Run Like a Girl 2010

I won a competition....

2011-01-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

I couldn't believe it - just before Christmas I got an email from Claire at Trail Running Magazine saying I had won the competition they had put on Facebook - I never win anything - how cool was this. I had won some Inov8 trainers and some Montane clothing. Excellent news - couldn't wait for my extra parcel this Christmas. When it all arrived I was feeling rubbish and ill with the flu so it took a while before their first trip out. First test was the shoes up on muddy Bradwell (Hope Valley) edge, well the path that gets you up there is extremely muddy most of the year let alone afer snow melt! I fiddled a bit with the laces as i like them "my way" and eventually got the fit i wanted and off i plodded, they worked well in the mud - well they should do really they are Inov8's after all. I was given the Roclites3.6 so they have a bit of cushioning and a good fell tread - perfect for my style of running (sorry plodding!). My next trip out was on a 3 hour trip from Edale to Hathersage.

So - picking the shoes - I went for the Inov8's - I have many shoes to pick from and these now needed to see if they could join the crowd of them to pick up when needed - they needed to feel good for 3 hours or more for my running! They felt right for the job even in the kitchen!
Then it was find the jacket amoungst the ski tops and bike tops hanging up...

And then off to the train and into Edale. The rain that was forecast was nowhere to be seen so we plodded on up to Ringing Roger on the edge of Kinder and turned right to be blown straight back again - the wind was definately up!!!
The run was supperb, we ran along the edge for a while till dropping down to the stoney tracks of Hope Cross area and then on the grassy forest edge up to Win Hill, the weather turned and the rain and the mist and the wind turned up in force but luckily we were going in the right direction and got a bit of a push from the wind! I thought about putting a waterproof on but the jacket - the Montane Marathon has a DWR finish and was beeding up well so no water getting in yet! Phew - i hate running in a waterproof - windproofs are soooo much better. next up was a good muddy steep descent into Bamford and then up onto Bamford Edge through spooky wood!. The wind was side on up here and kept trying to push us into the heather - we held up and eventually came off the edge and down into Hathersage. What a great day. Thanks Hills for sorting it out and getting me out on the hills in my great new kit. Am now a fan of Inov8 and Montane....
So no blisters and they were comfy on all the terrain, even the slippery wet rocks and the jacket performed really well and unusually for me as am very tall I could stuff my hands in the sleeves when my fingers got cold - it is a good jacket and really lightweight so will be in every kit list!!!

Adidas Terrex

2010-09-01T14:15:00.001-07:00

Here's my race from the beginning, including the drama, the tears, the smiles, the hard push, the feeding, the weather and the chaffing!!!

I was quite stressed running up to the Terrex with one of my jobs testing me to the full, so I was actually quite pleased once I had packed (the cat wanted to join me!) and started the drive up to keswick. I was supposed to be there Wednesday evening but finally got there Thursday lunch time, just in time to watch the boys finish marking up the maps and then registering at the Planet Fear shop, picking up last minute kit and re-packing my stuff into the Haglof's tranistion bag.

The prologue started at 7.30pm and was a relay. I was to do the run/swim leg. I am not a sprinter by any means of the word so the run out to the lake was a little fast for me and I got over taken but kept my position in the water (just) and dragged my soggly body back into the changeover. The whole prologue only took us 1 hour and 12 minutes and the winners took an hour so we had to trebble our time difference to find out how long we had to have in a "time out" section half way through day one of the main event. Next was a pub meal and early to bed as we had to be at 4am.

My alarm did not go off and I was woken at 4.30am, so now only had 15 minutes to dress and get a coffee and make sure I had my water bottles filled and kit ready to go. Luckily kit was done the night before, I missed the coffee, dressed and ran (well jogged) to the bus in town that was to take us to the start. I had forgotton to fill the water bottles.

THE START - Moorcombe Bay - we were gonna run across it, round it and through the sand, and sea for 25km. I pannicked. I cannot run on the flat and hate running on beaches, not a good start! Paul didn't believe me (he thought everyone can run, especially on the flat!). No - I avoid tarmac and flat running like the plague, it hurts my hips from about 10 minutes in, this was gonna hurt big time! We were told to run out to sea till we saw some laurel bushes and to follow them, I had no idea what to look for on this bleak landscape of muddy sand and shallow water, but sure enough we came across some laurel bushes (well more like twigs!), do they grow there? Or does this "Queens Guide" plant them (we were told a "Queens Guide" was on hand to guide us through the quicksand). Anyway, we plodded on at my rather painfull slow plod. poor Paul was going out of this head with panic at my speed, I was going too slow for him to cope with, he kept counting teams behind us and telling me we were nearly last. Not a great way to start a three day race so i told him to stop being so negative and live with my speed as it will get me to the end and in two days time I will still be going at this speed and not to worry. He went off to take some photos and we all calmed down and settled into my pace!! We eventually got to the transition after about 3 hours of plodding and now had to sit down and serve out 36 minute time penalty. excellent. we had a few sarnies and cups of tea and a team chat and got on the bikes (at last!) for satge two - an epic ride that turned out to be about 15 hours!

STAGE TWO: BIKING: After a few hours I started feeling very unwell, I felt so bad, why did i feel this bad 6 hours or so into a race, I hadn't gone off too fast, i'd eaten, drank, it must have been the sand!!! Alex pushed me up the hills (why was i so bad on the bike - my best discipline - agh!). We (well the boys) had to make some new descisions based on our new slow speed to cut out a few tacticle checkpoints so that we got to transitions in good time and not try and do the whole course and chase cut offs - we were too slow. I of course went into my usual downward spiral of blaming myself for letting the team down. I moaned, cried and moaned some more all the way round a run orienteer section that was tussocks from hell and alot further than I was promised!!! My tummy was so bad i had to hold it whilst walking (couldn't run) but we eventually got through this run from hell in the tussocks from hell, whist cursing the event planner!!! We then went to a pub for a much needed toilet stop for me and a drink and some crisps to plan our next move. We biked some more and I stopped eating my home made cake - it worked, my tummy started to feel better, i perked up, smiled, joked, biked better - the cake was under cooked - what a plank i was - should have stuck to sarnies!

STAGE THREE: KAYAK:We had a fantastic stage three - in the boats on coniston with a moon, flat mill pond waters and stars, we needed no lights, just the eerie glow of glow sticks on our boats as we sped up the lake. We overtook loads of boats, this was a boost, we loved our stelth boats and we all felt good at last. Smiles all round.

STAGE FOUR: RUNNING - the run was over Furness Fells and none of us had been here before and it looked like a short hop to the next stage - oh how wrong we were - gorse, rough wet tussocks, night time nav errors and nearly an hour to find the first check point - but then again most of the field seemed to be up here doing the same headless chicken act as us! We found it eventually and found a good track off the hills, had a 10 minute power knap in he woods and got to the next transition in good spitits even though it had started to rain. This transition had some tents with mattresses in, a toaster and cups of tea, heaven, we went for breaky and short sleep. We all passed out immediately and enjoyed an hour of heaven in the dry tents.

STAGE FIVE: Kayaking on Windermere: this was a long one, we worked it out to be 33 km of kayaking or was it miles - either way - a long way with only a few nodding dog sleepy moments - so hard to stay awake when sitting down! Wine gums got us through with a few pro plus tabs to boost the heart rate to above sleep levels! It rained like a monsoon on and off all the way up Windermere, but we were warm and feeling good.

STAGE SIX: A short and easy bike ride, except we had a minor hicup in the middle when Paul stopped for a "comfort break", I waited at the next junction to let him know we were turning right, I saw him coming up the hill and he acknowledged me and the right hand turn so i sped off, forgetting to stop at the next junction cos I thought he was right behind me, oops - I went back for him (he'd gone the wrong way but realised and came back) so we went on and at the next junction there was no sign of the other two and Paul and I had no map or any clues as to which way they went. Paul hunted through his bag and found one of the other maps with just a bit of this section on it and we worked out we had to turn right just as loads of teams turned up and turned right - we found the other two at the next junction - I had a teddy's out the cot moment and told them off for leaving us, completely fogetting that I had infact just done the same to Paul moments before. we all forgot about it quickly and carried on feeling fit and fast on the bikes and ready for the next big mountain stage!

STAGE SEVEN: A quick change just before the rain started and we were off onto the Langdale Fells for a spot of scrambling and a long night section. We went up Easy Gulley instead of Jakes Rake as it was changed at last minute and then out onto the fells, following a bit of BG routes and picking up our chosen control points, we were going to do a shortened version and get to the abseil somewhere near Scarfel Pike in good time to get off the fells about midnight. The scrambling and running was fantastic, I felt great and my running was going really well. Alex was still able to tow me up the uphills to keep our speed a constant steady one, we were all eating and drinking well and having a great time, we were nearing half way through the event. As dusk fell on us at the base of a massive gulley and scramble that eventually bought us out on Scarfell Pike. I have no idea where we were as I never saw the map! A very wiered experience and am not sure I like not knowing where I am and where I am going. Especially as the clag rolled in, the wind picked up to gale force and the rain was again monsoon like. Just as we were clambering over the boulders on Scarfell Pike, Mick commented on his health. He was having trouble seeing through one of his eyes, it had all gone blurry and he could not define where he was putting his feet. We decided this was a bad way to be and we should not be dragging him over rocks and boulders where he was slipping over alot so we headed straight for the path off and down to Langdale. Unfortunately this took a very long time, trying to spot cairns in the bad weather, keep Mick up right and in good spritis (which must have been hard for him with his eye sight shutting down and having no idea why!), we were moving so slowly by now we were all frozen and wearing everything we owned. I was scared of our situation so I think Mick must have been petrified. About 3 hours later we ran into transition at the pub (which was shut!) to find the place teaming with people trying to sleep in bivi bags in the pooring rain. There was no space at the inn so we bedded down in our bivi just outside the toilets, froze for half an hour before Alex and Paul got up and went to find somewhere for Mick, they put him in a support van with the heating on. They then spent the next hour trying to persuade me that my bivi in a puddle was not the best place for me, i was going hypohermic and I then got put in the van to recover too. At day break the medics looked at Mick and in the end the descision was made to pull him from the race to go to hospital, he had green gunk coming out of his eyes. he was gutted and a broken man, I felt so bad for him I couldn't hold the tears back.

STAGE EIGHT: We silently packed our bags and got on our bikes with a last hug for Mick and went out into the pooring rain and cycled to Ambleside to find a cafe and think about what to do next.

CAFE: wow this was a good idea, the bacon and egg sarnie and capucino was heaven. Alex had a slight co-odination problem and tipped his full english all over his lap. The owner took one look at us and bought him out another one free of charge. How nice are people just when you need it.

An hour later the sun had come out and we had the daunting prospect of cycling up Kirkstone Pass on the famous road climb "The Struggle". To be honest I thought it would beat me, bash me, ruin me and throw me onto the tarmac, but there was a film crew half way up and I stormed it - no dibs down and just span it out all the way to the top with a head wind. And it it didn't even warm me up much. We were so unable to generate heat in our bodies by now that sweating was a thing of the past! The Struggle is so much easier on a mountain bike, I had only ever been up it on my road bike. I loved it, I was on a high and I felt good. next up was a long roady ride to Pooley Bridge (we had cut this section short to miss out going over High Street in a massive head wind).

