Busy December

The month of December so far has seen me making more trips to the Lakes for recces of the Bob Graham route.On 3 consecutive Saturdays i have been meeting up with some fellow fell runners that i have met through the FRA forum. The first recce was of leg 1 with KeswickSimon a very experienced runner who this year completed the BG challenge after quite a few years of planing. Simons knowledge of the route is absolute amazing so this proved to be a great day out with him in which i learnt a lot about the challenge. The second recce was over leg 2 and  saw me meet up with Jackd who is also planning an attempt at the BG next year. With lots of snow still on the fell tops this was going to be a hard day out for the both of us. The climb up to the top of Clough Head was not bad going with very little snow on the ground, but as we dropped off the back of the summit and headed up to Great Dodd that is when conditions changed and we were running in the snow with low cloud. Just before we reached the top of Great Dodd we decided to put on our microspikes as there was some ice as well. After reaching the top in poor visibility we went slightly off course but soon realised our mistake and took a compass bearing which pointed us in the right direction. From Watson Dodd, Stybarrow Dodd & through to Raise & White Side was hard going with deep snow and strong winds. But the the next section Helvellyn Lower Man & Helvellyn Summit was even harder with driving rain as well as the afore mentioned weather conditions. So when we reached the summit of Helvellyn we made a decision to cut our day short and get off the tops as we were both suffering from frozen feet and hands. We descended via Birkside Gill and made our way to Dunmail where our lift was waiting for us. Sometimes when you are out on the hills and the conditions are against you it is a sensible thing to do as to not put you and others at risk.
The third Saturday was a planned out and back recce of leg 3 starting at Dunmail. This time i met up with Jackd, Arkle, Adnan, old un & Vespa from the forum. Again this was a hard day for us with the weather, but it was more of a meet up and get to know one another as we are all planing a BG attempt next year.
I have done recces on this leg before but on this occasion when reaching Calf Top instead of going the Sergeant Man way first which i have always done we decided to go the High Raise way instead. With not knowing the route upto High Raise it seemed quite a hard slog up to the summit giving that the ground under our feet on the lower parts was very wet and boggy turning to snow and ice on the tops. The section across to Sergeant Man was tough running through the snow and ice and also driving rain. So when we reached the summit we made a decition to make our way back to Dunmail. Even though it was a short recce in some bad weather it was a great day out on the fells with some great people.

A Date Is Set

It has been a while since I last posted on my blog due to the fact that I have been very busy through the summer months due to work commitments, organising at various sports meetings & also a 2 month period without a computer. But now with a new computer and a little more time to spare I thought that I would get my blog up and running again.
So I will start by announcing the date for my Bob Graham challenge attempt which is hopefully going to be on 17th & 18th May 2013. This summer has seen me doing more and more recces over the route and also helping with support & navigation for a couple of people attempting the challenge, one who was successful & one that was not. Having seen both sides to this it makes me more determined to get it right the first time of attempting the challenge.
At the moment I am building a team of people to help support me on the BG, people that I have known for a lot of years in fell running & some people that have said they would be glad to help me out after I posted a notice on the FRA forum website. One thing that I have done in my preparation for the BG is to talk to as many people as possible that have done the challenge to find out what advice they had to offer which may prove invaluable as you can learn a lot from peoples experiences good or bad.
Last week saw me have another run over leg 1 of the BG route starting at Moot Hall Keswick. Setting off at 10 am on a cool morning I reached the top of the first summit Skiddaw in 74 minutes which was covered in cloud & blowing a strong wind. Next I dropped down off the back of Skiddaw & headed for Hare Crag where the ground around this area was very wet & boggy. From here I climbed upto the summit of Great Calva, and upon reaching the top had some good views all around with clear a blue sky. Next I headed down the fence line into the bottom & along by the sheep fold to the river Caldew. After crossing the Caldew it was then the long hard slog across Mungrisdale Common up to the top of Blencathra. At the summit of Blencathra you have a couple of choices on decent routes to take you down to Threlkeld which is the end of leg 1, one been the very rocky Halls Fell , & the other been Doddick Fell, on this occasion I chose Doddick which is a much smother fell to descend but is probably a little longer than Halls Fell. My time from top to bottom was 23 minutes. My time for this section of the route was 3hrs 28mins which I was very pleased with as conditions under foot were very wet and boggy.

