Three Peaks Yacht Race recce

P and I checked out some of the running section of the Cumbrian leg of the Three Peaks Yacht Race on Saturday. Its not that we needed to check out the route or best lines, we know them already but what we fancied was checking out the times between points between Wasdale Head and Gillerthwaite YH. So in low cloud and a stiff breeze we set off from the Green in Wasdale over Black Sail Pass, past the hut and down to Gillerthwaite. After a short stop there for a bite to eat we turned around and head back. It stayed dry until the return leg, when it started lashing down and we climbed up and over the pass in driving hail. Not very pleasant! Now we have some decent timings to add to the ones we already know for the ascent and descent of the Pike.

After this excursion of 14 miles, we had a house full of friends for the weekend. More drinking then usual ensued which meant less exercise than normal occurred! Sunday started late with a short run and then a bouldering session at the Fisherground. On Monday we met up with some old friends from uni with their kids for a pootle through Grisedale Forest. Strange to be there without the bikes!

A Road Run

Tuesday afternoon, P went straight from work to the Bowderstone bouldering with mates, so I took the opportunity to run home mostly on the roads, just short of 10 miles. I am not a fan of road running although I don't mind it occasionally. The plan was just to trot home, not really trying to hit any pace in particular. I was pleasantly surprised to run exactly 8 minute miles for the first 8 miles before dipping just over this for the last two which have some significant hills in! Now I know it is not amazing lightening fast pace or anything special at all, but I was happy as it felt very comfy and sustainable (at least on the flat..!).

Gav's BG

I managed to slot in some short work runs on Thursday and Friday covering 8 miles in total just to keep the legs ticking over, before pacing my mate Gav on Leg 4 of his BG. It was a horrendous forecast for the Saturday afternoon, with Gav due into Wasdale at 2:35pm after a midnight start from Moot Hall. I had a call at 9am to say he was an hour up at Dunmail and still an hour up at High Raise, despite the strong winds. It was a totally different weather pattern to my BG which was exactly a year ago.

I met up with Nick, who was doing road support in Wasdale, and the two other pacers, Scott and Liz. Rich was also going to be with us, but he was coming in with Gav on Leg 3. So we all got there an hour earlier than planned and sure enough an hour ahead of schedule Gav, Jackie, and Rich appeared off Scafell and into Brackenclose. Gav was doing well, and the rain was still holding off. After a 17 minute rest (instead of his allotted 20) off we went.

We kept the pace steady up Yewbarrow knowing we had the hour in hand over the 23 hour schedule. We still managed to make 10 minutes on that climb alone, and another 10 minutes to Red Pike. It was on the descent over to Scoat Fell that the rain finally came in and was with us for the rest of the leg. Combined with the very strong winds it made for a filthy time on the fells. Still with 5 of us trogging along, (3 of us have already done the BG, one was making attempt in two weeks time, plus our contender) there was no need to use a map or a compass. The summits came and went, each split being better than the schedule. The ascent of Gable wasn’t as bad as I was expecting and we found some shelter before the summit to scoff more food before pressing on. The climb up from Wind Gap to Green Gable was the most windy, and I got blown over by a very strong gust! Liz had left us at Beck Head having already paced Gav on Leg 2 through the night, and I left them at Grey Knotts to run back to Wasdale.

It was not the nicest of run backs I’ve done into the teeth of the wind and rain. Visibility was less than 10 metres and there were three worried faces looking at me as I disappeared off Grey Knotts to reach the Moses Trod route. Luckily it’s a route I know well, so no need to navigate as such, just a requirement to pay attention and not wonder, and before long I was at Beck Head and having to fight my way down Gavel Neese to the valley. The wind was funnelling up the pass making it a tough effort to run down! Reached the car at Brackenclose after 5 hours 20 on the hill, ready for some tea and cake!

Gav had worse weather on Leg 5 than we did on Leg 4, but kept going really well to finish in 21:40 – an awesome effort, especially in those conditions! Unfortunately I can't say the same for my camera which bit the dust in all that water, so my photos are stuck on the card until I get a card reader or another camera!

Latrigg Fell Race

Another new short sharp and ‘not my thing’ race on Wednesday evening. The day after Mearly I was feeling a little battered which was a bit humbling as it was only 3.8 miles! I gave the legs a rest though and had a really good climbing session, feeling very strong after our trip! Just how long that strength will stay who knows! P and I then ran to work and back on Monday via an extended loop, covering 4.2 miles in the morning and 6.8 miles in the evening on track and fell. Despite the damp conditions it was a good run, some of it on new terrain.

