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No one, I "borrowed" it :)Quote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
Oh and the word 'thee' was last used publicly in Yorkshire as far as I can remember in an episode of All Creatures Great and Small, probably in the second series, 1979. Jesus they don't even say 'thee' in Barnsley nowadays ;)
Eh...if tha's gunna use mi piccies then at least be nice ter me!
:D Bring yer bike roond toon tmorra night me ol'pedigree siberian 'amster and y'can buy'us a beer f'teking yon'piccie ov'us on Sunday. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by wharfeego
Mind...at least I was running when your took that one eh...:o
geet a better one of Stick in "full flight"; I'll try n up/down(wotever?:confused: )load it to a post....
wot's Jesus got to do wi' Jimmy 'Erriot n Barnsley?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
Race #4
8th March 2008 - Half Tour Of Pendle - 9.25 miles and 2250 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
The race profile:
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6...pendleeeg5.jpg
Milling around before the start in the car park in Barley yesterday morning, I was faced with a minor dilemma. As Hamlet might well have said, were he running:
"To bumbag or not to bumbag, that is the question".
The race required a windproof and fully body cover to be carried and, given that the weather forecast predicted that it would piss down, I eventually opted to run in my windproof and tights (that could themselves easily been worn for a performance of Hamlet :D) and jettison the bumbag, carrying my map and compass and car key in the pocket of my smock. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake as the piss down never happened and it wasn't even proper Pendle windy on the tops.
Wearing as well my hat and gloves, I was certainly warm at the start and, going up the side of Pendle Hill, I had to take off my hat and unzip my top but still ended up sweating like a pig on a stick, as I tried valiantly to hold my place in the snake of runners running and fast walking up through the mud. I ran the initial track past the resevoirs and all through the first steep field but, soon after hitting the moorland part of the climb, I started to have real trouble getting enough air in to my wheezing lungs. Phil from Skipton AC who I usually run well (in training) against cruised past me here as did many others.
That said I ran on, despite my punctured lung ;) and sweat suit, and managed to hit a running stride of sorts, as the climb gradient became slighter and the ground less muddy, hitting the wall beyond the Big End trig at around the 28 minute mark. We then turned into a fierce wind at the start of the fantastic moorland crossing and, for a brief interlude here, I was glad of my windproof and even put my hat back on. It was brilliantly boggy too but I was starting to breath a little better now and was able to overtake a few runners with my 'superior' bog skills. Despite that, I managed a full frontal, splattering bog crash as the path fell down into the gulley before the stile.
After crossing the stile, the thin track then made overtaking more tricky and, despite following a girl who I probably should have tried to overtake, I didn't and managed to even reach the point of fully catching my breath and enjoying the run. Once the path towards the Nick of Pendle opened up, I speeded up again and managed to reel in a couple of three other runners before dropping down towards Churn Clough Resevoir, feeling in pretty good nick.
I reached the gate at the bottom of Spence Moor and glimpsed at my watch, showing me a running time of 56:48 which really impressed me, even if I say so myself. So up this second climb, feeling not nearly so bad as the first, but still finding it hard to run much at all until I reached the wall at the top. A few runners overtook me going up and along the wall but I managed to get a couple too, feeling good as I hit the Geronimo* descent. This I did really well, a real blast down with a fairly good line, some death defying leaps, a whole heap of luck and two bum slides over steep tussocky grass. This probably gained me half a dozen places I'm sure. I checked my time here again and..... it still said 56:48 - bugger!
Then a nice little climb out of the ravine and along the track, before seeing Barley and the finish just over the fields before me. I upped my pace as best I could to go over the now extremely muddy fields before dropping down to the finish. In the last field a CLM runner sprinted past, forcing me to race him on a relatively steep, frictionless slope but, all credit to him, he nosed in front, although we both overtook another chap before hitting the finish just beyond the gate.
I eventually found my time posted on the village hall wall at 1 hour 31:48 (weird as my watch made it 56:48 :D). Before the off I wanted to beat 1 hour 32 so I should have been pleased but Phil from Skipton AC did a stunning 1 hour 26 odd and Dave, who I work with, did a 1 hour 30. Drat, drat and double drat!
Results
*Geronimo is the name of the descent accoriding to my CLM sources, not 'ski Sunday'
Race #5
12th March 2008 - Embsay to Rylstone Cross Owl Run - 5.5 miles and maybe 1000 ft of Climb
Approximate OS Explore Route
First off what an absolutely awesome event, capping off brilliantly a sequence of three winter Wharfedale Owl runs I’ve thoroughly enjoyed tagging along on. The route this time was really tough, the ground was stupidly muddy, where the ground wasn’t stupidly muddy it was rocky and stupidly muddy, there was a good wind blowing and it was all in the dark – the only thing missing to have made it even more testing was probably driving rain.
Thanks to Grifter and Wharfedale Harriers for putting these ‘timed training runs’ on and for the marshalling – the chap standing about last night at Rylstone Cross in that wind is nothing short of a superstar.
Mind you, sat in the dark in my wind buffeted car before the off, I was having serious second thoughts. Everything looked so horribly bleak. Wind blown leafless trees? Check. Ominous dark grey clouds scudding across the sky? Check. A cold gusting wind? Check. A black lifeless ridge silhouetted against the northern horizon? Check. All that was really needed to set the scene completely was a werewolf howling in the background and forked lightening.
No werewolves were to be had though, but I think we had a collie and a small brown job - a hairy Jack Russell maybe - alongside the 20 of us who weren’t scaredy pants - naming no names but Trundler? Stick? Daleside? Hopey? - ready for the run. The ‘seriously injured’ Stick was there as a starter to be fair and had helpfully suggested that he thought the route would take me something in the low 50’s, him having recce’d on Monday. So I guessed my run time to be 51 minutes….. Hah!!
And then we were off, running down the lane beside Embsay Reservoir before crossing the stile at Crag Nook and immediately following the rocky path climbing towards Embsay Moor. And because the ‘field was so strong’ and there was a distinct lack of runners crapper than me, I was gradually being over taken (by those not already in front) all the way up. The route after this first steep climb was still a gradual climb with a few ups and downs all the way to the turning point at the Cross, with the trod fast becoming much narrower and much, much muddier.
I had never run up this way before and had no idea what to expect and when to expect it, making me run ‘that bit more cautiously’……… and having nothing at all to do with my lungs being at bursting point. Fortunately though, the track was so narrow that I managed to hold onto my position quite well for a while, with two or three others constantly breathing down my neck. Finally though these runners did pass me leaving only a couple of visible torch lights just behind, one of which I guessed was the race tail end Charlie sweeping for losers. And then these two overtook me too, the bastards ;), leaving me in the middle of the pitch black moor following a completely unknown track all on my tod as the new tail end Charlie!
By now I was probably 8/10ths of the way to the turn and, after one or two earlier small dips and climbs, the track now dropped down into a deep gully with a fast flowing beck at the bottom. Grifter at the start had warned us about this, with an expectation of having to wade across, but I managed to skilfully boulder hop over without getting my feet wet - that said my feet were mud soaked anyway.
The rest of the field were now coming back and passing me, going the other way, so I didn’t feel so completely isolated and I bashed on to reach the wind blasted turn and our lone marshal at Rylstone Cross after…… only 17 minutes. Huh? Yet again I’d stopped my stopwatch by bending my wrist or something, earlier in the run.
Turning into the run back, I felt good and up for a fastish return leg, albeit all on my own, but now with the merest glimpse of a torch light maybe 200 yards ahead of me. But then, of all things, two torch lights started to come towards me out of the gully; I wasn’t in last place and the sweeper hadn’t left me for dead after all :p .
This spurred me on some more and I fairly whizzed along now as I went back down to the beck, waded across this time and started climbing out again. Here the mud now became a complete morass and seemed that way pretty much all the way back. It did allow me to really enjoy the run back though, not really being able to risk pushing it what with the mud, the rocks and the small window of visibility allowed to me by the head torch.
At one stage I had hopes of catching one or t’other of the head torch lights that I’d catch site of on the black horizon from time to time but it never happened and I cruised in to finish in a time of 67 minutes and 17 seconds, some 16 minutes longer than the estimate Stick stitched me up with!