Sticking With Tradition

Over the last few weeks with my training going ok I decided to take part in a few fell races. The first being at Killington Sports nr Kirkby Lonsdale. This is a traditional sports held on a Thursday night in a beautiful part of South Cumbria and is possibly the oldest sports running. The course is short but tough, starting from the sports field it rises gently through the first few fields then onto a steep grass track which brings you out to just below a television transmitter, from here it drops down through a few gates to the bottom of the last hill you climb, after turning the top you return the same way you came back to the sports field. The winner of the race was Danny Parkinson from Kendal in a time of 10 min 51 seconds, with Tom Addison from Helm Hill Runners a close 2nd. As for myself I managed to finish 16th in 14 mins 21 second so was pleased with my run considering I've still not 100% recovered from my injury.

Lowgill Sports 

The next race was on Saturday night at Lowgill Sports near Bentham, this too is a traditional sports which has been held as long as Killington. Lowgill  has had some great names over the years that have won the senior fell race with the likes of Mike Hawkins, Steve Carr, and most notably Fred Reeves from Coniston who won the race no fewer than 11 times. Over the years I can remember some great running at Lowgill with some sizeable fields of runners in both junior & senior races, Juniors regular attracting 30 plus & the seniors 60+. How times have changed though, this year the Senior fell race of approx 4.5 miles could only attract 7 runners which is a great shame for such a great sports a challenging fell race that sets off  from the top of the hill on the sports field and drops down through the fields to a bridge which you cross then climb up the steep hill on the other side of the valley. Once you reach the top of the hill you climb over a fence then make your way across a field to another stile in a fence which you take and make your way across the moor to White Moss trig point were you turn and head south. After approx 800 meters you come to a road which you cross then climb a gate and run through 2 fields that brings you to the top of a wood where you make your way back down to the bottom of the valley and cross the bridge again and make your way back upto the sports field to the finish. This has got to be one of the hardest finishes to a fell race for miles around and over the years there has been many a race won and lost on this part of the course. Winner of the fell race was Paul Lambert from Ingleton, I do not have 2nd place finishers name, 3rd Steve Carr from Kendal, with myself 4th. For anyone reading this why not come along to Lowgill Sports next year and support a trully great traditional sports.   

View from the top of the wood with sports field in the background

   

Back On Track

Over the last few weeks it has been a combination of rest, massage, ice then the gentle introduction of easy training to get things back on track from my recent calf injury. Training has mainly been cycling and easy running followed by plenty of flexibility exercises and fingers crossed this seems to be working. Since the injury i have bought a pair of Skins calf compression socks and a new pair of Soloman Speed Cross running shoes to try and prevent the injury reoccurring with the socks giving my calf some support and the shoes giving me some cushioning. With things going ok i was able to help pace Martin Spooner on leg 5 of his Bob Graham on Sunday, i was initially down to pace legs 2&3 but felt that i could not risk letting Martin down so opted out of the back to back legs. It was an early start on Sunday which saw me setting of from home at 5.15 am and travelling up to Wasdale to help out on leg 3&4 change over by taking two of the leg 3 pacers back to Dunmail Raise. When Martin arrived at Wasdale he was finding things tough with his knee giving him some problems but a good rest, painkillers, ice, and bacon butties he was soon ready to start leg 4 of the challenge. On this part of the route Martin seemed to turn things around and began to feel a lot stronger so when we met up with him again at the end of leg 4 at Honister he was in a lot better shape and state of mind being 11 minutes up for the leg. After a 5 minute break at Honister he was off on his final leg of the BG challenge taking in Dale Head, Hindscarth & Robinson and was soon down onto the road at Little Town, a quick stop to change into road running shoes for the final run in to Keswick along the road saw Martin pick up the pace so much that when he arrived at the bottom of the main street he was able to even put in a sprint finish to Moot Hall and clock a time of 22hrs 41minutes for the Bob Graham Round. This was a absolutely fantastic effort by Martin who in the last few weeks before his BG attempt had picked up a few injuries and at one point was thinking of delaying his attempt. Martin was also raising money for the North West Air Ambulance. http://www.justgiving.com/Martin-Spooner

