Delirium

 

The High Peak Marathon

The High Peak Marathon is a 42 mile night time navigation challenge for teams of four.

Late December i got the e-mail from the organisers informing me that our team had gotten in, i was very pleased and in my usual obsessive fashion, i set about planning a training regime.

7 reccies in total, including the full section from Cutthroat Bridge to Snake top road twice, once in the dark with Chris R, and once during heavy rain with Ronnie T. The reccies were all good but the most memorable was Bleaklow with Chris A in deep, semi frozen snow at night. We spent 3 hours floundering around in the snow and only managed 7 miles; it was an experience i don’t wish to repeat... ever.

Soon enough the evening of the race came around, i had managed no further than 20 miles in one go but was happy with my fitness. I was lucky enough to pick up a strange groin/stomach injury that my phisio put down weak stomach muscles and scar tissue from previous inguinal hernia surgery. The week stomach muscles were a surprise as they have to work pretty hard to contain my ever growing gut.

The Friday of the race i managed to sneak out of work at lunch time and get a couple of hour’s sleep so i arrived at Edale village hall feeling fresh and ready to go. Impatience and an un-willingness to wait around for kit checks was a sure sign that the nerves were starting and perhaps a sign of things to come.

Our allocated start time was 11.33 and we were off chasing a steady stream of head torches up the first climb to Hollins Cross. I had one eye over my shoulder already watching the team’s starting behind us at one minute intervals. Now i have to say at this point that Chris A, Ronnie and i had talked about a race strategy in the car on the way to Edale, we would go steady for the first 5 hours or so and then pick up the pace and stay strong for the second half of the race.

Of course we stuck with the race plan and set off at a gentle pace, without regard to the steady stream of teams passing us on the first section across Lose hill and Win hill. What we actually did was get wrapped up in a seriously fast pace and chase down as many teams as we could.

As you would expect this strategy paid dividends and we were soon sprinting strongly into the first feed station at Moscar. Of course no one suggested slowing the pace down. Well maybe Chris and Chris had suggested numerous times that Ronnie and i were going way to fast and they may have had a point.

Moscar is only 10 miles from the start and was very crowded with teams cramming in food and drink ready for the 20 mile section over to Snake top road. My groin injury was beginning to hurt and i had a strange burning sensation in the nether region which was worrying. Food was definitely out of the question.

The short road section down to Cutthroat Bridge was a rest and i was sure i would start to feel better, i had gone from feeling happy and full of energy to lousy and tired, my stomach hurt and i was busting for a pee. However, having a pee just made things worse, it felt like i was passing hot water and even afterwards the feeling remained.

We continued on to the next check point at Derwent, i was struggling a little, dropping back all the time, losing the places we had gained earlier and wishing i could shake the feeling of needing a pee. At the Derwent moor check point i stopped for some food and was overcome with the feeling that I couldn't go on. Risking further damage to my groin could spoil the rest of my year.

Unfortunately Chris, Chris and Ronnie came to offer help at the wrong time a got a mouth full of abuse for their troubles. Only 2 hours in and with as much as 9 hours left to go i was done, i made my mind up to quit at the next road crossing. Unfortunately this meant going all the way to Snake top road.

You know you have good friends when they are willing to put up with your moaning and move on like it hadn't happened.

Over the next few miles, we past Lost Lad and continued on to Sheepfold Clough. My team mates did a great job of bringing me round and before i knew it i was feeling strong again. Failing was not going to be an option and i felt stronger as the miles passed.

Around Swains Head Chris A began to feel the early pace and there was some talk of quitting at Snake Top road. Chris is a strong, experienced runner and was just having a tough patch, there was no chance he was going to quit. We eased the pace slightly and by Bleaklow Stones he was moving well again.

The frozen ground made the going good even across the nightmare that is Bleaklow and we made good time between the following 3 check points to Snake Top Road. We were greeted by day light, bright, clear skies and blokes dressed in women’s cloths.... I began to think my 2 hobbies had crossed paths until i realized the check point support crew were in fancy dress. Phew.

Copious amounts of hot tea and Banana’s were consumed, i refilled my water bladder and we were off again, happy in the knowledge that we only had 12 miles (ish) to the finish in Edale.  Featherbed Moss over to Mill Hill is a drag but we were in good spirits and goind well. Even the burning in my nether region was starting to ease.

A few weeks Earlier, Chris R, his brother Den and i had reccied the kinder scout section, it had not gone to plan (despite my extremely competent navigation skills). However Chris R navigated the second Kinder reccie and all went to plan so i was confident he would not allow us to get lost this time.

The last climb was the long drag over Brown Knoll and Chapel Gate to Rushup edge, we were going well and making up places all the time. With only Hollins Cross to go and the final descent into Edale Ronnie decided he had been left out and fell on his dislocated rib. Any ordinary man would have stayed down but Ronnie was soon up on his feet clutching his chest and wheezing as he desperately tried to run and breathe through the pain. That man is a machine.

We made Edale village hall in 10hrs 9 minutes, finishing 10^th overall and thoroughly exhausted, it had been a great experience and i think, with the help of my friends, i may have conquered some demons along the way.

HPM Reccie number 3

Im really not sure if its a good or bad thing, getting obsessed with things so easily, however i am aware that its part of my personality and therefore a part of who i am.

Cuthroat Bridge

The High Peak Marathon is a 42 mile night time navigation endurance challenge for teams of four. The route traverses the Derwent Watershed. Starting and finishing at Edale Village Hall, Derbyshire. 

