Summer says hello, briefly

It seems strange, sitting here, looking out of the window as the rain lashes against the glass, thinking back on the last two days, with my shoulders plastered in Sudocrem to heal the sunburn. Like most folk running the West Highland Way Race, this is now my last week of hard training before a taper, so I thought I'd better make it a good one.

Since the Highland Fling Race, I have struggled through the week to get out and do anything meaningful, basically just ticking over, though I have still done the weekend workouts that I planned. I'm not overly worried that I might have missed some important training, I just thought that I would have more oomph for some training after work in these last few weeks of build-up.

Last year, in my final few weeks of preparation for the Lakeland 100, I spent one weekend supporting my stepfather as he completed the Two Saints Way. This gave me lots of hours on my feet without trashing my legs and I felt that it was a weekend well spent, so I wanted to replicate that same kind of weekend this year. When talking to my brother-in-law, Rob, he was keen to have a walk up Scafell Pike as a recce for an attempt at the Three Peaks Challenge so I suggested we should have a yomp up together, hoping I would get that same kind of benefit as last year.

We had a great day out in the mountains, even managing to see a fair proportion of the field doing the Old County Tops fell race on Scafell Pike. Still, it was a bit strange to be walking up through snow almost at the end of May!

Just below Esk Hause

Great views on the summit #fail

This weekend could not have been more different. Two times West Highland Way Race winner and all round legend, Richie Cunningham came down to stay with us in Keswick. I think the unspoken deal was that I would show him round part of the Lakeland 100 route and he would allow me to pick his brains for training and racing tips - we both got exactly what we wanted from the weekend, though I also got sunburnt shoulders into the bargain.

Richie arrived on Saturday morning and we immediately headed out, running the 4 miles to the Braithwaite checkpoint and then continuing on the route through Keswick, Glenderaterra valley, Blencathra Centre, the Old Coach Road, Dockray, glorious Gowbarrow and through to the dropbag station at Dalemain. What a day we had! The miles flowed, the conversation flowed and, boy, the sweat flowed!

Looking back towards Derwent Water (middle right) from Lonscale Fell

Richie on Glenderaterra terrace

Like the following day too, it was one of those occasions where you are just so pleased that you do the sport we do; what better way is there to enjoy the mountains?

Refuelling on The Old Coach Road

Shoulders don't look too red there! Wait until later!

There was the usual highlight of running round Gowbarrow Fell and the stunning views over Ullswater, by which point Richie was already hooked on the course.

Ullswater from Gowbarrow Fell

We finally trundled into Dalemain just under 6 hours after setting off from home with 30 miles under our belts; two very happy bunnies. We had just missed one bus so had to take refuge in a pub for 40 minutes and this was the first time I really noticed how sore my shoulders and arms were. As a PE teacher, I normally build up a reasonable colour over the summer term (even in Keswick) and have never been sunburnt, but this time I have to hold my (red) arms up and say "school boy error", it looks pretty comical but is actually really sore and I'm using Sudocrem like it's going out of fashion - still, you live and learn!

After a great refuel that night (how on earth did we eat that much?) and a sound kip, it was time for another 30 miles the next day. Normally, after 30 miles in the mountains, I would expect to be stiff as a board the following day, but I had no problems and, in fact, we both commented early on that we felt stronger than the previous day. I know that Stuart Mills has commented on this phenomenon, and I agree with him that the mind somehow accounts for the fact that you are doing back to back days and prevents you going into recovery mode, keeping inflammation at bay, allowing you to go again. I hope this works for the Ring O Fire Race later in the year!

This time we covered the sections from Dalemain to Ambleside, taking in Howtown, over the high point of the route at High Cop, Haweswater, Mardale, Gatescarth Pass, Sadgill, Kentmere, Garburn Pass and Troutbeck.

Richie on the banks of Haweswater

I was taking no chances this time and ran in a long sleeved top and we both plastered ourselves in factor 30, though I did spend most of the day with the image of an open stable door and a horse bolting off into the distance!

Once again we saw the fells in their full beauty and it was yet another 6 odd hours of big smiles.

Near the high point on High Cop

Refuelling with some Twiglets at Kentmere

Once again, we just missed a bus back to Keswick so were forced to sit in the park in Ambleside and eat ice-creams.....as you do!

