Back for Good!!

It’s taken me a while to write-up my first ever blog but the persistence of one of our illustrious elder statesmen on a social media website has finally made me take the leap. I apologise for the ramblings and it’s possible that there are 2 blogs disguised as one but hey ho! 

In September, after a disastrous 2013 VLM and a persistent injury, I took a long hard look at my running diary and came to 3 conclusions:

1)      I had to train smarter. For some time I had been going through the motions and had to agree with Paul Weller’s assessment that ‘my running life was in a rut’. I needed to re-assess instead of churning out the mile after mile at a repetitive speed. At this time, I discovered the Julian Goater book, ‘How to run faster’ which made perfect sense and immediately changed the way I trained and recovered. 

2)      I had to race more. I completed 8 races in 2013 and a similar number in 2012. I am competitive and running came into my life to fill a competitive void once I’d finally hung my football boots up. I was missing the cut and thrust of competition, pushing and testing myself against others.   

3)      I had to get out on the fells. Most of my miles and the limited number of races have been on the roads or trails with my last fell race being Herod Farm in 2012. I love being in the hills but it is a different kind of running. To make me a more complete runner, I had to commit and re-learn the art of hill running. 

I trained hard and smarter through the back end of 2013 and the New Year gave me the perfect opportunity to put my plan into action. Again I will offer an apology for the lack of detail in my race reports. People have often said to me that they shouted to me / blasted their horn at me when I was running around Glossop and that I completely ignored them. They are talking to the man who ran within ½ a yard of his wife and daughters on the High Street and didn’t recognise or acknowledge them. The truth is that I get into a zone or bubble and although aware of my vicinity (& traffic!) I don’t take in much detail.

 

Hit the Trail 05/01/14

Billed as a fast 5 mile trail race around Reddish Vale, I though it to be the perfect start to the year. After arriving at the pub / race HQ and collecting my number, there was chance to catch up with the GDH crew who had arrived in good numbers supporting the first club championship race of the year. There looked to be a good competitive turnout from other clubs (ECH in particular) but my mind was on bagging points for the GDH champs. I knew Chris Jackson was going well, Neil ‘Basil’ McGraw can be a threat on his day, Charlie is no slouch and that Caity had the potential to outgun all of us. It was going to be a good battle. After a quick warm-up, the usual banter started to kick in and the excuses for a possible poor run flowed thick and fast. 

The usual shambolic start ensued with Howard Oldham (ECH) setting off at a blistering pace along relatively flat trail. It suited me as I do tend to start off quickly and I was settling into my pace and couldn’t see any blue and orange in front of me, a good sign. The trail then twists uphill and all I remember is a blur as Chris blasted past me, putting a good 10 yards between us. Thankfully, it flattens quickly and I managed to make the effort to catch and pass Chris.  My racing bubble must have formed at this point and I don’t have much memory of anything other than Kirsty and her mum cheering us on and ringing bells (I think?), a twisty and slippery almost cross country –like course and convincing myself that  I could hear Chris breathing down my neck. I don’t look back in races, I find it counter-productive, but having him in my head drove me on.

The race finished on a slight uphill and I was relieved that no GDH had passed me. 30 points on the board, 8^th place overall and a good time recorded. Other Harriers came in and it was good to be part of the post mortem again particularly the McGraw – Hillier vet 65 battle which was relived and one that I draw inspiration from.  Judging from the comments, most enjoyed the race and the personal challenges it posed and it was a good choice for the championships. 

I waited around for the prize-giving as most of the Harriers shot off to Zoe’s for cakes and refreshments. Team GDH won various prizes but special mention most go to the all-conquering ladies who bagged a bootful of wine!

 

Results are on the website.

 

Lambs Longer Leg 19/01/14

Having done this a few years ago, I knew it was a short, fast but tough race, a perfect re-introduction into fell running. Entry was a convoluted affair via signing up to a yahoo website but managed it ok. Race HQ was the Lamb Inn and I arrived there to meet up with some of the GDH runners and supporters (Carl & Beryl). It was a pleasure to meet up with Nick Ham, a new addition to the team ranks. 

