Ennerdale Fell Race 2011 - Where I lost my bottle.

I'm developing a bad habit of turning up for events at the last minute; not only that, I entered Ennerdale just the weekend before after getting in touch with the organiser to check it was ok. We were staying in Wasdale for half term week and I thought it would be a shame to miss the race since I was in the Lakes anyway but I had to secure permission from my better half first.

The weekend before we met up with the Sammons at Hutton Roof for the fell race there, I like that race as much for the food after the race as the route itself. I had quite a good run comfortably beating my time from a couple of years ago but not quite matching my best for this route, I'd like to think that's down to the headwind on the way out than anything to do with my age (denial is a virtue in my book). The Sammons met us again in Wasdale the day after where me and Mark went for a trot up Scafell (not pike!), I enjoyed this run though Mark seemed to be suffering a bit with his legs. I tried to take it easy, not having done any big descents for a while and I didn't want to trash my legs for the week. It's the biggest single drawback of living in the south where fell running is concerned and something I always suffer with when doing big races, the descents really do make a mess of my quads.

I did a couple more runs during the week, I had half a mind to do the Blencathra Race Wednesday evening but it seemed a bit daft driving all that way when there were all the Wasdale hills on the doorstep, plus I think it would have been too much with Ennerdale at the weekend.

My favourite race is a toss-up between Ennerdale and Wasdale, I think Ennerdale probably wins on the simplicity of the route - just run to the head of the valley and back clockwise over most of the tops; however Wasdale has the edge in sheer brutality. I haven't done Duddon yet; I was considering it this year until I found out it was a champs race, they're just not me and since there's always scrambles for entries I think it's better to find something else and leave the place for somebody more keen.

Packing my kit early Saturday I had lost my whistle so I stopped off as Wasdale Head to pick one up from the shop there, it was after 10am when I got back in the car and I have to say I ended up driving like a bit of an idiot to get to Ennerdale Bridge 20 minutes before the start. Rushing around getting my number I got a stern warning from a bloke that the briefing was about to start so I sprinted back to my car to get changed and slap some suncream on since it was quite warm! I was sweating by the time we lined up for the start, still relieved to have made it. I spotted Pauline and said a quick hello before we all set off along the side of Ennerdale Water towards the first climb.

The first few cutoffs are notoriously tight at this race, I would say the first one is harder to make than that at Wasdale so for me it's tough at the beginning to balance going off too fast with taking it steady and risking getting timed out. It seems an age before you start to climb the fell and it was hot, Ian caught and passed me near the top where there was thankfully a nice cooling breeze blowing.

The views were gorgeous with the skies being clear so there would be no problems with navigation it was going to be a case of setting a good pace and keeping the food and water going down, I made the first checkpoint with about 4 minutes to spare which was better than the only other time I have done this race.

From there to Blackbeck tarn it was mostly follow the leader but there were a few bits where I remembered trods that those in front didn't know about. There was a bloke taking pictures at the tarn just before I filled my bottle up:

 

I ate some of my crisps and peanuts just after here and shortly after on the climb up Green Gable then went to have a drink and my bottle had gone! I couldn't understand it, I swear I'm always careful about dropping anything on the fells so I was really confused when there was no sign of it at all in my bumbag. My confusion turned to concern when I thought about how far was still to go and how little water was available after Kirk Fell, thankfully after chatting to the bloke alongside me who had noticed what I was doing he gave me a small, empty coke bottle to use. In the end I got round on the water that all the marshals had carted onto the peaks; not something I am comfortable with, relying on other people but there you go I made an embarrassing mistake... and costly the bottle had a water filter on it which cost me nearly 40 quid.

I have been racing in Walshes this year, not for any other reason than I bought them a few years back and stopped using them when the insoles fell out on my first run in them. In the interests of economy this year instead of buying a new pair of mudclaw I glued the insoles back in and have been using them. Trouble is I haven't done more than about 3 hours in them and at around this point in the race I started getting telltale hotspots on my feet, something else to worry about!

I had lost sight of everyone in front going over Kirk Fell just like last time so I was then in the same position as two years ago, wondering whether to try going down the scree gully which I have never done before. It must be about the third or fourth time I have been up there and got to what seems like the top of it but the scree just looks like it drops off a cliff. First time I went down a gully around there was in mist and I actually turned back, on this occasion I ended up doing what I did last time in the race which was stick to the 'path' down the crags then cut right a bit further down where the scree is less steep. There was a guy further up the scree who saw me sneaking onto the stones and shouted down: "I knew there'd be an easier way down!", I told him I wasn't sure about that in fact I wasn't sure there *was* an easy way down that side of Kirk Fell at all!

Climbing Pillar I met a couple of blokes from Ellenborough who offered me some water and jelly babies which I was really grateful of, I was pretty thirsty by that point. I was steadily getting slower and feeling a bit low so I stuffed some chocolate coated flapjack in my mouth; I always remember the race notes from a fellrunner magazine a few years back stating that you shouldn't be knackered by Pillar since there's still a long way to go, while not completely spent I was well on my way. Once off the ridge from there the ground gets a lot kinder becoming much grassier with no more big climbs but you only have to look across to Ennerdale Water to see how far you still have to go.

I trudged on running as much as I could, meeting one or two other runners who were suffering badly with cramp and I even got my map out at one point to check I was where I thought I was since there is a shortcut I took last time missing out Caw. Thankfully all the marshals were really helpful providing some water and encouragement though those on Iron Crag told me it was all downhill from there (it's not!).

I turned right instead of left in the woods before Crag Fell but that's not a major error it just meant I had to make my way across deep grass and heather back to the path but other than that it was just a painful trek past the last checkpoint and down that lovely descent to the finish. It's a shame I couldn't make the most of that descent the way my feet and legs felt I just couldn't pick any speed up it was too painful.

The air was blue on reaching the track back to the scout hut due to the guy in front collapsing with cramp, he couldn't believe it had struck in sight of the finish! It's a little tortuous that run in but it's still a fantastic feeling dibbing at the finish and grabbing a bite to eat with plenty tea and juice. I was about 10 minutes slower than 2 years ago which was a bit disappointing but I'm not complaining; I can't say I have trained as hard this year so far... that's right... blame the training... nothing to do with my age.

I'm still in love with this race; long distance fellrunning doesn't get much better, I couldn't thank the organisers, marshals and everyone else involved with putting it on enough. Next for me hopefully is the Great Lakes Run, another race with a cracking route across some rugged terrain in preparation for this year's Wasdale which I have entered once again, it'll be my third one.

