This was my first big run of the year and I was not very confident of success going into it. After spending most of January and February trying to recover from injury, I only managed to add to the list of problems including a bust calf and shin splints. I managed to get a couple of 20 mile runs in and even a 30 miler the month building up to the event but mostly relied on 3 mile runs on a treadmill to reduce the impact on my left leg. It was a total shock when I ran into the finish line in around 10 hours 30 minutes covering the 54 miles over the North Yorkshire Moors.
I had a game plan. It was to just run at a comfortable pace for as long as possible and enjoy myself as long as possible before the pain kicked in and the world would collapse around me. I figured that there was no point stressing for the first half and spoiling the entire run. After getting the bus to the start at Helmsley, I deposited my drop bag and queued to register where I chatted with someone who was planning on doing the run in around 11 hours. I was planning 13 hours to I figured good bye and good luck, I won’t see you again. I repacked my bag after the kit check before realising I was standing next to Andy Cole whose blog I follow regularly and whom gives me great motivation in my running. I could not resist but to say hello before heading outside in the sun. I think as far as perfect conditions go, we had them on Saturday 19th March. We had a race briefing from Jon Steele the race organiser who was also participating in the run this year, then headed off to the start line. I turned on my Garmin and stored it away in my bag so I could run without knowing my progress and to help keep stress levels down during the run. On the whole I was relax and looking forward to the adventure ahead.
3... 2... 1.. and off we go. I placed myself near the back and moved forward in the crowd until I was positioned with a group running at my 4 breaths in... 4 breaths out pace. The route follows the Cleveland Way, which we followed out of Helmsley and along the edge of Blackdale Howl Wood. I was feeling good and this section looked to be relatively flat so I allowed myself to step up the pace a little after about 2 miles to my 3 breaths in... 3 breaths out pace. The route follows mainly roads and tracks at this stage and there was a stream of runners playing leapfrog. The village of Cold Kirby approached quickly at around 5.8 miles and I found myself settling into a comfortable rhythm behind Andy Cole no less. I knew Andy was a solid runner and would probably be aiming to hit the first checkpoint at 9 miles in around 1 hour 30 minutes like myself, so I was confident my pace was good. As the crowds thinned, I started my out and back section to the White Horse and checkpoint 1. The route follows along the tops of a cliff next to a gliding club airfield before reaching the top of the white horse and down into the car park checkpoint at 9 miles. I had hit my planned average pace of 10 minute mile and set off for checkpoint 2 at Osmotherley, 22 miles into the route.
After leaving the checkpoint the route loops back along a forest track at the base of the cliff I previously ran along. Andy Cole was still just ahead but stopped for food and I went past, running on my own for the next few miles. There was a short steep climb back onto the top of the cliff before levelling out again. Runners were passing me in the other direction heading to checkpoint 1 and I could see some runners ahead who were heading my way, so I kept my pace steady and slowly crept up to them. Just before South Woods at the top of Whitestone Cliff I caught up with a runner who had stopped to get some food and it was no other than Jon Steele, the race organiser. I said a quick “hi” as a passed and continued along with Jon running not far behind. I had expected this section of the route to start getting hillier but the long views confirmed that I would be sticking to the higher ground along the ridges and would only have to tackle some small ups and downs. I was alone again going passed High Paradise Farm before hitting Hambleton Road and caught two more runners in Boltby Forest. My pace was still feeling relaxed and comfortable at an average of 10 minute miles and I knew I would reach the next checkpoint at Osmotherley ahead of my 4 hour plan. I ran behind the two runners along Arden Great Moor and we were overtaken by a couple of runners at White Gill Head, one of whom was a 9.30am starter and was out to win this thing. I got ahead of the two runners on the rocky decent down to the Car park at Thimbleby Moor, and I was about to worry about aggravating my leg injuries when disaster struck. I suddenly got a stabbing pain on one of my abb muscles on my right side. Running was agony. I kept stopping because the pain was severe and crouching over to try and stop the pain. Runners were passing me including Jon Steele who asked if I was ok. I figured that I had pulled a muscle and knew from doing it last year that I had to keep going and the pain would ease in about 10 miles. More runners passed me when I was reduce to a walk on the downhill’s as the pain was too bad and I could only accept the situation and keep going forward. Just passed Oak Dale I tightened my backpacks waist belt as tight I could to try and support my abbs and bent down crunching my stomach as hard as I could. When I started running again the pain was gone. How happy I was. I figured it must have been cramp. I picked up my pace and caught up with some of the runners who had passed me and made my way into Osmotherley at 22 miles. I had maintained an average 10 minute mile pace and was ahead of schedule. I was congratulating myself for eating loads of food while running, almost every 30 minutes, and drinking plenty. I felt as fresh as when I left the start and was looking forward to restocking from my first drop bag and heading off quickly. I soon realised that my drop bag was not there. I did loops of the hall looking for my bright orange bag and even some marshals help search. When I was asked if I put it in the correct car I replied with “car..... I thought it was a bus”. For some strange reason I wasn’t too bothered and the marshals were great in reminding me to grab some food on the way out as I had ate all mine and had none left. This all took just over 10 minutes and I wanted to get out and get going.
I started walking out the village putting my custard creams into my bag and trying to work out how I was going to run another 20 miles in the hill of the North Yorkshire Moors with a hand full of biscuits, when I took a quick stop in the local store and got a tuna and sweetcorn sandwich, which strangely enough I was craving on the approach into Osmotherley. I should have got more food but I just got the sandwich and ate it till the top of the hill and started running again. I knew this next section well as I have done it twice now in the Osmotherley Phoenix event. I continued on to the next checkpoint at the trig point at Arncliffe Wood and relaxed into a comfortable run across Scarth Wood Moor and into Clain Wood. I was still finding it easy to run at around an 8 minute mile pace on the flat and after 25 miles I was finding it strange that I was feeling so good. I was constantly waiting for the pain to kick in and my pace to drop. I passed Jon Steele again at this point and caught up with another runner at Huthwaite Green whom I would leapfrog now all the way to the next drop bag point at mile 42 and we would not see another runner the whole way. I took the lead and headed up the start of the big climbs up Round Hill to the next checkpoint and onto Carlton Moor. From here I could see the entire outer hill range sweeping round for miles. I made an educated guess that a peak in the distance was Roseberry Topping, which it was. After descending down from Carlton Moor the route differed from the Osmotherley Phoenix route. I stayed with the Cleveland Way and climbed to the higher ground of Cringle Moor and instead of the nice easy forestry track of the Phoenix, I climbed the next two hills to reach the Wain Stones and the next checkpoint. Another decent and another climb and I was still feeling good when reaching Carr Ridge and resumed an average pace of 10 minute miles. At 34 miles I still could not believe how good I still felt but at the time I had no idea how far I had gone and figured that it must have been around 30 miles. I was keeping a constant intake of biscuits trying to ration them out and was taking regular sips of cool water from the air chilled tube of my hydration bladder before the warm foul tasting water from the bladder itself reached the mouth piece. I was starting to feel quite sick now with all the sugar I had been eating and tried to imagine that the custard cream was steak and mashed potato. I passed the point at which the Phoenix route leaves and continued on towards the self clip point at Bloworth Crossing and into unknown territory. I started getting paranoid that I was off course and waited for the runner behind to catch up to help make a navigational decision. We ran on and finally got to the self clip.
