Wednesday 23 March 2011

Edale Skyline - Tourist Mode

Spring has arrived!  After a miserable February, March has more than made up for it.  I managed to get a few days away up in Edale.  My youngest daughter Polly has been doing some work experience at the Chestnut Centre near Chapel en le Frith and staying at Edale Youth Hostel.   So, having a few days off, I took the opportunity to go and see her and get some training in by running the route of the Edale Skyline race, which takes place this coming Sunday (27th March).  This is about 21 miles (34km) long with 4,500 feet (1,500 m) of ascent.  As its name suggests it follows the skyline of the Edale valley taking in moorland, ridges and bogs.  I ran a slightly modified route by starting at the youth hostel and hacking my way through the heather up to the path along the edge of Kinder Scout, rather than starting at Edale.  

Southern Skyline from Kinder Scout
The weather was stunning.  The few clouds around in the early morning soon burnt away leaving gorgeous blue skies for the whole day.  Fortunately I had some sunscreen with me.  I carried a whole two litres of water in my Camelbak bladder and also had a litre stashed halfway round at Mam Nick.  I was going to need it. The temperature was only around 14 degrees centigrade but it felt much warmer after the freezing weather we had over winter.  Shorts and tee shirt were the order of the day.  It was too nice not to take lots of photos.  The following photos are all taken on the route and face the direction of the runner.  Most of the photos will enlarge if clicked on.
Above Crookstone barn.  Win Hill in the distance.
Hope Cross looking towards Win Hill

Win Hill summit looking toward Lose Hill and Mam Tor
Climbing Lose Hill
Lose Hill summit looking towards Mam Tor and Lords Seat
Hollins Cross looking towards Mam Tor 
Mam Tor summit looking towards Lord's Seat on Rushup Edge

Crooked tree going up Rushup Edge
Turn right here (to the left if you see what I mean)
Brown Knoll summit looking towards Kinder Scout

Pym Chair
Wool Packs
Top of Grindsbrook Clough looking South back to Grindslow Knoll

I then ran past Ringing Roger where the official race drops down to the finish and continued along the top then dropped down Rowland Cote Moor to the youth hostel some 5 hours after I started.  A fine day out.  

P.S. In case you're wondering, I'm not running the actual race as I'm doing a recce of the Ambleside to Coniston section of the Lakeland 100 on the same day. 

Sunday 13 March 2011

Grindleford Gallop (Re-run)

Had another crack at the GG (21 miles, off-road, 3000+ feet ascent) yesterday.  After last year's pleasing performance I thought I'd be able to break that time, hopefully cracking the 3 hour barrier, but apparently it takes a little more than hope to pull that off.

The weather was an exact repeat of last year where it was cold enough to think about putting on an extra or warmer layer but then turned out sunny.  Fortunately, I guessed right as I went for the t-shirt under club vest instead of the Helly.  I didn't go for the club coloured shorts which caused so much mirth last year.  I was in stealth mode (all black) apart from the club vest.

There was a good club turn out again of some 20 runners, with this being a club championship event.  There were some notable exceptions though with Andy (last year's outright GG winner) having to work, Neil (last year's club champion) not able to make it and Julian (Duracell bunny) also not in.

(c)2011 Caz Whittle

After getting held up in the bottlenecks near the start last year I made sure I was near the front this year.  Even so, Al (running as a very poorly disguised Mat) took off like a bat out of hell (clearly too much London Marathon training under his belt).  Pete D soon overhauled me after a mile and they soon disappeared over the first hill up to Eyam.

I thought I'd be stronger on the hills this year but was soon reduced to a walk as the stronger runners over took me.  As usual I retook some of them going down into Eyam but the old freewheeling downhill technique has well and truly deserted me after my major face plant last April.

This year I used a different feeding strategy.  I carried a 500ml bottle but instead of isotonic drink I started with 500ml of energy drink.  I also decided not to stop and top up at the checkpoints.  As with last year there were three drink stations, the latter two of which were also cake stations.  I had half a plastic cup of orange juice at each of them and took a piece of cake from both cake stalls which I ate while walking up to Ball Cross and Baslow Edge respectively.  I also popped the occasional glucose tablet. I'm not sure this was enough. Especially on the fluids.

Most of the walkers this year were very good, opening gates and waiting at stiles etc but I had a few cases of them blocking the route which brought out the trail rage in me.  I admit to expressing a few expletives in their direction. 
 