This was followed by the 22m commute on the bike on Tuesday, before the Latrigg race tonight. The race heads from Fitz Park, via Briar Rigg, to the summit and back via a short very sharp ascent and descent. I set off with the same plan in mind as Mearly Clough, fast and then hold on! Again I just couldn’t sustain the initial fast pace, and after being second lady for most of the climb, dropped two places before the summit. The first of these got away too much on the descent, but the other didn’t and after catching them to be just behind as we hit the track, I put my foot down and managed to pull away. It was pretty painful keeping the speed up into the finish, but I kept third spot to come away with a Silva head torch (not sure I needed another head torch but there you go – it’ll come in handy I’m sure!). I even had a short warm down for this race too, as the descent felt like it was hammering my quads.

Post race prize giving was by Kenny Stuart (photo courtesy of Dunc Overton, Keswick AC)

Mearly Clough English Championship Race

All the short runs this week may have made very little difference to my fitness but they did get the legs working again in time for the 2^nd English Fell Championship race at Mearly Clough yesterday. At 3.5 miles or so it was not really my thing – I tend to need at least 6 miles to warm up! And the lack of running in the previous 6 weeks was not preparation in any way! Still, I tried to phsyc myself up for it and had a good warm-up running at least 4 miles up and down the fields at the beginning of the race route.

The race was a new one to me, although the summit cairn is a checkpoint on the Tour of Pendle which I ran some years ago. I don’t remember it though as it was thick mist at that point! It was also strange as I’m not used to women only fell races and it was interesting to see how this affects your running as everyone you are racing against is in your class! I set off fairly fast and just tried to keep on going. I thought I was doing pretty well, but as the climb went on and steepened my legs started screaming more and more. I was so grateful when the summit arrived. It was disappointing to see how far Julie and Cat where ahead of me, and how close Sam was behind me! But I dug in and found something in my legs to surge around the top of the clough and then just went for it on the descent. I think the couple of thunderstorm retreats we’d had in Corsica really helped my descending on this as I felt really good and passed two ladies on the steep descent and then managed to haul another two I think on the run in. Finished 25^th overall, behind the lassies I’m normally behind and ahead of ones I’m normally ahead of!

Julie commented that if I could do that well with 6 weeks off then there was probably no point in training…. I think Duddon may prove that statement wrong….

The result puts me equal 24^th in the Ladies Championship after 2 races. Duddon next, and little time to find any speed or stamina.

Back To Reality

The last week has been a shock after a month away. Its also been very busy, catching up at home and work. In order to catch up on the lack of running (I think I’ve managed about 2 hours running in the last six weeks) I’ve been running the 2 miles into work and back from where I can park. P has been coming with me too which has been nice company! So without too much effort of two days of this, plus a longer run into work and back we clocked 15 miles in the week, plus a commute on the bike and a real set to gardening as well. The garden had taken off and was resembling a jungle when we got home!

The Solent and Corsica

We have just returned from a month away, and what a fantastic time. Very little running, no biking but a few days sailing and heaps of climbing! We spent the first few days down at my aunt and uncle’s, being taught one end of a sailing yacht from another in Portsmouth Harbour. Mike (my uncle) and P hatched a plan at our wedding to do the Three Peaks Yacht Race this year, so we have a scratch ... errmmm (!) team of my uncle, Mike, my cousin, Steve, P, myself and a mate Rich. Rich and I are the runners, with P being the standby runner! It’s going to be interesting and fun. We had three days on the boat, and P and I spent a night on it on the mooring. It was great to catch up with my cousin too as it’s a long time since I’ve seen him!

P and I then headed south in the van, taking the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen-Ouistreme, driving to the Ardeche in one effort. We then drove the rest of the way to Toulon and caught another overnight ferry to Ajaccio on Corscia. We met up with our mates Kevin and Alice in their van and then had a fantastic 20 days on the island, climbing nearly every day. Crags visited included Rocher de Gozzi, U Richiusu, Restonica Valley, Bavella Col, Capineru, and a few other smaller sites.

On the way back to Cumbria, we stopped off again in the south for another couple of days on the boat, and some more sailing practice. We probably amused a fair number of people by trialling our heath robinson oars out and a set of quite hilarious runs perfecting the use of the cruising shute!

Sunset in Portsmouth Harbour

Moonlight

Corsica