August Mega Blog

Wow, what a month. Really sorry for the lack of blog posts but time has just been a premium. It has been a really busy month and I therefore decided to incorporate the whole month as one blog, so, here goes:

W/c 9^th August

Niandi arrived at Liverpool airport last night and I am glad to say she is in the UK for the whole month. Paris shuts down in August so it’s great we can spend the time in the UK. Our plans include work, training, camping and family. On Monday we travelled to the Cotswolds, I had a few days work in and around Cheltenham, also, I needed to take my Mum and son, Josh to Tewkesbury for the week. Training this week was all about enjoyment and building time on our feet for Niandi’s target race at the 100km Millau on the 25^th September.

On Thursday we headed into the heart of the Cotswolds to camp just outside Stow on the Wold. Two reasons for this, Niandi wanted to see this part of the UK and it also meant that we could run on the trails in and around the Gloucester Way. We decided to camp. Predictably we just got rained on... August! Yeah yeah

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Our wet runs were followed by wet and windy nights in the tent. To be honest we didn’t mind. Providing it’s not too cold, camping in wind and rain is great. I love the sounds on the tent and in the trees as you are trying to relax and fall asleep. Of course logistically showering, running and wet run kit do not go that well together. Thank god we had the car with us. However, as we would realise, this was great practice for the Lakeland Trek later in the month. More on that later.

So we had several great runs. 8 miles, 12 miles and a 16 miler all on new trails and countryside. On our second run it was hilarious at the end. We were running through a field back to the camp site. We probably had about a mile to go.... suddenly two VERY big horses appeared. I ran past sheepishly, the horses looked distracted. However, as Niandi ran past, the second horse (the largest) took a fancy to her and thought it would be great to run alongside her. All I heard was ‘Iaaaaannnn!!’. I turned to see Niandi running along the edge of the field with this brute of a horse next to her. Safely out of the field we went over the gate and then re entered the final field. Halfway across I glanced left to see a bull... yes, a bull. Considering I was in red with red shoes, I didn’t hang around. This was followed with some great pub food in the evening. We had planned a long run on Saturday morning but awoke to torrential rain and storms. Later in the day we were heading to Birmingham so we decided to take a risk the weather would improve and run later in the day. It was a good move. We managed a nice easy run over 10k on the Canal System around Birmingham.

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Our evening recce allowed us the opportunity to get in a good run of 12 miles the following morning along the Grand Union Canal. I must say though that we did party the night before at the ‘Jam House’. This is Jools Holland’s place. It’s a great venue for food and live music. We hit the sack about 2am and was on the path at 0730am. It was flat easy running but the weather played ball and we were treated to some sun and lovely scenery. All the locks, canal boats and wildlife made this a really great run.

First week done !

W/c 16^th August

We headed back up to Merseyside for this week staying at my Mums house. Again we had Josh with us as he is still on Summer Holiday. Our training mainly consisted of local trails and road running this week. We worked on endurance and speed. I had a couple of great sessions, in particular 8 miles in under 50 min. This was a great session for me as it was a really great indicator that my speed is starting to come in prep for Venice in October.

Niandi also worked on speed but obviously this was relative to the Millau target, so, her speed sessions were at Marathon Pace.

On Wednesday we decided on another camping trip to the Yorkshire Dales staying around Malham in what has to be one of the best camp site locations around. A superb camp site at Gorsdale Scar. A natural stone amphitheatre.

Thursday we awoke to rain! Nothing new here then.... we got on the trails early and had a great run over about 14 miles. Really love the runs over new terrain with an overnight camp. It seems to make everything make more sense. A journey! It is so easy to do and something that we have both decided to do more often. We all run our same loops over the same terrain or roads when actually if we just travelled a relatively short distance we can have a whole new experience.

We ran up some steep trails, around Roman ruins, around Malham Tarn and the re navigated over the ‘tops’ back to the camp site. It was a great run.

Photographs are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/YorkshireDales082010#

So for the end of the week we hit the local roads and trails, of course in the wet. It seems to be the August picture; rain rain rain. Topping up our mileage with double days, speed work and endurance we ended the week feeling really excited about the week ahead.