As per usual lots of good shots can be found on Ian's blog. Thanks also to Paul Dobson and Sharp Images for taking pictures on the day.

3 Shires 2010 and sore legs!

I’d not done much running in the previous weeks but with Ben Nevis, then the Horwich Downhill Race, Orienteering on Formby Dunes I don’t think I’d let my legs recover from the Ben. Whilst they had felt fine after the race I maybe should have rested them a little more. Anyway, the Thursday before 3 Shires I went for a training run with Albert and Tony up on Winter Hill, nothing to hard and only out for 1 1/2 hours. I do have to push a little harder when in company as I don’t like people having to keep waiting for me and if I run alone I tend to go easier on myself. Anyway, after the run I felt fine. The Saturday morning of the race I woke at about 3AM to make Lucy’s bottle and couldn’t walk down the stairs. My calves were murdering me! This wasn’t a good thing on race day.

I really like this race. I don’t think it is just one thing in particular. It’s a race I took Chris to twice before doing it myself and I like the village of Little Langdale. I like the buzz of the race. I like the run through the ford at the start. I like the spectacular route the race takes and I love watching this video on youtube  and up to last year it was the longest fell race I had ever entered. It’s just great!!

I’ll not got through the full details of the race route as I have already done that in blog entries from last year (1, 2). Parking this year was at Hodge Close quarry because the recent rains made the field too wet for cars which meant a 25 minute walk from the parking to the start. We met Ian and Pauline Charters and Mick Green on the way so there was plenty of chat as we went. My legs were still feeling sore and I was already having doubts about completing the race. The race was delayed starting so Albert bought a 2nd round of tea which meant I would need a couple of toilet breaks en-route.

The race headed of and with the narrow bridge over the ford out for repairs it meant everybody got wet at the start. After the ford my legs felt slow and heavy with a steady stream of runners passing me I felt slow too. By the start of the climb up Wetherlam I think I was about 20 from last and by about 100m into the climb I was considering retiring. I had to keep stopping to stretch my calves, of course losing the odd position when I did. By the time I got 1/2 way I decided I would just see what my time was at the top and if it was much off last years then I would retire.

Surprisingly I made the top in the same time as last year so carried on however this didn’t remove the thoughts of retiring. The run towards Prison band and up to Swirl How still felt slow and heavy but I did manage to make up a couple of positions on the climb. The 3 Shires stone would be my next opportunity to retire and on the descent round Great Carrs and down to the stone the retirement feeling was starting to fade. Hitting the checkpoint in 1hr 50min (the same time as last year) I continued onwards to the top of Blisco. Again I managed to pick up a couple of places on the climb. At one point a sugar rush kicked in so I started running but after about 25m slow running up hill the sugar rush ended and I carried on walking.

On the run from Blisco the runners trod was pretty well defined in most places. Eventually it starts to drop before cutting across to the fence crossing but I always seem to stay too high and veer off the path. I have a marker that I head for and it works for me. Not sure if it is much quicker but it definitely isn’t slower.

Passing Blea Tarn (without falling and getting cramps this year) the climb up to Lingmoor was as hard as I remember from last year. Slow steady steps, pushing on for the top which isn’t too far (on fresh legs) but eventually it comes. The marshalls guided me along the right route as last year I ended up sticking to the wall which isn’t the best way as there are a few more ups to tackle on those “fresh legs”.

Running in to the finish I noticed the line of runners queuing for the free tea and pasties after the race and the thought of a pasty made me smile. Imagine my disappointment on finding all the Meat & Potato ones had gone and only Cheese and Onion were left. So I sulked and just had two cups of tea and some left over flapjack.

I finished the race in 3hr 36min which was 3 minutes quicker than last year. Considering how I felt slow and had heavy legs all the way round I’d hope that on good legs my time would be quicker still. We’ll see how it goes next year.

Pictures from:
http://justusandafewfriends.blogspot.com/2010/09/3-shires-fell-race.html (Ian Charters)
http://wfdbwgua.blogspot.com/2010/09/three-shires-weekend.html (Pauline Charters)

Ben Nevis 2010 – From the back!

Having entered the Ben Nevis Race early this year I have been a little worried about if I would be fit enough to make it. I had plenty of time to try and do more training/lose more weight but it didn’t happen. Then in June along came my little princess Lucy. I’d not really done many long runs or been up to the lakes much to get some climb into them. So after cramming in Kentmere, Rydal Round and a failed Borrowdale I was still feeling a little less than confident about making the cut-offs at Ben Nevis. In fact I have to admit that at one point I thought about not starting race at all.

Heading up on Friday I collected Chris at Glasgow Airport and we took the wonderful drive up past Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor and Glen Coe. Arriving in Fort William around 7PM and straight out for food to our favourite restaurant the “Grog and Gruel”. Food seemed to become my topic for the weekend after eating some Stornoway Black Pudding. This has to be the best black pudding I have EVER tasted.

After a morning wandering around Fort William and bumping into Ian & Pauline in the butchers (whilst looking for Stornoway Black pudding, not pies as was suggested!) we got ourselves ready for the race.

Before the race the runners are required to line up behind the pipers and they walk round to the start with the pipers playing. The race sets off around the field, out of the gate and off for a mile down the tarmac road to the inn before you start the climb up towards the peak.

Once off the tarmac I started up the path which had plenty of supporters cheering people on. It was at this point I passed Suzanne Budget cheering me on but finished by reminding me about the cut-offs. So now having managed to stop worrying about the cut-off and with them firmly planted back in the fore of my mind I pushed on as I felt I could.

Running/walking along the path the line of runners unexpectedly split off through the bracken. Given the choice I decided that less climb was good and stayed on the path. Of course the climb had to be done and not long after this the path turned back on itself and the rest of the runners I’d followed then headed off on another path up through the bracken to meet the runners that previously split. I felt that taking this route was quicker based on the runners i joined back with. Onward and upward the climb just goes on and on and everytime you look up you can only see more climb ahead of you.

With the first cut-off (1hr) still in my mind we split from the path as it again turned back to head up towards Red Burn. I did get held up a little here but not enough to make a difference, this didn’t stop me checking my watch constantly. Eventually I passed the marshall at 58 mins.

The path from here zigzags up the mountain but the runners turn straight off the path directly up the scree. The climb now is much more intense and the loose scree makes it even harder. After what seemed like about 15 mins of climbing I could hear some cheering from up ahead. On looking up I could see the leaders coming down. These guys make it look so easy! I carried on up the scree but by now was finding the climb very hard work and had to stop a few times to recover, losing a few places.

