Bad day at the office...

Bonking in Wales

Bonking

An expression used by athletes to describe exercise induced low blood sugar levels; being a feeling of light-headedness and weakness in all limb.

After my recent trip to Scotland i found myself in a bit of a mess, i had a crash for 3 days and felt ill, chesty cough, nausea and plenty of the usual aches and pains.

So i rested for a few days and midweek had a gentle walk/run of 20 miles and felt pretty good, so decided to go ahead with supporting a Paddy Buckley Round for a friend (Mark). The attempt had a planned start time of 7pm so just to be sure i went to Wales in the morning to reccie a small section i was not 100% about, 3 hours, a nice gentle walk/run including a couple of good ascents, i felt strong and ready for a run.

I only had one section to navigate/support (about 4 hours) and the pace was set to be within my abilities (just). The attempt started a little late but i was ready for the run and initially felt good, unfortunately i was not fully recovered from my illness and quickly began to feel weak and light headed. I pushed on to the 3rd ascent but half way up i bonked, i managed to get to the top by which time i was in a right mess. I was disorientated, completely exhausted and couldn't get enough air in my lungs.

I was in such a mess that i started to ascend in the wrong direction, even when asked if i was ok i said yes? It was obvious i was not all there so Mark took over his own navigation. Boy had i screwed up. I decided to bail out while i still felt able to get off the hills safely, leaving Mark and the remaining support member to negotiate the final 3 tops with out their navigator, me. 

In fell running it is very common to offer help for friend on a very important challenge, this was one of those challenges. However we some times forget about ourselves, the desire to help out friends can cloud our vision or make us forget we are only human. However, lesson learnt, time to move on.

This human needs a rest so the next few weeks will be spent doing the things other bored humans do, eating, sleeping and DIY.

Disaster in lochaber

Lochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland council of Scotland. Fort William, which is in Lochaber, is considered the outdoor activity centre of the Scottish Highlands. Apparently Fort William has more rain than anywhere else in Scotland, i'm not sure if this is true but "fact" suits my purpose for this moan.

http://www.ramsaysround.com/

The plan for this weekend was an attempt of the Charlie Ramsey Round, this circuit involves close to 60 miles, 24 peaks and 28,000 foot of ascent, It is a bit of a hand full for an old man of 50, but this old man has no idea of his limits so keeps searching in the vain hope the he will find them before he finds out he is too old to keep searching.

For this particular round it is common for the runner to have navigators and support runners on each of the 3 sections (we call these legs), these support people are changed at the end of each section as the runner (me) has usually worn them out by then. Obviously navigators er… navigate and the support runners carry food and drink which leaves me, the runner, to focus on the running (and walking).

I have been very focused and trained hard all year managing to become fitter than ever before, I ve had virtually no injuries all year, plenty of free time for training and bundles of motivation to get out in the mountains as the weather has been ideal.

Usually I race twice a year and get the rest of my time in the mountains through support runs and days out with friends. However this year I have raced much more and spent time on mountain reps to improve my ascent speed.

Over the weeks preceding the attempt I watch the weather forecasts and try to fill holes in the support schedule as navigators or support runners dropout for various reasons.

The final week of build up to this attempt was far more stressful for me than any previous run and almost led to it being called off.  In the end the start was brought forward by 24 hours to beat an impending storm.

So tired from the journey and hungry as we had rushed so much I had forgotten to eat, the much revised leg 1 team and I set off from the Youth Hostel in Fort William a day early at

1.03 pm 

The first leg of any round is difficult to support as the runner is usually full of energy and usually sets of at a fast pace, today was no exception and only ½ a mile into the ascent I had to ask Chris Rainbow to wait for Leon and recover my food for the rest of the leg. Of course this left Chris with a lot of work to do in catching up to me.

At Red Burn I had a drink from the stream and waited for Chris to arrive before pushing on via the main path. Further up we took advantage of some short cuts to miss some zig zags and made great time arriving at Ben Nevis summit in 1 hour 32 minutes. Great stuff, so after a quick feed we headed for Carn Mor Dearg and the Arete which leads to it.

Although I am not at home on exposed ridges I like the Arete, i have spent plenty of time training on this sort of ground and found myself making good steady progress over the rocks, unfortunately Chris hasn't and managed to slip, taking a nasty fall which knocked the wind out of him. After a quick re-group we continued and I waited at the summit of Carn Mor Dearg. I could see Chris was ok but finding the pace hard so collected my food and a bottle of drink from him before pushing on.

