ILKLA MOOR WI' T'BELL
BRADFORD MILLENIUM WAY RELAY
Midweek racing had to skip a week to give that calf strain a chance to recover and besides, I had to be fit for team duty in the BMWR and certainly didn't want to jeopardise my chances of racing another Wednesday night Cumbrian cracker at Tebay later in the week. Our Ribble Valley Harriers team were seeking to retain the Mixed Team category title and our team was mixed in the very purest sense with a male and female partnership on all five legs. I was selected to run Leg 4 from Silsden to Ilkley with up and coming former Barlick Fell Runner Sarah Bell. Sarah had a fitness worry herself in the build up after going over on her ankle and unable to get out to reccie the course - so only three days prior to race day, commander in chief Chris Barnes was kind enough to take me around. There's no avoiding reccie runs on routes like this. Race day would otherwise be a disaster to negotiate with countless gaps in walls, holes in hedges, multiple choice stiles and gates, unmarked paths... As lone navigator I was quietly confident I had recollected the whole way, but even just a few days later, my grey matter was starting to succumb to grey areas. With a great chance of sealing the category win again, going even ever so slightly astray was simply not an option. Early on in the leg I did feel just a little bit of pressure to keep us on the straight and narrow. The Helen Thornhill and Chris Barnes pairing from Leg 3 not only handed over to us in a commanding category lead, but also 5th place overall. With greyest areas in the first half of the route, it was concentration time and when doubt did cast it's cloud, fortunately we could see a team or two ahead. Two Wakefield vests passed us early on, but around the half way mark we got our place back when catching the Wharfedale men's pair. Sarah ran really well and paced things just right. There was some graft put in to the mercilessly hot and sticky climb up to the cairn on Ilkley Moor, but she had a great turn of pace off there for the final two and a half miles down to the town and we sealed the eighth fastest Leg 4 time of the day. My legs were certainly sore enough the morning after. Louisa Powell-Smith and Shaun Livesey Jnr took over from us at Ilkley, gaining two more places to secure the Mixed win and third overall with only Bingley and Saltaire's men's teams ahead.
Ilkla Moor baht 'at* - a well known folk song in Yorkshire dialect and testimony to the wildness of Winter up here - fair warning that lkley Moor is a very cold and windy place indeed baht 'at. But if it's week six of the longest and earliest heatwave I can remember, and if there is receding hair upon one's crown - which once resembled a little Amaretto biscuit but is now the size of a Rich Tea - then head cover is of equal importance up on t'moor in the Summer too. Said Rich Tea biscuit seems to be first to take the sunburn these days, although my sizeable Neanderthal nose still comes a close second.
*Although the official Blogger viewing figures of these pages rarely surpasses the figure of six, it appears there are readers from overseas and maybe even UK readers south of the River Trent. In which case I ought to mention for their benefit alone that the translation of 'Ilkla Moor Baht 'at' is 'Ilkley Moor Without A Hat'... tha knows.
Sunday 24th June 2018
BRADFORD MILLENNIUM WAY RELAY Leg 4 8.5m/1250ft Silsden to Ilkley, West Yorkshire
1st Men's Team - Bingley 'A' 5.44:46
1st Ladies Team - Wharfedale 7.29:01
1st Mixed Team - Ribble Valley Harriers 6.18:50
My Stats - Paired with Sarah Bell 1.21:00 8/50
Friday, 29 June 2018
Sunday, 17 June 2018
CLICKED OR CROCKED?
WALSH TWO LADS
With a genuine intention of avoiding too much repetition and picking out more new races this year, a recent sequence of Harrock, Ingleton and Blencathra would beg to differ. This is the familiar line-up of the same time last year and with Holcombe Two Towers coming up, it was difficult to refrain from the temptation of making it four repeats in a row - simply because it's a tough little cracker of a race. But strangely, I had never got myself around to running the classic Walsh Two Lads race over my Western end of the Pennines which was also listed the night after. Spoiled for choice then, what to do? Racing Wednesday and Thursday back-to-back was a brief consideration, although I don't feel ready to do that - at least not very effectively. But going back to the Tuesday, my mind was made up for me after an innocent few miles of easy running irritated a previously something and nothing stiffness in my right calf. I figured it would need an extra day to shake off and so the Two Towers was officially off the menu and the Two Lads now very much on it. Wednesday was an indulgence of ice and ibuprofen gel, including a careful four miler test run without making it worse. More of the same treatment on Thursday and all seemed well for the evening's race.
