Tour of (some of) the Central and Western Lakeland Valleys - Saturday 25th June 2016

The plan was to visit a number of the main Lakeland valleys, using seven high passes; the 'seven' being based on my having reached the final year of my seventh decade. 'Seventy' somethings might have  been more apt, but I was at a loss to come up with anything that I could do 70 of.

The passes were to be as follows:-

1. The route from Great Langdale passing below Silver How and thence to Grasmere.

2. Easedale to Greenup Edge and down Greenup Gill to Stonethwaite in Borrowdale.

3. Honister Bridle Path (north side of the motor road) to Honister Quarries.

4. Loft Beck Crossing and down into Ennerdale.

5. Black Sail Pass to Wasdale Head.

6. Burnmoor Corpse Road to Boot in Eskdale.

7. Three Tarns back to Great Langdale.

Five of us toed the start line, a little later than planned, and on this occasion, I was not responsible for the delay! The wise three of the party had already judged that the planned route was a little ambitious, and had agreed that shortcutting for home, soon after Honister was a sensible option. I was planning to go for broke, and YJ went along with my aspirations, more, I feel, out of a sense of brotherly duty, than with any great expectation of success.

We crossed over to Grasmere successfully in good spirits and although I called for a photo-shoot in the village, no-one stopped and by the time I had got the camera out, there they were, gone:-

The photography was a little more successful on the way up Easedale:-

And again on Greenup Edge:-

The descent to Stonethwaite was a little slow and we could see that we were falling behind my sketchy schedule. However, we soldiered on and subsequently stopped at the Honister Quarry Sky Hi Cafe for refreshments. It was on the approach to the Quarry that we became aware of the amount of activity taking place all over Lakeland on our chosen day. There were a number of  parties awaiting, or already tending to, Bob Graham aspirants and at least one ultra event involving visiting the ten highest peaks in he area.

It was here that I agreed that my plan to complete the whole route was not achievable and that we would all return to Great Langdale together. We headed to the two Gables, passing to the west of Grey Knotts and Brandreth. At this point it appeared that the weather, which had so far been very kind might be taking a turn for the worse.

From another aspect, Great Gable is included in 'Britain's Favourite View', not appropriate for this exposure:-

Then we needed to plan our return in a little more detail:-

We opted for Windy Gap, between the Green and Great Gables, but I don't think anyone had remembered just how much scree was involved, both on the way up and on the way down. Near the col we met a runner who was looking for 'Joss's squad'. Apparently the big man was out celebrating his eightieth birthday with a run over 30 tops. We didn't see them but follow this link:- https://www.facebook.com/iwcharters/media_set?set=a.1213785458634583.1073742020.100000094225343&type=3 

We were in the clag for a little while and experienced some precipitation, but as we descended it cleared and we were able to doff our waterproofs again.

Then it was down to Sty Head, up to Esk Hause and on towards Rosset Gill:- 

On the descent we met a number of competitors in Triathlon X, follow this link:- http://www.wasdalex.co.uk/index.php/enter-2016 - and we thought we'd taken a lot on!

We reached the New Dungeon Gill complex just short of  12 hours after having left. Most of us feeling a trifle weary by then, but generally agreeing that we'd had a fine day out.

I'll sign off by thanking everybody for their company, navigation and for getting so far in front of me that I completely lost sight of them on only a few occasions. Hope you all got home safely.

Strange happenings at the Solstice

Last night saw the inaugural running of Airedale's Summer Solstice, a five mile trail race in the grounds of Bolton Abbey with a few mean hills thrown in.
Now some of you know that I have my own harem here in Settle and they were keen to do this race, so 12 of us, 11 ladies and me, set off for what turned into a good evening out. It was fair to say that there was a wide spectrum of running abilities at this event; the winner did 30:44, the first lady (who came second overall) did 31:52, whilst the slowest runner did 92:10. I ran 39:53 which was good enough to get me 1st V60 but is almost 10 minutes slower than my pb. Strange goings on in wfdbwgua in 2016; t'Y keeps getting 1st V60 in Parkruns and had an excellent 2nd in the Horwich 5k, and I won the Curley's series as well as last night. Now clearly neither t'Y or I are getting any faster, so I can only put it down to other good V60s having stopped running. Having said that, it is still nice to be first, whatever the circumstances.
Our evening was finished off with champagne (beer for me) and cakes as one of the harem had a significant birthday. A very enjoyable night out.

Saturday 18th June

I'm UTUPing.

A Tour of the Central and Western Lakeland Valleys - Saturday 25th June - A Weakened Warrior Promotion

I will shortly be emailing details to most everyone I can think of who may be interested in this long day out.

If you are interested but haven't heard from me by the 18th, please give me a nudge, either by commenting on this post, or via edswift@btinternet.com or on 07895 182 623.

A nice day in Yorkshire

In an effort to get myself back on track and as a sort of recovery run after the arduous near 46 hours of completing my first hundred.
I had hoped there would be a contingent of wfdbwgua contributors but on the day it was just TLoB and I, as TM was a dns due to her recurring foot problem.
I believe around 140 started in the event, with a mix of four distances and also a mix of runners and walkers. Setting off with quite a few making a fast pace in front, once an opportunity arose (the early bit goes through a narrow ginnel), I stopped and waited for TLoB was also accompanied by a young lady, Clare, from Settle Harriers. We then got into a rhythm and could see the quicker ones heading off in front, only to be caught when they went off route, something which TLoB was very familiar with.
The first checkpoint at Feizor arrived, nice flapjack and orange. Then it was a case of one path to Austwick and over to Clapham, more flapjack and orange, where we set off back with a climb over Oxenber Wood to return to Feizor and more flapjack and orange (think they also had choc chip cookies).
The return to Settle for Chris and Clare was via Little Stainforth for them to complete their 16 mile route in 3 hrs 11 minutes. I then continued with a chap from Burnley through Stainforth and passing Victoria Cave and Attermire Scar. A slight misinterpretation of the route instructions meant that we took the long way round via Stockdale Lane and by this time there were four of us. Have realised the error of our ways, I pressed on (only a quick stop at the next CP for flapjack) and got a bit of a gap so that it was purely dependent on my own interpretation. This seemed to work fairly well as I negotiated the southern end of the Saunter through Cleatop Wood and followed the route arriving some time ahead of them, finishing just inside 5 hours and having eaten my meal (the steak pie was very good quality) before they arrived.
Of the 38 on the long course, I was the second home at the finish, a bit unusual for me even where there is a mix of runners and walkers. My route was 23.8 miles with just under 2900ft of ascent, finishing 5 seconds inside 5 hours.
TM - a look at the flybys is quite interesting - for once I held back early on and didn't go flying off on the easy running bits.
An event that needs more support - they asked feedback and we can give it. One is that I like flapjacks but if you don't?
Weather was warm and humid early on with a nice cooling breeze once in more exposed areas. Hopefully there may be some photos that I can link to.

Two Out Of Four Ain't Good.