A quick change saw me donning a brand new pair of bright orange inov-8  x-talon 190’s, which attracted the odd comment! As a side issue, the company I work for are doing some development with inov-8 and I was ‘testing’ these shoes & the protective coating as part of the project. 

 

After a quick warm-up and jog to the start, the race brief was given including the very bizarre statement that in places it was very wet and slippy, so walk in these areas. Yeh right…..!!! 3-2-1 the race was off and I tucked in behind Chris on the uphill start. Feeling good, I pushed hard and overtook Chris before the first descent. Down the hill including  a bit of a tumble I was feeling ok. I think I glimpsed Nev and John but not too sure. Contour around a hill and Chris blitzed past me. Then a bloody big hill and the wheels came off! Chris opened up a big gap, Caity steamed past as did numerous other runners. Hands on knees, pump those legs,  stagger to the top to be greeted by Nev with something along the lines of ‘get a move on, you’re at the top, this is your sort of running now so pull back a few places’. It was what I needed and I got into a rhythm and took back about 4 places before finishing back at the pub. Chris and Caity were already back and is the custom were cheering runners coming through the funnel. Ali was cheering at some point and Rod was helping with the finish. Other GDH, some that I have not met, came in all at a great pace and all with smiles on their faces. 

I managed a quick chat with a few people including Anthony, who I’d not met before. Proves it’s a small world, it turns out his wife was formerly a Crossman!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the prizes but really pleased for the GDH who won something, particularly the rocket that is Caity. 

On reflection, I’m pleased with my return to the fells and managed to knock 1 minute or so off my previous time (31;18 / 2oth overall). There’s obviously more room for improvement, especially on the hill ascents, but that will come.

 

Results are on the website

 

1 month into 2014, training is going well, 2 races under the belt and I’m enjoying running again. It’s good to be back!!

Marmot Dark Mountain Adventure

Marmot Dark Mountain Saturday 25^th Jan 2014

A brief(ish)report on our night adventure.

When Steve Mellor (Green Box Co. Organic vegetable man) suggested a few weeks ago that we enter the Marmot Dark Mountain marathon because it was in the High Peak this year I thought he was joking. He wasn’t. After a few thoughts I decided  why not, it’s on our doorstep and a new challenge. 

Me and Steve

(Here’s the official description).

Marmot Dark Mountains™ takes the classic two-day mountain marathon format and gives it a new… darker twist. Rather than two days of running with an overnight camp in between, Marmot Dark Mountains™ packs everything into one winter’s night!

Marmot Dark Mountains™ is based on the usual mountain marathon format with Elite, A, B, C, Long and Short Score classes for competitors to choose from. Usually at a mountain marathon the nature of the terrain dictates the distance of each course with the planners designing a course with a certain winning time. We are sticking with this principle but allowing for the added difficulty of navigating and running at night. Therefore although the winning time for your chosen class will be similar to a normal mountain marathon, the overall distance will be significantly less. Note the date has been chosen carefully - no moon if the skies are clear!.

The event centre was in the Glossop Leisure Centre in the main hall. We registered much earlier than our start time so we could nip home for a final big meal and rest. Registration involved all the usual things in a mountain marathon, kit check etc, but also the organiser insisted on photo ID for each runner to be certain there were no ringers or late substitutes.

Leaving out all the preparations and muttering about the kit requirements (tent, 2 man bothy bag, sleeping mat  and survival bag) we arrived at the start line at the turning circle on the end of Shepley Street at 10 to 10 Saturday night. Poor weather earlier in the day had passed over to leave a clearing sky and relatively mild temperature, for January. I should add for information I took my GPS phone using Viewranger tracking software sealed in a bag by the organiser – this was so that we could analyse our real route after the event, and the phone could be used if an emergency arose.