Eventually rejoining the path the climb eases off now and the route is mainly on the paths to the summit but it’s still a bit of a trek. The route was very busy with walkers and now all the runners descending made it even busier. It did look like a lot of the walkers were non too impressed by the constant stream of runners coming past. With the marshalls in sight I checked my clock to see how far off the cut-off (2hrs) I was, making it to them in 1hr 58mins.

Thanks to the marshalls at the top for the Jelly babies and then the descent. For some reason I found running over the rocky ground very difficult. I was passed at some speed by a few local Lochaber runners and also managed to pass a few runners myself, particularly once I got to the loose scree and was able to pick my speed up. I had to stop a couple of times as I’m not used to these big long descents and my legs were shattered. Reaching the grassy bank I managed to pass a couple of people by sliding on my bum. It wasn’t the comfiest part of the descent!

After crossing the stream the majority of the descent is now on the paths and i was again able to pick up speed a little. At one point another runner (of Wold Veteran Runners) fell in front of me and I stopped to help him up (Any excuse for a break, eh). Looking at my clock I wondered if I would be able to make it back in under three hours, thinking there wasn’t much descent left but I was wrong. Despite making it back to the tarmac in under three hours, the run in down the road is a killer and I eventually crossed the line in 3hr 07min 52sec, exhausted.

After a few cups of Tea and a slice of cake, we headed back to the hotel to clean up and then out for tea. Back in the Grog and Gruel I was looking forward to the black pudding again, and managed to talk the waitress into serving up a large portion instead of me having to order two starters. I tried to get black pudding added to the burger but she was having none of it. Id had the steak the night before and found too much fat on it, then I tried to warn Chris on the Saturday about ordering it and in the end he was wondering if he should have ordered the burger instead. After the meal it was off to the presentation and few beers with some of the runners.

On Sunday morning Chris had considered going for another run and I was contemplating going for a swim, but in the end none of it happened. After a quick walk up the high street to see if the butchers was open (still searching for black pudding), it wasn’t, we checked out and took a leisurely drive back.

On the way back we took in some of the scenery and stopped of at a hotel where Chris and Lisa stayed a few years back.

I had a great weekend and am already planning to enter for next year. Hopefully I’ll be aiming to beat the 3hr mark next year.

NB: Some of the above pictures were taken from here....http://trainnowlivelater.blogspot.com/

Mark

Ben Nevis Race 2010

Only someone as clumsy and accident prone as me could smash my knee on a bedpost so hard that I had trouble walking, let alone running 6 days before I was due to run the Ben Nevis Race. I managed a bike ride 4 days before with some success but tried running 3 days before and didn't last more than 400m so I was a little apprehensive on my way up the day before the race.

Mark picked me up at Glasgow airport and we made our way to Fort William on a beautiful evening; me in a hurry to arrive, Mark getting tired after more than 5 hours in the driving seat. Even the stairs in the hotel had my knee complaining but to be honest I think it was more down to me worrying about it and noticing every niggle.

Saturday was a lovely morning and with a bit of time to kill we had a stroll around Fort William where Mark was spotted in the local butchers of all places by Ian and Pauline so he was soundly ribbed about being in search of pies already!

While warming up on the field I was happy with the fact that my knee would hold up, at least uphill! Mark was looking a bit nervous, he had been worrying about making the cutoffs since entering and there was nothing I could say to him that seemed to help. With the sun out it was reasonably warm and I was feeling great lining up for the start.

I'm not a fan of the first and last mile of this race but I think it's a necessary evil due to the size of the event. I took my time up the road, impressed as I always am by the quality of the runners at this race; the field was already stretched out far up the tarmac. I enjoyed the climb, I left it until as late as possible to cut off left through the Bracken following one other solitary runner off the path while everyone else had already headed up and this was quicker probably due to the fact that you don't get held up being bunched together on the narrow trod.

The clear skies were a blessing giving us views all around and it was inspiring heading up towards the Red Burn being able to see the huge line of runners slogging up to the summit. I had a gel and filled my bottle up at the stream before beginning the hands-on-knees trudge straight up through the scree, hot work where there was no breeze but thankfully most of the time the wind was there to cool you down. It wasn't much further along that the leaders came crashing down, just as I was passing the cameraman from the TV crew that were filming the race.

As the path became more rock than scree and the flow of runners steaming back down increased I ate a little coconut treat I had brought with me and drank the rest of my water, picking up the pace as the gradient eased. It was quite busy up there; in places it was hard to keep up a pace while trying to keep out of the way of runners heading back down and negotiate your way past all the walkers out enjoying their day.

Handing my tag in at the summit there was a rush of noise coming over the cliffs which at first I thought was a gust of wind but it was the rescue helicopter heading up over the north face, maybe they had another tv crew on board? I hope so since they would have got some fantastic shots from where they were.

I made a real effort now to pick off the people in front; my descending is much better than my climbing and I had a lot of fun crashing down over the rocks and through the scree, the only drawback being you have to concentrate really hard on the ground in front so you can't enjoy the view. I heard Mark shouting some encouragement to my left and I was glad he had obviously made it that far then a bit further down I had to slow down a bit since my knee had started complaining after a stumble where my leg got a little bent underneath me.

Reaching the grassy bank I was surprised that there was no sign of the taped off ground we had been warned about. It's steep here; my thighs had started complaining as I got near the stream at the bottom, relieved again to have only fell on my arse a couple of times.

Then it was just a case of trying to keep up a decent pace on spent legs, remembering where the little short cuts through the bracken were and trying to get to the finish quicker than in previous years. I thought I was in with a chance at first but I just couldn't run fast enough; all the downhill had taken its toll on my thighs so all I could manage was to pick off a couple more runners in front who were struggling even more than me before reaching the tarmac.

This was the usual torture; fighting off the urge to just walk back then on reaching the first little incline in the road some walkers tried to sound encouraging and said: "Well done this is the last little hill", "Oh no, I mean one more.... no two.... no hang on..." to which I had to laugh and just shout: "Stop it!".

Entering the sports field I realised I could just about beat 2h20m if I picked up the pace so a last spurt with a grimace for the cameraman there had me 2 seconds under by my watch at the finish. I couldn't have felt much happier!

It's always good to get a drink and a sit down in that field after the race, especially when the sun is shining. After a little rest I went to the car to drop my kit off and get the camera before waiting for Mark to finish by the entrance to the field. Just as I was getting a bit concerned for his time he appeared down the road, looking as knackered as everyone else does by that point. He was well chuffed to have finished in 3:07.