Stolly hurdles the last stile.... with style:
http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/508...vent021vz0.jpg
Results - you can get a good impression of just how tough this run was by comparing pretty much everyone's predicted times to the actuals :)
15th March 2008 – Pen y Ghent, Plover Hill, Hull Pot and Long Mires – 12 miles and maybe 1850 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
The last time I attempted this route at the beginning of February, there was a blizzard raging and deep snow drifts on the tops - it had been very hard hard work with one or two tricky problems on the navigation front :D. So running it yesterday in misty and surprisingly still conditions provided a real contrast. What? No wind? :eek:
I hoofed up through Brackenbottom to the trig at the top of Pen y Ghent without too much trouble, crossed over the wall and then (correctly this time) followed it, keeping it to my right, towards Plover Hill.
Getting to Plover Hill though was no mean feat, with the whole mile and three quarters utterly and completely bogged out; in fact this track to Plover Hill now has my nomination for "boggeration" of the year, comfortably knocking Edale (Lord's Seat to Brown Knoll) from its erstwhile I thought unassailable position. There’s sort of a trail but every twenty yards it just disappears into a dark peaty mire and, after a while, I just couldn't be arsed to keep trying to navigate round the bogs and just forged through them. I sort of have an eye nowadays that is pretty reliable for gauging bog depth and I only went knee deep a couple of times but, needless to say, running here was slow going........ but superb if you like mud. The mist was down though so unfortunately I didn't have any inspiring views of the moor land and Ribble valley that was below me to my left with maybe no more than 200 metres to be seen in any direction.
Once I got to the flat tussocky moorland bit that serves as the damp squib of a "summit" for Plover Hill, I did lose the main trail momentarily but soon picked it up after a quick recce, as it now followed a wall northerly and downwards. This allowed me to pick up some speed at long last without being hampered by black sucking bogs. I over cooked things on the speed front though and was suddenly faced with a 30 feet drop off directly in front, with my path sharply turning to my left to zig zag down over broken rubble, descending the steep northern edge of Plover Hill. I held just about held the corner (tyres squealling, eyes bulging) although drifted right to the edge in doing so before carrying on with was a pretty reckless descent.
After the steep bit, it was then down over very wet grass making running more of a "glide and slide", with a Drogba like goal celebration two knee 15 yard slide at one point, before my path flattened out and began to run parallel with Plover Hill in initially a west and then southerly direction. This part of the run too became extremely boggy in places as I followed the path all the way to Hull Pot.
Then it was my trusty (and boggy :rolleyes:) Miner's Path across a few smaller hills and dales to Long Mires before picking up the pennine way track for my return to Horton in Ribblesdale. Other than 3 or four walkers that I'd over taken going up PyG, until getting on this track, I'd been effectively swallowed up by the landscape not meeting a single soul or sausage. This track was a veritable motorway though with....oh I dunno.... half a dozen mountain bikers, three or four walkers and another couple of solitary runners all passing me going the other way. I'd fell over three times by now and was plastered in mud and I couldn't help but feel that some of these guys were giving me "weirdo" looks as I trotted past!
I've ruined a beautiful photo taken from the top of Whernside (on a clear day) by adding in a yellow line of my approximate running route:
http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2...rnside3ny1.jpg
My total time this time was 1 hour 54, some 20 minutes quicker than my snow run in February.
21st March 2008 - Settle, Jubilee Cave, Attermire and High Hill Loop - circa 6 miles and maybe 1300 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
We were going away visiting friends on Friday for the weekend - which really really annoyingly cocked up my running :mad: – so I got up especially early Friday morning and set off for a shortish run in the hills above Settle to work up a thirst for the two nights serious drinking that I knew I would be obliged to put myself through :). It was just gone 6 am when I set off into a cold but bright morning, with the sun just starting to hit the tops of one or two or the surrounding hills.
I ran into the deserted ‘teeming metropolis’ that is Settle at this time of the morning before hacking up the track just off the main drag towards the hills to the east of the town centre. It hadn’t looked that cold (from indoors) and I’d chosen to wear just a short sleeved running top and shorts...... so hitting the bone crackingly cold wind as I now got higher and more exposed was an eye watering experience. Mind you, once I'd got acclimatised, it really did make a nice change to at long last be running without gloves and hats and leggings and windproofs.
The track I was following looped north keeping Settle and then Langcliffe to my left before slanting up towards Jubilee Cave. Pen y Ghent, when it came into view, was actually covered in a icy frost (or maybe even a slim dusting of snow) nicely reaffirming my stupid selection of running gear.
But it was a wonderful morning to be out running and, now with the sun out, everything looked simply stunning. I’m not religious or anything (although my wife thinks I’m a pagan) but sometimes running alone in the hills can be a really spiritual thing – you feel very much like the dot on the landscape that you of course really are and on Friday my particular landscape was absolutely glorious. Running alone like this I think kind of makes you a better person (if only fleetingly), and certainly more appreciative of your surroundings, of mother nature........ and of just how many frigging sheep there are in the Dales :D. It's sure good for the soul.
From Jubilee cave I cut south through Attermire Scar before dropping down into the dip and then choosing to take a direct line over maybe a mile of tussocky grass to the top of High Hill. There is no path here that I have found but it wasn’t too bad going and, before long, I hit the brink of the perilously steep drop off that is other side of High Hill and could see the whole of Settle (including my house) spread out far below me.
This is a reverse shot of High Hill from my back garden with the blue arrow showing more or less where I hit the crest before my descent.
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/4...seview3bk6.jpg
No time though for twatting about with views and I whizzed straight down the semi cliff face before hacking left up through the adjacent field, climbing a gate a following Lambert Lane, a farmers track really (part of the Pennine Bridleway), and finally zig zagging my way back down to civilisation again for my finish. 1 hour and 2 minutes and totally energised and up for for the weekend's drinking that awaited.
24th March 2008 – Settle to Malham to Settle Loop – 13 Miles and circa 1500 ft of climb
OS Explore Route
I first ran this route on Boxing Day last year (the first run in this running diary for what its worth) and yesterday morning, not having time to travel further a field and wanting to do a longish run, I opted to hack round it again. Settle was still just about above the snow line and what with the sun out (at 8 am) and no wind as far as I could tell, everything looked perfect for a good snow run. I gauged conditions to be ‘two toppable’ and, wearing a short sleeved top over my Helly, shorts and gloves, I briskly scooted over the fields crossing Brockhole (aka Watery) Lane, up the steep climb to Lodge Farm and then up the bridleway for a way, across High Hill Lane (the Settle to Airton/Malham road) and into Stockdale Lane.
This lane eventually leads to Stockdale Farm which has just the most completely idyllic location, set in its own little valley with the rolling ridge line including Rye Loaf Hill and Kirby Fell to the south and craggy hills, a continuation from Attermire Scar, to the north. And yesterday the farm looked stunning with the surrounding fields and hills well covered in deep sun lit snow.
After the farm, the lane stops and my path all goes off road, still gradually climbing though. The ground was now more or less totally snow covered; 3 to 4 inches worth with much deeper drifts in the dips. It was icy powdered snow (it would have been crap for snowballs) which made the running pretty hard going too. In the bright sun light, I was now getting a bit of a sweat on and almost thinking of getting the beginnings of this year’s tan on my face and legs, what with all the reflected sun glare and all.
I finally reached the very peak of my outward run after 50 minutes – all very nicely graduated climb apart from the steep start – crossing the snow blasted moor with an incredible 40 miles in every direction view of the Dales all around me. I then started dropping down through Ewe Moor, and stampeding a herd of Highland cattle in the process, towards by half way point on the road out of Malham above Malham Cove.
