Stolly's Running Adventures

[Ady In Accy]

Wish I got those sort of injuries Stolly instead of the 2-3 months no running type. Well done.

[Stolly]

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 .

[Stolly]

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 .

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:



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!

[Stolly]

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:



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:



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:



Merrylegs on the last descent sometime before:



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

[Stolly]

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.



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.



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.



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

[Stolly]

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).



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!



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.



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 ) 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.

[AJF]

Raw was not the word for them! All scabbed over now

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)

[Stolly]

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 .

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:



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 . 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:



.... although my thighs now seem two inches thicker!

[Stolly]

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 ) 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 . 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!

[Ady In Accy]

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?