.....it's buddy chilly out.
One year ago it was positively balmy. This year the winter has dragged on and on. The biggest problem this brings to Bob Graham Round training is the snow and ice that make progress slower than it should be, and also the intense biting cold some days when you get any height up.
Yesterday was a day with both those issues to face.
I was wanting a long run of at least 6 hours and planned out a circuitous route of about 25 miles that would see me cover some of the round and a couple of other tops I hadn't been on for a few years.
All went well initially as I left Keswick with Lee (toast) Newton, heading up to Gale Rd then over the back o' Latrigg and onto Blencathras Blease Fell. The wind was strong in the East but didn't affect us at all as we jogged along the summit ridge to Blen's famous circle for what must be at least my 12th visit of 2013.
As is my wont we dropped into Threlkeld via Doddick, stopping thereon to check out my wee lines and shortcuts to avoid rocky bits, (though whether I remember them in't dark on my actual round is another matter altogether)
At Threlkeld we were on about 15 minute mile average pace and had scarcely broke into a sweat. Ideal in my opinion. 15 min/miling is 4mph and 4mph is way more than enough complete the round inside 24 hours.
Once over the Coach Road and trudging up the steep face of Clough Head things got tough. I reckon on this occasion I should really have gone around to the back a little further and utilised the walkers path. But I stubbornly stuck to my pre-existing BG knowledge and forged on upward. On the high bit inbetween the rocky areas, where there are now steps formed, it was just a sheet of ice covered in new snow. I naturally lowered my centre of gravity by going onto all fours and continued picking my way up. Lee didnt seem at ease at all. I was concerned he was going to freeze out of fear of going up or back down so stayed where I was a while until he got confident enough to carry on up toward me.
At this stage, despite being almost fully white with frost and snow sticking to him, and closing one eye against the raging wind that pebble-dashed everything solid with the top layer of snowcrust and fresh hail - Scamp was hunkered down in a familiar position that I know means he had found a stick and placed it on my route to throw for him. On this occasion I declined his offer.
As we got higher, and safely onto the main drag up to the summit cairn, Lee somehow got into his bag and put on more clothes. I felt sure if did the same I would lose them in the wind so I battered on over the summit and down t'other side. We headed for Calfhow Pike and found a bit of shelter behind one of its larger rocks. I took an absolute age to put on my £80 gloves, thicker hat and jacket.
A couple of mins later we were off up toward Gt Dodd
A couple of mins later we were coming back down from (not very far at all up) Gt Dodd.
It was hideous. Wind so strong that running was impossible despite the gentle-at-first gradient. And so cold ( I later discovered Helvellyn was -18 windchhil so I reckon we had at least minus 10 or 12). It wasn't really possible to talk to each other properly so we retreated back to Calfhow and took stock.
We considered looking across to just above Wanthwaite Crags then trying to get down to Threlkeld Knotts but its tremendously steep ground - not a safe place to go adventuring. So we took the valley out NE until we reached the Coach road again, then toured around Cloughy until we were back at our original point above Newsham House. By the time we retraced our steps to Threlkeld we'd done 16 miles. Lee suggested we could call his dad up for to come and get us and give lift to Keswick.
I'd never heard such a crazy idea in a long time. We weren't knackered or owt. Its just the weather had forced a re-think of our plans. No no no, the jog back to Keswick would help warm us up some more and would make a shortened day not too short after all. As we jogged along the old railway line at a decent enough 8mins/mile, Lee revealed that at 17 miles covered, this was now his longest run, EVER. The lad done good.
So 20 miles covered in total. The average pace of 4.37 mph (13:43 min miling) was upped due to the flat run-in to the finish (and would have been a lot higher than that if if not for the lengthy stops at Calfhow) But to be honest as only the first couple of hours were on true BG ground, the final pace becomes much less relevant.
Note - the original plan would have seen us visit all 3 Dodds then drop down Sticks Pass to Stanah. I was then considering back o' Thirlmere and up to High Tove, High Seat, Bleaberry etc. One for another (warmer) day I reckon.
One thing I learned training for road marathons is that its important to do short fast running as well as the vital long slower stuff. I see no reason not extend this theory to BGR training and with that in mind I recently made a full scale attack on leg 1. With Andrew M the other week I'd taken 4:15 for leg 1. On my own I'd done it in 3:17 (or 3:22 if you add in Moot Hall to SpooneyGreen Lane). So I reckoned sub 3 hours was achievable....