The next section seemed to drag a bit because of the long straight tracks. The other runner pushed ahead as I congratulated myself for drinking enough and answering the call of nature. Maybe I should have held back on the congratulations as I passed what looked like Bisto’s Best. I continued on along Greenhow Bank with my 10 minute mile average pace and took in the views. Onto Battersby Moor and I knew I was getting close to the next drop bag point where I could restock on food and get some nice cold water to drink. It was getting cooler now but I was still sweating and heating my hydration bladder to sickly proportions. The track reached a road and a sign saying Kildale 2 miles. I caught up with the runner ahead before overtaking and lead the way down the decent into Kildale and the drop bag point. When I got into the hall and saw my orange drop bag things started to make sense in regards to the last drop bag. I had confused my second bag for my first and would have walked straight past the white one at Osmotherley. I had to laugh at the situation and dined on some sausage rolls to try and de-sugar my system and get rid of the nauseous feeling, along with some nice sugary Coke. I changed my top to try and feel a little fresher and after seeing runners arriving and leaving was about to leave when I saw the guy who I chatted with in the registration queue. He was digging into some rice pudding and it took about 1 second to convince me to do likewise. He would make a great rice pudding salesman. Right, this time I was leaving as I had spent around 14 minutes in the check point.
I started out along the road in Kildale and was chilled to the bone. I stopped and dug my fleece out of my bag and head off up a steep road which headed up into the forest around Coate Moor at which point I was sweating like a pig. I knew there were only 12 miles left and figured it was time to push on to the end. I had an idea of what time it was and some basic calculations showed that I would be finishing a lot sooner than 13 hours, but anything could still happen in the next 12 miles. I reached Captain Cook’s Monument and made the decent down to the car park at the base of Cockshaw Hill. Another climb now up to Great Ayton Moor and I could see runners behind fast approaching. I was hitting around a 10 minute mile pace on the flats but was averaging around 13 minute miles with the hills. I never have been and still was not in any mood to race with anyone, so I continued on with what felt comfortable. At the start of the out and back section to Roseberry Topping another runner was just returning and as I started out I remember thinking how cruel it was that I had to make a further decent before making the climb up to the next checkpoint.
I started my decent back down from Roseberry Topping while sending some text messages and passed numerous runners including the guy from the registration queue who was my rice pudding salesman (I will not know his name until the results come out), his friend, and also Jon Steele again. It was starting to get dark now and I could see some lights from Guisborough where the finish was. I had stopped eating because of feeling sick and knew this was always a big mistake at the end a run when you think you are almost finished. I made the effort to eat a jam sandwich which I had picked up from my drop bag kept taking sips of water. Along Newton Moor, Hutton Moor and Black Nab, me feet had been dry the entire day until I had to plough through a bog. It was getting much darker now and without my glasses on I was having trouble making good foot placement with all the stones on the path. When I was getting my headtorch out, the rice pudding salesman and his friend caught up with me before heading into Guisborough Woods and I made an effort to quicken my pace to keep up. I found that my legs still had a lot in them and were working fine but the sick feeling I was having was getting worse. I knew I should keep eating and drink but I just buried my head in the sand and kept on going. It was good having company and chatted with the two runners as we followed the signs marked with tape. At one point we came across a sign which showed an obvious direction but there was no tape. A moment of decisions and we were saved but the route setter himself, Jon Steele who ran towards the sign, stumbled, and attempted to impale himself on it. The four of us ran on with Jon and one of the runners pushing ahead with me and rice pudding sales man to follow behind until they were out of sight. The two of us ran on to find the last self clip point and head down to the disused railway line and the last mile to the finish. I was so grateful to have someone to run with and we ran on while waves of sickness hit me making me want to walk the last bit. But run on we did making comments about how a 10 minute mile pace felt more like a 5 minute miler. Finally, the steps off the track in through the car park to the end.
We were surprised to get interrogated about the last self clip point but found out that people were missing it as there was a discrepancy in the location it was placed. We made our way into the rugby clubhouse where I started feeling really dizzy and figured that like every other big event I have done, that I was in for a rough ride for the next couple of hours. Luckily after only about 15 minutes I was feeling not only human again and pretty good. I sat with my two new running comrades when it sunk in that I had completed the 54 miles in around 10 hours 30 minutes and what a result. Before the event I questioned whether or not I would get to the finish never mind doing it in my best time yet for this distance. We realised that we had a long wait until our drop bags were returned to the finish and I was persuaded to go for fish and chips. After the prize giving ceremony and collecting my last drop bag when it arrived, I set off for the drive home and stopped to give Andy Cole a lift back to where his car was parked. He did not recognise me from my introduction at the start line which was lucky because he may have thought I was some kind of running blog stalker. I finally got home at just before 2 in the morning and lay in a hot bath to inflame all my leg muscles some more.
What an event. Not including the fact that I exceeded my own expectations, I would say that it was the best route I have run so far in my running career and one of the best events. I would recommend anyone and everyone to run the Hardmoors 55 and I can’t wait until the Hardmoors 60 in September where I get to run that last 60 miles of the Cleveland Way along the coast. Jon Steele hosted and ran a great event and all the marshals and checkpoint volunteers did an amazing job. As for why I did so well, there are so many things I have change recently. Maybe it was that I was running less miles in my training, maybe it was because I carbo loaded for the first time ever, maybe it was the perfect conditions on the day. All I know is that if it works, don’t mess with it, and I will be continuing my training along the same lines with the one goal of staying injury free.
Monday, 21 March 2011
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
The Cheviot to Kielder Castle Run
What can be better than running long distances? Running long distances with other like minded people.
We started our ascent up to The Cheviot in our little group of runners. I set off at about a 6 minute mile pace for the first mile up the steep slopes, but I soon realised that the other runners were still all near the bottom and suffering badly, especially Bruce and Karl. But of course that is a load sh#t. I started the day not feeling on the best of form and had to drag my ass out of bed. There was talk of snow on the top of Cheviot but there was no way I thought it was true until we arrived at the car park along Harthope Burn. I was praying that everyone wasn’t going to go out hard on the ascent up Cheviot and was so glad when someone said they planned on taking it easy. We climbed up towards the summit of The Cheviot, into the snow and through the icy mist. It was a great feeling to be out in the hills again with the added excitement of snow. It was a long 3 miles to the summit and with the cold conditions I was not eager to hang around too long and needed to keep moving and keep warm. The air was bitter cold and with all the wrong gear and no idea, I was freezing cold. We reached a juncture and Adam departed the group to follow his course.
The frozen ground was to prove an advantage as we followed the Pennine Way past King’s Seat and along to Windy Gyle at just over 8 miles. As we got to the lower elevation and the ice disappeared, the waist deep bog became apparent. It was hard going on the cobble stones as they was icy and it was even harder trying to pull your feel out of mud with each step, but it was all great fun and the sort of terrain I enjoy the most. Along the Pennine Way, over Beefstand Hill, Lamb Hill and past the Mountain Refuge Hut. As members of the group fell over into the bog it was the age old game of ‘try and wait until you are sure they are ok before you laugh’. We skirted around Wedder Hill on the approach to the Roman Camps and at this point we all agreed that the terrain was taking its toll on us. I was feeling a lot more drained that I would normally feel at 16 miles and every mile seemed to take forever to complete. The plan was to meet our support at around 11:15 but that time was here already and we had a further 5 miles left. In the distance amongst the military firing range, which was very active, we could see two silver cars driving along like target practice. We figured we had bought ourselves a bit more time and continued on towards Byrness. After some discussion with the support crew, we all met up on the A68 where everyone started a feeding frenzy. If there is one thing we should all learn from this, it is to bring more food to eat on the hoof next time.