After loitering for a bit, chatting, eating cake and drinking tea we headed back to the hotel for a clean up and then headed out to the Grog n Gruel for the second time that weekend to eat. I was feeling ok, Mark seemed to be suffering a bit and we were both a right state travelling back Sunday. Even today 3 days after racing my legs still complain when I walk downstairs, whereas Mark reckons his aren't too bad; maybe I should try his black pudding diet he ate about 12 of the things over the course of 2 days. The Stornoway ones were nice though and I don't usually eat them.

I remember at my first Ben Race thinking it's a long way to travel and that I would only do it that one time, now I am counting down to getting my plaque: only 17 more to go! It makes for a great weekend in the Highlands and a bonus for me this year that we were blessed with good weather. Well done to all who ran, it was good to meet lots of friendly people and also finally meet some of the 'virtual' people I had previously only known online.

Borrowdale Fell Race – Unplanned!

On Friday (6th Aug) I decided I needed to get some miles and some climb in my legs with the Ben Nevis race only around 4 weeks away. Tony Varley and Albert Sunter were entered in the Borrowdale fell race and I had a plan to catch a lift up with them and go for a run around some part of the route maybe from Styhead to the finish and watch the runner pass me along the way.

If you have never heard of the Borrowdale race before, it is a race covering 17 miles and 6500ft of climb around the northern lake district. The route starts in Rosthwaite in the Borrowdale Valley and has checkpoints at Bessyboot, Esk Hause Shelter, Scafell Pike, Styhead Tarn, Great Gable & Honister Slate Mine with the last point having a timed cut-off of 4 1/2 hours. It’s a tough race and I haven’t seen the race run in anything but wet weather. For about 3 years now I have watched Chris do the race and met him at Styhead to cheer him on and give out food and had no inclination to attempt the race myself, until earlier this year when I decided to myself I would possibly attempt it NEXT year!

So, Albert replied to my query of a lift with “Why don’t you do the race? There are a couple of numbers going spare!”. I couldn’t really think of any good reason why I shouldn’t have a go (other than I hadn’t trained for it, and didn’t know the route) as I could always drop out at Styhead. And so the plan was forged. Saturday morning I grabbed my kit, rucsac and bumbag, a few gels and a flapjack and off I set to Tony’s, with a little nervousness.

By the time we arrived in Rosthwaite I was pretty relaxed. I registered to sub Colin's number and went to buy a map from Pete Blands van. I was AMAZED they had run out of race maps though, bit of poor planning there on Mr Blands side! Anyway I had an Ordnance Survey map with me so that would have to do. I packed my rucsac and put my food in my bumbag then headed to the start.

At 11AM the race started and it was a gentle trot through the village to the bridge where 400 people all try to fit down a narrow track. Eventually the group now spread out heads off down the valley towards Bessyboot. I always find that at the start of any race I am out of breath in no time and seriously wonder what the hell I am doing. Billy Bland was stood at the at the foot of the climb to Bessyboot giving us some encouragement and then I looked up to see the stream of bodies heading up this steep first climb. At this point I was about 5th from last!! After about 3/4 hour (I think) I reached the first checkpoint with a small gap to the people in front of me and a lady very close behind me.

I descended from the checkpoint and tried to play catch-up with the runners in front of me. I was a little worried about the route and would rather follow someone who knew the route than be left alone to navigate it myself. After 25 mins running behind Glaramara I eventually caught up to the guy in front (Colin) from Long Eaton. I had noticed though that for the last 25 mins I had not seen ANYBODY behind me and I think the lady had retired. Keeping a steady pace we plodded on to Esk Hause shelter (Checkpoint 2) which is as far as I had ever made it on a previous recce with Chris (I had an abscess and was on strong medication at the time so I can be excused!)

On the ascent up towards Scafell Pike, not knowing the route and not wanting to stop to get my map out I chose to stay with Colin. Had I known the route I probably would have pulled ahead a little but I wasn’t bothered about that. I hadn’t studied the route up here at all and was surprised when we started to descend having not yet made it to the top. Eventually though we made it to the top and out of the mist appeared about 30 people sat right on the peak having their photo taken. I recall Chris saying the path up from Wasdale is like a motorway sometimes and i can imagine it is now.

Now off the Pike and heading for the scree run and the corridor route down to Styhead tarn. Colin started to pull ahead of me here as I tried to negotiate the scree. Once onto a path I tried a couple of short cuts and at one point fell over as my left leg slid from underneath me and my right stayed where it was. Luckily I managed to avoid the rocks and carry on. Further down though I passed a large rock on the path and caught my knee. Then further along still my weak ankle (been problematic for a few weeks now) stopped me for about a minute or so after stepping funny on a small rock in the ground. At this point I had made my mind up to retire at Styhead which was getting ever so close. Taking a trod across the grass I managed to shave a couple of minute from two runners in front who stuck to the path and on arriving at Styhead Colin was there with some friends getting refreshments. Stubbornly I headed on for the climb up to Great Gable followed by Colin.

The climb up Great Gable is a tough one and after the previous climbs my energy levels were low. At one point I was feeling so low that when a woman on her way down told me I was doing well, I nearly burst into a flood of tears. Slowly I plodded up and up this huge lump of rock which still had its head buried in the mist. But then through the mist I managed to pick out the shapes of the mountain rescue guys manning the checkpoint. After a minute or so rest on the summit I headed off, following the cairns on the descent to Windy Gap.

I’d never been on this side of Great Gable and was surprised when I saw the steep descent (just hadn’t expected it). The path was rocky and steep(ish) and a couple of times I worried about the wet rock and my useless Mudrock shoes. It was at this point too that I notice 6 million teeny tiny flies buzzing around my head. After much wafting of my hat I realised that it wasn’t going to make much difference and just proceeded to eat them as I moved through them. At one point, as I came down from the mist I wondered if I had taken the right line (Not that I knew is there was a wrong path to follow) as I saw the path heading down to Styhead Tarn and wondered if I was somehow going too low. I passed a couple of walkers stood browsing the OS map and they confirmed that this was Windy Gap and I was in the right place.

Taking a minute I took on water and ate a sweet and heard someone descending from above. It was Colin, who had made the climb up Great gable look harder than I had. Anyway it turned out that he had retired at the top of Great Gable. I looked up towards Green Gable and into the mist, then looked at my watch… 4hr 23min meant I had only 7 mins to make the cut-off at Honister. Knowing I wouldn’t make it and with the thought of wandering round Green Gable in the mist somehow not seeming the least bit appealing, I decided to take the descent down to Styhead Tarn.