I got over to Horwich nice and early straight after work which meant I had, at last, the luxury of time on my hands to warm-up and stretch out properly. I felt as good as I have in a long time on the starting line of a race. Legs pumped up nicely, head in the right place and with Chorley's Martin Quinn having assured me ''It's a great race, I think you'll really enjoy it'', I had no reason to disbelieve the vastly experienced Mr Quinn. I got off to a great start without really realising it, which is always a good thing. Recent hill work in training is paying off as I seemed to be gliding up the first climb to Wilderswood with a real confidence boosting ease. I could see I was seventh, I could even still see eventual winner and multiple fell running champion Rob Hope after three quarters of a mile. Maybe I got a little too ambitious when thinking I could start working harder and sit on the young Achille Ratti runner Robert Green just ahead when things steepened up a bit more. Green got a bit of distance on me there and I ended up burning up a little bit by the time we popped out of the woods on to Wilder's Moor. This is where I could hear a threat looming from behind and took an educated guess that it would be the red vest of Horwich veteran Mark Walsh. Correct.
Mark's a strong fell runner when he's on his game and there were signs here that he was heading back towards form... and that I may be too! He seemed to quickly establish a gap of around twenty seconds on me when I had that sticky spell, but then that gap between us remained more or less the same throughout the rest of the race. Heading over towards the gradual climb to the Two Lads cairn itself, silly seconds were lost when I fiddled with the complicated latch on a swinging gate, glancing just ahead at that runner in red thinking, ''I can't believe Walsh has stitched me up and put the bloody latch back on, what a .....'', only to then realise there was a huge gateless gap to the left that I hadn't seen! What a plonker. In fairness, Mark is a real gentlemen and not the type to engage in such gamesmanship.
I was under the cosh a bit from that point up to the cairn. I could certainly hear more than one race number flapping in the wind behind me and at another swinging gate just before the summit, my periphery vision noted three or four of the buggers queuing up and right on my tail. I pushed hard and saw it out to the summit before switching to cruise control for the start of the descent. One place lost straight away to a young lad (they all seem young these days if I don't recognise them!) who turned out to be another runner called Robert Green, this one of the Penny Lane Striders variety. But no panic, that seemed to be that in terms of being overtaken and I had the very best intentions of reeling this particular Mr Green back in eventually. Soon enough when hitting a briefly steeper section I got that eighth place back off him and was now intent on holding it. But seconds later as we turned left on to a section of flat farm track, my calf clenched up with anger. I'd forgotten all about that.
Straight away I'm back to ninth again and wondering just for a few seconds if it's all over and whether I should pull out. But the initial pain seemed to run off a little and then just before we left the track to descend again I thought 'Ah bollocks to it'. It's going to tighten up later but I could hold my place here at least. The cries of ''come on George'' from a group of spectators there told me another young 'un, Chorley's prodigy George Norris, was the immediate threat from behind. He was the youngest competitor at the Yorkshire Three Peaks back in April and since then has shown more consistency at the sort of middle and shorter distances that he tends to do much better at. The descent goes on, and on, and on... all without technicality at a very nice runable gradient just as Quinny had foretold me. I managed to hold on to ninth though and was definitely satisfied with my time having done some pre-race research of Two Lads results in recent years. As expected, the calf ceased up right away and I had to rear up and walk when trying to jog back to the car. Back to the ice and ibuprofen then with fingers crossed that I'm not completely crocked just when things are looking like they may have clicked.
Thursday 14th June 2018
WALSH TWO LADS 5.2m/1200ft Bridge Street, Horwich, Nr Bolton.
