Hmmmm......................23:59 will do me, any faster and i'll have more Guinness to drink:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
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Hmmmm......................23:59 will do me, any faster and i'll have more Guinness to drink:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
No, thats 17:59! So that means you'll have to drink 6 pints of Guinness....im sure you'll be up for that.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
6 pints of Guinness is very do-able.................17:59....how does 'no fecking way, not even with a rocket strapped to me harris' grab ya:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
Ok, i'll let you off then....but if you did that would be quite impressive.:DQuote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
But anyway, getting round is tha most important thing.....so...when is the date going to be set.:D
Next June, the 26th is our Wedding Anniversary so that would be a good celebration!!!!
I'll get it booked off work.;)Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
Climbing's sorted out. How about distance, what the longest run or walk people do in training?
iirc Daz did a double Marsden-Edale when he was BGR training. I've fancied it for years (its one of THE classic bog trots). You up for one early next year merry? :eek::cool:
I'd look at some of the longer LDWA events, though some tend to be a bit close to the usual BGR dates, The Fellsman for instance. The longest that I did in the months prior to my round was 20 miles or so but I'd say that it may be better to aim for long days in the hills rather than specifying a distance - set off for a walk/jog early in the morning and just keep going until it starts to get dark. Helps to have some idea of a route though :DQuote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
I averaged around 25 miles a week - I was recovering from ITBS so couldn't do much mileage - and got round in 23:54. A friend who's similar to me timewise in longer races got round in 22:29 after doing 60 miles a week training. I was talking to someone last weekend I knew from many years ago and he said that his training was two fifteen mile runs each week along the canal out of Leeds plus one full recce of the route - he did it in 22:30!
Then there are the people who put the miles in, get the ascent sorted and find themselves unable to complete the round. A lot of it's down to mental attitude - you have got to want to do it.
Bob, when you say 25miles / week was that 25miles in the Lakes? How much climbing did you do on average?
I'd never run further than Wasdale 85 before I set off Merry, but I had a good few years of long fell walking in my system.Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
My fell running only started at the back end of 1984 and Langdale 84 was my first ever race.
Managed plenty of recceing with Ambleside team mates and did a couple of long days pacing Alan Heaton on his Wainwrights.
I did 1 70 mile week in training but was so f**ked, I had to take a week off to recover. I was a nipper remember. ;)
OCTs will be good prep and you have the Fellsman 09 under your belt already.
Bob's right; the physical prep is relevant but perhaps not the crucial factor. Mental strength has a big role to play, and desire.
Map out some plans you think might suit and get going on them. But be ready to re-think if all seems not be going well.
I did 487 miles in the twenty weeks prior to my BG, so 24 miles/week.Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
Mainly round here with days over in the Lakes recceing particular sections - http://bobwightman.co.uk/run/diary_2005.php - probably averaged 4000' of ascent per week and that definitely wasn't enough:o
Back to the mental attitude point. One of the training days in the Lakes was with Ali, another Bowland runner and a friend of mine from the Lakes. We headed over to Wasdale to recce leg 4. It was raining in the valley and it is the only time I've ever worn full waterproofs when setting off on a run. By the top of Yewbarrow the rain was snow and there was a full covering of wet snow on the ground. We only saw three other people all day the weather was that bad, an absolutely foul day. It was then that I realised that I'd got the determination to get round. Though all four of us admitted that we wouldn't have set off had we been alone.
The diary makes interesting reading Bob. Thanks :)
Thanks for the replies guys, like the idea of an early morning start and just keep going till dark. Know what i did in prep for Fellsman so similair for next year. Longest i did was a solo 40 miler and only had one bad patch on the Fellsman, last 3m on tarmac and my ankles were playing up.
Been averaging 40-50m a week since may, with an easy week every 3 or 4, lost weight, feel good, need to keep it ticking over for the rest of the year and stay injury free.
Fancying the OCT instead of Fellsman next year.
Merry I'd say you'll comfortably do a Bob Graham Round, no sweat. If I were you though I'd just concentrate on the not getting injured bit the most and maybe be careful about entering actual races, particularly in the January to May stretch if youre thinking of BGR'ing in June. And if you do race, don't actually um.. race if you know what I mean.
Getting round the fellsman with a crocked ankle this year was all too scary and painful - trying to do a Bob Graham carrying a similar injury would be horrendous.
Thanks for the vote of confidence Stolly;) Everything i do from November onwards will be training for the BG, not racing. Race times never that important to me anyway, just enjoy the running and the crack with like-minded folk.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
Crocked ankle or not, you didn't jack and finished the Fellsman, and endured the worst bit in shorts, you hero you:cool:
I may sweat a bit on the BG though!!!!!
Sounds good DT, ready for anything me;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
Good point Stolly re not overdoing it and / or injury avoidanceQuote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
Fancy a cheeky trot round next summer? ;):)
:cool: I'm thinking about another bash at the Round Rotherham 50 next month too :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
I can feel the urge coming on :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Derby Tup
i'd say with the miles your doing you will be ok but to say you'll do it comfortably is to encourage complacency. it is hard and there are lots of variables that could go the wrong way however fit you are.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
Get the time on your feet and don't get over excited or build it up too much.
long challenges are great training for keeping you going through those weak moments.
long 12 hour runs are the key with lots of mileage/climbing, speed isn't important. try and get some night events in as I find these are useful physcologically.