The Lakeland Sports Promoters Association

Over the years I have had so much enjoyment out of competing at the various fell races and sports meetings throughout the north of England and especially Cumbria that I thought I would put something back into the sports I have and still enjoy, so 8 years ago I got involved with the Lakeland Sports Promoters Association in volunteering to help out at some of the meetings that are registered to the Association. My role within the L.S.P.A. is the Secretary & Treasurer, also I am the Track race Manager at Grasmere Sports and handicaper in the track events at Beetham & Rusland Sports.
So I thought I would take this opportunity to let people know that the Lakeland Sports Promoters Association season is just about to get under way with their first event on Thursday 7th June which is Killington Sports nr Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria starting at 6pm.
How the Association works is that we promote traditional sports in Cumbria such as Fell Running, Track Running & Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling. At the end of the season we compile all the results in the Junior & Senior events at all the sports meetings registered with L.S.P.A. then at a committee meeting we pick out the competitors with outstanding results & sportsmanship and then they are notified that they have been nominated towards the Junior or Senior Sports Personality of the year Award, every one that is nominated also receives a prize for their performances throughout the season, the awards are presented at our dinner which is held at the Heaves Hotel, nr Kendal at the end of November.
The Association was formed in 1960 and there have been some great names over the years that have won the Senior prize including Fell Runners Bill Teasdale MBE, Fred Reeves, Tommy Sedgwick, Ian Holmes, Track Runners Joss Watson, Harvey Gott, Matt McMahon, Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestlers Tom Harrington MBE, Alf Harrington, Allan Jones, Graham Brocklebank and last year we had the first lady winner of the award which was Fell Runner Melanie Hyder so as you can see some big names from over the years. I hope that this interests a lot of people and encourages people to come and support the events listed below and any one wanting any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Visit from a Fell Racing Legend

Last weeks plan was to have a recovery week with a race at the end of it which was going to be Fairfield Horseshoe near Ambleside in Cumbria. A fell race that covers 9 miles with 2999ft of assent but as everyone knows things don't always go to plan. So Mondays training was an easy 40 minutes xcountry run which went very good then Tuesday was a rest day. On Wednesday i set of with the intention of doing an easy 50 minutes trail run but after 20 minutes of running with no warning my right calf muscle tightened up on me which brought me to a sudden halt, after stretching the muscle out for a few moments i tried to jog on but it just tightened up again so as any sensible runner would do it was a case of turning back round and walking back home and not injuring my self more. For the rest of the week i have been getting plenty of massage, ice and rest for the injured calf. This is very disappointing for me as i had built up a good base of training since January and wanted to test my self in a race  to see were i was before starting to include some speed work into my training. When injured you have to stay positive though and remember that the injury is a result of stress to the body so by treating the injury the right way and plenty of rest which will hopefully result in you coming back quicker and stronger. With not much to write about on my running exploits this week i thought i would mention about a surprise visit i had from a Fell Racing Legend a few weeks back his name " Reg Harrison " from Dalton in Furness. Reg was staying in his caravan not far from were i live and he called round for a chat. I first met Reg back in the early 1980s when competing in the then open Professional Fell Races when he was coach to a good group of runners from the west side of Cumbria namely Barrow & Ulverston areas. Reg first started running in 1956 and was coached by Vic Brockbank & Dennis Bevins, his first race was at Ambleside Sports were he finished 2nd  in the senior Guides Race but a few weeks later at Rusland Sports he gained his first win were he beat the King Of The Fells " Bill Teasdale " MBE from Caldbeck.