The four being The Austwick Amble, Henderson's End, Holcombe Two Towers and Two Lads. My plan was to do all four but circumstances dictated otherwise. The Amble was successfully completed in (for me) a good time despite the heat and the hard ground. Knowing that the last two miles were track and road, I gambled on the lack of rain and ran in road shoes. The gamble paid off as I went past half a dozen runners in the last mile and beat my target time.
Our Rebecca had come up for half-term and we decided to do Henderson's End. The plan was to run together as she was worried about her lack of hill training (a bit tricky on Worthing sea front), so being a loving father I duly waited for her until we reached the trig pillar. At that point, she decided that she would forget the old man and off she went! It made the second half of the race very interesting as she got away from me on the road and track bits and I gained on her on the two climbs and the rough stuff. However, the steps off the Pike did for me and Rebecca finished a minute ahead (and was 1st LV35).
Two down, two to go. However, it was not to be. Four weeks ago on the M5, an idiot driving a black Toyota swerved accross two lanes and hit the back of our car. He didn't stop but luckily we got his registration and a witness stopped to offer her help. All is now sorted except for my neck. For ten days it was very painful and then seemed to clear up. But this Tuesday I had to go for a medical assessment for the insurance company and since then my neck has been too sore to run. So no Holcombe and no Two Lads.
Next year??

Two Lads Race Thurs 9th June

Some good results from Horwich as a whole and also from members of our squad - in  my case, however, it was no longer a case of  fretting about whether I'd finish on the first page of the results, but rather whether I'd finish on the first day of the race!

Well done everybody else, and thank you to the bus conductor lady at the finish who didn't seem to be selling many tickets.

Maiden 100 completed

90 minutes into the LDWA Dorset 100

top photo by Simon Pipe
Composing this from our shared cottage here in Maiden Newton in Dorset, I am glad to report that I managed to successfully complete my first LDWA 100 mile event on Monday morning. But only just. Based on the recommendations on the organisers' website, I chose the noon start on Saturday : hindsight and had I sought advice from fellow East Lancs competitors would be that I should have gone for the 10am start with the majority (of the 491 starters, 57 started at noon and 27 at 2pm).

My plan was to mainly walk the first day (to breakfast CP at Beaminster) then run/jog where possible on the second half.

It soon became apparent that almost everyone on the noon start were running so that I could myself with a chap from London (but with still noticeable Glaswegian accent) at the back. The first few checkpoints came and went then someone caught us up. He had started at 12.20 having taken 7 hours to drive from Worcester for his 10am start (we thought it was bad enough taking 7 hours from Horwich on Friday!). Despite being at the back of my start group, I was way ahead of my 3mph schedule. That was the good point. The bad point was that as early as 5 miles I could feel my right little toe rubbing and by CP2 (16.8 miles), I decided to change to my second pair of socks - I had a spare pair for the first half then two more pairs in my breakfast bag.

The fastest of the 2pm starters caught me up by CP2 at Brantspuddle  and then I started to catch the slower of the 10 am starters during the next leg to Dewlish CP3. By evening, my feet were really starting to suffer. I caught a group with a couple of fellow East Lancs members and stayed with them to CP4 Ansty arriving about 20 minutes after darkness. This was a really busy CP and I was now amongst a good number of fellow competitors. Normally I would able to get a move on, probably walking with a suitable group but my blisters needed attending to. I also decided to wait for fellow East Lancs walker who had reccied the next section. Probably 45 to 50 minutes spent at the CP and 11pm on leaving. Despite the bit of knowledge we still managed to go slightly astray (may have been a route alteration) but continued through the night to the next CP5 at Buckland Newton (38.8 miles at 2.05am) and CP6 now light at Worden Hill (46.4 at 5.40am).

As it was now light, I decided to have only a short break at the CP and then moved to quickly regain some lost time to arrive at Evershot CP7 at around 7.11am, some 25 minutes ahead of my erstwhile colleagues. A far too short break there then away heading to the Breakfast stop at Beaminster. Having gone off route for an unplanned extra stop, on my return a young lady walker from Leeds caught me up. I didn't recall overtaking her because she had been having a nap at the Evershot. We walked together a bit but she moved ahead being suitably refreshed..

I passed a couple more arriving at Beaminster about 3 hours later than I hoped to be greeted by Julie and my friends from East Lancs (who run the Breakfast CP) with my feet in a very sorry state.

Whilst waiting for food I was also a bit feint.

Would I be able to continue? I must have used almost the maximum of the two hours permissible then headed on me way for the second "half" (the breakfast stop was at 57.6 miles). Soon after leaving Beaminster there was an extremely steep hill - even with my love of ascending, I found it tough. After an hour, the ibuprofen etc began to kick in I started to feel a little more positive. I even ran most of the final 1.7 miles (according to my garmin, 1.2 according to the route description!) to the next checkpoint at the most westernmost point, Blackwood. The bit was between my teeth so I start to move quite well gradually hauling in a few in front of me to CP10 (Netherbury, 71.9 miles). Julie had managed to contact me and arranged to meet me en route and walk the last mile or two to the checkpoint, arriving at 6.05pm. I met her just after wading through a sort of ford with no alternative route, soaking my blistered feet. Maybe a slightly longer stop than planned and a change of socks then on my way, passing a few to get to CP11 at Powerstock (76.5 miles) just before dark at 8.52pm. Quickly away and up through Eggardon Hill, catching another walker as the descent started. Then a problem - the first time the route description caused me a problem and I could not determine the correct route, so I waited for the next group, and we managed to hit lucky and pick up the correct route. I decided to stay with them despite much of the remainder of the leg being on roads on which I could have easily gone with greater speed. We arrived at CP12, Loders at 0.39 am and realising that time was pressing and were only 20 minutes inside the cutoff, three of decided to push on at a faster pace as the next cutoff was 4.40am at CP13, Long Bredy (90.7 miles). One of the three of us was struggling a little, especially on the uphill and a eventually we were caught by other small groups resulting in about 20 of us together navigating through the dark. Once light, I and a couple of others made a bee-line to get to the CP, and although we all narrowly missed the time, common sense prevailed and we were allowed to continue. Despite it being 4.30 in the morning, Julie was there waiting me to encourage me to make the checkpoint in time. She had also been using her persuasive skills to convince that it would be grossly to unfair to time us all out at 90 miles if we looked capable of completing. So I made sure I was moving as fast as I could as I ran into the checkpoint! With barely a few minutes respite, I hit the next leg with a vengeance and managed to claw back my my four minutes lateness to arrive at the final checkpoint, Portesham at 6.32am, with some 28 minutes to spare. This gave me a little recovery time and most of the final group set off at around 6.50am to head towards and along the Wessex Ridgeway. This should have been straightforward, 6.5 miles with 3 hours to do it in, now daylight and no great navigational complexities. However, the surface was akin to walking  on rocky desert - it looks like easy paths on a ridge, but it was rock hard and rutted everywhere. Added to this was a howling cold cross-wind.
Eventually I dropped down to the valley where Julie was waiting with the gate open so we were all saved one final stile to climb over. She then walked in with me along the final couple of miles of road. Just before turning into the finish at the School I was greeted with surprise by Neil Shuttleworth.
The finish at an LDWA Hundred is quite overwhelming - everyone is clapping and cheering you in as if you had just won the Olympic Marathon. It is quite amazing.
After sitting, gathering my thoughts, chatting to members of East Lancs who were there, removing my shoes and going to thank a couple who had helped me through the night stage to Long Bredy, we headed to find the medical team to get my feet sorted as they were very painful.
While waiting for my turn with medic, I began to feel quite dizzy so my feet had to wait while they carried me to the bed, gave me oxygen and took blood tests. Everything was ok apart from low levels of potassium, probably a bit of heat stroke and dehydration. Bananas were sought and provided and water to sip as I gradually came round sufficiently to have my blisters treated. After 20 minutes or so, I was deemed sufficiently recovered to get to Julie's car (which she was able to bring to the fire exit) and then she took me back to the cottage where I went to bed for three hours' sleep. I never got chance to sample the meal at the finish : maybe that's for next time.
On completion, I thought there is no chance of going through that again. However, we'll see. I have never run/walked on such feet damaging surface before, but I was determined to complete. If I do next year's hundred (North York Moors), I will have the opportunity to recce the night sections, which will save time, and hopefully prepare my feet to hopefully reduce the impact of blisters. I will also make use of the 10am start to give me more spare time, and eat more food.
Memo to TLoB - you told me there are no hills darn Sarf - Dorset is not that far away from Wokingham and they certainly have hills!
I know this is not a fell race, but if you considered each of the 15 legs as if they were fell races, legs 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14 have enough ascent per mile to be classed as category B and overall there is an average of nearly 140ft per mile over the 101.7 miles.
Most of us also believed the route to be at least 104 miles : I did have it recorded on my Garmin but some glitch wiped at least 70 miles of recording. At the time it was showing about 4 miles more than the listed mileage and I am sure only about a mile of that could be put down to bad navigation and movement into the halls used for checkpoints. An app on my phone did record 57,000 steps for Saturday from midday to midnight.
Who's doing the Settle Saunter next Saturday?

