any sort in the Lake District since the 2009 Great Langdale Marathon. This would be something like my 6<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup> ultra, having run a few marathons too, but the first time I’d ever had anything like a Training Diary leading up to a race so I was feeling confident and had been running well in the local midweek races back in the Peak District.<br />
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I was really looking forward to this race as it promised to cover some of the lesser visited corners of the area, but the section down the Langdale valley was one I knew fairly well.<br />
<br />
The day before the race was pretty uneventful but I took the chance to sit in the 100 mile briefing and watch the 6PM start of their event. Thinking of them running through the night and morning before we started at Dalemain really brought home to me the scale of what they were doing. As I write this after the race, I think I could do the distance but running through 2 nights would really play with my mind.<br />
<br />
On the morning of the race I bumped into Col Wilshaw from Pennine who told me our other clubmate Paul Booth was running the 50 as his car broke down Friday evening en route to the 100 – so he’d been let on the 50 instead. We ended up running together up until Haweswater and I was glad of the early company. Topics discussed included stalkers and private email addresses, I wonder what another 10 hours on the trail would have thrown up?!<br />
<br />
There are plenty of other descriptions of the route so I’ll leave most of that to others. The main factor in the early stages, in fact through to the early evening, was the heat – in turns sunshine and humidity – so keeping a lid on things and not flying off too fast, aside from the normal ultra pacing, was going to be key.<br />
<br />
We did a 4 mile loop round Dalemain estate then we hit Pooley Bridge and the first few crowds cheering us on. I wondered if 12:30 was too early for a Pepperami but Col suggested I get one down me. The 60 grams of carbohydrate that Paul reckoned I’d burnt off by now were replaced in one helping of processed salty crap.<br />
<br />
CP1 at Howtown (11 miles) came and went. Back up the road to tackle the second climb and for me the start of the toughest section of the course.<br />
<br />
The ascent up Fusedale is around 3 miles and the best part of 2,500’. The heat was coming up from Martindale in waves that sapped all energy and breath. I’d take a drink of water and my mouth would be immediately dry again. However, we were still picking people off and some were laid down by the path, trying to gather their energy to get to the top. False summits came and went until finally we were there. I tried to break into something faster than a walk and managed to shuffle onwards. <br />
<br />
Thinking it might help replace some lost salt, I tried to get another Pepperami down but this wasn’t advisable whilst trying to run, and I ended up coughing most of it out over the moorland. The dogs would have been happy.<br />
<br />
Down through the bracken towards Haweswater, Colin and Paul are still picking people off on the path. I knew I could keep it up for a while but not for the rest of the day, so I let them push on whilst I got myself together. This would prove to be my quickest section overall but interestingly even though I slowed down, I only lost 30 or so places to the end of the day, so everyone must have maintained a similar pace from then on in.<br />
<br />
It was around this time that the wheels started to fall off – nothing specific just a general tiredness (I could feel my eyes closing) and a feeling of wanting to sit down by the path and have a rest. I was 17 miles into the race and couldn’t image running another step that day, let alone covering another 33 miles. I kept dunking my cup into the streams but no sooner had I drank it than I was thirsty again. I dipped my hat into another stream and put it on my head, and in my disorientated state I put the peak into my mouth and sucked out the stream water along with years of accumulated sweat. I stumbled along, gagging, and tried to pull myself together.<br />
<br />
The CP at Mardale Head (20 miles) loomed into view like a mirage, a navy blue gazebo at the top of the lake. This was make or break time. I stocked up on everything – flat Coke, butternut squash soup, jam sandwich (dipped in the soup) and some ibuprofen, for no reason other than things couldn’t get any worse so might as well take some drugs. People were in bits by this stage and 28 people would drop out here. Weather wise, this was the hottest part of the day but another 96 would retire before the race was over – 482 runners crossing the finish line at Coniston from the 587 that started at Dalemain. What kept me going was imagining having to tell people I’d not finished the race, what I would say to them and how I would feel doing that. No T shirt, no medal, better luck next year son.<br />
(There’s a great write up of the power of the mind and how someone applied it to the Lakeland 100 <a href="http://www.ajc-runninglate.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/lakeland-100-most-important-muscle-in.html?m=1"><span style="color: #071b72;">here</span></a>.)<br />
Something worked anyway – the road book said it was 6.5 miles to Kentmere and it would be a poor state of affairs if I couldn’t cover that distance. I was fully fuelled and had plenty of daylight left so there was no reason not to push on. I had the bright idea to put some sports drink into my water bladder so I could have a steady flow of energy on the next leg – anything was worth a try.<br />
<br />
The climb up Gatesgarth started immediately after the checkpoint, I attacked it with renewed vigour and a brew in my hand. I was making the same pace up here as I was with Col and Paul earlier, so I knew things were good again. The climb lasted around 15 minutes I think, then we started the long drop down the other side. The going here (like most of the rest of the day) was very rocky and bouldery, I had a couple of soft ankle turns on the way down but nothing serious. I remember thinking how painful this section must have been for the 100 milers, after 70 miles of their race. There was another cheeky climb before we dropped down into Kentmere, at this point the sun came out from behind the clouds and we were sweating buckets.<br />
<br />