So that completed my biggest back to back weekend ever which, if you ignore the sunburn, I came through totally unscathed and full of confidence. Both Richie and I had a fantastic time together, chewing the cud over important things (and irrelevant things), Richie is totally sold on the route, I've learnt a few tricks of the trade  from a proven race winner and we are already planning his next visit to continue the journey round The Lakes. The final dot on an i (or maybe it is a cross on a t) before the West Highland Way Race is a gentle jaunt from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William at the end of this week, just to reacquaint myself with the top part of the course which I've not been on since 2010, then it's taper time.

Getting excited now!

Lakeland 100 recce

Today saw John and I complete our recce of the Lakeland 100 route by closing the circle, joining the finish point from last time (Wasdale) to the starting point of the first outing (Buttermere).

John and Katrina arrived last night and we feasted on Mexican food prepared by Tracey and banoffee pie made by Katrina - thanks ladies! The plan for today was for Katrina to join us for the last 8 miles as our route passed closest to our house, so in between the main course and pudding we had a walk out to show Katrina where to meet us. Seemed like a good idea at the time but a downpour had us soaked by the time we returned, leaving John no alternative but to change into an unplanned outfit for the rest of the evening. (Don't ask!!)

We were away early this morning with Katrina kindly taking us down the Borrowdale valley to Honnister Pass and our starting point. After the complex logistics of last month we went for a simplified version today, however this involved a rather long warm up of running from Honnister to Wasdale Head. You know it is going to be a long day when you run an hour and a half just to get to the start point. We had some dramatic views as we made our way over to Wasdale and made good use of map and compass in thick mist approaching Beck Head Tarn - all part of the game.

Dropping into Wasdale

Out of Wasdale, we made the long climb up to Black Sail Pass, but at least we now had the wind behind us and were able to remove jackets, hats and gloves. The only tricky spot on the climb is where the path crosses the beck. In good weather this is just a few easy steps - not today! John went for the confident/cocky approach and nearly took one for the team (wait for the video).
 

John crossing Gatherstone Beck

Heading down to Ennerdale

The drop down to Black Sail YHA was far more spicy today than the last few times I have been down. Everywhere was soaking wet and very slippy. This came as a good reminder to take things cautiously during the race - the mantra seems to be that you can't make a good race time here but you can certainly blow it! John went into reminiscent mode around the YHA, with a trip down memory lane. The climb up to Scarth Gap never seems as bad as you think it will and we were soon on the long, rough descent to Butteremere. The key here is to be able to hit the small gap in the wall just after the really rough section; fairly easy in good visibility but a different ball game in the dark. I hope we are not telling tales of woe in our race reports.

As we made the final drop down to the lake and subsequent run along the shore line path towards Buttermere village, we both commented on the significance of this moment as it would close the circle of the whole route. We set off on our first recce in the snow on March 4th from this spot and both felt this has been a job well done. The circle of life was mentioned, along with a quick rendition of Hakuna Matata.

This time we did not allow our minds to think of this as the finish of our run as we did last time in Coniston, but set off on the next section at a more sprightly pace. John led the way for much of this section to Braithwaite, trying to remember the exact route from last time. This really showed us how much time we had spent doing the videos as we were much faster today despite having already run a number of hours in rough terrain. It felt good to just get on with the running, find a more consistent rhythm and eat up the ground that little bit quicker. Once we had dropped down into Braithwaite, John called Katrina to give her the half hour warning that we would soon be in Keswick and two become three.

After a slight delay (again, don't ask), we set off up towards Latrigg with Katrina "I'll never keep up" Kynaston springing up the climb with John and myself trudging after her, safe in the knowledge that she has not got a clue where to go. We met a number of runners taking part in a trail marathon as they made their way down to Keswick - obviously, at least two of them knew John. Never mind the theory of seven degrees of separation; within ultra running, it's two degrees of separation - I know John and John knows everybody else!

Katrina obviously thought the route was fantastic. At one point, there was a scream from behind us, John and I span round expecting to see Katrina face planting the path, only to be greeted by a huge grin and Katrina skipping along shouting to anyone who would listen how much she was enjoying herself!