The week ahead? Well this was our planned overload week.... What did that involve? Read on.

W/c 23^rd August

We had planned to add some spice to our training for late August. When you train for ultra, time on your feet can sometimes become tiring and well, boring. As I have mentioned previously, for 2011 I am going to be involved in the Lakeland 100 and 50 mile races. I therefore decided I wanted to cover the entire course so that I not only could navigate the route but so that I could also understand what the event involved. The easiest way to do this is split the route and cover the distance over several days. I had already covered mile 50 to 81 and so our main intention for the week ahead was to cover the ‘missed’ bits.

The course is a loop which starts and finishes in Coniston. Our plan therefore was to speed trek with full kit – tent, sleeping bags, food, cooker, and clothes... basically everything we would need. I will go into detail re the kit later in the blog.

THE LAKELAND TREK

Photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/runwild.runfree.uk/LakelandTrekAugust2010#

Day 1 Monday 23^rd August – Coniston to Wasdale

We left my mum’s at 0700 and arrived at Ambleside for breakfast just before 0900. It was a nice leisurely start to the day – coffee and teacakes to help provide energy for the trek ahead. I also wanted to go the ‘Climbers Shop’ to purchase some trek poles. My Raidlight lightweight poles had broken and from the previous recce I had already decided ‘poles’ were an essential item to help on the climbs and decent. It turned out that they didn’t have the poles i wanted; thank god! I ended up with a much better pair and poles that are much more specific for future events. The Leki ‘Traveller’ poles come with a run glove so that you can clip the pole in and out of the hand in a flash. They work brilliantly and I can’t recommend them enough. So, with my poles purchased we moved to Coniston, parked the car and started at about 1100am. This was our first mistake.... you need to start 0700 or 0800 at the latest. Why? Well, quite simply the terrain is so tough that moving quickly just is not possible, particularly when you have ‘full kit’ and 2 ltrs of water on you. Also the rain... oh the rain!

We jogged and speed walked to start with and then hit the first climb which lasted for a few K’s to a car park at Roadhead. Here we headed right to Walna Scar. The rain was coming down but temperatures were pretty mild. We crossed a bridge and then climbed a very stoney strenuous path to the summit of Walna Scar Pass (summit 2106m). We were above the cloud. Pretty darn impressive. We headed downhill, the terrain similar to the other side. Tough, gnarly, rocky and wet. We finally reached a road, turned left and arrived at Seathwaite Village Hall. This would be checkpoint 1 in the L100 with 6.4 miles covered. We looked at each other and both thought wow! This is one seriously tough race.

From the checkpoint we retraced to a small church, opposite was a pathway. We squeezed through the stile and then navigated through woodland, over a bridge and headed for Wallowbarrow. The rain was coming harder and the ground was just boggy. Our feet were permanently wet. Passing through a farmyard we turned right and headed through woods to go around Wallowbarrow Crag on a good path. We took a permissive path and then entered what turned out to be the real ‘low’ of the 4 day trek. A boggy, wet, miserable fell and plantation area signposted to Eskdale. This area was miserable. We had no clear path to follow, the rain was torrential and we were slowly going higher and higher into the cloud and colder temperatures. We finally moved out of the plantation to a rutted, rocky and extremely wet underfoot section. It was hard. So hard, it made Niandi cry (no joke). We were cold, wet and tired and only about 11 miles in to the day. We both look back now and laugh but it was a low point. We pushed on after a little pep talk and at the top we crossed a gulley and found some shelter from a tree. We donned waterproofs, hats and gloves. This worked. It refreshed us and gave us a reason to carry on. One main problem with this sort of trek is that we are carrying minimal kit. I mean minimal. We both had 2 tops, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of socks, over trousers, waterproof jacket and a pair of ‘skins’ compression tights to sleep in; that was it! One set of kit was now wet and I was thinking how on earth are we going to get this stuff dry.....