Suddenly though, as I now ran up the road, I was exposed to a wickedly cold and strong wind from the north west. I have now officially fcuking had it with running into cold wind – I seem to have been doing it all winter such that my legs and face now feel etched raw by it. Rained drenched summer running can’t come too soon ;)
After a while I turned off the road, headlong into the frigging wind, running towards Langcliffe, all the while getting higher again and of course increasingly exposed to the wind. After about a mile, I came even more into the open with a beautiful yet worrying view of the 3 peaks on my right hand horizon, with nothing much higher in between, and a howling wind whipping down from them and hammering into little ol’ me…. in my shorts. Not at all reassuringly I could see a copse of pine trees, maybe 3 totally exposed miles ahead, knowing that my turning point away from the wind was beyond that.
Anyway enough whinging; I gritted my teeth and ploughed on and eventually made it through the snow to my turn at Attermire Scar. I then gratefully ran back into these balmy, tropical, snowy wastes before turning for the last fast descent into Settle. On the last steep bank down to Settle I waved to a solitary fell runner lady just going up, the first person I’d bumped into since a farmer, seeing to his sheep on Lambert Lane, just after starting out. The sun had been glorious for all of my run but now, just as I was finishing, dark clouds were coming in and a few wisps of snow falling.
A grand and far from easy snow run then, maybe the last of the winter too. 2 hours and 6 minutes which was a tad slower than Boxing Day but in far tougher conditions.
Race #6
30th March 2008 - Edale Skyline - 21 miles and 4,500 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
So I managed to remember everything - pick up my daughter from her school skiing trip late Saturday night, put the clocks forward, get up a 5:30, pack my full body waterproofs, my map and compass, emergency food and my mobile - and, having set off early on the 80 mile trip to Edale, I of course arrived early at 8:15, before the marshalls had even opened up the runners car park :rolleyes:. It was a glorious day for a run though with bright blue skies all round. A chilly wind of course but you can't have everything.
After a little nap and something to eat, I then went through all the pre race rituals (involving vaseline and pins and deep heat in the main), I registered, got dibbered and then submitted myself to an airport customs like search of my luggage ("where's your mobile?"). I survived that and met up with one or two forumites - a chat with Swoop and Raymond Hickman (up from Brighton) and a hello to Manhar. And then we wandered up the lane to the start.
The skyline route is a cracker, following the ridge line of the Edale valley for 21 miles. Most of the climbs occur in the first half of the race with most of the tough terrain and in the second half.
http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/7...lesmallup8.png
And then we were off on the first climb up Ringing Roger:
http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/7...nestartbj5.jpg
I had purposely plonked myself at the front so as to avoid any chance of queuing at the stile not far from the start and, as far as these things go, quite enjoyed the climb up to Ringing Roger. After that it was a case of following the runner in front and trying not to be overtaken by too many fellow runners. I felt fighting fit and soon hit my comfortable, run all day, stride without losing too much ground. I was overtaken by quite a number of runners on the ascent and maybe a dozen to 20 or so more running towards Crookstone Knoll but then it seemed like I'd found my place in the field and even overtook three or four runners descending from Jagger's Clough.
Win Hill was next on the agenda and I held my place well all the way to it when disaster struck - just at the very foot of the last rocky climb to Win Hill my left calf muscle suddendly felt very tight. (Well I hope its my calf - its either that or the very top of my achilles). I don't even recall what caused it to be honest although the most likely culprit was on the descent from Jagger's clough when at speed I planted my left foot into deep bog, only for the front of my foot to hit a large-ish rock totally hidden by the mud but with the back of my foot carrying on regardless.
At the time the pain felt almost cramp like but, having only run 6 miles, that was lets face it really unlikely. The descent from Win Hill to Hope is very fast and, in places, very steep and I was determined to run off my injury so just ploughed on with gritted teeth. It hurt though especially going down hill.
I decided to take it easy on the climb to Lose Hill to see if that would help but, by the time I reached the summit, my leg felt worse and I then made it worse again by trying to race down the hillside to the woods. Daggers in my leg told me to stop being so stupid and I half jogged and then walked all the way to Mam Tor and retired at Mam Nick. It was absolutely horrible, having given up, to be contiunally overtaken by other runners on my walk in to Mam Nick - I almost wish I'd walked the other way back to Hope so as to not appear like a runner just out of puff; I could have even pronounced my limp and maybe groaned out loud from time to time to emphasize my injury and get some sympathy :rolleyes:.
At the Mam Nick water stop, I shouted for directions for a footpath back to Edale and luckily met up with Nicky from Ilkley Harriers who had also retired with a calf strain - she had met a friend who was to provide us with a lift and this afforded me some time to watch the remaining runners come through. This was good fun - Swoop came past actually chatting up a lady runner who he presumably stayed on the shoulder of (whether she liked it or not) for the remaining 9 or 10 miles. One guy, just before the time cut off, came through and desperately shouted FCUK! presumably because he'd mis-timed his run and made the cut off. Another guy came through carrying a big phone handset in his right hand and ordering a chinese - his protest against the need to carry phones in the race I guess.
Anyway it was great to get back early and have a cup of tea and pork pie in the Village Hall with other retirees - thanks very much to Nicky and her friend for the lift - but its far from great to be crocked. My leg worryingly doesn't feel any better this morning. I also missed the bit of the race that I would have probably enjoyed the most.
My splits having walked most of the way after Hope were:
Win Hill: 1:02
Hope: 1:13
Lose Hill: 1:41
Mam Tor: 2:11
Results
That was Piglet - see new avatar courtesy of Dominion. I didn' see her after that as I pulled away a bit. She finished a few minutes behind with team mate Barbara ,first F60 - in the Mam Nick pic, behind Piglet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
Excellent report Stolly, I must have past you on the approach to Win Hill as I was 40 seconds in front of you.
Hope the injury isn't too bad and we'll see you next year.
Really nice to meet you Stolly and very sorry to hear about the injury; hope you're fully recovered for the 3 Peaks.
Take care and all the best - Raymond
"at speed I planted my left foot into deep bog, only for the front of my foot to hit a large-ish rock totally hidden my the mud but with the back of my foot carrying on regardless."
Stolly that sounds very much like what happened to me back in November. I talked about it in my "Gastrocnemius" thread. I went to casualty as I'd never experienced anything like it before. The physio recommended calf stretches, but it was only after a week that I could think about that. I was ok for walking about after a week and after a month I was doing easy jogging. This month I did Windmills Whizz and Arant Haw yesterday and I'm going stronger than I was before. Wish I'd laid off the buns whilst I was inactive though:D
I went back to the place where it happened and what you describe is exactly what I found: a large flat rock in the trail with a deep slot in front of it so that the front of the foot stayed on the rock and the heel disappeared down the slot.
Take it easy soldier.
2nd April 2008 - Kettlewell, Arncliffe, Old Cote Moor and Starbotten Loop - circa 8 miles and 1600 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
Well following Sunday's sorry performance, I was keen to get over my crockedness as soon as I could. It's definitely a calf strain (according to the internet anyway) but clearly not as bad as yours was Guick Dotto. It was really stiff and painful on Sunday night but, since then, I have intensively used my magic bag of birdseye peas each evening together with a good dollop of deep heat in the mornings and, come yesterday, the bruising had started to come out and my calf felt slightly less tight. I did a 3 mile jog yesterday too and it held up quite well although I was very careful and incredibly slow.
The trouble is I have a 14 mile road race coming up this Saturday (the Coniston 14) and I needed to get out and really give my leg a bit more of a tester. There's no way I'll be able to push it, either way, but it will be nice to feel relatively confident of being able to at least trot round the race on Saturday.
So, with today off work, I drove over to Kettlewell for a jaunt around the ridge to Arncliffe, directly back over to Starbotton and then along the Wharfe back to Kettlewell. This route has one easyish climb at the start but then a ball breaker of a climb at the half way point so it was likely to give my calf a seeing to, with all that on tip toe running.
Setting off from the car park, I crossed the bridge and followed the road towards Kilnsey for 150 yards or so before going through a stile on my right with this path rising around the front of the ridge and then dropping down into Littondale.
Kettlewell from the ridge with the top of Great Whernside shrouded in cloud:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/416/dsc00155wc2.jpg
I managed to run all of this first climb but, although my calf held up and I wasn't limping, it did feel tight and sore as I neared the turn at the top. I took the run down towards Hawswick nice and steady, followed the road for 100 yards at the bottom before crossing the bridge over the stream and into fields. There was a nice path here that I followed all the way to Arncliffe where I went around the church, crossed the stream again and hacked straight up the side of the ridge sign posted Starbotton at the stile.