There was mixed feelings about the next section but I think we all were in agreements that it was lacking in something. The scenery was great but the long forestry track that we followed for 12 miles first became a drag and then became just painful. We were all showing signs of tiring and the cold was getting to us. I had one goal... this was Karl’s run, the furthest he has ran so far (although the shortest he will soon consider running in the future) and I was going to run it with him to the end. The last couple of bends in the track because a guessing game of ‘are we bloody there yet’ and ‘where is that bloody castle’, but the tell-tale signs of civilisation appeared and two shining silver cars were on the horizon. To prove it is all a mental game, Karl pushed for his trademark sprint finish and provided the evidence that he had lots left in him and could have easily finished a 50 miler that day.
After a lot of shivering I retreated into the car and we started our return journey back to Wooler. I was slightly ashamed at getting car sick and kept quiet for the return journey, just concentrating on deep breaths, that is until the rest of the occupants had to listen to me hurling out the car door (it was too cold to get out the car). I arrived back in Wooler without further incident where my family was waiting to drive smelly daddy back home for a much needed shower. A big thank you to all the runners and especially the support crew.
We started our ascent up to The Cheviot in our little group of runners. I set off at about a 6 minute mile pace for the first mile up the steep slopes, but I soon realised that the other runners were still all near the bottom and suffering badly, especially Bruce and Karl. But of course that is a load sh#t. I started the day not feeling on the best of form and had to drag my ass out of bed. There was talk of snow on the top of Cheviot but there was no way I thought it was true until we arrived at the car park along Harthope Burn. I was praying that everyone wasn’t going to go out hard on the ascent up Cheviot and was so glad when someone said they planned on taking it easy. We climbed up towards the summit of The Cheviot, into the snow and through the icy mist. It was a great feeling to be out in the hills again with the added excitement of snow. It was a long 3 miles to the summit and with the cold conditions I was not eager to hang around too long and needed to keep moving and keep warm. The air was bitter cold and with all the wrong gear and no idea, I was freezing cold. We reached a juncture and Adam departed the group to follow his course.
The frozen ground was to prove an advantage as we followed the Pennine Way past King’s Seat and along to Windy Gyle at just over 8 miles. As we got to the lower elevation and the ice disappeared, the waist deep bog became apparent. It was hard going on the cobble stones as they was icy and it was even harder trying to pull your feel out of mud with each step, but it was all great fun and the sort of terrain I enjoy the most. Along the Pennine Way, over Beefstand Hill, Lamb Hill and past the Mountain Refuge Hut. As members of the group fell over into the bog it was the age old game of ‘try and wait until you are sure they are ok before you laugh’. We skirted around Wedder Hill on the approach to the Roman Camps and at this point we all agreed that the terrain was taking its toll on us. I was feeling a lot more drained that I would normally feel at 16 miles and every mile seemed to take forever to complete. The plan was to meet our support at around 11:15 but that time was here already and we had a further 5 miles left. In the distance amongst the military firing range, which was very active, we could see two silver cars driving along like target practice. We figured we had bought ourselves a bit more time and continued on towards Byrness. After some discussion with the support crew, we all met up on the A68 where everyone started a feeding frenzy. If there is one thing we should all learn from this, it is to bring more food to eat on the hoof next time.
There was mixed feelings about the next section but I think we all were in agreements that it was lacking in something. The scenery was great but the long forestry track that we followed for 12 miles first became a drag and then became just painful. We were all showing signs of tiring and the cold was getting to us. I had one goal... this was Karl’s run, the furthest he has ran so far (although the shortest he will soon consider running in the future) and I was going to run it with him to the end. The last couple of bends in the track because a guessing game of ‘are we bloody there yet’ and ‘where is that bloody castle’, but the tell-tale signs of civilisation appeared and two shining silver cars were on the horizon. To prove it is all a mental game, Karl pushed for his trademark sprint finish and provided the evidence that he had lots left in him and could have easily finished a 50 miler that day.
After a lot of shivering I retreated into the car and we started our return journey back to Wooler. I was slightly ashamed at getting car sick and kept quiet for the return journey, just concentrating on deep breaths, that is until the rest of the occupants had to listen to me hurling out the car door (it was too cold to get out the car). I arrived back in Wooler without further incident where my family was waiting to drive smelly daddy back home for a much needed shower. A big thank you to all the runners and especially the support crew.
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Random 30 Mile Loop
I was supposed to be doing the Caesar’s Camp 100 mile endurance run is weekend, but after all the time off running with my injury, I had to admit defeat and gave my space to someone else on the waiting list. I was determined to still go out and get some distance in and I plotted a 30 mile loop from my house. I didn’t want the run to get in the way of family time, so I got up at 4:30am and set off running at 5:00am.
It was misty and raining lightly, but warm, and I left the streetlights of Branxton and set into a 10 minute mile plod. My headtorch is not the best but the 0.5 watt light was enough to find my way along with my Garmin watch showing me the route. I turned off the road up to Flodden Hill and discovered a lot of wildlife living in the woods with little shiny eye staring at me in the light of my torch. The tracks were good and I continued at a steady run through Flodden and along the B6352 before turning off onto a bridleway that was to nearly kill me. I was following a fence line along a field when I herd of cows went completely nuts and started stampeding. I stopped dead and waited for them to all run past me a few yard ahead. When they had all passed I relaxed a bit before seeing two more eyes in the dark looking straight at me. It then charged at me and passed within a foot. To make things worse, the bloody thing stopped and looked back at me before running backwards, then sideways straight into me. It hit me and I went flying backwards and landed skidding on my side as its hoofs were inches away from me. I got up and bloody ran like hell. I had to pass more fields of cows but I give them a wide berth and didn’t relax until I reached the houses at Crookhouse.
The next section was mainly on road and I kept going from feeling cold to hot, shivering to sweating. I could start to see the Cheviot Hills but it was still dark. It started to get light when I reached Westnewton and I made easy progress to Hethpool and started running on the St Cuthbert’s Way trail. It was light enough not to need a torch anymore but I kept it on because it was so misty. I made my way up into the hills keeping the same steady 10 minute mile pace and feeling good. I had no idea where I was but had the line on my Garmin watch to show me the way. After Gains Law hill I passed some of the Wooler running club who were out for a run, and I figured that I must be going to right way because Wooler was my next destination. I reached a familiar landmark and knew I was close to the Wooler Common car park. I made a relaxed and easy descent down the road into Wooler and ditched my headtorch into my bag and ate my reward of reaching this point (a Twix).