STAGE NINE: At Pooley bridge we found Alex's wife and kids, sun and food from a farmrs market. Excellent! Apart from the fact that we now had a small problem of two, two person kayaks and only thee of us! We had to wait for a team who also had gone down to three people so we could combine our resourses and paddle as a three boat possy. team May Contain Nuts were the unfortunate victoms and we spent a few confusing minutes trying to work out what to do. Their team member would paddle if they needed him, Alex would paddle if we needed him but was going to pull out of the event (very dissapointing as it flet like our team had given up) and Paul suddlenly decided he didn't want to paddle a necky boat and pulled too. I was suddenly Team haglof Uk all by myself. I joined May Contain Nuts and we formed "May Contain Haglofs". we used our Tahe Marine boats (the boats all teams seemed to like as they were such good looking boats), I teamed up with Maria and the two Matts went in the other. I said good bye to haglofs and got on with my race - I needed to finish this thing I had started if it was going to kill me. Alex, Paul and Mick may have got me through the first two days but I now needed to get through the next two with people I did not know and who did not know me. Very wiered changing teams, learning new dynamics, changing their dynamics and fitting in. Maria and I got on very well from the start, although she was so cold from lack of sleep (they had probably only had an hour and a half since the start), when we got to Patterdale at the end of the lake after being blown there by a supperb tail wind she was so cold a marshal had to give her a fleece to wear. We had a confusing time in transition as no one could get our dibbers to swap into new team and we lost all our points from the last section in the confusion, so the marshals had to add them on manually later. we eventually left.

STAGE TEN: Running up and over Helvelyn via Swiral Edge, into a fierce headwind but thankfully dry. We plodded up here with Team York Mountaineering and night three started to close in as we came off Raise. The veiws were so vast and clear from the storm clearing all the clouds and hase away we didn't use head torches untill about 10pm. Another magic run and I felt stronger and stronger as the run went on, I felt on fire, so different from the first day when I could hardly move forwards. Why do I get better the longer these things go on? Mind you by the next transition I was ready for a hug and luckily we bumbed into a mate who obliged. What a buzz seeing friends, thank you Mike for the hug - it worked. well along with a bit of tea urn hugging. I had now perfected the art of urn hugging to warm up - the organiser james decided I had a fettish for urns, well maybe I do now - they are good hand warmers and they make tea!!

STAGE ELEVEN: More biking. This time I decided two pairs of cycle shorts would be needed, it was cold, i was frozen (apart from my toasty warm hands) and i didn't need to sit on a bike for another minute let alone another few hours! We cycled off on a very nice track but poor Maria was having her bad moment and could not cycle properly for it, the boys were also so tired that they couldn't cope with her moment and it all got a bit tense. I decided not to add my input as I was the outsider along for the ride and they needed to sort this themselves, this was a hard thing to watch and I am so glad it did not happen in my team. Eventaully they all decided that bitching about it was the way forward, it was even more difficult now and for the next few hours the boys blamed Maria for ruining their race and Maria went from bad to worse so we headed for the last transition and a sleep. We unfortunately beat our transition bags there so we had a freezing cold sit in our survival bags with a little help from the marshals who felt sorry for us not having our kit with us, we got tea and coffee and cheese on bread sticks. How nice were they. A few hugs from them and a sleep of about an hour and a half and we woke the boys at 4.30 am to set off for the orienteering.

STAGE TWELVE: The boys were still a little angry and irrational so i stuck my oar in and said that a few positives in the chat may go a long way so after a couple of mnutes of sulking and then alot of going wrong on finding the first check point and we all started laughing and smiling again - phew - I can deal with smiling and laughing alot better! And we were so close to the finish. Eventually we found (well the boys found) all the check points and we all cheered up.

LAST STAGE: back to the transition and onto Canadian Canoes and a gentle (you can never seam to race a candian canoe on flat water!!!) around Derwnt water in the morning mist with the sun rising and ever warming us into an hysterical paddle for all of us. We all went completely doolally, not being able to string a sentance together or even remember our own names, we were so happy and laughed alot at everything and everyone around us - we were gonna finish this race!

We landed the baots after about 2 hours of paddling and ran through Keswick to finish all holding hands and hugging at Moot Hall.

Alex was there to meet me. We got a finishing medal and more improtantly a bottle of bubbly. I drank alot of this - mainly to ensure I did not get into my car and try and drive! I drank 3/4 of the bottle before I managed to pull myself away from the finish line and get to a shower and back for lunch with haglofs and the prize giving. I spent the evening in the pub with lots of teams and marshals - a perfect ending to a fantastic event.

So - thank you Haglofs for believing I could do this, thank you Alex, Paul and Mick for helping me get through this (next time I would love to finish the race with you as I think we make a good team and a very well balanced one - even with me in it!!) and thank you Bruce (course palnner) and James (the guy who made it all happen!), all the marshals for their smiles, hugs, tea and support, it goes a long way and I hope I looked like I appreciated it at the time, cos I sure did. Also a big thank you to Team May Contain Nuts (Maria, Matt and Matt) for letting me join them and continue my quest to bury the dissapointment of Mick's unfortunate early retiral and from a few years ago to bury the demon of not finishing one of these events in Scotland - i have now completed an epedition race and I have swollen ankles to show for it!

You can see all the videos HERE

Open24

2010-07-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

OPEN12 - To start with I forgot to write all about how we (Team Haglof's Alex Pilkington and Me) did in the Open12 a few weeks ago - I thought the night before as I was in my van looking for my sports bra (oops forgot it!) that it was a bad omen - how can a girl run without a sports bra - thoughts of texting for one to be bought by someone else went out the window as there was no coverage so I though right - duck tape - no thanks - running holding onto my boobs - umm bit difficult - use my normal bra and tighten it as much as possible and hope for the best! It worked - we had a great weekend of sun, swimming, running, abseiling, camping, mountain biking, diving underwater, canyoning and no hurty boobs (was a bit soggy still sleeping in it over night but at least it dried off in the sleeping bag!) - result! We came 5th in the mixed and 9th overall so were very pleased with ourselves. I lost 1/2 a stone over the weekend - must drink more water!!!
OPEN24 - so was it good training (the open12) for the open24 - yep apart from the weather. Team Haglof's (all four of us) took Friday off and went to north Wales for a few hours sea paddling the day before the race. Mainly to try our boats in some rough water and waves etc - the weather was like being in the med, sun and flat water. We paddled from a sea side cafe near Conwy and saw dolphins (porpoises) and seals, it was like being on holiday and we were all expecting this weather the next day for the start of the race. NO - it was pants weather! The sea kayaking was cancelled and another sea akyak section was added (Menai Straights) but we were bussed off to Anglesea for the prologue of an open water swim and some coasteering.... This was coasteering with jelly fish - loads of them! I had short sleeves and pannicked everytime I touched one - they are worse than seaweed on flesh!

We also got a lift in a large RIB boat through some massive waves to the start - what a roller coaster ride that was at the front of the boat....

The start was changed to a bike ride with a short run in the middle of it. My legs were back and I felt good. We then got to play in our boats in the Menai Straights, with a battle against tide and wind to start with but then turned round for a supperb surfing paddle all the way to Menai Bridge before a slightly better battle back against the tide to Port Dinorwick for another biking section. Poor Alex wasn't feeling so good (must have been all the sea water he swallowed) so I did quite a bit of the navigating on the bike but we finished with a massive uphill to Ogwen Cottage at the top of Llannberris Pass - just to kill our legs off before the night stage over the Glyders.

After not eating and drinking enough on the Open12 I had some new sarnies, a mate had suggested banana and peanut butter, umm these work for me - loved them. My other race favourites were the cheese and home made pickle and parma ham with cheese. I managed to eat and drink really well.

We thought we had picked a good route - untill we saw the path - or should it be a pile of rocks - we wasted alot of time clambering and scrambling and we couldn't find one check point of 15 points. Poor Alex did a big fall at one point and I thought he'd hurt himself badly but luckily there was just a few scrapes - phew - that would have been a major rescue.

We must have wasted alot of time on that section and by the time we got back to some better running ground we were exhausted but hooked up with mates Emma and Dave who had done something equally as rubbish as us and we all got back to transision about 9 mins late - loosing 18 points (all because we were looking for a 15 point checkpoint!!!!)

Next was another short bike ride, my legs stopped working here as it was early morning and I kept falling asleep, same on the next run too but got woken up by the time we got to a special stage in a mine - we had to nav down a stream, then we were let loose to look for checkpoints in a whole section of tunnels and caves, then we had to get in an inflatable before more wading to get out - it was excellent....

Then we were onto our last biking section (with a special stage of some orienteering in the middle of it). My eyes kept shutting and I kept falling off my bike going up hill as I kept falling asleep. Loads of people overtook us - not fair - am not used to that so much on my bike! We did ok when we got onto singletrack (lots of the checkpoints were on the the Marin trail at Coaed y Brenin - this woke me up and I loved the riding - happy again - but as soon as I hit a fire road uphill again I would fall asleep and loose all power in my legs - eventually i ate some jelly babies and this did it - i was back, we plodded round the short orienteering route and then flew back down to the finish (we should have done the medium course as we had about 10 or 15 mins spare - bu*ger) - we came 5th and were only 15 points behind the team that were 4th - bu*ger!
We were extremely pleased though - and I have learn't to eat jelly babies earlier!!! Although as I said earlier the sarnies were wonderfull and as I liked the taste of my food for a change i ate well - just need to sort this falling asleep on boring uphills on bike bit now!!!

Karen Alex Try a Bob Graham.......

2010-06-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

We didn't make it - boo - but we both have a storey to tell!!!
Prep - we thought we were prepared - we had rece'd alot and helped on other attempts and been given out good luck cakes (thank you Karen Davison and Janet McIver)

Leg One - well before that - there was sooo much traffic on M6 we (me Alex and Paul) thought we were gonna have to change the start time. Luckily it all went smoothly and we picked Britta (Fellrunner and run247.com editor) and Ben (brittas boyfriend and superhuman runner) up at Dunmail and got to Keswick with 30 mins to spare - time for a few nervous toilet visits and a few photos and we were off. I was on such a high - everyone had said that by the time you get to Moot Hall for the start you should be bursting to run - I was - and the others had to keep reigning me in - i was far too enthusiastic but Britta kept me in check. Hillary bloor met us in the car park at the start of Skiddaw for a big cheer and a hug then Paul was further up the hill and we made good time up Skiddaw, the air was still warm and it was fantastic running with people carrying your stuff, feeding you every half hour and watering you every 15 mins. Ben opened gates and mended trekking poles and ran ahead to check things out - Support is great - i love it!!! We got to Threlkeld about 10 mins up and found our next crew plus a load of Macc Harriers waiting for some Stockport Runners. Paul Farmer (Alex's fiance) was there with our kit and food, yummy pasta and a cuppa coffee for me followed with some of Janets special coffee and choc and rum cake.

