Borrowdale Fell Race

I last ran this race two years ago in fair conditions. I had no real race plan this year, I hadn’t managed to recce any of the route, and felt a bit sluggish in the morning. The weather was not as bad as Wasdale but the clag was down and it rained a bit during the race. It was warm though which makes all the difference.

I somehow didn’t get away in the front of the field despite trying to get myself positioned to do so, and so on the first turn after the bridge onto the bridleway came to an abrupt stop and it was a very slow walk for the next few 100 metres, after that my frustration levels rose and I worked fairly hard to get past people before Stonethwaite. I felt good and steady as we headed through the farm and along the flanks of Bessy Boot, but as the steep climb started it felt like the wheels started to come off. As this is the first climb I didn’t get too worried, just kept my head down and worked at a steady rate to the summit. This was in the cloud, and the bit I know least well is from here to Esk Hause, so I made a bit effort to keep in touch with the runners ahead. This worked fine until we wondered a bit too low near Glaramara. Just as I started thinking we’re too low I looked up and saw a long line of runners about 100m above us! This lost us a bit of time as I watched people I knew get past me.

I think at this point the fight went out of me a bit, and I just trogged along to Esk Hause, relieved to get the part of the route I don’t know out the way, luckily after Esk Hause I’m happy with the route all the way, even in thick mist. The climb up to the Pike went fine and I hit the descent scree off to the Corridor Route with great precision!! The scree is always warned about and talked of in almost hushed tones, but I have never found it that bad (and I hate scree!). Coming down it this year did mean two cuts to the hand when I slipped but I count that as minor!

I’d managed to skin my leg on a boulder on the Pike and coming down alongside the Corridor Route I found one of the large hidden holes in the grass and skinned my shin again. This hurt incredibly but I couldn’t work out why, as there was little blood. Later I found I’d managed to rip the scar tissue off from where I punctured my shin back in February so that was why it hurt so much!

I caught up an old club mate on the run across Sty Head who was bemoaning the rockiness of the Lakeland races!! I can sympathise as I felt the same when I first moved up here from the Peak, but a few months and you get used to it. I tried to consol him as I’m now pathetic running across peat bogs! On the climb up Gable I finally found my rhythm, and made up a fair number of paces. I guess this is where all the BG training does count. I kept the pace going off Gable and across to Honister, picking people off as I went. I didn’t follow the prime race line as I’m not overly confident in the mist but the BG route (slightly amended) serves very well and also meant I didn’t go wondering like some.

The climb up Dale Head is horrible and never seems to improve. At least I was quicker than in my BG, but it still hurt. I passed a few but was also passed by a few, as it really had started to hurt more by this point, and the final descent of Dale Head finished my legs off completely. It was frustrating as I didn’t feel that tired but I just had nothing in the legs to descend. I was passed by a lass on the final part of the descent that I had last seen ahead of me before the Pike, which was really frustrating, and I couldn’t stay with her to the finish. Finished 7^th lass overall, like last time but knocked 12 minutes of my previous time. To be honest I was a bit disappointed with the time, as I had hoped to go faster, but a lack of longs runs since my BG probably has something to do with it!