“To run, or not to run that is the question"

The Merchant Marathon of Venice

OK, wrong play but I am pretty sure that’s what Hamlet meant to say.

As some of you may know, I have a place in the Venice Marathon at the end of this month.

There’s a bit of story behind this. A few years ago, Jenny and I went on a cruise that embarked from Venice. The day we arrived in Venice was coincidentally the day of the Venice Marathon. I may have possibly mentioned at the time that it would a great marathon to do.

As we queued to get onto our ship, the lady in front of us, with 2 young children in tow, was looking exasperated.  Eventually her husband arrived in his marathon kit. A heated discussion ensued – evidently he had not run as fast as predicted!

Fast forward and on my birthday this year, Jenny presented me with a place in the race. I was really chuffed.

I have only ever run one road marathon, back when I was 19, although I've done plenty as part of Ironman and ultra's. My aim for this race was always going to be a sub 3 hour finish which I’m sure I have in me.

So, why the doubt?

Well, with my bad Achilles I haven’t managed to do any faster running whatsoever, be that long intervals or tempo runs. I’d planned to gear my training towards this race following the Lakeland 100 but that hasn't happened due to my Achilles injury.

There is no way I will run sub 3 hours.

Of more concern is that my ankle, although seemingly fine in the hills, does not like running on hard, flat terrain at all. The Venice Marathon is a flat, fast course and obviously on the road.

So hence my question. 

I certainly can’t ‘go for it’ so do I run it slowly? That will probably infuriate me. Do I run it at all, because there is a very definite risk of doing further damage to my Achilles.

The hotel and flights are booked so we will be going to Venice for a few days regardless. Could just relax and enjoy the break and a few days with Jenny.

Relax? Quick let me get a dictionary. 

And one of these would be a nice addition to my collection.

Seeing the beautiful

I've just returned from a great 5 days running in the Lakes, and as ever was struck by the beauty and wonder of nature.

Fish, one of my absolute favourite artists, and probably the best lyricist I have ever come across, has recently released a very poignant new album "A Feast of Consequences"

It's a brilliant album and there is a trailer here

One of the songs is called "Blind to the Beautiful", and essentially discusses the damage we're doing to the planet and that he "just can’t see the beautiful anymore". I've copied the full lyrics at the end of this post.

Anyway this got me thinking of all the beautiful and wonderful places that I've been to and all the beautiful things I've seen, and I thought it would interesting to try and list a top ten. 

So, in no particular order, here are my top 10 beautiful sights. Or sites!

Petra 

No, not the Blue Peter dog, but the amazing, ancient place in Jordan. I will never forget my first glimpse as we emerged from the narrow entrance canyon. Staggering!

Abu Simbel

Another truly staggering ancient site. The twin temples were or originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC. Amazingly, the complex was relocated in its entirety, piece by piece in 1968, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser.

Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park

The Ordesa Canyon is in the Spanish Pyrennees only a few miles from Gavernie as the crow flies, and is described as the Grand Canyon of Europe,  I first went to this beautiful place on a school trip in 1983. I have now been back twice with Jenny and never tire of exploring its beauty.

Kata Tjuta/The Olgas

I lived in Australia from 1991 to 1996. I went to many wonderous places - Uluru, The Barrier Reef, The Warrumbungles (google it!) - but my absolute favourite was what was then called the Olgas. Just down the road from Uluru, they are often overlooked but look what people are missing.

Rushup Edge

I have been on the Kinder plateau and Rushup Edge in the Peak District so many times since my early teens. For an unknown reason, I always feel strangely at home when I'm on top of Mam Tor. I love Rushup Edge; it simply looks different every time I'm up there.

The Lake District

What an awe inspiring place. I love to escape to the Lakes, travel without a real plan and simply roam taking in the beauty. My favourite place? Oh I don't know.......

Tryfan

What a great mountain. It looks knarly and rugged, and just stands there as a monolith.

Sunrise & Sunset

What could be more wonderous than the dawn of each new day and then the end. No wonder the sun was worshipped by ancient civilisations 

Snow

Isn't snow brilliant? Especially as you can ski on it. Snow, mountains, skiing, sun - well, it just doesn't get any better.