Next I continued on the St Cuthbert’s Way trail and went over Weetwood Moor before descending down to Weetwood Bridge. Here I left St Cuthbert’s Way and headed along roads back towards Ford. I started to feel a little drained now after 20 miles and I was feeling really hungry so I ate a bit more. I reached Doddington at mile 22 and was still feeling really hungry so ate some more. Along to Nesbit and across some fields and I now hit my low. My legs turned heavy and my head sank. East Fenton, West Fanton, then a footpath over some fields to Kimmerson, I felt like shit. All I wanted to do was call my wife to pick me up and shovel loads of food into my mouth. My stomach was growling at me and I could not believe that I could still be hungry after eating so much on the route. With 5 miles left to go I just plodded on to Ford before heading off to Crookham. At Crookham I stopped and got some fruit pastels out and downed them so try and get some energy. 1 mile to go and I just could not be bothered to run. The only problem was that it would take longer to walk so I ran on looking miserable. I finally reached home, extracted my feet from my shoes and started my eating marathon. I ate all day until it was time to sleep and when I was unable to put the food in my mouth anymore. I have never been so hungry.
On reflection, I can say that it was a good run. The cow incident freaked me out but I can laugh at it now. I got out of my low point as soon as I got home and knew it was just mental stuff and not physical. The next day I only had a slight bit of stiffness in my upper legs but felt that I could have gone out for a long run, so I am happy that my reduce mileage due to injury has not caused too much damage to my tolerance for longer distances. I will hold back on attempting a 50+ mile run at the moment until I have done some more 20-30 miles runs in the next month. The best thing of all..... No knee pain.
It was misty and raining lightly, but warm, and I left the streetlights of Branxton and set into a 10 minute mile plod. My headtorch is not the best but the 0.5 watt light was enough to find my way along with my Garmin watch showing me the route. I turned off the road up to Flodden Hill and discovered a lot of wildlife living in the woods with little shiny eye staring at me in the light of my torch. The tracks were good and I continued at a steady run through Flodden and along the B6352 before turning off onto a bridleway that was to nearly kill me. I was following a fence line along a field when I herd of cows went completely nuts and started stampeding. I stopped dead and waited for them to all run past me a few yard ahead. When they had all passed I relaxed a bit before seeing two more eyes in the dark looking straight at me. It then charged at me and passed within a foot. To make things worse, the bloody thing stopped and looked back at me before running backwards, then sideways straight into me. It hit me and I went flying backwards and landed skidding on my side as its hoofs were inches away from me. I got up and bloody ran like hell. I had to pass more fields of cows but I give them a wide berth and didn’t relax until I reached the houses at Crookhouse.
The next section was mainly on road and I kept going from feeling cold to hot, shivering to sweating. I could start to see the Cheviot Hills but it was still dark. It started to get light when I reached Westnewton and I made easy progress to Hethpool and started running on the St Cuthbert’s Way trail. It was light enough not to need a torch anymore but I kept it on because it was so misty. I made my way up into the hills keeping the same steady 10 minute mile pace and feeling good. I had no idea where I was but had the line on my Garmin watch to show me the way. After Gains Law hill I passed some of the Wooler running club who were out for a run, and I figured that I must be going to right way because Wooler was my next destination. I reached a familiar landmark and knew I was close to the Wooler Common car park. I made a relaxed and easy descent down the road into Wooler and ditched my headtorch into my bag and ate my reward of reaching this point (a Twix).
Next I continued on the St Cuthbert’s Way trail and went over Weetwood Moor before descending down to Weetwood Bridge. Here I left St Cuthbert’s Way and headed along roads back towards Ford. I started to feel a little drained now after 20 miles and I was feeling really hungry so I ate a bit more. I reached Doddington at mile 22 and was still feeling really hungry so ate some more. Along to Nesbit and across some fields and I now hit my low. My legs turned heavy and my head sank. East Fenton, West Fanton, then a footpath over some fields to Kimmerson, I felt like shit. All I wanted to do was call my wife to pick me up and shovel loads of food into my mouth. My stomach was growling at me and I could not believe that I could still be hungry after eating so much on the route. With 5 miles left to go I just plodded on to Ford before heading off to Crookham. At Crookham I stopped and got some fruit pastels out and downed them so try and get some energy. 1 mile to go and I just could not be bothered to run. The only problem was that it would take longer to walk so I ran on looking miserable. I finally reached home, extracted my feet from my shoes and started my eating marathon. I ate all day until it was time to sleep and when I was unable to put the food in my mouth anymore. I have never been so hungry.
On reflection, I can say that it was a good run. The cow incident freaked me out but I can laugh at it now. I got out of my low point as soon as I got home and knew it was just mental stuff and not physical. The next day I only had a slight bit of stiffness in my upper legs but felt that I could have gone out for a long run, so I am happy that my reduce mileage due to injury has not caused too much damage to my tolerance for longer distances. I will hold back on attempting a 50+ mile run at the moment until I have done some more 20-30 miles runs in the next month. The best thing of all..... No knee pain.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Border Search and Rescue Unit Sponsored Walk and Challenge Run
This was my first organized event since the Lakeland 50 and since my knee pain has gone. The route consists of a 14.5 mile loop from Hownam in the Scottish Borders with about 3000f of ascent. The weather had decided to be wet with some mist, but conditions were perfect for running. I met up with Bruce Crombie, Karl Wait and Rob Murray John and Rob’s dog at the start and ran with them during the event.
The event was relaxed and because there was no timing, we could leave anytime after we registered. The route started with a mile of road before we head off-road up our first hill, Little Humlemoor. Karl had some trouble at this point and held back, but kept his determined and caught up later in the run looking strong. We continued across to Humblemoor Hill before making a slippery decent to the waiting cameraman, probably hoping to catch some good shots of us falling. Across to Buchtrig farm, we formed a larger group with more runners and made our next ascent, nearly going the wrong way because we were too busy chatting and not paying attention to where we were going. Karl’s shouts from close behind put us on the right track. We continued on until we reached the Mountain Refuge Hut on the Pennine Way. Karl was with us again and we made our way along the Pennine Way, up Lamb Hill, Beefstand Hill and then Mozie Law. Visibility was poor with thick mist but the path was easy to follow. We were still in a large group at this point running past lots of walkers on a path made from stone slabs. Every so often there would be a pool of water instead of a slab and it was interesting guessing if it was 2 inch deep or 2 foot deep. A runner took a bad fall and in losing his glasses, he got a load of dirty water in his eyes. Rob came to the rescue but inadvertently supplied the orange juice that the fallen runner sprayed into his eyes to wash them. A citric wash must have done the trick. After reaching around the 10 miles mark we departed the Pennine Way and followed a track called The Street, which was to take us all the way back to Hownam. There was a refreshment checkpoint soon after leaving the Pennine Way, and it was great to have a Twix to eat. I have been craving Twix’s ever since. We set off from the check point and Bruce made a dash for the finish. Our group reduced to three and then two as I ran the final few miles with Rob.
It was good being out in the hills again. Despite a little knee pain during the run, I finished feeling as fresh as I started and my knee was fine. I look forward to my next outing.