Kentmere (27 miles) was soon upon us, with the help of some guidance through the final twists and turns we came across the Institute and the next checkpoint. Outside there was a washing up bowl with a sign saying ‘Wash Your Face Here!’ Me and another lad got stuck in, much to the concern of another runner ‘Isn’t that a bit unhygienic?’ she asked. Deciding we had bigger problems at hand (like running 50 miles!) we carried on.<br />
<br />
The checkpoint was an oasis of bad dance music, pasta and smoothies. It somehow felt quite normal to be eating an evening meal at 6pm, except I wouldn’t usually have my tea whilst wearing so much Lycra.<br />
<br />
There was also a big clock on the wall which ticked round at alarming speed – a link back to reality – 15 minutes passed in no time and it was time to leave.<br />
<br />
It was set to be climbing for the next mile or two out of Kentmere so I unclipped my trusty plastic cup and got a coffee for the journey. Walking up the road I chatted to a 100 miler for a while – I was always a bit unsure what to say to them, didn’t want a slip of the tongue to demoralise them by mistake – and carried on up the hill.<br />
<br />
(I saw Nick Ham just before Howtown and he was struggling after drinking too much electrolyte. There wasn’t anything I could do or say, but he would go on to finish in a 33-hour PB)<br />
Prior to the race, the aspect I was worried most about was the ascent, about 9,700’ in total. But I felt really strong throughout and managed to catch a group that was half a mile ahead of me as I started up the hill from Kentmere. A thunderstorm combined with a Mountain Rescue helicopter provided a reminder on a few levels of the dangers of hanging around in exposed places and I cracked on down the hill. A short section of road out of Troutbeck preceded a nice runnable section of trail as we headed down into Ambleside (34 miles).<br />
<br />
There were lots of crowds on the streets and outside the pubs cheering us on and I felt a bit emotional as we got to the checkpoint! Unfortunately the indoor CP here was more akin to a sauna so a quick tomato soup, cheese sandwich and ginger cake, flat coke and the usual coffee were all I had time for. As a Yorkshireman I hate turning my back on free food but I needed to keep moving whilst I felt good.<br />
<br />
It was on the climb out of Ambleside that I met a couple of Wigan Harriers that I ended up finishing the race with – Julie and Graham. They knew the route inside out and we were running at a similar speed, taking it in turns to lead. We made the Chapel Stile CP (40 miles) at 10pm as it was starting to turn dark. A 50 runner was crashed on the sofa having run an additional 9 miles the wrong way out of the Mardale Head checkpoint and the marshals made him stay until the medical team had checked him out. I saw him the next day in the canteen looking right as rain so the checkpoint staff had done their job. They were keeping a close eye on everyone here and for good reason – we’d done 40 miles of the race but the 100 mile competitors had done 95 – the 100 mile course is actually 105 miles in length. It’s funny to think how we viewed the last 10 miles as us being ‘nearly there’ when we had another 20% of the race to do, but these events are about chipping away and ticking each checkpoint off again and again until you get to the finish.<br />
<br />
The long sleeve base layer went on here underneath my jacket and it was headtorch time. It was here I had my first toilet break in nearly 12 hours, a sign of how hot the day had been. Even in the light of my headtorch I could see my urine was a dark yellow colour, but the thirstiness of earlier in the day had luckily passed.<br />
<br />
We made good progress along the valley, slowly rising up the hillside to cross the road at Wrynose Pass. The progress on this last section was pretty good, with some rocky ground but a good few stretches of runnable trail. Running was surprisingly easy, I had no discomfort apart from my feet feeling a bit snug in my shoes. We passed Blea Tarn and skirted around the top of Blea Moss, a boggy section of lower ground we’d been advised to keep out of. We saw a few headtorches bobbing around in the lower ground and they hopefully weren’t stuck in there too long.<br />
<br />
I was feeling ok at this point but the cold was just starting to creep in a little, which helped keep me moving so I could stay warm. Nothing was dry any more so I’d played my last card on the kit front. Had to get my head down and make progress as quick as I could to the last checkpoint and on to the end.<br />
<br />
The checkpoint at Tilberthwaite had a beach theme as far as I can remember! The marshalls had flowers round their necks and I’m sure the Beach Boys were playing. The staff here were fantastic, really had their heads screwed on as they made us put our waterproof trousers on to conserve as much energy as possible and keep us warm over the last climb and the exposed top of the quarry. One of our group was shivering but the CP staff sorted them out with a warm drink and some more clothes and he was good to go. Another runner came in behind us and the marshalls took one look at him before plonking him into a chair, wrapping him up in foil blankets and rugs and rubbing him to get the heat back into him. I think this CP could have gone either way for many runners and the staff will have played a vital role in some people finishing the race.<br />
<br />
Up the steps to Tilberthwaite we went and I’d like to say I can remember the rest – but it was pitch black and driving rain so we all had our heads down trying to get to shelter in the valley bottom. What I do remember is finally hitting the tarmac road that runs in the gully between the hills above Coniston, and seeing the faint orange glow of the streetlights in the distance.<br />
<br />
We were soon in the village and there were still some people outside the pubs cheering us on (it was 1am) and we crossed the line together back at the school. The whole canteen applauded us as we came in which was a pretty emotional experience in my tired state!<br />
<br />
I finished the race wearing every piece of emergency kit (apart from my gloves) and it later turned out I’d lost 6lbs during the race despite eating like a king all day – the ultimate crash diet?the optimistic runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16562895791175053683noreply@blogger.com0