The Foot Pain Mystery Continues...

After YJ being my knight in shining running gear on Saturday and driving my van home from Elterwater, I rang the GP's surgery today for my MRI scan results...

'NO FURTHER ACTION NEEDED'

That is what was relayed to me by the receptionist in a thrilled voice as, obviously, she thought this would be good news.  I suppose, in a way, it is good news as it means no arthritis, no gout, no stress fracture, no tendon damage, no muscle damage...

...but what DOES it mean?

It means that I am still non the wiser as to why I'm getting this weird foot pain.  What could it be which doesn't show up on an MRI scan yet caused enough pain to make me feel sick and dizzy on Saturday?

I have an appointment with the doctor (although not my fellow Horwich RMI doctor) next Friday to discuss the results but there doesn't really seem like much to discuss, does there?

I'm very bored of my elliptical trainer now and the sun is beckoning me!

t'Y

Many congratulations to t'Y on completing the 100 mile event. A brilliant effort!

Racing in Lancashire

In the next ten days, I am going to do three races in Lancashire
Henderson's End.   June 2nd
Holcombe Two Towers.   June 8th
Two Lads.  June 9th
Anyone wish to join me?

Saturday 21st May

YJ and I plan to UTUP this coming Saturday. John is looking for a longish run, I will only be doing about 90 minutes due to having to report back home for domestic duties.

Coope's Eleven Planned for Wednesday 25th May

In the interests of improving my fitness for my planned Seven Passes on Saturday June 25th, YJ and I will be attempting a very slightly reduced 'Dozen', as indicated in the above headline. assembly point and start time will be announced later this week.

All welcome.

Also, all welcome for the Seven Passes, which will be a very long Lakeland day out. Full details on application - and no, TM, this isn't a proper event, just another of my silly ideas - but don't they, generally, work out OK?

Six Legs, Two Heads, One Tale...

...with apologies to TM for borrowing her blog title.

On Thursday 12th May I had driven my car to the Vauxhall dealer in Chorley for its annual service and MOT test. I was running home along the Leeds Liverpool Canal, having joined it at Bridge 75 (Hoggs Lane), planning to leave at the Douglas Aqueduct and finish along the A6.

Two young women passed me, running towards Chorley, followed by a small brown terrier. I shouted something to them about it being cruel to make such a small dog run so fast and they turned to say that it wasn't theirs, it had just tagged on. I suggested that they should shoo it back whence it had come. They did this and it then, fairly predictably, she (more on this later) tagged on to me.

She was a bonny little dog, friendly and only a puppy. Having been adopted, I then felt honour bound to find her owner. So I asked everyone I met, whether walking, running or barging, and most wanted to chat about the problem; this delayed progress somewhat. Realising that very soon we would be passing some road bridges I thought she should be put on a lead and kept my eyes open for a piece of string or similar.

Luckily, a lady dog-walker, walking in the Chorley direction, lent me her lead, saying that her dog (Eddie!) didn't really need it just then. So, with my new canine friend in tow, I continued homewards asking everyone I met whether they had met my pooch previously - none had. Eventually, the lead lady caught me up, having turned back towards Adlington on her way home. She lived overlooking the canal and as we reached her house, she went indoors to find another lead, that she had no use for - I continued on my way with my new, replacement pink (!) lead.

I left the canal at bridge 68 and continued towards the A6, but pooch became very nervous as we approached the main road and I decided to see if the pet shop would take charge until I could return in the OSH's car (mine, you will remember, if you have been paying attention was still at the Vauxhall garage) so that I could search for somewhere that could scan for a chip. The pet shop lady was dubious - the last time anyone did this, it was an alsatian that they left, and they never returned! Anyway, she must have thought I looked honest, or possibly too gormless to have come up with this idea and I was allowed to leave sans hound.

I did return not much later to be told that the owner had been contacted and was on her way to collect. Apparently, the pet shop chips tortoises (or Esio Trot, as Dustin Hoffman/Roald Dahl  would have you believe) and had a scanner and, after a few phone calls had tracked the owner down to the farm with the sand quarry - no, I didn't know there was one in Adlington either. The owner duly arrived and was immediately reunited with her puppy.

Four further bits of info:- 1. the puppy was a little boy called Tom, although this hadn't been obvious from my cursory examination. 2. The lead lady wants to take up running, so you may yet get to meet  her. 3. My elderly Astra passed its MOT at the first attempt. 4. The puppy was a Plummer Terrier:- https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dog+plummer+terrier&espv=2&biw=1600&bih=775&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjlk4G5nNrMAhUsDMAKHWZ7D5MQsAQIMw

Not a bad outcome, all told.

Saturday 4th May

According to information received, there will be several of us reporting for UTUP duty tomorrow.

Mountain bikes

This is a bit of a rant!
We had to go to Bolton last night to mind the grandsons (long story), so this morning I got up early, drove to Horwich , parked by the Jolly Crofters and went for a run. All was well until Winter Hill summit but then I started getting cross. I took the path towards Noon Hill which had been churned up by mountain bikes, making running awkward. Now this morning was dry and the ground was about as dry as that path ever gets, so it was manageable. However, in less clement conditions it would have been very difficult. The path between Noon Hill and the Pike had also been used by MBs, although it was not as churned up (yet).
Because I do most of my running inside a National Park where there are Rangers and Wardens, I don't come accross this problem at home. However, for all you good people and all other fell runners in Horwich, it must be a right pain. I thought MBs could only go on bridleways and other designated tracks, not on footpaths. Is there no way of rectifying this problem?
End of rant.

Saturday run

I will be UTUPing tomorrow for a slow run. Will anyone be joining me?