I think one or two bad words also slipped out as I slipped on one of the stiles and skinned my shin on the rock step on the way up to Longstone Moor.

Looking at last year's splits if I was to get anywhere near 3 hours I'd have to get to the third checkpoint (Longstone Moor) inside 1:05 and the sixth (Baslow) inside 2:10.  I managed the first (just, at 1:04:46) but failed the second (2:17:42), largely due to having trouble on my downhills.  I used to rely on them to make up ground but I really struggled this time with achey quads and a sore (only downhill) left knee.  Instead of racing down the lovely grass slope to Edensore I tottered down like an old man (yes, I have looked in the mirror recently).  

So, down through the lovely Edensore and into Chatsworth House grounds.  I remember running out of steam on this section last year but I found I was OK this time.  I could see the runners in front me and one o fthem was getting overhauled by the others.  As I approached him I suddenly realised it was Pete.  I wasn't expecting to see him again, although he had cycled from Whaley Bridge over to the start of the race so it was all beginning to tell in his legs.  (He cycled back after the race as well.) I offered him a glucose tablet and we went through the spinning gate at Baslow together.  That was the last I saw of him until the end but I was fully expecting him to pass me as I struggled over the last leg. 

The run along the edges was a little shorter than I remembered it but the run through the trees coming of Froggat Edge went on forever.  Then it was down the rocky path through the trees where I lost a good minute or two.  I nearly came a cropper on this path as I clipped a rock and tripped my self up (Pete saw a runner who did fall being seen to by some walkers and I saw him by the ambulance at the finish later.)  Safely reached the bottom, past the car park, over the bridge then finished ( a good ten yards shorter than last year).

My splits (below) show that I was up on last year (by a whole 19 seconds) at checkpoint 4 but gradually lost time over the next few sections ending up three and a half minutes slower.  All in all not too disappointed considering that the evening before I thought I might have to pull out due to a severe pain in my right side (suspect it was my bad kidney) which didn't disappear until I started the race.  I also think I allowed myself to become severely dehydrated which wouldn't have helped especially in those final sections.  

2010 Splits

46th602Mick Wren
Goyt Valley Striders
M5003:08:5600:29:13
00:29:13
00:52:58
00:23:45
01:05:41
00:12:43
01:26:34
00:20:53
01:43:45
00:17:11
02:14:58
00:31:13
03:08:56
00:53:58

2011 Splits

61st383Mick Wren             M5003:12:2400:28:03
00:28:03
00:52:26
00:24:23
01:04:46
00:12:20
01:26:15
00:21:29
01:44:14
00:17:59
02:17:42
00:33:28
03:12:24
00:54:42

In terms of preparation for the Lakeland 100 I'm quite pleased with my level of fitness considering that I've been concentrating on core and short sharp stuff so far.  I was even able to go for a run over the Chilterns with the dog at 8 this morning.  Need to get some more miles in though.  

The rest of my clubmates put in some great performances with many breaking previous bests and others finishing their first attempts.  Notable amongst these was an amazing 3:29 from Katy (last years Ladies club champion).  There's been some serious training going on over in Whaley Bridge.  


Monday 7 March 2011

High Peak Minithon

Had a very interesting night on Friday. Instead of going to bed like any normal person I joined 100 or so similarly inclined runners in the High Peak Marathon. As mentioned in my previous post on our recce this is 42 mile run around the Peak District (a big loop encircling Kinder Scout and the Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs to be precise). Our team, the Goyt Valley Striders (one of the less imaginative and humourous team titles) consisted of Clare, Paul and Will as well as yours truly. The event used staggered starts with teams setting off every couple of minutes. Our start time was 11:15 (yes that's p.m.). I'd travelled up to Whaley Bridge that afternoon to Paul's house where our team was meeting up so I'd not had any sleep since getting up at 6:00 that morning.

The night sky was clear and moonless as we arrived at the start HQ in Edale village hall. The temperature was down to a sharp -2 degrees Centigrade so everyone was crowded into the HQ hall trying to keep warm before setting off. The lycra, goretex and pertex density in that room was pretty high. I decided to go for the layered approach to keeping warm with two thin Helly Hansen tops and the event t-shirt that I'd just bought, topped off with my Salomon gore-tex shell jacket. On my legs I was wearing my compression socks, Gore lycra shorts and Gore leggings. Shoewise I went for my Salomon Speedcross 2s. Paul and Clare were similarly attired but Will had gone for the braver cool summer's evening look with sleeves rolled up and no outer shell.

