Am ganna send yer a photo of the back o me vest cos its the only bit of me yer'll see :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Moorlander
He he....if ahm anywhere near you at the finish mate ahl be well chuffed :)
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Am ganna send yer a photo of the back o me vest cos its the only bit of me yer'll see :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Moorlander
He he....if ahm anywhere near you at the finish mate ahl be well chuffed :)
I take it this was a different route from when it was last a championship race in 2006, when the winner's time was 42:33
Whatever, it's a much underrated part of the country and always a pleasure to visit. Shame I missed it this year.
Not sure about the race route, but it was quicker than last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by GeoffB
I guess i was getting a little carried away with my report on here, bu it was written for my road club and i am trying to get them to see the light and convert.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nee Bother
If only I could master your down hill technique, i may stand a chance. Any way I am having to train 6 days a week to your two days.....
Great race, beautiful location and we were lucky with the weather. I have to say the inov-8s were fantastic, perfrect for the super steep grassy decents. Had to shoot off before the prize presentation, I shall be doing this one again:p
its that last descent that did my ankle last week!! went at an inbetween pace didn't let the brakes off fully but didn't walk either. Slipped then slid on backsidefor 5-6 metres, picking up speed until foot caught a tuft of grass and twisted whilst body kept going!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Moorlander
Glad the weather was good and all seemed to enjoy it.
Wheeze said he came 9th in a local race. If so that may permit him a front line start at a similar race, depending on road/start line width of course..Quote:
Originally Posted by lookmanohands
Quick old gits are still permitted front line starts according to 'Good fell running etiquette' (Ridgway, 2010).:)
Carding Mill Canter Fell Race
Its on again tomorow 1pm and shouldn't be missed. Here is my report from last year.
Don’t be fooled – this race is no canter. 5 miles and 2000t of climbing.
Den and I love the Long Mynd area. Its magnificent rolling hills and deep valleys are a haven for wild life and a must for any one who is in to the out door life. To combine this with our great passion for running is about as good as it gets.
84 runners assemble in the valley bottom,National trust car park. Strict instructions on the need to carry the correct kit and to report to the finish if retiring from the race are shouted out. ( Its vital that race organisers are not left with the concern that some one may be left out on the Hills ). Unlike road races it’s a quick shout of GO! that sets the runners off up the valley bottom. Within half a mile a sharp turn off the track, means that you have to negotiate a stream before looking up ( and up ) to tackle a steep climb up a rocky ridge that brings the field quickly to a hands on knees walk of 500ft. The relief on reaching the first summit is immense. Next a contoured track follows the hill line for about a mile before you plummet back down to the valley bottom. Legs are screaming for you to stop as you cross the stream again at the valley bottom. 2.1/2 miles in to the race “half way” and crossing the track it’s another climb of 500ft to the next summit. Screaming calves and thighs for all at this stage. Across the summit it’s a dive down 200ft before climbing up again. Then there is another contoured path taking you to yet another heart breaking climb. Thankfully the last climb is done and a marshall stands at a taped turn with an arrow pointing over a drop that no right minded person would contemplate. The top runners are able to run down this steep gorge, most of us just slither or slide down on our back side or suffer knee wrenching agony trying to keep moving. At the valley bottom its another leap of faith across the stream ( Photographer on hand ) before a ½ mile break neck run to the finish on an ankle breaking rocky path. The relief at the finish is immense. A miles jog back along the valley bottom to the car park. Tea, Soup and cake is followed by a very informal presentation. Bottles of beer or wine is the choice for category winners.
It was yet another fantastic day out on the fells. You really should try it. I ran on the road for twenty years, before finding the fells, where times and tarmac are now a thing of the past.
Thanks to Dave, Pauline, Keith and all at Mercia for organising another great fell race in Shropshire
Results at http://www.merciafellrunners.org.uk/node/1468
Longdogs won in the Ladies section:)
And Chris Steele won the mens by over 2mins !Quote:
Originally Posted by Stagger
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stagger
And I came in, somewhere near the back. First race of this year and it's shown me just how fat and unfit I really have become. Great to see all the familiar faces again.Quote:
Originally Posted by scott baistow 93
Cracking race this one. Would make for an excellent English Champs AS.
The winds took your breath away. On the last decent I must have been leaning in at 45 degrees and still being held up by the wind.
Props to the organisers
Did this today. There was no mention about this on the forum, perhaps the guys down in Shropshire like to keep it quiet and low key,but, this has to be one of the best and most intense short races in the calendar. A truly outstanding route. Thanks to Mercia for great organisation. By coincidence my time today was exactly the same time as I did last Saturday at the National XC champs............came a little higher up the pack though!!
did it today too!
Lovely day for it and cracking course.
they were also trialling an new counting system, which involved penning us at the start and an elastic band drop half way through. Seemed OK from a runners point of view: hope it met RO expectations.