We were called into the starter tent where they had tea and coffee on the go which was good to warm your hands around, and then given the 1 minute warning to get ready. Time ticks by, 30s warning and then we’re clear to go, dib our dibber and collect the maps. Relief, we recognize the checkpoints immediately from all our homework and set off for Cock Hill trig. It’s always a good feeling to knock off the first CP, and feeling smug we set off from the trig for Bleaklow Head. Up to the ruined cabin and head east across the moor, planning on using the path to the Pennine Way (PW). Then we make our first nav error, after ¼ mile on this path it looks different, some heavy vehicle tracks and a 12 foot wide wooden bridge where the path should have been so we concluded we’d gone too far south and corrected to the north. Turns out we were on the path and had now wandered into the wilderness, lots of “the path is off to our left Steve – ah no wait a minute I think it over there where those people are, oh shit we’re in a hole etc” so we zigzagged on a general easterly bearing until Torside Castle loomed up ahead of us and slightly to our right – it looks quite large closeup in the dark. It was during this stage we saw several pairs of head torches bobbing about in the dark, mainly ahead and to our right.  Anyway, back on track towards John Track Well  (a good omen?) we pass two other teams (they could be on another route so can’t assume we’re beating our rivals) cross the stream and head up the PW to swing round to Bleaklow Head. Passed another team on this section so feel we’re doing OK.                     

Here I’ll add a detail – part of the feature of the course is that the checkpoints have a reflector on them so that sometimes you can see them from a long way away, like 500m if there's line of sight and you have a good torch. Sometimes this made life easier than daylight navigation.

At Bleaklow Head Steve breaks out the jelly babies because we’ve been running for about 1½ hours. The top is in the cloud, so our torches are reflecting back on us and I can’t see more than 20 metres so I take it off and move with it in my hand which improves visibility greatly. We carefully check the bearings here and get the right path to head off towards Shelf Moor Trig, our third CP. After 200m I’m so happy we reccied this section three times for the Trigger as we get the right turning for Hern Stones and carry on mostly at walking pace. We carried on steadily, re-checking our bearing every few minutes, soon had no visual references thanks to low viz but came straight up to the trig point first time, very chuffed about that. Funny thing, never saw Hern Stones, on the Viewranger track we passed about 100m to the west of them.  

Again at the trig we used the compasses to double check the next bearing to CP4 in Upper North Grain  and both of us were amazed to find that we felt the way to go was one way but it turned out we would have ran off northwest if we had ignored the compass.  Off we headed and of course soon found the path that led down to the top of Crooked Clough. Here we were a bit casual and used the same bearing of 140 when proper navigating would have been to take a new bearing to the CP. it led us too far south so we arrived at the target valley too far down where the sides are deep and steep.  We made a basic error on this leg, didn’t read the control description until we had spent 10 minutes or more hunting upstream. When I checked and found it was a building; I knew there wasn’t one this far down so we plodded back up until it materialized out of the clag – bugger, lost at least 15m on this one.

The next checkpoints were down at Birchin Clough, CP5 was at the top of the path through the woods and CP 6 was at the bottom. Since the A57 wasn’t out of bounds we simply ran down the road and picked off the two within minutes of each other. CP 6 was the main support centre for the event where a tent had been pitched in the car park.

 Steve and I just after leaving the Birchin Clough support centre.

The next CP was easy, at the footbridge where Lady Clough meets the River Ashop. As it was sheltered and we’d made it to this point in three hours we stopped to have a proper feed and drink for at least five minutes. It's worth taking the time to do this on a long event.

The next CP was the longest leg of the course, a stream junction at the top of Grindsbrook Clough. We had thought of going up to Seal Stones and cutting straight across to the CP but the area was out of bounds (the RO made almost all of the plateau OB which was probably sensible since newcomers to the area could get into real trouble in the bogs). So we climbed to Seal Stones and then used the 7 minute crossing to reach the southern edge path – I had worried about this route in the clag but it went perfectly, I've done worse in the daylight!.  Once on the edge it was simple to run on the path to the CP, passed another team or two on the way.  Pushed on to CP9 on the spur to the south of Crowden Tower, stopped for another snack at the top of Crowden Brook. I also had to stop to change my headtorch batteries,  strange cos they lasted 12 hours on pre-race tests but the low temperature and occasional use of high beam took their toll. By now we were swapping places with a mixed team who were also in the C class, Steve wanted to chase them every time they caught us but I used my cunning and slowness to keep him in check. We had to keep some energy in reserve for a tough section coming up.

