Slowing down to speed up?

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Originally Posted by IainR

I used to be able to hold it in and get loads back.. if I was 5th at the summit I was fairly confident of top 3.. now if I hold my place its rare.. so I have to push much harder on the way up.. on a runnable track like descent, wyddfa et al, I can do OK on those.. it's the proper fell descents.. which was my strongest part.. is now undoubtably my weakest..

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I'm very much the same (except I was never confident of gaining places on descents). I have to push on the ascents.

It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you're always knackered at the top, you'll never catch people on the descents. So you think you're a poor descender and have to put much more into the ascents... and the cycle continues.

These days I put it all down to fitness. If I'm fit enough to finish in the top 10, I will. It takes a lot of pressure off. I still push hard and know my strengths and weaknesses, but I'm less likely to get my split very wrong [famous last words...]

Thanks for the responses all. So more Weetabix, more hill reps, keep starting fast and grin and bear it!

Off to Angelsey for another EnduranceLife 10k this weekend - did it last year but have a feeling the 'ups' are going to seem pretty tame after the Blorenge, Skirrid etc!

Hill work is what i now concentrate on but speed i find is so important, can get you out of all sorts of trouble when the going gets easier/flatter. Just pul em in on the way down. :-) Good look with 10k. Yeah skirrid had probably the shortest but steepest climb i've ever raced. Clinging on was the only option. :-)

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Originally Posted by Athers

Hill work is what i now concentrate on but speed i find is so important, can get you out of all sorts of trouble when the going gets easier/flatter. Just pul em in on the way down. :-) Good look with 10k. Yeah skirrid had probably the shortest but steepest climb i've ever raced. Clinging on was the only option. :-)

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Cheers Athers. And yeah, the last slope on Skirrid probably qualified as a Grade 1 Scramble!

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Originally Posted by noel

If you're always knackered at the top, you'll never catch people on the descents.

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Never found that to be the case. I'm always knackered at the top and have always caught people on descents. At Wansfell this xmas i was staggering at the top my legs were that bad, proper jelly legs, i passed about 6/7 on the way down though. I don't think you have to be faster or less paggered than the person in front, just a little bit more committed.

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Originally Posted by Athers

Mr B. I am 100% on your level of thought with 100% maximum attack all the way from the gun. Although like you I'm only a fan of the shorter sharper races. 8 mile 2,500ft can be tough going full on but a 3 miler is not worth doing if you don't go at it hard. Just my opinion of course.

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Agreed. Matthew Athersmith is it?

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Originally Posted by mr brightside

Agreed. Matthew Athersmith is it?

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Not me i'm afraid.

the one and only unknown man of his sport Chris Atherton. :-)

ooh like this thread... in a similar boat, been swim, bike, run for 2.5 yrs not quite as fast as your run times.
im also at holyhead but for the 15.5miler this weekend, it will be my 2nd off road race (snowdon last year was my 1st) was wondering how to pace this - was thinking of taking it as a training run as it will be the longest distance i have run (conwy 1/2 mara previously 1.30.13 grr) and will take the longest amount of time. so there is no way i should be taking this as flat out and trying to hang on - i am hoping for 2.5hrs after looking at last years times.
is it a case of slow and steady gets to the finish rather than wins the race??

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Originally Posted by ben16v

ooh like this thread... in a similar boat, been swim, bike, run for 2.5 yrs not quite as fast as your run times.
im also at holyhead but for the 15.5miler this weekend, it will be my 2nd off road race (snowdon last year was my 1st) was wondering how to pace this - was thinking of taking it as a training run as it will be the longest distance i have run (conwy 1/2 mara previously 1.30.13 grr) and will take the longest amount of time. so there is no way i should be taking this as flat out and trying to hang on - i am hoping for 2.5hrs after looking at last years times.
is it a case of slow and steady gets to the finish rather than wins the race??

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The EL events are normally quite an easy field. You'll be fine - I'd recommend just taking it easy and pegging yourself in the midfield somewhere then pick up places in the second half as and where you can. There'll be people there, even in the half, who are just doing it for the challenege and to see if they can.

I remember the course for the 10k feeling contrived last year - lots of looping out and turning back (or that's how it seemed). Quite rocky and 'technical' too, but no massive climbs. Not so easy to overtake in some places though. The wind in off the sea was a factor too.

A mate and I are sleeping out near the race and if we're up and about early are thinking about switching to the marathon. Better than hanging around in the freezing cold!

At your next fell race have a go at purposely starting right at the very back of the field. I've done it a couple of times now (the Esk Valley fell races on the north york moors have kindly let me run with my border collie so long as I started at the back) and its unbelievably refreshing. First off you start off chilled out and with relatively low expectations, secondly you rarely get overtaken, thirdly you feel a right smart arse overtaking your way through :). I even set the current over 50 and over 55 record for the Blakey Blitz (if you believe their course records spreadsheet) starting from the back!