My leg at this half way point didn't feel too good and, given the steepness of this climb (which I have run all the way up before, honest) I opted to mainly walk all the way to the top of Old Cote Moor. A view of Arncliffe and the Cowside Beck valley beyond:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/5354/dsc00160ng4.jpg
Then it was over the top with a terrific view of the Wharfe valley with Starbotten and Buckden Pike to one side:
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/6379/dsc00163rv1.jpg
And Kettlewell in the distance to my right:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/4772/dsc00164mu5.jpg
I could now pick up the pace a bit for my descent to Startbotton but didn't go nearly as fast as I would have liked to - this is usually a fantastic and fast descent, although it gets a bit rubblely as you near and go through the woods before the bottom. Then it was a nice jog along the Dales Way back to Kettlewell for my finish in 1 hour and 47 minutes - slowy slow pants or what?
Mind you my leg survived enough to inspire me to give Coniston a crack at the weekend. Oh, and as you might have guessed, I actually took my own camera with me today rather than nicking pictures off of the internet as usual.
Well it's really cheered me up reading that! I talked to an orienteering friend of mine who described an injury he'd suffered in much the same terms as you and I Stolly and he said he was back on winning form the following weekend. Apparently these calf strains are all different in terms of severity. Well done and good luck for Coniston.
Its a bit weird really - I'm never one to quit but on Sunday I knew that if I carried on I'd both wreck my leg completely and probably come last in the process. A few years ago (well tell a lie probably even a year ago) running something like Edale, finishing would have been everything and I would have crawled over the finish line if need be. I ran last year's 3P with a knackered knee and in a just not fit enough condition - I still finished the damn race but in a totally trashed and demolished state - in fact a near death experience might be a better description of that race :rolleyes:.Quote:
Originally Posted by Guick Dotto
Now going through that sort of torture just seems utterly bonkers. I know I can run the distance so not finishing doesn't worry me but I'd much rather do it properly and, more to the point, I want to be able to keep running afterwards if I can. Stopping on Sunday was a really sensible thing to do and was done by somebody who has pretty much never done anything sensible in his life before. It also seems that using ice packs made a great for a speedy recovery too. After todays run, which admittedly I did pretty crapily, my leg tonight feels even better than before and I'm even holding out for a good run on Saturday now.
Yes I think ice packs are the key to a swift recovery. Another bloke (I was after a lot of advice) said jump in a beck and sit there as quickly as you can after pulling a calf muscle. There were no becks around where I did mine in and I went into "feel sorry for myself mode" too quickly. Although, blimey!, it did hurt at the time.
Race #7
5th April 2008 - The Coniston 14 - 13.875 miles and maybe 900 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
Well despite only being able to walk up and down stairs gingerly, one step at a time last Sunday night, having knacked my calf at Edale, I arrived fighting fit yesterday morning for the Coniston 14 road :eek: race, along with my daughter Kelly and about 1300 other runners. We got there a bit early and it was cold out so we sat in the car and generally commented on, giggled at and derided all the other runners as they arrived, togged up and generally milled about in the school field.
Its easy to get all fell runningly snobbish about the difference in attendees to a race like this - there are just more joggers, more fatties and more oddballs at a road race it seemed to me and some of the pre race warm up routines and stretches were brilliant..... to take the piss out of :D. In comparison a fell race, before the off, feels more like a gathering of mountain men (and women) - a more leathered look, more 1000 yard stares with everyone seeming generally more battered by the elements and terrain I guess.
Although this is a road race around a lake, it is an undulating course and does have a few hills. From the Coniston 14 web site there's an extract from a Runner's World write up from 2000 saying things like:
"Everything about the Coniston 14 -the scenery, the organisation, the camaraderie, even the hills!-make this popular event well worth the journey......Yes, it does have hills. Terrible, quad-sapping, gravity-defying, monstrous hills. But then, that’s all part of the appeal as well".
The course was slightly hilly then.
So having been all so smug and superior before the start, as soon as the race started, I found myself amongst a field of excellent runners all of whom for the first 5 miles seemed to be cruising past me. My calf was feeling fine but I was purposely running at maybe a 7 to 7.5 minute mile pace from the off, looking to just maintain that all the way round. Eveyone else it seemed was much much faster - where were all the fat joggers all of a sudden?
After about 5 miles runners stopped overtaking me and after the turn back at around the 6:5 mile point I actually started to get a few places back. The undulations of the course (sorry 'gravity defying monstrous hills') did suit me and at the 11 mile point there's a good solid climb that did throw a few spanners in many of the runners works, allowing me to 'cruise' past a few in turn. And then there was a fast drop back to lake level and a run in to Coniston which was great - I especially enjoyed all of the last 3 miles and finished pretty strong I'd say. A lovely hilly road run all in all, in beautiful Lakeland scenery, and much (albeit grudging) respect to the many excellent runners involved. I did a time of 1 hour 41:25 minutes (half marathon split of 1:35:51), coming in 181st. Kelly did brilliantly with a time of 1:50:59 finishing in 394th place.
Having felt totally crocked last Sunday at Edale, stopping after what 12 or so miles, and having run 3 excruciating miles on Tuesday, 8 sore ones in the hills on Wednesday, 5 okayish in the hills on Thursday and walked several thousand miles around Alton Towers on Friday, I was more than pleased with my 'come back'.
Results
Wish I got those sort of injuries Stolly instead of the 2-3 months no running type. Well done.
12th April 2008 - Pen y Ghent (3P race route) up and downer - 6.5 miles and maybe 1580 ft of Climb.
OS Explore Route
Snow again yesterday morning so it had to be Pen y Ghent. The snow was that very wet sort that melts quite quickly on the roads and paths but it had laid a good 2 to 3 inches worth in the fields surrounding Horton. I wanted to test my start for the 3P so I thought I'd just blast (maybe not the right word for my racing plod) up the race route from Horton to the wall at the summit and come straight back down the way I went up. I don't usually like covering the same same ground twice in a run but, lets face it, going up is very different to coming down.
I hacked off down the road in Horton and then up the rubble strewn Penine Way track that initially starts you off heading straight for PyG, before taking you on quite a long tangent to the north west. I used to find running up this track depressing, what with the boulders in the first mile or so and the drawn out, never endingness of the track, but it didn't seem so bad yesterday and I soon got to the gate, 300 meters short of Hull Pot, for my turn to follow now a more direct line to the summit. The track so far had been well walked on and was clear of snow but it was quite misty and I couldn't see much of my path ahead or anything of Pen y Ghent itself. The car park had been packed and there were a shed load of walkers coming down the Penine Way off of PyG, presumably mainly doing a 3P walk - it surprised me that they were going this way but, in the weather, it was probably the best bet, less boggy and least likely to get lost on route to take.
Once I got to the foot of the diagonal path up the side wall of PyG, the track became much more icey and the clag thicker. All the same I continued to run all the way to the top, making my turn at 39 minutes. Up here it was all very white, with deep snow and white clag, and my usual trod off the summit, cutting the corner, was completely invisible. The snow was more grippy and dry up here but, all the same, I didn't fancy guessing my path so I followed the walkers path back down from the top.
This descent is great, great fun and was made a little trickier by having to ovetake groups of muffled up walkers who couldn't see or hear me coming. I could venture off the path into the snow to get round them but it was hard to be sure of my footing much of the time doing this.
Beyond the first steep drop off I could speed up keeping mainly to the path - I would not have fancied running in the tussocks to the right yesterday, as I know most of the descenders in the 3P like to do. The snow was very wet and, at the same time, hid completely waterlogged grass and mud underneath it. There is one place where the path zig zags down a small steeper incline, where runners will always cut the corner, but skidding and sliding down that bit yesterday gave me one drenching fall and definitely no advantage.