Reg Harrison & Bill Teasdale Rusland Sports 1956

 Also that year Reg finished 3rd in the Guides race at Grasmere Sports behind the winner Teasdale & 2nd placed Jonathon Gibson from Burneside. In the following year 1957 Reg made his mark at Grasmere Sports by winning the senior Fell race from 2nd placed Bill Teasdale in a record time of 13min 14 seconds, Teasdale who finished over100 yards behind said " The young 'un was to fast for me coming down'. Teasdale & Harrison had climbed to the top of  the fell together in a time of 10 min 30 sec, but on reaching the  top Reg threw himself into one of his legendary descents that he was famous for and came down in an amazing time of 2 min 44 seconds which is probably still the fastest descent time for the course. Reg won at Grasmere 4 times and won just about every fell race going through out his career and he was also a very talented track runner too. I have been quite privileged over the years to of meet and got to know a lot  of the Fell Running Legends especially the likes of Teasdale & Harrison, it is absolutely fantastic to here them talk about their days of fell running in an era when there was a lot more village sports and fell races about.

Fell Racing Legends Grasmere Sports 1985
Bill Teasdale, Tommy Sedgwick, Bob Morton, Reg Harrison, Joe Richardson, Tommy Garside

An inspirational day

In contrast to the previous weeks weather this weeks was a welcome change with plenty of sunshine which made things a little bit warmer for running. It has been another good week of training for me with 3 xcountry runs and 2 fell runs. On Tuesday I met up with ex Bingley Harriers team mate Eddie Irving who now runs for Ilkley Harriers for a training run. We set off from my house and headed down to Burnsall following the Dales Way footpath, on reaching Burnsall we then joined the path to Thorpe which has some tough little undulating fields. From Thorpe we ran down the old back road towards Cracoe for 3/4 of a mile then climbed over the stile on the right hand side of the road to follow the path down to Linton village. Upon reaching Linton we then took the path to Threshfield after which we crossed the fields back to Grassington where we started, a nice little training run that has a good mixture of terrain in approx 60 minutes. On Saturday it was back up to Cumbria to meet up with Martin Spooner & Andy Kirkup for a training run over leg 3 of the Bob Graham Route. Once again we were very lucky with the weather it was an absolute fantastic day for running. When we set off from Dunmail raise there was a cold breeze in the bottom but as we climbed out over the top of Steel Fell there was little wind at all so making it quite warm. As we made our way across the tops conditions under foot were quite dry in places to which made running a lot easier, for those not familiar with this section of the route it can be very boggy at times making it a hard slog. With the conditions being so good we made excellent progress to Bow Fell, then it was onto Esk Pike, Great End, Ill Crag, Broad Crag, and Scafell Pike.

Myself on Great End with Great Gable in the back ground

 After fighting our way through the bus loads of people at the summit of Englands highest Mountain at 3,209ft we dropped off down towards Sca Fell and to the bottom of Broad Stand. Upon reaching Broad stand we came across Dave Sleath from Derbyshire who at 68 years of age was attempting to become the oldest person to complete the Bob Graham Challenge. Dave was doing an anti-clockwise round so when we saw him he was climbing down Broad Stand with the aid of ropes and made this look so easy. It was absolutely amazing to see a person of this age under taking the challenge of the Bob Graham, a truly inspirational individual. I am pleased to say that Dave did achieve the feat of going under 24hrs with a time of  23.59 top man. After watching Dave we headed back up to Scafell Pike where Martin & Andy headed of back to Esk Hause and down to Langdale where they had arranged to be picked up. I headed of down the Corridor route to Sty Head Tarn, then onto Seathwaite were my lift was waiting for me. Another fantastic day out on the fells.

