I don't very often have colds but when I do it is usually a good one. This was no exception. After the IOM Marathon I started with a hacking cough and quite bad congestion that lasted through the week. A mixture of Boots Cough medicine and Strepsils did not seem to help much beyond letting me get a little bit os sleep. I did manage a brisk 4 mile run around the park on Thursday. I did not cough once during the run but had a severe coughing fit immediately after finishing and was coughing through the night again.
By the time the Calderdale came around on the Saturday it was a little better but not really right. But it was only a cough - I appeared to have no other symptoms. And on the positive side it looked like, and turned out to be, my first race in decent weather this year. Perhaps a little too warm for some but at the pace I was running at this was not too much of a problem.
I started out Ok on the long run down to and along the canal and the climb up to the second checkpoint was rathger better than the equivalent stage in the IOM last week.
Shortly after that I was in a bit of a quandery about the line to take. ast year I am sure the popular line was to go left just before Low Brown Knoll and this was what I had planned but the maps at the start suggested going over Low Brown Knoll and descending via Limers gate. SAs I approached the split point it was obvious 95% were going with the latter option, I decided to do the same but at the last moment changed my mind and headed down. There is not much in it for distance but the loweer route does involve less height gain, finishesz on a good track but there is a tussocky, pathless section in the middle. I don't think there is muc in it either way. On through Walshaw still feeling reasonably well though I susspecvt I was running fairly slowly. A minor route glitch on the decent to the Walshaw Road joining it too early but not too significant.
Last year I had cut down to pass to the left of Cant Clough Reservoir and was convinced this was the best line. I stuck with it this year and improved on it slightly by keeping between the wall and the reservoir, last year I had stayed on the other side of the wall which was a poorer path. I was starting to struggle from this stage on with my legs feeling the effects of the lack of training plus the occasional coughing fit. This was madew worse by losing the route just after the Long Causeway checkpoint. As i left the stile I took a line too far to the right and finished up on the margins of Sheddon Clough. I thought I recognised the line from last year so did not check the compass bearing. It took some time to extricate myself from this aqs I got tangled up with woods and fences so I lost a fair bit of time. I did though get things right at the approach to Holme Chapel where I had gone last year. I had toyed with the idea of heading north from the Long causeway checkpoint and straight down from Causeway House to Holme Chapel. With hindsight this would have probably saved me a good 15 minutes and a lot of energy.
From here on it was just a question of plodding on starting with the long walk up to Thievely Pike. Down then to the roadside checkpoint at Slate Pit Hill without incident and on to the track beyond. Along with those around me (who were all walkers from the earlier start I think)we got too far left on the approach to the trig point. This involved several ups and downs as we crossed various cloughs before correcting the line. But at least this time I got the line down from the trig point correct.
I was still running pretty well everything albeit at a modest pace and so it continued to Stoodley Pike which reduced me to a very slow walk. A bit of a diversion on this climb was the sight of three teenage girls coming down. They did not really have the footwear for it to the extent that one of them got down on her hands and knees and crawled down. So perhaps I was not doing too badly after all. At the Withens Clough Reservoir I was surprised to hear there were still 15 more runners out behind me (plus 17 of the early start walkers). I had been pretty sure I must have been very near the last so this cheered me up a bit. AQs I descended towards Cragg Vale I was very conscious that I had gone wrong hear last year. I had a very clear recollection of it, how I had gone wrong and what I had to do to get it right. When I got there it bore no resemblance to my memory of it to the extent that I am now sure I must have got it confused with another event (though I cannot sort out which)! As a result I lost the route again running north on the main road for half a mile or so before I realised the turn (clear in my memory) was not going to be there.It was only then that I checked the map and headed back to pick up the Calderdale Way. Even after that I managed to get it wrong and finished up going up High lane to emerge on the road just north of Bent Farm. But at least I knew where I was then and quickjly got back on route.
In addition to my watch telling me how slow I was going it became very obvious after the Shaw Lane checkpoint. I can remember from last year a very brisk run down the mainly downhill finish. This time round it was a much more sluggish affair. At around half a mile or so from the fin sih three or four 120/11 yrear olds decided to run along with me. I don't mind this sort of thing though I do wish they would do it when I was feeling a bit fresher. Anyway, it lasted rather less than 100 metres or so when one of them tripped and came a cropper. I paused just llong renough to establish he was OK and plodded home to some excellent food in a very modest 9 hours 13. 46 minutes slower than last year!