Leg 2 - Alex Pilkington and Paul Baker then joined us, Alex is part of my Adventure Racing Team (Team Haglofs)but we had never raced or run together before - i was keen to make a good impression as we were to be doing a four day event in August. Paul was a friend of Alex's who'd done a few rece's with her last year. Alex P knew the leg well and we had pulled him in on this leg late on thursday evening when we found out our navigator for leg 2 couldn't make it! Alex was gonna start at Dunmail with us. So thank you Alex for a rather late change of plan and for such a supperb piece of navigating us round the Dodds and onwards. We both still felt great and made good time on all our hills keeping to schedule. But just after Helvellyn I started slowing and feeling a bit yuk and not eating much, well i could put the food in my mouth but it sort of stayed there - i couldn't chew or swallow and by Fairfield i was in a right state - I hate Fairfield - it was sooo hard getting up that. Britta coaxed me up Seat Sandal and i felt a bit better going down to Dunmail. More food - i was fine - eating more pasta and changing some clothing, more coffee and some people to join us. Britta and Ben went home from here - thank you both for such wonderfull support.
Leg 3 - Paul Vousden and Mick Kenyon (both Team Haglof's) and Swatts (Stephen Watts - fellow Macc Harrier) joined us here and we plodded up Steel Fell. I gradually got slower as we made a descision to go up High raise before sergeant man and came off it wrong and started to slow down (well i did - but Alex was storming along and encouraging me), I kept telling Alex to start running her own BG and not keep waiting for me - we had enough support. By Rossett Pile she did just that as Stu Walker turned up with more water for us - we had a kit, water and food shuffle and I carried on with Alex P, Mick and Stu while Paul and Swatts ran on with Alex (who just bounced off into the distance like a real runner) - I plodded on behind getting more and more demoralised and sickly and felt really horrible. I felt like lead and couldn't eat or drink or smile. i swore alot and hated this leg with soo much passion I swore I would pull out at wasdale and never attempt it again. I even considered going off the hill earlier. The boys kept me going and ignored my whaling, tears, swearing and moaning and eventually after a minor breakdown on Scafell Pike I got to Broad Stand and found paul Farmer there with ropes and a camera - i found a smile and then loved the climb up broad stand and cheered up (mainly cos I knew I was gonna give up and get in a car at wasdale.
Wasdale - no one let me give up - Rachael and David Lawrance were there and they fed me bacon sarnies and tea (apparently they had fed bacon sarnies to alot of people and gone hrough 25 rasheds of bacon!), they found my clothes, packed me and my supporters off and sent me up Yewbarrow - apparently i was carrying on!
Leg 4 - God it sounds so short when you write about it - it is not short, it is not easy and at this point I wanted to die! but i picked up a bit and got up yewbarrow in good time. We had no navigator at this point but Mick had done this leg years ago and David and Stu got their maps out - luckily after a bit of search by David on top of Yewbarrow we found the top and then i discovered my new found eating plan - I can eat as long as I stop - or sit down - as long as I am not moving I can eat - luckily David had a rucksack full of cheese and pickle sarnies. And I remembered all the tracks and lines on all the hills - phew!
I had lots of sit downs for food and moaning but spirits started to get higher as i slowed down and started to recover - i knew I wasn't gonna make it and I had to crawl up some of the up hills as hands and feet were slightly more stable!!! I even made up a new website - "The Failed BGR" - people who have tried and failed can register their attempts, write a report, get a certificate it looks just the same apart form a big red FAILED on it!). Mick spent most of this leg persuding me to carry on at honnister as it would be good for me to complete it is one go. I knew he was right as this would mean that I then would never have to do it again - complete it - even outsie the 24 hours and i could walk away - but I had no energy or drive and I wanted to cry! The chatting and walking cheered me up though and I even ran down the last hill into Honnister and got into the car park and surprised everyone by announcing i was carrying on!
Surprised looks - they all thought I was bonkers - maybe I was - poor Alex had just pulled out so i asked her if I was bonkers - she said yes but do it - it will be good for my head. I felt great so I asked if anyone wanted to join me - no-one did so after tommy soup I put a rucksack on and took off by myself! BONKERS - DEFINATELY!
Leg 5 - i felt great - I stormed (slowly) up Dale Head and took the camera out for self timed top pictures then spent ages phoning people and texting and telling everyone I was bonkers - but at least I was happy and not in a car thinking i should have carried on - phew - it was good for me. The midges were not good for me - the phone calls were good for me - people telling me I was bonkers was good for me. The run (yes run) off Robinson was great apart from now my feet hurt and started to get blisters, i tried to run the road bit but started phoning and texting again - i was soooo proud of myself for carrying on i wanted to cry - and for a change I didn't - the emmotional wreck was behind me and I was gonna make it.
I did make it - in 27 hours and 54 minutes. I even beat my mates Racheal and David to Moot Hall - got the pix and got in the van to meet up with Karen, Janet and Mike in Cockermouth for a raher lovely shower, a bbq and at last some wine - apparently i rambled on and on - on a complete high till midnight then slept like a baby in a really comfy bed - I was sooo happy
I write this on Tuesday and I am still on a high - what a great day in the hills (I have forgotton the bad bits already!)
Thank you to all the supporters and Alex promses to have another go in September, I have said I will do road support!!!

Ski Mountaineering

2010-05-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

Wow what an ace trip me and Alex had. Last year we ski toured the Haute Route as our second trip without a guide and the trip went really well, lots of bad weather and challenging navigation and some superb skiing as we took a variation a little higher and longer than the "normal" route. But the weather caught up with us on the last day and we got stormed off at the Vignettes Hut with only one long day left to go to Zermatt. So we abandoned and ski'd the powder down to Arolla. So this year we needed to finish off last years goal and find a new one - i had been hatching a plan to climb Mont Blanc and ski off it - the plan was now a goal.

We got up early in Chamonix and drove over to Switzerland, dropping the car off at Visp and catching a bus up to Arolla, we then sunk a strong coffee and started uphill - a lot of uphill and eventually through searing sun we made it to the Vignettes Hut at 3100m (or just above!). Bit of a gamble as coming from sea level up to 3000m to sleep in 24 hours is not usual! We actually felt fine and we drank wine and slept really well. next day the start was an early 6am start as it was a long day with avalanche risk and three big cols to go over. We powered up the first one, overtook a few groups (bit strange as they were acclimatised and we definitely weren't - but maybe they were knackered after a week of skiing!), the views were excellent, the sun was out, it was t-shirt weather and it was great. next 3000m col was under the belt and we still felt good on the steep climbs but by the time we got to the last one (about half way up it at about 3200m) Alex suddenly turned round and said - you've slowed down - umm - yes I feel like shite - she did too - groups passed us again and we plodded on to the col at 3500m, took a picture with the Matterhorn in the background and shot off for lower climes!!! The downhill was long and we passed slopes prone to avalanche as quickly as we could as the temperatures just got hotter and hotter, the snow turned to deep slush and and twisty turny trees and eventually we hit a track that took us to our wine in a bar - we had finally finished the Haute Route - it took us a year not a week! Next day we climbed up the Breithorn (4165m) feeling a little slow with hurty feet but the sun was out and the ski off was great - bits of hard pack icy stuff, snow crystals, powder, spring snow and slush - excellent fun.

Next we went back to Chamonix for a good nights sleep and a look at the forcast, the weather was settled for the next two days, so we set off up to the Cosmique Hut near the Aguille du Midi lift at 3613m for an acclimatisation night.

We met a bloke who was gonna climb a

big gully the nex

t day then climb Mont Blanc

solo the next day, we were gonna ski Valley Blanche in the morning then back to Cosmique Hut and up Mon

t Blanc the same day as him, so we joined up and attached a plan to go together. Alex and I watched a big rescue going on near the hut on our route over breaky, bit scary (ok a lot scarey), but we had a good look at the route through the seracs with the bino's and gulped and set off down valley Blanche about an hour too early - it was

bolier plate re frozen crud and slush - umm how pleasant - the last little bit became nice to ski so we should have waited a bit for the snow to soften - oh well - it was good for our combat skiing!

Down into Chamonix for lunch and a shower (luxury!) and back late afternoon for the Cosmique Hut again, we met up with Nick at the lift station. The hut was crowded and we opted for the 1am breaky - god - how was I gonna get up for that - simples - I hardly slept - Alex and I were in the top tier of the 3 layer bunk room - it was like an ice climb just getting up there and people faffed, used their mobiles and snored all night - so i was wide awake and raring to go by 1am. breaky was yummy home made bread, the weather was quite warm and the uphill started. We roped up when we got near the seracs where the rescue had been and found a way through

the blocks, powered on up the next skiing slope to another crampon bit as the sun came up at the start of the Col du Mont Maudi section (there is a fixed rope here for the skiers to come down so you can tell how steep it felt!) we were loving it, feeling good and enjoyin

g the climb. we topped out over the col and saw the rest of the route, blimey that looked a long way and it took forever - i was rather knackered and had no oxygen and went quiet - unusual for me - bet the other two were quietly pleased with that result! Another few hours on we crouched just below the summit to put some more kit on and then piled on over the gently rise to the summit ridge - superb - we'd done it, we had fantastic views and an awful lot of people to climb around - it was like the M1 on a bank holiday!!! We texted all the important people and set off in crampons down North Ridge - we were doing a traverse of Mont Blanc so not going down the same way we came up. We got to the Vallot Hut about an hour later and had alot of chocolate, a rest and ut our ski's on for the downhill. Superb snow through scary seracs, blocks the size of houses or hotel ready to tumble and crevasses with bridges that looked a little unstable - we went through some new avalanche debris from 2 weeks ago (we had surveyed this online and seen photos so knew we had to get through it quickly), the bridges were very weak over the crevasses and holes between the blocks so we pushed on and forgot the camera for a bit. Then came a few more climbs as it was re-routed due to the debris and suddenly after 11 and a half hours we were back at the half way station of the Aguilles du Midi lift, we quickly found the café and got the drinks in to celebrate – we had climbed Mont Blanc, ski’d Mont Blanc and were safely back down the hill. Did you know that the record for climbing Mont Blanc is set by a runner at 5 hours 14 minutes and 10secs and it si done from the middle of Chamonix! – Bloomin impossible!

We spent that evening having bubbly, the next evening having bubbly and the next evening having wine! Excellent - oh year and we did a bit of rock climbing and some walking and some running, the weather turned pants so we came home early having achieved all our goals!

Descisions Descisions...

2010-04-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

I couldn't decide what to do - several phone calls later and no-one decided for me I went for pulling out of Calderdale Hike to save my legs for a BG recce next weekend, take photos for Runfurther around the event and then do the Dark & White Peak Traiquest on the Sunday. I have been trying to have a blast at my biking to get my legs back into biking. I did a roady ride last saturday, then the Open 5 on the monday (running and biking) and then a 6 hour fast ride on wednesday and then this trailquest today (sunday) and today i finally felt like my biker legs were back (so now i have to keep both the running and biking legs going!). Oh and I came first too - also beat all the girls in the other categories too - am feeling pretty chuffed. Was also 29th out of 132 riders - yippeeeee
I feel like my legs want to ride hard again and not hurt. I was very disturbed with my biking over the last few years as my legs were never quite what they used to be on a bike as I was doing so much running - now I want both and I want both to be feeling good! - i don't ask for much do i! Well as I have been asked to join Team Haglof's for a big four day adventure race in August - i am trying to be as good as I can get for them! See our Team Haglof Pages HERE

Easter & Open 5 Weekend.....