Short, Curley's and prizes

The final race in the Curley's 5k series took place last night and it turned out to be a very successful evening. The weather was much better than last time, and although it did snow on me whilst I was warming up, the ground was much drier and so running through the woods was less treacherous.
Before the race I knew what I had to do in terms of my overall position but I got a big shock when t'Y shot past me before we had reached the houses at the Arcon works. He also went past Tony Hesketh and I began to think he must have doped up before the start. However, going up the steep hill, he started to pay for his exuberance and I had passed him back before we reached Georges Lane. From there on it was a question of trying to maintain the pace; last time I said I didn't mind the uphill finish but this time it seemed to go on for ever, and I really struggled. Eventually it was over and I was delighted to see my main rival in the V60 category finish behind me. t'Y had a blinder, knocking three minutes off his previous time despite his over enthusiastic start. SWINW knocked four minutes off her time and was very pleased as well.
The organisers soon had the results out and we had further cause to celebrate as there was a Beesley double success. SWINW was 1st LV60 overall and I was 1st V60, my first ever win in all my years of running. To cap a perfect evening, Roisin, one of my running group back in Settle, was 3rd lady. It would have been rude not to celebrate, so we just had to go to the pub to finish off a great night.

Out with my Blackpool peers

On a bitterly cold April morning 437 runners faced a strong northerly wind last Sunday to complete the  Blackpool marathon which YJ had selected as the first step in his quest to go sub four during 2016.

The speedwork  provided by the parkrun series certainly paid off with times of 3.58.33 (gun) and 3.57.53 (chip) and splits for the two halves of 1.56.36  and 2.01.27  and an average pace of 9 min.5 secs per mile for the full distance.

A successful day, perhaps, except I was beaten in to 2nd place in the  over 65 category by the same 76 year old who beat me at Snowdon last October. So, having achieved the sub  four target so early in the year  the obvious challenge is to close the gap on D. Gardner before the end of the year.  I may need some help.

Saturday 23rd April

KLM and I reported for duty and he agreed to go with my plan which was the 'climbs' :- from the Bottom Barn to Noon Hill, back down to George's Lane, Trig Point, Two Lads, Georges Lane, Pike, George's Lane, then round again.

On our first climb up the Pike we passed the  time of day briefly with a big black guy and his lady.  He said something about it being a cold day and I replied by suggesting that he should try moving a bit quicker.  About half a minute later he ran past me (I was walking) then he passed Kev (who was running) and continued to sprint all the way up to the tower.

When I finally joined him at the top I shook his hand and said "well done" and he replied by admitting that he ran every day. I asked him if he raced and he just said "No, 2 Para". Kev, who also has a military background was able to find some common ground to discuss with our new found friend, and we parted, I think, on good terms.

Nice to know that we are being defended by fit young men, no wonder the Argies didn't hold on to the Falklands for very long.

I can just imagine him letting us get a few yards in front, then handing his coat to his lady and setting off after us with a confident grin and words along the lines of "Watch this!".

Overall, this was a grand outing, made all the better by this amusing encounter with a member of our armed forces.

A Change of Plan

The Bros met at the Stickle Barn/NDG car park on Sunday 17th April, planning to 'run' the first part of the Old County Tops route. However, a slightly delayed start, the fairly early realisation that one of us (?) was somewhat lacking in the fitness department and a small detour over Silver How while we tried a route variation, meant that on reaching Grasmere we headed straight up to Far Easedale, rather than heading for Helvellyn.

This effectively changed the outing from a re-visit of part of the OCT to a part recce of my Seven Passes outing, a 35 mile route planned for Saturday 25th June.

During the ascent we were passed by a number of descending runners on a RAB mini mountain marathon. We were able to give Albert a shout, but didn't see KLM who was on the same event but managed to sustain a sprained ankle.

We got as far as Sergeant Man before returning to the cars via Stickle Tarn. A good, if somewhat truncated, outing, on a fine, clear day.

Can you name the tops?

My Need for Distance

Given my new found need for long distance running/ambling/hobbling, I have been trying to do something of at least 20 miles every couple of weeks.  I have quite a few LDWA events lined up but I'm at a loss for something to do towards the end of May as nothing in the calendar suits (I did toy with the Old County Tops but fear I might die on that one, plus I can't imagine anyone wanting to run it with me).

I was just wondering whether anyone fancied doing something on either Saturday 21 May, Saturday 28 May or Sunday 29 May, even if just doing a recce of a local event like that White Bear Way (albeit the actual White Bear Way will only be a month after but who cares!).

At some point in the year, I'm definitely going to go back to Ambleside and redo the Spring in Lakeland run, it's the most scenic of these long distance runs I've done so far, I loved it!  If anyone fancies joining me on that one either on the above weekends or at some other time, give me a shout.  I can quite often get days off work midweek.

Too Much Weight Loss?

Not having much personal success at present, I decided to seek some vicarious glory through snail racing.

My molluscular acquisition, racing under the name of Les Cargo, was doing very well but hadn't actually won anything, so I decided that losing a bit of weight might help him and removed his shell.

Unfortunately, this just made him sluggish.

Alternative Spring in Lakeland

I shall be traveling to  Langdale on Sunday to meet up with EtU who will be driving over from Santon with the intention of running the first part of the Old County Tops route,  a sort of nostalgic trip into our past.  

How close we follow the route will depend on our rate of progress,  our physical condition and our ability to not get lost.  From the New Dungeon Ghyll we plan to run over to Grasmere, then to Grisedale tarn, Helvellyn and Wythburn, leading to Greendale Edge and then if time permits via either Stake Pass or Angle Tarn and back to the ODG.

At our best we reached Angle Tarn in 4hr  14min and our worst was 5hr 30min  so we may well end up looking for a short cut back to our cars

I will have three spare seats in the car and if anyone wants to join us I can be at the Hob Inn at 7.15 am  with a view to meeting EtU at 9  am. Let me know.

In the meantime EtU and myself will be UTUPping for a shortish run on Saturday morning.

Short, Curley's and mud

The second race in the Curley's 5k series took place last Wednesday in some very wild weather. Ten minutes before the race started, runners warming up were hit by a cosmic machine gun firing hail stones at them. It did stop just before the race, but it turned the ground in Wilderswood into a morrass.
I had come first V60 in race run but only by less than a minute, so my tactics were to start fast, push hard up the climb and then hang on. My plan worked almost too well as going into Wilderswood I was just behind Tony Hesketh. However, it soon became clear that he had saved something for the descent and he pulled away easily. The biggest problem was trying to stay upright on the muddy surface. I quite like the uphill finish as my lack of leg speed makes less difference and I finished in 25.07, this time almost two minutes ahead of my rival. t'Y was 3rd V60 - the race being far too short for him as he is training to run 100 miles at the end of May.
Dehydration being a serious problem and the grandsons having been returned to the bosom of their family, we went to the pub to finish off an enjoyable evening.

That was cool

Just when you think it is safe to go out in the sun again, winter returns with a  vengeance. The forecast for Wednesday's run over  Winter Hill was not good but EtU still turned up in shorts and I set off without a hat. We should both have known better.

By the time we reached the trig point the rain was turning solid and the wind was strong enough to blow us off the path. At its worst the blizzard was turning my tracksters white and EtU's legs blue.  It wasn't sticking on the ground but the combination of wind and precipitation was bringing us close to hypothermia.  

It was with relief that we reached the Lower Barn and the comfort of our car heaters.  Back home She Who Must be Obeyed was sat in the garden with a drink, in another world completely. What a climate.

