Struggling

Life is getting me down at the moment. Don't think I've ever found things so hard to be motivated. Really struggling to get the mojo. Haven't actually run for over a week! Not good. I still want to run but I can't get motivated to go out for leisure. No races planned for the weekend, I fear I may not get out for a run. I am struggling right now and I hope I get through it.

Lethargy

I'm full of it. Lethargy, that is, not the alternative meaning of 'full of it'. Can't seem to find my mojo. It was there a couple of weeks ago but work has somewhat ground me down. Add to that, all this bad weather. Mix in a sprinkle of tiredness - see item one above - and you have all the ingredients for loss of mojo. I really need to get it back and quickly. The Saunders mountain marathon is just around the corner...

Looking forward to getting out on the town on Saturday night. A time to reboot the system me thinks...

This Global Warming Is Getting On My Nerves

I can remember weather like this from summer holidays when I was a lad - although I didn't realise we were supposed to call it global warming back then. Seriously though, what is the point of the MET office? A few months ago they were spreading prophecies of doom... Hose pipe bans... Standpipes... Civil unrest over water shortages - OK, they didn't go that far. What is the point of spending all that money on super computers to do a piss poor job of forecasting the weather any further into the future than a couple of hours? Might as well just go by the old 'red sky at night.. red sky in the morning..' adage. Be about as accurate - and a damn sight cheaper.

On other matters, as expected, my back is indeed aching. My arms too. Good job done though - and just in the nick of time. Home from work, I couldn't face getting soaked so an hour on the bike it was. I cranked the resistance right up and really pumped those pedals. Dripping. Yuck.

I Was, Honest...

But I didn't because I remembered I'd mentioned to the neighbour that I'd do my bit to clear the brook. They were busy yesterday cutting back and strimming and I felt guilty as I wasn't able to help.

I was up by nine and, strong cup of freshly brewed coffee in hand, plotted a route for my leg of the Cotswold relay to allow me to run a circular loop. All set I was preparing to go when I suddenly remembered my promise. To be fair I've been intending to get out there into the brook for a couple of months as it's massively over grown and if we don't keep it clear we flood! So, waders donned, I headed in...

What hard bloody work - you can tell I'm an office boy. Twenty minutes in it was off with my top. I was down to my shorts and waders - a sexy combo if ever there was. At one point I thought my waders were leaking as my feet were feeling wet - it was a sweaty business wearing all that rubber - ooh nasty! Four hours later the undergrowth was vanquished. The brook was flowing freely and I was thoroughly knackered. I wouldn't be surprised if I had a few aches tomorrow and at least I've got my route all setup for next week...

On gardening matters the first of the tomatoes have started to grow. Fourteen proper little tomatoes - how sad am I to count them? - don't answer that...

Please Let That Be The End Of It

Having wasted most of the day I feel a bit down in the dumps. Having been up till the early hours of the morning I didn't wake up till eight. Don't think I've ever stayed up so late while still sober! By the time I'd woken up fully, it was time to jump in the car and head back to the crime scene - I can think of better places to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon. Once all the usual suspects had assembled we started work trying to solve the mysterious failure of the ozone system in the night time. Four hours later we had it beat and it was time to disband the band of merry men and head home.

Back home, gone five, I headed into the garden to cut the damn grass - a dirty job but someone's got to do it. Feeling a bit down in the dumps now. Still reeling from the fact I had to forego today's race. I was really up for it - would have run like a donkey but it would have been fun. Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky tonight...

with my numbers on the lottery.

And That Seals It

I finally got away from work at half past midnight. At 16 hours and forty five minutes, that was a long day. Finally got home at just gone one. Need to be on available for work tomorrow morning so that puts paid to racing a horse, or in fact, racing anything. I'm not happy. I will be glad to see the back of 'the project' so I can finally start making plans - which I can actually follow through with.