I know I could have made it over to Honister OK, but as I hadn’t planned to do this race and already making it about 11 miles and 4000ft I was happy I had done enough for the day anyway. It certainly made an impact on me and I’ll make sure I’m more prepared for the next time I may attempt it.

Despite retiring at Windy Gap and with tired legs you still have a good way to head back to the start making the total distance covered around 15 miles and I was out around 6 hours. When I got back to the car Albert was asleep on the back seat, he hadn’t run well and said he was all over the place but still finished in 4hr 29mins. I couldn’t though see Tony. After washing my clothes and legs in the stream I saw Tony enter the parking field. It turned out that he was only about 20 mins ahead of me at Windy Gap and after Green Gable decided to retire. He then made a bit of a hash of coming down off the mountain first heading for Seatoller, then deciding to carry on to Honister and actually coming out at Seatoller. He even managed to catch the bus back to the start. I however had to walk (running wasn’t really an option) all the way to the main road and every time a car came passed I tried to look more tired than I was in the hope that somebody would give me a lift. Fortunately somebody stopped and it turned out to be the  people who were supporting Colin at Styhead. Colin was no longer with me at this point as he had run ahead to the finish when I could run no more.

Overall I was quite happy with the day although part of me thinks I should have tried to make it to Honister to get timed out. The aim of getting some more miles and climb in my legs was achieved and after 3 1/2 years of running I finally made it to the top of Scafell Pike.

My version of the Screes Race!

Can I just clarify that when I woke up on the Saturday morning and looked out the window, the view up Lingmell nose, despite its head in the clouds, was something I hadn’t thought about and really made me smile when I saw it. Mark and Karen are really lucky to be able to live in such a place. Then I remembered that I was up here to do a race and I don’t like running in the mist. I found myself constantly watching the clouds the look for signs of blue sky or the clouds lifting and as Chris and I sat on the car park, warming up, I was happy when the blue sky started to appear over Whin Rigg and I could see the top. I also started to worry a little about being too warm as I had leggings on.

As soon as we headed off down the road, frustratingly, my lace came undone so I ended up stopping on the track to the farm to redo that which dropped me from 3rd place to about 39th (you can call me Pinocchio!). After we ran through the farm I realised others were now on a different track to me and the group I had followed and but on emerging out the other side of the farm were signs directing us down a track to where a marshal was stood waiting for us.

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This is where I started to struggle, for some reason as soon as the climb started, my calves just didn’t want to work and I had a really slow ascent. As I got about 1/2 I also noticed that the clag had re-appeared over the top and a little further up the wind started to pick up too. I reached the path to the marshals and passed Barbara coming back from the peak. She tried to spur me on but by this point the climb had taken it out of me. The sight of the marshals on the summit said it all really, as they were huddled together with their backs to the wind, hoods up. They really deserve a prize for staying there in such weather.

Now when I turned into the wind, just like Chris said, the wind hits you and it was hard work running into the wind but it was at this point I was glad to be wearing my leggings. I knew there was one other runner behind me but I still couldn’t see her as she had started to drop further and further back as we climbed. I managed to make some good running for a while as you quickly come out of the clag and I passed the runner in front of me who seemed to be struggling a little on the shallow descent. I started to lose confidence though as the ground got steeper as the Mudrocks I have just didn’t seem to grip. Not sure if I am tackling harder terrain this year but the Mudrocks just haven’t been as good as the pair I had last year.

I’ll not go on now as Chris has already described the rest of the run down and run in although when I did get back onto the last road, I realised just how slow I am when I saw one of the front runners trotting down the road after just coming back from taking his dog for walk.

I’m hoping to attempt this next year and be a little more competitive, although if they are handing out prizes for last senior again, I might just take my time.

Mark

Harrock Hill

Sorry but no epic tale of Woe for this one.

After the weekends antics I didn't run Monday but was going to try a gentle trot out on Tuesday to track but because of some work I needed to get done I ended up not doing anything at all on Tuesday evening either. Nevermind though, this would keep my legs fresh for Harrock Hill.

The Harrock Hill Race is a nice local race for me. I like Harrock Hill. It's a nice Race, nice Route and I especially like the fact that the prizes are boxes of veg, and if you're ignorant enough not to hang around for your prize, then it gets given to somebody else as it should do (although a lot of people would have to leave their prizes for me to get one)! It involves a run around the back of Parbold Hill, very similar in places to the Parbold Hill Race route, it's a nice mix of field, track and trail.

After race 2 at Harrock Hill I was aiming for a PB as during race 2 I need the loo pretty much from the off and was forced to take a pit stop 1/2 way round. Only after crossing the line did I realise I was only 4 secs off my PB and was a little gutted, so for race 3 I was hoping to get a better time and a PB.

Arriving a little later than normal, the car park was nearly full with plenty of the usual faces about. When you enter this race they always give you a £5 off voucher for Sweatshop but whilst I completed my form one entrant pointed out that the Valid till date had already expired, apparently about 90 had already been handed out and nobody had noticed, you see we all do it for the love of the sport not the freebies ;-)

The race starts about 3/4 mile away from registration at the foot of Hillside Ave where there is a bit of quick socialising before the off. Tonight's race was delayed a few minutes though to wait for one runner who had to head back to the car park for shoes apparently, then off we headed up the the track road. The first hill is a good one to spread out the field and I am normally with the people I finish with by the top of this. I keep noticing a nice house for sale on this track road that looks out towards the sea, must remember to go and see how much they want for it. Not that I'll ever be able to afford it, I'm just curious. (Maybe I'll buy it when I make my first million with www.comparethecomparesites.com)

Once at the top the path turns right for a short way before turning back (Where the Parbold race usually joins the road for a few meters) into the farmers field. I normally make up a couple of positions going down through this field but then you have to stop to cross the stile onto a narrow path on which there is really no chance of passing. Tonight I had managed to pass a couple of people in the field and caught up to a girl in a pink vest from Parbold Pink Panthers. With no chance of passing here I just plodded along behind her and then just near the end of the path she offered to let me pass however there was hardly any point now as I would need to stop to climb the stile in about 10 meters and I normally end up getting passed on the flat field we were approaching (flats are my weak area, along with uphills and downhills) so I told her to carry on.