Saturday

I shall be UTUPing on Saturday (8.30 at the lower barn for any new readers) planning to further my preparation for the Blackpool Marathon with  a run over Winter Hill, through Belmont, past the Roddleworth reservoirs to Abbey Village and then returning via White Coppice, over 18 miles in total.

More praise

Just to add to the other comments about TF's presentation last Thursday, we found it very informative and Christina who having worked in Dentistry has received training in the past, says it was the best instruction she'd been given. Thanks for the excellent food as well.

A Frog Broke My Ribs...

...and nearly got me arrested.

We're really into spring now and the first three signs are there on Winter Hill:- larks (or as FSS would say 'laverocks') ascendent, curlews calling and a frog run over on the mast road.

There begins my story. I was most ways through my Extended Climbs session, having run from the Top Barn to Noon Hill, then down to George's Lane, up to the Trig Point, down and up the Ramp, with just Two Lads and the Pike to go, when there he was. Not run over, but seemingly injured. Only managing little jumps (frogs don't hop, hopping is done on one leg) and making very poor progress towards the pool inside the mast enclosure. Every time he landed his legs went all skew wiff and he had to untangle them before his next attempt. It was obvious that he wouldn't be able to clear the little concrete wall that underpins the wire fence; so I went into Good Samaritan mode.

Overcoming my dislike of all things slimey and wriggly I picked him up and, baulking at the thought of throwing him over the fence, I entered the enclosure to drop him over the lower rail that surrounds the pool. Unfortunately he landed on his back so I leaned over to right him and at that moment heard an authoritative voice demanding to know what I was doing. I began to offer a brief explanation but was interrupted by the same voice telling me in no uncertain terms to get out. I was hoping to be able to admit that my explanation may have seemed a trifle lame but decided not to enrage the owner of the voice further and as I leaned over the fence to give Freddie (by now we were on first name terms) a final nudge, I felt something crack at the bottom of my ribcage - and it wasn't the fence.

So there we go. Possibly some exaggeration and sensationalism (I am from a family of journalists and a Daily Mail reader to boot) in the headline, but much of the above is true. I can still run, but coughing is painful. Hopefully the pain will subside reasonably soon.

I have no picture of Freddie, but for those of who don't know what a frog looks like:-

More thanks...

..to TF for the  very professional  first aid presentation last Thursday and also for the hospitality. Was a most pleasant evening.

Thanks TF :-)

Just wanted to say thanks to the toothfairy for the first aid training last night.  It was very informative and I definitely learned a thing or two, especially the bit about lifting up the chin which I knew nothing about before!

Thanks also for the great spread of food!  I'd like to say that I still have some of the cakes left which I brought home with me but I'd just be lying, they didn't even see it through to this morning.

Thanks again!

Short and Curley's

A new series of three short, 5k, trail races from Curley's restaurant started last night. It wasn't a Horwich race but it was in Horwich and SWINW wanted to do it. Unfortunately she has a just had about 4 weeks off running due to a combination of hurting her back and bad asthma. But she decided to walk/run it, so we filled a car up from Settle and drove down on a sunny but chilly evening. The sun was quite problematic on the downhill start to Wallsuches and also in Wilderswood as it made seeing where you were running quite tricky. It was also muddy in places so I don't know how the many runners in road shoes got on.  The uphill finish was tough but soon over.
I was second of the Settle four, beaten by Jill and followed home by Roisin and Anne, and more amazingly, was 1st V60, my first ever category victory in an open race. It will probably never happen again and probably says more about the quality of the field more than my performance, but I will die a happy man!

Did You Know That Canaries Are Black?

Well, at least parts of them are.

Just back from a week on La Palma, which is an island in its own right, not to be confused with Las Palmas which is the main city on the island of Gran Canaria.

A few snaps:-

Typical mountain terrain, at about 3,000 ft on the flank of Mount Negra.

Looking down into the crater of Volcan San Antonio.

Whilst back at sea level:-

La Palma prides itself on having the most extreme height to surface area ratio of any island in the world. With a high point of 7,959ft on an area of only 273 square miles, that's almost believable - but do Scottish sea stacks not qualify as islands?

By the way, noted that our Salford friend has has treated herself to a personalised number plate, but it would seem that this has been financed by economising on the valeting:-

Pike Race

One of my ambitions for 2016 is to do as many Horwich races as possible, so yesterday I drove the 50 miles down from Settle along with Anne and my clubmate Richard who I had persuaded to also do the race.
The weather was not as nice as last year but from the runners point of view it turned out to be an unexpected bonus. After the usual pleasantries(??!!) had been exchanged we lined up on Lever Park Avenue read for the off. t'Y set off next to me but quickly dropped me before we reached the school. However, as soon as it ramped up I started passing people, partly thanks to being able to train on the steeper hills at home and partly because I was being blown by the wind. I got to the top in just under 17 mins and didn't lose any places on the steep part of the descent. But as soon as the upper quarry was passed my lack of leg speed came into play and I lost about half a dozen places before the finish. But I was over two minutes faster than last year, so I was well pleased.
TYC was first home from wfdbwgua in the excellent time of 21.35. A long way behind were my good self in 27.13, t'Y in 28.21, YJ (1st V75) in 31.56 and EtU in 36.15. (My apologies if I have missed anyone). My thanks to Horwich RMI for putting the race on, a  good day out .

I ran with the Ghurkas...

...and the Navy, the Air Force and the Army. The Fleet half marathon being situated so close to Aldershot naturally attracts many entries from the Services and as such is well supported by the community  as well as being a big attraction to myself  because of family connections with the area.

Last Sunday's race had 2574 finishers, including myself in 1079th place. After a disappointing result last year I had high hopes that improved training times linked to the speedwork the Parkruns provides would yield better results. 

 And they did. Gun time of 1.48.21 was 2mins  9secs better while the chip time knocked 1min 35secs off last year to put me first over 75 and third over 70.

Plane spotting

Item on the news tonight. Eddie Swift arrested in Kenya for plane spotting!

|Away days

At least two regulars will not be UTUPing on Saturday (19th).  I will be out of the county for the weekend competing in the Fleet half marathon and EtU will be out of the country running, or possibly sunning himself, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic.

Ran Hobble to plan - shame the plan was wrong again

Last year I had set off far too quickly and suffered later for my exuberance. This year I went through my mile splits from last year and set a schedule which was up to a minute per mile slower for the first few miles. It almost worked out exactly with my time being just two and a half minutes slower. But it could have been so much better. I think the moderate strength of the headwind for the first six miles meant I was working harder than I should have been so should have slowed by a further minute per mile. TM had an excellent run and I should have stopped to wait to run with her (I started further up the field due to arriving at the start line at the last minute - it was a good five minutes late starting due to the long queues at registration). At one point I was six minutes ahead of her but she caught me at the hot dog station where we joined the Calderdale Way. The next section along Stoney Lane was particularly wet underfoot and Christa moved ahead of me. It was a good job that I took ibuprofen at Mankinholes as just after Stoodley Pike me right knee became painful. The next descent was slow but after that the painkillers started to take effect I started to get back to my schedule (slightly quicker than last year for the second half). The schedule would have brought me home in 7:10, three and a half minutes faster than last year, but I had to settle for 7:16, still quicker than my first hobble, nearly thirty years ago. I was just out-sprinted crossing the road by the first F60 - no doubt there were numerous M60s in front of me.
Yesterday, we spent the morning on the Kieghley and Worth Valley Railway with just a little walking and by the time I had driven home I was as achy as I have ever been after a race. Hopefully I will have recovered sufficiently for Sunday's Two Crosses.