On the Descent from Carn Mor Dearg and ascent up towards Aonach Mor Chris had been unable to keep up and shouted to me that he was bailing out and good luck with the rest of the leg. He headed off in the direction of Glen Nevis.

At this point I have to say that only 2 weeks previously Chris had finished second in the Coast to Coast race. A 140 mile journey from the west to east coasts of England, no wonder he was feeling the pace.

My thoughts quickly turned to the leg ahead and I decided I was up for this and pushed on over the Aonachs and on to the Grey Choire’s and more good going. It had been a while since I had done this leg but the navigation was easy and the running a pleasure. It was just unfortunate that I had also forgotten to print a schedule and was unaware if my pace was good.

I ran out of fluids and managed to find a couple of streams along the way, although the water tasted foul it was certainly better than nothing and helped with the dehydration headache i was suffering with.

On reaching Stob Ban I estimated it would take me 3 hours to finish the leg, it was 7.30pm, with only 2 and a half hours of light left and no head torch I made the difficult decision to bail out and ascended into Glen Nevis and back to Fort William.

So why did this happen after a year of hard training and preparation? Well, you asked so I’ll tell.

On the build up to the run a couple of key leg 1 navigators dropped out and asking someone to fill in at the very last minute, who had only 2 weeks previously completed such a hard race, was a very poor move by me.

Forgetting to eat on the morning of the run, this was also pretty dumb.

Leaving the leg 1 food in the fridge at home? Dumb

Forgetting to print any schedules? Dumb.

No head torch on a leg that may end in the dark? Dumb

Changing the start to try and beat the weather was probably a good idea but I’m not good when plans change, my head falls in bits. Chris Armour spent a lot of time re-organising support runners and navigators but unfortunately I was still in a mental hole.

Most of all, I should have spent more time on the route beforehand. My usual strategy is relentless training on the route, culminating in a final solo reccie of 17 to 19 hours. Although it may seem extreme I have found that this has worked for me on my previous 2 big rounds and it gives me the confidence that no matter what happens I can complete the challenge.

Despite the best efforts of some very good friends it didn't come off and to these people i owe an apology. Putting them in such a difficult position by asking them to change around at the last minute was, with hindsight, not smart. I’m not naming names, you know who you are, sorry guys.

Finally, thank you to everyone who gave their time to help out, see you again next year.

Sometimes i wish i was sane.....

Sometimes I wish I was sane, I don’t mean in the true sense of the word, no I mean all there, firing on all cylinders. While I am not the smartest person you are likely to meet I am not so dumb that I don’t know this, what I do know is I have some issues in my head which can make life challenging.

Mornings are the worst time of day for me, this is when I feel at my most vulnerable, it seems like just about anything can trigger a dive in my mood and if that happens the depression can last an hour, a day a week or even a month.

Over the years I have found ways to manage my reaction to negative stimulus but often this can take a while to kick in which leaves me in a state of limbo not knowing which way it will got, which in turn give a great anxiety, a feeling of anticipation.

Even positive things can force my mood to take a downward spiral, take the past 2 weeks as an example. I am tapering down for a big run, probably the hardest running challenge I have ever attempted.

In sport tapering refers to the practice of reducing the amount of training during the weeks leading up to an important challenge, for me usually this happens over a month and gives my body time to rest and recover for the hard training it has had to endure whilst getting fit for the challenge.

In these weeks my vulnerability to depression increases in line with the reduction in exercise, so in the final week of tapering I find myself in a place of dismay and confusion, anxiety rules and the hole I am in just keeps on getting deeper. Under normal circumstances I would just go for a run but during the final week of taper this is not possible.

So I keep myself busy around the house, constantly searching for something to do, decorating, cleaning, tidying and annoying my long suffering partner with obsessive behaviours that challenge even the most over active teenager, all the while I am thinking about my time wasting away just waiting for my challenge to arrive.

Right now I have one week to go before attempting the Charlie Ramsey Round, this is 54 miles with 28,000 foot of ascent and descent, it all takes place around Fort William in the Scottish Higlands and takes in the summits of 24 Munroe’s.

All of this anxiety will go away the moment I take the first step, however there are other ways to end the pain I am going through, ending the pain now would feel so good.  I could just give in before I start, perhaps fake an injury or illness, simply say I’m not going to do it, so why don’t I do this? Perhaps I should?

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” 
― Edgar Allan Poe

“Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination.” 
― Mark Twain

Wet feet and blisters

I like nothing better than a good moan about some of the expensive crappy products out there, over priced shite that does more harm than good.

Running shoes with out sufficient cushioning, they tell us the shoes are fine like this, what we have to do is change the way we run, change how we land each foot placement. Do it this way not that way, wear our products not our competitors.