So,how has it been since? The coughing lasted through until Thursady but improving all the while. I did some middling distance runs on the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and then, over the weekend 29 miles on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. Very pleased with these latter two runs as I came out of them feeling OK. With the injuries behind me and the cold gone I should be able to get enough miles in to be ready for the Fellsman on 8 May. Though last year I failed to finish the Lakeland 100it is the Fellsman that I regard as my poorest performance of the year - by a big margin. Not helped by leaving my map at the Stonehouse checkpoint and subsequently getting very badly lost on the crossing from great Knoutberry to Redhouse. I reckon this cost me about 2 hours plus draining a lot of energy. It also meant I did all the bog sections in the dark plus my head torch was not up to the job. So all in all it should not be too difficult to improve on my embarrassingly slow 22 hours!
Monday, 19 April 2010
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Last weekend was my first trip to the Isle of Man for 50 years. Last time I recall pulling out of Liverpool on the ferry in the late afternoon trying, not very successfully, to play 'Ferry Across the Mersey' on the harmonica. I think at the time a recent No.1 hit.
Well, times have changed, this time it was the evening flight from Blackpool. I had opted for this as, with an early booking, it was cheaper than the ferry and, on the Saturday after the race, I could get a flight back and avoid the cost of a second night in the hotel. I was very conscious that for the Hardmoor I had failed to organise a proper pre-race breakfast so this time I packed a tin each of peaches and rice pudding. Even before I set off though I started to fret about airline liquid regulations as I was only taking hand luggage. I had left behind the can opener on the basis that I would not get it through and I could borrow one from the hotel. In the event the cans were confiscated as a terrorist threat. Fortunately Manx2 provide a hospitaility lounge so I picked up 3x300 calory large biscuits for the morning and had some crumpets and jam. The hospitality lounge highlighted once again the inconsistencies of anti-terrorist policies. The rules include no cutlery or sharp objects (my wife had a pair of tweezers confiscated once) but in the lounge, with no further security, there was metal cutlery, a range of glass bottles plus drinks glasses including pints! Given the choice between being threatened by a broken glass/bottle or a pair of tweezers I think I know which i would go for.
Arrived in IOM early so had a longer wait for the bus but then no problems getting to the Falcon's Nest. They made up a breakfast tray for me that supplemented the biscuits and I had a good nights sleep - unusual for the night before a race - and a decent enough breakfast.
In the week running up to the event I had a sore throat and a cough for a few days but it had seemed to be clearing up. But the cough and sneezing came back on the bus over to the start. In the event I do not think it effected my running though it came back with a vengance aslmost immediately after I had finished.
I was with the early starters, a reflection not only of the fact that I anticipated a slow time but also I had to catch the 19.00 flight back to Blackpool. I reckoned I had to finish in around 9 1/4 hours to be able to catch the 17.38 bus and the check-in deadline. A number commented as we gathered at the start how pleasant it was looking and warmer than expected. We should have known better. I was off to a brisk start towards the front of the pack, a position I was able to comfortably maintain until we started to seriously climb. The effect of my lack of recent training due to injuries clearly showed itself then and I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle. By the first summit at just under the hour I had moved from just off the front of the pack to just ahead of the back of the pack. John Vernon who I often use as a marker for my pace passed me shortly before the top and I never saw him again. He finished around half an hour ahead of me. I had worked out a schedule to get me there in the essential to catch the plane time of 9 1/4 hours. At Snaefell I was 17 minutes down on this and starting to worry. Possibly more by the time we got down. Two of us pioneered a route that clearly no others had done (no prints in the snow). Not too bad though so we probably did not drop much time. This was I think around the time the weather was at its worst, sleety snow and a fresh wind. It was also around this time that I realised I was running pretty freely down the hills. My ankles and knees were performing properly for the first time for many weeks - the best news of the day.
Other than struggling on the hills I felt ok. Also, no problems with the route other than some minor meandering on the ridge from Beinn-Y-Phott to Carraghyn. I think the course notes are a bit misleading here as you have to head west of south initially. I stuck to a compromise between the notes and what I saw on the map until I hit the Millenium Way about 50 metres East of the crest of the ridge where I corrected my line. Then it was straightforward to Injebreck. From here on I was progressively making up my lost time.