I ran almost all the way up Skiddaw and then ran most of the remainder of the leg too to record 2:58, comprising Skiddaw ascent in 66 mins, Calva in 32mins - Blen' in 55 and 25 off via Doddick. As this was with still some icy patches on the summits I have every confidence I will be able to go faster still. Going as fast as possible rather than retaining reserves to keep going for hour after hour was a lot of fun and much more the kind of running I enjoy and am used to, but I know that wherever possible I need to spend the days I have off work 'going long'. With this in mind I will be taking some Wednesdays off work to allow for two long runs per week to be completed.
#wecontinue
Monday, March 11, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Not quite the beginning
In 2012 I was not only fit, but fell fit. I ran several pb's in fellraces and won the Lakes 50 mile Ultra (not really a fell event I admit). I knew that a Bob Graham Round was within my capability and I should really give it a go. But it was already well past midsummers day and I had more races planned throughout the rest of the 'summer'.
So I went into the Autumn thinking that I would probably give it a go in 2013 and in the meantime I spent ever longer in the fells preparing myself for what will surely be the biggest challenge and therefore greatest acheivement of my sporting life.
There are three main reasons why I havent done the BGR until now.....
1) I felt that I should know the full route like the back of my hand so as to not need reliance upon navigators
2)I'd seen first hand the organisation involved in a fully supported attempt and didnt think I could be bothered to arrange all that was involved.
3) I have always ran a road marathon in the Spring so my weekends from Christmas to then were always taken up with long or fast road runs.
And the thinking behind now ignoring these 3 reasons?
1) I will never know the route as well as I would need to to do a minimally supported round. Well, I might, but in several more years time, and by then I might not have the fitness.
2) Its only to sort out the once so I've decided to do it in the biggest style possible with at least 3 support runners on every leg.
3) For the last two years road marathons have only served up disapointment and frustration - time for a change - 2013 is the first year in the last 10 that I am not planning a road marathon at all.
So thats an explanation of how I decided to do the round. Heres the why, when and which way round.....
Why?
Why not? I've heard of the BGR since just after I took up fellrunning in 2004/05. With Cumbria being my home County I have easy access to the Lake District fells for training and I like the idea of what is generally considered the 'big thing' in English long distance fellrunning.
When?
Summer makes sense for the amount of daylight, or more handily, the lack of darkness. Peak BGR season seems to be May-June and I have chosen Saturday June 1st. It's a compromise date, I always thought mid May would be best (as I've noted May weather to be kinder than June/July weather for the last few years) but I also really want to run the Scafell Marathon on 19th May so I had to choose a date a couple of weeks away from that event (and figured afterwards to be better than prior)
Which Way Round?
Clockwise. Bob Graham went that way. Also, before I looked into the route in proper detail I already knew that Skiddaw and Blencathra were in the first section, and as I knew these two mountains quite well from summers evening runs, it seemed logical to link them up with Calva and thus I was already recceing the clockwise option many years before I ever considered doing the full round. Similarly, its very easy for me to get to Threlkeld and set out on Leg 2 clockwise. To go anti clockwise now would seem wrong somehow. Plus, the climbs up Blen' and Skiddaw in those final few hours would be seriously tough, and the descent off Skiddaw might be a very slow walk if legs are smashed.
That leaves two more questions
What time to set off? and What schedule to aim for?
I'm going to set off at 11pm the day before (ie Friday night, 31st May). The thinking behind this is that it'll be dark for about the first 4 or 5 hours of my round, getting light by the time I near Gt Dodd hopefully. With the descent off Blencathra therefore being the only technical bit I will be doing in the dark. And the first 5 tops should be no problem to locate in the dark either. With sunset being 21:36, If I take 23 hours 59 minutes to complete the round then I should still get to Robinson (summit no 42) in a wee bit of daylight and the final hour or so will be dark but on roads and paths there should be no possibility of going the wrong way.
Schedule then..... I want to beat 24 hours, thats a given. The thing about a BGR is actually going SLOW enough at first so as to ensure you can cover the distance. But then also theres little point in going so slowly that you barely keep inside 24hr pace. Its not terrribly difficult to run a leg or perhaps even two of them at sub 20 hour pace. Would it be sensible or foolish to set off at that pace on the day? I dont know. Nearer the time I will make a decision based on numerous training runs over the route.
Of course no matter how much you train, how well you know the route, and how well prepared you are, theres a myriad things that can go wrong and prevent a completion. Most obvious is the weather. Cold, rain and strong winds would probably be worse conditions despite the daylight, than clear skies and hard frosted ground in midwinter.