For many runners like me, long distance running causes some issues with the feet, i have learnt what works for me and have ways to cope with the results of high mileage and wet feet.

My choice of shoes for fell running is Salomon Speedcross 3, they have plenty of cushioning in the heal to absorb the impact of so many heal strikes and a reasonable amount of grip to stop me falling on my arse every time the ground gets a little moist.

Socks have been a different matter and over the years i have tried many things to stop the blisters on my heals and toes. Soaking my feet in surgical spirits to harden the skin, wearing 2 pairs of socks to stop the rubbing, waterproof socks, which are ok until the water gets in but retain the water when it has gotten in. Blisters still affected me unless i taped up the affected area's before hand.

Until recently, in a moment of weakness i paid £10.00 for a pair of Injinji Toe Socks. Expensive Gimmick i thought, but i'll give them a try. I'm glad i did because they changed the way i prepare my feet for running. I no longer need to tape up 4 toes and both heals before i run any distance, with these socks i still have to tape up my heals but for the first time in months my toes are blister free.

Last week a friend recommended Alpaca wool running socks, these are a little expensive and obviously i thought nothing was going to compete with my new Injinji toe socks but i was wrong, i now have two cures for my blisters. I'm not saying they will work for everyone but the do work for me, i used the Alpaca wool sock for my recent Freeman Round (50 miles and 15,000 feet of ascent) and had no issues with blisters.

I used the Injinji toe socks for the Fellsman (62 miles and 10,000 feet of ascent) and again had no issues with blisters. Each event lasted around 15 hours and on each occasion my feet were wet almost from the start.

It is still early days with both pairs of socks so watch this space, i will update my blog as i get more use from them. But if you suffer with blisters or just want some comfortable running socks you could do worse than give these a go.

http://www.h18orr.com/collections/accessories/products/h18-orr-sock

http://www.injinji.com/

The Freeman Round

The Freeman Round - 50 miles and 15,000 of ascent

Whilst searching http://www.gofar.org.uk/freemanround.html i found the Freeman round, which looked interesting. It includes a couple of sections from the Bob Graham round and a few summits that were new to me.

Picture courtesy of www.gofar.org.uk/

Having decided this would be my weekend training I contacted the creator or the round, Steve Freeman who kindly supplied further information. A couple of evening looking over tsome OS maps and a plan was hatched.

The weekend arrived but my week long tummy bug had gotten worse, running was totally out of the question, I was sure I had picked up the bug drinking from streams on the Old County Tops race the weekend previously. Luckily it was a bank holiday weekend so Saturday night I decided to starve myself for 24 hours, this would allow me one good meal the evening before attempting the round on the coming Monday.

Have you ever tried abstaining from all food for 24 hours? Bloody hell it not easy, everything thing I did, all TV programs, the internet, they all reminded me of food.

5am Monday 26^th May 2014.

I woke to the sound of my alarm, but its only 5am, what am I doing to myself? it’s the middle of the night almost. I woke up Debbie and told her it’s time to get a move on, half expecting abuse but hoping she does not protest, there is no way I can do this one alone. By 5.45am we are on the road heading for Ambleside in the Lake District, luckily it’s only an hour and a half away so by 7.30 I am ready to run.

The route starts at http://www.goldenrule-ambleside.co.uk/ from where the hills beckon and the rain started. Navigation is not my strong point so I had created a GPX file for the mapping software on my phone, following a big red arrow is much easier than trying to read a map.

The first top is Loughrigg Fell, estimated time 35 minutes actual time, closer to an hour but that’s the trouble with unfamiliar routes and low cloud. The first 4 tops took more than a hour longer than I had planned but it’s been a while since I have run solo in the lakes and I was enjoying myself.

Rossett Pike was summit number 6, from here I am on familiar territory and could finally get a move on, the cloud was also lifting so route finding became much easier. Finally, after hours of rain and fog the sun was out and temperatures began to rise. Happy days.

Great Gable was the first proper ascent of the day, followed by the usual suspects as you head down into Honister. Debbie was waiting here for my first pit stop; hot soup and tea were on the menu and did a great job of re-energising me.

Unfortunately I under estimated the heat and after traversing High Spy and Cat Bells I ran on into Keswick dehydrated and not feel very well. Finding Debbie’s car in the main car park was pure luck so I was able to top up with water and head off again, only to do the same and arrive in Threlkeld just as badly dehydrated and ready to throw in the towel.