In Doubt

The horse race may not happen. I am still at work, some thirteen hours since arriving for duty. Likely as not I will be here another hour at least. That means I'll not be home till midnight at best. The knock on is that I may not make the early rise required to get across Wales for the registration.

I am more than a little disappointed as I was well up for a leisurely blast through the forest tracks. I was half hoping to get across after work tonight for the pasta night. That's gone but there is still a chance I will race. It all depends how quickly the works restart and just how tired I feel in the morning. It has been a draining day...

Call Me Mickey

Squeak, squeak but I'm not going out in this bloody weather - I'm not a triathlete - my swimming isn't strong enough and I don't want to drown. My legs feel much better though and had it not been p!%$ing down I would have gone for a run. Instead I cranked the resistance on the bike right up and got a good sweat on. Much happier I'll be ready for Saturday's race.

On other matters, with 28 days holiday left this year I need to start using it - or should I just work a four day week till the end of the year? Mini break up to the Peak District in July? June is out on account of booked up every weekend. Mid July I reckon I'll be free of things. Might take my laser and run some of the Pennine Way on a two/three day run, full pack and all. Then maybe a bit of luxury with a cafe lunch after I'm done. Ah, the open road - and the open fell...

And Still My Legs Hurt...

I'm beginning to worry that I'm a southern softie! Just kidding, I know I'm a southern sof... Soft or not I've paid my twenty quid to race some bloody horses on Saturday so I have to be ready to run the twenty something miles come what may. Can't be wasting that kind of money. There is, at least, a silver lining to the clouds of hurt - it's not a fell race so should be much flatter and less rough and rocky underfoot.

Took it easy tonight on the bike. Cranked up the resistance a notch because my quads do feel a little less sore today. Don't want to go pounding the streets just yet though. Depending on how I feel tomorrow I might try an easy 10k through Flaxley Wood after work. Not going to be doing any speed or hill work just yet. I'll leave that for next week.

Finished off tonight's workout with a good solid ab session - the session was solid, the abs, sadly, are not - and fifty push-ups. Like a potato that's been left on the shelf too long I've gone a little to seed so it's time to work off the flab...

Wasn't Expecting My Legs To Be Hurting Still...

So it's now been three days since I conquered Ennerdale. I think we all know by 'conquered' I mean survived the brutal race. Still, I wasn't expecting my legs to remain so sore today. I was planning to get out for a jog but I don't think it will do me any good. Still a bit of recovery to go through before I get out for a run me thinks.

Can't do nothing though which means I must do something. A bike session. Nice and gentle. Makes me feel like I'm doing something despite setting it back down on a light resistance. After all I've got to be ready to race a horse next Saturday.

Feeling A Little Off

The heat and the effort have taken their toll. Feeling a little off today. Difficult to nail down exactly what's wrong. Just don't feel quite right. Suffice to say I have been resting. No training today. My quads are wrecked but over all my legs feel better than I thought they would.

So what's a guy to do when he's resting up? Why create a new website of course. To that effect, I've registered fellrunningroutes.org.uk. I'm going to slowly add the routes and race details of fell races as I run them. My back catalogue may take a time to post up but little by little I will add them. I want to build a resource for fell runners. A one stop shop for routes, checkpoints, gps tracks, parking, campsites and other general information. The driver for this project was the difficulty in finding the relevant information for the Ennerdale race. I can't believe in this day and age the lack of readily available online information. I know fell running is an ancient sport but it too can get with the digital age.

Hopefully fellrunningroutes.org.uk will fill a gap and provide a valuable service to fell runners everywhere. I have a feeling it's going to be a long road but the journey to a full catalogue begins with a single race....

The Hardest Race I've Ever Run

It truly was. In a different league to the Yorkshire Three Peaks race of a few weeks ago. I'm not sure my legs will ever work again...

I parked up overnight about 45 minutes from the race start. Up early, I completed the journey, registered and got my head down for an hour - heavenly slumber. Then with an hour to go I got myself, my kit and my final preparation done. Splits written on my race number I was good to go. Between the time I worked out my ascent-distance based splits and the morning of the race I had decided to ease things back to a 5 hour 30 schedule.