Dave Sleath Climbing down Broad Stand

Not Spring more like Winter

What a week this has turned out to be, largely dominated by the weather which has felt more like winter than spring. Changes in the weather throughout the week has made things quite difficult for me as i run my own garden maintenance business so it has been a case of working inbetween the heavy rain that has battered us all week up here in the dales. For training though it has been a good week for me and i have managed to get some good runs in, five in total, three 1hr+ runs on the fells, one 1hr trail run, and a long run of 21/2 hrs on the fell. The long fell run which i did on Saturday was to co-inside with watching the later stages of the Fellsman Hike, a 60 miles event with 11,480ft of ascent that starts in Ingleton and finishes at Threshfield and goes over part of the training route that i do and  is one of my favourite training runs from home in which i take the footpath up to Bare House then continue across the next field to the stile and join the route that takes you to the top of Capplestone Gate, from here i continue across the top to Providence Pot a well known pot hole which is situated just below Hag Dyke Scout Hostel.  

Hag Dyke Scout Hostel

After reaching Hag Dyke I took the steep path to the summit of Great Wherside, height 2 310 ft, grid reference SE002739. After reaching the top of Great Whernside I followed the path across to Black Dike as to get a good view of the runners ascending Great Whernside, the first of them being course record holder and two time winner Jez Bragg from Dorset, who went onto win for the third time in a row in a time of 11hrs 2mins. His time this year was 56 minutes slower than his record time set last year but given the conditions out on the fells yesterday it was a great effort from the top ultrarunning star. Second place went to Belper runner Ian Phillips who finished 7 minutes behind the winner, with joint third placed runners being Konrad Rawlik of Poland and Odredj Mandula from the Czech Republic in a time of 11hrs 31mins. 

After watching the first few runners come past I followed the same line of decent from the top of great Whernside as the Fellsman runners took, all the way down to just after Green Hill, then across to bare House again and dropped down home to Grassington. 

After watching the Fellsman it is definitely down as one of my races to do next year in preparation for my Bob Graham attempt, speaking of which sees me back up in Cumbria next weekend on another recce with Martin, can't wait, just hope the weather is a bit better!

Bob Graham Recce

The last 2 weekends has seen me travelling up to Cumbria to join fellow Helm Hill Runners club member Martin Spooner in his preparations for his Bob Graham Round attempt scheduled for 2nd - 3rd June 2012. http://www.justgiving.com/Martin-Spooner   

Martin approaching Seat Sandal on recce of leg 2 

Back in March Martin posted a thread on the HHR forum for anyone that could assist him with his challenge so being a new member of the club I thought it would be a great way of getting to know some other members too, so i offered to be a pacer for him also I have had a desire to have a go at the BG myself since 2007. For those that do not know about the Bob Graham Challenge it starts and finishes from Moot Hall in Keswick town centre and the route covers 42 peaks, 26.000ft of climbing, and approx 66 miles all to be done in under 24 hours in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction which was first achieved by Bob Graham himself in 1932. The route is split into 5 sections and  takes in some of the classic Lakeland fells such as Skiddaw, Hevellyn, Bowfell, Scafell Pike, Pillar and Great Gable to name a few.The first weekend saw us recce leg 3 which takes in 15 of the 42 peaks and starts from Dunmail Raise and finishes at Wasdale we decided to do an out and back Recce as far as Esk Pike taking in 10 of the peaks including Bowfell, the weather was kind to us with only a few light wintry shows, in total we were out for just over 6hrs and covered approx 21 miles. This Saturday I met up with Martin again and another BG challenger Andy at Threlkeld for a recce of leg 2. Both had already set off earlier in the morning and  done leg 1. This section starts at Threlkeld and finishes at Dunmail Raise with 12 summits to take in, the highest been Helvellyn. The first one is a steep climb to the top of Clough Head, once you are up on the tops the climbs are not too severe until you have gone past Dollywaggon Pike and dropped down the other side the route we took was following the old fence line then around Grisedale Tarn where you are faced with a very steep climb to the top of Fairfield, then if that is not enough after descending back down Fairfield the way you came up there is a tough little climb to the top of Seat Sandal before dropping off down to Dunmail Raise for the end of leg 2. Needless to say after Saturdays recce Sunday was a rest day from training but on Monday night I went out for a run over Grassington moor for 60 minutes taking in Capple stone gate, stroll on next BG recce.