But I do agree with Stolly that you have 'the right stuff' ;)
I agree that suggesting you'll do it easily is dangerous because it makes you less able to cope with that inevitable bad patch (if i can do this easily then why do i feel crap...perhaps that's not normal....oh no i'm going to fail....). Fact is you'll have a wobble. Could be 5 mins, could be an hour. It will pass, esp if your pacers feed you, keep you drinking (little and often) and look after and reassure you when it comes.
Beware complacency. If you stand at the moot hall having faith and confidence you'll make it, but knowing that failure is possible, you'll get the balance right. FUrthermore, starting something you can't be sure you'll finish requires courage and it's worth remembering that.
As for climbing per week, i think it's vital to get plenty in, much more so that distance. Fact is that you can't climb 10,000' per week without going a fair way anyway. For me, it's about being able to still run downhill during legs four and five and strong quads are vital for this, something distance alone can't give you. Of course, you have to be able to keep plodding upwards, but once you have to walk the 'alongs' and downs, you'll struggle to keep to time. It's not impossible, but that makes it harder to get round in sub 24.
Some people are naturally gifted and can make it round without much training, given a fair wind and great support. Most mortals need to get the climbing in. I am now training for a winter round and am counting my training week in feet ascended/descended, 10,000 seems to work for most poeple so try it. Make sure there is at least one 'big day' in there (i.e. 4000'+) if you can for most if not all weeks. Getting out for 12 hours+ once or twice is also to be recommended - you have to train your head too.
FInally, get out on shitty days and get out at night a few times. It's great confidence building and helps sharpen your sound mountain judgement too.
GOod luck!!!! :)
...10,000 week....That was a nag of mine but I let it go and decided not to get drawn into lots of must do's. I agree with IDPK....long days...out for 12hrs and you can do 18..do 18 and you can do 24.....really: How much do you want it???? Having your head together and keeping it so, even when it crumbles and it will...Enjoy!;)
Swiss Toni some great advice there but remember ML has already done the fellsman which, although not so long and not so high, is still a toughy at what 62 miles and 11,500 odd feet. Its hard to compare the dales to the lakes fairly but I'd guess there are probably less paths and a shed load more bogs on the fellsman. In return the lakes will have a load more rubble and rocks and of course the BGR is longer with much much more climbing/decending involved. But like bluebike said if you can do 18 hours its likely you can do 24 :D
I agree, the fellsman was arguably the single most useful session i did pre BGR, that and supporting other attempts to get a feel for a round.
AFter the fellsman i realised that i can do running at night, can do 18 hours and can cope with awful weather. Came back from that feeling like this was becoming possible...
Hey ML if you fancy a run, or even a supporting role on a winter round then let me know! 18 Dec if you're free....;)
...and of course work on that descending lots of climbing means lots of descending.
I have also said else where don't recce the route to death, it will keep some interest for later and use Scotland to keep you fresh.
Merry, there are at least a couple of established full day training runs in the upper Calder Valley that cram in the climbing, primarily 'collecting' trig points.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob
Of course they all go to Stoodley Pike.
If you fancy a long day out over the winter give me a shout. Will involve some running in the dark, but all the better for it.
This is all good stuff. Very useful. Looking to do mine - first time I'm saying this out loud, so to speak - in 2011. Would have been next year but for my 9 months out with me knee.
Be up for some recces and support legs next year.;)
:eek::eek:
Touched and overwhlemed by all your support folks, thank you, appreciate all the advice, Swiss Toni, will try and be free for 18th December, Duff, will try and get out for a dark one with you, been sneaking out for a headtorch run when the mrs. is in bed lately;)
All these suggestions that i'll do it easily go in one ear and out the other, i know its a toughie, if it wasn't, i wouldn't attempt it, i may appear a bit of a joker on the forum, but in reality i'm a down to earth, level headed chap...............if you belive that, you'll believe owt!!!!!!
Injury between now and June and injury and bad weather on the day is my only concern, nothing you can do about either of them so not to worry, keep smiling:)
I wouldn't bother too much about distance just make sure for the 10,000ft of climbing most of it is done in one session in the Lakes or Snowdonia that way you'll have a good long day out with time on your feet on rough terrian.
Could be good to get to Scotland nearer the time as after doing a few Munros the climbs in the Lakes feel very easy :)
Also I use the 10,000ft as a minimum and sometimes do this in one run.
A new sort of deodorant?:DQuote:
Originally Posted by IanDarkpeak
I know somebody who completed BG this summer, who ran it off the back of almost exclusively standard flat marathon training (albeit high mileage 70-100M/week)
he set a PB at London at the end of April, did a couple of vaguely hilly runs in the Peak District (he certainly never did even a single 10,000ft week), then cruised round the BG without much problem
If he was doing that sort of mileage he would be fairly fit to start with ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DazTheSlug
I'm not saying you need to do 10,000 feet a week to do a BG but if you do you'll have an easier time (relatively:D)
Some people seem to get away with it, but think its more sensible to replicate the event your doing in training, BG is climbing and descending lots, going to stick to that;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Baggins
Merry....give me a shout when you decide to head to the lakes reccying and general training....i'll come along.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
I'll keep you posted Al;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Al Fowler
;)Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
But no 10,000footers in one run....just yet.:D
I had about 3 weeks in late july when i did weeks of 14000, 15000 and 11000ft. It just knackered me but nim feeling strong because of it now. I think it is best over the winter because come summer your speed will come from racing. Obviously it is a bit different in BG terms but it could be carried through