61 miles of moorland – 8th / 9th May
The week before............
As opposed to a straight forward race report, I thought I`d highlight a few thoughts and observations before the challenge and then hopefully a gushing commentary on how it all unfurled!
So, I’ve managed over the last two weeks: Three or four club runs of tempo and interval stuff between 10 and 12 miles distance, a 32 mile cycle run along the coastal Cleveland Way near Ravenscar and a couple of hill trecks around 10 miles each firstly in the Dark Peak area and then a glimpse of the section between Hell Gap down towards Capelstone Gate. Observations and feelings range from...... “Oh hell!” to “I’m gonna give it my best shot” .......... and walk most of the climbs and stumble through the dark; hopefully to make it back to Threshfield without getting swept up by the sweeper bus!.
Have I done enough following on from Calderdale?
An old adage keeps coming to mind “Son, you’ll never see a Fat Jockey, a Bookie in bicycle clips or a Dead Donkey!” to that can be added , as observed by Mick Bull at Calderdale, “A fit fell runner without injuries and niggles of one sort or another”. Add me to the latter with a strange knee pain that won’t go away but doesn’t cause me real trouble or to crash out of any event ...... yet.
Gazing away at Ingleborough on Sunday, from Buckden Pike, wow it’s a long long way round! .......... The views, the event, the challenge, the mental ability to get through; all this went through my mind.... What am I going to eat? Those little round cheeses wrapped in red wax are a shoe-in for sure and bags of Jellybabies ....... sure they’ll weigh more than 300g. Hope the Brooks Cascadia 4 stand the route (no complaints so far and I’m thinking about the road sections). I’m a novice and the old doubts about finishing and “I’ve only done a few of these sorts of races before now” are haunting my waking and evening hours......... I’m turning into a wraith with trepidation! And that’s before the kit check ....... wish me luck I’ll be behind you before long....
The day before ............
The moral of the story being, "Never discuss a race until its run". All ready; maps done, rucksack sorted, carbs loaded .... I drive out of the village to what will be, in any event, a tense busy last day at my business before the trip to Ingleton. On the grass verge lies our cat ... am sure the vehicle driver did their best and she was laid "nicely" if such a description is apt. The return to home, the breaking of news, the trauma ..... I need all my wits about me to do these runs and my heart just wasn't in it to get up at 3.00am after all that .... sorry there's no happy end here, I'm sure I'll do this race but not this time. Hope to see you all soon.
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