3 Peaks Fell Race 26/04/2014

This race is arguably the biggest in the UK fell running calendar with and entry list of 1000 hardy souls. 2 of those hardy souls (me and Jim) traveled down to the race on the Saturday morning (Keith had also entered the race but had to withdraw because of an ankle injury).

Originally this was going to be one of my 2 A races this year (the other being the Yorkshire Marathon) but the calf and ankle injuries I've had over the past few months meant that I've done no-where near as much preparation as I'd liked and so I was aiming to just try and enjoy the day rather than going for a specific time.

There was a fairly low cloud base which obscured Pen-Y-Ghent (the first peak) and it started raining at around 10 o clock so it looked like we were in for a wet day (at least the start of it anyway).

Just before the race started I had a bad moment when I realized I didn't have my dibber  and had to race back to the car to get it, just making it back with about 20 seconds to spare.

So we were off, snaking round the streets of Horton in Ribblesdale before joining the Pennine Way and the first ascent to Pen-Y-Ghent. By this time it had stopped raining and felt quite warm as there was also a lack of wind.

About half way up and it was hands on knees time. To be honest I could have continued running but I knew there was a long way to go and I had to conserve my energy. 40 minutes and I was in the mist on the summit of Pen-Y-Ghent, and turning round to race back down the path I'd just struggled up. About half way down there was a woman writhing in the ground in agony with what looked like either a broken or very badly sprained ankle which made me conscious of being especially careful with my own ankle injury which was still heavily strapped.

By this time the mist had cleared, which probably wasn't a good thing as I could now see the 2nd peak Whernside far off in the distance. As well as "The marathon with mountains", this race is also described as 3 fell races separated by 3 cross country races, or 1 big cross country race with 3 big hills in the middle. After descending from Pen-Y-Ghent I could see why as the next 10 or so miles until the next peak were very runnable and pretty flat as you can see from the profile.

 Its very easy to run too fast on this section, and it was also starting to get warm with the Sun making regular appearances from between the clouds. As the route approaches Ribblehead it takes you along a road for about half a mile and I have never seen so many cyclists and walkers in such a short space of time. Many of the walkers I would imagine were attempting the 3 peaks walk (walking the 3 peaks within a 12 hour period), and the Tour de France passes through this area later in the year which is apparaent by the many roadside posters and paraphanellia on display.

After picking up my water bottle from the checkpoint it was time for the seconds ascent. The normal walkers route snakes round to the far side of the peak before making a steady ascent to the top, but as this was a fell race there was none of that messing around - it was a beeline for the top.

After fording a stream which guarantees you have soaking wet feet for the rest of the race there is another boggy section as the gradient steadily increases before taking a brutally direct bearing to the top involving a fair amount of scrambling.

After eventually reaching the top i tried to start running again but cramp in both of my calves stopped me in my tracks and I had to stop for a couple of minutes to stretch. I wasn't the only person in this boat as there seemed to be quite a few other runners with the same problem.

Half way down the descent I went over on my bad ankle and had to pull up for a few minutes until the pain subsided. I was starting to feel tired now as well and the looming figure of Ingleborough ahead was a reminder of how far was still to go.

After picking up another drink at the next checkpoint it was uphill again and the tiredness was really kicking in. The ascent isn't as steep as Whernside but it isn't far off, especially the final section which involves a fair amount of scrambling.

It's easy to think that once you reach the top that its easy from then on as the last 4 miles to the finish are all downhill on a steady descent (at least that's what I kept telling myself). In reality though its probably the toughest part of the race.

By this time I was seriously fatigued, my legs were sore and although there are some nice runnable sections there are also a fair amount of rocky & stony sections, boggy parts and generally tough terrain which saps your strength. It took my 53 minutes to run these final 4 miles, getting cramp again on the way down and being reduced to a slow shuffle at points

Eventually I crossed the line in 4 hours 40 mins and 5 seconds, more than 40 minutes behind Jim who had a cracking race to finish in 03:58:04.

All in all I had a great day and will definitely be back  next year to hopefully run a faster time, unless I decide to do the Fellsman which is also ran on the same day.

2013 summary

Well its been some time since I've posted anything on here so I thought I'd have a bit or a recap of last year.