At Threlkeld I took a 25 minute break, my legs were feeling very tired and I had a dehydration head ache, however quitting was not really an option. Recent attempts at these rounds had ended in disappointment and these failures are not good for my confidence, it drives you into a hole of self-pity and negativity. I am getting closer to the level of fitness I need if I am to attempt the Charlie Ramsey round this year and only a couple of months training left.

With this playing out in my head I told Debbie it may be dark by the time I finish but I was going to press on and complete todays challenge, in reality the challenge was about spending a day in the mountains in my own company, something which I feel I have not done for some time.  I am comfortable in my own company and find solace in my thoughts, although I often think I’m not playing with a full deck. I may not be the sharpest stick in the pile but I’m not so daft that I don’t know this.

I refilled my water bladder and added 3 bottles of water to my bag, 3 litres in total, which added 3 kilo’s and just in time for the biggest climb of the round, Clough Head. The run over the Dodds to Helvellyn is an uninteresting slog but the beauty of the destination more than makes up for it. From Helvellyn I could see the last 5 summits and finally feel like making it to the end was a real possibility, only the ascent of Fairfield stood in my way.

After Fairfield the last 4 summits are all new to me but easy enough to do and mostly downhill all the way into Ambleside. I arrived at 10.09pm, just in time for darkness.

The round had taken 14 and a half hours, about an hour and a half longer than I had hoped, it had been a long day, however I had completed a great days training and not given in to my demons.

If you enjoy running in the English Lake District the Freeman round is ideal, 50 miles and 15,000 of ascent is great training if you are planning to attempt one of the big three rounds. There are no dangerous ascents or descents and navigation is relatively easy.

The Old County Tops 2014

The Old County Tops Fell race May 17, 2014

The Old County Tops fell race is a circuit of the highest summit in each of the old counties of the English Lake District. The race starts outside the new Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in the Langdale Vally and takes in the summit of Helvellyn, Scafell Pike and Coniston Old man before finishing back in the Langdale Valley after 37 miles and 10,000 ft of ascent.

Dave and I at the start

I decided I wanted to take part in this race just a couple of weeks before it was due to be run, luckily I was invited by a friend to join him as we had similar results from previous years. The race is run in pairs so finding someone of a similar pace is quite important for a good result, I had met Dave 2 weeks earlier on the Fellsman race and we ran together for about 10 hours.

Dave and I set off in blistering heat with the rest of the runners at 8 am looking for a steady start, as usual I struggled for the first couple of hours and was almost dragged up Helvellyn by Dave but started to feel better as we neared the summit. I was concerned about staying hydrated after my incident a couple of weeks previously when an ambulance journey to A & E revealed hydration was apparently quite important for the heart.

Resting Heart rate 50, not bad for an old bloke apparently

On the descent of Helvellyn I discovered that Dave’s strong area was descending, bloody hell he was fast and it was all I could do just to keep him in sight. The first chance to eat and refill water bottles is at the foot of Helvellyn and I was ready for a drink.

Wythburn

From here we crossed the road and followed Wyth Burn up to Green head, this is a long hard slog, climbing steadily all the way through bog and over slippery crags. The route continues its way towards Scafell Pike passing some old favourite from the Bob Graham Round, Sergeant Man, High raise, Angle Tarn, Great End, Broad Crag and Ill Crag before arriving at the highest point in England, Scafell Pike.

Although Dave and I were going really well it was very hot and I was doing my best to take on enough fluids. Refilling my water bottles in any streams and trying to cool down a little.

From Scafell Pike summit we take the direct route off the back avoiding as many crags as possible, Dave had a cracking route winding its way through the crags and staying on good ground most of the way, he was also very fast again. From here is the slog over Mosedale and down to Cockley Beck for the last feed station.

Setting off from Cockley Beck we were approximately 18^th but the early pace was starting to show and the climb up Grey Friar was a slog. 6 teams passed us on this climb as we both struggled to keep going, it was not fun being passed by Jim Mann and Helen Skelton who were moving really well and making us look like we were running in the opposite direction.

The drag along the top to Coniston went well and we managed not to lose any further places, it hard to tell but we may have made up a place or two with good route selection on the Climb up Grey Friar.

So after Coniston its virtually all downhill and we made another couple of places by taking a direct route and hammering the descent down to the Three Shire Stone. A road descent follows and neither Dave nor I are any good on road so we were re-passed by 2 teams.

The final couple of miles are a steady jog on good track and we finished in 8 hours and 50 minutes, 24^th overall, second in our class (Vet100). It was also a personal best for me and only the second time I have won a prize, it’s a pleasure to have another Old County Tops mug.

  

Dave and I at the finish

Old County Tops Mugs