A couple of years ago i was lucky enough to compete in the HPM, this is definitely one of those races you can’t do just the once. If you can find 3 other people daft enough to join you its definitely worth a go.

Derwent Edge

This year our hardy team of 4 were successful with our application for a place, the race is on March 1^st this year so only 2 months between finding out we have a place and race night. Bloody hell, 2 months is not enough to prepare for a night time navigation challenge that takes in Bleaklow and Kinder scout!!!!

Red dot in the distance is Ronnie.

Hence my obsession with reccies, 2 weeks after finding out we had a team in i have managed 3 reccies of Bleaklow. I should confess that Ronnie has joined me for 2, which just goes to prove neither of us is playing with a full deck. So Bleaklow, the name means exactly what its says, this is one of the bleakest area’s in the Pennines, it is a boggy hell on earth, a festering land of peat and mud designed to punish anyone daft enough to venture into it nest. Its a big boys playground.

Lost Lad

This weekend Ronnie and i reccied the section between Cuthroat Bridge and Snake Pass (A57), 19.5 miles, 3618ft of ascent in 5.42 hrs. Not a fast pace but we tried to focus on navigation as the race will be in darkness.

Boggy Hell

7 Weeks left before race night, hopefully enough time to reccie the whole route in daylight and perhaps repeat this route over night.

I liked that car...

I liked that car, it’s the best car we have ever had, brand new and shiny, loaded with gadget and toys to play with. When it first arrived i wasn’t so sure but having lived with it for about 6 months i was really starting to like it.

Christ, what was that bang? It sounded like a car had veered off the road and crashed through the front of the house, the clock said it was 2.10 am and Debbie was telling me to go and have a look. I jumped out of bed and ran to the upstairs landing when i heard a shout “Police, stay where you are”. Bloody hell fire, what had i done to deserve an early morning raid? Had the police discovered i was hiding a box of staples i had taken from work, maybe it was the “tax free” cigarettes i had purchased for Debbie?

I have never liked being told what to do and usually make a point of doing the opposite so i ran down the stairs to challenge this trespass in my home. Only there was no sign of any police, in fact there was no sign of anyone anywhere? The house lights were all on and the place was freezing cold, i noticed my keys were missing from the front door and that’s when i heard a car start.

Nissan make a good car but the Qashqai is a strange beast, its neither one thing or another, they call it a “Crossover”. More like a cross dresser, looks like a 4x4 and an SUV mixed together. We have the Qashqai+2, as the name suggests, it has 2 more seats than the standard Qashqai, but you get the same cosseting ride, impressive refinement and a long list of standard equipment.

I could see the Qashqai’s lights come on so rushed to the kitchen for some key and dashed out the front door, only to see our Qashqai being reversed off the drive, now i can run pretty well but i’m not as fast as a car, however i am game and sprinted out of the front door, bare footed and only wearing my boxer shorts with a determination to cause some serious damage to the cheeky sod who was trying to nick our car. (the lease companies car really).

Luckily the car was indeed faster than me and i was left standing in the road dressed only in my boxers watching the Qashqai disappear into the distance. While i was playing silly games, Molly my 14 year old daughter rang the police and reported the theft. While we waited for the police to arrive i took a look around to try and assess what, if any damage had been done to the house.

I have been a motorcyclist for 30 years and could never believe that driving a car could be pleasurable, but Nissan have done such a good job on the Qashqai that i actually enjoyed driving it. With a 1.6 Diesel engine it was never going to be a flying machine but it could certainly pick its feet up and cruise comfortably at 90mph on the motorway.

Bloody animals had thrown half a concrete flag through one of the patio doors in my computer room, ran through from the back of the house to the front, taken the keys from the front door and escaped the way they came in, leaving a trail of destruction behind. They had removed a window from the conservatory and there was broken glass everywhere from the patio door, bloody hell fire, this was a real mess.

And that was that, good bye Qashqai.........

An old poem

I came across this poem about 12 years ago during a period of my life when things were not going well, it amused me. All this time has passed and it still amuses me.

I PICTURE MYSELF NEAR A STREAM

BIRDS ARE SINGING IN THE COOL CRISP MOUNTAIN AIR,

NOTHING CAN BOTHER ME HERE, NO ONE KNOWS MY SECRET PLACE.

I AM IN TOTAL SECLUSION,

THE SOOTHING SOUND OF A GENTLE WATERFALL FILLS THE AIR WITH A CASCADE OF SERENITY

I CAN EASILY MAKE OUT THE FACE OF THE PERSON I AM HOLDING UNDER THE WATER

A philosophy professor

This has been doing the rounds for many years, i like it because it makes sense. 

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about 2" in diameter.

Then he asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar of rocks. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the spaces between the rocks. The students laughed.

He asked his students again if the jar was full. They said yes, it was. The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life.

The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were to be lost, you would be nearly destroyed.

The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. They are things like your job, your house, your car.

The sand is everything else - the small stuff.

If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life.

If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important.

Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing.

There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the car.

Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.”

A Home Run

I am lucky enough to work close to home, in a straight line its only 4.5 miles, however i also live on the edge of the West Pennines moors. Having missed my Sunday run i decided to make tonight's Home Run a little more worth while.

Windmills on Knowl Moor

Windmills on Knowl Moor - again

Green Booth Reservoir

The Track to Waughs Well

Lee Quarry

15 Miles and plenty of smiles, i am very lucky to live around here, there is so much good running.