1st Man - Rob Hope (Pudsey & Bramley) 31:12
1st Lady - Kimberley Chadderton (Horwich RMI) 41:39
My Stats - 36:21 9/108
WALSH TWO LADS
With a genuine intention of avoiding too much repetition and picking out more new races this year, a recent sequence of Harrock, Ingleton and Blencathra would beg to differ. This is the familiar line-up of the same time last year and with Holcombe Two Towers coming up, it was difficult to refrain from the temptation of making it four repeats in a row - simply because it's a tough little cracker of a race. But strangely, I had never got myself around to running the classic Walsh Two Lads race over my Western end of the Pennines which was also listed the night after. Spoiled for choice then, what to do? Racing Wednesday and Thursday back-to-back was a brief consideration, although I don't feel ready to do that - at least not very effectively. But going back to the Tuesday, my mind was made up for me after an innocent few miles of easy running irritated a previously something and nothing stiffness in my right calf. I figured it would need an extra day to shake off and so the Two Towers was officially off the menu and the Two Lads now very much on it. Wednesday was an indulgence of ice and ibuprofen gel, including a careful four miler test run without making it worse. More of the same treatment on Thursday and all seemed well for the evening's race.
I got over to Horwich nice and early straight after work which meant I had, at last, the luxury of time on my hands to warm-up and stretch out properly. I felt as good as I have in a long time on the starting line of a race. Legs pumped up nicely, head in the right place and with Chorley's Martin Quinn having assured me ''It's a great race, I think you'll really enjoy it'', I had no reason to disbelieve the vastly experienced Mr Quinn. I got off to a great start without really realising it, which is always a good thing. Recent hill work in training is paying off as I seemed to be gliding up the first climb to Wilderswood with a real confidence boosting ease. I could see I was seventh, I could even still see eventual winner and multiple fell running champion Rob Hope after three quarters of a mile. Maybe I got a little too ambitious when thinking I could start working harder and sit on the young Achille Ratti runner Robert Green just ahead when things steepened up a bit more. Green got a bit of distance on me there and I ended up burning up a little bit by the time we popped out of the woods on to Wilder's Moor. This is where I could hear a threat looming from behind and took an educated guess that it would be the red vest of Horwich veteran Mark Walsh. Correct.
Mark's a strong fell runner when he's on his game and there were signs here that he was heading back towards form... and that I may be too! He seemed to quickly establish a gap of around twenty seconds on me when I had that sticky spell, but then that gap between us remained more or less the same throughout the rest of the race. Heading over towards the gradual climb to the Two Lads cairn itself, silly seconds were lost when I fiddled with the complicated latch on a swinging gate, glancing just ahead at that runner in red thinking, ''I can't believe Walsh has stitched me up and put the bloody latch back on, what a .....'', only to then realise there was a huge gateless gap to the left that I hadn't seen! What a plonker. In fairness, Mark is a real gentlemen and not the type to engage in such gamesmanship.
I was under the cosh a bit from that point up to the cairn. I could certainly hear more than one race number flapping in the wind behind me and at another swinging gate just before the summit, my periphery vision noted three or four of the buggers queuing up and right on my tail. I pushed hard and saw it out to the summit before switching to cruise control for the start of the descent. One place lost straight away to a young lad (they all seem young these days if I don't recognise them!) who turned out to be another runner called Robert Green, this one of the Penny Lane Striders variety. But no panic, that seemed to be that in terms of being overtaken and I had the very best intentions of reeling this particular Mr Green back in eventually. Soon enough when hitting a briefly steeper section I got that eighth place back off him and was now intent on holding it. But seconds later as we turned left on to a section of flat farm track, my calf clenched up with anger. I'd forgotten all about that.