I passed a group of 3 runners towards the end, clearly starting out on a 3P recce, and a posse of runners was just forming in the car park as I chugged in; this latter group doing a 2 peak recce rather than the full 3. Anyway a good and fastish run for me in what maybe the last taste of winter (touch wood) for the year - my time start to finish was 1 hour 5 minutes.
Hopefully this part of the 3P course will dry out a bit in the next two weeks but, either way, it will be a muddy one :D .
13th April 2008 – Settle Hills fell race route – 7 miles and 1750 feet of Climb
Race Map
Getting my excuses in from the start, I spent 4 hours yesterday digging, shovelling and raking top soil in my back garden and I’d also been up Pen y Ghent the day before so, quite clearly in less that top condition, I set off around this brilliant route. Oh and another thing the race route starts about a quarter of a mile on from the finish whilst I ran the full circle, adding at least full 440 yards to the 7 miles :D.
This run starts with a great ascent straight up from Settle Market Square that climbs 750 feet, at an annoyingly just runnable gradient, before levelling out into an undulating run through a valley with high crags to your left and the more rounded grassy slopes of High Hill to the right. This though is a brief respite for maybe a mile before another crunching climb, this time only half runnable straight up the grassy, unpathed side of a crag. When I’ve run this before, I’ve never found the right line through this ‘field’ and, with no path, its far from obvious which way to go, but yesterday, more by process of elimination than anything else, I think I got it about right.
Route Profile:
http://img36.picoodle.com/img/img36/...im_0b300a4.gif
Once I was on the tops, I headed for the top left corner of the field to go through a gap in the wall and be faced with a fantastic panorama of the 3 peaks on the horizon, with Whernside still topped with the remnants of yesterday’s snow. Having only been this way twice before, once in rain and clag and once in a blizzard, I’d never before been able to see any views what so ever so this came as a bit of a surprise!
I now entered a field that is just trackless, tussocky grass and rocks and, on both my previous outings, I missed the line to a gate in the wall at the other end completely. And yesterday was no exception with me hitting the opposite wall, completely hidden from view by crags and undulations until pretty much the last minute, about 500 yards left of where I needed to be. (Mind you I’ve now got this sussed properly I think, having looked at the map again later in the day, and will finally get it right next time). I then had to follow the wall to the gate and brave a herd of highland cattle in the process to get back on track.
Then I went through the next field following a far from obvious line (unless you know it) towards Jubilee Cave, before following the track down through Attermire Scar. At the foot of the scar I then hacked off piste again up the grassy slopes of High Hill. Here again I didn’t get the line right, going up a bit to the left of what I now suspect to be the actual race line, but reached the top of this final climb without too much trouble before hacking down the near vertical opposite side of High Hill.
By now I was feeling a bit battered and weary but the run in was an enjoyable and muddy whiz down the Penine Bridleway and then steeply through fields to Settle and my finish. 1 hour and 21 minutes :( - Brett who sort of runs fell races at, I like to think, my speed (although he’s recently caned me twice in two Wharfedale night runs) completed this race in 1:12 last year!
Race #8
The Anniversary Waltz - 11.5 miles and 3600 ft of Climb
I drove over to the race with Ady from Accy, arriving in the teeming metropolis of Stair (two houses, a pub, an adventure centre and a village hall) well early. Despite all the gloomy forecasts earlier in the week the weather was clear and sunny, although it was a 'tad' windy. We wandered about a while bumping into a few other forumites, drinking tea and eating cake in the village hall before moving up to the start. With 20 minutes to spare, we trotted up onto the hillside above the starting field for a view of pretty much the whole route set out before us - Robinson on the horizon to our right, then Hindscarth and Dalehead before the ridge cut back towards us with High Spy and finally Catbells before a long steep return to Stair.
The route from memory (I bought a race map but can't find it at the minute) I've plotted as something like this:
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/7...rywaltzrj5.jpg
The weather was as clear as that too and, once on the tops, the views and scenery, whenever I could risk looking up, were stunning. Mind you getting on the tops wasn't quite so much fun. The race once it was underway takes you for a 2 or 3 mile hilly trot which is really pleasant - I could even manage a smile:
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/60/awpic1rv9.jpg
This though is the lull before the storm as it then abruptly plants you at the foot of Robinson and sends you straight up the side.... for 2000 feet.... and, as near as damn it, all in one go. I'd been following Moo up until this point but, as soon as we started to go up the sheer side of this ridge, she soon left me tailing in her wake. This climb was great practise for Whernside next week I guess but I was pleased to hit the slighter gradient on the top and starting running into the wind for the first check point. Merrylegs overtook me here, another runner I wouldn't see again until the finish.
At times up here it was very exposed to the wind. I'd first felt it half way up Robinson and had fannied about putting on my windproof, a good idea as it turned out but it did slow me down. After Hindscarth I followed two runners off on a rediculous right hand tangent, thinking they must know some sort of brilliant short cut - I then realised that the race route went some 90 degrees to the left of the direction we were running and no other bugger was going our way! This led me to curse these two stupid runners (I'm not of course stupid for following them) and cut a middle line of my own back to the main race track. When I got back on track I felt like I'd lost 50 places in the race but, incredibly, I was shortly overtaken by a girl I'd been just behind at the top of Hindscarth so it was a short cut of sorts after all.
After Dalehead our route turned onto the ridge that divides the Stair valley to the left from Derwent Water and Borrowdale on the right. A fabulous view but hard seen through the tears in my eyes caused by now a ferocious wind. This run in though was at long last enjoyable and I started to pick up some places in the race before finally cresting Catbells and then blitzing down the side for a super fast and long descent into Stair for the finish.
A picture taken by Baggins, of Stolly (in the red) just dropping off of Catbells:
http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/8589/aw4fh2.jpg
Merrylegs on the last descent sometime before:
http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/9760/awpic2fs7.jpg
Anyway an absolutely cracking fell race, my first in the Lakes this year. Ady had a great run, finishing in 2:04 but I don't know anyone elses times as the results aren't up yet. I was happy with my time of 2 hours 17, something like 40% slower than the winner! Mind you 40% slower than the winner at the 3P next Saturday would give me a 4 hour finish, something that I suspect won't turn out to be the case.
Results
Race #9
26th April 2008 - The 3 Peaks - 23.8 miles and 5,279 ft of Climb
Race route
Not only was this the 54th running of the 3P but this year it was also chosen to be the 5th World Long Distance Running Challenge, with 100 international runners coming over, a couple of minor course alterations, a fully flagged course, shed loads of marshalls and extra water stops. I liked all of these changes and, although by flagging the course, it stopped a few short cuts and forced runners onto rougher ground (coming off Whernside!!), I kind of liked it.
It was great to meet up and chat to Mountain Goatess (the only Pony other than me that I saw), Iandarkpeak and Jodg just before the race began. MG chose to line up near the back of the starting herd whilst I lined up with Ian and Jodg roughly in the 4:15 to 4:30 part of the field.
Wary of cramp and previous run ins with dehydration, I'd drunk a smoothie, the best part of two lucozades, a big cup of tea and a bottle of water all in the 90 minutes before the start and, as the start time was approaching, I was beginning to wish I hadn't with a sicky feeling in my stomach. The weather was hazy sunshine at the start although the weather forecast promised rain, albeit warm rain, and, for the first time for ages, I could look forward to running without worrying about getting cold.
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/4258/pygpse2.jpg
So the race hooter sounded and we were off out of the field, down the road through Horton and up the Pennine Way heading in a round about way for Pen y Ghent, set clear on the horizon before us. The starting order seemed to work well and there was little jostling with me gradually making more ground than losing it. That said as the running became a little steeper I briefly chatted to Jodg as he cruised past me. All the same I comfortably got to the top and the first checkpoint at 40 minutes.
All the way up I'd been looking forward to the descent off Pen y Ghent - I've run it so many times and can usually whiz down - but, just as I turned and opened up for the run down, I was hit with a crippling stitch probably brought on by all the liquid wallowing around inside me. My legs were aching and not feeling to good either and I was what 3.5 miles into the race! The stitch forced me to cut back a bit of my run down and, even when climbing the small hills behind Hull Pot, the stitch stubbonly refused to go. Phil from Skipton AC caught up with me by the time we reached the Ribble Way and, although he said he felt dreadful, he still managed to overtake. Rufus from the forum may have over taken me hereabouts as well. The next one to get me was Wobblehead running in the green of Settle Harriers and then Iandarkpeak caught up with me too.
