This last week has been a really funny week. After last weekend’s hard marathon I have done no training. I have been out for a few runs but they have been purely to tick over and try to loosen up. I did a ridiculously slow and painful 2.5 miles on Monday, 3.5 miles on Tuesday, 6 miles on Wednesday, 3.8 miles on Thursday and then I had a rest on Friday. I always find it is better to run for consecutive days and then rest as this helps to shift the lactic.
After a long day on Friday I had to drive up from the South for an overnight stop at my Mums and then I was up at 0600 to travel to Ambleside to recce part of the Lakeland 50/100 route.
Plan was to meet at Ambleside, leave our cars and then a coach took myself and 60 other runners to Dalemain and the 50 mile point for the 100 route or the ‘start’ of the 50 route. The plan for the day was to make our way back to Ambleside in a self sufficient manner. This is a really important aspect of the ‘Lakeland’ route as navigation is key. When you also bear in mind that some of the race will be in the dark, familiarity will be extremely useful.
The course
Well, in simple words it is tough. Very tough. Worryingly the second half of the 100 route is easier than the first 50, so, if you are doing the 100, be prepared. This will be one serious undertaking. The race in the previous two editions has over a 70% failure rate. Having been on the course that is completely understandable. The ‘50’ however with a 24 hour cut off is much more manageable. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a really tough day out. But and this is an important ‘but’, it is possible to walk briskly or jog/walk and complete within the 24hr time limit. This is not so for the 100. The 100 has a 40hr cut off and therefore you will spend one complete night on the course.
You will see from the photographs the difficulty of the terrain underfoot. However, the photographs do not help with the profile and the severity. Simply, you batter your calf’s going up, you batter your quads coming down and between going up and down you batter your whole body. Your feet are twisted, pulled and angled all over the place. Blisters are potentially a real problem if you don’t have the right shoes or fit. Do not try road shoes. They will just not be up to the task.
Equipment wise you will without doubt need the following: Jacket, over-trousers, hat, gloves, compass, phone, maps, route book, gps (optional), whistle, food and a 2ltr bladder. The terrain is tough, exposed and dangerous. In good bright conditions the course is just magnificent, we had superb weather. In wind, rain and the dark it is without doubt brutal and frightening. At certain points on the course, mostly the high point, we were in 35mph winds. In bright skies and sun it was cold – add rain and night temperatures this potentially is light threatening. It is important to emphasize that this route/race should not be underestimated.
The recce
We had approximately 6 guides, me being one of them. We left Dalemain with a walk which then progressed to jog. The key element of the day was pace and finding your way. Navigation is not a strong point for me so this was a great learning curve for me. Marc and the Lakeland team really have put together a great package to help everyone, novices included, to navigate the route. We had a great ‘step by step’ road-book. This alone is perfect for navigation. In conjunction with a GPS this is the perfect way to navigate the route. In regard to GPS, waypoints are provided via download from the ‘Lakeland 100’ site, so, all you need to do is upload them and off you go....
The course is quite simply stunning. The initial miles in comparison to the rest of the course are easy. Rolling green fields and then a nice trail path around the River Eamont.
We crossed a bridge and through the village of Pooley Bridge and then a climb to Roehead. From here the terrain became harder.
Running past Barton Park we then ran across Barton Fell on a stunning trail with fabulous views of the lake to our right. Our first checkpoint came at Howton.
We had the long climb through Fusedale Beck to Gowk Hill.
We than ran across open windy fells at High Kop and then descended via Brampton Common to Haweswater Reservoir.
The trail around the reservoir was tough under foot but extremely beautiful.
Crossing the Rigg and then Dudderwick we had our second checkpoint at Mardale Head. Distance covered to this point was 19 miles and my quads were now feeling the previous week’s marathon. I knew from this point on that I was going to ease back and save my legs as best as I could.
The climb up Gatescarth Pass from Mardale is just tough. No other word for it. Steep, tough terrain and just hard. Your calf’s scream. The top provides no real relief as the ‘down’ on the other side is equally hard. It batters your feet and quads.
Sadgill at the bottom was a welcome sight before we then had to re climb through Tom’s Howe to Kentmere and the third check point.
At this point we were thinking not far to go to Ambleside – wrong! We had covered 25 miles and had 7 to go. The cups of coke and a good flapjack would hopefully help fuel the coming work. Out of Kentmere we hit Garburn Pass. With 25 miles in the legs this was tough. As per the previous Gatescarth Pass, the terrain was steep and harsh underfoot.
Finally at the top we jog/walked the decent to The Howe, crossed the road and then had a short hilly road section to Troubeck
Right at the Post Office and then some really nice forest trail through Skelghyll Wood.
We passed ‘Waterhead’ and with a look left we saw our parked cars.....
Within a mile or so we arrived at ‘Lakes Runner’ and the end of our recce – 32 miles covered.
Conclusion
I did this on sore legs – NOT RECOMMENDED! You need fresh quads and calf’s for this terrain, no doubt. Pace is crucial. Mentally you need to be focussed. Navigation is not difficult but you do need to be attentive at all times. The ‘road book’ is brilliant and should be referred to at all time. This in conjunction with the reassurance of a GPS is ideal. I used both and apart from one mistake I had no problems. You need to train on mixed, hard, rocky and tough terrain. Get your quads and your calf’s strong. Make sure you have good trail shoes that fit. Your feet get battered. The ‘50’ is a challenge that is achievable for everyone. The ‘100’ is a real challenge and should only be attempted if you are experienced. The 75% failure rate is significant in the ‘100’ – physically and mentally it is just a brute. I haven’t yet looked at the first 50 miles but Marc assures me that it is harder than the second 50, so, be warned. If possible I recommend a ‘recce’ of the whole route. If you don’t have time for that, I would try to work out where you think you will be for the ‘night section’ and recce that. To run in the dark on unknown terrain will be real difficult.
If you have entered the ‘50’ or the ‘100’ – good luck! It will be a tough day or two days out. You will be rewarded with stunning terrain, stunning scenery, brilliant organization and an experience to cherish. If it was easy, everyone would do it.....
Images : http://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/Lakeland50100Recce#
No comments:
Post a Comment