Black Combe Sat 12th March 2016 (Championship Fell Race)

I'll be the first to admit that preparation this year had lacked a little focus. The foot square weighing machine in the bathroom had been side-stepped every morning and the 'winter' work uniform was still in use past the first day of Spring.

So the beginning of the week saw me fretting about cut-off times, something I'd thought would be a few years away for this race. For the un-initiated, this race starts with a 150m dash across a farmer's field, jumping a 4ft wide ditch with the aim to be first through a 10ft wide gate. It's a bit of a crush with an average entry of 120, this year the entry was 700+! Even allowing for a 25% drop-out rate come race day, it was going to be 5x the number to squeeze through. Despite the weekly track sessions at Sport City, it'd be unlikely I'd be elbowing the likes of Rob Hope and Ian Holmes out of the way. At best guess it would be probably 10mins before I was out through the gate.

By Tuesday a rainbow had appeared over the gloom. The RO's instructions had arrived via email and the Ladies were being set off ahead of the Men. Chivalry prevails in the sport of Fell Running!

Race day arrived. After 6 years of practice the weather was perfect, wall to wall CLAG!! Vic Wilkinson of Bingley led us ladies off at 12:00pm, the men followed 10 mins later. Vic demonstrated a master class in fell running, leading from the front and running the whole route on her own, and finishing before the men. The leading male group ran round in a trio. Need I say anymore!!!

Further back, well given the weather you'd  expect a few tales of woe and as they say every picture paints a 1000 words. Below is a Strava trace of those brave enough to post.



For my part of the proceedings, it was interesting racing against the Blokes usually 10mins ahead. Amusing to be passed for a 2nd time by the same ones. Particularly glad of the Cow Bell calling us in to the last CP on the south summit of Black Combe (vis down to 20m). Twitchy on the final path descent (having fallen on similar terrain 1 months previously). Not so amusing to realise I'd created Mea Culpa by missing the turn off for the last bit, almost heading back to CP1, before correcting myself. I'd been running on the RHS of the path to avoid all the slippy/trippy stuff and hadn't realised the turn off was so easy to miss. Won't be doing that again. Thankfully it was only a slight detour and I didn't lose any places because of it.

For those who enjoy a few stats the results are now on the race website which can be found at www.blackcombe.fellrace.org.uk

Not quite a PW for me, but it was close, a matter of 16 secs. A slow, steady performance all things considered. Still ranking as my favourite race. Long may it continue (fitness permitting)

TF

Apologies

Due to circumstances beyond his control, The Lord of Brentford regrets to announce that he will not be UTUPing on Saturday after all. He hopes that this late change of plans has not inconvenienced any of his friends.

Saturday

The Lord of Brentford wishes to announce that he will be UTUPing this coming Saturday. He looks forward to enjoying the company of his wfdbwgua friends.

Stan Bradshaw Round

I missed this race last year due to injury and so was determined to get round this time. Anne had to drive me as I have damaged my scaphoid bone (again) and we got there in good time. We saw TF at registration but there was no sign of EtU. Just as we were being counted through the start, he appeared having clearly been taking lessons from t'Y on time keeping.
The start is an uphill drag of about a mile on road and then it is straight up Pendle. It was here we had our first taste of what was to come, snow, mud or a mixture of both. In places it was quicker to walk uphill because any attempts at running ended in sliding backwards. After the summit it was a long steady descent to the next two checkpoints, then a nasty little climb followed by a long slippy traverse. I had been looking forward to the next nit as it was a steady climb which I had enjoyed on the recce. However, today it was a mud slide and I had to walk the first bit. Over the top and then a diversion from the normal route, followed by a tricky descent through a wood (one unfortunate lady had a bad fall here and was taken to hospital) and then back down the road to the finish.
Tea, soup and then more tea with EtU and TF made a pleasant end to a great morning out. For the record the course was just over 9.5 miles and just under1600ft of ascent. I took 1hr 53m, TF 2hr 08mn and sadly EtU had to drop out but it didn't stop him enjoying his dead pig butty!

Saturday 5th March

I'm trying the Stan Bradshaw Pendle Round, so won't be UTUPing. It's a sort of re-routed Half Tour. EOD £7, starts at 11:00 from Barley.

Lift/s offered if anyone fancies it.

Ask TF for route details.

Was last man home last year, so things can only get better - 'but what chance a DNF?' do I hear you ask?

White bear way

Would love to recce WBW but as I am planning  to run the Lostock 6 on Sunday this would be unwise. I will be available for a second recce in the next few weeks if anyone else is interested.

I will be UTUPing tomorrow for a couple of hours.

White Bear Way Recce tomorrow

I'm planning a long run tomorrow and thought I'd do the WBW route (21 miles), but starting either from home or at the barn depending on whether anyone wants to join me.

If you fancy it, let me know by the end of the day and I'll meet you at the UTUP. Otherwise, if I'm on my own, I might just have a lie in and run from home.

If you fancy it but don't want to run the whole distance, there are loads of places you can turn back to shorten it.

TM

Amble PW

Apologies for taking so long to add my thoughts on the Amble. Suffice to say I've had a busy week job-hunting, learning new skills through training courses and correcting sloppy reporting in the media. Hopefully the job-hunting effort will bear fruit this week with numerous interviews.

This was the first occasion that my better half and I had both entered an athletics event - I'll not call it a race as it is not, it is a challenge event, but you would be surprised how competitive walkers are in these events. Julie and fellow Macchu Piccu adventurer, Jackie, made their debut on the 16 mile challenge whilst I was on the 24 mile event, with a plan to run in under six hours.
I had run over Winter Hill and up to Darwen Tower on the previous Wednesday, nearly 18 miles at sub 12 minute mile pace so everything looked optimistic for a decent time as the conditions, although cold, represented no barriers to a reasonable performance.
The start as ever was somewhat chaoitic, but at least I wasn't late. It was obvious that numerous walkers were early with some possibly setting off as early as 7.30! I took it reasonably steady early on but by the time we got on the mast road found that I was walking part of it - unusual for me but it did not concern me as I was well ahead of schedule for 6 hours. First checkpoint done and then through the kissing gate to descend towards the San Marino. 200 metres from the gate I came to a halt. My ribs were in pain. I'd felt a bit of discomfort on the the previous Wednesday's run but this just stopped me and I thought my AA may be over. I supect this is a recurrence of the injury at Decathlon two years ago which prevented me starting the Haworth Hobble. I walked a little and had a few abortive attempts at running but thought that I will just have to walk the rest if that is all I can do. After 5 minutes TM (Temporarily Misplaced aka Christa) came whizzing passed me. After 10 minutes I was able to cope with slow paced running.

Chatting with a bloke from Chipping

Having crossed Belmont Road, I found myself chatting to a fellow runner as we followed the route which took us to the east of Belmont before heading for the Strawbury Duck. I didn't know him but he knew me, as he'd been sweeper on the Pendle Cloughs fell race in 2014. I'd been persuaded to do the race by Albert as training for my GRP. My relationship with Pendle is not great and ultimately I retired after running from the previous checkpoint with the sweeper. At least the hours of toil did benefit me in my build-up for the GRP. He also said that he knew Ed and YJ, having supported Ed on his BG (20 years ago?). We ran together for the next 15 minutes. Just after leaving the road near Belmont Reservoir he headed off a bit quicker than me whilst I toiled with the terrain. Navigating the mud, I finally reached and crossed the Bolton to Darwen Road.