142

This was my tent number during the MdS, and for 1 week it was home and a beautiful sight at the end of each day. The desert was pretty remarkable too. Hot.

Oh, and because it's my blog I'm allowed an 11th choice.

So the beautiful is still there and I can see it. I can see it every day. Just look around.

Blind to the Beautiful
 
The stars are fading, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, 
The bread we have broken, the wine we drank from tarnished cups, 
And I stopped believing in miracles a long long time ago, 
I lost my faith and I sacrificed my soul, 
I worshiped fallen idols, chased false prophets to an end, 
To where I just can’t see the beautiful anymore.

The ice retreating, mountains exposed in the sun, 
The earth is baking, raindrops precede the floods 
And hurricanes with children’s names write our history 
Signatures tracked by satellites on high, 
We should have talked about the weather a bit more seriously, 
More than stocks and shares and corporate wares, 
We were blinded by the skeptics and their greed 
I just can’t see the beautiful anymore; I just can’t see the beautiful anymore.

I howled and I cried when the melody died, the song was finally over, 
There was nothing to say, words stole away, their meaning lost in the ether, 
What there was left stopped making sense, a broken up alphabet, language dispersed 
I just can’t hear the beautiful anymore.

The oceans are rising, islands in time disappear, 
The canyons burning, forests consumed by the flames, 
Wildfires rage across the plains to be starved by barren soil, 
Deserted farms where seeds refuse to grow, 
I close my eyes to cloudless skies I dream of what we had before, 
I just can’t see the beautiful anymore 
I just can’t see the beautiful anymore 
Show me the beautiful; bring back the beautiful, show me the beautiful 
I want to see the beautiful once more.

How long is a Piece of String??

How long is a piece if string?

Dunno but I guess I'm going to find out in November  as I've been selected to be one of the "lucky" 17 contestants in this year's event.

Piece of String

Can't make up my mind as to whether this is a good or bad thing!

Lakeland 100 – Did Not Succeed

Health warning: Contains details of the inner workings of my head that some younger viewers may find disturbing.

On Friday at 6pm I started the Lakeland 100. I was feeling really fit and strong on the back of some good results and great training. I was full of optimism and positivity, and hoping to go well under 30 hours, if not sub-28 hours.

90 minutes later my race was over, stopped by an extremely sore Achilles tendon. Lakeland 8.5 complete.

I failed.

First of all, I’d just like to say that I’m not looking for expressions of sympathy, or “Rich, it was the right thing to do, you’re not a failure, you’ve had a great season so far” etc etc.

I know that logically the above statements are true, but how I feel is totally different.

The fact is that I did fail. I do feel like a failure and a dark cloud is hanging over my head. I feel failure badly.

I’m disappointed that my good results, my fitness, my strength in the hills, all came to nothing. It feels like an opportunity wasted.

But the failure is far more. I worry that others will be doubting me, thinking I’m weak, may even be secretly having a wry smile. That my family, friends, peers will value me less. That I will appear less capable, less worthy.

Paralysis by analysis, it’s said!

Why do I worry so much what others think of me? Self-esteem? Lack of self-value? Seeking praise? Seeking acceptance? Possibly. Probably. Definitely.

I know that logically none of the above are true, but that’s how I feel. I don’t really understand why. My intelligent, professional mind doesn’t understand why, but it’s how I am.

Of course I did the right thing. My Achilles is still sore. You may run off a sore muscle but not a bad Achilles. I would have only made it significantly worse.

Of course I’m not a failure. I’m sat here looking at all my medals hanging on the corners of pictures of my loving family. I am very fortunate, and I have succeeded in nearly everything I’ve ever done.

Of course I’ve had a great year running. The Spine. The MdS. Hardmoors 110. The Lakes 10 Peaks. All really long, tough, epic events. All races I’m extremely proud to have run in and finished.

Perhaps I’m just a little boy, just looking for acceptance, for praise, looking for his place in the world.

Others will be saying, and quite rightly, that I’ve done a huge amount this year, probably too much, and that I need to rest. Jenny tells me this, others hint at it, and I know it’s true.

So why have I pushed it so much this year? Firstly, with being off work for a while, I’ve had more time. More importantly though it’s about pushing the envelope. How far can I go? How long? How often? Again, this is not only for myself but seeking a pat on the back.