Are we having fun, or what?

Matching outfits! Aagghh!

I brought them back along my golden mile, which they both seemed to enjoy and we rolled up to the house 7:46 hours and 30 miles after we had left Honnister.

Finished

We both have our plans well in place for the coming weeks and, as we said goodbye, realised our next meeting would be in five and a half weeks, just before the big day. Blimey!

The best thing of all is that, unless John is working on his new ipad in the car, I have, for the first time, got my blog report done before John! You saw it here first - literally!

Lakeland 100 recce video

Sorry this is late but it has just been a busy week.

Running-wise, I have taken things very easy, with only three sessions (plus some swimming and cycling) which was exactly what I needed after the monster run last weekend with John. I now feel recovered and ready to get on with some proper training.

Enjoy the video.

A long day at the office

With all the logistics in place, John arrived early evening on Saturday, which gave us plenty of time to eat, begin a recording for the West Highland Way Race podcasts and watch the football. What could make a better evening? Oh yea, I know; don't embarrass yourself doing a podcast. It all sounds so easy, though I found it quite a surreal experience. You are effectively talking to someone, talking to no one and talking to anyone all at the same time. Weird!

Tracey had agreed to take-one-for-the-team and dragged herself out of bed on Sunday morning to take us down to Ambleside for the start of the recce run, continuing on from the point where we finished last time.

Ready for the off.

The weather had finally decided to abandon winter and jumped straight to summer. Those grins on the photo remained there for many hours to come, not all the time but most of it!

One of the things I have really enjoyed about these recces is that I have discovered new trails on my doorstep. The route out of Ambleside is a prime example. There is a nice climb over Loughrigg Fell towards Elter Water and then a wonderful run along the river from Skelwith Bridge to Elterwater village and then on to Chapel Stile. We just couldn't resist taking pictures every couple of minutes, skipping along like a couple of Cheshire cats. We did not have the exact location of the checkpoint so took a few photos of the various options and have since bossed it.

The River Brathay

We then continued into Great Langdale, skirting round the foot of Lingmoor Fell. Here the underfoot conditions became rockier and the ankles started to take the pounding they would take for many more hours. This early in our run it was difficult to comprehend how this same route will feel in the race with 90 miles already in our legs; the only thing I can say for sure is that I will be happy if I can muster any kind of run at all at this point.

Little Langdale is far quieter than it's bigger brother, but no less beautiful, with a more intimate feel. At this point, we were trying to work out where the 100 mile point would be, finally selecting a footpath sign as our marker - who knows how accurate we are but who cares? At this point in the race each step is going to be a significant marker.

John in Little Langdale

We arrived at Tibberthwaite, the final checkpoint before the finish, took one look up the hill and started the plod. When looking at the splits from the race, you wonder why runners take so long - now we know. It's a long slog up on to the beautiful Yewdale Fells followed be a knee popping descent into Coniston and the finish. If you are able to run a single step of this descent at the end of 100 miles, you are having a good day.

The drop to Coniston

We talked a lot about how we might feel at this point and ran into the finish as if it was the real thing; I nearly started high-fiving the tourists. Although it was a fun game, imagining what it will feel like, this turned out to be a mistake as we both seemed to think of this point as the end of our run, whereas, we actually had the best part of five hours left.

Looking rather supple in the start/finish area

The initial climb back out of Coniston went well as we continued our podcast interview, but once we got onto the Walna Scar Road which would take us over into the Duddon Valley, the conversation dried up somewhat. This might not sound too significant, however, we have spent about 23 hours running this route together and this was the first time we stopped chatting. I think it was a combination of the mind and body targeting the finish in Coniston and us falling behind our split time expectations for the first time. Lesson to be learnt -  with these events, you run half with your legs and the other half with your mind!!

The climb out of Seathwaite up to Grassguards and on towards Harter Fell was exactly what you don't want when you are having a tough time. It is rough, boggy and long. On the plus side, once we came out of the plantation below Harter Fell, we were both so pleased to be able to run again that our spirits started to lift and we "got it back together" again, running more smoothly down into the Eskdale valley. I even managed a skip just to prove I could!

