It's been a while since I entered this monster of a race. Innocuous sounding title, but at 25k and 2500m or so of ascent over not-insignificant Lakeland fells, it really isn't a race to be sniffed at. Previously, well... a decade ago, I got around in 3:14 or so, that was the year I'd done the Spine, had lots and lots of running in the recent past, and was stomping around in full pomp. This year is slightly different. My long term, long distance training has really been down, and the experiment with a coach since last November is only really coming into it's own. I'm about 2 years off full, long distance fitness, in all honesty, but needed to do a race of this depth and length as a bit of a trainer for the OCT next month.
The main point about today was to get out, practice with eating at race pace, kilometres and metres in the legs and general fellracing experience.
This weekend is generally a decent one for weather, but there was a fair bit of precipitation around at the beginning of the day. "Showers and some sunshine", I suppose you could call it. Not warm, windy from the West on tops, with a decent bit of clag that would send some people off course. It felt like I was very loaded down with food, for a race of this length, but that's what the instructions were, so it was best just to go with it, really. Chris was there, fresh from (apparently) being a bit ill and not having a great few weeks training. He was fully expecting to grovel his way around. I was fully expecting him to be at about my pace until 2 hours in and then gaily skip off into the distance as my legs fade.
Teenager starts as you would expect any fell race worth it's salt to do. Straight up a hill. Causey Pike, to be exact. The first 1.7km is all uphill- combination of running and walking and scrambling, up into the mists. True to form, Chris is right on my tail. Rhys F-R is up ahead, chatting away to someone else, totally in zone 1 as the rest of the field behind are gasping in zone 4-5, and the guys at the Front are pretty much off the charts.
Over Causey Pike in the cloud, down the increasingly slippy path and across to Outer-side. I'm sure that this trod didn't used to be this used- more races and more people definitely show up on the fells as increased erosion. I'm already eating at this stage, and having to slow down in order to do so. Choking on the stuff that is meant to be sustaining you through the race isn't a good look.
Top of Outerside- and another checkpoint, down and across the boggy and interesting part of the race over to Coledale Hause and the long trudge up the (what seems like) hard standing all the way up. Chris and I are pretty much travelling together, having a chat, though it seems like I'm working a bit harder than him. He has the ability to suffer a lot more, and still be utterly unfazed by it. (or maybe he doesn't *really* know what suffering is, and he just bimbles along *thinking* he's having a hard day of it, and not really knowing how much worse it is for other people around him!).
From Coledale Hause up to Grasmoor was pretty much clagged out. Viz of about 10-15 metres, occasionally more, normally less. A couple of runners certainly took some sub-optimal lines here, but Chris and I battled through the mist and, well, lets call it "heavy mist" to get to the checkpoint, and then off again with minimal amounts of navigational error. The journey down and off that bit of hill and across to Whiteless Pike was fairly unproblematic, though the normally spectaclar views from the Pike were unfortunately not available due to atmospheric conditions. (the checkpoint, though had a superb array of food for the discerning fellrunner).
Then my favourite part of this, perhaps indeed, any fellrace, dropping straight off the side of the Pike and down into Bleak Rigg. The actual run down the hill totally canes your legs, but that bit at the top where you go... down *where*?! is hard to top.
A slow descent all the way to the bottom, while looking up a High Snockrigg is enough to make you blanche, and your legs feel wobbly before even doing any climbing, but that is what must be done. More food, and a bit more slowing down, the checkpoint on the road at Newlands Hause, and then the sharp climb. True to form, at 2000m of ascent, and about 2 hours in, Chris pulled away from me jabbering on about how he wasn't really feeling it and over the next 10 mins he disappeared across Buttermere moss and up onto Robinson, not to be seen again until the end. Standard.
The run across the moss was quite enjoyable, underfoot was much like Bleaklow, the climb to Robinson was a little tricky as the CP was at the top of the southern flank of the hill, rather than the peak. Not knowing the area hugely well, I aimed off a little high by about 30m so lost a little time there. At this stage, the race joins the same route as the Newland Memorial race- which started an hour later, but hasnt had quite as many hills to run up, so you get a mix of runners over the final few hills.
The walking ascent to Hindscarth, the attempt to run all the way up to Dale head (again with one of the finest views of the Lake district... just not today), the drop to the pond, passing others saying "Im pretty sure this isnt the right way".... great- just jump down the next section of rocky crag and carry on... and then onto the final "straight".
Well. Northerly bit, about 4-5km or so... and certainly not flat. And certainly not without its foibles. High Spy isn't all that far away, but then the route from there to Catbells seems to take forever. There are a number of trods, most of which I might have managed to find, but there are definitely better ways. I came over a ridge at about 3 hours and 12 mins and saw Catbells still a decent distance away and thought... yep. I must have been going REALLY well the year I did this in 3:14!
I ran with and then overtook a bunch of people doing the Newlands Memorial, and managed to keep some speed up off Catbells, only really losing my footing once or twice, and then cruised into the finish, aware of very achy legs and a considerable amount of fatigue.
Dibbed in at just over 3:30 in 20th place, (of 105), so a fairly decent outing. Chris was about 10 mins ahead of me, and it was gratifying to know that other runners whom I hold in high regard were also slower that I managed 10 years ago as well...
A delightful day out, but crikey. I'm tired after that....