2010-04-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well Easter had the promise of rain, gales, snow and wind - pooh! So I planned not alot and got - well some fantastic weather and some great activities. Friday was a bit pants on the weather front so did some DIY - well I made a picture frame for my Ama dablam photos and then found a friend who needed a roady ride on Saturday - we set off thinking it's gonna rain - but it didn't - phew - I needed a good ride to push me and Steve was fast enough to pull me round so i showed him a cultural tour of the peaks by the road (not my usual off road stuff but good), we went through Chatsworth, Haddon and Thornbridge hall estates and it didn't rain - phew. Next was a meal and too uch wine at a friend's house up the road and the morning bought gorgeous weather again - so of course the hills beckoned and off I set on an Easter Run out the back of the house up Bradwell Edge. I knew I had to save my legs for the race on monday but the sun was out! I decided to drive to Ruthin for the Open 5 in the morning as the forcast was for rain overnight and my van is quite noisy to sleep in in the rain, so an early night and an early morning. The clouds looked big and black as I got near Ruthin and then i saw the hills, oh i remember these hills - they are quite big - umm maybe should have saved my legs a bit more for this event! Oh well if I don't do well i can just put it down to multi day training! When we all got there we found out the start was about 8km away up a hill - oh well will spin it out on the bike and use it as a warm up! The clouds started to disappear - hooray! I started on the run and the map looked like a mass of contour lines - my legs were gonna love this!!! The hills started and i lapped them up - doing what I had planned in 2 and half hours in 2 hours - oh well i get to do more biking! The biking started well for about 10 minutes - then I got to CP 17, a broken wall crossing the bridleway, the CP was supposed to be 10m up the wall, so i went for a romp over the stones and found nothing, so I thought maybe there was another wall a bit further on (upon reflection i should have looked at the other side of the map, the running map was 1:25000 not 1:50000 so showed the walls - and there wasn't another one!) I fell over lots by the wind pushing me off the slippery muddy horrible track and found no other wall. I was a bit discouraged and thought I had better turn back, it was about a 20 min turn around now back to CP17 and back to where i was - i dithered and then abandoned the idea - apparently I was only about a meter away from the CP but it was quite hidden - bugger! So i carried on and got to lots of mud but an excellent downhill - this cheered me up - was giving myself a hard time for such a stupid basic error - oh well - have a good ride now and forget the race! I had a good ride and got alot more points and felt my legs a bit on the last up hill to the finish but it hadn't rained and I'd had a good day. Road back to the event centre with a mate, definately pushed the legs over the edge, stood in a queue for a bacon butty and then sat down to listed to everyone get their prizes. I had just missed out by a minute on 3rd place (same points), so if I'd bothered to look for CP17 a little better I would have come 2nd!!! 4th felt good though! Then to my surprise the series points were announced and I'd come 3rd over the series - yippee i got a trophy!!! What an excellent way to end a good weekend... Now where was the easter egg....

It is now wednesday and I found a play mate for a 6 hour ride around the Peak District - bit of rain, lots of mud, some excellent downhills, well i chose the route and put all my favourite ones in, and then I got an easter egg - yippeee! Am now officially stuffed!

Wiggle Lightning 12 Hour Run

2010-03-24T03:11:00.000-07:00

What am I doing - there are no mountains and a field full of fit looking whippet like runners - oh and me hiding in the van from the rain. I have decided to do a 12 hour run round a 6 mile course at Eastnor Castle.

WHY - cos i have done it on my bike for 24 hours solo so how hard can running it be???

The atmosphere on saturday night was great - everyone buzzing and eating lots, I was nervous but decided I needed an early night as had to be up at 4.45am. Despite two different types of sleeping tablet I lay awake for ages reading my book - bugger - I'm gonna be knackered!

Oh well - morning soon turned up and the sky was clear, the wind had gone and the rain was no where to be seen - phew! The ground looked soggy so decided on fell shoes for the slippery mud. Race briefing was quick and to the point - basically have fun.

I talked with a few other runners, the whippets, and thought - just get out there and enjoy - that is what the briefing was all about! Oh and then the start horn went and I raced off fast (for about 5 metres) - well there was a camera!!! Then we got to the first hill, a runnable one, not used to these as try to find big plods usually, like in the Lake Disrict, but was feeling good to jogged up it a bit then made myself walk a steeper bit as had 12 hours of this to go! I loved the muddy section, the shoes worked well, some whippets had chosen quite roady shoes, this looked like hard work, so me and the other less whippet like around me plodded on, chatting and enjoying the dawn breaking, wishing I had taken my camera.

So the first half of the course was uphill with some muddy singletrack and some grassy down hills afterwoods, then onto some field type terrain and another uphill up to a landrover track and a feed station, then some flattish section and into the second half of the course which had some lovely wooded singletrack I remembered from the biking - it fired me up this bit and on each of my laps I always sped up on this bit! Then across some field bits with the start/finish/changeover area in view with the music and the comentator telling everyone all about who was passing theouh, who was in the lead, and what teams runners were swapping on the realay teams etc. It is a good buzz when you hear your name over the tannoy and people cheering you on. This is especially good when you are not being supported by anyone - makes you feel supported! The other thing that keeps me smiling and looking like I am trying to run is a photographer - there was one who seemed to be everywhere - hopefully i was smiling and looking like I knew what i was doing!!!

Lap two - my feet decided they were a little uncomfortable, must be all the runable bits (all of it really!!!) or is it just that I have trail shoe feet! I was holding my own on each lap now, the first one took me an hour, then I was doing a few at just over the hour. Although had to have toilet breaks and really needed to change my shoes at some point. One bloke I ran for a while with (Trevor, that all the marshals seemed to know) was gonna change into his fell shoes, so I stuck with mine for a bit longer, untill end of lap three I could stand them no longer - they were abandoned and the trail shoes donned, a coffee and some chocolate helped in the process. Oh how wonderfull that felt (the change of shoes I mean!) - I could run again - phew I'm not as bad as I thought - even felt vaguely whippet like (well in mind anyay!). Some more good laps ensued and suddenly I had done 6 hours, that went very quickly. I think it was the fact you could just see where you should be at what time, I was enjoying this, you could play catch up and over take quite easily too (suppose others were doing that with me too, but then I had a notice on my back saying "Solo - please pass with care!" - it got alot of comments!). I had done 5 laps in just under 6 hours. I cold potentially get 10 laps in - blimey i sholdn't keep doing the maths on this - the miles added up to far too many!

I had been in 5th place the wole way so far so thought the whippets may be heading for a lapping of me soon, it just made me scared - like I was being chased! I think it kept me going faster, well untill lap 8 when I was just a bit knackered but trying to keep up with Patrick he was a lap ahead and in second place in the mens solo), I put a good time in but decided I couldn't stomach another two laps, My hips hurt and I wanted to be able to walk tomorrow. So decided to walk lap nine as I felt I could not catch the top 4 and hoped the others behind would not catch me, it took a while longer but still got to the finish half hour before the 12 hours, I was really hurting now and felt another lap would hurt too much so stopped. I had finished, I ws exremely happy and I found a man willing to give my very salty sweaty body a massage - excellent.

Whilst having my massage the sreen popped up with our results and I had come fourth and the girl who was third was on the next massage table and had done the same amount of laps as me (9) so i should have done another lap - I would have been on the podium then!!! Oh well - I did much better than I thouht I would and had enjoyed it. I think next time it may be as a pair - seems like you get a good amount of running in but more able to walk afterwoods! Mind you - the massage was the best post race massage I had ever had and I practically jumped off the table, wolfed a bacon and egg butty down and got in the van to drive home.

It was a good event and very well organised and I now have the t-shirt - well mum always asks why I do these things and of course it's for the t-shirt!!! She thinks I'm mad! I am!

Open 5

2010-03-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

Just had a great weekend - back to Adventure Racing. I decided to race on the friday, got an on the day entry (must remember to enter earlier next time as it is cheaper!), facebooked a few friends and got invited to stay up in Kendal, went out for a curry and a few wines, had the worst night sleep in a long time (the Chicken Tikka Balti was off), had the churniest tummy ever all night but managed about 3 hours sleep I think, then got to Sedburgh, in sunshine and crispy frozen ground. Met up with lots of mates I have not seen for a long time and started the race. Took my camera and fiddled around a bit with it on the run (have decided not photogenic anymore - especially on self portraits - so only one photo to post!).

Went up big hill and round the whole village and it's surroundings feeling great, I must be back - feel soooo much better than last year. The biking was supperb and I just happened to be biking the same speed as a mate Ben, which was great for moral to have a bit of company and to see that i haven't lost my biking skills! They need some polishing though!!! Got back 6 mins late so lost 12 points (but the last checkpoint was worth 35 so happy with that!) but then the results came out and I was really surprised by them - came 2nd girlie, beating loads of girlies i really shouldn't have! And If I hadn't faffed on the run with my camera would have had the same points as first girlie, she got same points but no penalties! Oh what a great start to the season - bring it on - Wuthering Hike next week.....

Bare Bottoms on C2C Race

2009-09-03T04:06:00.001-07:00

I decided while lots of my mates went back out to UTMB again that I would be missing out all the fun and body bashing the race lets you in on! So I signed up for a Four Day Adventure race called Open Adventure C2C - and it covered the C2C route from Whitehaven/St bees to Robin Hoods Bay.
First of all though you have to get there - I had forgotten how much organising goes into getting all your kit, food, maps, support and life before a big adventure race that involves kayaking, Mountain Biking, Roady Cycling, Fell Running and some Swimming!
I thought I would plan a couple of months in advance so I would be totally organised - one week before the event I had finally found a boat to borrow, my bike had fallen apart and I hadn't even looked at the route on the web so had no idea where I was off to!
So - Boat - sorted - I got a great offer from fellow Macc harriers runner Phil, who kindly leant me a superb sea kayak with posh paddles and all the paraphernalia that goes with kayaking, he gave me a go in the boat on the canal near Macc and it paddled great and I had not forgotten how to do it - phew! So I said yes to the boat and sent off my qualifications to James the Race Director as you have to prove you can kayak too - luckily my certs were stored to hand in the back of beyond in the last tub I looked in, in the back of the dark loft - everything takes so long find!
Next up - make sure I can still run - oh phew had just done my best ever race so that was sorted - the shoes got packed!
Next up - go out biking with mates and break your bike, never mind I have another - oh no I broke that one too! Spend the next two days at the bike repair shop in Hathersage (who are brilliant by the way) sorting one frame and about 6 wheels into something that resembled a working bike - it worked - I picked it up the day I was leaving and had four wheels working so I could have an off road set and a roady slicks set (we were only allowed one bike).
Maps I did mostly at midnight for a few nights leading up to leaving so at least I knew what I was doing and when!
Food - decided I needed healthy food - so spent a couple of afternoons preparing food and freezing the stuff so it would last longer in the van fridge. Also pre cut veg for other meals and made yummy flapjack.
Also secured a mate of mine as a support driver - poor guy had no idea what he was letting himself in for - me in race mode is probably not a good thing especially over four days - but I promised his brother I would not Kill him and hopefully he would find no reason to Kill me!
Last of all (oh after clearing the van of the shite it did not need in!) was a mascot - we all had to race with one - I found a 50 pence Barbie Doll in a local charity shop, made her a Buff Suit and called her Buff Barbie of Team Run Like a Girl.
We were ready - picked Nick up from Macc on the way - ate our food on the way up to Cockermouth to a Youth Hostel so we could get up early and head off to Whitehaven for the start and the first of many kayak sections.
Day 1 - Uh Oh - the wind was up - the waves were crashing over the sea wall and even if they'd said the kayaking was still on I would not have got in my boat - it was a BIG sea! So we all ran to St.Bees - phew - I can do this now - obviously not as fast as the rest of the racers as am sure I was pretty close to last (must remember to make sure there is more slow people in my races to make me feel good!).
A quick change and onto the bike for a roady section over to Crummock Water. Nick was great he had my boat waiting for me in transition and all I had to do was get the thing down to the water on a trolley (no help was allowed by support drivers) - so off I trotted (or is that plodded) and all went well till the wheel fell off - bugger - the wheel fell off - and this is the first kayak section and we have many more portages to go - bugger - go and look for the split pin then - bugger I can't find it - so improvise with a small karabiner. A solo girlie overtook me - bugger!
Paddle - well I would have if the wind had not kept pushing my paddles out of my hands - it was very extremely horribly windy - I thought of giving up kayaking forever! then came the portage - oh god this trolley was not going to work - the wheels were too small for those rocks - not a path to trolley along more of a path to swear at whilst trying to carry a boat that is too heavy to pick up - back aches - can't walk any further - cry - get some help from lovely team 58 - phew - eventually did the kilometre of rough rocky terrain and found some more windy water to paddle - so then it hales, thunders and lightening - umm - not sure I like this either - am definitely giving up paddling forever!
I stay in the van in transition cos I don't want to go up Robinson in that weather - eventually I brave the weather and get up the hill to find Jim (one of the marshals) had been there through all of that weather - gave him a hug for that - the sun came out now so hopefully he had a better afternoon! I had caught up some blokes from a team and one of them said "Hello Kaz" - I must have looked puzzled as he then said "you don't know me but I know your van!" - ah - the van with flowers has been spotted - he must be a Derbyshire resident (later found out he was!) - that just spurred me on to run faster and get over to Dale Head and down Cat Bells - bit of competition - it worked - I flew - and caught up another male solo called Ben - that spurred him on and off he sped! I met him again at transition at Nicol End where we had to get ready for a swim over to Keswick.
I found a lovely smooth bit of concrete to stand on and preceded to undress and get my wetsuit on (well it was cold and I'm obviously a wimp compared to the hard nuts that swam in their running kit!). I started to hear some shouts from the water from the safety guys and the photographers - they told me to turn round - I did and yep - I had been moonying through the window of the cafe - great - that went straight on sleepmonsters.com race report! Oops - sorry to ruin some poor tourists afternoon tea - hey oh!
The swim went well - well I didn't drown and I got to the other side - where I ran off in my wetsuits slippers into Keswick - umm should have asked Nick to take my trainers to the end of the swim - bit stony that track! Still I get into town wearing rubber and running like a girl as usual - poor tourists subjected to that look!
I got to the finish - I had done day 1 - and it was still daylight - excellent - oh and no need for a shower seeing as I'd swam the lake! And I wasn't last! 3rd girlie and 27th overall (teams and solos).