Straight away I'm back to ninth again and wondering just for a few seconds if it's all over and whether I should pull out. But the initial pain seemed to run off a little and then just before we left the track to descend again I thought 'Ah bollocks to it'. It's going to tighten up later but I could hold my place here at least. The cries of ''come on George'' from a group of spectators there told me another young 'un, Chorley's prodigy George Norris, was the immediate threat from behind. He was the youngest competitor at the Yorkshire Three Peaks back in April and since then has shown more consistency at the sort of middle and shorter distances that he tends to do much better at. The descent goes on, and on, and on... all without technicality at a very nice runable gradient just as Quinny had foretold me. I managed to hold on to ninth though and was definitely satisfied with my time having done some pre-race research of Two Lads results in recent years. As expected, the calf ceased up right away and I had to rear up and walk when trying to jog back to the car. Back to the ice and ibuprofen then with fingers crossed that I'm not completely crocked just when things are looking like they may have clicked.
Thursday 14th June 2018
WALSH TWO LADS 5.2m/1200ft Bridge Street, Horwich, Nr Bolton.
1st Man - Rob Hope (Pudsey & Bramley) 31:12
1st Lady - Kimberley Chadderton (Horwich RMI) 41:39
My Stats - 36:21 9/108
Saturday, 9 June 2018
BACK ON THE SADDLE
BLENCATHRA
So it was back to the mountain also known as the Saddleback for as big a feast of fell racing that any midweek evening would have to offer. Upon the second appearance here at this belting race, hosted generously and yet very modestly by the Eden Runners club, I can now confirm that Blencathra could be establishing itself as a clear personal favourite of mine. What's not to love about this challenging middle distance cracker in such an incredible setting? In a fantasy book entitled 'Top Ten Lakeland Fell Races', by John Sutton - in which I'm confident Blencathra would still make the cut despite much research still to be done - only being very picky and trying to suit all fell runner's tastes would I suggest perhaps the lack of a crag or two to scramble over is what's missing to deny this compact eight miler it's claim to having a little bit of almost everything. Essentially it's a runner's race and rarely very technical underfoot. It may not suit the mountain goats that prefer the rock hopping rough stuff of the Langdales, but Blencathra is still a tough beast in it's own right. Aside from the initial steep plough out of the valley through a barely visible trod in the bracken, the climbs are all teasingly runable. Or simply runable in fact, if you are of international class like Ricky Lightfoot who made it all look very easy on his way to victory. But for most of the rest of us, the race offers many of the sort of invariable gradients that prick a fell runner's conscience as to whether power-walking is acceptable or if running would perhaps seem possible. My mindset for the evening was to absolutely run as much of the climbs as I possibly could and not get bogged down in too much back breaking, hands on knees power walking stuff. I've been messing with it in training, trying to discipline myself to a technique that works for me and doesn't stiffen this fragile lower back of mine. Not only did this help keep my focus on the upward sections of this race, but also bought me time and places. My climbing really has been in need of sorting out if I'm going to make progress, it's always been my weakness. The words of our legendary Ribble Valley Harriers president, Shaun Livesey, have certainly resonated when he said to me, ''I never walked any climbs at any race, I always ran them''. Shaun was twice English Champion and has won most races on the calendar, whilst I'm a running nobody in particular and a 44 year old one at that. With that in mind, I haven't taken what he's said absolutely literally, but have nonetheless been trying to build up the ability to run uphill with more efficiency and resilience. If I feel I'm going to break, then I just remember Shaun's words!