We now took a rocky trail and made our way down the other side of the hill. We started to warm up as the rain eased. The terrain was still ridiculously difficult to navigate. The trekking poles proved an invaluable purchase as they provided that extra help and support to help keep us both upright. We arrived at Penny Hill Farm, took a permissive path and rejoined the main path. We now headed to Boot and had the wonderful site of a Pub. I needed to refill my bottles so it seemed the perfect excuse to grab a coffee, get warm, refuel and then push on. We didn’t hang around, maybe 20 min. Just around the corner was checkpoint 2 for the L100, a small Corn Mill.

From the Corn Mill we pushed uphill and headed over Eskdale Moor to Burnmoor Tarn. Again the ground was sodden and boggy with all the rain. Our feet were going to look like prunes. Heading NNE we followed a path to a wood. Wasdale was now in sight. We headed down the rutted, stoney path. Passed a climbers hut and arrived at Wasdale Campsite. It was now 1830. Our plan had been to reach Buttermere but this was another 6-7 miles away and with failing light, poor conditions we decided to call day 1 to an end. We were relieved. We were also relieved to find out that this campsite had a laundry room. Oh joy! We could get our clothes dry meaning that our following days were going to be far more comfortable.

The joys of trekking come when you have to pitch a tent in the rain, cook dehydrated food and hit the sleeping bag at 2100hrs.

Day 2 Tuesday 24^th August – Wasdale to Blencathra Centre (checkpoint 6)

We were so tired we slept like logs despite the wind and rain hitting the tent all night. We awoke at 0600 to make coffee and porridge. We packed up and was on the trail by 0700. Within 1 mile we had to cross a river. Our feet were soaked. We headed to Wasdale Head Inn (checkpoint 3) and proceeded for 200m, through a gate and then started to climb to Gatherstone Beck. We then joined Black Sail Pass and pushed on going constantly up.

The rain came and battered us. Needless to say the terrain was really tough and this was topped off at the top with hale stone. We tried to shelter but it was hopeless. It is so open. We headed down a rocky wet trail. You had to be real careful. Very technical and very wet. You could slip any minute. We finally reached the bottom and crossed the River Liza. We passed Black Sail YHA hut and then climbed again to Scarth Gap.

It wasn’t 0900am and we had already climbed 2437 feet. The sun came out and our trek down from the summit to Buttermere and the Lakeside path was a real treat. We arrived in Buttermere just in time for tea and toast and a refuel of our bottles.

Buttermere Village Hall was checkpoint 4 in the L100, from here we turned right past the Bridge Hotel and then right up Ghyll Wood. We now started to gain height again, the path here was much better under foot and it was far easier to keep a consistent pace. We continued to climb to the summit at Sail Pass. The sun was out and this section was really enjoyable. I made a slight navigational error which meant that we had to do a little rock climbing up a pretty much vertical wall to rejoin the appropriate path.

Niandi was not impressed. At the Col at Barrow Door we took a good path descending all the way down aiming for the right hand side of a small wood. We went through a gate, joined a tarmac road and followed until we arrived in the centre of Braithwaite. St Huthbert’s Church Hall was checkpoint no 5.

From Buttermere we had climbed another 2440ft so now a section of flat road was a welcome relief. I called in a camp site to fill my bottles on the edge of Braithwaite and then we ran along the A66 towards Keswick. It was funny to have cars and people around us. We followed the cycle path and then ran along an old railway track. Passing a Church we then negotiated a few road junctions to take a left up Spoony Green Lane and head towards Skiddaw. Now on the Cumbria Way we started to climb up once again and good paths. After 2km or so we reached a car park. We navigated left and then climbed up and around Whit Beck. The light started to fail even though it was late afternoon and the cloud started to come in. Rain?

We struggled along Lonsdale Crags, crossed a wooden bridge and then took the upper track heading to our end point for the day, Blencathra Centre (checkpoint 6). We had covered another 1548ft making the day total around 5500ft.

Our day didn’t end here though! The L100 route continues east towards Dalemain. I had already done this section and due to time constraints our plan was to head south and pick up the L100 route at Ambleside. I therefore navigated 2 or 3 miles to Burns farm Campsite, east of Keswick and directly south from the Blencathra Centre.