I also have to admit that there’s a little ‘How much can I do before I really break myself?’ Jenny laughingly (I think) says I’m a self-harmer. If I’m honest, perhaps there’s something in that as far as running goes.

I’ve just been having an email conversation with a friend:

Friend: I think you did the right thing, really! You have to listen to your body and have the guts to say enough is enough when you know you are going to do some damage, so I still say well done to you! You will come back stronger!!

Rich: I know it was the right thing to do unless I wanted to really destroy my running for months………but I'm still majorly pee'd off! Don't deal with not succeeding very well!

Friend: I think that's what makes you stronger, though! You definitely did the right thing!!

So perhaps what I see (and think others see) as a weakness may actually be a strength.

So there it is. A DNF and nothing is ever simple with me. My body will mend (I hope) and my mind will play its little games. And I’ll be happily running somewhere near you soon!

So when do the entries for next years Lakeland 100 open?

Lakeland 100 recce

Spotting the weather forecast showing a change from dismal and cold to hot and sunny, I took myself up to the Lake District for 2 days last week to recce the second half of the Lakeland 100.

As you may remember, I DNF’ed last year. I really wasn’t in a good place at the time and was have trouble motivating myself to do anything at all, let alone run. Hardly the best preparation for a 100 miler. I almost didn’t bother to even start but Jenny convinced me that it would do me some good, and that a failure would be not even starting. I had a torrid time but stuck it out to Dalemain, then called it a day.

However, I was in awe of the course and the tremendous support and vowed to return……..

Day 1

I stayed overnight at Keswick YH in order to get an early start. I drove to Pooley Bridge, parked the car and was off by 06:00 in glorious clear, blue skies. It was forecast hot, damn hot, and it already felt warm.

My provisional plan was to get to Ambleside, stay overnight there, then have a shorter day to Coniston before making my way back to Pooley Bridge, and hopefully no parking ticket!

I made my way along the easy path around Ullswater to Howtown and then began the long ascent up Fusedale. I fumbled around at the top before finding my way over Bampton Common and down to Haweswater.

At Mardale Head, it was the long drag up Gatescarth Pass and onwards to Kentmere. It was swelteringly hot by now. I later heard that the temperature had been 28C in the valleys.

The section on to Ambleside was much easier and I arrived in the town centre at 13:00. It was far too nice a day to stop so I quickly assessed my options. After a very pleasant refreshment break at the Apple Pie, and having booked a bed at Coniston Coppermine YH, I set off for Elterwater and Great Langdale.

Then it was up and over to Tilberthwaite. Then it was up some horrible steps which will be hilarious at the end of a 100 mile race.

I arrived at the youth hostel just after 18:00 having covered 43 miles averaging just under 13 min/mile (whilst moving). Not bad in blistering heat. After a shower and a hearty meal it was off to bed, ready for another early start.

 Day 2

Up and out at 05:10, it was quickly onto Walna Scar Road. It was already warm and I was treated to a lovely sunrise.

Reaching Seathwaite without any difficulty, I set off towards Boot. After some fiddling about on forestry tracks, I crossed the River Esk on a bridge I couldn’t find marked on the route. Turning my map over, I realised it was the River Duddon. Whoops, wrong valley. I decided to cut my losses and walked all the way up and down Hardknott Pass. Lovely. 

At Boot, I replenished my low spirit with and ice cream and diet coke. Just the job!

Boot to Wasdale to Buttermere to Keswick was no problem as I’d only done this section a few weeks ago. I stopped briefly at Black Sail YH and had a chat with a group of people doing the Coast to Coast in piecemeal style. This was their last section. They thought I was mad – first impressions and all that!

I safely navigated public transport back to Pooley Bridge where my car sat undisturbed by parking attendants. 39 miles, averaging 15 min/mile. Happy days!

A tremendous 2 days in the Lake District. On a bright, sunny summer’s day, the Lake District is simply stunning. As far as running goes, that was pretty much as good as it gets.

Lakeland 100 in 10 days. Yes please!

The Lakes 10 Peaks - race report

“So how far was it, Rich?”

Around 43 miles…..

“How long did it take you?”

14 hours and 42 minutes……

“That’s very slow for you. Where did you finish?”

7^th

“Out of 6?”

Very funny. Out of 150 starters.