The event was relaxed and because there was no timing, we could leave anytime after we registered. The route started with a mile of road before we head off-road up our first hill, Little Humlemoor. Karl had some trouble at this point and held back, but kept his determined and caught up later in the run looking strong. We continued across to Humblemoor Hill before making a slippery decent to the waiting cameraman, probably hoping to catch some good shots of us falling. Across to Buchtrig farm, we formed a larger group with more runners and made our next ascent, nearly going the wrong way because we were too busy chatting and not paying attention to where we were going. Karl’s shouts from close behind put us on the right track. We continued on until we reached the Mountain Refuge Hut on the Pennine Way. Karl was with us again and we made our way along the Pennine Way, up Lamb Hill, Beefstand Hill and then Mozie Law. Visibility was poor with thick mist but the path was easy to follow. We were still in a large group at this point running past lots of walkers on a path made from stone slabs. Every so often there would be a pool of water instead of a slab and it was interesting guessing if it was 2 inch deep or 2 foot deep. A runner took a bad fall and in losing his glasses, he got a load of dirty water in his eyes. Rob came to the rescue but inadvertently supplied the orange juice that the fallen runner sprayed into his eyes to wash them. A citric wash must have done the trick. After reaching around the 10 miles mark we departed the Pennine Way and followed a track called The Street, which was to take us all the way back to Hownam. There was a refreshment checkpoint soon after leaving the Pennine Way, and it was great to have a Twix to eat. I have been craving Twix’s ever since. We set off from the check point and Bruce made a dash for the finish. Our group reduced to three and then two as I ran the final few miles with Rob.
It was good being out in the hills again. Despite a little knee pain during the run, I finished feeling as fresh as I started and my knee was fine. I look forward to my next outing.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Running Free Again
It’s been 2 month now since the Lakeland 50 and my IT band is feeling much better. I was initially reduced to very painful 12 mile weeks for the first 6 weeks, but suddenly one day my knee stopped hurting on my regular 4 mile route. I upped my mileage to 18 mile weeks changing my 4 mile runs for 6 mile runs and although I felt little niggles, no major pain. I have now planned loads of 50 and 60 mile runs although I in constant fear that the pain will return. Never less, I have started to increase my distance to “test” my knee. I ran an 11 mile route on two consecutive days this weekend and felt no signs of pain when running, only a nagging feeling later in the evening. With a 34 mile week in the bag and am hoping to up it again to 48 mile week, after which I will attempt a 30 mile run the following weekend, then a 50 miler the weekend after that.
It feels so good to be out running again without 100% focus being on my knee. I can’t feel any loss in my legs from the lower mileage, but I’m sure I will at mile 30+. The one thing I have noticed is my breathing is now a lot harder and my heart rate is higher. It is a mystery as to why my knee would go from being extremely painful for months and months to suddenly no pain overnight. I can only assume it finally healed enough to prevent further damage when running. One sure thing that changed was that my Nike’s were wet so I used my 10+ year old Salamon’s, and even though they are so far gone with no cushioning or support, they have not caused any injury. In the fear that maybe my Nike were causing the problem or just preventing it from healing, I have now discarded them and I’m sticking with my extremely old Salamon’s for now.
If all goes well I will be posting my next running adventure very soon.
It feels so good to be out running again without 100% focus being on my knee. I can’t feel any loss in my legs from the lower mileage, but I’m sure I will at mile 30+. The one thing I have noticed is my breathing is now a lot harder and my heart rate is higher. It is a mystery as to why my knee would go from being extremely painful for months and months to suddenly no pain overnight. I can only assume it finally healed enough to prevent further damage when running. One sure thing that changed was that my Nike’s were wet so I used my 10+ year old Salamon’s, and even though they are so far gone with no cushioning or support, they have not caused any injury. In the fear that maybe my Nike were causing the problem or just preventing it from healing, I have now discarded them and I’m sticking with my extremely old Salamon’s for now.
If all goes well I will be posting my next running adventure very soon.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Lakeland 50
Two weeks leading up to this event and I could not even run 2 miles without severe pain in my left knee. Osmotherley Phoenix had finished it off. I was changing my mind every hour about pulling out the event. I finally decided to stop running for a week while continuing spinning sessions and just go and see what happens on the day. I have already written about the course in the recce run, so I will keep this short.
I arrived on the Friday with the family to pitch the tent and start soaking up the atmosphere. I was glad to see all the 100 mile runners getting ready and getting psyched up. I was surprised to see Nick Ham all kitted up and after seeing him at probably over 20 events now I got the courage to go over and say hello after the 100 mile briefing. I was amazed to hear that he was attempting 100 miles when his knee has been diagnosed as totally screwed and he was in pain just standing there, but extremely proud. It made me realised that my knee problem is minor and it helped me during the run to endure and continue. The 100 milers gathered at the start and left with cheers and encouragement to leave the rest of us in a still silence for a while before more 50 milers arrived.
After a good night sleep, there was just enough time to get prepared and eat before the briefing. We all gathered in mass waiting for the bus and then randomly piled on. I sat in the first available seat and was amazed than when I told the person next to me that I was moving up near Coldstream, that he was from Wooler, along with two other women in the seat adjacent and part of the Wooler running club which I have been excited about joining. After arriving at the start there was a brief wait before we all massed in the starting pen and in no time we were off.
The first 4 mile loop was new to me as we did not do it in the recce run. It was all signed and there was so many people, it was just follow the leader. After a bottle neck near the start we all thinned out and I got a chance to talk to one of the women from Wooler running club before settling into an easy pace and concentrating on my knee. I ran this event with no navigation aid, knowledge of what time it was and without my Garmin watch so I could enjoy it more. It must have been around 3 miles before my knee started hurting. I cursed it but rather than resorting to walking like planned, I continued on.
I reached the end of the loop and made my way over to the first checkpoint. I was annoyed at my knee because before it would not hurt when walking the hills but now it just hurt all the time. The only saving grace was that the pain would reach a peak and just stayed the same, so I figured that all I had to do was endure it. Checkpoint 1 arrived quickly and I prepared for the longer of the big climbs. It felt longer than in the recce run, but when I reached the top I still felt as fresh as when I started. I had been eating well and often and kept this up the whole event. After an easy decent down to the lake it was then an undulating track to checkpoint 2 where it was starting to rain.
After some soup and bread bun washed down with coke, I put my waterproof top on and swam my way up the next big climb with wind and rain lashing into my face. My plan was to enjoy the views to enable me to take my mind of the pain, but there were no more view for most of the event, only a blanket of cloud and rain. I was slow on the accent as my knee was in agony. There were lots of people passing me like I was standing still, and even though I had load of energy I was getting moody and was already thinking of pulling out at Kentmere. I picked up the pace after the big decent down the other side but my mood was no better. I had run this course just over a month ago and with no views, there was little excitement and little adventure because the route was all so fresh in my mind. I arrived at checkpoint 3 and after having some rice pudding and a smoothy, decided to make my way to Ambleside where I could pull out and be picked up my the family.
More people passed me on the next big climb out of Kentmere as I was slow again. The easier run over to Ambleside heightened my mood and I started running with someone who is currently living in Hong Kong. It was good to talk with someone and by time I reached Ambleside I figure that there was only about 16 miles left and my knee could just deal with it. I was quick out of the checkpoint so my knee would not cease up. I would have loved to have eaten some chips from the chip shop but after seeing the queues, though better and continued on.