I followed the revised flagged route from there to the stream crossing and then headed straight up the hill towards Colden summit. Everybody else seemed to take a line much further left but as I looked across at them I was pretty sure the direct line was working out best and I made some ground on them. This was not the case in respect of the first of the 9.00 starters who whipped past me at this stage. I am not used to seeing the leaders at this stage of a race and it was reassuring to see that even they were not managing to fully run the hill. I had another minor hiccup at the Slieau Ruy checkpoint where I could not get my dibber to register. I realised later I was probably inserting it from the back of the reader.
After that it was just a question of keeping going as I felt my leg muscles tightening with every mile - again,I am sure down to the lack of training over recent weeks rather than the cold symptoms. No problems except that Bradda Cairn seemed a lot higher in the flesh than it had appeared on the map but all downhill from there. I had noticed over the last few miles that, despite the legs, I did not appear to be losing much ground. One or two of the 9.00 staters were still overhauling me as you would expect but I also was passing one or two. This included two after touching Bradda Tower though to be fair the first of these was talking on his mobile phone. I think in fact on the run in from the tower I went wrong, keeping too high and joining the road further out than I should. As I ran down I passed a sign for runners at a point where another track came in, I think this is where I should have joined the road. But to crown it all I did manage something of a sprint in the last 500 metres (I can always manage that downhill on the road) overtaking another runner about 200 metres from the finish. I came in at 9 hours 18 minutes so it was a quick change by the roadside, no time to sample the meal and off to catch my bus.
Though in Vasque points terms it was the worst of my three races this year I think on the whole I ran it rather better than the Hradmoor the previous week. At least I ran everything except for the steep hills.
From there on: the bus to the airport, the wait and then the flight, the drive back to Leeds where I was staying were all marked by the cold symptoms getting worse. Congestion and particularly a hacking cough. These have stayed with me ever since. Not getting a lot of sleep at night. They are today (Wednesday) beginning to ease at last so I hope I will be OK for the Calderdale on Saturday. I hope so because I would like to get in a reasonably decent time (by my standards at least) now that I appear to be free of injury. If not I can console myself that if the worst comes to the worst it has a pretty generous cut-off time! Due to my cold I have not done any running at all since the race and my legs did not feel up to it until this morning either. If I feel reasonably OK in the morning I might do a gentle 5 miles or so. If not, and I think this is more likely, I will not be running before the Calderdale.
After that I have to get some serious miles in before the Fellsman at the start of May. My early races last year were much better than this but the Fellsman was a real disaster. I cannot afford to be less well prepared than I was then. But at least this time I will be particularly careful not to lose my map half way round!
Well, times have changed, this time it was the evening flight from Blackpool. I had opted for this as, with an early booking, it was cheaper than the ferry and, on the Saturday after the race, I could get a flight back and avoid the cost of a second night in the hotel. I was very conscious that for the Hardmoor I had failed to organise a proper pre-race breakfast so this time I packed a tin each of peaches and rice pudding. Even before I set off though I started to fret about airline liquid regulations as I was only taking hand luggage. I had left behind the can opener on the basis that I would not get it through and I could borrow one from the hotel. In the event the cans were confiscated as a terrorist threat. Fortunately Manx2 provide a hospitaility lounge so I picked up 3x300 calory large biscuits for the morning and had some crumpets and jam. The hospitality lounge highlighted once again the inconsistencies of anti-terrorist policies. The rules include no cutlery or sharp objects (my wife had a pair of tweezers confiscated once) but in the lounge, with no further security, there was metal cutlery, a range of glass bottles plus drinks glasses including pints! Given the choice between being threatened by a broken glass/bottle or a pair of tweezers I think I know which i would go for.
Arrived in IOM early so had a longer wait for the bus but then no problems getting to the Falcon's Nest. They made up a breakfast tray for me that supplemented the biscuits and I had a good nights sleep - unusual for the night before a race - and a decent enough breakfast.
In the week running up to the event I had a sore throat and a cough for a few days but it had seemed to be clearing up. But the cough and sneezing came back on the bus over to the start. In the event I do not think it effected my running though it came back with a vengance aslmost immediately after I had finished.