Since I started running again around 5 years ago, 2013 has definitely been the worst year of training and racing I've had, certainly the first 3 quarters of it anyway. It all started going wrong after Cramlington cross country race in October 2012 where I picked up a slight hamstring niggle. I then made it 10 times worse by running aggressively downhill cross country training the week after which left me completely unable to run on it for almost a month.

When I did finally get back into running I was only able to manage 2-3 miles at an easy pace and only 24 miles in total for November and December. January was a little better and I was able to progress up to around 7 mile runs (and 35 miles in total), but then in February I badly hurt my back trying to lift a CRT TV which again left me completely unable to run for a good few weeks.

March was a little better, clocking in at around 55 miles in total but I still didn't manage to run longer than 8 miles and nothing at any sort of decent speed.

I had entered the Sunderland Marathon again and was hoping to break 3 hours, but had no chance of achieving that given my lack of training which was also compounded with working some long hours at work so I had to withdraw from the race. Gutted.

I still hoped to run an Autumn marathon, but again through May and June I just couldn't seem to find the motivation to put in the required base training.

I ran the Chevy Chase at the beginning of July with nowhere near enough preparation and this led to another injury - calf this time, which I was unable to shake off for around a month.

By this point I had around 5 weeks preparation for the Great North Run, so I decided put in some effort to do some high quality sessions & speed work in the hope of being able to at least match last years time. Unfortunately some hill sprints put paid to that with another hamstring injury which again left me unable to run for about a week and a half before the race.

Some Ibuprofen on the day helped me get through the race, but my lack of fitness left me 3 minutes slower than last year.

Next race a few weeks later was the first cross country race of the season in Tanfield which was equally as disastrous with me pulling my other hamstring within seconds of starting the race - this time so badly that my leg was physically bruised. An autumn Marathon now was definitely out of the question.

So October 2012 - September 2013 is without doubt the worst period of training I have had since starting running again. I averaged less than 50 miles a month, only 2 long runs and no marathons and had more injuries in that period than the 4 years which preceded it.

2013 wasn't entirely all bad news though, from October on-wards things have got progressively better and I think a number of things have contributed to this. I've joined a gym and am now doing regular strengthening & core exercises and I have managed to find my motivation again.

Since October I have been steadily increasing my mileage to the point I am now up to 55 miles a week, and am also doing some quality speed work. My race times have improved and I am now at the point where I fell better and fitter than I have ever been before.

I hope to update my blog on a more regular basis again, and will also post some race reports from last year (although some of them won't make for pretty reading).

Here's to a more successful 2014!!

Sherman cup 28/09/2013

This is the first cross country race of the season and was an absolutely cracking day with brilliant sunshine and no wind.

There was a good turn out from the club for both men and women and although I hadn't done much running since the great north run my hamstring seemed to be holding up and I was hoping to have a good race.

Normally this fixture is held at temple park, however this year the venue had moved to the fields beside tanfield railway.

I made my way to the start of the race, but I was only  a few metres in when I felt a ripping pain tearing through my hamstring (ironically not the one that I had previously injured).

I was hoping that it wasn't too serious and the pain would subside but that didn't happen and I started to think about dropping out.  I managed to keep going for a while at a reduced pace and decided to see if I could make it till the end.

Although there weren't any significant hills on the course there was a fair amount of undulation and the hard baked ground was energy sapping.

I managed to get round and finish the course without any further incident but my hamstring was very sore afterwards and I struggled to even walk.

Not a great start to the xc season but at least I managed to get round and was still in contention for the internal xc competition.

Great North Run Race Report 15/09/2013

When I got my race number this year and found out that I had a yellow/black number (fast paced club runners) I was chuffed as this meant I would be right at the front of the race and in with a/good chance of beating last years time.

Unfortunately my training hadn't been great since the Chevy chase so I had around 5 weeks to try and get some quality workouts in which I hoped would put me in a good position. Disaster struck on one of these as on the last rep of a hill sprint session my hamstring popped and I was left hobbling back to the office. This meant almost 2 weeks of no running before the race and a dose of ibruprofen to try and get me through it.

As you can see from the photo I couldn't have been any closer to the start and was almost breathing down Mo Farah's neck as he lined up in front of me.