We arrived at the site, pitched the tent, showered and then settled to instant noodles, dried fruit and coffee. Bliss. Today had been quite a tough day. At some point in the morning I had either twisted or banged my left knee. Unfortunately the pain had just got worse during the day. I was a little worried of the implications. I put my ‘skins’ on, took some ibuprofen and hoped for the best.

Day 3 Wednesday 25^th August – Burns Farm (Keswick) to Ambleside

Wow, last night was chilly. Niandi slept with the following clothing on inside the sleeping bag: thermal long sleeve North Face top, Gore long sleeve run top, Gore Tex jacket, fleece hat, socks and skins tights. She still said it was cold..... Me, I just got cold..... Of course it rained in the night too.

We were up at 0600 again to porridge and coffee and then left at 0700. Today I was navigating to Ambleside. I had decided that if we got a good start and pushed on we could be in Grasmere for early afternoon and have a treat. A cream tea!

Leaving Burns arm we had a small section of road before following the path signs leading to Low Rigg. It was a lovely morning. Chilly but sunny. We got into climbing straight away and reached the summit pretty quickly. We descended and then took the path climbing up to High Rigg. Terrain underfoot was pretty good. Of course it was wet, boggy, rocky and muddy but we were now used to this. We expected no less.

The sun came over Staybarrow Dodd to the east and the light was fantastic. It illuminated the mountain ranges and showed us the beauty that is the English Lakes. Sheep kept popping up everywhere. They just wanted to be photographed.

From the summit we followed good paths to the south east corner. When we arrived at the road we had a small section to navigate before joining the pathway that goes around Thirlmere. This was a great section.

Good paths, great views and the sun on our backs. It felt like we were in Canada or the Alps.

Pine trees and Lakeland views. Halfway on the path we moved east, crossed the road and then picked up the forest path that runs parallel to the lake. A great section. We had thick forest to navigate through. Apparently this is a Red Squirrel reserve but we didn’t see any.

We now followed the trail that run parallel to the A591 crossing the main road to take the path on the west side of the road. Somehow I missed the official path and navigated south through boggy fields. It wasn’t a problem as we had the clear objective of Grasmere in-front of us. The main issue was the terrain. It was very very boggy. I decided with the help of my gps to move up the fells and rejoin the path.

It was at this point that Niandi stepped forward with her left leg and sunk straight to her waist. My initial laugh was soon stopped as I ran over to stop Niandi singing any further. Her shoe was starting to come off and I could see the panic. Walking poles stuck in the ground, Niandi took my hands and I pulled her out.... I was waiting for the outburst but it didn’t come.

It was actually about 10 mins later when I made her climb over another stone wall to reach the ‘official’ footpath. Back on track we arrived in Grasmere within 20 mins and as promised Niandi and myself had a fantastic cram tea. I can’t tell you how good a cream tea is when you have really earned it.

The break was welcome and we took the western path around Grasmere taking the lake path leading to the climb of Red Bank. This is a really steep climb but over good path and when reaching Loughrigg we had superb views over the whole of the Lakeland range.

We descended down and spent the night at a small campsite near Loughrigg Tarn. It was a simple site and unfortunately had no shower facilities. Thank goodness for ‘wet wipes’. No shower was compensated for with a pub less than 0.5 mile away. Oh the joys of some great pub food and a glass of wine.

Day 4 26^th August – Ambleside to Coniston

The coldest night of the week made for very broken sleep. Never good when you have to put clothes on to go to bed. We had no rain but we almost had a frost.

Our tent was covered in so much condensation and dew that it actually appeared as though it had rained. The sun was up and the day was obviously going to be the hottest so far. Porridge for brekkie again.

We started our day with a jacket on, over-trousers, hat and gloves. We walked on roads to the Skelwith Bridge Hotel and then joined the Cumbria Way footpath to Elterwater Village. This pathway was good underfoot and flat. It was easy to make a good pace and in comparison to the previous 3 days it was a walk in the park.