I was with the early starters, a reflection not only of the fact that I anticipated a slow time but also I had to catch the 19.00 flight back to Blackpool. I reckoned I had to finish in around 9 1/4 hours to be able to catch the 17.38 bus and the check-in deadline. A number commented as we gathered at the start how pleasant it was looking and warmer than expected. We should have known better. I was off to a brisk start towards the front of the pack, a position I was able to comfortably maintain until we started to seriously climb. The effect of my lack of recent training due to injuries clearly showed itself then and I knew it was going to be a bit of a struggle. By the first summit at just under the hour I had moved from just off the front of the pack to just ahead of the back of the pack. John Vernon who I often use as a marker for my pace passed me shortly before the top and I never saw him again. He finished around half an hour ahead of me. I had worked out a schedule to get me there in the essential to catch the plane time of 9 1/4 hours. At Snaefell I was 17 minutes down on this and starting to worry. Possibly more by the time we got down. Two of us pioneered a route that clearly no others had done (no prints in the snow). Not too bad though so we probably did not drop much time. This was I think around the time the weather was at its worst, sleety snow and a fresh wind. It was also around this time that I realised I was running pretty freely down the hills. My ankles and knees were performing properly for the first time for many weeks - the best news of the day.
Other than struggling on the hills I felt ok. Also, no problems with the route other than some minor meandering on the ridge from Beinn-Y-Phott to Carraghyn. I think the course notes are a bit misleading here as you have to head west of south initially. I stuck to a compromise between the notes and what I saw on the map until I hit the Millenium Way about 50 metres East of the crest of the ridge where I corrected my line. Then it was straightforward to Injebreck. From here on I was progressively making up my lost time.
I followed the revised flagged route from there to the stream crossing and then headed straight up the hill towards Colden summit. Everybody else seemed to take a line much further left but as I looked across at them I was pretty sure the direct line was working out best and I made some ground on them. This was not the case in respect of the first of the 9.00 starters who whipped past me at this stage. I am not used to seeing the leaders at this stage of a race and it was reassuring to see that even they were not managing to fully run the hill. I had another minor hiccup at the Slieau Ruy checkpoint where I could not get my dibber to register. I realised later I was probably inserting it from the back of the reader.
After that it was just a question of keeping going as I felt my leg muscles tightening with every mile - again,I am sure down to the lack of training over recent weeks rather than the cold symptoms. No problems except that Bradda Cairn seemed a lot higher in the flesh than it had appeared on the map but all downhill from there. I had noticed over the last few miles that, despite the legs, I did not appear to be losing much ground. One or two of the 9.00 staters were still overhauling me as you would expect but I also was passing one or two. This included two after touching Bradda Tower though to be fair the first of these was talking on his mobile phone. I think in fact on the run in from the tower I went wrong, keeping too high and joining the road further out than I should. As I ran down I passed a sign for runners at a point where another track came in, I think this is where I should have joined the road. But to crown it all I did manage something of a sprint in the last 500 metres (I can always manage that downhill on the road) overtaking another runner about 200 metres from the finish. I came in at 9 hours 18 minutes so it was a quick change by the roadside, no time to sample the meal and off to catch my bus.
Though in Vasque points terms it was the worst of my three races this year I think on the whole I ran it rather better than the Hradmoor the previous week. At least I ran everything except for the steep hills.
From there on: the bus to the airport, the wait and then the flight, the drive back to Leeds where I was staying were all marked by the cold symptoms getting worse. Congestion and particularly a hacking cough. These have stayed with me ever since. Not getting a lot of sleep at night. They are today (Wednesday) beginning to ease at last so I hope I will be OK for the Calderdale on Saturday. I hope so because I would like to get in a reasonably decent time (by my standards at least) now that I appear to be free of injury. If not I can console myself that if the worst comes to the worst it has a pretty generous cut-off time! Due to my cold I have not done any running at all since the race and my legs did not feel up to it until this morning either. If I feel reasonably OK in the morning I might do a gentle 5 miles or so. If not, and I think this is more likely, I will not be running before the Calderdale.
After that I have to get some serious miles in before the Fellsman at the start of May. My early races last year were much better than this but the Fellsman was a real disaster. I cannot afford to be less well prepared than I was then. But at least this time I will be particularly careful not to lose my map half way round!
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