As the race started my hamstring was sore but bearable and the first few miles went by ok. By the time I reached the end of the Tyne bridge I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable and it was at this point that Jim and Chris from the harriers went past me. I tried to stay with them but didn't have it in me on the day and I had too let them go.

By around 9 miles I was really starting to tire and slow down - mostly the result of not getting enough mikes in my legs before the race. My hamstring was getting sorer but not as sore as the pain that was now enveloping my feet - the result of wearing my racing flats which were half a size smaller than I normally get. 

It was around this point that Graham from the harriers went past me and again I couldn't do anything to hold on to him.

The last few miles were agony and I knew that I wasn't going to beat last years time, ending up about 3 minutes outside it in the end. 

Worst casualties of the race were my big toenails which went black and dropped off a few weeks of pain later.

Pretty dissapointing race, but again I probably couldn't have expected anything more on the day given the position I was in.
 

Chevy Chase Race Report 06/07/2013

Ideal Preparation for the Chevy Chase:

1. Do no specific training such as long runs, runs in the fells or any type of running on uneven terrain
2. Have a generally low weekly mileage in the preceeding months
3. Do another challenging fell run 4 days before that race
4. In that race, split open your shoes so that you have to use a new pair that have never been worn before.
5. Attempt to break in that pair of fell shoes a few days before the race, giving yourself blisters which then wont have time to heal before the race.

Yes, I adopted all of these 5 principles and as a result in combination with temperatures well into the 20's on the day had one of the toughest race experiences I have ever had.

 This year the full course was to be ran, the main problem being the heat and the organizers urged everyone to take plenty water as there would be limited supplies on the course. I had 2 500ml bottles in my pack which I hoped would be enough but somehow doubted it would be.

The first could of miles went by without incident and I reached Broadstruther feeling ok, although the Sun was starting to play a part and I was thankful to the water on offer. My plasters have also came off and my blisters were sore, but not a major problem at this point.

The next section up to Cheviot knee is where the terrain starts to get a bit steeper and the running turns into running/walking (for me anyway). The field had thinned out quite a bit and I tucked in behind another runner who was going at about the same pace I was.

One we reached Cheviot knee. all running stopped and it was a long harsh hands on legs push up to the Summit. When I have walked the race in the past it has been this section where the leaders have passed me but they were well ahead of me today.

Once the top is reached there is a short section of runnable terrain on flagstones before the checkpoint and the steep descent down to Carey Burn. Descending steep terrain is something I've never been good at, and many people passed me on this section. I passed Alan on this section who seemed to be going well and enjoying the day.

My blisters were really sore at this point, and my quads and knees were also taking a battering so I had jelly legs by the time I reached the burn.

The route then immediately turns sharply uphill again towards Hedgehope and its hands on knees time again interspersed with a few sections of runnable terrain. Its also a very boggy ascent which puts extra strain on the legs - I really started feeling my lack of endurance catching up with me and struggled badly on this section.

The top of Hedgehope was eventually reached and then again another brutal downhill section immediately follows. The pain in my quads was almost unbearable coming down and I had to stop a few times. I was still running pretty close to the guy I had been with since Broadstruther - he left me for dead on the descent from Cheviot but I had then caught him up again by the time we reached the top of Hedgehope. He was again pulling away from me on the descent, but as he reached the bottom I saw his fall over & let out am agonizing scream.

By the time I reached him there was already another few runners around him and he looked in a pretty bad way & not in any state to be able to carry on. I later found out that he had broken his ankle and had to be airlifted to hospital. This is one of the dangers of fell running and one of the reason for mandatory kit, although the conditions today were in his favour.

This point of the race is roughly half way in terms of distance, but the most difficult terrain is behind you so that is what I tried to hold on to as I was seriouly fatigued.

The terrain becomes runnable again, but although it is reasonably flat to the next checkpoint at Langlee Crags the heather was quite thick and the ground rocky with boggy patches underneath so it is tough running. I decided to conserve my energy and walk this section - I had exhausted all my water supplies by this point so was glad of the extra water they had on the checkpoints.

The next section to Brands Corner included some good tracks so I took advantage of this and ran these parts.