At the village we turned left and took the quarry road eventually joining a footpath on the right. We followed the path and arrived at Chapel Stile and checkpoint 13. It was now pretty warm. Finally we were able to strip down to shorts and top. Summer was here!

We re joined the Cumbria Way and headed through the Langdale Valley. This valley for many IS the Lake District. It is stunning landscape and on a day when god shines his light it looks fantastic. The path is good all the way to the Dungeon Ghyll campsite.

Turning left we took the steep zig zag path leading to the summit at Side Pike Pass. We crossed the road and then took the good trails around Blea Tarn to the south west corner. We were making good time and as I have said previously today was turning out to be easy.

From the tarn we had to navigate across a rough fell with no clear path. As per usual it was bogy. More wet feet ! On arriving at the top corner of the fell we joined the road and ran downhill to Fell Foot Farm. After a small section of road we navigated towards a small white cottage. This was an idyllic scene. The property is owned by the National Trust and is picture postcard material.

Taking the path we climbed up and I took the wrong path..... doh! I took the first right path instead of following the main path to the right. Gps once again proved a real help as this provided me with an exact location and confirmed my error. Having said that, it turned out to be a bonus. It added 2 miles to the day and we got to see a disused mine.

Back on track we moved along good paths to Tiberthwaite car park and checkpoint 14.

We now had approximately 4 miles left and today’s ‘easy’ day showed the kick in the tail. At this point in the L100 you will have now covered ironically 100 miles... yes I know. It’s a 100 mile race BUT it is actually 104. The climb up Tiberthwaite is tough, steep and technical. At this point in the race it must be so demoralising.

Onwards and upwards you cross a stream at the top and then have to navigate across open boggy fell with no clear path. If you were doing this at night it would be very confusing. By taking a SSW direction and just keeping going I finally picked up the main path to then take the tough rocky and technical descent back down Milners Bridge before taking easy roads back to Coniston.

Job done.

Conclusion

Firstly, the 100 mile Lakeland loop is a classic in the making. It is without doubt the toughest course I have ever encountered. Trekking it was a real challenge and very rewarding. To try and run/walk it within 40 hours is a completely different challenge. You have so much to take in to consideration. The course, navigation, weather and basically just having the strength and determination to just keep soldiering on is a challenge in itself. If you plan on doing the 50 or the 100 mile race without doubt take time to recce the route. It will prove invaluable. The road book provided for the race is superb but it is still easy to go wrong. I made a few mistakes, nothing drastic but better to do it in training and then on race day you can just keep moving forward on the correct path. It is also important to remember that you will be on the course at night. If you get the cold and wet weather we had with mist and darkness it could very well be terrifying without a sense of direction.

If you don’t fancy racing, split the course as we did and do it over 4/5 days or why not make the course 4 or 5 separate day trips. It’s a challenge that will prove extremely rewarding.

Kit Recommendations

I am going to recommend kit here that applies to a multi-day trek as I feel that you can edit the list so that you can exclude items that will not be needed for a race.

Rucksac – I chose a waterproof salomon XA running sac with a salomon chest pack. This was absolutely perfect. The waterproof main compartment kept all my kit dry. I didn’t use a camel back but chose to carry 3 x 500ml bottles in the chest pack. This helped balance the weight front and back and made me more comfortable. Also the front pack gave instant access to maps, gps and any other essential items.

Tent – Vaude Ultralite. This was brilliant. I looked at all options and tested many before making a purchase. This tent goes up in 2 mins and is free standing. It pitches with the ‘inner’ already attached and therefore in bad weather you stand a good chance to keep the living area dry. It packs small, is light (but not the lightest) and has plenty of room for two.

GPS – I used a Garmin Oregon with Lake District in 1:25,000 detail. The gps is perfect for finding out your exact location. Also, the race directors provide the full route as waypoints, so, if need be you can navigate the whole race via a handheld device/

Poles – I used Leki ‘Traveller’ poles. I consider these essential.

Sleeping Bag – It needs to pack small, be light and warm. Not an easy combination. I chose a model that did 2 of the 3. Unfortunately warm it wasn’t.... a change required.