After that rehabilitating race at Ingleton last week, I felt a bit more race fit... so more fit to race. It's nice to get back to turning up for a contest confident that, at worst, it's not going to be a complete capitulation. Managing to balance the effort rate put in to the first half of races on this scale is key for me, this being my longest and certainly toughest run for two months or more. Whilst having to hurt a bit, there needs to be plenty of hurt left in reserve for later. Upon the first climb up to Bowscale Fell I found myself around Barlick Fellrunner Andy Berry, who sounded as if he was over-hurting too soon. But he's a consistent racer with a pair of thick set muscular legs that tick over way quicker than they appear to. It took me back to Withins Skyline last October when I spent the whole second half of the race trying to wind in a 100 metre gap on his deceptive pace and only just managing to do so with less than 200 metres to go. Back to Blencathra though and Berry shot off with a few others after that first checkpoint as a stretch of good running then wields it's way down to the base of Blencathra's upper sanctum. But some good climbing from there saw me claw back some of that cluster and eventually catch up to Bowland's Sean Bolland, who I remember had shown a return to faster form at Harrock Hill a fortnight earlier to finish well up and way ahead of me. But he was chuffing like a steam train here as we traversed the back of the saddle towards Blencathra's highest point where I passed him. Then I caught up with Andy Berry again at the summit checkpoint who was still working himself hard. It's fruits of your labour for a while after that - if you haven't already laboured too much that is - with a decent couple of miles of descending to be done. A couple of lovely ladies of considerable seniority had made the very considerable climb up to the ridge upon Scales Fell to watch the race unfold from where the course veers off left and continues to lose height towards Suther Fell. They had kindly placed a signposted jelly baby station there and were telling runners their current position. ''Top twenty, well done'', I was told, so duly expressed my gratitude. I guess if there is a bit of disappointment from the evening, it's that I saw the race out fairly strongly and yet didn't quite manage to hold that top twenty slot. I passed some guys, some guys passed me and by the time we were all still jostling for places on the plateau of the last climb upon Souther Fell I didn't have a clue what position I might be. One thing on my side is the ability to make gains on silly descents and I did manage to pick off one place on the ridiculously steep finale with a quarter of a mile to go. Almost consolidating that one place gained on this leg buckling drop - knowing there was still a swampy bog, a river crossing and a 200 metre run on the farm track still top negotiate before the finish - I took my eye off the ball and hadn't noticed the Keswick vest ahead could have been for the taking until it was just too late. I had to have a go anyway, but with an absolute outpouring of everything I had left put in to that final gallop to the line, there was no chance of sneaking up with a silent stealth attack. I'd made my presence too obvious and the Keswick runner, James Haworth, must have heard me coming and seemed to pick up his pace and matched me for the last 50 metres to hold his position which turned out to be 20th - mine 21st. Bugger! Decent night's work though and over a minute and a half quicker than last year's time in racing conditions that continue to remain warm and sticky. Enough to ensure overall satisfaction felt on the long journey home. If Harrock Hill was like a buck-a-roo moment two weeks ago, I felt very much back on the saddle at this one.
Wednesday 6th June 2018
BLENCATHRA 8m/2700ft Mungrisdale, Cumbria
1st Man - Ricky Lightfoot (Ellenborough AC) 1.02:18
1st Lady - Sophie Noon (Cumberland FR) 1.18:23
My Stats - 1.17:12 21/134
BLENCATHRA
So it was back to the mountain also known as the Saddleback for as big a feast of fell racing that any midweek evening would have to offer. Upon the second appearance here at this belting race, hosted generously and yet very modestly by the Eden Runners club, I can now confirm that Blencathra could be establishing itself as a clear personal favourite of mine. What's not to love about this challenging middle distance cracker in such an incredible setting? In a fantasy book entitled 'Top Ten Lakeland Fell Races', by John Sutton - in which I'm confident Blencathra would still make the cut despite much research still to be done - only being very picky and trying to suit all fell runner's tastes would I suggest perhaps the lack of a crag or two to scramble over is what's missing to deny this compact eight miler it's claim to having a little bit of almost everything. Essentially it's a runner's race and rarely very technical underfoot. It may not suit the mountain goats that prefer the rock hopping rough stuff of the Langdales, but Blencathra is still a tough beast in it's own right. Aside from the initial steep plough out of the valley through a barely visible trod in the bracken, the climbs are all teasingly runable. Or simply runable in fact, if you are of international class like Ricky Lightfoot who made it all look very easy on his way to victory. But for most of the rest of us, the race offers many of the sort of invariable gradients that prick a fell runner's conscience as to whether power-walking is acceptable or if running would perhaps seem possible. My mindset for the evening was to absolutely run as much of the climbs as I possibly could and not get bogged down in too much back breaking, hands on knees power walking stuff. I've been messing with it in training, trying to discipline myself to a technique that works for me and doesn't stiffen this fragile lower back of mine. Not only did this help keep my focus on the upward sections of this race, but also bought me time and places. My climbing really has been in need of sorting out if I'm going to make progress, it's always been my weakness. The words of our legendary Ribble Valley Harriers president, Shaun Livesey, have certainly resonated when he said to me, ''I never walked any climbs at any race, I always ran them''. Shaun was twice English Champion and has won most races on the calendar, whilst I'm a running nobody in particular and a 44 year old one at that. With that in mind, I haven't taken what he's said absolutely literally, but have nonetheless been trying to build up the ability to run uphill with more efficiency and resilience. If I feel I'm going to break, then I just remember Shaun's words!
After that rehabilitating race at Ingleton last week, I felt a bit more race fit... so more fit to race. It's nice to get back to turning up for a contest confident that, at worst, it's not going to be a complete capitulation. Managing to balance the effort rate put in to the first half of races on this scale is key for me, this being my longest and certainly toughest run for two months or more. Whilst having to hurt a bit, there needs to be plenty of hurt left in reserve for later. Upon the first climb up to Bowscale Fell I found myself around Barlick Fellrunner Andy Berry, who sounded as if he was over-hurting too soon. But he's a consistent racer with a pair of thick set muscular legs that tick over way quicker than they appear to. It took me back to Withins Skyline last October when I spent the whole second half of the race trying to wind in a 100 metre gap on his deceptive pace and only just managing to do so with less than 200 metres to go. Back to Blencathra though and Berry shot off with a few others after that first checkpoint as a stretch of good running then wields it's way down to the base of Blencathra's upper sanctum. But some good climbing from there saw me claw back some of that cluster and eventually catch up to Bowland's Sean Bolland, who I remember had shown a return to faster form at Harrock Hill a fortnight earlier to finish well up and way ahead of me. But he was chuffing like a steam train here as we traversed the back of the saddle towards Blencathra's highest point where I passed him. Then I caught up with Andy Berry again at the summit checkpoint who was still working himself hard. It's fruits of your labour for a while after that - if you haven't already laboured too much that is - with a decent couple of miles of descending to be done. A couple of lovely ladies of considerable seniority had made the very considerable climb up to the ridge upon Scales Fell to watch the race unfold from where the course veers off left and continues to lose height towards Suther Fell. They had kindly placed a signposted jelly baby station there and were telling runners their current position. ''Top twenty, well done'', I was told, so duly expressed my gratitude. I guess if there is a bit of disappointment from the evening, it's that I saw the race out fairly strongly and yet didn't quite manage to hold that top twenty slot. I passed some guys, some guys passed me and by the time we were all still jostling for places on the plateau of the last climb upon Souther Fell I didn't have a clue what position I might be. One thing on my side is the ability to make gains on silly descents and I did manage to pick off one place on the ridiculously steep finale with a quarter of a mile to go. Almost consolidating that one place gained on this leg buckling drop - knowing there was still a swampy bog, a river crossing and a 200 metre run on the farm track still top negotiate before the finish - I took my eye off the ball and hadn't noticed the Keswick vest ahead could have been for the taking until it was just too late. I had to have a go anyway, but with an absolute outpouring of everything I had left put in to that final gallop to the line, there was no chance of sneaking up with a silent stealth attack. I'd made my presence too obvious and the Keswick runner, James Haworth, must have heard me coming and seemed to pick up his pace and matched me for the last 50 metres to hold his position which turned out to be 20th - mine 21st. Bugger! Decent night's work though and over a minute and a half quicker than last year's time in racing conditions that continue to remain warm and sticky. Enough to ensure overall satisfaction felt on the long journey home. If Harrock Hill was like a buck-a-roo moment two weeks ago, I felt very much back on the saddle at this one.
Wednesday 6th June 2018
BLENCATHRA 8m/2700ft Mungrisdale, Cumbria
1st Man - Ricky Lightfoot (Ellenborough AC) 1.02:18
1st Lady - Sophie Noon (Cumberland FR) 1.18:23
My Stats - 1.17:12 21/134
Sunday, 3 June 2018
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
INGLETON WATERFALLS
Mainly because of the below average and at best, barely average, results accumulated so far this Spring, the actual enjoyment of training and racing has been missing. For a time consuming, energy sapping pass time like running, enjoyment is undoubtedly a major factor in whether or not there is a point to it all. For me, a big part of the enjoyment of running these days is about proving a point to myself that in fact I am not at the knackers yard yet, that there is still a solid period where I can really get stuck in to some races and do myself a bit of justice. Right now, my body continues to protest and even easy runs have felt like really hard work. Infact I haven't really felt fully awake for at least a month! It could be the really warm weather which is now in to it's fourth week, perhaps a pollen allergy... but it can't be that cholesterol thing as I've been eating with intense saturated fat awareness for a whole year now like a good boy, and it's not too much mileage because I know in my heart of hearts I'm not quite doing enough - and that's the catch - I need to, but feel I'm not capable. Trying to fish a way around this by limiting training runs to fairly short distances but mixed with intensive climbing, keeping the length of off-road interval reps down to 400 metres - this doesn't seem to be working either. It just feels like I'm running myself in to a big crevice of knackeredness.
Knackered or not, I'm just going to keep on racing through the Summer and hope something clicks. It was back to Ingleton for a crack at the Waterfalls trail race with a day spent almost as identical to my last visit here twelve months ago. Family walk around the falls during the day in even warmer conditions this time, followed by chippy tea (I saved most of mine for later, again) then the race, renamed from Ingleton Scenery to the more self explanatory Ingleton Waterfalls. I suppose I'd got a bit of a thing going on in my head that I ought to smash last year's time given that I have a hat full of races behind me compared to this time last year. But it was really still quite warm and humid at 7:30pm and in any case on recent form, chasing times or going off hard was never going to work for me. I set out at a reasonable clip and with most of the uphill work done at Thornton Force, I found myself eighth. But it took a good quarter of a mile for my legs to finally engage in to some sort of efficient stride as we headed in to the faster latter half of the course. Once past a lad who was struggling a bit after taking an earlier tumble on the limestone cobbles, there was only the yellow and green vest of Keswick and a red t-shirt in my eye shot now but with some serious work to do to have any hopes of catching them. Where the might of Ingleborough comes in to view and the descent to the Eastern section of falls begins, over the brow of the drop I noticed the two guys ahead had followed the main zig-zagged path rather than the grassy direct route marked and I made up some good yardage on them here. Once it get's all windy and technical again by the falls, I got right behind them and with a thorough lack of confidence, decided to bide my time before making a move. Besides, the pressure was on them for as long as I stuck to their tail. Eventually though I had to make a move, sneaking by the Keswick runner at the bottom of some steps and then gambling a shorter line over some exposed tree roots and limestone roughness to nip ahead of man in red. He wouldn't be shaken though initially, but my head took charge of proceedings here with some tactical ingenuity rather than petulance and indiscipline as displayed a week previously. Before the waterfall trail meets the end of the main tree line, there is a section of very slight incline and I admit to taking it easy here, sandbagging and allowing red man to come by just before the gate to the old quarry. No point in killing myself here, and expecting him to take the slightly lower path from the gate - which he did - I stayed high and cut in front again. Up to fifth place now and with some reserves left in the tank, I wasn't going to let it slip. Forget times, this was all about racing the race. I gradually cranked it up from there and put a comfortable distance between us. Although bemused at the finish by my time which was ten seconds slower than 2017, I had to be happy with the way I had run the race and finally been able to engage the gearing system rather than running the whole way around gritting my teeth. I'll say it quietly after a low key race like this one, but it was also only my second time finishing as a first over 40. Reasons to be cheerful and enough to try again next week when I will be repeating another race from last year that I simply have to go back to - Blencathra.
Thursday 31st May 2018
INGLETON WATERFALLS 4.7m/886ft Ingleton, North Yorks.