CP9 to CP10 looked easy on the map. From the spur to Kinder Low trig point, but the climb back up to the path was marred by our rotten choice of trying to cut the corner. We should have kept our height back along the spur; instead we took a straighter line and ended up traversing for ages until eventually reaching the path just before Noe Stool. It looks OK on the Viewranger  track but it was at least half an hour of trudging and traversing through tussocks when we should have regained the path and had an easier trot. Still, from Noe Stool we cut dead straight to the trig point no problem, and met up with the mixed team again.

The next CP was stream junction lower down Red Brook, just above the woods. I suggested running along the edge then following Red Brook to the CP. Great plan, until we got to the descent when I remembered that it was bloody steep and hard going, in fact it was twice as bad as I remembered. Far below us we saw two lights reach the CP and then move off and thought sod it, the mixed team found a much better way and have a 10m lead at least. We stumbled on and battled the worst ground on the whole course that night and eventually got to the CP. Must reccy Red Brook one day and see if there is any path worth trying ever again.  Hey ho, must push on. The next CP is Mill Hill cairn, big decision whether to contour round or climb back up to kinder edge path. We were partially affected by the sight of two other teams choosing the up and over route so braced our man girdles and started the climb. Up and past Mermaids Pool, on and on and up and up. We were slowly catching another team and much to our surprise it was the mixed team, turns out the other lights we saw were not they.  We chugged on together chatting in gasps and finally made the path, ran round Sandy Heys and west towards the end of Kinder for the night. Steve and I paused to gulp down another gel and then on the descent left the mixed ones well behind. Mill Hill cairn no problem except the flagstones seemed a bit slimy. Steve also had to change headtorch batteries at this point.

Next CP13 was at Old Woman just the other side of the Snake road crossing, so yet another passage along the pesky flags, and the slight slippiness turned out to be the onset of ice, joy. I swear I will NOT run along this section of the PW again until the end of Winter. We danced and cursed our way along, even managed to pass another ladies team who were walking by this time. During this section Steve was obsessed with our chances of finishing in under 8 hours, and by now we’d been out for 7½  hours. I said not to worry just over 8 hours was OK and he revealed he thought we were on a time limit for the course and would be DQ’d if we were late!. Cheered him up a great deal to learn we were not in danger and in fact still doing well. His sore knee and huge blister issues faded into the background too. He was so pleased he even remembered to smile for the camera at the Snake road crossing – lord knows how the cameraman had stayed warm all night there. I will look as usual, a surprised donkey at death’s door. We found CP13 easily and bashed off down Doctor’s Gate to pick up the last CP.

The sting in the tail, we had thought the last CP14 was on Doctor’s Gate but when we reached the area in question it wasn't there at all. We studied the map with tired eyes (it was about 6am by now) struggled to see the details on 1:40000 map and eventually saw that it was described as a stream junction about 200m north of the path. (Again, should have read the control description when plotting the route).  So, the CP was below us, across horrible tussocky bog somewhere, still couldn't actually see the thing but it had to be on the stream so we went hunting. Eventually when we got closer we found it, hidden by a lump on the edge of the stream so that it was undetectable from the line we took into it from the path. Sneaky. For anyone interested I think the grid ref would be 080 942.  What a wheeze we made getting back to the path but finally the last bit straight down to the finish at the turning circle and final relax. We ran from 10pm till 6:33am to record a time of 8 hours 33 minutes.

 We nipped back to the leisure centre to complete the dibber download and grab a very welcome hot cuppa. Unfortunately at the time we found that we were the fourth placed out of four teams that had finished thus far so slightly downhearted we decided not to hang around the 90 minutes till prize giving. Went home to start trying to sort out the sleeping pattern. Later on Sunday we checked the Marmot website and found we had placed 4^th in C class and 1^st male vets. (Our prizes are in the post). The C Class winning time was 6:37, I bet our top fell runners would have swept the board in this event. We did very well to finish in a reasonable time as the promised rain started at 7am. Many teams were out for much longer, one team spent 17 hours somewhere. Only two teams out of seven that started the B class completed the course.