I like trying races I haven't previously done and today's Carding Mill canter didn't disappoint. Whoever named this race canter, has one hell of a sense of humour. It's a tough short, not in the technical sense but certainly in the dig deep hands on knees and crack on type of race. Like all the races in this area the organisation was excellent, thank you to all involved.
some rather good aerial footage here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cgBeNOivuQ
Thinking about doing this on Saturday. Looking like a very cold, snowy run.
Anyone know what conditions are currently like?
I had been hoping to do this as well. But really I need to get injury-free before the longer races start coming thick and fast, so unfortunately i'll most probably be missing this one.
race still seems to be going ahead, parking is at Church Stretton school, NOT in the Carding Mill Valley.
Current conditions:
http://myndcam.com/
(wind chill of -13!)
Thanks DaveQuote:
Originally Posted by Dave_Mole
Currently zero visibility and -16 wind chill with gusts of up to 40mph. Ideal fell running conditions!
May need a windproof.... ;)
shorts weather!Quote:
zero visibility -16 wind chill with gusts of up to 40mph
a message from the RO:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE CARDING MILL CANTER
We will be attempting to run the CMC this Saturday at 2pm. Registration will open at around 12.30pm and the CMV NT café – entry is £5
Parking is at the Church Stretton School (front car park)
You MUST carry a map and compass – a limited supply of maps will be available at registration for a minimum of £1 donation to our nominated charity.
THE NEXT BIT IS IMPORTANT and SERIOUS…
You MUST carry full mandatory kit – this is the bare minimum and carrying an additional layer and/or space blanket is strongly recommended in the circumstances. There will be stringent kit checks and failure to comply with the FRA mandatory kit rule will result in immediate disqualification. For the sake of those who might put themselves in harms way helping you off the hill and to ensure these events can continue, please comply with this rule.
THIS IS NOT a race for FIRST TIME FELL RACERS or those without experience of running in sub-zero winter conditions.
Based on the current weather forecast and the exceptional circumstances this creates, we will have to enforce a cut-off in CMV for runners who are failing to make rapid enough progress. Although I state this with some reluctance, the safety and well being of marshals out on the hills takes precedence on this occasion. This won’t be an arbitrary or unreasonable time but will be calculated based on the typical range between lead and the last CLUB runners at a typical summer series race. I will announce this at the start.
MARSHALS AND HELPERS. At time of writing, the weather forecast says that we will have a yellow weather warning in place on Saturday. On that basis you need to know that you have no moral obligation to travel if you feel uncomfortable doing so. Please just let me know in plenty of time if travel conditions mean you can no longer help.
Everyone else, please be aware that this race could still be subject to modification based on ground conditions, marshal numbers or deteriorating weather conditions.
Okay, that was the serious bit. The good bit is I really look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Saturday because you’ll bring the warmth not to mention the mutually supportive ethos.
Travel safely and see you at the weekend.
New date 24th March
May well be doing this now. I had made other plans for the 24th but if feeling fresh and fit i'll be on the start line.
Not done this for a few years but will hopefully be there on Saturday. Looking forward to my first fell race of 2019
All being well i'll be there as well. Not done this race before. Vaguely similar stats to the champs race in a couple of weeks, so a good warmup for that!Quote:
Originally Posted by PeteS
Haven't done it for a long while but remember it being tough for a AS. Hoping the weather will be as good as last weekend which certainly is in stark contrast to that which we had this time last year!
I've just bought train tickets to Church Stretton for tomorrow.
Say hello Anthony if you see the red & yellow of Coventry, or the obligatory baseball cap...
I'll be the one with the orange campervan and a very barky collie. You can't miss us! 😀
My first time at this race. Having studied the map and previous results, and looked at the fairly decent weather and underfoot conditions, decided this was a race where all out effort was required from the off, and set a target of 52 mins and top 30.
Turned out to be quite windy. Didn't get a full warmup, as when I made my way down the valley, the finish area got completely obliterated by the wind, so spent most of the time chasing the finish sign up the Fell, and helping some of the Mercia guys retrieve the finish tent from out of the stream, a good couple of hundred yards away from its intended location.
The race briefing was quite entertaining... along the lines of "the route may be marked if the markers haven't been blown away, in which case you're on your own...". And it was reassuring to hear that one or two had been turned away due to no kit requirements. It was certainly challenging in the second half of the race, and anyone becoming immobile without kit would have been very cold in a short space of time.
So went right at it from the off and was around the top 12-15 going up the first stiff climb. Once the race settled down I found myself around 16th, dropping a further place to be 17th at halfway. Then started to think about my rivals who I see every time in Shropshire races..... Mel Price, as always just out of reach, every time I crested a rise she was well down the following section. Mr Jeggo of Springfield Striders gave me another ding-dong battle, flogging each other to death on the second half, me getting the better of the climbs, but he pulled out an unassailable gap in the final descent.