The next section was an easy section to run with only some small climbs at the start with a large flat section. Lots of people I talked to felt the same at this point, it would have been good to have some walking breaks but because it was so flat, there were no excuses but to push harder and run the whole thing. At the next checkpoint the light was starting to dull and after some vegetable stew, I was off quickly. I was running solo for most of the next section and I made a plan to reach the small road section before it got dark. My knee was screaming. The pain made me feel sick but I made it this far and I was nearly there. I made it to the small climb before the last checkpoint before it got dark and ran without a light until I arrived at the final checkpoint and with only 3 miles left.
The only problem now was that it was all up then all down. The climb hurt badly. I was very slow. I was finding it hard to navigate with my light as the mist and cloud was making viability zero and I only had the noise of a waterfall and my memory of where it should be. After reaching the top and following a very faint track I got lost a couple of times and had to backtrack. I reached a section where to track was obvious but for some reason though I should be going the other way. I waited for more people who finally arrived and confirmed that I should be on the obvious track. It was good to be with other people and we made our painful decent down towards Coniston. When we got close to the final track that leads into Coniston, I realised that the runner next to me was the person I ran with earlier who lives in Hong Kong. We ran together at a decent pace down into Coniston and into the School where the finish line was.
Finished. I felt good, apart from my knee. My weight was down only 2 pounds and I had no dizziness or sickness. I sat down and ate my free meal of vegetable chilly and a huge piece of cake before feeling sick and regretting eating it. I made my way across the camping field which must have been at least 10 miles long and painful made my way back to get a shower. I painfully walked the 50 miles back to the tent as the field was definitely getting longer. My knee hurts bad, but I am so glad I did the event and don’t have any regrets.
I arrived on the Friday with the family to pitch the tent and start soaking up the atmosphere. I was glad to see all the 100 mile runners getting ready and getting psyched up. I was surprised to see Nick Ham all kitted up and after seeing him at probably over 20 events now I got the courage to go over and say hello after the 100 mile briefing. I was amazed to hear that he was attempting 100 miles when his knee has been diagnosed as totally screwed and he was in pain just standing there, but extremely proud. It made me realised that my knee problem is minor and it helped me during the run to endure and continue. The 100 milers gathered at the start and left with cheers and encouragement to leave the rest of us in a still silence for a while before more 50 milers arrived.
After a good night sleep, there was just enough time to get prepared and eat before the briefing. We all gathered in mass waiting for the bus and then randomly piled on. I sat in the first available seat and was amazed than when I told the person next to me that I was moving up near Coldstream, that he was from Wooler, along with two other women in the seat adjacent and part of the Wooler running club which I have been excited about joining. After arriving at the start there was a brief wait before we all massed in the starting pen and in no time we were off.
The first 4 mile loop was new to me as we did not do it in the recce run. It was all signed and there was so many people, it was just follow the leader. After a bottle neck near the start we all thinned out and I got a chance to talk to one of the women from Wooler running club before settling into an easy pace and concentrating on my knee. I ran this event with no navigation aid, knowledge of what time it was and without my Garmin watch so I could enjoy it more. It must have been around 3 miles before my knee started hurting. I cursed it but rather than resorting to walking like planned, I continued on.
I reached the end of the loop and made my way over to the first checkpoint. I was annoyed at my knee because before it would not hurt when walking the hills but now it just hurt all the time. The only saving grace was that the pain would reach a peak and just stayed the same, so I figured that all I had to do was endure it. Checkpoint 1 arrived quickly and I prepared for the longer of the big climbs. It felt longer than in the recce run, but when I reached the top I still felt as fresh as when I started. I had been eating well and often and kept this up the whole event. After an easy decent down to the lake it was then an undulating track to checkpoint 2 where it was starting to rain.
After some soup and bread bun washed down with coke, I put my waterproof top on and swam my way up the next big climb with wind and rain lashing into my face. My plan was to enjoy the views to enable me to take my mind of the pain, but there were no more view for most of the event, only a blanket of cloud and rain. I was slow on the accent as my knee was in agony. There were lots of people passing me like I was standing still, and even though I had load of energy I was getting moody and was already thinking of pulling out at Kentmere. I picked up the pace after the big decent down the other side but my mood was no better. I had run this course just over a month ago and with no views, there was little excitement and little adventure because the route was all so fresh in my mind. I arrived at checkpoint 3 and after having some rice pudding and a smoothy, decided to make my way to Ambleside where I could pull out and be picked up my the family.
More people passed me on the next big climb out of Kentmere as I was slow again. The easier run over to Ambleside heightened my mood and I started running with someone who is currently living in Hong Kong. It was good to talk with someone and by time I reached Ambleside I figure that there was only about 16 miles left and my knee could just deal with it. I was quick out of the checkpoint so my knee would not cease up. I would have loved to have eaten some chips from the chip shop but after seeing the queues, though better and continued on.
The next section was an easy section to run with only some small climbs at the start with a large flat section. Lots of people I talked to felt the same at this point, it would have been good to have some walking breaks but because it was so flat, there were no excuses but to push harder and run the whole thing. At the next checkpoint the light was starting to dull and after some vegetable stew, I was off quickly. I was running solo for most of the next section and I made a plan to reach the small road section before it got dark. My knee was screaming. The pain made me feel sick but I made it this far and I was nearly there. I made it to the small climb before the last checkpoint before it got dark and ran without a light until I arrived at the final checkpoint and with only 3 miles left.
The only problem now was that it was all up then all down. The climb hurt badly. I was very slow. I was finding it hard to navigate with my light as the mist and cloud was making viability zero and I only had the noise of a waterfall and my memory of where it should be. After reaching the top and following a very faint track I got lost a couple of times and had to backtrack. I reached a section where to track was obvious but for some reason though I should be going the other way. I waited for more people who finally arrived and confirmed that I should be on the obvious track. It was good to be with other people and we made our painful decent down towards Coniston. When we got close to the final track that leads into Coniston, I realised that the runner next to me was the person I ran with earlier who lives in Hong Kong. We ran together at a decent pace down into Coniston and into the School where the finish line was.
Finished. I felt good, apart from my knee. My weight was down only 2 pounds and I had no dizziness or sickness. I sat down and ate my free meal of vegetable chilly and a huge piece of cake before feeling sick and regretting eating it. I made my way across the camping field which must have been at least 10 miles long and painful made my way back to get a shower. I painfully walked the 50 miles back to the tent as the field was definitely getting longer. My knee hurts bad, but I am so glad I did the event and don’t have any regrets.
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Osmotherley Phoenix
This is the second time I have run this 33 mile event. Last year it all went a bit wrong and I ended up in hospital overnight getting 7 litres of saline pumped into me because of heat illness. This year I got really dehydrated again and crashed out on the last 5 miles but made it back feeling a lot better than the previous year and cut my time from over 8 hours to 6 hours 20 minutes. I wore my Myeloma UK vest in memory of my Dad who passed away last month.
I started off this event with a casual approach and little preparation. As a result, I was 15 minutes down the road when I realised that I had forgot my backpack and bladder. 30 minutes after leaving home I was back again and setting off again. I was on my way along the M18 to get onto the A1 when signs appeared saying that the junction onto the A1 was closed, so I did a quick U turn at the next exit and returned to the M1 feeling that if I was superstitious I would be worrying by now. I finally arrived at Osmotherley with only a short time before the start and had to walk the mile into town as I had to park my car near the junction into town. I just had enough time to collect my tally before lining up at the start. I found myself at the front of the pack and we were given a quick talk of some rules and warned of dehydration as there was a fool who ended up in hospital the previous year (I held my hand up to acknowledge that I was that fool). The church bell chimed 9 and we were off.