Day 2 – Staggered starts – about 7.20 am I set off on a roady ride to Thirlmere – great another kayak stage – phew the water looked flat and the lake edge was only about 10m away – no trolley or carrying – that is much better – maybe I will like kayaking today and continue to think the sport is something I like! I did like it – the water was flat and the boat went straight and then it all went wrong – the portage at the other end of the lake was another long one – luckily a lot less than a kilometre but still too far to carry but when you don’t have your trolley with you, you have to carry (the boat was far too expensive to drag – unlike those clever people who had hired a plastic boat and didn’t care what they dragged it over!) – I carried – it hurt – the physio after this is going to cost a fortune – bugger! I did get it to the gate at the edge of transition and then just shouted for Nick and he came running over and helped – phew – he was doing a great job. He’d made coffee perfectly and had all my running kit ready for the slog up Helvelyn. Not a hard steep up hill at all – well it was – but at least I wasn’t carrying a boat! I got to the top in a complete white out of fog or mist or whatever type of clag it chose to be, found Phil (a marshal) in a bivi bag hiding from the wind and then set off down Striding Edge – just as the clouds dispersed, the sun came out and the view appeared in front – wow – the ridge looked fantastic and the lake down to the side was beautiful – felt good to be running again – see I seem to like running now – I am sure in my 20’s I was a kayaker, then in my 30’s a biker – does this mean I have to like running for all of my 40’s – god this is gonna hurt! The downhill was a perfect rocky skip of a downhill – I lapped it up. Next up – oh lets carry my boat for a bit – Nick had made me some nice sandwiches and another hot drink and then off I went towards the water (somewhere!). I found it – swore at the boat – the paddle – probably the marshal (with an apology straight after) – definitely the land – got in the boat and immediately forgot the portage and paddled down a gorgeous little river under bridges and overhanging trees and through reeds – wow it was lovely and the boat was ace and I loved kayaking again! Then Ulswater came into view – blimey it looked long on the map let alone when you got on it! – All went well till the wind picked up – then came the doubts and the swearing at the waves pushing me in the wrong direction and the waves for trying to eat me up and the lake for being too long! Everyone overtook me – oh how demoralising – I feel so slow. Getting out of Ulswater was up another gorgeous creek with fantastic houses lining it with seats and barbeques and people chillin – oh for a chill out! No – just one more small carry – it nearly killed me getting the boat onto my shoulder but got there. Nick had more sandwiches and coffee and all my kit ready and my bike ready for me to swap the wheels and off I set – only to return within the first 10 mins cos I had forgotten my pump – would have needed it if I had not gone back for it – typical – must remember my pump next time! The uphill was good, I was on a bike on solid ground not carrying a boat – excellent – so stop enjoying it Karen and get on with it – oops I go the wrong way down a superb downhill in completely the wrong direction – needed an extra uphill – turn round find the real track and now get on with it – whilst telling myself I am a plank over and over – how can a navigator do that – was the downhill so good I had just enjoyed it and not looked at the map or was I getting crap at navving – not acceptable – try harder and concentrate – things will only get worse if I loose concentration – the new downhill was even better! Good choice of tyres too – well done – less of a plank now as have forgotten the mistake and just start enjoying the ride. Eventually I catch Ben up again – wow – didn’t expect that – we chose different routes and then end up finishing at roughly the same time in Kirkby Stephen with Maria (the girl who overtook me on day one kayak one) just a few minutes behind – I am loosing time to her all the time – she’s good – but then both of us are loosing time to Nicola even quicker – she’s super human! Again I finished in the daylight (about 4.15pm) and had plenty of time for a super hot shower and loads of home made curry – which then made me feel faint in the race briefing later on that evening – so missed most of it as I spent the entire evening slumped on the floor feeling awful! Was still 3rd – so was still happy! Well I was happy whatever as there was no more kayaking!!! (29th overall)
Day 3 – Short run over Nine Standards in the morning to end in Keld – we were supposed to see our support cars and drivers half way along on a short road section so they then knew to move to Keld for transition – my Van was not there – it’s not hard to spot with all it’s flowers but it wasn’t there – panic – panic again – ask people to tell Nick I have gone through and then panic for the next half hour – then forget and just run on cos what else could I do – the weather was good, there was no boat on my back and I was enjoying the run (again – weird!). Eventually I get to Keld – blimey it took a while – but there was the Van and even better there was Nick with all my bike kit (minus a helmet and shoes) in the transition shed – he ran off and got my forgotten kit and I changed – hopefully only moonying a couple of cows in the back of the shed, Nick panicking a bit cos I was just strippin off – hey ho - at least I wasn’t in front of a café window! Then off for a mountain bike ride over to Castle Bolton. What a very good ride – some nice riding and again I liked my off road tyre choice (a semi slick on the front and a 1.5 mud claw on the back), kept my speed up and rode well – till I cheekily saw some riders ahead walking a rocky downhill section – so I blasted past on my skinny’s feeling good – then promptly had a puncture – bugger – oh lets change my inner whilst watching the droves of racers file past me! Oh well – quite a quick inner tube change and then off on an excellent really really long down hill – what a blast – found Nick with more sarnies and more coffee to gulp – a quick change onto my roady slick tyres and off towards Northalerton (having seen Ben, Maria, Nicola and everyone else fly past me) – I caught Ben – wow – I must be flying – and stayed ahead all the way to the days finish but not quite enough to get ahead of him. Still 3rd and now 30th overall out of 45 starters – must try harder tomorrow and not slip out of the top 30.
Day 4 – A really early start again – this time at about 6.15am – oh god – the cycle ride to Osmotherley was so hard – my legs don’t work that early in the morning – maybe I over did the cycling yesterday and I’m gonna die today - must push on and get to the run – oh god nearly wipe out on the first downhill corner – the wheels skid, I panic – go up the bank – it luckily pushes me round like a burn and off I fly down the hill to Swainby and a “quiet” transition – me quiet – oh god – remember whisper – you can do it – nearly managed it until I said thank you Nick as I was leaving for the run with my biking helmet still on! Forgot my correct map too – back into transition sort myself out and get on up the hill! The legs are slow and heavy – the sandwiches taste like heaven – I love German Rye bread with cream cheese and avocado – now my preferred race food! Thank you Nick you are a star – they were the perfect sarny! Get up onto the Cleveland Way – someone has made it a lot hillier and longer than I remember – still I push on – it is the last day – the sun is out – I feel good and I can push! I run into transition with still no- one having overtaken me as arrive same time as Sue (from Way up North pairs) and Alex and Sarah from team 58 my kayaker life savers. We then mountain bike along the Cleveland Way and I am feeling really strong now and loving eating the miles up and over taking teams who started before me this morning. I get into transition from my best section so far still with Sue, the 58ers and two others from a team literally just behind me – wow – I was loving my bike and I surprised Nick he was ready but wasn’t expecting me for about another hour! Next was roady wheels for the final push to Robin Hoods bay – the droves started overtaking from the minute I left transition – but I still felt strong and powered on and even the surprise hill in Rushwick before the Middlewood way trail was a mere blip in the scheme of things – I was close to the finish and someone had said the finish was a downhill – excellent – couldn’t wait! The wind got up and was dead ahead and I had to peddle hard to keep moving downhill all the way to the finish – but I’d done it – I got the medal and so did Nick and I had loved every minute of it. We then swam in the sea and drove home!

I came 3rd Girlie and 26th Overall

I will kayak again - the portages did not put me off - just need to practice - get better and get a lighter boat!
Thank you James and Lisa Thurlow for organising such a superb event
Thank you to all the race marshals, behind the scenes crews and other peoples support for all your cheering and encouragement along the way
BUT my BIGGEST THANK YOU is to Nick for not killing me and putting up with my probably selfish "pass me this" attitude, my demanding cups of tea and coffee and sarnies, my smelly body and kit and for getting up so early every day to drive my kit and feed me and look after me so I (we) could get through this - we made a great team - it worked and we have the prize to show for it!

Oh I'm Back!

2009-08-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a runner again - or have I ever actually admitted to being one before?
Well I feel like one now - I had a great race at the Long Tour of Bradwell, Runfurther's new short race. It started 100m down the road from me - bonus - I could sleep longer - well untill I had to get there early to put all the Runfurther flags up, meet all the usual faces and some new ones, chat, get nervous, nip home for the last minute nervous pee as there was a queue and get to the start line in the baking hot sun (at last!). Lots of people were thinking it was gonna be too hot - I was thinking I'm gonna love this heat - feels great to be warm in a British summer! We started, everyone flew off and I, as usual plodded, Karen stylie up the first hill, chatting and trying to get my legs to remember what a long race was all about - I've done soooo many short fell races this summer I'd forgotton that feeling of a whole day of pushing myself - it felt great - my newly learned skills of actually running up some inclines kicked in - better not push it - this was the beginning of a 31 miler with heaps of climb - but I pushed it anyway - I had homemade flapjack in my rucsac - I could push it! I flew down the first downhill "Cavedale" into Castleton, passing runners I don't usually pass and thinking that they'll catch me on the tarmac out the other side of town, but only a few did - so I powered up the next hill to Hollins Cross, chatting with a guy called Willy who'd done the West Highland Way last weekend - god - he should be hurting! Then the next downhill into Edale had me catching the couple form Cambridge again, well they don't get that may steep rocky downs around there - of course they caught me again in the fields through Edale. Ringing Roger was a toughy again but had a little boost when a mate Peter from the village ran down the hill cheering us on (telling me the rest are only just ahead! when infact they were probably already at the half way point!). The downhill from the Druid Stones was great, steep, brackeny, muddy, slippery and I overtook people again - this is a good feeling. Next was straight back up to Lose Hill, running with Willy again. Hope was next, some biscuits and a long drink and then up round Win Hill and a swarm of flying ants - yuk - don't smile they get in your teeth! Then down to the dam and I'd made the cut off point just over half way in 3 hours 45. A long roady section up passed Bamford Edge to Stanage, but loads of motor bikers distract me and I go straight passed CP12 right to the top of Stannage - boo - gotta go all the way back down again - what a waist of all my hard effort overtaking - Clare Kenny goes passed me - oh well usually she's hours ahead of me at this point in most races - so i plod on - Stannage Edge was longer than usual - someone had added in a few extra rocks and a slight incline - sure this wasn't right!!! Willy kept me on the right track at a lack of concentration moment and on I sped - decided I needed to get home now - the flapjack was too sweet and tasted not good so needed home!!! I ran as fast as I could - loving this new feeling of being able to push myself harder - must be the shorter races I've been doing! I ran through a mini Blackpool Pleasure Beach on the Longshaw estate, kids in the river - how jealous was I, picnics - how jealous was I, BBQ's - oh how jealous was I, people lying down relaxing - well I was running and I could eat mountains later! Down to Grindleford, a long slog along the river to Hathersage, a long drink at Adrians feed station - he asked me questions and I grunted the answers - I needed to finish now and I still had 9km to go - push it karen - lets get under 8 hours - I pushed it and pushed it and ran uphills and then powered down the last steep one to Bradwell, I was gonna make it and I caught some folks up ahead, that didn't impress them, they spead up and we had a race on for the finish - two of them got me but I beat the one in - 7 hours and 24 mins - and a collapse on the line, a cuppa tea from my mum and then I got told I was fourth girl - Brilliant - what had I done - I'd beaten loads of people who are usually hours ahead of me - i can run - and I loved it - big adrenalin buzz - hence the ramblimng on this blog - the adrenalin will die down at some point!!!
My runfurther score is the best I've ever had - i was less than two hours behind the leaders and got my first score over 700 - I hope this fitness stays with me - I quite like it! I'm back!