The incident

A couple of girls had got in front of me and took the northern side of the gully/beck which heads towards the pylons : I decided the southern track was likely to be a little drier. After about 100 metres I glanced to the left and saw what I first thought was someone delving into their backpack. I then heard shouts the revealed a more serious situation. I crossed the beck and heard "Quick, help, he's dying". I think there was either one or two on the scene with a chap on the floor and I was instructed to take over CPR. There was no pulse, no breathing. We kept going. As other runners reached, we shared out the CPR and after a few seconds (it seemed a lot longer), there were signs of life and he started to breathe. However, it was intermittent and we kept losing him. Eventually, after about 10 minutes, he was breathing continuously but still of great concern. A young lad also arrived on the scene - later an article in the Manchester Evening News appeared which reads as if he single-handedly saved the man's life! He contributed in the same way that half a dozen of us did, but the critical work had been done by the time he arrived. If anyone needs singling out, it was a South African lady who organised us into sharing the workload. I now believe that she was a nurse or at least had a nursing background.
Meanwhile, the emergency services had been contacted (using Michelle Sunter's phone I think) and told we were just off the A666 so odd that Bolton MR went first to Belmont! As well as Michelle and Abigail, YJ and Kev arrived. Kev supplied a bivvy bag which was important in heat retention - I know YJ was feeling the cold. I think adenalin was keeping me warm. Kev headed to the road to aid the emergency services when they arrived. 15 minutes after the incident started (exact times taken from my gpx track), the paramedic arrived so YJ and I decided that we were no longer needed. I recognised the runner as being the guy from Chipping who I had been running with - we were able to see his number which confirmed this - he had also parked just behind us and I knew he was 150 to my 146 from our arrival at the previous checkpoint. One of us thought he said his name was Colin so he probably wondered why we kept calling him Colin when in fact I found it to be Keith (I now also know his surname). Following our departure, we could hear the helicopter arrive and he was airlifted to Wythenshawe Hospital where he is recovering.
Sorry that it is so detailed, but there was much misinformation with the MEN article so the truth needed clarifying.

Back to the event

I ran with a John for awhile but the rib pain returned. At Batridge CP I took some ibuprofen in the hope that the pain would ease off. A mix of walk and gentle run which I now realised would be the formula for the remainder of the day. On Darwen Moor I caught up with Michelle and Abigail. Michelle was walking due to knee problems. Darwen Tower came and went and I was able to run on the ridge heading for Slipper Lowe. I caught up with a group  heading up Great Hill and then at the final bit of ascent caught up with Julie and Jackie, who to their amazement were not last of the 16 mile walkers. After a chat I headed on and finally after White Coppice managed a steady 13 minute pace for the last three and a half miles to finish in 6hrs 45.
Whether I get to the Haworth Hobble will depend on the next couple of weeks. I ran four miles on Wednesday and 5 miles including 5k in 22:57 this morning without rib issues so my next long run will be the decider.
As for YJ's suggestion it was a good day out, I am not so sure. From a running viewpoint, it certainly was not for me, probably not for Ed, and I don't think our friend Keith would want another day like last Saturday.

Amble

Better weather than we could have hoped for on the Amble, given all the recent rain, but still some slippery and boggy sections.

The day was somewhat marred for a number of us caught up in the collapse of  one of the runners halfway between Belmont and The Strawbury Duck.  KLM was more involved providing a bivvy bag and legging it back to the road to await the arrival of the ambulance.  Other runners were torn between not wanting to rush off seeming incompassionate and at the same time not wanting to appear as spectators.  When the paramedics arrived and it was obvious we would not be needed we continued the run hoping that the outcome would be positive from the runner's point of view.

Up to that point I was hopeful of getting close to six hours, finding a comfortable pace. I knew that TM was ahead, T'Y just behind and KLM probably racing to catch up after his humanitarian duties.  Catch up he did just after Darwen Tower and then followed some tooing and froing . I was ahead over Great Hill He overtook me by  opting for the quicker quarry route   down to White Coppice,  By this time I was running short of energy and KLM was kind enough to shepherd me to the finish with encouraging words and picking  me up off the ground when I took a second, this time heavier, fall alongside the stream almost within sight of the finish.

We were credited with 6hrs 24mins from which I could deduct about 9 mins for the stoppage giving  me a  faster time than any of the last four years.  Back in the hall TM had been back about an hour and T'Y  followed about 20 mins later with EtU a couple or more hours after that.

For most of us it was good day out.

Muddy Shoes Race Sun 14th Feb 2016

I decided to choose a race with potential for a softer landing this week. I could have done KWL at Barbondale, but thought I'd opt for something closer to home and a bit longer.

The best on offer was the 'Muddy Shoes' race from Calder Vale Village (nr Garstang oppo side of M6). There was an option of 5m or 11m, you were to be given a map and a set of directions and the promise of getting very muddy.

The 11m route came on an A3 size of paper and at the 1:50000 scale. The start was part of the top loop heading in an easterly direction and then heading south to then follow the larger lower loop in an anticlockwise direction.

The numbers on the map refer to the numbers on the page with the written directions

So the first dilemma, which do I use for getting round the route? The black line depicting the route had obliterated most of the detail for the type of path you'd be running on. Was it a walled track, a track, a footpath or just a 'ROW'? Some of the road junctions and crossings weren't that clear either. Most of the other runners appeared to be opting just to have the written descriptions in their hand, little evidence of any maps. 

In the end I folded the map in half, and placed this in my A4 placcy bag with the first part of route visible with the written directions back to back so I could see both. It was going to have to be swapped over when I got to the fold. As an additional safety measure OL41 was put in my rucksack, folded so the section involving the route was evident.

So after all this preparation what happened? Well we all set off and because I was able to keep people in sight and it was well marshaled, I hardly had to refer to my map/directions at all.

It was muddy (as promised), but it was a nice route and made a pleasant change. My reward for finishing was a medal, a hat and pair of gloves, a bottle of water and a big bar of milk chocolate.

Not bad for just over 2hrs effort (?2hrs10 no published results yet).

The same organising team have a similar event on the 6th March from Bamber Bridge with a choice of a 15m or 7m run/walk. I guessing it'll take a similar format. 

TF

Mickleden Straddle Sun 7th Feb (23k/741m)

Thankfully the weather Sheffield way hadn't lived up to it's billing. Wind speeds had settled to a stiff breeze and there was even a glimpse of sunshine. If I got my skates on I'd be back before the rain hit.

New for this year was a cut-off time of 75mins at the first CP. Now that would seem a bit generous for just over 6k, but the closer you get to the CP, the wetter and rougher the path becomes. An added bonus of running into the wind too!

Denby Dale (host club) have taken the course map off their website so in lieu of this I've posted a link to a trace of the route http://www.raceroutes.co.uk/route/1261/1275/mickleden-straddle

The route looks like an upside down lollipop. The best and sweetest bit being the bottom loop. The 'stick' being the part that required the most concentration. I think I got my pacing about right to the first CP, leaving about 5 mins to spare. There was still plenty of running after this without starting out with an 'eyeballs out' effort. The loop returned to CP1 as CP5, I passed one runner just after leaving this first CP and then another just after the third and that was it for 17k. I could see other runners in the distance but they seemed too far away to make a serious attempt at trying to catch up and overtake.