“Wow! It must have been tough”

It was.

04:00 start from Thirlspot. 03:15 buses leave from race HQ in Keswick. Alarm set for 02:00. Woke up at 01:00!

Around 150 runners were taken by bus to the race start at Thirlspot, under Helvellyn. It was good to catch up with some of the usual suspects including Annie and Andrew. Several said hello to me, but I couldn’t quite remember who they were; the ravages of the aging process. After the race briefing, and with dawn’s first light just breaking through, we were off, straight up Helvellyn.

Sticking to my now standard plan of taking it steady at the start, going at my own pace, rather than getting excited and following the lead pack, I reached the summit (Peak 1) in 49 minutes. Straight back down, via a bit of cross-country, through CP1, and it was the long haul up Wyth Burn and it’s famous bogs, which were particularly boggy.

With suitably wet feet, I reached Greenup Edge, on to High Raise, and down to Stake Pass. Views across to the Scafell Plateau framed the challenge ahead. I elected to stay above Angle Tran and take what is essentially the Bob Graham Round (BGR) route up Bow Fell via Hanging Knotts, meeting the first of several BGR groups. This is a fairly direct route and was probably the hardest part of the day for me. The other route via Ore Gap is probably less hard work and seemed to make minimal difference on time.

After summiting Bow Fell (Peak 2) it was down and up to Esk Pike, and down to CP2 at Esk Hause. The briefest of stops and it was a quick bag of the next 3 Peaks; Great End, Ill Crag and Broad Crag before summiting Scafell Pike (peak 6), all in the good company of a runner I now know to be ‘irish’ from the FRA forum! The forecast of a lowering cloud base was not evident as good panoramic views were had across the Lake District. Beautiful. Time elapsed 4 hours 52 minutes.

It was windy and a bit chilly on top so I tried to quickly put on my Omm Cypher jacket. This acted more as a sail and I couldn’t locate the sleeves as they flapped around. I gave up!

I steeled myself for the descent to Mickledore and then the ascent of Sca Fell. The logical route, to my mind, was to ascend via Foxes Tarn and descend via Lords Rake. The former seemed like the easier ascent, whilst the late avoided the re-ascent to Mickledore.

After the recent rain, the ascent was fairly wet but the summit of Sca Fell was soon reached. Peak 7. I had been playing leapfrog with a couple of Danes; they had elected to ascend via Lords Rake and were only about 50m ahead of me at the top. Scafell Pike to Sca Fell in 39 minutes. Whilst irish elected to descend Foxes Tarn, I dropping down Lords Rake. I was pleased that I had climbed up the other side.

The visibility was still excellent. I was having a great time. I was going peak to peak, checkpoint to checkpoint. Physically I felt really good and mentally I had an unerring belief in my ability to finish.

Picking up the corridor route to Sty Head the brooding mass of Great Gable awaited. The 2 Danes were still in the vicinity but it was evident that they didn’t know the route (not surprising) and couldn’t map read (surprisingly).

Great Gable was a long but steady climb. I maintained a steady pace and reached Peak 8 in 7:07. Without pause, it was straight down to CP3 at Beck Head. Pausing a little longer to fill water bottles, and have a quick natter, I looked up to see that the Danes had shot off and were already starting their ascent of Kirk Fell! I had a wry smile and followed the path under Boat How Crags to Black Sail Pass, meeting a few runners who had elected to drop down to Wasdale Head and climb Pillar first via Wind Gap.

Despite light drizzle (the only of the day), visibility remained good up to Pillar (Peak 9). 8:23 elapsed. Pausing quickly to locate my much-needed peanut butter and jam sandwich, I was soon on my way back to Beck Head. I discovered I was in 6-8^th place. I now barely saw another runner for the rest of the race. Although only a single peak to go (Skiddaw), there was still a lot of ground to cover, firstly to Keswick and then the circuit up and down Skiddaw. I was still feeling good and really enjoying the day out aka the race! I felt totally immersed in the journey.

Onward to the next checkpoint at Honister, where a fell race was starting. This caused a degree of confusion as to where the respective CPs were located, but I knew ours was at the youth hostel. The clock showed just over 10 hours. Here I was told that only 4 long course runners had been through, although they weren’t entirely sure and I certainly hadn’t overtaken anyone. I changed into much appreciated dry socks, deposited my base layer in my bag, and off I went, munching on a Mars Bar.