The strange thing about the whole event – I’m one of the club runners who has shied away from night fell running in the winter evenings. J I think I might do another one if the weather could be as good, and it was in the Peak District again. Then again it would be another step up to try one in an unknown area.

35 Years Running

At the back end of 2013, I worked out that I had been a runner for 35 years. This realisation encouraged me to unashamedly reminisce on times past. What follows is a reflection on my introduction into the sport and the reasons why I have been a disciple ever since.

In September 1978 I was lucky enough to take a year out from my job as a teacher and enrol as a paid student on a postgraduate diploma course at Manchester University. In the previous years as a young dad and wage slave, my fitness had dwindled and the weight had started to pile on. Now I had a bit more time to do something about it. Inspired to lose weight and captivated by the burgeoning jogging boom, I began to run at night (so as not to be seen) in old clothes and shoes. Eventually I built up to 3 miles without stopping as I discovered that running was an exercise that you could manage to fit in even on a busy day. The weight began to drop off, unwisely I had started to diet also and became anaemic for a while, but gradually I became more comfortable with the healthy way to maintain my new-found fitness.

My first ever race came the following year in the Hyde 7. It was one of the few races in those days that allowed unattached runners to compete in the so-called Sportsmans class, all the other athletes being runners who were attached to clubs. I remember being afraid that I would be last to finish but this fear proved to be groundless! I do remember being outsprinted on the line however by a V60! I then plucked up courage to do the Lantern Pike race and the Kinder Downfall races the following year and learned that my trainers would be forever muddied. In 1982 I joined the newly formed Glossopdale Harriers and found my spiritual home.

For most of the next 10 years I was regularly putting in a weekly mileage of around 50 miles in winter and around 70 miles in summer. Running the 7 miles into work and back at least twice sometimes three times a week, 10 milers with the club on two nights, race on Saturday and a long run on Sunday, on the fells in summer, helped me to maintain this average. I was always a middle of the pack runner competing against many good standard club athletes: in those days 38.30 for 10K, 1.20 for a half-marathon, 3.28 for the Edale Skyline, 3.51 for Tankys for examples, would never be good enough to be in the top 100 of a race. The only prize I ever won was a bronze medal in the V45 category of the Tour of Tameside in 1991 when I was recording my fastest times. This was the 11th year out of an eventual 20 that I was lucky enough to complete this legendary double-marathon.

 The early 90s also proved to be a zenith in some respects for the Harriers also. Some of the runners who had been my team mates moved on to pastures new, some to other clubs throughout the decade. After a few lean years, the milennium seemed to signal a renaissance in the club and the start of the very special times that we are all experiencing just now.

As with the majority of my fellow harriers back in the day, I was always a runner who competed on a range of surfaces over a variety of distances from 5 mile road races to long-distance events like the Otter 40, Haworth Hobble and the 56 mile Bullock Smithy. Cross-country, a range of distances on the road, fell-races from short 3 mile dashes up to the longer Peak and Lakeland Classics, the Ennerdale being a particular favourite. I also thoroughly enjoyed the 2 day mountain marathons in particular the Saunders. I have had several injuries in my 35 years but, so far, have always been able to recover and return with renewed enthusiasm.

When I retired in 2004 I always assumed that I would be out running nearly every day. The reality is that my weekly mileage has dropped because I wanted to spend time doing other stuff such as swimming, hiking, cycling, spinning, working out in the gym, travelling etc. As a result of this I feel my all-round fitness has improved and that my enthusiasm for running has increased. The only downside is that I don't do enough weekly mileage now to do well in longer races; the wheels tend to come off after about 10 miles these days! But there are many positives too in staying fit and able to compete for age-group prizes in the last few years. I will always be grateful to Neil who was instrumental in getting me to carry on doing the cross-country races and am especially proud to have won 3 winners trophies in what can be very competitive leagues.

I have always been proud to run in Glossopdale colours and am especially pleased to be a member now in recent times as our little club has gone from strength to strength. It is nice to see so much new blood in the club, runners of all ages enjoying their sport and doing so well. I am delighted and enthused beyond measure and it makes me want to carry on running and racing to be a part of it!