A lapse of concentration on the final return leg lead to a damaged TF. Don't think I was the only casualty. I tripped and fell, landing with a small rock right in front of my face, part of which made contact with my front right upper incisor. Thankfully it was only a light tap, but I feared the worse. After stopping to have a feel round with finger and tongue, I was relieved to find it was likely to be just a minimal fracture off the corner of the tooth. But the sharp edge had caught my lower lip and this was bleeding.

I eased off the pace a little in the final couple of miles, primarily to make sure I didn't fall again to inflict further damage and secondly to avoid pumping too much blood out and coming in looking like the Rocky Horror Show.

Back at the car in 3hrs:16, I was able to inspect the damage fully. With most of the blood cleaned off, this was what I found.

With a bit diy with one of these this morning

The tooth is sorted, but the lip may take a few days yet though. I count myself very fortunate to have got off this lightly, I repair a lot worse on a regular basis on kids coming through the clinic

TF

Who is ambling?

Next Saturday is the Anglezarke Amble so I wonder who will be turning out for it? I shall be, but will need to set off cautiously, as I have yet to run any distance over 10 miles in recent months. My better half will also be there, walking the 17 mile route. I may get out and do a loop up to Slipper Lowe then back over Great Hill and White Coppice - either this afternoon or tomorrow morning (the company I work for went t!tz up last Tuesday, so I now have more time on my hands).
Looking further ahead, I need to enter t'Hobble (we have already booked accomodation for the Saturday night) and plan to run The Two Crosses Challenge in my build up for the Dorset 100 at the end of May.
TLoB is also talking about the Joss Naylor Challenge, so that is something else to consider. If I end up doing lots of tutoring in addition to returning to full-time work, that may be beyond me. Let's see what the coming weeks bring.

Saturday 6th Feb '16

The Bros plan to Parkrun, rather than UTUP. YJ is returning to Preston and yours truly will be making my third appearance at Haigh Hall.

Witch way to turn?

Settle met Horwich, Chorley and Salford yesterday for a recce of the Stan Bradshaw Round in Pendle Witch country. My friend Katrina (Ed, we need a non de plume for her) travelled down from Settle to meet up with EtU, YJ and the TF. I had recc

ied the route last year but missed the race due to an injury, so another run round was needed to try and refresh my memory.


It was a great day out. there was snow on the top and it was rather moist underfoot in places, but it stayed dry and we even had sunshine! The TF proved that her navigational skills are top notch by taking us round by the shortest possible route. We finished the day by consuming a variety of hot drinks, some dead animals and some premature chickens.


I shall look forward to the race.

What Mandy Did

When our select little band was skipping (?) around the Stan Bradshaw Round route yesterday, I mentioned in my best 'half a story' fashion that I  had seen in Fellrunner that Mandy Goth (one of TF's sparring partners) had done something special, but that I couldn't remember what it was.

Thinking that it was probably something to do with long distance stuff, I re-read the Autumn 2015 copy from page 146 at the back and eventually found it on page 22 - a bit in the style of my outdoor navigational efforts.

Anyway, the article was entitled '21 Ben Ben Nevis Races' and told us that Tod Harrier Mandy had become, on 5th September 2015 the first ever lady to clock up 21 completions, thereby being awarded the Connochie Plaque.

Her achievement was made even more special by the award being made by Kathleen MacPherson (nee Connochie), daughter of the man who inaugurated the plaque, and being herself first ever lady to complete the race, exactly 60 years ago.

Well done - both those ladies!

To Allay Any Confusion That Exists Within the Local Running Community...

...I publish the following photograph:-

The one with the short grey hair and the 'tash holding the glass of beer is TV, the one with the short grey hair and the 'tash holding the glass of beer is YJ and the one with the short grey hair and the 'tash holding the glass of beer is yours truly - but not necessarily in that order. 

Kinder Trial Sat 30th Jan

I missed last years event due to illness, so was quite looking forward to having another go at the annual 'find the control' on Kinder.

Most years it does tend to be a straightforward choice between clockwise or anticlockwise. As I much prefer the run on the path heading north-east out of the village as opposed to the rocky path up to Edale Cross, the decision this year was an easy one. It proved to be a popular one too, as I had a steady stream of runners with faster legs and later start times come past me, making the whole job of locating the controls infinitely easier. Conditions were windy with the occasional bit of sunshine. I still had to cope with the rocky path from Edale Cross, but at least it was in a downward direction. My route took me to K5 - K2 - K1 - K3 - K4 - K6 - K7 - K8 - K11 - K9 - K12 and K10

At the time of leaving I'd appeared on the results with a time of 3hrs 17mins, way behind the winner who got round in 1hr38, but still respectable enough to have a couple behind me. By the time the official results had been published online the following day, this few had grown rather to my surprise to a hefty number of 20-odd with 2 DNF's. No bad, given that this was my longest outing for a while.

Results can be found at www.t42.org.uk/hayfield

TF

Pendle

I plan to be at Barley on Wednesday ready to run at 9 30.

Stan Bradshaw Recce

Still on for weds, start time is now 9:30am. I'll need to have confirmation from anyone who intends to join us by 10pm Tues. There's no mobile signal in Barley village and we'll need to know who to expect.

TF

Garstang 10k Sunday 10th Jan '16

Two full timers and two part timers toed the line for this oft frequented race. The course is mostly rural, and on this occasion made even more interesting by the addition of copious quantities of water, which the fire brigade had not managed to remove entirely.

By the half way point we had settled into our ultimate respective finishing positions:- YJ, Rachel M, Matt, then you-know-who.

The race was won by Rob Affleck of Preston in 33:52 with Hannah Oldroyd of UK Netrunners first lady, 18th overall in 38:05. 

YJ, as he is wont to do, picked up a bottle of wine as first V75 (and probably first V70) in a time of 49:13, with my girl not far behind in 49:47, both in the first half of the field. Matt finished in 62:00 whilst I was some way behind him, thankfully omitted from the results.

The only point of interest for me was my claim to a slightly unusual injury, in that I scratched my nose crawling through a hedge (?) and caused some concern with my bloodied appearance as I crossed the line.

Full results here:- http://www.ukroadraces.info/results/2016/gar1.htm

Saturday 16th Jan 2016

There will be at least two UTUPpers.

Mid-Week Outing Weds 3rd Feb

I'm planning a trot round the Stan Bradshaw Route on Weds 3rd Feb. All welcome. Initial plan would be to meet at car park in Barley for 9am, although could be flexible depending on level of interest.

TF

They Have Summitted!

Weekend of 9/10 January 2016

There will be at least two folk UTUPing on Saturday.

Sunday will see squad members competing in the Garstang 10k.

Simultaneous worst and best parkrun performance

I ran my first parkrun in God's own county (at Northallerton) yesterday and was rewarded with both my worst and best parkrun performances. My time of 26:04 was easily my worst of the 14 I have run. However, I achieved my best finishing position of 12th (and first V60) - okay there were only 62 runners whereas the others had 200+ participants. No-one did sub 20 and had I run the time I did in October, I would have been third! I am sure I would have been a more than a minute quicker had I run in mudclaws such was the surface, but I'd only packed trail and road shoes when setting off to my daughter's new abode on Thursday.