You then drop down to Carey Burn bridge and other tough section alongside the burn over some rocky ground. The heat was stifling in this part and I was walking again. I had decided to get to the top of Hell Path and then try and run the last few miles which is what I managed to do, although I had to stop a few times with cramp (not helped by numerous stiles).

I ended up finishing in 04:16:53 (38th out of 130), over 15 minutes more than my target time of 4 hours. Although this was a little disappointing I can't really complain too much given my lack of race preparation and I feel that I will be able to considerably improve this next year with better training.

Saltwell Harriers Fell Race Report 02/07/2013

This is the third time I have ran this race, but the first since joining the club as I was working in London this time last year.

My mate Jonny was also running again, so we drove over together. It's amazing how the weather can change as the elevation changes. As you can see from the picture the conditions were less than ideal with heavy rain and strong winds being a feature of the drive across to the moors above Stanhope where the race takes place.

After a short warm up and a bit of banter with some fellow harriers the race got underway.

The race starts off with a steady climb to the radio mast on the top of Collier Law and I made good progress, picking my way through the field and even passing Jim Thompson near the top (although I could still see Chris Kennedy around 100 metres in front of me).

At this point I was in around 10th place and feeling good, although I knew there was still a lot of work to do.

The descent back down to the road crossing seemed a little easier than previous years as the bracken was at a lower level so it wasn't as much effort to run through it. On this section I could sense Jim very close behind me and knew that if would be difficult to hold him off as he is a very good fell runner.

Sure enough just as we reached the road he passed me, and I started to feel tired and a little concerned that I may have started off too fast.

Those thoughts didn't last too long however.

After running along a disused railway track the route takes a sharp left and descents steeply down a long grassy slope to the river and it was at this point that disaster struck.

Just before the race I had noticed that one of my fell shoes were starting to come away at the sole and made a mental note to bin them when I got home. Unfortunately they decided at this point that they had had enough and the sole of my left shoe almost entirely separated from its upper half.

I stopped and try to patch them up my wrapping my laces round them which helped a little but my foot was still slipping all over the place inside them which made it impossible run at any speed down the hill and a steady stream of people started to go past me.

At the bottom of the hill there is a very steep drop down to the stream where my shoe came off entirely and I sat on the bank contemplating dropping out of the race.

The only problem was the quickest way back to the start/finish was pretty much following the race route, and it I was going to walk back to the start then I might as well try to run there.

I tried patching my shoe up again, and after a dip in the stream to punch my number I set off along the steep valley side.

This was probably the worst part of the race as my shoe wouldn't stay on my foot because of the unevenness and slant of the ground so I was pretty much running barefoot (on one foot) for this section.

Once this was over the final climb up to the finish wasn't as bad underfoot and I managed to hobble in 53:36, a good 5 minutes slower than the last time I did the race but thankful to get to the end without the other shoe disintegrating again.

Weetslade relays race report 26/06/2013

This was my first race since Prudhoe and although I had gained fitness since then I was still not at my best so was a bit apprehensive approaching the race.

Couldn't have asked for better conditions on the day - warm, sunny and not a trace on wind. When I arrived I found out that we had 4 teams (of 3) competing and that I would be running the first leg in my team. This put me with Graham Harrison, Darren Smiley & Graham Stephenson.

I knew that Graham Stephenson had been running really well and came on leaps and bounds since he joined the club so I made my race plan to stick with him as much as I could.

The race set of at a furious pace but I was able to tuck in behind Graham and stay there for the first mile or so until the course veered up the short hill in the middle of the course. I'm normally quite strong on hills and thought I might have made up some ground at this point but I didn't seem to have that extra kick on the day.

The route is only just over 2 miles, so it wasn't long before we descended the hill and headed back along the path to the start. I was still keeping up with Graham at this point and made a move to try and go past him, but he must have sensed me coming and speeded up himself.

Then before I knew it we were approaching the slight incline to the finish, and I didn't have anything left in me to try and mount a sprint finish and Graham pulled away from me and ended up finishing 9 seconds in front.

All in all I was happy with my performance, although the almost immediate soreness in my legs (which lasted for a good few days) was a telling sign of my complete lack of speed-work this year.

14:31 and 15th out of 64 runners on the first leg