As I thought, I didn't have the speed to catch her up across the next field however as we approached the stile she moved to the right to avoid the mud (It's a fell race love!!!) so I just ploughed right through and over the stile. After the next field you cross a small road were some unlucky resident is normally being held up whilst a stream of runners gander by. I heard two runners behind me now talking about the approaching field as last month the cows came running and bucking across our path with the runners and the cows not really knowing if they should run or stop. And yet again on running through the field the cows decided to play this game again. As the field starts to let you pick up speed the cows started to cross our path and I heard a shriek from the girl in pink behind me as she suddenly become worried about the cows.

Onward through the fields that followed you eventually come back out on the main road from Parbold hill and run past the school to the next left turn for a short run up the road and onto a cut through that brings you out near the speed camera on the road coming down from the top of Parbold hill. I don't like this section as I don't normally run well through here and get passed, and nothing new tonight as I was passed by two people including the pink panther who was asking now if it was 1/2 way yet. As we came out on the main road the race route turns back into the woods for a short way (The Parbold hill race heads up passed the Wiggin Tree here) and she kindly moved to the side and let me pass.

Once through the woods the race plods on round the edge of the field before crossing a couple of stiles and joining a track that leads you back to the road near the High Moor Restaurant. After this second stile I was caught up by the pink panther but she said she didn't want to pass and suggested I had a good pace for her. With her footsteps behind me I was trying to keep my pace steady so that she wouldn't get past me. Out and along the road past the High Moor and then you turn left on along the private road besides the restaurant. I took the opportunity to ask if this was the first time she had done this race and it turned out that this was her 'first race'. What a great race to pick as your first race.

Eventually the run along the road turns off and you start what I would class as the last climb. You don't really notice it much as a climb as it gradual and you're in the trees and bushes but I know the running is easier from the top of here (Nearly). Through three fields now and then over a stile and into a wooded area where you pass the old windmill (Emma has done the history lesson on this one). I love the run through here along the narrow paths but if you get caught behind anyone there isn't much chance of passing. Luckily the bracken wasn't as heavy as last month so just after the windmill was a slightly wider part that just allowed me to pass a slightly slower runner I had caught up to as I tried to start my burst for the finish. Just after this the path reaches a stile over a wall which leads to the final field, kindly the next runner I came up behind, who seemed less confident negotiating the few rocks that were on this path, moved over for me to pass and I climbed over the next stile and down the final field. I remember the foot of this field is normally just one big pile of mud but not this time and with nobody close enough to me I wasn't able to make up any positions coming down here either.

Over the final Stile and a track road leading to the final stretch. After a quick check of my watch I knew I would be close to my PB and as I started the final 100m climb to the finish I knew I wouldn't be able to beat my time. I tried to give it a little more pushing for the line but the PB just wasn't going to be had and I crossed the line 6 secs off my time in 49:26, gutted and annoyed with myself. I suppose the race at Kentmere could have left my legs a little tired but I felt like I had a good steady run and really thought I had done enough to improve my time but it wasn't to be.

Back at the pub I went into the bar to get a drink but as the results were ready before the barman actually got round to serving me I got the results and head for the car and home in a sulk. Of course the way home now went via the chip shop to make me feel better!

Next month had better be a good one as I want to end the Harrock Hill series on a high! A well done to Emma though who after having nothing but bad races over the past 2 months managed to knock 1 minute of her PB.

Kentmere Horseshoe

Wow!

Did I say Wow? Wow!

After committing myself to doing Kentmere I had been a little apprehensive all week thinking I had bitten off a bit more than I could chew. With the downpours during the week I was worried the weather might not be too good at the weekend and on Friday and Saturday I'd had headaches. I think I was getting a little panicky.

Joanne hadn't been feeling to good on Saturday and was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in her ear and Vertigo. At 4Am on Sunday morning I was woken to find Joanne trying to negotiate the few meters from the bed to the en-suite. Being the gentleman I am I let her sleep on my side as it was closer to the bathroom. It was at that point I heard the rain hitting the conservatory roof, it sounded torrential. Being on the wrong side of the bed I woke up about 4-5 more times between then and 8AM and all I could hear EVERYTIME I woke was the rain pounding on the plastic roof outside the window.

None of my usual 20 pieces of toast for breakfast this morning, I was an athlete (quicker that quick, faster than fast, LIGHTNING! Ka-Chow). Weetabix and bananas, but without the bananas as they weren't in a good state, and some juice. Still raining I told Joanne that if the weather was bad when I got up there then I wouldn't be doing the race, what can I say I'm a fair weather runner!

I headed off and collected Gordon Stone, a fellow club member. Gordon and I have our own little race on now that started at the Henderson's End fell race, Leading me throughout the race I thought I had no chance of catching him however Gordon can't go downhill over rocky ground and suddenly I passed him just before the finish, crossing the line some 50 secs ahead of him, thanks to the cobbled road, and since then when re race together, Gordon is now my target. Gordon Hadn't pre-entered and we didn't know if entry on the day was possible but he would use it as a training run if not.

We arrived at Kentmere around 12PM and there looked to be a good turnout with still more arriving. The clouds in the sky had started to break and the day was getting quite warm. We headed up to registration and entry on the day was ok so Gordon would be running (Race on!). Back at the car I faffed a little about what to wear. I'm a bit of a girl really and don't like to be cold on hills, but a long sleeve top seemed over kill and I a vest alone might leave me a little chilly on the peaks, so I headed over to Pete Blands van and bought a short sleeve tee and wore my Horwich vest on top of it. I chose to put Vaseline on my feet, not something I normally do but because I got a blister last weekend in my new Mudrocks and was worried a little I might get more today.

We all (240 runners) gradually headed for the start line just besides the field and I took up my place at the rear of the pack, being as I expected to end up there anyway. After a brief talk from Pete Bland we headed off. It's always at about 1/2 mile into the race I wonder what they hell I am doing and why am I doing it. I never warm up and just try to take the start easy but end up out of breath quite quickly and 1/2 a mile into a 12 mile race that isn't a good sign.

I was sure Gordon started the race behind me but somewhere very soon after starting I caught sight of him ahead of me. The race follows a stony track for around 3/4 mile before heading uphill towards Buck Crag. It was here with the sun shinning bright, the heat coming off the bracken and steady incline that I was beginning to think wearing a tee was a bad idea. Onwards and upwards I plodded on passing Gordon who has stopped to put more Vaseline on his feet after feeling a little rubbing. Near the top of the crag I had to take a moment from staring at the Totley ladies feet in front of me. I'll use the excuse that the bright pink sock and lime green shoe laces were blinding me rather than saying I was a little knackered. Unfortunately Gordon took this opportunity to pass me again.