Run Like a Girl Catherine's BG

2009-07-20T12:43:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a great way to spend 24 hours - luckily I wasn't running for that many of them but helping on Catherine's Bob Graham was a great experience.
Catherine's start time was delayed by the weather for an hour and she started at 2am on Saturday morning. Luckily this mean't that Alex and I had an extra hour in bed before we drove up to meet her at Dunmail Raise. The whole family was there, Ross, her husband, Cin and Geoff her mum and dad and then when she came off the hill she was with her brother. They'd had horrible wet and windy weather on section one and two with 10m visibility so the navigation was hard work but spot on.
Next me, Spyke (Stephen Pyke) and Swatts (Stephen Watts) set off up Steel Fell on a good pace and up on her timings by about 20 mins or so. The weather was great and we could see for miles!
Every top we came she picked up minutes or stayed even, never going slower than her schedule. By Pike of Stickle she was up by 24 mins and I was leaving here to head off down to Borrowdale to catch a bus to get to Honister for a long wait before my next leg (5). Spyke and Swatts were a great pair to run with, I thought I talked lots, these two were a complete double act - talking bollucks and racing and rounds and runners all the way - she was in good hands.
The waiting was hard - I kept staring at the slopes coming off Grey Knotts like she was going to suddenly turn up - I was hours early!!! But it is intoxicating wanting to know where she was and how she was doing. Eventually others turned up for other runners and left, then more turned up for runners supposed to be in front of Catherine, but she turned up first. her Dad, her Mum and me were practically jumping round the car park, she was an hour early - what a fantastic sight.
We had tea and cakes ready, some rice pudding, a change of clothing and we were off.
It was now me, Alex and Ross. Ross sang to her, I talked alot (well I had just had a coffee so was on a caffine high!) and Alex helped her ignore us!!!! I provided comedy moments by trying to take photos going up hill backwards - and then falling over backwards - much laughter - good she was still with us - am i always just there for a laugh!!! It got her to the top though - the mist came in on Dale Head, cleared by Hindscarth but came back with vengance on Robinson as the dark enveloped us. Ross navigated perfectly, helped a bit by my hand held bike torch that cut through the mist at a low level.
It is hard to run with mist and head torch so it was a good job we had the extra torch. We kept up a good pace, got straight to Robinson top, came off on a compass bearing and found the trod off down the side. The downhill was long and steep but eventually we got to the easy path in the valley and then the car park, a last cuppa, change of shoes and we set off again with Geoff (Dad) in such high spirits - sure we would be really early. She was - we rocked up into Keswick, with catherine navigating cos we all missed the gate through the park, and got to Moot Hall in 22 hours and 50 mins - 40 mins up on schedule - and as swatts had said to Ross earlier in the day when asked what he thought of the schedule written by Ross "it was rubbish - far too slack for catherine!" She'd done it - she's joined the club - god I hope I get there one day.

Here's her quick view on the help she got................

"A huge thank you for all your help this weekend - I really couldn't have done it without you!

Being lead through thick cloud and sheltered from frequent gusts, having my 'picnics' and pink juice on tap, not being expected to join in conversation but included anyway, paced carefully up the biggest climbs and then looked after on the steeper descents when my knees were hurting, given hot tea and home baked cakes during brief road stops - and most importantly, throughout all this being made to feel that I could do it and was going well (when the doubts were creeping in) got me to the Moot Hall in 22hrs 50mins.

It was a really special day for me and I'm enjoying re-living each leg with Ross with my sore legs up on the sofa."
Next up is Alex from Run Like a Girl - this is a big year for our team - newby team member Karen Davison got round in June, Cathwerine this month and Alex is having a go in September. God the pressure in on for me now!!! Am feeling stronger every time I get in the hills, especially enjoying the Lake District and all the training so watch this space - need a few more recce's and hopefully a late one this year or an early one next year.

More Salty Boob Adventures

2009-07-17T01:35:00.000-07:00

More sun, salt and running round the BG route again!
This time with Alex from Run Like a Girl, we set off on Thursday evening at 4pm to do Keswick to Threkeld, in shorts again with fantastic weather. The views were supperb from the top of Blencathra, you could see for miles (a first for me as have only ever been up there in clag and dark!). After my trashing on the 3 day trip last month with Karen I decided to take Poles - blimey they worked - I felt great going up and down, although they may look wiered in the Lake District on a BG they work for me - cam off the rocky bit of Blencathra without them then took them out for the runnable bit - brilliant - no trashed quads - or am I just back to fitness again with the last rip up here and the short fast and steep fell races I have been doing. Whatever - it feels good to be back!
That night we had a meal in the pub - a very cheesy lasagne that didn't seem to have any lasagne ingredients!!! Oh well I will dream well even if I have no energy for running the next day!). Then we drove (we had left the car at Threkeld and got the bus to Keswick for the start) to a Youth Hostel is Buttermere, excellent place, with great showers and they sold wine - brilliant - our recovery drinks avaialable on tap! We guzzled some wine with pints of water as chasers, chatted with a mad man doing a C2C, he was very funny - young and knew everything about everything - to the point that you couldn't have a conversation with anyone else as he would but in and tell you all about it!!! Rest of room just had to listen!!! Breaky was a supperb array of anything you could think of that you needed for a breaky so we had lots of porridge and a cooked breaky. That would get us over the hills.
We then drove to Keswick and caught the bus to Threkeld and had a late start at 11am - well it was going to be a short section. The sun was out again and thehills were much easier this time - I love this feeling of being abale to run. We didn't set off to go at BG pace but we seemed to be making each top in the allotted time, this is a good confidence boost. We then did some navigation tests, where one goes one way and one the other to see which is best route, this worked well but takes time and is great as we now have our best routes on and off the top of Dollywaggon Pike and found the correct route of Seat Sandle so we know where we are going when we attempt the BG!
Our accommodation that night was a B&B about 2 km down the road towards Grassmere. Town End Farm - that I now consider the best B&B in the country - what a welcome - a cuppa and a cake, then we showerd and changed and went off down to the Travellers Rest for some grub - yummy Chicken Roast. The B&B had a lounge so we chilled there and watched the last Torchwood of the week long epic. Breaky was a supperb egg and bacon cooked breaky, made to order as she even asked if we wanted the eggs on the toast or not - great service! Then the farmer gave us a lift up to Dunmail, where we met alot of BG supporters as it was now 8am saturday morning. I missed Karen's Dad (who did the last recce with me and Karen and who was supported a Josh Nailor Round) by about an hour as he was on the leg coming in to Dunmail. Steel Fell was supprising quick climb for the look of it! Then it was easy running along the next few tops, doing our route finding again, definately following the path accross to Calf Crag and a cut accross was rubbish!!! Met some BGers coming through, one very fast guy who was up by 40 mins, another guy who was navving along with hi supporters - umm - we are planning to know the route so this will not be our senario! And another guy - Nick - a local runner who was struggling a bit so we joined them, chatted with the support guys and kept with them all the way to one of their wives Kate who was at Angle Tarn area. She gave us a cuppa and a biscuit and we chatted for about 20 mins then she showed the lead in to the best route up Bowfell. Much easier than the route me, Karen and John took the other week! My legs were still going well so was starting to feel like I could do this thing again - and maybe even get in 24 hours!!!!
We had a look at Broadstand but opted out as we didn't know it and didn't want to get stuck, am sure Alex would have been fine on it but then she's a brilliant climber whereas I am just a dabbler - would not have looked good if I'd got stuck and she'd only just got her ML assessment!!!! So up Foxes Tarn yet again - horrible going down to come back up again 0 but hey neither of us know Broadstand so better to be safe than sorry!
Found the excellent route off Scafell that Ross had told us about and joined the racers from the Wasdale Race at the bottom, had a cuppa, chatted with mates and eventually found Jon who'd bought our kit in to camp. Had luckily found out he was doing the event and as he lived just round the corner from me was willing to drive our kit up for us. Owe him a few beers for that one!
We had a shower nightmare - 20p's not making the water hot, then after suffering the shampooing with cold water, the water turns hot and then wouldn't stop!!! Confused - ummm!
Next - up to the Wasdale Head for some grub and to meet up with Rachael and David who'd done the race. Then luckily, as the heavens had opened, they gave us a lift back to campsite. We both had a rubbish nights sleep and then found out my trainer had fallen apart, the whole sole was delaminating.
The weather was rubbish, the tops were not visible and my shoe was not looking good, so we taped the shoe up and headed off on a lwer level route over Styhead Pas to Seatoller and a bus ride to Keswick. A large lunch in the Peddler Cafe and an early get away.
Home by six, even after picking my van up from Macclesfield after meeting a mate Nick at a random service station on the M6. Van had broken down last week and was now mended!
A supperb recce and fell fast enough to actually support on Catherine's (Run Like a Girl) BG this weekend.
Sorry no pix of the salty boobs this time - but am thinking I am the only person in the world with this affliction - no-one else seems to sweat there and cause salty rings!!! What am I sweating out!!!

Salty Boobs....................

