The 3 Peaks Yacht Race – over before it really began!

Well, what an adventure! Unfortunately it all ended for us after 11 hours of sailing and no running! I'll write more about this when I have caught my breath..

Preparation

Well its all getting a bit close now, tomorrow we head south to Barmouth for this year’s Three Peaks Yacht Race. We are all rookies at the event, and potentially are a bit light on the sailing side, but very experienced in the running…mmm… and really it’s a sailing race! So we shall see. Have been busy planning, sorting, packing and preparing.

Tarmac

I was working away from the office on Tuesday so took the opportunity to run in my new road shoes on some tarmac – made bearable because it was off-rode tarmac – the C2C bike route from Whitehaven to Kirkland. I started the run at Cleator Moor, and ran until the bike track meets the road near Kirkland School and then turned around and ran back again. I didn’t take my Forerunner with me, so had no idea how far it was or how fast I was running, I just kept a nice steady comfortable pace and actually enjoyed it despite it being a warm humid afternoon. I was quite surprised when I plotted it up that I ran 12 miles in 1:30, which is 7.5 minute mile pace! Not bad for a non-road runner, not trying.

Sedbergh Hills Recce, vanning and Quayfoot Buttress

Managed a commute on the bike on Friday, with strangely tired legs.

On Saturday P and I drove the van over to Sedbergh to recce the Sedburgh Hills race route as it’s the last English Championship race of the year in August. We’d been out on these fells only once before and that was a few years back, so it felt like all new terrain, especially where the race actually takes you.

The day was a showery day, with a reasonable breeze blowing from the northwest. We set off at a steady pace up the side of Winder to the first checkpoint on Arant Haw, just as a shower came in, but as we could see the other side of it we didn’t bother with putting our cags on – and then got pretty wet as it seemed to take an age to pass us by. As we set off on the first descent from Arrant Haw, P pulled up and decided to return to the van as his hamstring was feeling really tight. So I carried on by me tod, as he went and sampled the delights of Sedbergh’s tea rooms!! 

The rest of the route went well – it was a bit runnable for me as I prefer steep rocky climbs, but the middle section is tough as you cross the grain of the land before dropping steeply into Bowderdale and then the final long steady climb back up to the Calf. I took it steady all the way round, stopping every so often to either put on or take off my cag. After 3 and a half hours I dropped back into Sedbergh to the van, a quick change and dragged P back to a tea room for more (for him!) cake and tea!!

We stopped in the town for supper in a pub, before heading north to find a kip spot. In the morning we drove around to Borrowdale and climbed at Quayfoot Buttress until the rain arrived – which it did early!! We thought we’d have until at least early afternoon but it started on us nearer lunchtime, so after only two routes - Irony (HVS) and The Crypt Direct (E1) we made a hasty retreat to the Lakeland Pedlar!

Thursday Night run – White Moss and the Stone Circles

After 4 miles to work and back on Tuesday and a day off Wednesday as I was away for the day, P and I went out over the local fells for a run in the evening. We headed up Miterdale and then onto White Moss and returned via Blea Tarn, and Fell End. It’s a lovely run and I often wonder why I don’t run up there more often.

Finding 'it' again

Today after work, P and I went out up onto the fells for a run. I was hoping to find something after feeling tired all weekend. We went up Hollowstones from Wasdale Head to Lingmell Col, and then down the Corridor Route to Styhead and back down to the valley. It took the majority of the climb before I started feeling anything like OK, and all of a sudden I felt this energy flowing back into my legs! The final climb towards the col felt much better as did the descent, and by the time we headed down from Styhead I was flowing again!! Oh Joy!!!

Duddon - DNF

My third ever DNF, and all have been longs. I’m still not sure quite what went wrong but I felt more awful than normal from soon after the start. With hindsight I felt pretty flat and tired on the Friday night. We’d gone over straight after work to the Duddon to the Rucksack Club hut, High Moss, as some friends of ours were celebrating their recent marriage there for the weekend. I ate well, and kept hydrated and had an early night, and possible another sign, I slept like a log. Normally before long races I sleep fitfully as I have some pre-race nerves, but I didn’t on the Friday night.

I had a reasonable warm-up but considering it was a long race on a hot day I didn’t bust a gut, and then suddenly we were off. The first climb up past Wallowbarrow was horrible, but I’ve never enjoyed it, but I normally pick up on the run to Grassguards. This time, nothing, I just felt terrible. Still I kept on, but struggled after Grassguards too, and started going properly backwards on the steep ascent up Harter Fell. By the summit, I’d pretty much made my decision to bail at Hard Knott, but gave myself one last chance to see if I could run off the lethargy on the descent. Unfortunately I couldn’t even run downhill, so bad did everything feel. My two sore ankles were playing on my mind, as was the up and coming Three Peaks Yacht Race, so that was that.

Some friends who were racing had partners at Hard Knott Pass, and Geoff and Mandy gave me a lift down to Cockley Beck, and then after a short walk I hitched a lift with a guy who already had another DNFer Dan Duxbury from Ambleside. And so it was that I DNF’d at Duddon.

I did manage to have some fun over the weekend though with a good gathering on Saturday to celebrate Rae and Helen’s marriage. Lots of food including copious amounts of cake and other pudding goodies! We had originally planned to go climbing on Sunday but the weather broke slightly and I didn’t have any concentration so we popped back over the hill to home and went out in the afternoon on our road bikes for a steady 30 miles. I still felt pretty flat on the bike, like I had no oomph! 

3PYR Recce No. 2

Thursday after work, P, Rich and I headed over to Bowness Knott car park in Ennerdale to ride down to Whitehaven and back on the C2C route / 3PYR route. It was a lovely evening of light winds, blue skies and some warmth! It was supposed to be a pootle, it turned into a bit of a bash, but we checked the whole route out to the harbour and back. Sorted...

More Photos from Corsica

The view from the Grand Vire, Roche de Gozzi

The Grand Vire, Roche de Gozzi

Corte at night

Bavella Col

Bavella Col

Capineru

Les Iles Sanguinaires