Well said Wheeze. I'm with you- I still dream of the longer stuff but get blighted by niggly injuries so I've hardly raced at all this or last year and coupled with real life intervening meant/means a rather fallow year running wise. Onwards & upwards for 2018 folks.
Interesting to see the different outlooks from others on the forum. At the mere age of 35 and having only done 2 and a half years of racing, I'm a young whippet (in terms of attitude, if not speed), with increasingly big ambitions, and whilst I've done a lot of tough races, there's many more adventures still to look forward to.
And for others who have been there and done it, possibly slightly more realistic with their plans, but certainly still plenty of ambition, and certainly no less love for getting out on the fells.
Originally Posted by PeteS
Pete I am also looking forward to the LDMT. I'm hoping to be bold and as a first-timer go straight for the classic course. I'm fairly satisfied that I have sufficient fitness to manage the distance and climb of the big course, and the navigation/planning aspect does not seem to be any less challenging on the "easier" course levels, so initially hoping to be accepted onto the classic. Although fully expecting to be right at the back end of the field.
Had a fun few hours on the excellent RouteGadget site, studying the maps from previous events, planning a route and then overlaying the routes that people took in comparison. Generally seem to be thinking the same as most in terms of route choice, with a couple of glaring errors on shorter legs!
I understand it's at Grasmere next year. This really opens up a lot of route options. I for one am hoping it stays to the east of the Dunmail road, as the Helvellyn/Fairfield/Red Screes range is the area of the lakes in which I'd be most happy without a map. No doubt it'll be a trek around Armboth Fell, Ullscarf and Sergeant Man instead...!!
Last edited by Travs; 28-12-2017 at 06:15 PM.
A year of two halves for me. Made a very patchy start, just couldn't get any consistent training together until around May/June due to ongoing problems with my left knee cartilage. But things have improved over the last 6 months and highlights for me were the Salt Cellar and Curbar Commotion races. Saunders mountain marathon and LDMT are my aims for next year.
Great year with the highlight being Hardmoors 200, but also loved my solo birthday run in the Dales Way in 30C heat, the SW100 even if we did get list in the clash. Managed 9/12 races in the Runfurther series and only missed two as they clashed with MMs and one to support my husbands Grand Slam. Had a blast at the extended Grand Raid de Pyrenees and so much more fun skiing, climbing, via feratt8ng ( is that a verb?), walking in Scotland, backpacking in Albania and trekking and gett8ng a peak in Nepal. Next year all seems rather uncertain as I wait to see if it is a Morton’s neuroma and if so what will be done..... so skiing on hold in case I miss an MRI appointment and no idea how it will disrupt my race plans....
Well I would wager serious money on heading in an Easedale/Langdale direction but who knows where we will end up and that's all part of the attraction of the LDMT for me. Realistically, I'm hoping to do the medium this year but that will depend on fitness nearer the time. Hoping to get up in the lakes soon and revisit the grasmere area as I've not been that way for a while.
Last edited by PeteS; 29-12-2017 at 07:57 AM.
So Travs, you are coming into your peak years as a fell runner. 35 to 40 is really a great time to be racing. Go for it, reach big and never pass up a chance to do something awesome. The memories are worth having...I speak from experience!
Thank you Wheeze.
I'm definitely improving, but I often wonder what might have been if I'd got into Fell running 10 years ago, instead of messing around playing local football for so many years, and the associated pub lifestyle that comes with it...! I hope that my "peak" extends into my 40's before age starts to catch up on my performances, as I still feel I'm several years away from making the most of what little potential I have.
Wouldn't swap it for the world though... despite what you often read on here, it's still the best and most untarnished sport in the world.
me too: I only strated fell running in 2013 (first race: Stretton Skyline!!), with a few years trail running before that. Someone told me a couple of months ago that, no matter where you start, you generally have 10 years of improving before levelling off/declining. Might be rubbish, but my race times are getting better, despite this year's training being quite patchy.I often wonder what might have been if I'd got into Fell running 10 years ago
I moved house in Feb and the general upheaval meant I scratched a fair few races and knocked the training distance down overall this year. Still managed to get a few crackers in, including the Snowdon Twilight (uphill only, nearly got hypothermia. In June) and a few new-to-me Welsh races like Cwmdu, Fan Brycheniog and Fan Fawr (hello Wheeze. I'll introduce myself at some point! I'm usually the only one in a Mercia vest). Had a few age category wins and my race times are coming down.
Looking forwards to upping the mileage again this coming year and doing some more races in the Lakes and doing some exploring of my local hills.
I think I peaked after 10 years in 2015, levelled in 2016 and 2017 proved I am now firmly in decline!
That said, I take great pride in still being one of the fittest people at work even though I am well into my fifties. It's all relative - even a declining fell runner is going to be far fitter than someone half their age who works out in the gym and does the odd park run.
Have to agree with last sentence wholeheartedly.
Pete, I definitely peaked in my forties so you can look forward to smashing some of your times for years to come yet.
The one thing to note as you get older is the longer recovery time you need. Bare that in mind and hopefully you'll stay fitter longer
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