2009-05-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well that got you reading............ the salty boobs bit is a bit further on!!!!
Forget mid week buzzes - try a 3 day BG in the sun - what an excellent trip - apart from the fact that I cannot now walk!
It rained a bit on the first day which was a little chilly but still managed the day without gloves, we could see some of the tops and we didn't get blown off Helvelyn - at last I have been up that hill in good conditions - I could see it and I wasn't hanging on to a rock to keep me attached to it - oh and at this stage my legs were working too!
This soon changed! I was on a BG recce with Karen Davison (newby to Run Like a Girl), who is attempting her BG in 3 weeks with Dark Peak Fell Runners, and her Dad, John, who is trying for his Josh Nailor soon. Karen is a very bouncy lightweight runner - I had to follow this all the way - my legs eventually gave out half way through day one just after Helvelyn, Johns legs also gave out here so we plodded on behind Karen. We abandoned the last two hills on day one as we could not get off the hill in time for some food - we had been out for 11 hours (well one of those was in the pub at Threkeld!) and we were buggered! Luckily my Sister was on holiday in the Lakes so we had stayed with her and her mates the night before, so we did set off at 8am that morning, else I think it would habe been a long day!
We stayed at a Youth Hostel in Grassmere and it was supperb. The food was good and cheap and they even opened a bottle of wine for me - must have heard I was coming!!!
Breakfast was huge - thank goodness! Then we stopped off at the locaal post office for hill supplies and set off up Steel Fell, good pace - even if I could hardly walk - wish I had my poles with me. Karen did but gave them to her Dad who was in even worse state than me!
The sun was out - the hills were gorgeous and we had a great day route finding and climbing over grassy hills and rocky tops later on. What a stunning peice of countryside. When we got to Scafell, Karen did not want to go up the Broadstand bit and was going to go off the hill. I decided that missing two out yesturday was not in my book anymore and persuaded them to go up the Foxes Tarn way, which was lovely apart from me twisting my left ankle (had already turned the right one!!!) So was a bit slow on the slippery path down to the gully up to the tarn. Karen was well pleased we went up as it gave her an idea on timings of the alternative, she was getting within all the leg times as we timed each other between the tops. Karen then spead off down the hill to Wasdale, while John and I hobbled down with downhill wobbly legs - I felt like an ostrich! If you have ever had trashed quads then you know the ostrich feeling of collapsing uncontrollable legs. John and I headed off to the Wasdale Head Pub, luckily Karen jogged up the road to meet us there. The pub looked great - BUT - the food and service was terrible and very expensive - they defiately have a captive audience! We had to pay extra to have ice-cream on our sticky toffee pudding - you can't eat that with nothing on it!!!! Rant over - have now recovered from the experience!
The B & B we found was miles down the lake so we hitched and got there a bit too early for a welcome reception - the land lady was out and her daughter had not mastered the meet and great yet!!!! Still as soon as the land lady showed up it was excellent - lots of drink making facilities, a towel for a shower (much needed) and some left over shower gel - perfect!
After starving myself on day two - didn't have enough food, we decided that a massive cooked breaky would be the order of the day - it was lovely and it got me all the way to Honister Pass. And I must have run fast cos even my boobs sweated!!!! Yep - I have sweaty boobs and proud of them!!!

I was back, my legs nearly worked (well if you ignore the pain they almost ran!) and I was making the times between the tops - blimey that was a surprise!
We had a sandwich at Honister and set off on the last three hills, sending Karen off for a speedy finish, while John and I pootled off Robinson and ambled along to the layby at the road, sat in the river to recover the quads and then walked ike slugs on the road untill karen turned up in the car!
We'd done it - and loved it. What a confidence boost - may do it the other way round next - and then try for my new 30 hour schedule - cos no way am I ever going to be fast enough for 24 HOURS!

Mid Week Buzz!

2009-05-20T05:11:00.001-07:00

I like mid week adrenalin buzzes!
I did another short fell race, from Totley - it looked like a hilly route so thought - try this - you enjoyed the last one! So off I trotted - well it worked - I tried hard, pushed hard as I could up the hills, even though in the McDonald fell running world I always walk up the hills, I actually found myself doing a trot up the first one! Blimey - must like the competition! It felt great and I even overtook quite a few people, mind you some came back passed me on the flat on top of the hill, but then the downhill was really slippery so I flew passed loads again (well a few!) and kept most of them off my shoulders on the the next downhill and sprint to the finish - what a blast! Mind you my evening could have been improved if the photographer had decided that us lot at the back were not worth photographing, how am I supposed to get my little buzz from the boost I get from giving any photographer a big teethy smile? Then just round the corner there was another - his excuse was he was changing his memory card - am I not allowed my flashy teethy grins anymore? Oh well - have now learned to race without the grin! And I wasn't last - big bonus - took me just under an hour and I think it was about 5.5 miles (doesn't sound good now but felt like a sprint all the way!)
Bring on the next adrenalin buzz!

Fellsman from the other side!

2009-05-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

I stuck to my guns and didn't run in Fellsman - oh what a good descision - it rained and hailed and was soooo windy - and I saw it all from the inside of my pink flowery van, in the warmth!

What a bloomin good descision - for a change! I had an ace weekend and still got less sleep than when I ran in it last year! Spent the morning putting up the runfurther flags, cajouling gorgeous looking men into taking photos for me at the start, while I cycled up the bridleway to Ingleborough to take photos of happy (cos it wasn't actually raining then) runners on their first hill!

Oops forgot my gloves and a warm jacket - so froze whilst waiting for the runners - took hundreds of photos with a battery guzzling camera and cycled back down the bridleway with numb hands and a whoop - the track was supperb! See - biking - and I'm soooo happy again!!! (Nothing to do with the two glasses - oops nearly wrote bottles then! of wine I've had this evening! - just happy!)

Next - frozen hands can't undo the poles for the runfurther flags - so enlist the help of some bloke in the car park - well I am a helpless female! Pack up all the flags and banners, get in flowery van and race up the road to Checkpoint Three - meet a bloke called Harry - he's done this race about 20 times and now follows it in his car - brilliant bloke - says he does it to follow the top guy Mark Hartell - had to give him the unfortunate news that Mark has absconded to the USA and isn't actually in the race today (for the first time in 10 years!) - he looked a little dissapointed, told me all about everyone who has ever run in the event and spead off after Andy, Jez and Swatts had gone through - obviously only follows the elite! Anyway - Mark - he says "hi". (this is presuming Mark reads my blogs? - that reminds me - met more people that read this - it does scare me that people read this - it is just me venting my emotions to myself - or something like that!!!) Maybe it is a bottle of wine not a glass - umm - must check the fridge!

Sooo where was I - oh cheering people on pretending to take photos - well the batteries had run out now so saved it for peops I knew - and I had alot of people posing and smiling for me - sorry! Oh get back on track - it started to rain and rain and rain and the more I told people it was just a shower, it got heavier and heavier - then Matt pulled out - hooray I had a play mate. We spent the rest of the day hiding from the weather and chillin in the van, drinking tea and following everyone around. Trouble was we knew the top racers and all the rest so we spent hours at Fleet Moss Check Point waiting, luckily Hannah had supplied me with choclates (posh belgium ones) and the local co-op had supplied me with cookies - so we spent the day getting fat in the van watching everyone freeze!

Jez Bragg and Sarah Rowell were focosed when they were cold (well supposed it also had something to do with them being focused top runners and in the lead!), Andy ranking was frozen and bordering on hyperthermia, Swatts was moaning about a stomach bug, but he didn't moan as much as Mick Kenyon, he just didn't want to be there - he'd forgotton his ipod, was running alone and I think it got to him! (It was his camera I had borrowed and I probably have all of his agony on film!). Hannah, Rachael, Claire and Helen were just bubbly whatever happened. Will complained of not training enough. Bruce said "hi" - another converted cyclist - neither of us knew each of us was now into running. Paul, usually in an orange wig, dumped his wig for a more conventional warm hat and several more friends pulled out in severe weather conditions or cos their bodies just packed up. BUT I had a great day seeing them all through the checkpoints and cheering them on - I think I got just as much of a high from this as running in it!

Next was putting the flags and banners up at the finish, cheering the top runners in, cajouling Andy R into getting a quick shower, not having any food and joining me and Matt for last orders in Grassington whilst cheering in all the top girls and and the rest of the crew out there in the dark!

Eventaully I got to bed at 2am, in the van, for only about 3 hours before getting up to perform miracles on knackered bodies by offering sports massage to all! I now need a thumb massage, but the wine has helped!

Great weekend - great event from a another perpective, oh and I've eaten too many cookies!

Biking and Winning

2009-05-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm back - it may have been a local event but you have to be in it to win it - and I was - and I won it! Oh sooooo happy and full of adrenalin and I rode hard and I loved it. God good stuff makes a difference doesn't it??? If just feel great again - but am gonna stick to my guns and not run in Fellsman - scared of falling off the adranalin buzz again - not good at coping with a bad race obviously!!
Better go - woodworking classes on Thursdays!!! Poor wood will get an adranalin fueled chizzeling tonight!

Back from the dead!

2009-05-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Wow my legs recovered - never thought I could trash my legs that badly - thought those days had gone and I could do these races! Anyway it took a few days to be able to walk again, then a few more to recover the dead leg feeling and then I spent bank holiday weekend biking and running - I am back! Happy again - I didn't disgrace myself on the bike - I got up the hills, fell off on the rocky bits and pushed through the windy bits - god Sunday was windy and cold! Where did that summer go - I'd worn shorts! So anyway I was pleased I could still move and so went running on Bank Holiday Monday with Karen Davison, team Run Like a Girl's newest recruit, she is far too fast for me to run with normally but she did the Fling too and trashed her legs too and if you send her off to open all the gates you can just about keep up!!! Also ran with some other local friends Hillary Bloor, who now bikes more than runs, she's done the opposite to me and a new friend Kim, who has just moved into the Peaks like me. I just about stayed with them all up on Kinder, looks like I keep finding friends to run with that are just ahead of me all the time - must seek out some slow people one day - make me feel good!!! Mind you I spend my bike rides going as fast as I can to keep up with the front riders as I know this improves my biking, but I just can't seem to do this one foot, maaybe need a lighter carbon pair of feet, my lead lined ones are getting a bit worn out!
I am (so far) sticking to my guns and not running in Fellsman this weekend - I really want to as I like the event and the hills are just my sort of running BUT if I run in it like I did in Fling - it will make me cry and I'll hate it and never want to do it again - so will I stick to my rest from the races or will I cave in???? Ummm..........................

April - what a hard month for running!

2009-04-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well - haven't been here for a while - been running but not too well - first off was 4 Inns. Nearly pulled out before the start cos thought I would never keep up with Catherine, Alex and Hannah all that way - they are all running sooooo well this year - I feel like a lead weight being dragged round. BUT it is a team event, so I told them I feel crap and they told me to get to the start line! So after a logistical nightmare - or so we thought - two days prior to the race day when we thought we had no way of getting their bar our own cars (horrible then cos you have to get back to Holmbridge after the race to get your car back when all you want to do is get in a bath and drink wine!). We got two offers of lifts and one turned out to be a lifesaver. Hannah's boyfriend came up to support us and drive us to the start and cheer us on all the way round. We were a bit paranoid that this would be seen as help, so we asked him to shout lots of encouragement but not to feed us - it worked, he blasted music at us to power us on, waved, laughed, cheered and gave us choccies at the finish - he knows how to treat 4 girlies! We set off and of course knew the route really well now so just got into running. I found it a little hard keeping up, but tried to get in front for the hills so that it made me feel good (I hate being at the back it just slows me down and makes me cry!!!). This worked for most of the event, apart from the bits where I just could not catch them. The weather helped and we all had bad/slow patches but I even had a surprise good patch - or so I thought - I felt ok going up out of Edale and then running down the road to Chapel I even kept up with the others (unherad of on tarmac!) - found out later it wasn't me having a good patch but the others having their bad patch! Oh well - it worked - it got me to the end - although the end was tough and I had no usual sprint finish - just a near collapse over the line - BUT hey we did it AND we beat last years time by 52 minutes, which means we won and we are still the record holders - ME - blimey! Anyway we have the trophy for another year and a record of 9 hours 34 or something close to that! I was definately not too well though - I only managed half a glass of wine that evening!