To be honest the 'fashion statement' that is the Dark Peak running vest was just the trigger I'd been needing and, with my stitch now receding, I began pressing on again, eventually going past Wobblehead and then Phil too. I then found myself running 50 yards behind a chap whose baggy white pants were showing (as his running shorts seemed to be lifted and caught under his back pack). This sight was annoying after a mile and really annoying after two and me and a girl running nearby were trying our best to catch him and get past this awful torture. I finally nailed him just before the hitting the road and the run down to Ribblehead, reaching the checkpoint there at 1 hour 45...... with Whernside waiting patiently for me beyond.
http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/8...rnsidepno5.jpg
I've run the 3P (badly) three times previously and each time it has been this never ending climb up Whernside thats marked the beginning of the end for me. This year the ground was muddier and spongier too and, with most of the climb going over this grassy boggyness before the last 300 ft on all fours scramble to the summit, it looked set to be tough going. That said I felt okay going up, with only a few runners overtaking me. I did feel a few twinges of cramp though which became full blown cramp at I got to the top at 2 hours 29 and tried to run/hobble along the track. Wobblehead said hello again here as he went past me cramp free and that frigging baggy pant man did too! After 400 yards or so I'd managed to run through the cramp and then raised my game again for the difficult descent down to Hill Inn, overtaking Wobblehead (again) and baggy pants in the process, and getting there at 2:54.
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/6...broughpum3.jpg
I'd been sucking on jelly babies on and off going round, occasionally sipping some of my isotonic drink and topping up with a cup of water at water stops and I now didn't feel too good from all the sweet sicklyness of it all. Fell races might keep you fit but they sure wreck your teeth! All the same I knew I needed the energy going up Ingleborough and I rammed in another couple of jelly babies. I ran to the slabbed path pretty comfortably and then fast walked and ran all the way to the steep climb. Here again I had a few twinges of cramp but nothing too serious and, on cresting onto the rubble at the top of Ingleborough, proper cramp hit me for a couple of 100 yards (made worse by the broken terrain) but I soon managed to run that off too, albeit left knowing that the cramp was just under the surface now and could revisit at any time. Somewhere going up Ingleborough I must have overtaken Jodg but I haven't a clue where.
I began my descent pretty well off of Ingleborough hitting a steady metronomic pace but, at about the half way point, I started to struggle and wheels were now falling off. I had a drink at Sulber Nick which made me feel worse if anything - that added to the psychologically draining straight run through the limestone boulder field - but just as I was feeling at my worst I broke out into the open and could see the tents of the finish on the horizon. I now got a second wind and finished quite well, overtaking two or three runners on those last few muddy hills to run down into the field at Horton for a 4:22 finish. I was well pleased with that on the day, what with the muddyness of the course too - my time last year when a less fit Stolly was on show was 4:59.
All told a fantastic race and I've even got a bit of a tan, nicely topping up the wind burn from the Anniversary Waltz last week. The promised rain never happened and there was a fair amount of pleasant warm sunshine. Lots of flash back memories too - the girl running not far beyond Hull Pot with blood streaming from her right arm that she didn't seem able to move, a fallen runner on boulders not that further on with spectators calling a nearby marshall for help, matey's white baggy pants, another crashed runner being wrapped in a space blanket on the top of Whernside and all the exhausted runners coming in at the finish, one or two being completely at the end of their tether. I chatted again to Ian, Jodg and Derby Tup at the end, exchanging experiences of the race, oh and the pint of Golden Pippen in the tent at the finish was the best drink of the day and by far the least sickly for sure.
Results
Race #10
3rd May 2008 - The Malhamdale Meander - 23 miles and 3500 ft of Ascent
OS Explore Route
Having needed until Wednesday for my calves to recover from the 3 Peaks, by Thursday I was quite fancying a jog around the Malhamdale Meander. Kirkby Malham, the starting point, is just just over the hill from here and the run sounded nicely chilled out compared to last week's frenzied, full on, do or die stuff. The Malhamdale Meander is an LDWA event and for me to call this a race is taking the piss really - about 230 walkers turned up to either walk the 23 mile meander itself or, if they prefered, the 9.3 mile mini-meander and, to confuse things a bit, some of these walkers (who started an hour before the runners) chose to run or run-walk the route. Then with a 9:30 start there was maybe 20 or so runners, some of whom were also running the mini-meander which branched off the main course after 7 or 8 miles, and I doubt that if asked anyone would have said they were 'racing' the route.... which suited me fine.
I've never turned up to an LDWA event before but this was fantastically organised. Kirkby Malham as a village use the event to raise money for their church and school and even use the church bells, ringing the half hour, as a starting gong. Everything felt exactly as it should be with loads of hill and dale enthusiasts milling about, looking at maps, drinking tea and chatting whilst registering at proper village hall tables manned, as far as I could gather, but volounteers from the village. It was only after the walkers (and the walker runners) had set off that you could see the er.... runner runners left behind in the village hall. From the forum there was AJF, Socks, Britnick and (although I didn't know it) SteveS..... unless of course he went as a walker runner! I thought Daz the Slug was going to run too but, if he did, I didn't manage to identify him.
At 9:30 we all set off down the lane to Hanlith Bridge before following the Pennine Way beside Malham Beck towards Malham. A couple of runners did shoot ahead but I was happy to just run at my normal 'fun' running pace. A couple of Skipton runners I knew, Phil and Steve, were there too, but just to mini-meander, so I chatted with them a bit and then sort of fell in with AJF and his pace. He too was just running as a wind down from the 3P and using the route to gain some local knowledge of the area.
After Malham, the route then climbed up towards Kirkby Fell before looping back towards the top of Malham and following the path of the Dry Valley (where once a river would have flowed to become a waterall at the now dried up Malham Cove).
http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/3...yvalleyhu9.jpg
At the bottom of the valley we then vered to the left and after a small climb, gradually descended to the bottom of Gordale Scar. Then it was up the valley and then up the waterfall at the end. This waterfall climb is really very easy, especially if you don't mind getting your feet wet, but you'd be surprised just how many people get wracked with fear over it. My youngest daughter had climbed it half a dozen times by the time she was aged 5 and I've even seen a Scotty dog climb it unassisted!
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/91/gordalepj0.jpg
After that you then pass another hidden waterfall, climb up some rocky steps and before you know it, your on the top of Malham Moor. We then scooted over to and around the back of Malham Tarn to reach the Tarn House Field CEntre at the 10 mile point. Here there was tea, juice and cake in ready supply and we had a small scoff before carrying on.
Up until this point I'd known the route completely but we were now going into unknown territory. To be fair there were plenty of checkpoints with the majority manned but, apart from one small stretch through normally non-open access land which was flagged, the route did need some map work from time to time. Fortunatly for us though, while we had been loading up on cake, another runner caught up with us who knew the route and we manged to get a few tips from him along the way.
The route meandered (funnily enough) over some stunning scenery on what was a glorious day weatherwise and, at the 20 mile point, we climbed Weets Hill for what was the final climb of the run. We'd by this time overtaken the vast majority of the walkers and a fair few of the walk runners, and, having left our co runner some way behind now, it felt AJF and I had 100 square miles of the Dales to ourselves.
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4585/leegate2he0.jpg
We were then faced with the best part of a 2.5 mile open run down to Calton, all following the same track. I don't know about AJF who seemed quite comfortable (apart from his raw nipples that is :D) but my legs were started to feel a bit weary now. Mind you it was all down hill and it wasn't too difficult to keep our steady pace going. After a couple of miles another runner caught up with us (he had started an hour earlier mind) which inspired us to put our foot down a little. Then it was through Calton village, down to Airton bridge and then maybe just half a mile back to the start following the Pennine Way again. This last half mile was hard work now, and AJF breezed ahead, but I managed to soldier on and finish with a time of 3:54. I think AJF could have been the second runner home with the guy who was first fairly whizzing round in a time of 3:23, leaving me coming in third. To think I could have run the same route at full on speed, what certainly knocking 15 minutes or more off my time, and............ still probably finished third! A fabulous run though on a beautiful, warm day in absolutely stunning countryside.