I set off towards the rear of the field and took it easy across the flat section before the largest climb of them all from zero to, well a long way up, to check point one, Great Bourne - nothing to do with Jason. I was a little quick hitting the summit 3 minutes 30 inside my target. To Red Pike (CP2) I picked up another four minutes. All very straight forward. From there things started to diversify as the runners ahead (and behind) all started to take differing routes. Without having reccied the route I just tried to follow someone who looked like they knew what they were doing.

Luckily I spotted a lady nip round the side of one of the smaller hills and I set off in hot pursuit. That was a great save and although I did faff a little a mile or two later I managed to get to Blackbeck Tarn (CP3) having only the lost just under three minutes from that split.

I gained those three minutes back on the climb to Green Gable (CP4) at which point, as a summary, I was just about eight minutes up on my 5:30 schedule and I felt pretty good. I was taking on plenty of water and gels and feeling confident.

Kirk Fell (CP5) was another poor one. Having decided to take the trod round Great Gable rather than speeding down and back up I lost three minutes. I felt it was a worth while sacrifice to try and save my legs - it didn't work as they were beginning to feel somewhat knackered anyway.

Pillar (CP6) was another bad one, losing almost four minutes. I was beginning to fade. Now just one minute inside my schedule it didn't look good. The rough ground was quite literally, grinding me down. My feet were beginning to boil and I could feel blisters on their way but I had picked me up some good company along the way to numb the pain.

Surprisingly I rallied on the section across to check point seven, Haycock - stop it - mainly on account that there was a good section of grassy running to be had. I picked up three minutes to bring things almost four minutes back inside the schedule. I was beginning to think I might actually get inside five and a half hours...

The run to Iron Crag (CP8) also went alright, gaining another minute and I still felt OK. That feeling didn't last long and it all started to go a bit wrong on the climb to the final check point, Crag Fell. Coming out of the woods I began to feel a bit dizzy and had to ease back. I could feel my heart pumping and I had a slight feeling of nausea. I needed to take my foot off the throttle in order to make it to the finish in one piece. I yielded two minutes to the schedule but I was still inside by three minutes. There was still a chance...

The final descent was steep and runnable but seemed to go on for ever - and in the wrong direction! It was a marked route that you had to follow and direct to the finish it was not. By the time I hit the bottom I was destroyed. I could barely run. As the clock ticked on my progress in the final mile was agonisingly slow. I could hardly run. Finally, after what seemed like a life time I dibbed - ooh matron - that one final time at the finish - and disastrously I was 45 seconds outside my target. NOOOOOOOO.

So having completed the 23 miles, 7,500 feet of ascent, endured the full force force of the sun and been eaten alive by midges I finished in a time of 5:30:45 in 59th place. I think I might sleep through tomorrow...

The Ennerdale Fell Race... 

Hellerdale...

'Expletive' me that was hard - don't even have the energy for a ooh matron. I made it round in the kind of time I thought I would. I'm satisfied with my run but it does show me there is much hard work ahead. Full blow by blow - stop it (getting my energy back) - report to follow...

Embarked To Ennerdale

Well I'm on my way - and no, I'm not blogging as I drive because that would be illegal. No this is a scheduled post, written using my mystical powers to see into the future. Right about now I am slowly making my along the M5 towards the M6 - or as I like to call it on a bank holiday Friday, the worlds longest car park. With luck I will reach the Lakes sometime today. The earlier the better but not even my powers to peek into the present from the past can presuppose my arrival time.

I've picked out a couple of places for a stop over. One near Kendal and the other a little further on towards Thirlmere. I'm not intending to make it all the way to Ennerdale tonight. I shall resume my journey onwards in the morning. With the race not starting till 11am it won't mean a massively early start which ever stop over I use.

Here goes nothing...