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!

Cracking week, Gromit

The basic plan for this week was to have a hard week of training, meaning six sessions. I wanted to have two lots of hill work to continue with the conditioning of my quads, a couple of tempo runs where I could turn up the gas and a couple of steady runs where I would concentrate on running style.

The week started well with the trip up Skiddaw on Monday (see previous post). I knew the session had served it's purpose as the following two days I had that slight tenderness in my quads indicating a good bashing had taken place.

On Tuesday we went over to the North East in the campervan for a few days, staying at Belford, half way between Alnwick and Berwick. I managed to squeeze in a couple of faster tempo sessions on trails that were not as hilly or technical as my usual routes. Despite the tight quads, it was great to up the pace a bit and equally nice to know I can still do it and enjoy running at pace again.

I took Thursday as my rest day and slotted my two steady runs in on Friday and Saturday. One of these, I used as a trial to see what my Garmin is like as a navigation tool, something I have never used it for. I plotted a route on the mapping software on my PC, uploaded it to the Garmin and followed the route dictated by the big arrow on the screen. It all seemed to work well and I have been thinking about how I might be able to use this in the Lakeland 100 as a safety net in the dark.

I have the whole route (well, will have after next Sunday) saved on the Memory Map software, split into four recce sections. I could load these onto the Garmin and just turn it on for the first part on the night section from Wasdale to Braithwaite and then put it back in the rucksack, saving the battery for any emergencies later in the day. Originally, I had not intended to wear the Garmin, just a normal sports watch, however, I might add the Garmin to my kit list with this safety plan in mind. What do you think?

Today, I wanted to get some more climbs and descents into my legs, so parked the car near Gatesgarth (Buttermere valley) and ran over Scarth Gap, into Ennerdale, past the YHA, up to Black Sail Pass, down to Wasdale and followed the same route back along the Lakeland 100 course.

Dropping into Ennerdale from Scarth Gap

It was a lot warmer today than I thought and I still feel dehydrated now as I sit and write this four hours later! I had a careful look at the technical descents on the Lakeland 100 route from Black Sail Pass and Scarth Gap, trying to get a mental picture of the terrain ready for the same tracks in the dark come race day. Another visit is planned for next week with John as part of our final recce together before the big race.

The descent from Scarth Gap to Buttermere

The plan is to follow this with a steadier week, probably only five sessions but finishing off with the long run with John next Sunday. I'm really pleased with the way I am feeling stronger and better able to cope with the training. I have things fairly well mapped out for the remaining seven weeks (aagghh!!) which will take me through the long recce run, the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon and the final three week taper. I feel we are into the business end of the season!

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.

Three valleys

Just about got everything in place for the next Lakeland 100 recce run tomorrow. This one has taken a bit more logistical juggling involving various car trips, a campervan, co-driver, running over fells and a bus journey. Only two things remain to be slotted into place; John needs to arrive here in time to watch the football and we need to run 30 odd miles. Simples!!

Managed to take in (the view into) three valleys today. Wasdale, Ennerdale and Buttermere. Rather windy on the tops today (the weather, not me!) but still enjoyable. I made sure I took the climbs nice and easy with tomorrow in mind and am looking forward to seeing another chunk of the Lakeland 100 route. This will actually complete my trip round the route, though I need to spend more time on the Wasdale to Keswick section which needs care, especially in the dark. That will be the final recce for John and myself in four weeks time.

Wasdale

Ennerdale

Buttermere

Recovery week

After the exertions of last weekend, I had decided to give myself a couple of weeks recovery time, though I did not really know how much I would need them.

The two previous times I've run the Fling, I have kept things in check for much of the race, particularly when racing the West Highland Way only 7 or 8 weeks later. This time I gave myself more freedom to have a proper go, knowing that it is three months to the Lakeland 100, giving more time to recover and then build up to the big one. In 2010, I was training properly within 4 days of the Fling, however, that is not the case this year.

I feel that the recovery is going well and my legs feel fine; I just have a general tiredness and a desire to eat anything and everything. In some ways, it is quite useful having this tiredness as it is stopping me from kicking in with the training too soon and has reinforced my plan to take another week of easy jogging to, hopefully, complete the recovery.

Right on cue, Lorn Pearson posted an article on overtraining on her blog, which again reminded me to take things easy. At the moment, things are going in the right direction with regard to my Lakeland 100 preparation; confidence is up after the Fling, I've had a good four months of consistent training, the recces with John have gone really well and I still have the motivation to push on over the next three months. It would be a disaster to risk overtraining at this stage when recovery is obviously needed.

Today, Tracey and I had a drive out to Wasdale to make good use of the lovely weather, combining a run/jog/walk up to Blacksail Pass for me, a walk for Tracey and a picnic together after. Wasdale is gorgeous but what a pain to drive for 1:30 hours and end up only 11 miles from home!!

Looking up Wasdale Valley

My legs felt good on the long climb, though I made no effort to push the pace, simply taking in the stunning views. I had a good recce of the point where the main path crosses Gatherstone Beck as I have heard that this can be tricky in the dark and I estimate it will somewhere around here that I'll need to put on the headtorch in the Lakeland 100 race.

Heading towards Blacksail Pass

View from the pass

I have started to think about how I am going to make the slight shift towards a more Lakeland 100 specific training plan which I will share on another day, though needless to say, it is going to include more mountains than I did on the build-up to the Fling.

Finally, a quick congratulations to my stepfather, Paul, who became MV60 British Mountainbike Orienteering (long course) Champion last weekend. I'll be a happy man if I'm that fit at his age!