Raw was not the word for them! All scabbed over now:eek:
Great run out though and glad of the company. Nice route and a day that makes you appreciate being in the hills. Also nice to wake up with no aches and pains (unlike the previous week)
5th May 2008 – Pen y Ghent, Plover Hill, Hull Pot and Long Mires – 12 miles and maybe 1850 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
I'm getting to love this route, having run it for the third time this year this morning. Starting off, I did have what I'd politely describe as 'tight lower buttocks', carried over from the Malhamdale Meander on Saturday, but other than that I felt in pretty good nick. Its funny how my last three weekend runs have all picked out particular deficiancies of mine to work on - the Anniversary Waltz was my quads, the 3P my calves and then the MM my buttocks :rolleyes:.
Going up Pen y Ghent (via Brackenbottom) did, to be fair, feel pretty tough going with my legs feeling very 'leggy' but once I got to the top and started heading across to Plover Hill that all but disappeared thankfully. This picture is actually of the main path off PyG to the Pennine Way but you can just see the wall that I followed to Plover Hill along the crest of the ridge top right:
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/9...verhillyg6.jpg
The weather today was pretty similar to the picture too and, for the first time up here, I could actually see where I was going. Mind you the bogs getting to Plover Hill were once again fcuking brilliant - in fact I'd welcome any bog connoisseur from the Peak District or maybe Calderdale to give this stretch of bogs a go and give me their professional opinion; it has to be the boggiest place in Britain if not the world :D. The last half mile is a very gradual climb to the top of Plover Hill and here it was just like running in two feet of watery mud, the wrong way up a down escalator and wearing gripless carpet slippers - given that my legs weren't at their best either, all I needed to round off the complete experience was to be wearing my leg weights and carrying a back pack full of bricks!
Having crossed the summit, I then dropped down into a valley (Foxup Moor) which I had utterly to myself. In fact the isolation was so immense I just had to stop and take it all in for a minute or two. Running fell races or in the hills with mates is all fine and dandy but, every now and then, running alone into empty country is an experience that just can't be beaten. Just fabulous....
My route then switched back towards Hull Pot, across the (also immensely boggy) Miners Path to Long Mires before hacking back along the Ribble Way to Horton. It took me just short of 1 hour 56 minutes all told start to finish; not bad if I say so myself given my two 23 plus mile runs in the preceding nine days. In fact I'd say this run is a pretty good yard stick for my improving fitness, given that last time over it I'd run 1:54 starting fresh as a daisy. Oh and so far this year I've lost a good 16 pounds in weight and am less of the bloater that ran Auld Lang Syne on New Years Eve seen here:
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4211/me1fz8.jpg
.... although my thighs now seem two inches thicker!
10th May 2008 - Ingleborough and Whernside from Ingleton - 15.25 miles and 3500 ft of Climb
OS Explore Route
The weather at 1:30 on Saturday afternoon was hazily overcast and very humid as I started off up Ingleborough from Ingleton; hot enough for me to run sans chemise (tits out :D) for the very first time this year. This path up Ingleborough though is unfortunately frustratingly runnable all the way, even going up the stepped steeper climbs nearer the summit, so, as you might expect, I was sweating like a pig on a stick as I reached the trig point after 44 minutes or so. The clouds then started to thin and the sun began to break through as I whizzed down alongside the flagged path towards Dale Head, dodging all the 3 peaks walkers going up the other way, many looking more than a little worse for wear.
Down in the valley the heat felt more oppressive still, with the refreshment barn on the farm lane going towards Whernside packed to the gun’oles with tourists and walkers. I was determined to run at least to the dry stone wall just below the last steep climb onto the top path of Whernside and managed to do so and say hi (in my best possible casual, I’m not puffed out at all, voice) to all the walkers while I was at it :cool:. That said I was finding this climb really tough, with the sun now on my back all the way, and nearing the top I could feel my body temperature rising (weirdly almost rising up through my body like a gradual surge) to that uncomfortable, ‘I’ll be feeling feint in a few minutes’ sort of way. I had to walk the last 50 metres to the top path and could then recommence running, with the air now feeling fresher and my temperature thankfully falling to a nicer more comfortable level.
There was no wind up here though (which must be a first) and there were three para-gliding chaps standing around with their limp chutes just above the huge drop off overlooking Ribblehead far below, presumably playing over and over in their minds the falling feeling that they would fleetingly experience before crunching onto the rocks below… should they try a no wind take off ;).
I managed to reach the Whernside trig, and gaspingly finished off the last of my water bottle after something like 1 hour and 48 minutes of running, before turning back on myself to follow the wall back all the way Beezely Falls above Ingleton. Psychologically this wall run (which must be nire on 5 miles) is really wearisome although it was at least quite colourful, with another 20 odd becalmed para-gliderers hanging around with their multi coloured parachutes further down the ridge, just before the limestone plateau.
By the time I dropped down through the farm by Beezely Falls I was running completely dry and all the bleeding waterfalls there didn’t much help sooth my raging thirst – I daftly ran past the first waterfall, where I could have easily stopped to get a drink, only to find that the wooden fence and steps of the Ingleton Waterfall Walk from there on sort of kept me away from the water other than the odd stagnant pool. In the end I decided not to stop, what with the end of the run so near, and finally trudged into Ingleton to finish after 2 hours and 57 minutes. Annoyingly only 5 minutes faster than when I last ran this route 3 months ago.
I didn’t have any money on me so had to return to my car and then drive 3 miles to the New Inn in Clapham before I could slake my thirst with a swift half of soda water and an even swifter pint of bitter shandy :). A fabulous run all the same and a timely reminder of just how much fun dehydration can be!
Was it free ale at the New Inn this weekend then Stolly? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolly
Nice to see someone's paying attention :). For what its worth, my car was parked out of town in Ingleton but had money in it!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ady In Accy
I'm glad we've cleared that miniscule of detail up :rolleyes:
Race #11
17th May 2008 - The Fairfield Horseshoe - 10 Miles and 3,000 ft of Ascent
OS Explore Route
My preparation for this race wasn't quite ideal, with me driving pretty much for 12 hours and 500 miles the day before, so I turned up feeling more than a bit groggy and tired. Mind you it was a glorious day for a run and walking from the car parking field (for the best part of 3/4 of a mile) to register at Rydal Hall and then back again, with some stunning lakeland scenery all around me, soon started to sort me out. I said hello to Hopey, Manhar and Merrylegs in the car park and, having put my gear on, wandered back up the track again for the start, with Mudlugger saying hello just before the off.
Then we were off, heading up a lane and a stoney track before then going completely off piste so as to climb up to the top of Nab Scar the hard way. Its hard not to imagine the bright spark who 'invented' this race what 41 years ago looking at the contours here and picking out the stupidest and steepest route up.... because we all know that any fell race must have at least one long, sheer, ball breaker of a climb in it to count :D.
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3...seshoe2vi6.jpg
Steep ups are really the thing I'm least good at, maybe because, other than in races, I normally run rather than walk the 'ups' and never practice or train for steep walking. Running really wasn't an option on this climb unfortunately and maybe as many as 40 people (including ML) went past me going up. Once on the tops though, things started to suit me better and I started to hold my ground and then make up some, as much of the route became more runnable. I could even manage a smile..... although the Keighley and Craveners seemed to be having less fun:
http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/6...irfieldre2.jpg
The weather was bright and clear with only a little clag down for the final half a mile up to the summit of Fairfield itself. If the clag hadn't been there, it'd have looked like this:
http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3...ieldbiggp6.jpg
Mind you this last claggy ascent up to the top of Fairfield was all runnable and I felt I was hitting my stride now, hitting the turn at the top after 1 hour and 3 minutes. Now things started to speed up and we came out of the clag for a short while before going back into it for Dove Crag. Somewhere in the mix at this point was a really rocky scramble but after that we came out of the clag and rocks with a brilliant view of Windermere and the hills surrounding, all tinged a surreal blue..... and maybe the last 4 miles to the finish all one fantastic and brilliant (lunatic in places) descent.