Finally at the top of the crag the ground levelled out a little. The ground here seemed much more like the ground I have seen on races like Shepherds Skyline and Paddy's pole. Of the few races I have done in the lakes I normally find it all very stony so I was a little surprised. Following the other runners here I climbed over a fence and passed one retiree heading back to the start. She commented to me that the worst was behind me now however I was going to comment that "No, the worst was behind her" which is where I was heading. From here you follow the side of the wall before joining the main path up towards Yoke however before you reach the summit the race route contours around Yoke to join the path on its way back down from Yoke towards Ill Bell on the other side. Feeling tired already I decided to take one of the energy gels I had brought along thinking that by the time it kicked in I'll probably need it. On the climb up to Ill Bell I could see Gordon who was by now engaged in conversation with the girl from Totely but I couldn't pick up the pace to catch them but that wouldn't matter. Eventually I reached Checkpoint 1 at the top of Ill Bell where the marshal was on the phone with a friend and mentioned Pete Bland was having a BBQ tonight (I don't remember getting an invite though).

Now I'd lost sight of the runners in front of me and wasn't sure where to head down from the top I knew the general direction and managed to pick out a stony path, upon which I quickly spotted Gordon and the Totely girl. As I said before, Gordon can't descend to well so now was my time to take a lead from him. I managed to pass him and found so grass at the side of the path and made a quicker descent, suddenly another runner appeared to my left who must have known of another route from the peak and he headed off with a little more confidence than I had. Carrying on as the downhill changed to a slight uphill I found my pace turned into more of a walk to catch my breath. I think it was here that the gel started to work as I when I started running across the screes below Frostwick I caught two other runners, one of which was a lady from Abbey runners who would later be a help to me. Before we joined the main path I think we took the wrong line but line we took was fine by me and probably didn't make much difference in the scheme of things.

The path now starts its steady climb towards Thornwaite Crag but then the path forks where you reach two metal posts and we take the right hand path away from Thornwaite Crags towards High Street. Just before this fork I was passed by a man who had, the day before, run the Ingleborough race. I had originally pencilled Ingleborough after not having the courage to do it last year, until I found out that Kentmere was listed as a Club Champs race, so maybe next year now. Anyway I am normally happy to just follow somebody else but rounding a corner near the stream (Noted on the race map as a source of water) I noticed a runner further ahead; however this man who had just passed me had headed for the stream. I was in two minds about which way to go and decided to take the faint path to the left towards the runner further ahead. A few seconds later I looked down and the man looked at me questioning if HE was going the right way but by that point I knew I was as I was on higher ground and could see a few more runners ahead.

Now the final plod up to High Street. The ground would probably have been quite runnable had this been my weekend run over Winter Hill but by this point I had done nearly 5-6 miles and possibly about 2500' - 2700' of climb and was tiring, I ran in spurts and tried to take on water and some salted nuts when I wasn't running. Finally I could see the marshals at checkpoint two. Just as I approached the marshal Gordon came chasing up behind me in an effort to beat me to the checkpoint and just passed me before we reached them. I wasn't too worried though as I knew I'd get him on the downhill again. We both turned and looked for the path away from the summit and Gordon took the one of the man who had gone by the stream. I wasn't convinced this was the right path but started to follow Gordon but then I looked back and the Abbey runners lady had taken a path slightly left. I hesitated and moved towards her path as I felt this was the right path to be on but as it turned out, both paths went to the same place anyway so I shouldn't have bothered worrying. By this point, due to my hesitation Gordon had started to buildup a lead on me as had the abbey lady. I then picked up the pace downhill as we headed for down towards Nan Bield Pass. The Group I was with (Abbey, Totely and Gordon) all at one point had started to follow the guy who had previously headed for the stream but again something told me the route was wrong and I saw a faint trod heading towards the left and what looked to be the craggy path up towards Harter Fell but this time I thought I'll just go with the crowd to where the ground seemed to head downwards and see if I still think he is wrong. However within about 15 secs or so the man in front turned and headed back towards us, realising he had headed wrong and all the other runners stopped and started to head back and left towards where the faint path had led. I knew I should have followed my instinct, it's all experience though! On passing Gordon he has started to get blisters on his feet and told me he would need to ask at the next checkpoint if they had any plasters. I hate blisters but have been really lucky with the mudrocks and so far they had been really comfortable.

Back on the main path down I managed to pull out a lead on the group but on starting the ascent, I didn't have much left. It was at this point I decided to break out my 2nd gel in the faint hope it would give me what I needed to get up to Kentmere Pike. The group (minus Gordon) now walked together on the steepish ascent towards Harter Fell. We all knew that we needed to head off on a path to the right but some went sure how far up we had to go and seemed cautious about missing it. I had been looking for this path on the way down the last descent and had seen runners heading across it. It didn't look like it would be hard to miss and then we reached a point in the climb where the path was visible and it was indeed obvious where to head. The Totley lady and the stream guy (Sorry don't know which club you ran for) started to jog off, I was still low on energy and waiting/hoping for the gel to kick in but it wasn't. I managed to jog, walk, jog, walk but I don't think the jogging made that much difference to my pace. I passed 4 people coming the opposite way along this path who seemed to be supporting the race and they offered me a drink of Lucozade which I gladly took along with few more words of encouragement from them before I headed on towards Kentmere Pike.

The ascent up to Kentmere Pike from here again isn't a big one and one I could have managed had I by now not done about 3000' of climbing and 8 miles. I was really running out of energy here, the gel hadn't seemed to have kicked in and the lady from Abbey runners caught up to me. At the time she passed me I was stood still with my hands on my knees catching my breath. Concerned she asked if I was alright. I told her I just had nothing left and was catching my breath. We started to walk together and she offered me a Nutrigrain bar that she said she could spare. I tried to keep up with her but couldn't, I thanked her again and slowed down to try and eat the Nutrigrain bar. Never have I struggled to eat a tiny cereal bar as much as I did then. Eating seemed like it was in slow motion. The chewing action seemed pointless, I didn't have the energy for it but slowly I managed to get the bar down and continued towards the two marshals I could see by now upon Kentmere Pike, Checkpoint 3. On reaching the marshals I had started to get "a little" bit of energy, maybe the gel was finally kicking in or the Nutrigrain bar was working quickly but I had something that made me feel better that I did at the base of that final climb. The marshals told me I wasn't last, which I knew anyway as Gordon was still behind me somewhere. When I looked I could see his red top a way back and I told the marshals that he may be asking for a first aid kit for plasters to aid his blisters. They said they had some blister plasters they would get out for him and I headed off for the final descent to Kentmere.