Born to dance

We met a lady in Eskdale who helps with the checkpoint there during the race and she kindly refilled our water bottles for the final push over into Wasdale. This was generally a more inviting climb, more runnable and less rocky than many of the previous plods. By this point, we were both quite pleased with how we had turned round from the tough section and really started to run more strongly. As soon as we crested the final col, I could see where the car was parked and before too long we were shaking hands and congratulating each other on a grand day out.

At the finish in Wasdale

We covered just over 35 miles in 9 hours but, more importantly, this reminded us just how tough this race is going to be. The previous two recce runs have been fairly straight forward and had perhaps lulled us into thinking we were going to boss this race. This weekend's outing showed just how much respect we need to have for the course and this will be at the forefront of my mind when I start to plan my race strategy.

The Lake District was stunning, the weather was superb, the Hoka's were bouncy and the smiles were BIG! Thanks for the company, John.

Lakeland 100 Recce

Just a quick note to let you know that John and I completed our third recce of the Lakeland 100 route today in glorious sunshine, 35 miles in 9 hours. We came through a tough patch (more psychological than anything else) and finished strongly, if rather weathered.

At the finish in Wasdale

Ambleside to Coniston to Wasdale again showed the tough nature of this course and reminded us of how much respect we have to show this race.

The usual full report and video will have to be done another night as I can hear my bath calling me!

Lakeland 100 Recce video

Had a fantastic day out with John yesterday. Full report to follow but here is a taste of the day.

First week of training

Well, I have actually managed it. I planned to make this week my first proper training week, doing what I would normally complete in an "easy" training week when fit. I strongly believe that recovery time is vital in your long term preparation, so make sure that an easy week has three days off from running; this is the period in which your body repairs itself and becomes stronger.

On the three runs since seeing the physio on Tuesday, I have tried to run more naturally but really struggled on Wednesday and Friday. My heel area tends to stiffen up during the day at work, so running on top of this makes it more difficult to run freely and I found I was concentrating on my foot strike most of the time, getting more and more annoyed with myself which only made me think about my action even more (something to do with a book by Joseph Heller!?) On both occasions, the heel was quite stiff in the evening, but fine again next day. On the positive side, I am starting to feel that I am coping with the physical side of the training, I am definitely fitter than before Christmas and, more importantly, a routine is starting to form.

Today, I decided to continue picking off sections of the Lakeland 100, so parked at the end of the old railway near Threlkeld and ran the length of the Coach Road and back. The majority of this section is run on a rocky path, going out over fell land without ever getting too high, which I thought would be an ideal trip considering the weather. After a short easy initial section, there is about a kilometer uphill over very wet and muddy ground (Bob Graham route from Newsham to the Old Coach Road.)

Just beyond Newsham Farm

On a day like today, with the current ground conditions, there is no point tip-toeing round the mud, it is simply a case of picking a line and splashing through it. I remember from my Bob Graham training from a few years ago that there are a number of possible trods to take here, but the pace notes for the Lakeland 100 give a nice simple route which is easy to follow, even in the dark, keeping just to the right side of Birkett Beck.

Heading towards the side of Birkett Beck

Once up on the Old Coach road, I made good steady progress and this time managed to allow my mind to wander, not thinking about the heel. The physio was right, the less I think about what I am doing, the smoother I run! I really started to enjoy this section, trying to picture myself running this during the race in the summer, which distracted my mind from the heel and the rain. I did not see another sole along the entire length of the Coach Road, which is quite a rarity in the Lake District. I finally reached the end of the track at a small car park, which I think is a checkpoint for the Lakeland 100, in about 70 minutes.

End of Coach Road

The return journey was tougher as it was into the wind and rain, but it did not involve the climb up through the swamp. I felt a bit stronger towards the end today, more so than previous longer runs, which was encouraging. In addition, there was less stiffness in the tendon, so I am hoping this is a sign that my body has coped with the weeks training. Without the long climb, it only took about 50 minutes to run back to the car, giving a total time of about 2 hours for the 11.2 miles.

The weeks summary is; 4 sessions, 32 miles and 5:36 hours. That is a good solid start, but I must make sure I do not overdo things, so I am going to aim for basically the same again next week and really concentrate on not concentrating!