I got to the top of the hill out of Osmotherley with the lead runners in sight. My plan for this year was to get to the first wooded section a mile into the route near the front so I would not be held up in the bottle neck like last year, but would slow down to 10 minute miles once I leave the wood and the track opens up. I arrived at the bucket drop at the edge of the woods and had my token in hand to throw in the bucket (unlike last year where I had to spend ages undoing knots and getting it off my tally sheet cord). I felt good and my knee was showing no signs of pain so I latched onto the runner in front and made my way across Scarth Wood Moor, through Clain Wood and into Huthwaite Green where the first checkpoint was located 4.6 miles into the route. I was carrying 2 litres of electrolyte drink in my bladder and 550ml of water in my handheld so only grabbed a Jaffa Cake and ran straight through. My plan for hydration was to experiment with a full bladder of electrolytes to see if it works for me on longer runs in the heat.
Next was the first big hill section up Round Hill, Gold Hill and onto Carlton Moor. I remembered the uphill trudge from last year but this year I noticed a big difference at the top, as my legs still felt fresh. I used the climb time to eat and drink and felt the cooling breeze which was missing last year. It was a lot cooler than the previous year with more cloud, but it was very humid and I was sweating lots. On the back end of Carlton Moor was a big decent which I was dreading because of my knee, but at the bottom my knee still showed no signs of any pain. I arrived at the next checkpoint at 7.5 miles and again just a quick grab at two biscuits and off again.
Next was a section that leaves the Cleveland Way for a short while to miss two hills. There is the option to run/walk the hills but I have not seen one person yet to venture up them. So we all skirt around the hills on an undulating track towards Broughton Plantation and I can see that the runners are spreading out now and I was on my own for some time. I was still feeling fresh but I was running at 7/8 minutes miles to get my average back to 10 minute miles after the uphill sections. I knew I could burn out at any time keeping that pace throughout the event. I reached Broughton Plantation and ran the track running along Broughton Bank. This section felt longer than the previous year but I soon arrived at the turnoff which led me down to the B1257 at Clay Bank and the next checkpoint at 11.2 miles. Again, quick grab at some food and I was off.
I knew the next section was the second of the major hills but probably the smallest of the lot. I took my time climbing up to Carr Ridge and found it easy going along the cobbled path and then up a small incline to the self clip at Round Hill cairn. I was dreading the next section. The route now leaves the Cleveland Way and heads towards Seave Green, first along a flat section but then onto a big downhill. I had predicted that my knee would start hurting around this time and I was right, on the decent I started to notice a pain at the back of the knee that moved around to the lower outer edge. By time I hit the flat road section on the B1257, I was slowing down trying to get back in a rhythm and hoping the pain would subside. The short road section led into Chop Gate and I arrived at the car park where the next checkpoint and kit check was located at 16 miles. After a quick inspection of my back to show I had my full waterproofs, map and compass, I shoved them all back into my bag. I grabbed some more food and also filled my handheld with water as the electrolyte drink in my bladder was starting to taste awful and making me feel a bit sick.
Next was the climb that finished me off last year. I had left the checkpoint with a big group of runners and kept pace with them. We climbed and I hung back not wanting to push too hard. The climb was not as bad as I remembered it from last year and after reaching to top my legs were still fresh unlike last year when my legs locked up at this point. My knee was however hurting bad and I was starting to feel a bit dizzy from dehydration with my top front teeth tingling a little. I was annoyed that I had let myself get dehydrated but I could no longer stomach the electrolytes and stuck to my handheld. I caught up with the runners in front and stuck behind them, along the moors and onto Arnsgill Ridge. I made the effort to keep the pace up even though my knee was screaming because I know now that I can acclimatise to the pain a little and numb it. There was a descent down to Hill End Farm and then Low Cote Farm before arriving at the next checkpoint at 20.7 miles. It was a quick stop for some food and to refill my handheld bottle.
Last year I ran the next section on my own and had little problem navigating. This year I made the faithful mistake of following to person in front who looks very confident at their route choice. It is probably the hardest section to navigate as there is no track and the route goes across fields at random angles. All went well passed Birk Wood Farm, Far House, Cow Wath and up to Brewster Hill, but a group of us followed the wrong footpath down to the Ford and not towards Blueberry Wood. On discovering we were off course we all tromped up through blind navigation to get back on track. We were able to identify landmarks in the distance and took the long way back onto the route via some interesting decision making and passed some angry looking dogs and a big sign saying ‘These dogs bite’. Now back on track we made our way to New Hall and along the road to the next checkpoint at 25 miles and I looked at my watch to see a time of around 4.5 hours. I stopped long enough to refill my water but did not eat anymore food. I was starting to feel sick and the thought of any more sugary food was too much.
I was still feeling ok, but was starting to lack some energy. I knew that I should eat, but could not bring myself to do it. Next was the last big climb of the event and I knew it could be a breaker. We started the long climb toward to top where we would reach the Cleveland Way again along the Hambleton Road track. I started to slow a lot now and the other runners started to get more and more distant. I was crashing fast and I knew it. I also knew that if I could get to the top of the hill it would be just over 5 miles of fairly easy going tracks down to Osmotherley. It took a while but I finally arrived at the top and clipped in at the self clip and refilled my water. I got into a rhythm along the top but my pace was slow. I was feeling really sick now and even brought up a mouthful of sick on one occasion. I have vowed never again to fill my bladder with electrolytes as I think the sweet tasting overload had resulted in this sickness. It was a lot cooler on top of the hills and a nice breeze cooled me down before I descended into the hot valley. I reached the road and car park when some runners approached from behind and overtook me. I took it easy down the hill to the reservoirs as my knee had now had enough and was threatening to give out at any moment. Passed the second reservoir and I reached to road and gate where last year I was dry heaving and losing my hearing. Up the track and passed Whitehouse Farm where two more runners passed me and they were looking very fresh and talking a 100 miles per hour. I arrived at the final self clip and clipped some random part of my tally and made my way up the last set of steps. These steps were the final nail in my coffin last year and there was no difference this year. I was totally spent and was starting to sway a bit. At the top I recovered to get back into a run to finish the final section through the village and back to the finish line.
I was feeling very dehydrated and sick and figured my best bet was to get back to the car as soon as possible to recover as I knew I had a mile to walk. Last year I sat down and I did not get up again. I grabbed my badge and certificate and stopped in at the chip shop before tromping along toward the car. Air con on and I was off home. I still felt sick when I arrived home but found that 5 big glasses of milk helped loads. I enjoyed this event last year and again this year but suffered both times. I will have to do this event again next year and conquer it once and for all. Next up is the Lakeland 50 in 3 weeks and I just hope my knee gets better before then.