NEXT OFF - SKI TOURING THE HAUTE ROUTE - yep Ski Like a Girl - well Alex and I and Mark Hartell went off to Chamonix to ski the Haute Route. What an excellent trip - we started off in cold icy conditions up the Col du Chardonnay, with Mark prefering his crampons to his ski's after a horrible accident a couple of years ago, and me and Alex skiing up the icy slopes to the high col, when a quick abseil down takes you out of the Chamonix Valley and beyond. We decided to do a higher route than normal and this paid off with 3 days of not seeing the crowds, high cols, very strong winds, bad visibility, clambering over avalanche debris, using crampons to climb steep grassy slopes (was supposed to be a ski tour not a grass tour but warm weather and avalanche risk means you sometimes need to take alternative routes!), we then rejoined the masses on the main route and squeezed into huts, had fantastic weather for two days, climbed steep and icy and ski'd untracked spring snow. Until the last night when we got into a storm and had to abandon the last day into Zermatt due to avalanche risk and white out conditions on the glacier, so we ski'd in deep powder to Arolla - oh what a shame - deep powder!!! Next year we start from their and finish with Zermatt and Saas Fee. At the end of the trip I was again knackered but thinking I had alot of high altitude in my blood was fired up for Highland Fling at the weekend..............

HIGHLAND FLING - Oh my god that hurt - I spent the 3 days after hols just lying down as I felt dead tired, all a bit strange as I had not ski'd since the monday. I started the race - way too early at 6am feeling great and chatting and running along at my own pace but matching the people I usually do. Until about mile 10 when I started thinking "why do my legs hurt already - I have hardly gone anywhere yet?" The next 43 miles were pure hell in gorgeous surroundings! People were passing me sooo much I was wishing I was not there. I got asked so many times if I was ok as I was passed - must have looked really bad from behind - they should have seen the grimace on my face! I felt like giving up every minute - apart from the one big hill which felt normal and good for my legs and the bit that everyone seemed to dread in the race where you climb over lots of boulders and routes on the latter part of the Loch Lomond - I liked this bit cos it actually improved the pain on my left quad, which helped to drag the other one round the rest of the race! By the time I had crawled to within a few kilometers of the finish I could take it no longer - I got my phone out and phoned my sister - she would get me to the end - I complained about the finish not being just round the corner and then admitted I was so knackered that my eyes had welled up when I passed a memorial bench - oh my god I was emotional again!!! I also admitted to finding the plaque that tells you all about the wigwam sheds that are camping barns in that part of Scotland and leaning over it pretending to read about them, it saved me from falling to the ground and just crying!!! She perked me up, made me laugh and told me to get on with it - so I did - but not in usual sprint finish style - my legs just would not do it - they just about managed a mini sprint of about 100m to the crowds at the end and then collapsed over Andy Rankins shoulder - poor guy - well he had been finished for about 6 hours! He got me a life saving cuppa, carried my bags and got me a bed at the local hostel, phew I could stop, eat and drink copious amounts of water washed down with free bubbly from the race! I have given up running - I have decided not to do Felsman and will get my bike out!! Took me 3 days to walk again and I'm still not right - sleeping 9-10 hours a night - I need last years body back again - it worked so much better! (Oh it took me 13 and a half hours to do that Fling - that is about3 hours too much!!!)

Much better head on me this week!

2009-03-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Well - decided not to go and recce BG again this weekend - not up for punishing myself and my demoralised head again so may even put it off for a year so as not to rush my reccying! Did a hilly roady bike ride on the saturday - still not right in the legs but alot better so hopefull! THEN - I entered my first extremely short fell race (only 5.9 miles of big hills - this is usually my warm up hour!). My local town of Bradwell has an charity called "Bradda Dads" and they set it up and the whole world turned up - I seemed to be back where I was a few years ago not knowing anyone at races again - all these fast sprinty fell runners.
Good thing was I could run to the start over the hill at the back of my house so this would warm me up and then I stood in a queue for my number - I got your number - 118 - hope I can run as good as the two in the advert!!!!
Met two people I know - phew - maybe I will know more as I get to live here longer - felt good putting down "Local" on the entry form though - am definately a Peaks Girlie now!
The pace was a fast start through the field and lane to the first big hill climb up Shatton Moor - I can't believe how steep people still try and run - I don't do that - just long strides and overtook loads! Yippee I was back - my legs felt great and my head too!!!
Course they all overtook me again once we got to the running along the tops bit!!! But then came a steep downhill and I felt great again - I was loving this - why have I never done short fell races before???
Next big up I started ticking people off - felt great overtaking again and then charging passed a couple more on the massive downhill finish and then one more in the field - Oh so happy - I am not last!!!
What a great morning - the winners did it in just over 40 mins and I did it in just under 1 hour 10 mins - so still extremely slow but who cares - it was such a good race - Wolf Pitts Race - you get to the website via Dark peaks website.
Ah just thought why I liked it so much - there was photographers on the course so ofcourse I was smiling all the way!!
Next weekend is biking 103 miles road sportive - hope my head stays good as am loving the feeling again!

Shud have raced!

2009-03-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well - I decided to go with the Girls (Catherine and Alex and another friend Graham) to start my BG training (at long last) - BIG mistake - all I have done is demorralised myself and even want to give up running altogether let alone do anything big. I think I am not good at running in a team or a group - I am always playing catch up and I can't stand it - last year all my best runs were by myself, at my pace on my terms. I must be the only person in the world that gets worse not better when their friends are just ahead! I dropped out after 4 hours of hell - oh yeah and it was very very very windy - we got blown off our feet going up Helvelin, it is not easy trying to hold your hat on with frozen fingers whilst holding onto the rocks to keep you attached to the Earth!
Maybe I am not ready for a BG yet - or am I just not ready to train at someone else pace? My head needs a good sort out and my body needs a transplant - or is it the other way round - my head needs a transplant and my body needs sorting. Why can't I do it - I love hills and I couldn't even get up the first one (we were doing leg 2 in a clockwise way so Threlkeld up to Clough Head and on to Dunmail). All I wanted to do was cry and I was on the hills - I should have just been having a good time cos I was out in the lakes - I don't understand not having fun - it was worse than the emotions on Tour du Mont Blanc - that I could understand - this I cannot - may be all I needed was a hug but I couldn't catch one up!!! Next time I am taking the hugs in my pocket and reccying by myself - mind you the next two sections look really complicated!!! My map has sqiggles all over it now!
Well at least writing about it has cheered me up - even going out biking today didn't help me - I seem to have swapped my legs muscles for lead muscles - it is like dragging lumps of concrete up the hills - and the usual wine afterwoods hasn't helped either - just couldn't be bothered with it - what has happened to me?
Depressed of Team Run Like a Lump of Concrete

2009-03-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Wow - Wye Ultra - did I need it???
I still can't walk and it was 2 days ago!

I turned up the night before having picked my sister up so she could come and get an idea of what running one of these events was like - we met up with a few mates in the pub and stupidly I drank wine - well I do love it!

Next day at 6.30 am having spent the night in my flowery van with my sister and her extremely smelly dog (don't swim in the Wye it is very very fishy!), set up all the Runfurther.com flags and banners, drank as much water as I could shove down my neck and went to registration.

Oh god - the bridge (about a 3rd of the way into the race) has fallen down or broken and so is closed, the course is now four laps of 7.5 miles along the banks of the Wye and some roads and some forest - oh help me please - I was dreading just one out and back and all the flatness, now I have no long hills to give my legs a change of pace and I have to come back to the start - I will never be able to turn round!

My sister tells me to stop moaning, it can't be helped, get out there and enjoy it - so I start the race! And for the first time without carrying anything accept 2 bars and some brufopen in my pocket!

First 7.5 miles - brilliant - I am not last, there was one short hill, the sun is out and I feel great.
Second 7.5 miles - oh god you can see how far ahead all your mates are, but luckily it all feels very new this way round, even the road section goes quickly!
Turn-a-round - haLf way - everyone was telling me to be strong and just run through it - well that suddenly felt easy! I sprinted in - got a slug of water from my stashed bottle and sprinted (well my version of a sprint!) again 0ff on the third leg- well I have now got a few goals to pick as I can see all my mates again!
Third 7.5 miles - getting harder but still moving, need a few stretch stops and more water and food at the water station, chat with other runners, meet new friends, still going but not so strong, then there it is - a photographer - always good for getting me to smile - and even better a second boost just after him was my sister - she'd run to near the half way point to meet me - what a boost - more photos - more smiling and off I trot - well you have to look like you know what you are doing! Felt good though cos just round the corner I bumped into Hannah - OK she was way ahead of me and of course looking good (well she is 12 years younger!) BUT she was walking! Well all that got me to the last turn-a-round point.
Last 7.5 miles - as soon as I turned it all went wrong, my legs went to lead and the path seemed to get longer and longer - I'm sure it wasn't that far back to the water station - well got there eventually, clock watching cos now I wanted to get under 5 and a half hours - it was looking good, then bad, then good, then bad but seeing and hearing the marshals at the road junction was fantastic - it not only gives you a boost to be cheered on but then it was only 4 miles to go - even if most of it was on tarmac (my pet hate) I was determined to pick up the pace a bit and try and catch a few runners and get my time goal - so I stopped, stretched and spead off - NOT - it was like running only alot slower yet again - so then I decided mind over matter and pushed harder - it worked - I over took someone - another boost! Then another - then the road came to an end and I knew it was only 20 mins to go - horray I could do this - then another big boost - my sister was in the park near the finish and she started running with me - this spead me up to my usual sprint finish and a huge smile for the photographer over the finish line - 5 hours and 21 mins.

So I thought I'd hate it but actually I did quite enjoy the pain, seeing all my mates several times and the sunshine - just hope I recover by the weekend - more biking and then some BG training I hope - got to start somewhere!

Starting to Run again!

2009-02-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

Well - I'm back for 2009....
Having recovered eventually from the massive goal I set myself in 2008, yep I did complete all 12 races in the 2008 Vasque Ultra-running Champs, see my blogs from last year on the Blogs pages on www.runfurther.com . Oh year I also ran a few extra races and the last one was Round Rotherham - bloomin heck what a mistake - oh so cold, oh so muddy oh so horrible, luckily i was running with my team mate Catherine and we kept each other going in the hell of industrial muddy Rotherham - never again!! 50 miles of that can be missed in my book!! Mind you the bucket of wine afterwoods was again welcome - so I have kept up the alcohol training! Did well on my ski holiday on that front too - powder, steep, deep and wine - perfect holiday!!!
This year - well - I said I would have a go at a Bob Graham round, but haven't reccy'd at all over the winter, so not sure if this will happen! Next idea was having a go at Trans Britain, a 6 day stage race, but have to raise £1000 for charity and at the moment I'm finding it hard to earn that amount of money let alone get it for something else! So that is still an idea if I can come up with a way of raising the money (what I do like though is that all the £1000 goes to the charity, the entry is seperate!) Any ideas???
What I am doing is again running in the Vasque Ultra-running Champs again, not all 12 races this year but at least 5 at the mo! Maybe more so will see you all there again - hopefully seeing some of you having a go at a Grand Slam, well if I can do it so can all you lot!
Apart from that - more biking - having neglected it for a couple of years - and part of this is running the New Polaris Challenge, a 2 day mountain bike orienteering event. I used to organise this event a few years ago and am now back in charge. First one is in the Peaks, where I have just moved to, where the riding is supperb. My new team name needs to be "Bike Like a Girl", or maybe "Drink Like a Girl" covers all our activities including the celebrations after the races!!!
Well first race is on Sunday - it is 30 miles of far too flat running along the banks of the river Wye - I will moan all the way round, and it's an out and back so all the other racers will see me moaning too!!! Still - it'll be a good catch up with all my running mates and an introduction to ultra's for my sister - she's going to walk it and laugh at me moaning!!
Why oh why do I do this - oh yeah - I enjoy it!!!