Sleep Matt – I didn’t take a sleep matt due to weight but I would recommend one. I found the cold struck through the tent and this added to my cold nights. Thermalite do a range. They are not cheap (ppx £80) but I will get one for next time.

Cooker – Jetboil. The ultimate boiling facility. It packs small, all folds up to a neat package and gives you piping hot water in 2-3 mins.

Food – Light and dehydrated food is the best choice. It’s not cheap but works well for treks of this nature. I took fresh coffee in sealed bags and I had a nifty little device to provide filter coffee. We had instant oats in individual bags for breakfast. Just add hot water and away you go. For snacks I had energy bars, nuts, mixed fruit, cereal bars and other little treats to take while on the route and in the evening. I also had a tube of ‘electrolyte tablets’ to make sure I was hydrated all the time.

Clothing – Make sure you have a waterproof jacket and over trousers with taped seams. If you can afford Gore Tex – get them! I used lightweight long sleeve tops by North face (flight series) as they are a warm, light and extremely functional. I had normal run shorts and long tights made by ‘skins’ for the evening to help my legs recover. I had 2 pairs of socks. Would I take more clothes? Possibly yes. If you get soaking wet or cold you have little option with minimal kit. It is a balancing act.

Shoes – I used Brooks Cascadia Trail shoes. I have tried all the shoes on the market and for me these offered the best compromise. Good on the road, good on the trails and importantly comfortable all day.

Extras – I used a Garmin 310 gps to measure my runs and provide data. I had a Blackberry phone with me as this was ideal for emergency calls or any important emails. I had 2 luxury items – a wind up radio and a ‘power monkey’ solar charger. The solar charger gave my Garmin 310 autonomy over the 4 days and it also allowed me to re-charge my phone.

I could go on with all the other little bits such as folding bowls, cups, ‘sporks’ and all the other little nicks and nacks one can find in camping shops but I feel that finding these items yourself is all part of the fun.

POST LAKELAND

We arrived back at mums early on Thursday evening and devoured a Fish and Chip supper, a glass of wine or two and then settled into a lovely warm bed with a duvet – joy.

Friday was a rest day and on Saturday I went out and ran just over 4 miles to loosen up. It felt funny to be running without all this added weight. It was liberating.

Sunday 29^th August – Fleetwood Marathon

A big week needs a big ending and what better way to finish than with a marathon. Niandi and myself were up early at 0600am to our usual breakfast of porridge and coffee and then we headed north on the M6 to Fleetwood. Guess what? Gale force winds and torrential rain.... boy oh boy... no wonder the French think that it always rains n the UK.

Race start was 0930am and luckily the rain stopped. The wind did not however. I have never run a race in such strong winds. The Coast Guard was actually considering cancelling the race as we had to run along the Coastal Path next to the sea. In many places it was possible to be blown over. The sand swirled and filled your eyes, nose and mouth. It was tough.

We started with two small loops. On the second loop the marathon runners headed to Blackpool and the half marathon runners headed back to Fleetwood.

After being sand blasted for a few miles we ran parallel to the beach with a whopping tail wind. I felt great and ran at sub 6:30 pace. The turn was at Blackpool (mile 16). I was in 9^th place. Suddenly we had a head wind..... whoa... 6:30’s became 8 min miles and what a struggle. I was in a group with 4 other runners. We all pushed trying to keep pace but it was a mighty slog.

At mile 20 we turned back towards Blackpool and had a tail wind for approximately 0.5 mile. I decide to attack. But some space between me and the other 3 and then they would have to fight the wind to catch me. Still feeling great I just pushed as hard as I could.

I got another runner at mile 23 and at mile 24 I could see another guy in-front. By now i had picked up the pace to 7 min miles despite the wind. As i entered the finish I missed 3^rd place by 3-4 meters in 3:02:20. Boy was I pleased. This wasn’t even an ‘A’ race and I had run as though it was.

Niandi had a good run despite the conditions and stuck to the target of pacing herself to her Millau target for the end of September. Initially she was a little disappointed that she hadn’t run quicker, but when you take into account the days before and the wind, she had a great race and fulfilled the purpose of the week – overload.