I started off this event with a casual approach and little preparation. As a result, I was 15 minutes down the road when I realised that I had forgot my backpack and bladder. 30 minutes after leaving home I was back again and setting off again. I was on my way along the M18 to get onto the A1 when signs appeared saying that the junction onto the A1 was closed, so I did a quick U turn at the next exit and returned to the M1 feeling that if I was superstitious I would be worrying by now. I finally arrived at Osmotherley with only a short time before the start and had to walk the mile into town as I had to park my car near the junction into town. I just had enough time to collect my tally before lining up at the start. I found myself at the front of the pack and we were given a quick talk of some rules and warned of dehydration as there was a fool who ended up in hospital the previous year (I held my hand up to acknowledge that I was that fool). The church bell chimed 9 and we were off.
I got to the top of the hill out of Osmotherley with the lead runners in sight. My plan for this year was to get to the first wooded section a mile into the route near the front so I would not be held up in the bottle neck like last year, but would slow down to 10 minute miles once I leave the wood and the track opens up. I arrived at the bucket drop at the edge of the woods and had my token in hand to throw in the bucket (unlike last year where I had to spend ages undoing knots and getting it off my tally sheet cord). I felt good and my knee was showing no signs of pain so I latched onto the runner in front and made my way across Scarth Wood Moor, through Clain Wood and into Huthwaite Green where the first checkpoint was located 4.6 miles into the route. I was carrying 2 litres of electrolyte drink in my bladder and 550ml of water in my handheld so only grabbed a Jaffa Cake and ran straight through. My plan for hydration was to experiment with a full bladder of electrolytes to see if it works for me on longer runs in the heat.
Next was the first big hill section up Round Hill, Gold Hill and onto Carlton Moor. I remembered the uphill trudge from last year but this year I noticed a big difference at the top, as my legs still felt fresh. I used the climb time to eat and drink and felt the cooling breeze which was missing last year. It was a lot cooler than the previous year with more cloud, but it was very humid and I was sweating lots. On the back end of Carlton Moor was a big decent which I was dreading because of my knee, but at the bottom my knee still showed no signs of any pain. I arrived at the next checkpoint at 7.5 miles and again just a quick grab at two biscuits and off again.
Next was a section that leaves the Cleveland Way for a short while to miss two hills. There is the option to run/walk the hills but I have not seen one person yet to venture up them. So we all skirt around the hills on an undulating track towards Broughton Plantation and I can see that the runners are spreading out now and I was on my own for some time. I was still feeling fresh but I was running at 7/8 minutes miles to get my average back to 10 minute miles after the uphill sections. I knew I could burn out at any time keeping that pace throughout the event. I reached Broughton Plantation and ran the track running along Broughton Bank. This section felt longer than the previous year but I soon arrived at the turnoff which led me down to the B1257 at Clay Bank and the next checkpoint at 11.2 miles. Again, quick grab at some food and I was off.
I knew the next section was the second of the major hills but probably the smallest of the lot. I took my time climbing up to Carr Ridge and found it easy going along the cobbled path and then up a small incline to the self clip at Round Hill cairn. I was dreading the next section. The route now leaves the Cleveland Way and heads towards Seave Green, first along a flat section but then onto a big downhill. I had predicted that my knee would start hurting around this time and I was right, on the decent I started to notice a pain at the back of the knee that moved around to the lower outer edge. By time I hit the flat road section on the B1257, I was slowing down trying to get back in a rhythm and hoping the pain would subside. The short road section led into Chop Gate and I arrived at the car park where the next checkpoint and kit check was located at 16 miles. After a quick inspection of my back to show I had my full waterproofs, map and compass, I shoved them all back into my bag. I grabbed some more food and also filled my handheld with water as the electrolyte drink in my bladder was starting to taste awful and making me feel a bit sick.
Next was the climb that finished me off last year. I had left the checkpoint with a big group of runners and kept pace with them. We climbed and I hung back not wanting to push too hard. The climb was not as bad as I remembered it from last year and after reaching to top my legs were still fresh unlike last year when my legs locked up at this point. My knee was however hurting bad and I was starting to feel a bit dizzy from dehydration with my top front teeth tingling a little. I was annoyed that I had let myself get dehydrated but I could no longer stomach the electrolytes and stuck to my handheld. I caught up with the runners in front and stuck behind them, along the moors and onto Arnsgill Ridge. I made the effort to keep the pace up even though my knee was screaming because I know now that I can acclimatise to the pain a little and numb it. There was a descent down to Hill End Farm and then Low Cote Farm before arriving at the next checkpoint at 20.7 miles. It was a quick stop for some food and to refill my handheld bottle.
Last year I ran the next section on my own and had little problem navigating. This year I made the faithful mistake of following to person in front who looks very confident at their route choice. It is probably the hardest section to navigate as there is no track and the route goes across fields at random angles. All went well passed Birk Wood Farm, Far House, Cow Wath and up to Brewster Hill, but a group of us followed the wrong footpath down to the Ford and not towards Blueberry Wood. On discovering we were off course we all tromped up through blind navigation to get back on track. We were able to identify landmarks in the distance and took the long way back onto the route via some interesting decision making and passed some angry looking dogs and a big sign saying ‘These dogs bite’. Now back on track we made our way to New Hall and along the road to the next checkpoint at 25 miles and I looked at my watch to see a time of around 4.5 hours. I stopped long enough to refill my water but did not eat anymore food. I was starting to feel sick and the thought of any more sugary food was too much.
I was still feeling ok, but was starting to lack some energy. I knew that I should eat, but could not bring myself to do it. Next was the last big climb of the event and I knew it could be a breaker. We started the long climb toward to top where we would reach the Cleveland Way again along the Hambleton Road track. I started to slow a lot now and the other runners started to get more and more distant. I was crashing fast and I knew it. I also knew that if I could get to the top of the hill it would be just over 5 miles of fairly easy going tracks down to Osmotherley. It took a while but I finally arrived at the top and clipped in at the self clip and refilled my water. I got into a rhythm along the top but my pace was slow. I was feeling really sick now and even brought up a mouthful of sick on one occasion. I have vowed never again to fill my bladder with electrolytes as I think the sweet tasting overload had resulted in this sickness. It was a lot cooler on top of the hills and a nice breeze cooled me down before I descended into the hot valley. I reached the road and car park when some runners approached from behind and overtook me. I took it easy down the hill to the reservoirs as my knee had now had enough and was threatening to give out at any moment. Passed the second reservoir and I reached to road and gate where last year I was dry heaving and losing my hearing. Up the track and passed Whitehouse Farm where two more runners passed me and they were looking very fresh and talking a 100 miles per hour. I arrived at the final self clip and clipped some random part of my tally and made my way up the last set of steps. These steps were the final nail in my coffin last year and there was no difference this year. I was totally spent and was starting to sway a bit. At the top I recovered to get back into a run to finish the final section through the village and back to the finish line.
I was feeling very dehydrated and sick and figured my best bet was to get back to the car as soon as possible to recover as I knew I had a mile to walk. Last year I sat down and I did not get up again. I grabbed my badge and certificate and stopped in at the chip shop before tromping along toward the car. Air con on and I was off home. I still felt sick when I arrived home but found that 5 big glasses of milk helped loads. I enjoyed this event last year and again this year but suffered both times. I will have to do this event again next year and conquer it once and for all. Next up is the Lakeland 50 in 3 weeks and I just hope my knee gets better before then.
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