Having hung around killing time for an hour our start time came up before I was ready so I was still putting my outer layer on as we set off into the cold dark night. Will, who had repeatedly asked that we start slowly set a stiff pace up to Hollin's Cross then up Lose Hill. I was hoping that this wasn't Will's idea of slow or else I was in trouble when he decided to speed up. At the Lose Hill checkpoint we came across the first of the fancy dress checkpoint marshals. There were two young lads (the event is organised and manned by Sheffield students) dressed in suits, ties and bowlers hats. They were also busy ironing (?).

Will kept the pressure on down Lose Hill and on up Win Hill. Clare kept on his tail, both lit up with gender specific (blue for boys, pink for girls) fairy lights (kindly supplied by Clare), with Paul and me in their wake. The Win Hill checkpoint was manned by a six foot teddy bear. A bit early for sleepmonsters.

Climbing Win Hill was a warm effort in my many layers so, on the way down, I unzipped my jacket and was immediately engulfed in my own personal steam cloud. Out of the wind it just hung around me and combined with my already steamed up glasses to make visibility a tad tricky especially trying to negotiate the very steep and root ridden Parkin Clough. It was here that I tempted fate and commented to Clare that "At least we don't have to come up this". More on that later.

So, down into and out of Bamford it was up New Road heading in the direction of Stanage. This 2 mile road section is largely uphill. The steady stream of other teams overhauled us as the fast boys caught us up. Steve Watt's team came through at this point. Well at least three of them did. As they disappeared we were commenting on whether they'd been given permission for a team of three when a voice out the dark behind us said "No, I'm the fourth, huffing and puffing at the back". This turned out to be no less a legend as Mark Hartell, holder of the record number of peaks in the Bob Graham Round. He similarly disappeared into the dark.


Our route came from the top right in the above photo, then to the right of the trees before coming up through the bracken where the figures (me and my wife) are. Remember it was pitch black.

Onto the High Neb checkpoint (manned I believe by Spotty Dog and Lubby Lu) then a steady jog to the A57 road and Moscar checkpoint where we grabbed a quick cup of tea and couple of sandwiches. It was at this point that Will started to go downhill (metaphorically as well as literally speaking). His stomach got the better of him as he dashed into the bushes alongside the road. As we waited for him at Cutthroat Bridge I could feel the sweat around my backside start to freeze. Not the nicest feeling at 2:00 in the morning with 9 hours to go. You'll be relieved to hear it thawed out as we got moving again up onto Derwent Moor. On the moor top we set off in a steady jog. Past the Wheel Stones and on towards the Salt Cellar we stopped to check we were all together. Will was missing amongst the mass of lights from the teams on our tail. When he caught us up he looked liked someone had pulled out his plug, drained. Paul said what the rest of us were thinking. There was a long hard 6 hour stretch ahead of us where it would be difficult to drop out without a very long cold walk so it was time to make a decision: continue or pack. We all concluded that it would be dangerous at worst and very miserable at best if we continued so we packed.

We backtracked down to the Cutthroat Bridge checkpoint where we deposited Will into the care of a pretty young lady who drove him back to Edale. (Someone has to do it Will). The rest of us then ran back to Edale via Win Hill (and up the afore mentioned Parkin Clough!), Hope Cross and Jaggers Clough (last visited by me with my dad (who, coincidently, died 33 years ago today. RIP Dad.)) The sleep monsters made an appearance on the track down to Jaggers Clough when a dark puddle lifted itself up and turned into a black panther.





It was then a couple of miles back along the road to the event HQ where we picked up our kitbags and back to Paul's and a very welcome hot shower. Bliss. The silver lining of finishing early (in addition to the early shower) for me was that I could get home early to celebrate my daughter's birthday. I'll also be a little less tired for next week's Grindleford Gallop.

Overall, we ended up having a good, albeit shorter, run. It was good practice in night running for the Lakeland 100. It was a shame not to have finished but I was feeling good and am sure I'd have had no problems finishing the event. I'll not be doing it again though as I believe, from what I saw on our recce, that the terrain on Bleaklow is in a very fragile state and I don't want to contribute to it's destruction. It's over thirty years since I was last up there and it's going to be another thirty (i.e. never) before I go back again.

Well done to all those that finished though. It was a testing night in those temperatures.