Taking the road down towards Seatoller, I then followed the obvious path to Grange. I then took as straight a line as possible to Portinscale via the Cumbria Way and various paths. I was beginning to feel a little tired and probably walked a little more than I might do otherwise. However I was still moving forwards and at a decent speed. Skirting Keswick, I reached the final CP at Crosthwaite in 12:06, in a confirmed 7^th place.

The final CP was also race HQ and the race finish. Afterwards, I read that several runners had found this mentally tough; to reach ‘the finish’ and then have to leave again. I had already considered this issue; on the way through it was a purely a checkpoint and it only became the finish on the way back. So good mental preparation really does help!

I was feeling really positive and really strong as I made my way to the start of the climb up to Skiddaw at Millbeck.  The views back to Keswick was great and  clearly showed much of the ground that had been covered. 

I was briefly in the company of another runner, who I now know to be Splatcher from the FRA forum. If you are reading this Splatcher, you look nothing like your profile picture!

Never having climbed Skiddaw before, I had heard that it was a long, steady drudge; and so it proved. I simply put my head down and maintained a really good pace all the way up. I dibbed at the summit of Skiddaw, Peak 10 of 10, my one new peak of the day, in 13:42 and quickly picked up the descent to the SE carpark.

Skiddaw summit (honest)

I made great time down and was running strongly as I joined the Cumbria Way towards Keswick and to what was now the finish. I can honestly say that I have never finished an ultra so strongly.

I crossed the line in 14 hours and 42 minutes, in 7^th place. After a quick natter, a few obligatory photos with my medal, a change into my Likeys t-shirt for an equally obligatory photo, I said my thanks to all and started on the way home.

A few comments:

1. This is a tough race. A very tough race. Out of the150 who started, 67 finished in under 24 hours, 6 over 24 hours, 31 retired, and nearly 50 competitors switched to the short course. A week on, and my knees and ankles still feel a little battered.
2. If the Spine is Britain’s most brutal race, then this has to be Britain’s most brutal single day event.
3. Superbly organised. The pre-race information was spot on. Everything seemed to run really well. The CPs were well stocked and manned by the friendliest people. Top marks. 
4. This is absolutely my kind of race. Hilly, ever changing terrain, tremendous views and scenery, and a big, big challenge. Love it. 
5. I am very tempted by the Brecon Beacons 10 Peaks! 
6. This race definitely warrants a recce. Having done many of the Peaks as well as parts of the route such as the corridor route, enabled me to navigate quickly. I also knew what was coming up! 
7. I seem to have discovered the secret to mental strength in ‘long’ races. Not sure how or what’s the secret but in my last 2 events, I have found that once I am into a race, I have a absolute unerring confidence that I will finish, even when the going gets physically tough. I am moving checkpoint to checkpoint and not allowing myself to consider the actual finish. More importantly, I think, is that I am trying to live in the moment. If I make a mistake, well, I can’t undo it, and the future is yet to come. I will probably go through some bad stages but there’s no point worrying about that until I’m there. Whatever, it seems to be working for me. 

Happy days!

Lakes 10 Peaks - recce's

A few weeks ago, in a fit of impulsivity, I entered the Lakes 10 Peaks race. This runs over the 10 highest peaks in The Lake District, covering approximately 73 kilometres with over 5,600 metres of ascent. It looked mental enough for me!

The peaks are Helvellyn (951m), Bowfell (902m), Great End (910m), Ill Crag (935m), Broad Crag (934m), Scafell Pike (978m), Scafell (965m), Great Gable (899m), Pillar (892m), and finally Skiddaw (931m)

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time!

I’ve only been up Helvellyn, Bowfell and Scafell Pike previously so I have been up to the Lakes for a couple of recce’s recently.

Recce1:

A couple of weeks ago, I checked out the route from Thirlmere (at the bottom of Helvellyn), through the bogs (not too bad), up over High Raise and on to Angle Tarn at the base of Bowfell. I had intended to go up to the Scafell plateau but the cloud had dropped down to around 700m and this was forecast to remain all day, along with heavy rain. As I don’t know the area very well at all, I decided to stay lower and just have a nice day out. A bit light weight, I know, but these days my safety threshold is lower.