I'd read the map notes and knew I needed to take a "faint runners path" towards a style in the wall, however I had lost sight of the Abbey and wasn't sure if this mark in the grass here was the path I should follow. I did follow it and as the ground started to drop down I caught sight of the Abbey lady off to my left. I had come off to soon so I needed to make my way across to the path she was on and by now could see the stile I needed to head for. On the downhill I started to pick up speed and began catching her up. by the time I reached the stile she was now only about 100m in front of me. I climbed over the stile and took a look back to see a couple of runners heading down the hill behind me. The ground now had a few puddles and small streams which rather than avoiding I just waded through, letting the cold water refresh my feet. I could have stopped stood in the water for ages but I continued on through the wet ground not wanting the runners behind me to pass me and caught up with the lady from Leeds. I didn't want to try and pass her though as she had been my savior with a Nutrigrain bar. As we descended she advised me that we needed to be on a lower path and headed down a grassy path I probably wouldn't have noticed but I stuck with her as she had obviously done this race before. All I knew was that I needed to head for the white house which by now I could see. On the descent too I had seen the field with all of the cars, the finish line wasn't too far away. Yeah right!!!

On the final part of the descent I followed the lady through the bracken towards the white house. Again in the bracken the heat hit me and I just wanted to take off my tee but didn't. The tee had been fine all the way round apart from at one point on the climb to Ill Bell when I was shaded from the wind. There was so much bracken on this path I thought I would end up in Narnia or something but eventually we came out at the white house and the run in. This is where I started to get the warning twinges of cramp coming on. I probably needed more salt as I had been regularly taking water en-route but I was on the run in, it can't be far now, I'll wait until I get to the finish and rest!

The run in was the WORST part of the whole race, after the twinges in my calf I took a moment to walk and the lady headed off away from me. I didn't expect the run in to be so long. I followed the tape markers and tried to run but everytime I tried my calve would react with a twinge to warn me it was having NO MORE! Jog, WALK, Jog, WALK along this path that seemed never ending and I also realised that I hadn't seen a marker for a while (being as the run in was supposed to be marked). Now I was wondering if I had taken a wrong turn but continued on anyway on this neverending run in, I was also aware that the couple of runners I had seen behind me hadn't passed me yet and I had done enough walking for them to have passed me. Eventually, a marker, through the gap in the wall and over the bridge and back onto a track road. After a couple of minutes I caught sight of the finish line, it was nearly over. I had manged to trot down this track road keeping the paces short didn't seem to anger my disgruntled calve muscle. Finally I joined the main road downhill leading to the entrance to the field and the finish line, crossing the finish line in 2hrs 54mins (230th) for my longest ever fell run to date.

The abbey lady had already finished and was sat near the finish line with friends. I went over and thanked her for her help then headed back to the finish line for the water. I sat on the grass and rested, drank some water and waited for the next finishers to cross the line. After a few minutes the next two runners crossed the line and to my surprise it was the stream guy and the Totley lady. Eh? "How did you come in behind me, you were way ahead of me?" I asked. It appears they took the wrong line down from Kentmere and I think they were the two runners I saw behind me as I climbed the stile. Also I suspect the move to the lower path was also one they didn't take and they ended up on a slightly longer descent. Either way I had made up a couple of places by sticking with the Abbey lady, so if she does ever read this, then she knows who she is, THANK YOU! again.

Still waiting for Gordon to finish I headed back to sit in the boot of the car and eat an egg butty that had warmed itself up the car during my race. I saw young Al Fowler and Emma Gregory and discussed that god awful run in. Emma commented on how she had a terrible race, which seems to be how she finishes all her races. After speaking on the forums a few times I met her at Harrock hill a few months back and she said she had a bad race, then I met her again at Two Lads fell race and she complained again stating her legs only start working after 10 miles. At Skiddaw, she had an awful race and now Kentmere was a bad race. Some women are never happy!! Back at the car I took off my shoes and checked for blisters, none! Bargain. Eventually, some 12 minutes behind me Gordon crossed the line. When he got back to the car he took of his mudclaws to reveal a huge mathcing pair of heel blisters. I was glad he had those and not me. I would have still been on the hill if I had those.

We stayed for the prize giving having a quick chat with Colin, Suzanne and Rachel. Gordon agreed to do a write up for the Horwich RMI Blog so we noted the club runners finishing times and then headed home. I fancied fish for tea so called at the chippy for a nice and healthy Fish, chips and gravy and picked up a bottle of Magners to. When I got home I pulled on the drive and the kids came running over, not to greet me but I had McDonalds in the car for them. Isn't it awful when you can see that something about to happen and you can't do anything about it. I saw the way Oliver was holding the car door and as he started to push it closed, I shouted "WATCH YOUR FINGERS!!". There was a momentary silence, I hoped to see him start walking away from the car, but then he screamed. I jumped for the door and opened it again. The poor little man had trapped his thumb in the door, that was him in a mood for the rest of the night and my tea would now have to wait another 30 mins whilst I felt guilty and spent time trying to calm him down. Eventually though he calmed down and sat and ate his tea on Joanne's knee. There was going the be a nice bruise on that in a few days I'll bet.

Later on in the evening I was relaxing after watching Top Gear and had just started watching James Cracknell 'On Thin Ice' being stupid, ignoring the blisters on his feet whilst heading for the south pole (Some people do some stupid things) when my calve decided it was strong enough to teach me a lesson. BANG! cramp! AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!! Josh looked at me scared as I rolled around the couch in agony. I had to tell him I was alright to calm him down. After about what seemed like about 2 mins eventually my calve relaxed, Josh had already lost interest in my pain and carried on watching On Thin Ice. Off to bed earlish, but the following morning I felt awful. I felt as if I had been hit by a train. As I sat down for work I hoped I wouldn't be like this all day and thankfully I wasn't. As the day went on my body recovered and I reflected on the achievement of the previous day.

Sorry for such a long tale, but it was a bit of an epic day for me.

Thanks to everyone for putting the race on, organisers and marshalls, the supporters on route and the runners I ran with. See you all next year!


Below are the now infamous Gordon (269), Totley Lady (210), Abbey Lady (17) and stream man (155)



Photos are taken from here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/north_ender/sets/72157621566411791/
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/TommoPix/KentmereHorseshoeFR2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCOqfzbDElvjaXQ#