High Peak 40

Last weekend I went up to Buxton for the High Peak 40 where perfect conditions awaited the lucky starters. Admittedly 'lucky' wasn't the word I was using pre-race - after my poor run at Bradwell something between apprehensive and scared was more appropriate, after all I was back in the Peak District but this time had another 8 miles to do.

On the plus side, training had gone well in the previous few weeks and in the race itself I got talking to another novice called Dave who was going at a similar pace and we ended up doing the whole course together. This made life a lot easier and the miles seemed to fly by chatting. To be fair to Dave I think he was taking it a little easy as I was saying bad things about the hills and he was running 'The Beast' down in Leicestershire the next day - certainly mad enough to be an ultrarunner!

As it turned out the hills were manageable, for the first time ever we were actually willing there to be more so we could have a break from running! There was a fair amount of roads but this was offset by the lovely scenery and the incredibly friendly checkpoints. As well as great encouragement we were even made a cup of tea near the end (sorry to destroy any notion of toughness).

Another aspect that I particularly enjoyed was the signposting - there was never any doubt about the right route which took the pressure off, 40 miles is quite far enough. The only negative point for me was feeling a tightness behind my knee after 32 miles that reduced me to a hobble when walking but was manageable enough when running. 8 days on I can still feel it but the limp has gone now so hopefully I'll be able to start training on it later in the week.

My final time was 8:24:33, quicker than Bradwell so I was fairly satisfied. Only one more race to go in the series now, the Round Rotherham, a nice 50 mile jaunt - for the first time since joining the team I'm actually looking forward to it!

Pumlumon

Race 3 in the series for me. I had heard that this was going to be quite tough with all the big tussocks and boggy terrain. It had also been raining for most of the week so I was thinking that could make it more difficult. I had spent a week near Aberystwyth back in June when the weather had been a lot kinder, and so I had been able to do some running around the Cambrian mountain area then. I thought this would have helped me in the race but then I did not account for the mist and wet conditions! I met up with Mark and Martin at the start, and also got to meet Kate for the first time too. We had the luxury of the Nant Yr Arian forestry centre to shelter in before the start, and then after some final race instructions, it was off fairly gently at first around the lake and through the woods. The next five miles or so were fairly easy, but then came the climb up to Pumlumon Fawr, and the mist came down, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. Suddenly it all seemed very bleak and remote. Amazingly, a huddle of volunteers were providing water & energy goodies at the Cairn on the top. The next few miles on the top moorland felt hard because of the wind & cold. But then it was downhill and at the start of the Severn way, the sun came out briefly. There was a well defined path of flagstones along the stream here and running felt comfortable again. However, things changed rapidly as the route became less obvious and started to involve navigating a way through the boggy tussocks. I lost count of how many times I fell into the gaps between the tussocks! This seemed to go on for miles interspersed with some hills which were a relief from the tussocks. The last few miles were mostly on tracks. I had been running with Mark Townsend and chatting about his UTMB experience and we missed a turn. Fortunately, he was able to get us back on route quickly, and we picked up a bit of speed after this. The run into the finish was soon upon us and I was able to enjoy the last downhill section into the woods.
There was much appreciated hot drinks, cakes and Pasties provided, the sun shone again and everybody seemed very relaxed. Kate was first lady in an incredibly quick time. Nicky Spinks was second lady and I managed third. Still a long way off their times though!
Next race for me is the Atlantic Coastal Challenge in Cornwall...three marathons in three days, and then Rotherham 50....the last of the series.
Just wanted to say 'Good luck' to those racing at High Peak 40 today! Wish I was doing it too.

A wet Wales and other training

If I've learnt nothing else from my first two utras I now know I really need to get some hill work in. To that end, a couple of weeks ago I swapped my Sunday morning long run from the Sandstone Trail in Cheshire (high point Raw Head 227m) to a far more challenging route covering the Clywdian Range in Wales (high point Moel Famau 554m).

Although it was a little ambitious to double the climbing and keep the same 20+ miles distance, the beautiful views over the Vale of Clywd as I ran along the ridge from Moel Famau to Moel Arthur made it more than worthwhile. It took a bit longer than planned but at least I felt it was some 'proper' ultra practice.

Looking to repeat the trick last week I soon discovered that Summer is fast turning into Autumn. After about three miles a few spots of rain appeared and by the time I started the ascent I was in the middle of a full blown storm with visibility down to about 10m! Once I made it to the top and the rain had turned into hailstones I decided the most sensible option was to get back down pronto as I'd left the canoe back at the car...

The last week has been a real mixed bag training wise. On Monday I ran 15 miles in around 1:50 - amazing how much energy you have if you cut your long run in half! On Wednesday I ran into work then in the afternoon had an hour intensive squash coaching followed by a session on the step machine. I felt pretty pleased with myself at the time but by Friday was running in a whole new (painful) style!

Yesterday I met up with some friends to do the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Although we only walked it I'm hoping that by now my quads are getting some idea of what's expected of them. The route itself was a very enjoyable 25 miles taking in Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-Y-Ghent. Next April I might have a go at the Three Peaks Race just to see how fast I can do it although I think the incredible winning time of under three hours will be a long way off.

Good luck to everyone running the Pumlumon next week!