I now managed to make up even more ground and, after High Pike, was pleased to spot Merrylegs 100 metres in front and even more pleased when I started to gain on him. I was following two other runners (Darwin Dashers I think) and ML was in front of them but, with ML maybe only 50 metres away not far below Low Pike, he branched left while the two Darwin Dashers went straight on, still following the most obvious path. In a quandry I decided to follow the Dashers but this was a massive mistake as, when the paths converged again, I was 200 metres behind Merrylegs. Looking at the race map after the event, I definitely took the wrong line here, which included an almost Big Step like scramble down some rocks and a stile or two.
We were nearing the finish now and finally broke out of a small wood adjacent to the car park field and just had to slog up the track to Rydal Hall for the finish. I felt strong at the end with a time of 1:51. Bloody annoyed not to have at least given ML a race for the finish though.
A fabulous race all the same with a fantastic 4 mile descent to cap it all.
Results
Well done, Stolly, that Silk Cut 20 mins before the start, buggered up my descending:p That view of Windemere was stunning, could have stopped and drunk it in all day. Wife hasn't been to the lakes since she was a nipper, said she could live there, roll on retirement:cool: From work, not fell running;)
:D. The view nearly buggered up my descending as I kept having to look up at it; it looked almost like one of colour filtered photos that, if you saw it in a magazine, you'd swear it down to the photographer using creative effects. Beautiful.Quote:
Originally Posted by merrylegs
On the running front, I may have to include puffing on a Silk Cut to my pre race rituals.
24th May 2008 - Pen y Ghent from Horton - 5.5 miles and 1650 ft of Ascent
OS Explore Route
Last year this little run was one of my bog standard, twice a monthers but, strangely, I don't think I've run it at all this year. I was planning of running something more challenging to be honest but my right knee was giving me jip and I settled for a steady trot out instead.
Mind you going up was anything but steady with the strong wind being head on all the way up, making the all of the climb a full on work out. Coming down was easier going, albeit my knee was now feeling worse by the second. I stepped in a rabbit scrape running in the wilds on Wednesday night and hurt my left knee and right ankle doing that but, gradually, ever since Thursday morning my right knee has been hurting more and more. It feels like the inner (medial?) ligament strain to me :(.
Anyway I finished ok in 1 hour and 4 minutes - which is slow for me but not too bad. Unfortunately my knee now feels worse today and I'm getting a bit worried, what with Duddon planned for next week and hopefully the Wharfedale off road marathon the week after. A couple of on-line sports injury sites talk about 3 weeks for such knee problems rest but sod that - I'll try a twelve miler tomorrow and see what happens :D
26th May 2008 – The Settle ‘Scar’ Run – 12 Miles and 2000 ft of Ascent
OS Explore Route
I had an ice pack on my right knee most of yesterday evening and this morning it felt marginally better; good enough for a steady run I thought anyway and a good tester to see whether Duddon was a possibilty for Saturday next. Kelly my eldest daughter also ran with me today and we decided to try a new route out from Settle.
Going north out of Settle along the Ribble Valley there is a ridge to the west that rises onto a limestone plastered plateau with Giggleswick Scar providing a shear drop off on the non-Ribble side and Smearsett Scar, a shark fin shaped hill, finally standing at the highest point before the ridge drops down to the Helwith Bridge to Austwick road. Beyond that road a new ridge rises that eventually turns into the first buttresses of Ingleborough towering over Clapham to the west. To the right of the Ribble, is an L shaped ridge with the bottom of the L stretching to Kirby Fell above Malham and the upright running parallel with the Ribble and eventually becoming part of Pen y Ghent to the north.
Our plan was to run up the left ridge, climb to the trig at Smearsett Scar, drop down to Stainforth, climb up past Catrigg Force heading towards Langcliffe Scar before running down through Attermire Scar, around High Hill and dropping down into Settle from the east. 12 miles in all which would be a pretty tough run for Kels… and me also what with a semi crocked knee to contend with. What with everything being named the something-or-other scar it seemed right to call this route our ‘scar’ run.
I was feeling somewhat worried about my knee before the off and, in a moment of weakness, decided to dig out my old blue elasticated knee support; the kind of support most often seen being worn by most competitors at the ultra slow end of most road runs I’ve ever been on; often on both knees in fact of obviously over weight and out of their depth, aging joggers. Initially as we ran through Settle on the roads I was finding it painful to run and hard not to limp so I guess the knee support did give me some extra confidence……. I'm not sure the confidence compensated though for the prat I'm sure I looked to any discerning anybody that we passed along the way!
Anyway we soon went off road, following the Ribble itself before heading up the fell side at Stackhouse. The climb here is comfortably gradual through various cow and sheep laden fields but thankfully, for Kel’s sake, we soon rose above the ‘cow line’ where she could then stop panicking about cow attacks. After a bit of off path meandering we reached Smearsett and climbed up one of the steep flanks to the wind battered top. Mind you most everywhere was wind battered today but, on top of Smearsett, it was incredibly strong such that we had to lean forward at 45 degrees to make progress. We then dropped off the front side of Smearsett, took the wrong path at the bottom, and generally made our way down to Stainforth by pointing ourselves in roughly the right direction and climbing what ever obstacles appeared in our way.
Smearsett trig from the side that we ran down:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8...ettscarjv6.jpg
In the valley we then hit civilisation at Little Stainforth, ran down the lane past Stainforth Force (a smallish waterfall and summer swimming hole) before heading up the other side, crossing the Horton road, and running up through Stainforth itself.
The shark fin of Smearsett Scar from above Stainforth:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/1...ttscar2fm4.jpg
After about half a mile of generally uphill running we passed Catrigg Force (about 100 metres off the path to our left in a wooded valley). This waterfall is just stunning (although less so today with a bare trickle of water).
http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/6430/catrigg3vd5.jpg
The little valley it lies in is beautiful too and, as it’s a bit off the beaten track, there are usually few other tourists around. Lots of wild garlic hereabouts too:
http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/8...dgarlicvy0.jpg
After Catrigg we followed the path a while longer before going off piste, more or less pointing ourselves slightly to the right of Langcliffe Scar on the horizon before us. The terrain was all tussocky grass and limestone and felt quite punishing on my poor old knee, which underneath my knee support was now also sweating like a frigging pig on a stick! We crossed the Langcliffe to Malham road and after a bit more wandering finally came to ground we knew well at Jubilee Cave and Attermire.
My knee was now hurting quite a lot and I decided to take off the embarrassing knee support, allowing the cool wind to carress away the stabbing pains from my hot and sweaty knee. Incredibly it did feel better without the support and, after what had been a very slow and steady run so far, I finally felt confident enough to speed up a little. We both raced through Attermire Scar and around High Hill, dropping back down to Settle on the Pennine Bridleway and finishing quite strong after 2 hours and 17 minutes. Not my fastest run by a long chalk but, although my knee stiffened up this afternoon, its feeling much better tonight than it did last night (touch wood) and Duddon Valley could still be a goer. Kelly did the run easy too which was impressive.
A lovely run and I can't wait to do it with both knees present and correct.
OUT OF ORDER
A repair man has been called.
What up stolly?
Sounds like you've the same as me.:rolleyes:
Stabbing pains in your knee on the front????
Its the inside of my right knee where I get my stabbing pains :(; I think its my medial ligament that I've knackered. In fact I sliced open my right knee to have a quick root around and knocked up a quick sketch showing my medial ligament while I was at it ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Calf
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/2598/kneess9.jpg
On the positive side I could barely walk early last week, I managed to run 100 yards on Saturday (although it bleeding hurt) and increased that to a massive 300 yards last night. Its fine for walking now but still stabs me when I run.
well am impressed.....especially the lack of blood and how clean your scalpel is:D
I'm guessing you've tried the usual ice malarchy and 34 ibuprofen tabs a day?