That previous paragraph is the only vague nod to negativity I will ever mention on this Blog. I include it to demonstrate that I do indeed realise that my preparation, ability and determination will play their part alongside fortune. As far as I am concerned June 1st 2013 is the day I complete the BGR - it will not be referred to as an attempt.
Being the first post on this new Blog and already being a good way into my training and planning I have much more to write about. Most notably the humility I feel from the response of folk I know (and some I really don't) when Ive mentioned my plans and enquired of their help. More on that next time, but thanks folks.
#wecontinue
So I went into the Autumn thinking that I would probably give it a go in 2013 and in the meantime I spent ever longer in the fells preparing myself for what will surely be the biggest challenge and therefore greatest acheivement of my sporting life.
There are three main reasons why I havent done the BGR until now.....
1) I felt that I should know the full route like the back of my hand so as to not need reliance upon navigators
2)I'd seen first hand the organisation involved in a fully supported attempt and didnt think I could be bothered to arrange all that was involved.
3) I have always ran a road marathon in the Spring so my weekends from Christmas to then were always taken up with long or fast road runs.
And the thinking behind now ignoring these 3 reasons?
1) I will never know the route as well as I would need to to do a minimally supported round. Well, I might, but in several more years time, and by then I might not have the fitness.
2) Its only to sort out the once so I've decided to do it in the biggest style possible with at least 3 support runners on every leg.
3) For the last two years road marathons have only served up disapointment and frustration - time for a change - 2013 is the first year in the last 10 that I am not planning a road marathon at all.
So thats an explanation of how I decided to do the round. Heres the why, when and which way round.....
Why?
Why not? I've heard of the BGR since just after I took up fellrunning in 2004/05. With Cumbria being my home County I have easy access to the Lake District fells for training and I like the idea of what is generally considered the 'big thing' in English long distance fellrunning.
When?
Summer makes sense for the amount of daylight, or more handily, the lack of darkness. Peak BGR season seems to be May-June and I have chosen Saturday June 1st. It's a compromise date, I always thought mid May would be best (as I've noted May weather to be kinder than June/July weather for the last few years) but I also really want to run the Scafell Marathon on 19th May so I had to choose a date a couple of weeks away from that event (and figured afterwards to be better than prior)
Which Way Round?
Clockwise. Bob Graham went that way. Also, before I looked into the route in proper detail I already knew that Skiddaw and Blencathra were in the first section, and as I knew these two mountains quite well from summers evening runs, it seemed logical to link them up with Calva and thus I was already recceing the clockwise option many years before I ever considered doing the full round. Similarly, its very easy for me to get to Threlkeld and set out on Leg 2 clockwise. To go anti clockwise now would seem wrong somehow. Plus, the climbs up Blen' and Skiddaw in those final few hours would be seriously tough, and the descent off Skiddaw might be a very slow walk if legs are smashed.
That leaves two more questions
What time to set off? and What schedule to aim for?
I'm going to set off at 11pm the day before (ie Friday night, 31st May). The thinking behind this is that it'll be dark for about the first 4 or 5 hours of my round, getting light by the time I near Gt Dodd hopefully. With the descent off Blencathra therefore being the only technical bit I will be doing in the dark. And the first 5 tops should be no problem to locate in the dark either. With sunset being 21:36, If I take 23 hours 59 minutes to complete the round then I should still get to Robinson (summit no 42) in a wee bit of daylight and the final hour or so will be dark but on roads and paths there should be no possibility of going the wrong way.
Schedule then..... I want to beat 24 hours, thats a given. The thing about a BGR is actually going SLOW enough at first so as to ensure you can cover the distance. But then also theres little point in going so slowly that you barely keep inside 24hr pace. Its not terrribly difficult to run a leg or perhaps even two of them at sub 20 hour pace. Would it be sensible or foolish to set off at that pace on the day? I dont know. Nearer the time I will make a decision based on numerous training runs over the route.
Of course no matter how much you train, how well you know the route, and how well prepared you are, theres a myriad things that can go wrong and prevent a completion. Most obvious is the weather. Cold, rain and strong winds would probably be worse conditions despite the daylight, than clear skies and hard frosted ground in midwinter.
That previous paragraph is the only vague nod to negativity I will ever mention on this Blog. I include it to demonstrate that I do indeed realise that my preparation, ability and determination will play their part alongside fortune. As far as I am concerned June 1st 2013 is the day I complete the BGR - it will not be referred to as an attempt.
Being the first post on this new Blog and already being a good way into my training and planning I have much more to write about. Most notably the humility I feel from the response of folk I know (and some I really don't) when Ive mentioned my plans and enquired of their help. More on that next time, but thanks folks.
#wecontinue
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