That's the problem with being relatively high up the field (by no means challenging for honours, but in the top 15% or so)...... you can absolutely wreck yourself trying to build up a cushion, but then turn round and there's 10 runners chasing you down... hard.
As it was I reached the final half mile down the stony and uneven valley track with 3 runners within 10 seconds behind, but I hadn't worked hard all race to lose those positions without a fight, and I threw all my cross-country training into it and went hard for the finish. Managed to hold on for a very satisfying 18th in 50:29
Another fantastic Shropshire race. Stiff climbs and decents, apart from the steepness there was nothing overly technical... but there's no easy races in this part of the country, and I watched a few people collapse over the line after pushing very hard.
Hi PeteS and AnthonyKay, I didn't see you today but did notice you in the results.
Pete
Great result in those conditions, Pete.
I saw you briefly at the start - well a flash of red and yellow a way ahead of me anyway!
I struggled on the last 2 climbs due to the wind and lost a few places. Happy with result but know it could have been better.
Travs, I did notice a tallish bloke with a black baseball cap when we in the pen being counted before the start; obviously I didn't see you during the race!
My last FRA-listed race was as long ago as last July: Pen y Fan, where I actually felt that I handled the plunge from the summit down to Cwm Llwch rather well. But today my descending was even worse than usual; some of the people in the group near me at the top of Haddon Hill finished around two minutes before me.
Apart from that, I seemed to cope with the second half better than the first. On Cow Ridge, I was just starting to feel comfortable with the gradient when suddenly it stopped, and I had to start running again on the flat. But I got a good rhythm going on all the three sharp climbs in the second half; I think I overtook one bloke three times, once on each climb, only to be passed on the following descent.
Anyway, a great day out. I arrived in Church Stretton before 11am, so decided to go for a walk. I soon ground to a halt outside Mr Bun the Baker, and gazed at the cakes arrayed in the shop window. A couple of minutes later, my rucksack had two more cakes in it, and my pocket had two less pound coins in it. Why hasn't Loughborough, a much bigger place, got a bakery as good as this?
Anyway, I did have a pleasant, gently paced walk, up the Townbrook Valley, over the Burway Road and dropping down to Light Spout Hollow, although the waterfall wasn't very impressive after the recent dry weather. I suppose for many of the day-trippers on the Mynd today that would have been a good day's walk, not just filling in time before a race (and giving me the opportunity for unhurried enjoyment of the views)!
Great stuff Anthony (and PeteS)
Yes it did strike me that after climbing one of the popular ridges out of the valley, and then a substantial circuit of the hills to the south of the valley, and then descending back into the valley, we'd only been out for around 25mins, and what would the spectating walkers make of that!?!
I also lost most time (if not actual positions) on the descents... on the first climb I actually thought the pace was too slow, and felt I was bought to a walk earlier than I would have liked. Perhaps I should have made more effort to overtake and tried to go off with the leaders for a while, but I was happy with my position in the chasing group at that stage.
My dad informed me that in the top 20 or so runners, I was comfortably the slowest on the first descent back to valley level. Interestingly I had nobody in sight in front, or behind. However I made a much better job of the final descent, when I was under severe pressure from behind... perhaps I need that focus to push myself to a speed I'm not necessarily comfortable with.
By the way, no-one has mentioned the tea and scones yet on this thread. Those scones . . . :)
Just noticed it was a new women's race record yesterday. Amazing running given the weather. Surely could have taken a couple of minutes off that without the wind.
I cant do much nowadays other than reflect on past glories (probably to strong a phrase!!)But CMC was my last proper race before knees gave. 2014 and a time of 49 mins and something. I too watched Mel P pull away that day having been with her up to that steep climb alongside the fence at about 3 miles, and then to rub salt in, having led Paul J to the final decent he comes sprinting past me to beat me by about 8 seconds!! Mind you I was a V55 and still walked away with a bottle of plonk! ran well and loved it. £ weeks later and it was the fabled Donard Challenge in the rain and mist, and my knees just didn't like it! Nor have they done since. But I do like the CMC as one of my favourite all time races.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Paul J seems a top guy and i see him all over the place. He generally gets the upper-hand on me on shorter races, but i seem to be stronger on the longer races and pull away in the 2nd half (as happened at both Stretton Skyline and Brecon Beacons laat year).
At Brecon Beacons he ran in with blood pouring from his nose after a fall in the final few miles, and i always remember him from that point on.
Although looking at the numerous times he's won vet-categories in the Welsh champs makes me feel a little better when he beats me again...! Mind you i must be 15-20 years his junior!
Paul J runs for Springfield Striders, based in Chelmsford. As an Essex-born man myself, I'm wondering, does he still live there, since he is seen at so many races in Wales and the Marches? Or is he, like me, running for a club many miles from his present location?Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
Regarding Pete S's comment about the women's record: 3 women in the first 14 finishers! And it's unusual to see Mel Price so comprehensively beaten.