Up from Thirlmere

High Raise

Upwards

.......and downwards

I carried on to Sty Head and then down to Wasdale. There I picked up the Lakeland 100 route over Black Sail Pass towards Buttermere, where I had a great slice of carrot cake and a hot chocolate with all the trimmings. 

Yum!

Then it was onward to Braithwaite and Keswick where I got the trusty bus back to my car at Wythburn on the south shore of Thirlmere.

A thoroughly enjoyable day out; 29 miles, 2500m of ascent. The weather had definitely been better below 700m or so; dry(ish) with reasonable visibility.

Part 2:

Last week I spent another couple of days in the Lakes. I drove up on Monday evening so that I could start early and from my overnight at Borrowdale Youth  Hostel

I left the YH in clear skies at 06:15 and climbed up towards Esk Hause.

 I soon was on top of Scafell Pike (via Great End, Ill Crag, and Broad Crag).

Great End

Ill Crag

Scafell Pike from Broad Crag

Scafell Pike

The Lake District on a sunny day - beautiful

Having descended into Mickledore, I knew that there were 2 possible routes up Sca Fell, Lord’s Rake or via Foxes Tarn. An inability to find the former, narrowed my choice! The climb up to Foxes Tarn is relatively short but tough. At the summit I decided to see if I could find Lords Rake from the top. I couldn’t. I ended up coming too far down towards Wasdale and had to hack across fell and then climb back up towards Mickledore, before picking up the corridor route.

Looking back at Scafell Pike from the top of Sca Fell

The corridor route towards Styhead Tarn

I then made my way back to Sty Head and rapidly climbed up Great Gable. On top I had a quick rest, a chat and a huge slab of flapjack from the youth hostel.

Looking back at Great Gable

From here, the route goes down to Beckhead Tarn then around Kirk Fell under Boat How crags, finally reaching Black Sail Pass and on to Pillar before returning all the way to Beck Head. 

Somehow, I found myself on top of Kirk Fell and bagged myself a bonus Wainwright due to poor navigation! Back on course, I reached the top of Pillar 

Pillar

I retraced my steps, via the correct route to Beck Head, and then easily followed the route to Honister before making my way back to Borrowdale YH.

A lot of the day had been relatively unrunnable due to technical ascents and descents and the terrain. I was out on the fells for over 11 hours and had a great (but tiring) day out in perfect weather. Gorgeous sunshine with superb visibility. The perfect recce.

After a splendid pub meal including ice cream of course, I was treated to a magnificent sunset over Derwentwater. I retired early, ready for an early start.

Just gorgeous

Dawn broke and in blue skies again, I drove up to Honister with the plan to run the route to Keswick and then perhaps do Skiddaw, return to Keswick and catch the bus back to Honister.

From Honister, I climbed up towards Dale Head before cutting across some boggy ground to Dalehead Tarn. Here some wild campers were just getting up. I commented on what a great spot they had. From here it was all the way down to Little Town; the path at the top was not particularly clear but essentially followed the gill. Lower down it became hard-packed and was perfect for some good running.

From Little Town it was a short run to Skelgill, before picking up the Cumbria Way back to Keswick. I then made my way across farmland and along country lanes to Millbeck at the foot of Skiddaw. By now, my legs were feeling the effects of the previous day and looking upwards, I decided to give Skiddaw a miss. From all accounts, the Skiddaw loop is a bit of a motorway and a ‘long drag’.

Back towards Keswick and some of the previous day's route

I made my way to the back of Latrigg and picked up the last couple of miles of the route along the Cumbria Way to Keswick. The bus to Honister wasn’t for 45 minutes, and given my dislike of queuing (there were already several people waiting), I got the Borrowdale bus to Seatoller, from where it was one last climb up the road to Honister.

Just how fast are these little animals?

A very useful few hours out. It amuses me that these days 15 miles feels like a short run!

I’m really pleased that I have done these recce’s. Some of the route is a bit tricky to follow and there are a few route choices to make. The sheer quantity of ascent/descent and also the terrain, promise to make this a very tough endeavour.

In fact, it’s going to be brutal

There’ll be no racing for me; a finisher’s medal is all that’s required.