1st Man - Mathew Richardson (Saltaire Striders) 32:08
1st Lady - Jessica Behan (Norwich Road Runners) 38:16
My Stats - 34.12 5/67
INGLETON WATERFALLS
Mainly because of the below average and at best, barely average, results accumulated so far this Spring, the actual enjoyment of training and racing has been missing. For a time consuming, energy sapping pass time like running, enjoyment is undoubtedly a major factor in whether or not there is a point to it all. For me, a big part of the enjoyment of running these days is about proving a point to myself that in fact I am not at the knackers yard yet, that there is still a solid period where I can really get stuck in to some races and do myself a bit of justice. Right now, my body continues to protest and even easy runs have felt like really hard work. Infact I haven't really felt fully awake for at least a month! It could be the really warm weather which is now in to it's fourth week, perhaps a pollen allergy... but it can't be that cholesterol thing as I've been eating with intense saturated fat awareness for a whole year now like a good boy, and it's not too much mileage because I know in my heart of hearts I'm not quite doing enough - and that's the catch - I need to, but feel I'm not capable. Trying to fish a way around this by limiting training runs to fairly short distances but mixed with intensive climbing, keeping the length of off-road interval reps down to 400 metres - this doesn't seem to be working either. It just feels like I'm running myself in to a big crevice of knackeredness.
Knackered or not, I'm just going to keep on racing through the Summer and hope something clicks. It was back to Ingleton for a crack at the Waterfalls trail race with a day spent almost as identical to my last visit here twelve months ago. Family walk around the falls during the day in even warmer conditions this time, followed by chippy tea (I saved most of mine for later, again) then the race, renamed from Ingleton Scenery to the more self explanatory Ingleton Waterfalls. I suppose I'd got a bit of a thing going on in my head that I ought to smash last year's time given that I have a hat full of races behind me compared to this time last year. But it was really still quite warm and humid at 7:30pm and in any case on recent form, chasing times or going off hard was never going to work for me. I set out at a reasonable clip and with most of the uphill work done at Thornton Force, I found myself eighth. But it took a good quarter of a mile for my legs to finally engage in to some sort of efficient stride as we headed in to the faster latter half of the course. Once past a lad who was struggling a bit after taking an earlier tumble on the limestone cobbles, there was only the yellow and green vest of Keswick and a red t-shirt in my eye shot now but with some serious work to do to have any hopes of catching them. Where the might of Ingleborough comes in to view and the descent to the Eastern section of falls begins, over the brow of the drop I noticed the two guys ahead had followed the main zig-zagged path rather than the grassy direct route marked and I made up some good yardage on them here. Once it get's all windy and technical again by the falls, I got right behind them and with a thorough lack of confidence, decided to bide my time before making a move. Besides, the pressure was on them for as long as I stuck to their tail. Eventually though I had to make a move, sneaking by the Keswick runner at the bottom of some steps and then gambling a shorter line over some exposed tree roots and limestone roughness to nip ahead of man in red. He wouldn't be shaken though initially, but my head took charge of proceedings here with some tactical ingenuity rather than petulance and indiscipline as displayed a week previously. Before the waterfall trail meets the end of the main tree line, there is a section of very slight incline and I admit to taking it easy here, sandbagging and allowing red man to come by just before the gate to the old quarry. No point in killing myself here, and expecting him to take the slightly lower path from the gate - which he did - I stayed high and cut in front again. Up to fifth place now and with some reserves left in the tank, I wasn't going to let it slip. Forget times, this was all about racing the race. I gradually cranked it up from there and put a comfortable distance between us. Although bemused at the finish by my time which was ten seconds slower than 2017, I had to be happy with the way I had run the race and finally been able to engage the gearing system rather than running the whole way around gritting my teeth. I'll say it quietly after a low key race like this one, but it was also only my second time finishing as a first over 40. Reasons to be cheerful and enough to try again next week when I will be repeating another race from last year that I simply have to go back to - Blencathra.
Thursday 31st May 2018
INGLETON WATERFALLS 4.7m/886ft Ingleton, North Yorks.
1st Man - Mathew Richardson (Saltaire Striders) 32:08
1st Lady - Jessica Behan (Norwich Road Runners) 38:16
My Stats - 34.12 5/67
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